Tonight was no different.
I was a bit worried about this game, only because the Pittsburgh Penguins are a team to reckon with. But, with guys like Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary out due to injury, and the fact that they're coming off a loss to the Dallas Stars last night... The Hawks did have the upper hand to begin with, I think.
But, the Penguins came out strong and tough, as usual, and the Hawks certainly rose to the challenge.
The first period was basically a bust. I thought the Hawks had some great shots on goal, but Marc-Andre Fleury played incredibly well that first period and prevented anything from going through--even back-to-back Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook wristers. I was a little frustrated with the refs blatantly ignoring calls on both sides. The Hawks did manage to draw a tripping penalty--though, they did nothing with it.
The highlight was really Ron Hainsey checking Dennis Rasmussen into the Penguins' bench--he went all the way in. (He was fine, too. It was actually pretty funny.)
Per usual, the Hawks came to life in the second period. Lo and behold, Patrick Kane saves the day with a beautiful five-h0le shot that just escaped Fleury and found the back of the net. With just that goal, Kane has now scored against every NHL team except for the Blackhawks (... unless you count this mishap).
I really thought Ryan Hartman's shot went in, but nope, it was just wide. The Hawks put a lot more pressure on the Penguins' side of the ice tonight, which was refreshing to see.
Then, the Penguins scored. Except they didn't and kept playing. Except NBCSN thought they did. The refs took a look at it, and what do you know? It went in. Top shelf, hit the top of the net. That was hands-down the weirdest thing I've seen in a hockey game thus far, I think. Anyways, 1-1 hockey game, thanks to Scott Wilson.
The period neared its end, and I accepted the fact that we'd go into the second intermission tied. But, Richard Panik vetoed that one. With less than 25 seconds left, he toe dragged the hell out of his defenders and went top shelf on Fleury to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead they needed in order to win this game. Panik definitely impressed me, and I thought he played smart and quick tonight.
Finally, the dreaded third period. Early in the period, the announcers noted that Artem Anisimov had headed back to the locker room in the second period and didn't return for the rest of the game. If he's out, we'll have a new problem.
But, like I said--the defense was on point tonight (even without Johnny Oduya in the lineup--things are really about to get hot). They had a little trouble keeping it out of the Hawks zone, but they at least kept the Penguins from scoring. And, of course so did the ever-wonderful Scott Darling. I still can't believe he's the Hawks' back up goalie. It feels pretty good to have two consistently incredible goalies.
Anyways, the Hawks put on the pressure and they spent the majority of the first half of the period in the Penguins zone. Darling made some crazy saves and robbed not only Matt Cullen (the best of the night, bar-none), but also Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. That's a good night in my book.
The Hawks kind of bided their time and made sure their passes and shots were accurate tonight, which I think greatly improved their game. And about midway through the period, that hardwork and careful passing definitely paid off--Nick Schmaltz gave Kane an incredible pass across the ice and without thinking, Kane just put it right into the back of the night, putting him on hatty watch for the second time in three games. Pretty unreal.
With the Hawks up 3-1 with under two minutes to go, the Penguins pull Fleury, but can't keep the puck in their end. There's a bit of a mix-up near the Penguins bench between Ian Cole and Hartman, but nothing results of it. Patrick Kane gets back on the ice, and the magic is there once more.
He and Artemi Panarin somehow find their way to the other end of the ice with the empty net right there, and instead of just shoving the puck in, Panarin passed to Kane and tic-tac-toe, he's got his second hat trick in just three games. Pretty unbelievable.
Game, set, match. Hawks take away yet another win (their fifth consecutive, tenth in the last eleven) and move on to play the Islanders on Friday and the Predators on Saturday.
Can they keep the fire going through the month of March? Who knows for sure, but they definitely started it strong.
(Side note: I'm going to Disney World Saturday morning, and won't be back until next Sunday, but I'll miss the game then since I'll be in the car. So, you guys won't see a blog from me on Friday, Saturday, Thursday, Friday or Sunday. And, I've really only been writing these when I can watch the action, so the next blog here should be Tuesday, March 14 against the Canadiens. Enjoy my little week hiatus while I enjoy Disney!)
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