Another Day, Another Ass-Whuppin': Blackhawks 9, Oilers 2
You gotta love these stress-free games. The Hawks crushed the Oilers in Edmonton tonight, getting goals from a whole cast of characters and making Edmonton look like a Junior League team by comparison. It was nice to see that the scoring has been balanced lately, only 3 Hawk skaters went without a point tonight (Brent Seabrook, Matt Walker and Jonathan Toews). It was also nice that the Oilers decided that this game would be played under non-contact rules, despite their ass-beating, Edmonton stayed with their plan of allowing the Hawks to skate around in the slot unmolested for all 3 periods. I would not have wanted to face Craig MacTavish after this one. On with the kudos:
THE GOOD
The Second Period - Lots of good tonight, and the best came in the 2nd frame when the Hawks exploded for 5 goals, chasing Mathieu Garon from net and burying the Oilers easily.
James Wisniewski - I've made no secret of my man-love for The Wiz, and for a guy playing his first NHL game since April, he didn't look at all out of place. Wiz was all over the place, blocking shots, joining rushes and for the most part making good decisions. Other than his conditioning being a little off (which was to be expected), Wisniewski looked like he hadn't missed a beat out there, playing 17+ minutes and collecting 3 assists. Welcome back Wiz, here's hoping you can stay healthy.
Troy Brouwer - Brouwer hasn't been scoring much of late, but to his credit, he hasn't panicked over it, sticking to his role of setting screens and doing the dirty work in front of the net. Tonight that work paid off for him, as Brouwer scored 2 goals, one an easy put back of a rebound, and the other a slap shot from the point that deflected off his arm.
The 4th Line - Great night for these guys. Ben Eager, Craig Adams and Colin Fraser each had a goal, and played effectively in the 3rd period, allowing Joel Quenneville to get some more rest for the top forwards and roll 4 lines the whole game.
The Power Play - Part of the reason the Oilers couldn't start running Hawks was that the power play was so effective. Chicago converted 4 of 5 on the man advantage, and any liberties taken by the Oilers likely would have made the score even more embarrassing.
THE BAD
The Edmonton Oilers - They sucked tonight. Which isn't our problem, but I needed something to put here.
THE UGLY
Even the lucky bounces were on the Hawks side, as Andrew Ladd was credited with a short-handed goal in the 3rd period when an Oilers defenseman accidentally put the puck in his own net.
The Second Period - While it was a lot of fun, this period dragged on forever due to the scoring, the goaltending change and a lengthy review Troy Brouwer's second goal.
Next up for the Hawks, the red-hot Calgary Flames on Friday.
THE GOOD
The Second Period - Lots of good tonight, and the best came in the 2nd frame when the Hawks exploded for 5 goals, chasing Mathieu Garon from net and burying the Oilers easily.
James Wisniewski - I've made no secret of my man-love for The Wiz, and for a guy playing his first NHL game since April, he didn't look at all out of place. Wiz was all over the place, blocking shots, joining rushes and for the most part making good decisions. Other than his conditioning being a little off (which was to be expected), Wisniewski looked like he hadn't missed a beat out there, playing 17+ minutes and collecting 3 assists. Welcome back Wiz, here's hoping you can stay healthy.
Troy Brouwer - Brouwer hasn't been scoring much of late, but to his credit, he hasn't panicked over it, sticking to his role of setting screens and doing the dirty work in front of the net. Tonight that work paid off for him, as Brouwer scored 2 goals, one an easy put back of a rebound, and the other a slap shot from the point that deflected off his arm.
The 4th Line - Great night for these guys. Ben Eager, Craig Adams and Colin Fraser each had a goal, and played effectively in the 3rd period, allowing Joel Quenneville to get some more rest for the top forwards and roll 4 lines the whole game.
The Power Play - Part of the reason the Oilers couldn't start running Hawks was that the power play was so effective. Chicago converted 4 of 5 on the man advantage, and any liberties taken by the Oilers likely would have made the score even more embarrassing.
THE BAD
The Edmonton Oilers - They sucked tonight. Which isn't our problem, but I needed something to put here.
THE UGLY
Even the lucky bounces were on the Hawks side, as Andrew Ladd was credited with a short-handed goal in the 3rd period when an Oilers defenseman accidentally put the puck in his own net.
The Second Period - While it was a lot of fun, this period dragged on forever due to the scoring, the goaltending change and a lengthy review Troy Brouwer's second goal.
Next up for the Hawks, the red-hot Calgary Flames on Friday.
That was revenge for those Hawk beatdowns in the Northlands playoff games in 83 and 85.
Favorite moment of the night,
PA: One minute remaining in the period
CROWD: (largest cheer of evening)
funny.
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I'm glad someone else caught that too. At least the fans had a sense of humor about the whole thing..
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Were the Hawks playing no-goalie shinny last night?
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