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Observations From Section 321 : Hit The Snooze Button

The Blackhawks get back in the win column with a 2-0 shutout of the Flames.

Today's recap is going to be rather short because well, quite frankly, there is was much to talk about. The Hawks played a much more responsible game in their own end. The overall team defense seemed to be back up to par with where its been most of the season. Ray Emery wasn't tested much only facing 16 shots on the night. I will gladly take boring Blackhawks wins over exciting losses any day of the week.

Nick Leddy got the Hawks on the board with his 5th goal of the season at 7:09 of the 1st period. Patrick Kane created the play by heading towards the goal line and grabbing the attention of the Calgary defense. He tried to center the puck back to Dave Bolland but Curtis Glencross got his stick in the way. The puck deflected to a wide open Nick Leddy at the left faceoff dot, who instead of firing a big slat shot, flicked a crafty little wrist shot that banked of the knee of Mikka Kiprusoff and into the net. Michal Rozsival picked up the secondary assist on the eventual game winning goal.

The Hawks dominated the majority of the 2nd period, even out shot the Flames 16-3. But, mostly due to the great play of Kiprusoff, the Hawks looked like they were going to head into the 3rd with just a one goal lead. That is, until Brent Seabrook scored one of the most comical goals of the season. Seabrook's shot looked to have clipped Jarome Iginla's stick which caused the puck to flutter. Kiprusoff looked like he was swatting gnats as the puck floated by him. The play was made possible by a gigantic brain fart from Mike Cammalleri, who broke his stick and left the zone while the Hawks had the puck. How does a veteran of nearly 600 NHL games make a mistake like that? If I were Bob Hartley, and thank God I'm not, I would sit Cammalleri for a game or two after that move. Kane and Duncan Keith assisted on Biscuit's 6th goal of the year.

* Just imagine how many points Patrick Kane would have if he was playing with a real center this year. He has been unreal since Patrick Sharp has been out. In his last 6 games, while skating the majority of the time with Dave Bolland and Jimmy Hayes, he has 3 goals and 8 assists.


* There was a lot of love for Bolland on the board last night and I'm sure some of you don't want to hear it again, but he is not a 2nd line center. As much as I would like to see Iginla come to Chicago, I would rather go out and get a 2nd line center, but those are expensive. I do love Bolly, but he has been terrible this season. It is not all his fault, first off he is out of position. Bolland excels on the 3rd line, he can't handle playing between the two Patricks on a nightly basis. Bolly is screwed up offensively right now. He missed two goals last night because he couldn't lift the puck and he made a horrible pass the Hayes during a 2nd period 2 on 1. He would be much more effective in between Bryan Bickell and Viktor Stalberg on the 3rd line. Second, I don't think Bolland is healthy. I've heard whispers that his back has been bothersome. If this is true, why is he out there? Shut him down for a week or two and get him 100% for the playoffs, where he will be an extremely important player.


* There is no goalie controversy in Chicago, Corey Crawford is the #1, period, end of sentence. Yes, Ray Emery is 12-0-0 and pitched a shutout last night, but Crow has earned the top spot. Emery benefited from his team showing up in front of him, something Crow did not get Monday night against the Kings. Razor has been much better than expected but for some people calling for him to start in the playoffs is just insane!


*Have you ever seen anyone who crashed into the net more than Brandon Saad? This kid's motor never stops. And to think some pre draft scouts questioned if he had the skating ability to make it in the NHL. Saad should be one of the top contenders for the Calder. He has 16 points (4 G, 12 A) and has been very effective while playing on the top line for the best team in the league.


* If you are worried about the race for the President's Trophy, good news, baseball starts on Monday. The Hawks can take a stranglehold on the West with a win over the Ducks on Friday night. The Ducks have not won since their victory against the Blackhawks a week ago. Who cares if the Penguins have more points than the Blackhawks? What does it really mean in the grand scheme of things? Zilch!


* I really hope we can find a gif of Dennis Wideman giving himself a nut shot on the boards last night.


*Clubber Lang > the guy who is less funny than his brother's corpse.


Blackhawks Corsi numbers


Player Pos ES TOI Total Shots For Total Shots Against Corsi Net Zone Starts Adjusted Corsi
Duncan Keith D 16:48 14 17 -3 0 -3
Niklas Hjalmarsson D 17:50 15 12 +3 +3 +2
Brent Seabrook D 16:08 14 17 -3 -1 -3
Nick Leddy D 12:20 9 6 +3 +3 +2
Daniel Carcillo L 7:02 9 4 +5 +1 +5
Marcus Kruger C 9:28 10 7 +3 -1 +3
Jonathan Toews C 14:26 12 11 +1 -1 +1
Brandon Saad L 13:42 11 10 +1 -1 +1
Jamal Mayers R 6:33 6 2 +4 0 +4
Viktor Stalberg L 9:24 9 9 0 +2 -1
Johnny Oduya D 16:46 16 11 +5 +3 +4
Bryan Bickell L 9:55 8 9 -1 +1 -1
Michal Rozsival D 11:56 10 5 +5 +4 +3
Dave Bolland C 13:40 10 11 -1 +6 -3
Jimmy Hayes R 13:10 9 8 +1 +6 -1
Andrew Shaw C 10:11 7 10 -3 +1 -3
Michael Frolik R 13:48 12 10 +2 -2 +3
Patrick Kane R 16:23 14 11 +3 +6 +1


Flames Corsi numbers


Player Pos ES TOI Total Shots For Total Shots Against Corsi Net Zone Starts Adjusted Corsi
Jay Bouwmeester D 19:01 15 17 -2 -5 0
Mark Giordano D 16:38 6 16 -10 +2 -11
Cory Sarich D 8:55 8 9 -1 -2 -0
Tj Brodie D 18:53 19 13 +6 -6 +8
Roman Cervenka C 13:04 9 8 +1 0 +1
Mikael Backlund C 12:15 9 9 0 +1 -0
Jarome Iginla R 13:58 13 14 -1 -2 -0
Mike Cammalleri L 15:08 10 13 -3 -4 -1
Tim Jackman R 4:50 5 3 +2 0 +2
Blake Comeau L 3:44 3 3 0 -2 +1
Matt Stajan C 14:32 10 12 -2 -1 -2
Curtis Glencross L 13:26 10 17 -7 +2 -8
Lee Stempniak R 14:16 10 13 -3 -3 -2
Jiri Hudler C 14:46 10 8 +2 -1 +2
Steve Begin L 5:41 7 3 +4 -4 +6
Dennis Wideman D 17:42 10 16 -6 +1 -6
Alex Tanguay L 13:05 8 12 -4 -4 -2
Chris Butler D 11:01 10 9 +1 -2 +2




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