Be Careful What You Wish For
The Canucks wanted this rematch ever since the end of their season at the United Center last May, and they got it. Exactly one year after eliminating the Vancouver with Kaner's hat trick at a raucous UC, the Hawks celebrated by...eliminating the Canucks once again, dominating 5-1 en route to a second consecutive Western Conference Finals berth. 8 down, 8 to go.
The first period was exactly what Hawks fans simultaneously hoped for and feared in this series, a wide-open, up and down style of play (favoring the Hawks) and Bob playing spectacular, and making several highlight reel saves (the Sharp breakaway save was particularly noteworthy). Niemi held his own, however, allowing the Hawks to come out of the first knotted in a scoreless tie. Then, at the two-minute mark of the second, the offense went to work. Troy Brouwer, tapped by Coach Q to play instead of Kopecky after several games on the bench, redirected a beautiful feed from Sharp to take a 1-0 lead. Thirty-six seconds later, Versteeg capitalized on a terrible neutral zone turnover and wristed one past Bob to quickly suck any and all life out of GM Place. Things settled down for the rest of the period, but Duncan Keith took a penalty with a minute left; a goal here would have put the 'Nucks right back into the game, but a Dave Bolland short-handed goal with about forty seconds left pretty much broke Vancouver's back. It was the Hawks' third shorty of the playoffs, leading the league, and they've all been hugely critical goals. There was Kaner's with an empty net to tie Game 5 against Nasvhille, arguably the biggest goal of the playoffs yet; Sharp's to tie Game 2 at home against the Canucks, which was instrumental in salvaging one at home to begin this series; and then Bolland's basically closed it out. All in all, it was a dominating second period for the Hawks, who not only won the period 3-0 but also dominated in the circles, winning 15 of 18 faceoffs. In fact, Game 6 was much better for them faceoff-wise; they stuggled the last couple games, but won 30 last night as opposed to Vancouver's 22. It's really important for their puck-possession gameplan, so let's hope they have continued success against San Jose.
The Canucks finally broke through a little under four minutes into the third, igniting the crowd and cracking the door open juuuust a little bit. Joel, realizing the flurry that was to come, wisely took his timeout, settled his team down, and sent them back out. All they did snuff Vancouver out, with Kane and Byfuglien (how fitting) victimizing Sideshow Bob merely 25 seconds apart. And with that, the Hawks moved on. They dominated the 5-on-5 play last night, and it was without doubt the best Hawks effort of the series.
Side note: we completely have Roberto Luongo's number. For the second consecutive elimination game, we put up a crooked number on the scoreboard against him (7 last year, 5 last night). For the playoffs, he finished with a save % of .895, and a GAA of 3.22, just simply not acceptable numbers for a goalie who's supposed to be of an all-world caliber and carry his team through the playoffs. After the game, he said that "I still don't believe they're a better team than us." You keep telling yourself that, bub. Let me ask you, Bob - what do we have to do to convince you? Is ending your season prematurely two straight years not enough? If not, I don't know what is. Have a good summer, Bobby Lu.
Impressively enough, it was also the Hawks' fifth straight road triumph in these playoffs, which has got to give them a lot of confidence as they open in San Jose, probably on Friday. Overall, it was a weird series, with neither team playing especially well on their home ice. Even the lone home win, by Chicago in Game 2, required a come-from-behind effort to scrape by. Key statistic: the Hawks outscored Vancouver 11-3 in the third period, something that would be wonderful to have continue in the conference finals. Also, as a team the Hawks are 4-0 following a loss in the postseason, which points to their resiliency and bounce-back ability, both of which are quite invaluable at this time of year.
As for players of note, first on the list for this series must be Dustin Byfuglien. He was an absolute force, and his hat trick in Game 3 was just icing on the cake. His physical presence in the crease knocked Luongo and the rest off their game, and the 'Nucks never really recovered. Even when he wasn't potting three, he made big contributions. Last night, he knocked Alex Edler out of the game with a big first period hit. Edler usually takes one of the points on their power play, and as a result of his absence, Pavol Demitra took his spot, tried to make a play, and coughed the puck up to Bolland who went down and scored. It's the little things, people. Second, Captain Serious, Jonathan Toews. What more can be said about this guy? Not only will he not let this team be denied, he's simply picking them up and carrying them on the offensive end. Not that nobody else is scoring, because a lot of guys are stepping up in the postseason, but Toewser leads all players with 20 points, including a 9-game points streak. That's walking the walk right there, and his team is following suit. Antti Niemi also deserves some notice; he's been exactly what this team needs, a guy who makes the stops he's supposed to, and a miraculous one every now and then. He's not gonna steal many games, and the Hawks aren't asking him to; but he won't blow any for them. Sound familiar? See: Detroit Red Wings, the past 15 or so years. His overall numbers are fairly pedestrian, but he's 4-0 after a loss with 3 goals allowed for a 0.75 GAA. That's what we call clutch, ladies and gentlemen. That being said, he's going to have to step it up against the Sharks, an offensive juggernaut playing some great hockey at the moment. Special notice goes to the Bolland/Ladd/Versteeg line, who drew the assignment of containing the Sedin sisters, and passed with flying colors. Not only were the Sedins a total non-factor in the series, but that line played outstandingly in the Canucks zone, coming up with some huge goals in big-time situations. And lastly, Joel Quenneville simply pushed all the right buttons in this series. Whether it was inserting Burish/Eager after the Game 1 loss, or Brouwer into the lineup last night, all his moves turned to gold. And he joined a group of elite Chicago head coaches who've taken their teams to consecutive conference finals/championships, including a certain other coach who was also known for his legendary mustache. Well done, sir.
So, on to San Jose. The Hawks went 3-1 against them during the regular season this year, including 2 OT wins and that 7-2 drubbing in SJ back in Hossa's debut in November. It's the two teams' first playoff meeting, and it should be quite an exciting series, as both teams feature explosive offenses, to say the least. Both teams are relatively healthy, with no major injuries to speak of thus far. It'll probably be a Friday night start, as the HP Pavilion in SJ has events booked for tomorrow and Saturday night. It was an accomplishment for the Hawks to reach the conference finals last year, but this year is different - we need to take the next step, especially with Detroit out of the picture. Our quickness could be the factor - will San Jose be able to skate with us? I think the defense corps of the Hawks will be a deciding factor, I like our top pair over any other still remaining in the playoffs and our depth outclasses the Sharks as well. It's the last series where the Hawks wouldn't have home ice, and I think it's a blessing in disguise that we're opening on the road, where we've played much better this postseason, for whatever reason. At the same time, we must play better in Chicago and protect home ice for any Cup dreams to become reality.
Early prediction: Hawks in 6
Tonight, the surprising Canadiens, this year's team of destiny, attempts to pull off a second consecutive miracle series win, this time against the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Jaroslav Halak clearly has God on his side, so I don't see why they don't keep the ride going. Boston needs to have a Hawk-like effort on the road to finally put down the Flyers, who are slowly gaining players back. It'll be interesting to see how their backup goalie performs, but I think the Bruins advance tonight.
These games, and our series coming up, should be quite fun to watch, but for now, just enjoy sending those pesky Canucks home once again.
The first period was exactly what Hawks fans simultaneously hoped for and feared in this series, a wide-open, up and down style of play (favoring the Hawks) and Bob playing spectacular, and making several highlight reel saves (the Sharp breakaway save was particularly noteworthy). Niemi held his own, however, allowing the Hawks to come out of the first knotted in a scoreless tie. Then, at the two-minute mark of the second, the offense went to work. Troy Brouwer, tapped by Coach Q to play instead of Kopecky after several games on the bench, redirected a beautiful feed from Sharp to take a 1-0 lead. Thirty-six seconds later, Versteeg capitalized on a terrible neutral zone turnover and wristed one past Bob to quickly suck any and all life out of GM Place. Things settled down for the rest of the period, but Duncan Keith took a penalty with a minute left; a goal here would have put the 'Nucks right back into the game, but a Dave Bolland short-handed goal with about forty seconds left pretty much broke Vancouver's back. It was the Hawks' third shorty of the playoffs, leading the league, and they've all been hugely critical goals. There was Kaner's with an empty net to tie Game 5 against Nasvhille, arguably the biggest goal of the playoffs yet; Sharp's to tie Game 2 at home against the Canucks, which was instrumental in salvaging one at home to begin this series; and then Bolland's basically closed it out. All in all, it was a dominating second period for the Hawks, who not only won the period 3-0 but also dominated in the circles, winning 15 of 18 faceoffs. In fact, Game 6 was much better for them faceoff-wise; they stuggled the last couple games, but won 30 last night as opposed to Vancouver's 22. It's really important for their puck-possession gameplan, so let's hope they have continued success against San Jose.
The Canucks finally broke through a little under four minutes into the third, igniting the crowd and cracking the door open juuuust a little bit. Joel, realizing the flurry that was to come, wisely took his timeout, settled his team down, and sent them back out. All they did snuff Vancouver out, with Kane and Byfuglien (how fitting) victimizing Sideshow Bob merely 25 seconds apart. And with that, the Hawks moved on. They dominated the 5-on-5 play last night, and it was without doubt the best Hawks effort of the series.
Side note: we completely have Roberto Luongo's number. For the second consecutive elimination game, we put up a crooked number on the scoreboard against him (7 last year, 5 last night). For the playoffs, he finished with a save % of .895, and a GAA of 3.22, just simply not acceptable numbers for a goalie who's supposed to be of an all-world caliber and carry his team through the playoffs. After the game, he said that "I still don't believe they're a better team than us." You keep telling yourself that, bub. Let me ask you, Bob - what do we have to do to convince you? Is ending your season prematurely two straight years not enough? If not, I don't know what is. Have a good summer, Bobby Lu.
Impressively enough, it was also the Hawks' fifth straight road triumph in these playoffs, which has got to give them a lot of confidence as they open in San Jose, probably on Friday. Overall, it was a weird series, with neither team playing especially well on their home ice. Even the lone home win, by Chicago in Game 2, required a come-from-behind effort to scrape by. Key statistic: the Hawks outscored Vancouver 11-3 in the third period, something that would be wonderful to have continue in the conference finals. Also, as a team the Hawks are 4-0 following a loss in the postseason, which points to their resiliency and bounce-back ability, both of which are quite invaluable at this time of year.
As for players of note, first on the list for this series must be Dustin Byfuglien. He was an absolute force, and his hat trick in Game 3 was just icing on the cake. His physical presence in the crease knocked Luongo and the rest off their game, and the 'Nucks never really recovered. Even when he wasn't potting three, he made big contributions. Last night, he knocked Alex Edler out of the game with a big first period hit. Edler usually takes one of the points on their power play, and as a result of his absence, Pavol Demitra took his spot, tried to make a play, and coughed the puck up to Bolland who went down and scored. It's the little things, people. Second, Captain Serious, Jonathan Toews. What more can be said about this guy? Not only will he not let this team be denied, he's simply picking them up and carrying them on the offensive end. Not that nobody else is scoring, because a lot of guys are stepping up in the postseason, but Toewser leads all players with 20 points, including a 9-game points streak. That's walking the walk right there, and his team is following suit. Antti Niemi also deserves some notice; he's been exactly what this team needs, a guy who makes the stops he's supposed to, and a miraculous one every now and then. He's not gonna steal many games, and the Hawks aren't asking him to; but he won't blow any for them. Sound familiar? See: Detroit Red Wings, the past 15 or so years. His overall numbers are fairly pedestrian, but he's 4-0 after a loss with 3 goals allowed for a 0.75 GAA. That's what we call clutch, ladies and gentlemen. That being said, he's going to have to step it up against the Sharks, an offensive juggernaut playing some great hockey at the moment. Special notice goes to the Bolland/Ladd/Versteeg line, who drew the assignment of containing the Sedin sisters, and passed with flying colors. Not only were the Sedins a total non-factor in the series, but that line played outstandingly in the Canucks zone, coming up with some huge goals in big-time situations. And lastly, Joel Quenneville simply pushed all the right buttons in this series. Whether it was inserting Burish/Eager after the Game 1 loss, or Brouwer into the lineup last night, all his moves turned to gold. And he joined a group of elite Chicago head coaches who've taken their teams to consecutive conference finals/championships, including a certain other coach who was also known for his legendary mustache. Well done, sir.
So, on to San Jose. The Hawks went 3-1 against them during the regular season this year, including 2 OT wins and that 7-2 drubbing in SJ back in Hossa's debut in November. It's the two teams' first playoff meeting, and it should be quite an exciting series, as both teams feature explosive offenses, to say the least. Both teams are relatively healthy, with no major injuries to speak of thus far. It'll probably be a Friday night start, as the HP Pavilion in SJ has events booked for tomorrow and Saturday night. It was an accomplishment for the Hawks to reach the conference finals last year, but this year is different - we need to take the next step, especially with Detroit out of the picture. Our quickness could be the factor - will San Jose be able to skate with us? I think the defense corps of the Hawks will be a deciding factor, I like our top pair over any other still remaining in the playoffs and our depth outclasses the Sharks as well. It's the last series where the Hawks wouldn't have home ice, and I think it's a blessing in disguise that we're opening on the road, where we've played much better this postseason, for whatever reason. At the same time, we must play better in Chicago and protect home ice for any Cup dreams to become reality.
Early prediction: Hawks in 6
Tonight, the surprising Canadiens, this year's team of destiny, attempts to pull off a second consecutive miracle series win, this time against the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Jaroslav Halak clearly has God on his side, so I don't see why they don't keep the ride going. Boston needs to have a Hawk-like effort on the road to finally put down the Flyers, who are slowly gaining players back. It'll be interesting to see how their backup goalie performs, but I think the Bruins advance tonight.
These games, and our series coming up, should be quite fun to watch, but for now, just enjoy sending those pesky Canucks home once again.
Who's laughing now?
Labels: Blackhawks
posted by Eric Strobel at
12:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home