The Chicago Blackhawks came back home on Saturday night and easily handled the New York Islanders for their first home victory at the United Center in the young season. There were plenty of highlights so here’s 5 quick points about the Blackhawks victory.
5. Scott Darling was solid.
If you throw away a careless Patrick Kane turnover in the final two minutes on the powerplay, Scott Darling would have had his second career shutout. Darling stopped everything he was supposed to stop, and he made a crucial stop when the Islanders had a breakaway when the score was still in doubt early in the game. You have to love the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks have a back up goalie that can come in at any time and shut down the opponent. The goalie situation hasn’t always been a strength for the Hawks, but now it does appear to be a strenght of the franchise.
4. Viktor Svedberg was Ok.
Svedberg had a rough outing in Brooklyn on Friday night, and normally Coach Joel Quenneville would pull the plug on a rookie playing after that type of start, but contrary to his normal style Coach Q stuck with Svedberg on Saturday night. I’m not saying he played at a Duncan Keith level, but you hardly noticed he was out there and made a couple nice defensive plays. He may not be out there when Michal Rozsival returns, but tonight was a steady effort from Svedberg.
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3. Ryan Garbutt on Top line?
Three Games into the season, and Coach Q has had three different wings with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. I questioned Garbutt at the beginning of the game, and he’s probably not the ideal forward to play on the top line, but he didn’t look out of place either. He’s a grinder with two superstars and made a really nice pass to set up a great Hossa chance. He’s more suited for the bottom lines, but he didn’t look out of place on Saturday night with the Hall of Famers.
2. Same Old Power Play
Before we get too excited, let’s remember that the powerplay really struggled including when the Hawks had a 5 on 3 for most of that powerplay. The Hawks only pass around the perimeter with no net front presence or shots. The Hawks need to get to the scoring places when they have the man advantage.
1. Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin Were Awesome
Both Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin had 3 point nights, and they are fun to watch on the ice the first three games. The Kane goal was a puck possession overload that ended with a deflection goal and a 3-0 lead. Watching these two on the ice are incredibly fun to watch, hopefully this can continue it for the rest of the season.
What are your thoughts of the Blackhawks win tonight?
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