Step Away from the Ledge!

Wow what a difference 3 periods makes!

After a good effort that resulted in a road point in a overtime loss to the Canucks, the Blackhawks laid the proverbial egg in the third period last night in Edmonton.  If you read any article or anything on Twitter the Blackhawks season officially ended last night and Stan Bowman is a big giant dummy!  Put the equipment away, close up the U.C. and start preparing for the draft. Blackhawks fans are in full panic mode.

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Back Away From the Ledge!!! - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

VS

8 PM Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta

TV:Comcast Sports Net Chicago

Radio:720 AM WGN

The good news about playing the Calgary Flames tonight is that the Blackhawks will get to wash the taste of Sam Gagner out of their mouths pretty quick. This is the last game between these two teams this season and the Hawks final chance to get a win in Alberta.  The Flames have been struggling to score goals of late, but the Blackhawks have had trouble keeping teams out of their net.  The Flames have scored 12 goals in their last 7 games, but 6 of those goals game in one game against Edmonton.  This all seems too good to be true, but the Flames could be just what the Blackhawks need!

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Game Preview: Blackhawks vs Calgary Flames 2/3/12 - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Is that #89 or 99? (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

If Rexall Place were to burn to the ground today I will not miss for a second!  That building has become a house of horrors for the Blackhawks.  In two games there this year they have been out scored 17-6.  The Hawks have given up 17 goals to the 29th place team in all of hockey.  That isn’t good folks, in fact it’s down right awful.  The Oilers have exposed the Blackhawks on more than one occasion this season.  I am thankful they are off our schedule for the rest of the year.  Boy that’s a sad statement right there!

The first period started off just fine.  The Blackhawks looked like the superior team as they should.  The Hawks increased there lead just seconds into the second period and everything was looking up.  Then it looked like the 1987 Oilers showed up.  For a team that is supposed to have superior speed, the Hawks got their doors blown off in the final 40 minutes.  They got out hustled to almost every puck and looked like they were standing still.  There is no excuse for that.  If you want to win a Stanley Cup you can not allow yourself to get beat down by the Edmonton Oilers!  As Cody stated in his great write up, the Blackhawks have a lot of problems now and they start at the top.

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Observations From Section 321: 8 Is Enough - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

(Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Oh boy, where to start?

Well first, congratulations to Sam Gagner for making history, tying the Oilers franchise record for most points in a single game. Remember this is a record held by guys like Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey, so give him a ton of credit. He was sensational. By the end of the game I was rooting for him to get one more and break the record. Didn’t make a difference at that point.

As far as the rest of the game goes, I would rather not discuss it. Instead, I would like to talk about where to go from here.

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Climbing Out of Hell Together - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

VS

8:30 Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta

TV: Comcast Sports Net Chicago

Radio: 720 AM WGN

Tonight is the 4th and final meeting between the Blackhawks and the Edmonton Oilers.  The last time the Hawks were in the Rexall Place, on November 19th, they were beat down worse than Carlo Rizzi.  The Oilers followed that up with a 4-3 win, in Chicago, on January 2nd.  The game winning goal that night was scored by Ben Eager, which made that loss 100 times worse!

Edmonton is chalked full of young talent and will be a force in the Western Confernece, just not right now.  They find themselves towards the bottom of the standings and 12 points out of the playoffs.  Only the Columbus Blue Jackets are keeping them out of the cellar.  With all that being said they have taken 2 out of the 3 meetings against the Hawks this season.  This is a team that the Hawks need to bury, but we all know they will most likely make us all drink and swear by the bushel tonight!

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Game Preview: Blackhawks vs Edmonton Oilers 2/2/12 - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

"That's Corey with an E" (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

If the Vancouver Canucks get a higher playoff seed by one point over the Blackhawks they can thank Cory Schneider for standing on his head last night!  In a very close Western Conference that was a tough point to leave on the ice. But, on the other hand, it is nice to start a 9 game road trip with a point.

If you like good goaltending then last night’s game was for you! It’s amazing what these two teams can do when they forget about all the crap and play hockey.  That was a very fun game to watch between two very talented teams going at it with speed and skill.  There is not much you are going to do when the Sedins are on the ice during 4 0n 4 play and have more room to operate.  The Blackhawks had their chances to win in both regulation and in overtime and couldn’t get the job done.  If the Hawks give this kind of effort from here on out, they will win a lot more games than they will lose.  On to the observations…

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Observations From Section 321: The Story Of Two Cor(e)ys - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

"There's no way he can stop this one..." (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)

Before I delve into the game, I have to address this because I think there’s a bigger issue at hand here. Regarding the Stalberg non-call. I understand that the refs put the whistles away and wanted to let the teams play. I’m all for that, I think its better for the game, especially in OT. But that should only be when the penalties are marginal. A blatant, desperate hook on a breakaway isn’t something the officials should let the teams just play through. That call has to be made.

The big issue here, I think, and the reason I think the refs didn’t call the hook, is this notion that the refs have to be “fair” and compensate the other team for their bad/missed calls. While I understand the logic there: it gives a degree of equilibrium to the game, it puts the game in the hands of the officials, who can ultimately determine the fate of a hockey game by making or refusing to make a call to make up for an earlier mistake. I get it, referees are human, they’re going to make mistakes. But when those mistakes (the call against Ballard, missed against the Blackhawks) compound and lead to bigger mistakes (the Stalberg non-call) and possibly cost a team a hockey game, just because the officials we’re trying to be “fair”, then it becomes a problem. Am I crazy or do I have a point here? I’d like to hear your guys’ thoughts on it.

Anyways, onwards and upwards.

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Blackhawks 2 Canucks 3: Not the Outcome They Deserved - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Guess who's back tonight?(AP)

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Patrick Sharp Is BACK!! - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

VS

9 PM, Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC

TV:WGN

Radio: 720 AM WGN

Tonight is the 3rd meeting of the year between the Chicago Blackhawks and the team everyone loves to hate, the Vancouver Canucks.  The road team has won each of the first two meetings this year.  There are many givens that will happen tonight.  The sight of the Sedins will make me think of the “Children of the Corn”.  Every time I hear the name Alex Burrows I will be tempted to bite someone or at least pull their hair.  Alain Vigneault will complain and cause me to throw beer cans at my TV.  I will scream “DIVE” at least 13 times.  Just a typical Blackhawks/Canucks game.

One thing that will be missing is Roberto Luongo doing at least one stupid thing to bring me to tears with laughter.  That won’t happen because Vigneault has decided to start Corey Schneider in net (how many creepy gingers does this team have?), who lost to the Hawks 5-1 on November 16th.  AV is not doing his fragile goalie any favors by sitting him out against teams like Chicago and Boston.  Makes it look like he protecting Bobby Lu.  You wouldn’t think you would have to protect a 72 million dollar goalie, but apparently you do!

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Game Preview: Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks 1/31/12 - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Tim Gleason will not be a Blackhawk this season (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

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Well Scratch That Idea! - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog