[A] Golf Season: CHI 0, PHX 4

[Shantz My Pants]

The power-play ended the way it started: atrocious. Only fitting to cap the season with another shutout -- of course it was against the Blackhawks. I won't go too much detail on the entirety of the series here, but for an elimination game the Blackhawks sure did fire on all cylinders... right into Mike Smith's chest.



I've never seen such an offensively dominant team flub as many chances as the Blackhawks did in Game 6. It was hard to watch. A team full of NHL pros and not one of them can lift the puck without missing the net. If they happened to hit the net, Mike Smith answered the bell, but it was hard not to when a team decides to shoot the puck into your pads all night.



All together, the effort was there but execution was not. The energy provided by Shaw certainly had it's impact early in the game where the Blackhawks responded with 16 shots on net compared to the Coyotes 2 shots. As the game carried on, the Blackhawks vision grew worse.



Special teams just plain bombed it. The man-advantage was an epitome of the entire series packed into 60 minutes of play while the penalty-kill saw it's worst day. The final result, however, was not an indication of how far apart these two teams were. Although this game was easily the worst the Blackhawks had in the series when really they needed their best, this could have been a very different contest until the 3rd period.



Of course, people will point the finger at Corey Crawford, who only came out with an .800 save percentage in the elimination game. The fact of the matter is, every goal that went in was a result of miscues defensively -- miscues you don't see the Phoenix Coyotes make. Mike Smith didn't see a single shot as tough as the last three goals that went in the back of the Blackhawks net. And that lies the biggest problem: an offensive team that couldn't bury a decent chance while failing defensively. Trade Corey Crawford for Mike Smith and you'd see the same result.



After Jimmy Hayes pasted Michal Rozsival along the boards for a 5-minute major and game misconduct as well as Patrick Kane getting tossed out of the game for [insert penalty here] the Blackhawks may as well have forfeited the game. There was no coming back, not even an ounce of energy remained out of anyone in the group other than Jonathan Toews and the offense dried up faster than a bucket of water in hell. This truly was a sad day in Blackhawks history; bounced by the Phoenix Coyotes at home. The process starts all over again next year which is too bad, they deserved so much more.



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[Chief Walking Stick]

Yotes embellishing as usual. Completely despicable... too bad this bad horrible faking team is owned by the NHL. Hope their team plane crashes.

 

[Shantz My Pants]

IMO, the Hawks came out guns a blazin, and it's unfortunate that our offense just couldn't get the puck in the net. Hats off to Phoenix on a solid team defense that shut down our top players. I can't recall too many mistakes as a team in their own end, and that hurt the Hawks in the long run.



Crawford overall in the series was a heart breaker. He came up big some times, but let in a few softies that made me toss the remote.



Hayes with the unnecessary check from behind is what finally set in the "there goes the season" thought for me.

 

[klemmer]

Not sure the better team won, but the Dogs took advantage of the gifts and won the series.



If you lose three games at home, you deserve to go golfing.

 

[the canadian dream]

Did ton jump?



Well not much to say. We all watched the same game and series. I think we all agree pretty much on what the series issues were and this games issues.



Hawks deserved a better outcome but due to lingering power play issues some questionable coaching moves too many defensive collapses and some untimely poor goalkeeping on our side and consistant goalkeeping by smith we lost the series. Didnt help that the hawks lost hossa but its not as if the hawks didnt have dominating streaks without him.



Im sure some officiating finger pointing will come but im going to try and focus on some more real issues.

 

[Shantz My Pants]

Not sure the better team won, but the Dogs took advantage of the gifts and won the series.



If you lose three games at home, you deserve to go golfing.

They played better defense. Blocked shots, covered guys in front of the net. Hell, my buddy and I were in complete shock on the first goal for the yotes how neither of the two forwards were even touched on the goal. Hawks D were infront of the forwards with their sticks in their hands. I know Q wants them to block shots, but that shit isn't working and he essentially creates a 4 man screen with that philosphy.

 

[Tater]

Kane needs to grow the mullet back (not a shot at his pkay at all, I just noticed he had a buzz cut after the game). The mullet brought good luck.



Bummer of a game but a lot of guys played realy hard. Shaw shows again that he is a keeper and Hayes look pretty good until the penalty.

 

[Chief Walking Stick]

Too bad the Hawks aren't better actors.

 

[roshinaya]

Hawks went out with a whimper in the end. Not from a lack of trying, mind you. Smith just stole the game. That said the Coyotes used their few chances with lethal efficiency, like they had the whole series. Interesting to see how far that tactic is going to carry them (not far is my guess). Teams like the Coyotes are poison for this Hawks team and they better do something to fix that as I could see more teams adapting a similar approach as the teams we now have in the western semis. It might not be entertaining but it damn well wins you games and that's the only thing that counts. Chicago won the Cup with their insane depth, but since that sort of depth is nigh impossible in the cap world, they can't count on that run & gun style taking them too far into the post-season without solid D.

 

[PatrickShart]

The best goaltender won the series.

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

Not sure the better team won, but the Dogs took advantage of the gifts and won the series.



If you lose three games at home, you deserve to go golfing.

I could be wrong, but I think that this is the first time that the 'Hawks have lost 3 home games in a playoff series. Crazy.





But yea, the bounces went the Yotes way, and Smith completely shut the door tonight when he weathered the first 15 minutes of this game.

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

The best goaltender won the series.

At the root of it, that is what it was.

 

[cplmac]

Is it September yet? This blows.

 

[mikita's helmet]

Great goalies left for all four teams in the West. Maybe a good goalie and great depth was the way to go a few years ago, but...

 

[Rex]

Great goalies left for all four teams in the West. Maybe a good goalie and great depth was the way to go a few years ago, but...

When did we have a great goalie a few years ago? Belfour left in 97

 

[Gembird22]

We played our hearts out for most of the game. Our power play sucked, but we already knew it did. Mike Smith out-played Crawford, the shots on goal differential vs. goals shows that. I thought if we played with energy we'd have won, and we did, but Smith had our number tonight. That's all. I can say I saw an exciting game live and am just disappointed by the outcome.

 

[mikita's helmet]

When did we have a great goalie a few years ago? Belfour left in 97

I didn't say we had a great goalie, I said we had a good goalie and great depth a few years ago (2010), but the teams still left in the West this year ALL have great goaltending, so that a team with great depth now, but only a good goalie probably won't be hoisting the Cup this year.

 

[Rex]

I didn't say we had a great goalie, I said we had a good goalie and great depth a few years ago (2010), but the teams still left in the West this year ALL have great goaltending, so that a team with great depth now, but only a good goalie probably won't be hoisting the Cup this year.

I don't see why not. We just don't have great depth.

 

[mikita's helmet]

I don't see why not. We just don't have great depth.

Well we had better depth than the Yotes.



If we had Rinne, Quick, Elliot, Halak, from the West (like I said all the teams left have great goaltending), or Lundquist (sic) or Thomas in the East, even without our great depth, we'd have taken the Yotes and could have gone farther.



The only team with even a chance - though I hope not - of winning the Cup this year, without excellent goaltending (up till now at least) is the Flyers.

 

[Pez68]

The teams left in the west all play boring, defensive, wait for you to **** up hockey. That's it. Has something to do with goaltending, but they basically lull you to sleep with their passive bullshit. Not a fan of that type of hockey, sorry.