Ton
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It's about time the Blackhawks found contributions from the top heavy offense. Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane found their offensive touch and produced 3 goals and 1 assist between them. When was the last time they did that?
Unfortunately, the game didn't start off as peachy as one would like. Crawford was shelled in the 1st period stopping 7 of 10 shots, although he didn't really have a chance on several of them. The Hawks were able to answer back with 2 goals of their own to come out of the period with some life.
In the 2nd period, Quenneville opted for Ray Emery to finish off the game and he was nearly perfect. The Blackhawks were able to find scoring from Kane and Hossa to take their first lead of the game and never let go.
Emery's bread and butter came in the 3rd period where he faced 17 shots on net. Luckily, Marian Hossa was able to tally his 2nd goal of the game coming from an empty netter, because Emery leaked just one shot out of the 24 he faced in the game. It could have been more, Sami Lepisto saved a goal when he lost his stick in the corner and battled back to the front of the net to block an open net. Emery faced some quality shots, but the defense certainly stepped up and did not allow a lot of 2nd and 3rd opportunities despite the chances being there for the taking.
Speaking of Sami Lepisto... I will now question Quenneville's (mis)use of players and (im)proper slot allocation. Why was Sean O'Donnell playing all year again?
THE NEW GUYS
Johnny Oduya appeared in his first game in a Blackhawks uniform, but what started out as early jitters clearly settled down in the 2nd and 3rd period.
He brought plenty of mobility back there, crisp passes, and moved the play quickly from the back-end... but at the same time, showed patience in areas that he needed to be calm in. Without the puck, Oduya had quick feet and recovered well when he lost his positioning. He also made a great play on a Brent Seabrook gaff that forced Oduya to turn on the jets and beat his man without yielding a penalty shot. All and all this is the type of acquisition the Blackhawks can use right now.
Brandon Bollig also appeared in his first regular-season game with the Blackhawks, and certainly showed Chicago what he brings to the table this game. Bollig dropped his gloves with Luke Schenn, while landing a few body shots and a solid left hook, he really didn't take over the fight as someone like John Scott would. His mobility is slightly better than Scott, but that isn't saying much when Scott has a clear cut reach advantage.
Bollig may be of service to the Blackhawks for now, but it's quite clear he will never be an adequate replacement for the big man in the Big Apple.
CLOSE CALL
Nick Leddy and Viktor Stalberg both crashed awkwardly into the boards as a result of a hit from the Maple Leafs. According to Joel Quenneville both are "fine" and neither suffered an injury on the play.
Good news, considering Leddy has been coming into his own the last few games and certainly stood out as an impact player in this one.
BLACKHAWKS THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Marian Hossa
2. Patrick Kane
3. Nick Leddy
Click here to view the article
Unfortunately, the game didn't start off as peachy as one would like. Crawford was shelled in the 1st period stopping 7 of 10 shots, although he didn't really have a chance on several of them. The Hawks were able to answer back with 2 goals of their own to come out of the period with some life.
In the 2nd period, Quenneville opted for Ray Emery to finish off the game and he was nearly perfect. The Blackhawks were able to find scoring from Kane and Hossa to take their first lead of the game and never let go.
Emery's bread and butter came in the 3rd period where he faced 17 shots on net. Luckily, Marian Hossa was able to tally his 2nd goal of the game coming from an empty netter, because Emery leaked just one shot out of the 24 he faced in the game. It could have been more, Sami Lepisto saved a goal when he lost his stick in the corner and battled back to the front of the net to block an open net. Emery faced some quality shots, but the defense certainly stepped up and did not allow a lot of 2nd and 3rd opportunities despite the chances being there for the taking.
Speaking of Sami Lepisto... I will now question Quenneville's (mis)use of players and (im)proper slot allocation. Why was Sean O'Donnell playing all year again?
THE NEW GUYS
Johnny Oduya appeared in his first game in a Blackhawks uniform, but what started out as early jitters clearly settled down in the 2nd and 3rd period.
He brought plenty of mobility back there, crisp passes, and moved the play quickly from the back-end... but at the same time, showed patience in areas that he needed to be calm in. Without the puck, Oduya had quick feet and recovered well when he lost his positioning. He also made a great play on a Brent Seabrook gaff that forced Oduya to turn on the jets and beat his man without yielding a penalty shot. All and all this is the type of acquisition the Blackhawks can use right now.
Brandon Bollig also appeared in his first regular-season game with the Blackhawks, and certainly showed Chicago what he brings to the table this game. Bollig dropped his gloves with Luke Schenn, while landing a few body shots and a solid left hook, he really didn't take over the fight as someone like John Scott would. His mobility is slightly better than Scott, but that isn't saying much when Scott has a clear cut reach advantage.
Bollig may be of service to the Blackhawks for now, but it's quite clear he will never be an adequate replacement for the big man in the Big Apple.
CLOSE CALL
Nick Leddy and Viktor Stalberg both crashed awkwardly into the boards as a result of a hit from the Maple Leafs. According to Joel Quenneville both are "fine" and neither suffered an injury on the play.
Good news, considering Leddy has been coming into his own the last few games and certainly stood out as an impact player in this one.
BLACKHAWKS THREE STARS OF THE GAME
1. Marian Hossa
2. Patrick Kane
3. Nick Leddy
Click here to view the article
