May 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa (81) reacts with center Patrick Sharp (10) to scoring a goal against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period in game one of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

After the Anthem the Hawks came out flying in the first period with a steal by Jonathan Toews that set up a great chance by Brandon Saad that was blocked at the last second but the tone for the game had been set on the opening shift.  The Hawks put on a forechecking clinic in the first minutes of the contest that was almost suffocating to the Red Wings. Gustov Nyquist took the first penalty of the game, and the suspect Blackhawks powerplay took the ice. Half way through the man advantage the Wings had the chance to clear the zone but Patrick Sharp broke up the outlet and Toews picked up the puck and fed Marian Hossa for a one-timer that he didn’t miss blasting it past Jimmy Howard.  The Hawks with their great pressure looked like they were going to blow out the  Red Wings doors, but Detroit was up to the task. The Hawks gave up too much ice to Damien Brunner who got a shot off and then knocked in his own rebound to tie the game at one. The Wings were physical from the start with even Justin Abdelkader hurting himself when he took a run at Michal Rozsival.  The Hawks after a great start had to fight off two Andrew Shaw penalties to get to the first intermission tied at one.

The second period was all Blackhawks in every aspect but the scoreboard because after 40 minutes the score still stood at 1-1.  The Hawks best player was Brendon Smith who continued turning the puck over to the Hawks but luckily for him Howard continued to bail him out. The Hawks forechecking was persistent with one sequence late in the period having Dave Bolland and Andrew Shaw winning the puck back time after time with it all ending up with the puck on the stick of Bolland but Howard was up to the task.  Abdelkader seems to have taken over as the Detroit Bad Boy especially after his first period run then in the middle of the period he and Bolland body slammed each other to the ice.  This was a period where Crawford only saw five shots and none of them were very difficult partly because the Hawks D was blocking many good Wings opportunities.  The Hawks pressure even caused coach Babcock to call a timeout. The Hawks needed to carry over the momentum to the third period.

The Hawks carried over the momentum they had built up in the second period and brought it right into the third period! In the last two periods the Hawks outshot the Wings 36-14 and that pretty much describes the advantage the Hawks had for the final two frames. The Hawks fore check was in full effect with them putting massive amounts of pressure with only Howard in the way of the floodgates totally opening up.  The Hawks finally took the lead when the fore check of Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp won the puck and Johnny Oduya snuck in and put it passed Howard for the lead. Even with the lead the Hawks didn’t step off the gas pedal and their forecheck was back at it again when the puck got stuck on the net Howard tried to dislodge it but it was kicked out in front and Marcus Kruger put a back hand top shelf for a 3-1 lead.  The Wings only had one good shift the last two periods and it was Brent Seabrook with the tremendous save to keep it 3-1.  In the final two minutes the Wings pulled their goalie but Patrick Sharp got the puck on the side boards and skated it in for the empty net goal and the final tally in the Hawks 4-1 victory.

Notes

-Viktor Stalberg was a healthy scratch, his replacement Daniel Carcillo played all of 6 minutes but did collect an assist on the Kruger goal.

-Corey Crawford now has the best Goals Against Average in the playoffs at 1.32.

-The Hawks are 41 games over .500 with Johnny Oduya in the lineup since his trade last season.

-The Hawks are 5-1 this post season without a single goal from Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, or Brandon Saad

- Next Game is noon on Saturday at the United Center

For more Blackhawks conversation follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up or like us on our new Facebook page Blackhawkup

May 5, 2013; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Towels rest on the seats before game three of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawks stormed the ice in Minnesota and rushed Josh Harding pelting the Wild goalie with 9 shots in the first half of the first period.  The Hawks didn’t cash in and Viktor Stalberg was called for the first penalty of the game. The Wild had their opportunities but the very reliable Hawks penalty kill was up to the task and killed off the 2 man advantage sending the Wild to a 0-7 powerplay through three games in the series.  The Hawks got on the board right after the penalty when Joel Quenneville sent out Patrick Kane with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.  The move paid off when Kane found a wide open Johnny Oduya and he buried it through a Toews screen.  The Hawks seemed to be in control and then all of a sudden the Wild started fore-checking and the pressure which they have been very reluctant to provide paid off when Pierre-Marc Bouchard put in a nifty backhander over Corey Crawford‘s shoulder to tie the game at 1 with a 1:30 left in the period.  The Wild were very aggressive and the ref’s were letting them get away with it so it how the Hawks responded in the 2nd period would be the real question leading to intermission.

The second period was all Wild! They took it to the Hawks physically and offensively.  The Wild led hits at the end of 2 periods 23-6.  One of the rare games that the team wearing the other sweater were out shooting the Hawks this time with a second period advantage of 14-8.  Harding who was seemingly hurt in warmups on a high shot and then he was hit in the same place during the second period, he looked uncomfortable on the ice but the Hawks were unable to get any offensive pressure on Harding.  The real story of the period was Corey Crawford who was spectacular in the period without giving up anything. What was especially good was Crawford’s rebound control which although the Wild were buzzing were not able to crack Crawford.  The ref’s were letting both teams get too physical after the whistle which led to Oduya getting a late period penalty but the Hawks were able to kill off the 2 minutes and head to the 2nd period intermission tied at 1 with no goals in the period.

The story of the third period was the tremendous amount of pressure the Wild put on the Hawks at the beginning of the period which led to a lot of chances by the Wild. The Wild finally cashed in when Charlie Coyle on an aggressive fore check won the puck and slid it to Zach Parise and what looked like a carbon copy of the Bouchard goal, Parise went top shelf on the back hand to beat Crawford.  You can’t blame Crawford for either goal and he was outstanding stopping 34 shots.  Then for no apparent reason the Wild up 2-1 stepped off the gas pedal around the 8;37 mark and the Blackhawks turned it on.  Duncan Keith made a great spin move midway through the period which seemed to increase his confidence, and then Patrick Kane found Keith on the weak side and he buried the game tying goal with less than four to play.  The Hawks remained very aggressive with a fantastic move and chance by the Captain but Harding was up to the test and the game headed to overtime.

Before you had settled down in your seat overtime was over. Only 2:15 into overtime Jason Zucker from a very bad angle put one short side on Crawford and the game was over.  Just like the Phoenix Coyote series a year ago, Crawford was the best player and the reason the Hawks were able to get the game into overtime only to give up a soft serve goal sponsered by Dairy Queen.  After Crawford’s stop on Pairse in overtime of Game 1 one had to think he had exercised the ghosts, but they only took the next overtime to come back.

The post-game monolgue from the Blackhawks was all on the same page which was Crawford was our best player, which should bode well for Tuesday night’s game in Minnesota.  The Hawks never matched the Wild’s effort Sunday and they will need to bring it Tuesday or this could be a very long series.  The puck drops at 8:30 in Minnesota with the Blackhawks still leading the series 2-1. No team goes 16-0 in the playoffs so there is no reason for panic in the ranks.

ONE GOAL

May 3, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Michael Frolik (67) is congratulated by his teammates for scoring a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the second period in game two of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks came out very rusty in the first period of Game 1, and it was apparent that they didn’t plan on starting out Game 2 in the same fashion.  The Hawks came out flying getting shots on goal and maintaining a huge puck possession advantage.  Early on it looked as though Patrick Kane had scored the opening goal but the replay showed that he clearly kicked in the goal.  In Game One the Minnesota Wild blocked 21 shots, but in the first period the Hawks were getting shots on net against Wild goalie Josh Harding.  The simple plan finally paid off when a Andrew Shaw shot was deflected, but the puck fell right on the stick of Michael Frolik who put it top shelf for a 1-0 Blackhawks lead.  The Hawks continued to dominated the period including an almost highlight reel play by Viktor Stalberg where he weaved in and out for nearly 20 seconds before feeding it to Bryan Bickell who didn’t get all of if and Harding made the save. The only disappointing part of the first period was after the Bickell shot the Hawks went on the man advantage and seemed to kill their momentum on a below average 2 minute man advantage.  The Hawks out shot the Wild 17-7 but the scoreboard only read 1-0 Hawks even though it felt like  it should be at least 3-0.

The Hawks continued to get very strong play from their bottom lines.  The Hawk got their second power play of the game but came up empty handed without much action to the dismay of the United Center faithful.  The crowd then saw the Wild get their first powerplay of the night and had a lot to cheer about when Michael Frolik scored short-handed to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead.  The Wild started opening it up and was able to get plenty more shots on goals and actually lead the second period shots on goal 15-14.  In what could have been the turning point of the game Patrick Kane fed a wide open Toews in front of the net, but the Captain put in Harding’s pads which kept the score stuck at 2-0.  The Hawks have been a very different team in the first two games of the playoffs hitting everything which included Patrick Sharp delivering the biggest hit I’ve ever seen him deliver.  Late in the 2nd period Brent Seabrook ill advised pinch created an odd man advantage that Devin Setoguchi capitalized on to cut the Hawks lead to 2-1 when the horn sounded for intermission.

Even though it seemed like the Wild stole momentum at the end of the 2nd period it wouldn’t last long in the third period with Patrick Sharp scoring two goals to finish off the Wild. The first goal for Sharp came after a Kane pass found Michal Handzus in the slot but he couldn’t get the puck out of his skates and the puck found Sharp who made a great shot in the top corner for a  3-1 lead.  The second Sharp goal came on a great back-handed blind pass from Kane which gave Sharp a wide open net to score.  Kane also put on a spin-0-rama to boot and seems to be getting back to the Kane that opened up the season.  After a late Minnesota goal Byran Bickell with some great hustle knocked in the open netter to finish the scoring at 5-2.

The real star of the game was Corey Crawford who made some great saves and really saved the defense at times.  Crawford stopped 28-30 shots and Crawford has only allowed 3 goals in the first two games and he is starting to look like a #1 goalie.  Josh Harding wasn’t as sharp as Game 1 but still made 43 saves on 48 shots.

The Hawks now head to Minnesota Sunday for Game #3 up 2 games to none which is just what the doctor ordered in the first round of the playoffs.

For Blackhawks conversation follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up or friend us on Facebook at Blackhawk Up.

Apr 30, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa (81) is defended by Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter (20) and center Kyle Brodziak (21) during the third period in game one of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

To say that this wasn’t how the series was supposed to start is an understatement.  The Hawks looked a bit rusty after not playing Saturday in St. Louis, their passing was really horrendous which is  something we haven’t seen all season long.  It seemed like everything was falling into place for the Hawks before the game started, when Niklas Backstrom was injured in warm-ups and Josh Harding was forced into emergency duty, but the Hawks couldn’t get out of their own way let alone put on a shooting display against  Harding.  The Wild struck first on the scoreboard when Cal Clutterbuck shot a pretty innocent shot on Corey Crawford who couldn’t stop it from making it into the back of the net for an early 1-0 lead.  The Hawks never looked in sync for the entire first period including the first power play which of course led to a short-handed attempt that Crawford was able to turn away.  Very late in the period Crawford appeared to have shaken off the playoff butterflies and made a huge glove save on a 2 on 1 chance by the Wild to send it to intermission 1-0 Wild.

After what had to be an unpleasant tongue lashing by Coach Q, the Hawks went on the power play very early in the second period after Zach Parise crashed the net and into Crawford for goalie interference.  On the powerplay Patrick Kane made a very nifty pass to Marian Hossa who didn’t miss and tied it up 1-1.  After the goal the Wild did their best Nashville Predator impersonation and went to super defensive mode without being very creative offensively. The Hawks without doing much on offense did something unheard of from them and started finishing off checks which included Bryan Bickell leveling Zenon Konopka when he had his head down.  The defensive style seemed to cause some frustration when Duncan Keith slashed a Wild player causing the Hawks to kill another penalty which they did very successfully which also ended the period with the score all knotted up at one.

The third period was full of action especially late in the period. Before we could get to the action the Hawks had to fight off a Niklas Hjalmarrson high-sticking penalty where the Wild had some great chances but they couldn’t cash in.  The Hawks with pressure in front of Harding had Wild players down and the puck still loose but the refs blew the whistle and the puck found the net for a no goal.  During the regular season the refs let plays last forever but this was a very quick whistle.  The Hawks defense came to Crawford’s aid when Jason Zucker had an open side of the net but the Hawks defense denied him on his wrap around attempt.  The Hawks kept tremendous pressure on the Wild but were never able to crack Harding in the third period.  The game headed to overtime which has been the normal for the Hawks in recent history with last year’s Phoenix Coyotes series games going to overtime 5 out of 6 games. One reason the Hawks were having difficulty scoring was the 16 blocked shots in regulation by the Wild.

If it’s the playoffs, the Hawks are playing overtime hockey, and the free hockey wasn’t for the faint of heart.  Both sides had chances with both goalies making big saves.  The Wild got to go on a power play midway into overtime when Johnny Oduya was called for a high-stick.  The Wild didn’t get the entire power play when the Captain made a great hustle play to cancel out the power play.  When the Hawks went on the power play they had a minute of time, Marian Hossa had Harding down and out but Ryan Suter got enough of his stick in the way to break up the game winner.  With both teams getting gassed, Oduya sent a long stretch pass high off the glass to Viktor Stalberg who gathered the puck for a 2 on 1 and he slid a perfect pass to Bickell who deposited the puck in between Hardings legs for the OT winner!

This wasn’t the way the Hawks wanted to start out the playoffs, but the result is exactly what the Hawks and Crawford needed in game #1.  Outstanding effort tonight by Harding in an emergency effort, but in the end the guys with the Indian Head on their jersey finished with one more goal than the Wild in a 2-1 OT victory.  There is no style points in the playoff just a race to 16 victories and the Hawks secured their first one tonight in thrilling fashion.

For more Blackhawks conversation follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up or friend us on Facebook

ONE GOAL

Apr 26, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) celebrates scoring a goal with left wing Brandon Saad (20) during the first period against the Calgary Flames at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Calgary Flames only had 60 minutes of hockey left in between them and summer vacation and for all but a brief moment they played like they were already somewhere else.  The Hawks jumped on the Flames in the first period then held on for a 3-1 victory.

Patrick Kane kicked off the scoring with his 23rd of the season after Patrick Sharp missed at least two open nets.  When Sharp gets his sniper shot in tune it seems like he will be able to score goals in bunches with all the chances he’s getting right now.  Jonathan Toews tapped in a Brandon Saad shot for his 23rd goal of the year minutes later and the apparent route was on at the United Center.

The second period was not the goal fest that it could have been when it seemed like the Hawks could easily have scored a couple of goals but were held off the scoresheet.  The Hawks powerplay had some opportunities but were unable to cash in and of course this unit also gave the only puck to get pass Crawford when Chris Butler blasted one in from the point to cut the lead to 2-1, but that was as close as the Flames would get with Crawford stopping everything else he saw tonight.

The third period had lots of fans looking ahead to the playoffs and some playoff type atmosphere.  The only goal of the period came off a Flames turnover when Marcus Kruger one timed it right to the back of the net.  Brandon Bollig had a chance at an open net but Bollig was just being Bollig and missed his chance at his first goal of the season. The horn sounded and the Hawks improved to 36-6-5 and are now 26-1-2 when scoring first this season.

The Michal Handzus, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp line looked pretty solid so I don’t see coach Q getting away from it when the playoffs start.

The last game of the season is tomorrow and it will be interesting how many IceHogs take the ice with a Blackhawks jersey on tomorrow in St Louis.

Another win with one game left in between the Hawks and the Stanley Cup playoffs. For more Blackhawks coverage follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up or friend us on Facebook at Blackhawk Up.

Apr 20, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) shoots the puck against the Phoenix Coyotes during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

There are always things to work on even if you have the #1 seed clinched, and one of those things for the Blackhawks has to be the power play.  The Hawks broke through on the power play twice last night against the Predators and the momentum didn’t let up in the first period against the Coyotes.  On their second power play of the first period Nick Leddy put a perfect pass on the stick of Brent Seabrook who blew one past Coyotes goalie Mike Smith.  It almost felt like Chelsea Dagger was still playing when Rostislav Klesla from almost center ice shot one in on Crawford and it somehow found the back of the net.  There are bad goals, there are soft goals, and there are goals that just can’t happen and a goal from almost 100 feet out just can’t happen.  Something else that can’t happen is turning the puck over in your own end like Marcus Kruger did to set up the second Coyotes goal this one by Radim Vrbata.  One thing that did remain strong for the Hawks was the penalty kill which stopped both Coyote power plays of the period.  Brandon Saad and the #1 line had a lot of chances but didn’t cash in and the horn sounded with the Coyotes leading 2-1 after 1 period.

The top line continued their offensive attack on Mike Smith for long stretches of time with lots of chances but no success.  Bryan Bickell finished off two checks which has been rare the last few games and drew a high stick penalty from Antoine Vermette and the Hawks cashed in on the power play.  Patrick Kane made an incredible pass to a wide open Brent Seabrook who didn’t miss on his second goal of the contest. The United Center broke out in Happy Birthday to celebrate Seabrook’s 28th birthday.  The biggest check of the night was delivered by Viktor Stalberg unfortunately he put it on Nick Leddy.  The Coyotes had two very unsuccessful powerplay chances in the period and hardly tested what seemed like a shaky Crawford by only getting  4 shots on goal in the 2nd period which ended tied at two.

The only difference between the third period and the first two is that the Coyotes outshot the Hawks for the period 15-8.  Hossa, Toews, and Saad did everything but score a goal in the contest and the penalty kill stopped every chance the Coyotes had (5)  Both teams had their chances but Mike Smith played well all night long for the Coyotes, and after a shaky 1st period Corey Crawford stood tall the rest of the contest.  The game went to overtime and a shootout with David Schlemko scoring the deciding goal in the shootout.

The Coyotes escape Chicago with the much needed two points and their faint playoff lives still alive  The Hawks played hard in a meaningless game and still managed a point against a desperate team.

The Hawks next contest is Monday night in Vancouver the puck drops at 9pm Central time. Only four more of these games left until the real season starts!

Apr 19, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) is congratulated by his teammates for scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators during the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The game started with a great Pat Foley celebration for 30 years of broadcasting Chicago Blackhawks hockey, and it didn’t take very long for him to crank up his trademark He Scores!!!

Brandon Saad drew the first penalty of the game, and the Hawks power play took the ice which has been a tough 2 minutes to watch especially lately since they haven’t had a power play goal since March 29th.  The dry patch finally ended when Jonathan Toews collected another takeaway and got it to Viktor Stalberg who made a great feed to Duncan Keith who buried it past Pekka Rinne.  With the Hawks scoring a power play goal it seemed like the Hawks decided to pack it in for the rest of the period.  First,  after knocking down the puck in front of Corey Crawford Matt Halischuk knocked the puck past Crawford to tie up the game.  The Predators didn’t seem like a team that struggles to score goals when the Predators after an endless amount of whacks knocked in their second goal of the game and a 2-1 lead.  The Hawks offense kicked it up a notch and Toews fed it to Brandon Saad who tried to pass it Marian Hossa but it was knocked back to him then after collecting the puck put it behind Rinne for his 10th goal of the season and a 2-2 game.  Brent Seabrook went to the box for an iffy interference penalty at the end of the 1st period, but the very reliable Hawks penalty kill easily dismissed any Predator chances which led to the first intermission with the game tied 2-2.

The second period began with the Hawks just missing on great chances in front of Rinne with both Saad and Toews missing their shot at the lead.  Andrew Shaw with the net wide open almost fanned on a one-timer and it gave Rinne enough time to keep the puck out of the net. To pour salt into the wound seconds later Shaw would take a puck to the face but after leaving the bench would return before the end of the period.  Bryan Bickell would take an errant Predators pass which started a 2 on 1 and Bickell fed  Patrick Kane who slipped it in past Rinne for his 21st goal of the season and a 3-2 lead.  Michal Handzus would be the next Hawks player to leave the bench with an apparent shoulder injury which is the last thing the Hawks needed playing basically a meaningless game before the playoffs begin.  The Predators seemingly lived in the crease when they were able to get it into the Hawks end of the ice.  Halischuk on a rush got a shot on  Crawford, but Crawford who struggled with leaving rebounds in the first two periods final hurt himself when Halischuk knocked in his own rebound for the tying goal.  The Hawks top line had more scoring chances with no scores to end the 2nd period 3-3 with the Hawks leading shots on goal 27-17, and on a good note Handzus made it back to the ice before the end of period.

The Hawks had control of most of the third period without being able to break through on the scoreboard until a terrible turnover in the Predators own end led to a Handzus steal and goal.  The Hawks were able to collect a power play goal on this night, but there one other bug-a-boo giving up 3rd period leads didn’t disappear when Bobby Butler was able to knock it a rebound on a very good shot to tie the game once more at 4-4.  The Predators did get a late period power play but the Hawks extended their penalty kill streak to 30 for 31 which kept the game tied at 4. In the final minute of the contest Rich Clune was called for a double minor high-stick, this penalty cost the Predators when the game did get to overtime when Marian Hossa buried the game winner from the nice feed from Kane to end overtime.

The Hossa goal was a great way to end Pat Foley night with a Hawks Win!! Hawks Win!! Hawks Win!! This will be the last time we see the Predators until next fall at the earliest.

The Blackhawks host the Phoenix Coyotes tomorrow night the puck drops at 7:30 Central.

For more Blackhawks conversation follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up or Friend us on Facebook at Blackhawk Up.

Apr 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson (4) is defended by Dallas Stars left wing Ray Whitney (13) during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks and the Dallas Stars had matching 5 game winning streaks so something had to give Monday night at the United Center.

The first period was a re-run of many Hawks games of late with the Hawks dominating play and shots on goals but when the horn sounds to end the period their is very little difference between the Hawks and their opponents on the scoreboard.  The only goal of the period was a very pretty goal with Brandon Saad passing to Marian Hossa who one-timed a pass right on to The Captain’s stick for the 1-0 lead.  Jonathan Toews with his 21st goal took over the team lead in goals from Patrick Kane.

The second period started with Viktor Stalberg showing off his jets and finally finishing getting the puck past Richard Bachman who has been playing for the injured Kari Lehtonen.  The Hawks seemed to be in cruise control until Patrick Kane made a rare turnover this season which led to a Stars 3 on 1 and Jamie Benn capitalized with the Stars first goal of the contest.  The Hawks again failed on the power play going 0-4 tonight and in their current winning streak they haven’t scored with the extra man advantage.  This is the second straight season of unwatchable power play hockey which could really come back to bite the Hawks in the playoffs.

The third period didn’t start on a good note when a clearing attempt hit a referee and it set up Benn’s second goal of the night and a tie contest.  The tie didn’t last long when Kaner, making amends for his earlier turnover, made a great pass to Andrew Shaw who buried it for the 3-2 lead.  Ray Emery didn’t get a lot of action, but was solid stopping 16-18 shots. Three minutes after Shaw scored on a great pass, Marian Hossa got into the act and found Niklas Hjalmarsson in the middle of the ice and he blasted one past Bachman for the insurance goal and a 4-2 lead.  This was Hjalmarsson 2nd goal of the season and first in 27 games. The Stars pulled the goalie fairly early, since they were desperate for points, with 2:22 left and it didn’t cost them until 20 seconds left when it looked like Marian Hossa was trying to get his 3rd assist of the game, but ended up getting his 16th goal of the year and the final tally in a 5-2 win.

The Hawks now get 3 days off before the final stretch of games to end the season.  The Hawks have not only been good all year but incredibly consistent.  They now sit with 70 points in 42 games which is pretty amazing, and they are closing in fast on the #1 seed in the West.  They are back on the ice Friday night against the Predators in Chicago….bring your pillow!

For more Blackhawks conversation follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up or friend us on Facebook!

Apr 14, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) gets checked to the ice by Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Sheldon Brookbank (17) during the second period at the Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

When the Blues and Hawks took the ice for the early Sunday afternoon match the talk was about Brian Elliott three straight shut outs, but when the final horn sounded there was a zero on the scoreboard but it was behind the St Louis Blues.

The Hawks came out against the Blues and found a team that was ready to get physical.  The Blues were hitting anything that moved which of course included the Hawks checking sacrificial lamb Marcus Kruger.  The Hawks had a few shots on goal that were good chances including a Jonathan Toews backhand that went off Brian Elliott’s glove but bounced over the net. The game had a playoff atmosphere with the after whistle festivities.  The Hawks penalty kill was very good when Dave Bolland was fed up with the play and got nasty and cross checked a Blues player into the boards.  The refs seemed to lose control of the game early and they never seemed to regain it for the period. The worst site of the first period was seeing Toews head to the locker room.  The chirpy Backes was heard talking trash to Bryan Bickell and was heard saying if he ever played by the NBC telecast.

The best site for all the  Hawks fans was the site of Toews taking the 2nd period faceoff.  The game although including  a lot of hits seemed to settle down a bit. The Hawks are 6-0-1 in their last seven games, but are without a powerplay goal during the stretch and they had two chances in the 2nd period and while one was ok and the second was dreadful with the Blues keeping most of the action in the Hawks end.  The scoresheet finally had a tally on it when Viktor Stalberg turned on the jets and got to the net and Bickell with his skates well behind the goal line flipped one past Brian Elliott.  The goal ended Elliott’s 214 minutes streak without giving up a goal, and it was a great comeback for Bickell to shut up David Backes.  To put more salt in to the wound Bickell flattened Backes in the final minute of the 2nd period.

The third period began with the Hawks holding on to a one goal lead but knowing the Blues were going to bring everything they had to get points for their playoff push.  The Hawks had to kill consecutive minor penalties basically back to back.  In the middle of the 2nd penalty kill the Blues knocked down the puck with a high stick which forced the faceoff to their end. On the faceoff  Toews won it cleanly to Marian Hossa who blasted one past Elliott for a short handed goal and a 2-0 lead.  Corey Crawford was solid all day, but we did have some help with Nick Leddy, Michael Frolik, and Johnny Oduya all making plays in the crease to save goals.  The Blues were not able to solve Crawford and the Hawks closed out the Blues when the final horn sounded 2-0.

The player of the game was Viktor Stalberg who picked up an assist but his speed helped determine the outcome.  The Blues tried to play physical  all day, but after the first period the Hawks passed the test by the Blues with flying colors. In two games in St Louis the Hawks have won 3-0 and now 2-0.

The Hawks play the Dallas Stars  in Chicago and then get three days off.  The puck drops at 7:00 Central.

For more Blackhawks conversation follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up or friend us on Facebook.

Mar 5, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner (4) moves the puck past Chicago Blackhawks left wing Bryan Bickell (29) during the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The first period ended with no score, but it wasn’t because the Hawks didn’t have their chances.  Brandon Saad had a chance to redirect a Jonathan Toews pass with half the net open, but he couldn’t get a good stick on it.  The Toews, Saad, Marian Hossa line dominated  the ice everytime they were on it during the first period.  Patrick Sharp finally returned to the ice with Marcus Kruger, and Patrick Kane and though they didn’t score it was good to see Sharp take a check and deliver the only hit for the Hawks in the 1st period.  The Hawks outshot the Wild 11-4 in the first, but they were not able to get any in the net except for the play the ref let  go longer than they usually do and then with the puck coming loose  then the ref blew the whistle as the puck found the back of the net for no goal.

The second period was a whole lot of the same as the first period for most of the 2nd. The Hawks had there chances especially while outshooting the Wild again 16-10 for the 2nd period.  A light moment happened when a puck flew on to the Hawks bench and hit Coach Quenneville in the head.  It was a strange site to see Coach Q laughing on the bench during a game.  The Hossa line continued to get great chances and then on a very bad turnover by Clayton Stoner, Marian Hossa picked off the pass and then blasted one past a helpless Niklas Backstrom.  Another odd site was watching Daniel Carcillo restrain himself when a Wild penalty was called and not retaliate.  The Hawks took another lead to the 2nd intermission.

The third period didn’t yield any goals and Emery had his 2nd consecutive road 1-0 shut outs having to come up big only once in the final period.  The real worry for the Hawks after this game was that Patrick Sharp was boarded by Ryan Suter and fell awkwardly into the boards and looked to be favoring his shoulder.  Sharp was solid for the entire contest, but if he’s injured this would be a serious deflating blow after another outstanding game by the Hawks defense in front of Ray Emery. After the game the comments were just a stinger for Sharp, but hopefully he will be ready to play come Friday night at the United Center, but more importantly healthy and ready to go when the playoffs begin.

The Hawks have the next two days off before facing the Detroit Red Wings for their final regular season division contest Friday night.  The puck drops at 7:30.

It sounds like Dave Bolland is close to returning possibly as soon as Friday night.

For more Blackhawks conversation follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_up or Friend us on Facebook.