Mar 26, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate a victory against the Calgary Flames at the United Center. The Blackhawks beat the Flames 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Calgary Flames by a score of 2-0 on Tuesday night, with Ray Emery earning the shutout for the Blackhawks, in relief of Corey Crawford.

Early in the first period, the Hawks were on the Power Play due to a Jarome Iginla high-stick, and event though they generated several golden opportunities to score, the Hawks failed to finish.  7:09 into the first period, the Hawks finally found a way to get the puck past Flames’ goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff off a Nick Leddy wrist shot, to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead, which hold through the end of the first period.

In the second period, Dave Bolland was the recipient of a nasty high-stick from Jiri Hudler which drew blood, leading to a 4-minute Power Play for the Hawks.  During the extended man advantage, the Hawks were able to generate several more solid chances along with 4 shots on goal, but once again the Power Play ended for the Hawks with nothing to show for it.  The rest of the period played out as if the Hawks were on a Power Play the whole time, as they out shot Calgary 16 shots to 3 shots during the second frame.  Finally, with just over 2 minutes remaining in the period, Brent Seabrook gave the Hawks a nice insurance goal, to make it 2-0 after 2 periods of play.

The third period would settle down and come to a calm finish, as the Hawks completed the 2-0 shutout of the Calgary Flames, to earn their 25th win of the season.

Notes-

Ray Emery improved to an unbelievable 12-0-0 on the season with his first shutout since February 1st 2010, also against the Calgary Flames when he was a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Miikka Kiprusoff played outstanding for the Flames tonight, as he allowed only 2 goals on several flurrys of shots from the Hawks.

Patrick Kane continues to pile up the points at an outstanding pace, as he assisted on both Blackhawk goals.

Brent Seabrook continues his quietly strong offensive season with his 6th goal on the campaign.

Although the generated several scoring chances, the Blackhawks Power Play went 0 for 5 on the night.

Next up for the Blackhawks is a rematch between the two titans of the Western Conference as they take on the Anaheim Ducks, Friday night at the United Center.  Puck drop is set for 7:30.

March 20, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Anaheim Ducks center Andrew Cogliano (7) forces Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) to turn the puck over during the third period at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

In a showdown between the top two ranked team in the NHL, the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 4-2 Wednesday night in Anaheim.  It was a back and forth tilt, that felt like a game between the best of the best, as well as a potential playoff preview.

The first period got off to quite the rocky start for the Blackhawks.  The Ducks came out flying, as the Hawks looked as if they were stuck in quick sand, when Peter Holland put the Ducks up 1-0 1:24 into the first period.  The sloppy play continued for the Hawks, as Brandon Bolig was sent to the penalty box, for an ill-timed interference penalty.  Although the Ducks had a one-man advantage, the actual advantage went to the Hawks, as Jonathan Toews broke through the Ducks zone, to tie the game at one, with his short-handed goal.  The Hawks killed off the rest of the penalty, and luckily the period as the sloppy play returned.  Luckily for the Hawks, the game was tied after the first 20 minutes of play.

Once again, the Ducks came out soaring, out-chancing the Hawks, and bullying them with their physical play and smothering forechecking.  However, near the half-way mark of the 2^nd period, it was the Hawks’ birthday boy defenseman, Nick Leddy who gave the Hawks a one goal lead with his Power Play goal.  The teams would head to their respective locker rooms to end the 2^nd period with a 2-1 Blackhawks lead.

The 3^rd period opened with the Hawks overall controlling the play, and holding their one goal lead over the Ducks.  It nearly became a 2 goal lead, when it appeared that Brandon Bolig had snuck a puck past Ducks goaltender, Jonas Hiller, but after a video review, the evidence showed that Bolig had kicked the puck into the net, resulting in a no-goal.  The no-goal didn’t appear to deflate the Hawks immediately, but the remaining 5 minutes in the 3^rd period of the last game on a 4 game road trip, against the hottest team in the NHL sure seemed to.  Bobby Ryan scored the Ducks first goal since less than two minutes into the 1^st period, to tie the game at 2.  A couple of minutes later, Teemu Selanne gave the Ducks the lead with a wrist shot past Hawks goaltender, Corey Crawford.  Crawford would eventually be pulled from the game, in favor of an extra-attacker for the Hawks, and the Ducks took advantage as Sheldon Souray provided the icing on the cake, as the Ducks finished off the Blackhawks by a score of 4-2.

Notes-

Patrick Kane was practically on the ice most of the game(especially in the 3^rd period) and ended the night with 25:21 minutes of ice-time, to lead the team.

Corey Crawford played outstanding tonight, as his excellent play kept the Hawks in it, as he withstood his teams inconsistent play, most of the night.

Arguably the most effective line for the Blackhawks, was the 4^th line of: Marcus Kruger, Michal Frolik, and Brandon Bolig, as the trio provided lots of energy and even some quality scoring chances.

The Blackhawks catch a well-deserved breather after a very good road trip, when they host the defending Stanley Cup champion, Los Angeles Kings, Monday night at the United Center.

March 3, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) during the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at the Joe Louis Arena. Chicago won 2-1 in a shoot out. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Detroit Red Wings in a very spirited, highly contested matinee, by a score of 2-1, in the Shootout.  The Blackhawks have extended their NHL record streak of consecutive games to start a season without a regulation loss, to an incredible 22 games!

The first period, was dominated by the Blackhawks, although the scoreboard would tell you that nothing happened.  The Hawks controlled the tempo of the first period from start to finish, but could not find a way to sneak a puck past Red Wings’ goaltender, Jimmy Howard, who had a stellar game.  The Hawks finished the first 20 minutes of hockey with 9 shots on goal, and the Wings managed only 3 shots on goal.  The Hawks got solid chances, while Detroit mustered up enough grit to foil the Hawks’ chances.

The second period was a much more evenly matched period of hockey, that really had a playoff feel to it, but once again neither team could figure out a way to get the puck in a net, no matter how hard they tried.  Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford, stood on his head the entire game, and especially in the 2nd and 3rd periods, when the Red Wings started putting some serious pressure on him, as they peppered him with shots on net.

The 3rd period proved that the goose eggs on the scoreboard were crackable.  The 3rd was yet again, another hard-fought playoff like period.  This time though, it was the Red Wings early on, who had all the momentum, when Tomas Tartar broke the scoreless tie, with his wrist-shot  making it 1-0 Detroit.  The period “dragged” on with lots of spirited play from both sides, as it started to feel like the Hawks’ incredible points streak as nearing it’s end until late in the frame, when the Red Wings’ Jonathan Ericsson committed an ill-timed delay-of-game penalty, as he lifted the puck into the crowd.  While on the Power Play, Patrick Kane netted the game-tying goal, to even the game at one goal a piece.  Shortly after Kane’s goal, Niklas Kronwall gave the Hawks another Power Play on yet another delay-of-game penalty.

The Chicago Power Play lasted to the end of regulation, and into the Overtime period, with the Hawks failing to seize the golden opportunity with their new-found momentum.   This game would “require” a shootout to reach a decision.

The Red Wings started the shootout with Pavel Datsyuk and the Blackhawks lead-off with Jonathan Toews.  Both players failed to score for their respective teams, as the superb goaltending, throughout the game, continued.

Crawford stopped Damien Brunner from finding the back of the net for Detroit, while Howard once again, failed to stop Patrick Kane from scoring.

It all came down to Henrik Zetterberg for Detroit, but he failed to score.  Giving the Blackhawks a 2-1 victory in the shootout.

Notes-

This was Marian Hossa‘s 1,000th career game.  He had 3 shots on goal, in 20:49 minutes on the ice.

Corey Crawford had an excellent game with acrobatic saves to keep the Hawks in the game, en route to a well-deserved #1 star of the game.

Michael Frolik had an especially strong game, as he was essential in thwarting the Red Wings’ Power Plays.

Patrick Sharp saw some time at Center, and went 5 for 9 in the faceoff circle.

The Blackhawks head home for a Tuesday night matchup against the Minnesota Wild.  Puck drop is set for 7:30PM Central Time.

Feb 25, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa (81) reacts to scoring the game winning goal against Edmonton Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin (35) during overtime at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 in overtime. The Blackhawks set an NHL record for scoring at least one point in 19 consecutive games to open a season. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

It wasn’t the prettiest of the Chicago Blackhawks 19 consecutive games without a regulation loss, but their victory over the Edmonton Oilers was a victory none-the-less.

The Hawks, who were playing in their second of back-to-back games, while the Oilers had the previous night to rest in Chicago, while the Hawks were busy defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets.  In the first period, the Oilers and their fresh legs, really couldn’t keep pace with the surging Blackhawks, but the scoreboard did not reflected no such advantage.  The Oilers took a 1-0 league on a Jeff Petry shorthanded goal, after Duncan Keith lost his footing and coughed up the puck.  A minute later, Patrick Kane evened the score at one goal a piece with his Power Play goal.  The score would remain tied through the rest of the period, while the Hawks dominated play, but overall, failed to finish,

The second period consisted of both teams exchanging chances, with the Hawks getting the most of them.  However it was Edmonton who would break the tie, late in the second period, on rookie Nail Yakupov‘s Power Play goal penetrated the almost always reliable Chicago Penalty Kill.

The Hawks game flying out of the gate, to start the third period.  The game was evened up at 2 goals apiece, when Viktor Stalberg’s shot was ruled a goal after a brief video review for confirmation.  The Hawks, again piled on the scoring chances in the third, but again left with nothing to show for it.  Former Hawk, and current Oiler goaltender, Nikolai Khabibulin, was very strong in net for Edmonton.  The game clock eventually hit zero, with the score tied, each team earned one point in the standings, and the Blackhawks streak of games to start a season without a regulation loss had stretched to 19 games.

The game needed less than two minutes of overtime to reach a decision, as Patrick Sharp displayed some great moves and shot a puck that was eventually buried in the back of the net on a rebound by Marian Hossa, giving the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Notes-

Ray Emery got the job done tonight, but wasn’t exactly spectacular.  He made a few very nice saves, but gave up some juicy rebounds, but he did enough to earn the win to extend his record on the season to 8-0-0.

Hawks captain Jonathan Toews, had a slightly “off” night.  He missed on several clutch shot attempts, and took an ill-timed offensive zone penalty.  Havign said that, the captain always makes his presence felt, even on his rare “off” nights.  Toews was 12 for 21 in the faceoff circle, and made some nice passes on the night.

Daniel Carcillo continues to make his presence felt as a phyiscal force, since returning from injury.  Carcillo was credited with a team-high 6 hits on the night.

The Blackhawks hit the road for their next game, in what should be an interesting matchup against the division-rival, St. Louis Blues.  Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM Central Time.

Feb 19, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa (81) is congratulated by his teammates for scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks have have tied the NHL record for most games without a loss to start the season, by defeating their bitter rival, the Vancouver Canucks, in a nail-biter of a game that ended in a shootout.

The first period was a wild one.  It can be summed up as a “breakaway fest”, as there were 5 total breakaways in the period, 3 from the Blackhawks(2 of which were shorthanded!) and 2 from the Canucks.  None of those ended up in the back of any net, as goaltenders Ray Emery and Corey Schneider each made clutch saves to keep the game scoreless.  The Canuck’s Power Play looked flat-out awful, as the Hawks Penalty Kill looked spectacular.  It was the Canucks however, who drew first blood, as Daniel Sedin snuck a backhander past Emery, giving the Canucks a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period.

The second period belonged to the Hawks.  The officials clearly missed a call on the Hawks, for too many men on the ice, but the Hawks took advantage seconds later, as Patrick Sharp fired a slap-shot past Schneider, to even the score at one goal apiece.  A bit later in the period, the Hawks were on the Power Play, when Marian Hossa gave the Hawks the lead on his slap-shot, to make it 2-1 Hawks.  Less than 4 minutes later, it was Hossa again, but this time a hard-worked, out-muscled, well deked moves lead to his backhander finding the back of the net to give the Hawks a 3-1 lead at the end of the second period.

The 3rd period opened with some controversy.  Vancouver winger, Jannik Hansen landed a nasty elbow to the back of Marian Hossa’s head, leaving Hossa face-down on the ice for several minutes.  Hossa went back to the locker room and did not return to the game.  The 3rd consisted of lots of activity after the whistle(which is to be expected in a Blackhawks/Canucks game) and several penalties.  It appeared the Hawks were on their way to a regulation victory, until Michal Rozsival took an ill-timed hooking penalty, which lead to a Canucks’ Power Play goal off of Alexander Edler’s slap-shot, making the game 3-2 Hawks with less than 3 minutes to play.  The Canucks evened the score with the extra-attacker and an empty-net, with a minute to play, on Kevin Bieksa‘s goal.  Regulation ended in a 3-3 tie, and each team was rewarded a point in the standings.

The 5-minute Overtime period came and went, and the game was headed for a shootout.  In the first round, Jonathan Toews and Jordan Schroder each failed to score.  The second round was the exact opposite, as both Patrick Kane and Chris Higgins scored goals.  The third round turned out to be the decisive one, as Andrew Shaw scored for the Hawks and Ryan Kessler failed to score for the Canucks, giving the Blackhawks a 4-3 shootout victory, and a share of the record for best start to an NHL season.

Notes-

Ray Emery played fantastic, with several clutch saves that kept the Blackhawks in the game.

Duncan Keith ended the game with a team-high of 29:18 minutes on the ice.

The Blackhawks have earned 29 out of a possible 32 points so far this season.

Next up for the Blackhawks is the San Jose Sharks, who will be in Chicago to take on the Hawks on Friday.  Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM.

Feb 12, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Corey Perry (10) scores a goal against Chicago Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford (50) during the shootout at the United Center. The Ducks beat the Blackhawks 3-2 in the shootout. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks returned home from their 6-game road trip to lose to the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in the shootout.  The Blackhawks still remain the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss, as they earned one point in the standings for the shootout loss.

The Ducks showed played better hockey in the first period, as they nearly scored a shorthanded goal against the Hawks.  The Hawks’ Power Play looked very shaky in the first, as the best chances that were generated while they had a man advantage, were generated by the shorthanded Ducks.  The period came to a scoreless close, as the Hawks were starting to find a groove and generate chances.

The second period was the Hawks’ period even though the Ducks took the lead and the momentum as Ryan Getzlaf broke the scoreless tie, by deflecting a shot off of Hawks’ defenseman, Brent Seabrook .  The Hawks, and the United Center got a jolt of energy after Hawks’ winger, Bryan Bickell landed a huge(yet clean) hit on Ryan Getzlaf that Ducks’ forward, Brad Staubitz took exception to as  he jumped Bickell for the hit.  Both Bickell and Staubitz received 5-minute majors for fighting, however, Stuabitz also received an extra 2-minute instigator penalty.  The energy in the building was electric, and it carried over onto the ice as Nick Leddy buried the Power Play equalizer, tying the game at one goal apiece.

The energetic play continued, as less than a minute later, Brandon Saad made a beautiful airborne shot that trickled past the goal line.  It wasn’t ruled a goal(most felt that it honestly wasn’t a goal) until after a lengthy video review at the NHL headquarters in Toronto ruled it a goal, making it 2-1 Hawks.

The Hawks carried the lead to the end of the 2nd period, and through most of the 3rd period, surviving an Anaheim 2 man advantage, and some poor Power Plays.  The lead lasted until 17:20 into the 3rd period, when a helmetless Andrew Cogliano slipped a tip-in goal past Corey Crawford to tie the game, and stop the Hawks momentum.  Ducks’ defenseman Toni Lydman  committed an ill-timed interference penalty at the tail-end of regulation, giving the momentum back to the Hawks, as the two teams prepared for overtime.

The Power Play proved to be fruitless, as the Hawks executed with much to be desired with the man advantage yet again, as the Ducks’ 29th ranked Penalty Killing unit foiled the Hawks Power Play unit.  Toni Lydman, again, gift-wrapped a beautiful opportunity for the Hawks in overtime, with his high-stick on Patrick Sharp.  While the Hawks generated some good shots on the OT Power Play, it produced nothing on the scoreboard, as the teams headed to the shootout.

Jonathan Toews scored for the Hawks to start the shootout, as Nick Bonino answered for the Ducks.

Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad were both stopped by Ducks’ goaltender, Viktor Fasth, as Corey Perry‘s goal, proved to be the deciding goal in the shootout, giving the Ducks a 3-2 victory, and 2 points in the standings.

Notes-

Corey Crawford played an excellent game(up until the shootout) as he kept the Hawks in the game with several dynamic saves, and ended the night having stopped 29 of 31 Anaheim shots on goal.

The Hawks’ Penalty Kill was spectacular yet again, as it killed 4 Ducks’ Power Plays, including one 2-man advantage.

The Penalty Kill, along with the play of Corey Crawford were the keys to the Hawks avoiding their first regulation loss of the season.

Bryan Bickell continues to play with a new-found physical edge this season.  That edge powered the Hawks momentum that eventually lead to the Hawks taking the lead in the 2nd period.

The first game back home after a long road trip is usually a tricky one.  However, the Hawks did leave the game with a point in the standings against a very good team in the Anaheim Ducks, having still not lost in regulation yet this season.

Next the Blackhawks will play host to the stumbling San Jose Sharks at the United Center, Friday night.  Puck drop is set for 7:30 PM Central Time.

Feb. 7, 2013; Glendale, AZ, USA; The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate a goal by center left wing Bryan Bickell (29) during the second period against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks demolished the Phoenix Coyotes by a score of 6-2, on Thursday night.  The Blackhawks improved to 3-0-2(good for 8 points) on their almost completed 6-game road trip, as they still remain the only team in the NHL without a loss in regulation.

The Hawks got off to a spirited start to the game, when many fans’ questions on how the Hawks will react to their first sighting of Raffi Torres were answered, as Jamal Mayers went right after him as the two dropped the gloves, just a little over two minutes into the first period.  The Blackhawks appeared to be fired up, and Viktor Stalberg scored when he and his entire line of  Andrew Shaw, Bryan Bickell, and himself contributed to breaking the scoreless tie.

That was just the tip of the iceberg in the first period, as Patrick Kane added a Power Play goal at 14:52 into the first, to make 2-0 Hawks.  Less than 3 minutes later, Dave Bolland put a slapper past Coyotes goalie, Mike Smith, to make it 3-0 Hawks.  The train kept’ a rollin’ when a minute after the Bolland goal, Patrick Kane added his second Power Play goal, to make it 4-0 Hawks, and the end of the first period!

The second period started off a little slower for the Blackhawks, when Martin Hanzal got Phoenix on the board with a Power Play goal.  Jonathan Toews provided the answer to Hanzal’s goal later in the period to make it 5-1 Hawks.  Toews goal seemed to take any remaining wind out of the Coyotes’ sails as Bryan Bickell made it 6-1, Blackhawks just minutes later.  That goal marked the end of the night for Mike Smith, as Phoenix head coach, Dave Tippet replaced him with backup goaltender, Jason Labarbera.  The Hawks took the 6-1 lead into the locker room, to end only the second period!

The third period just kind of acted as a victory lap for the Blackhawks, although the Coyotes began to show some frustration with the embarassing game on their home-ice as Shane Doan added an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  The Coyotes however, did add one more goal before the buzzer, as Raffi Torres added a goal with less than 2 minutes to play, to make the final score 6-2 Hawks.

This game was a microcosm of the Blackhawks season thus far.  Overall pure dominance, great team play, great team chemistry, and great special teams.

Notes-

Patrick Kane continues his phenomenal season as he added 2 goals and an assist.  He now has 8 goals and 10 assists (18 points) in 11 games this season.

Brandon Saad got back to his bad luck ways, as he had an excellent game, just no points to show for it.

8 different Blackhawks were credited with at least a point in the first period.

Patrick Sharp quietly added 3 assists, which were his 199th, 200th, and 201st assists in his career.

It’s easy to forget about goaltending in a blowout like tonight’s game, but Ray Emery played a very solid game with 22 saves on the night.

The Hawks really seem to be playing as a real team, as in the last two games, players have started fights as a way of sticking up for teammates.  The road trip seems to be building a well-bonded team.

The Hawks are now an NHL best 9-0-2 on the season, and are an outstanding 3-0-2, through 5 games of the 6 game road trip.

The Blackhawks head to Nashville to finish up their longest road trip of the season, with a match-up against the division-rival Predators.  Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM Central Time.

Feb 5, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) celebrates with center Jonathan Toews (19) after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at HP Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

In a match-up between the top two teams in the NHL Western Conference, The Chicago Blackhawks were victorious over the San Jose Sharks by a score of 5-3.

San Jose got off to a scorching-hot start, as they scored two quick goals from Joe Pavelski and Tommy Wingels.  The Sharks held a 2-0 lead very early until Brandon Saad added his first career NHL goal to bring the Blackhawks within one.  Less than a minute after Saad’s goal, the Sharks regained their 2 goal advantage on the Hawks with former Hawk, Michal Handzus adding a goal for San Jose.  The wacky first period continued as just eight seconds later, Andrew Shaw brought the Hawks back within one goal of the lead!  The first period wasn’t over yet, as Marcus Kruger added an unassisted tally to tie the game 3-3, and that’s how it would stay until the buzzer at the end…of the first period!

The second period settled down(offensively anyways) as both teams looked to break the tie.  Things got dicey, when Sharks’ forward Andrew Desjardins executed a questionable hit on a defenseless Jamal Mayers.  In Mayers’ defense, Hawks defenseman/alternate captain, Duncan Keith jumped Desjardins, earning himself a 5-minute fighting major + a two-minute instigator penalty + two minutes for instigating while wearing a visor + a ten minute game misconduct.  Desjardins on the other hand received a 5 minute fighting major + a ten-minute match penalty.

This resulted in extended four-on-four hockey, where the Hawks took advantage.  Jonathan Toews robbed the puck from Sharks’ defenseman, Douglas Murray to beautifully set-up Patrick Kane to bury the puck past Sharks goalie, Antti Niemi to give the Hawks a 4-3 lead, which would last through the end of the period.

After two uniquely explosive periods of hockey, the game settled down a bit.  There was some increased chirping and after the play conversations between the two teams, but in comparison to the first two periods, the third was quite tame.  Nick Leddy was called for holding, giving the Sharks a Power Play, and a golden opportunity to tie the game.  The opportunity and the Power Play were short-lived as Sharks’ goaltender, Antti Niemi was called for delay of game, just eleven seconds into the Sharks’ crucial Power Play, resulting in more 4 on 4 hockey, which seemed to be favoring the Blackhawks.

Later in the third period, the Sharks pulled Niemi for an extra-attacker, and the Hawks took advantage.  Patrick Kane added his second goal of the night, giving the Hawks a 5-3 lead, and eventually a victory over the Sharks.

Notes-

Corey Crawford got off to a very rocky start to the game, but overall settled down and made the saves that the Hawks needed him to make, although he has looked much more comfortable in the net this season.

Brandon Saad finally scored his first goal of his NHL career, although it should have come much sooner.  He has played great on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa all season, and tonight was no exception.

Jonathan Toews won 17 of 26 faceoffs in the game.

It’s nice to see Bryan Bickell show flashes of a physical side to his game with some big hits.  If Bickell were to use his size more often, combined with his excellent wrist-shot, he would be an incredibly unique player, and would help the Hawks tremendously.

The Blackhawks are still the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss, and hold an outstanding record of  8-0-2, good for 18 points on the season.

The Hawks are currently 2-0-2(6 points) on their current 6-game road trip.

Next up for the Blackhawks, is their second meeting of the season with the Phoenix Coyotes, as they look to continue their succesful road trip.  Puck drop is set for 8:00 PM Central Time.

Jan 30, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; Chicago Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad (20) is hit by Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter (20) during the first period at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Well, we all knew it wouldn’t last forever.  The Chicago Blackhawks lost to the Minnesota Wild, 3-2 in the shootout, giving the Hawks their first defeat of the season.  However, it wasn’t a fruitless loss, since the Hawks earned one point in the standings for taking the game to overtime and later the shootout.  The loss leaves the Hawks at 6-0-1 on the season for a total of 13 points.

The Wild drew first blood early in the first period on a Matt Cullen wrist shot.  It only took a few minutes for the Hawks to tie it up on an Andrew Shaw wrister, his first of the season.  About a minute after Shaw’s game tying goal, Hawks captain, Jonathan Toews, gave the Hawks the lead.  After the Toews goal, Wild coach Mike Yeo pulled goaltender Josh Harding, after giving up 2 goals on only 4 shots.  Yeo replaced Harding with Niklas Backstrom, who had started against the Columbus Blue Jackets just the night before.  The Wild had a great chance with an extended power-play and a two-man advantage for over a minute, but the stingy Blackhawks penalty-kill was up to the task once again, as they killed the Wild’s golden opportunity.  The Wild got in-deep, only to be stuffed by Hawks goaltender Corey Crawford, who made several clutch saves during the penalty-kill.  Things were certainly looking up for the Hawks.

Less than a minute into the 2nd period, Wild right winger, Cal Clutterbuck was awarded a goal as a Tom Gilbert shot deflected off of his skate and past Crawford, to tie the game at 2 goals apiece.  The game was shaping up to be an offensive barn-burner of a game, but the scoring came to an abrupt stop, as the in-deep, quality scoring chances became few and far between.

The Hawks failed to capitalize or create many quality chances in the third.  Even being on the power-play couldn’t give the Hawks an offensive boost or an edge on Niklas Backstrom.  Even though, the Hawks failed to find an offensive spark after the first period, they played solid defensively, and killed off a late game Wild power-play.

Regulation ended in a 2-2 tie, and the stalemate bled into the 5-minute overtime period, leading the Blackhawks to their first shootout of the season.

The Wild kicked off the shootout with a beautiful goal from Zach Parise, but the Hawks answered with a simple-but-sweet goal from Jonathan Toews.

Mikko Koivu was next for Minnesota, but failed to convert on the chance, as did Patrick Kane, who could not conjure his magic he used to beat Minnesota in the shootout last season.

Matt Cullen, who scored his first goal of the season earlier in the game, buried a wrist shot past Crawford, leaving the Hawks fate in the game up to Patrick Sharp, who just missed scoring, as his shot ricocheted off the cross bar, giving the Wild the shootout victory over the Blackhawks.

Notes-

Brandon Saad continues to play strong hockey on the top line with Toews and Hossa, but has no points to show for it.  The points will come, hopefully the lack of points doesn’t cause him to start pressing.  If he keeps playing how he has, the Hawks can’t ask for much more.

Corey Crawford kept the Hawks in the game with several clutch saves on the Wild’s quality chances.

The Hawks penalty-kill has arguably been their strongest asset so far this season, and tonight’s game was no exception.

Andrew Shaw easily had his best game of the season tonight, as he scored his first goal of the season, and provided some good energy for the Hawks tonight.  Hopefully this game sparks his season.

There’s no shame in this loss tonight, after all the Hawks still got a point out of it.  Although the Hawks failed to take advantage of the fact the Wild had played the night before, Minnesota proved they are a much improved team this year.

Get excited, Hawks fans!  The Blackhawks head to Vancouver to take on the Canucks on Friday for game 2 of this six game road trip.  Puck drop is set for 9:00 PM CT.

Jan 26, 2013; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates witht the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks continued their “perfect so-far” season by outlasting the Columbus Blue Jackets in a tight game with a 3-2 victory in Columbus.  The Blackhawks improved to 5-0-0, good for 10 points on the season.  This is the Hawks best start to a season since the 1971-1972 season.  The Blue Jackets fell to 1-3-1, with 3 points on the season.

The Hawks got off to a slow, awfully flat start to the game.  It was almost the reverse of what happened in Dallas, where the Hawks got off to a fast start and were piling up the shots.  The Blue Jackets were the team piling up the shots and chances  in the first half of the first period.  After a Sheldon Brookbank holding penalty, Columbus kept up the offensive pressure, against the Hawks.  This eventually lead to a goal from Blue Jackets’ center, Mark Letestu, just seconds after the Chicago penalty expired.

Throughout the entire first period, the Blue Jackets were physically out-muscling the Blackhawks, and controlling the game.  A late period boarding call for Columbus defenseman, Jack Johnson would have given the Hawks an opportunity through a power-play if it wasn’t for an ill-timed slash from Dave Bolland coincided with the boarding call on Johnson.  Regardless the mini-scrap seemed to lead to some inspired hockey from the Blackhawks , as Patrick Kane burned by Columbus defenseman, Adrian Aucoin to make his way to a shot that was stopped by Blue Jackets’ goaltender, Steve Mason.  However, Dave Bolland was there to turn a rebound into a goal and a tie-game at the end of the first period.  A tie-game that the Hawks were lucky to have.

In the second period, the Blackhawks got off to another slow, flat start as they couldn’t get anything going offensively against the physical style of play, put on by the Blue Jackets.  Mid-way through the period, the Hawks took the lead as Bryan Bickell deflected a shot from Niklas Hjalmarsson past Steve Mason, giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead.

The Blue Jackets appeared to have tied the game up on a shot on a power-play beat Blackhawks goaltender, Corey Crawford.  However, as it the officials ruled that Crawford was interfered with by a Columbus forward, on what in hind-sight looks to be a blown call.  Although, Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville disagrees.  So, the Hawks were lucky at the end of the second period, as they were at the end of the first period.  The only difference was that this time they were lucky to have a lead over, rather than lucky share a tie with the Blue Jackets.

Another flat start for the Hawks in the third period made it seem like it was only a matter of time before Columbus tied the game and eventually re-took the lead.  A solid penalty-kill in the third, especially from more solid play from Michael Frolik, appeared to spark a more higher-quality game of hockey from the Blackhawks.  Jonathan Toews added a nifty insurance goal that would end up being the game-winner, in the third period.  An Artem Anisimov goal, late in the third, proved to be too little, too late for the Blue Jackets as the Blackhawks survived to claim a 3-2 victory, as their undefeated season lives on.

Notes-

More strong play from the Hawks usual suspects in the 3-2 victory.

Niklas Hjalmarsson continues to play like the he’s the man the Hawks ultimately chose to keep over Antti Niemi, back in 2010.  ”Hammer” provided 4 blocked shots along with an assist(which initially looked like his goal) en route to a +3 night.

Patrick Kane continues his mission to show everyone that he is back to being an elite scorer at the NHL level, as he added 2 assists to his stat sheet.

Corey Crawford made several clutch saves for the Blackhawks, and had another very good night in net.  His Save Percentage on the season thus far is a hefty .923%.

Former Calder Trophy winning goaltender for the Blue Jackets, Steve Mason, who lost his starting job this season after repeated seasons of seemingly constant struggles combined with Columbus’ acquisition of Sergei Bobrovsky, had an overall solid night in net for the Jackets as he stopped 21 shots.

Although Brandon Saad never seems to have the statistics to show for it, he is making a positive impact on the Hawks top-line.  If he keeps up this play, he will start putting up points.  It might be interesting to see what happens when Dan Carcillo returns from his injury.

In a very not newsworthy news, Jonathan Toews is off to a hot start this season as expected.  Toews put up a goal and a 68% face-off winning percentage against Columbus.  Just because he always plays great, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth mentioning.

Duncan Keith lead the Hawks in ice-time with 25:35, as Coach Quenneville used his 3rd d-pairing of Nick Leddy and Sheldon Brookbank very sparingly.   This might be something to keep an eye on soon.

The Blackhawks (5-0-0, 10pts) come home to face the hated Detroit Red Wings (2-2-0, 4pts)  tomorrow at 6:00 PM at the United Center.