The Hawks came into Tuesday night’s game riding high and thinking the home crowd would propel them to a victory on home ice after storming back twice in Vancouver. But it was not to be.
Once again, the Hawks spotted the Canucks the lead after a spirited first with the Hawks controlling much of the play. But a smart pinch by Kevin Bieksa and a great pass from Ryan Kesler to Mason Raymond led the Vancouver squad to drawing first blood. It was a lead they would never relinquish.
A lazy, late-first-period penalty by Patrick Kane led to a power play that the Canucks would capitalize on early in the second by Steve Bernier banging home a puck in front, and led to Kane’s benching through the majority of the second period. Khabibulin let a softy by Henrik Sedin fart through his pads shortly thereafter, and the Canucks would never look back, in spite of Campbell’s power play tally, and Byfuglien’s subsequent jawing at Luongo.
Though the Hawks would win many of the battles tonight, the Canucks were quick to counter, and Luongo was rarely seriously tested. As early as it was, the pass from Sharp to Kane out front that Luongo redirected proved to be the difference maker tonight. Had the Hawks converted, it would have been an entirely different story.
Now home ice shifts back to the Canucks, and Thursday becomes the first true must-win of the Hawks season. We as fans can only hope that they adjust to Vancouver’s newly discovered neutral ice trap, and that this was the game Luongo was going to steal. Toews, Havlat, and Keith are going to need to be much more of a factor if this series is going to make it back to the United Center for game six. There weren’t a lot of positives tonight, and here’s hoping the men of four feathers put together their first 60 minute effort together on Thursday night. In all reality, what remains of the season hangs in the balance.
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