The Chicago Blackhawks had the opportunity to steal a game at Joe Louis Arena Sunday afternoon, but fell short giving up 3 late goals. The 5-2 final score does not tell the tale of a hard fought game though.

The young Hawks team came out with a lot of energy and were able to get on the board first when Adam Burish stole the puck in front of Detroit’s net and put a quick wrist shot in between goalie Chris Osgood’s legs. The lead was short lived though. Dan Cleary, the former Blackhawks first round pick, scored on a wrister less than 3 minutes later. Cleary took advantage of a misplayed puck by Brent Seabrook in the Hawks attacking zone and tore down the ice without any opposition. By the time Duncan Keith got within defending range of Cleary he was already shooting the puck past Khabibulin. At the end of the first period Detroit was outshooting the Blackhawks 15-9 due in part to a 2 minute powerplay they had after Seabrook’s 2 minute hooking penalty.

The second period was a hard hitting one for both teams and the goalies were both playing very well. Khabibulin had a flurry of shots against him in a minute's span that had Detroit fans on their feet multiple times thinking a goal had been scored. Eventually though, the high shot total from Detroit made an impact and Johan Franzen scored on a wrap around late in the period after he beat Keith to the puck behind the net and Seabrook did not get to Franzen in time. The period ended with the score 2-1 in favor of the Red Wings, but the score did not seem so important after a potentially catastrophic play happened in the Hawks attacking end. Ben Eager was upended on a hit and his skate clipped Adam Burish's neck. Luckily, Burish had the extra padding of his playoff beard to protect his neck, and skated away with a minor scratch. He continued to play in the game. "I don't know how my head was still connected there," Burish said. "I saw his skate. It was like he did a figure skating move. He lifted his skate up and I just watched it go over my neck."

The third period saw the Hawks tie the game quickly when rookie Kris Versteeg scored three minutes in on a powerplay opportunity. That goal extended the Red Wings streak of 10 straight playoff games allowing a powerplay goal against them. The tie game lasted only 4 minutes though, as Mikael Samuelsson scored on a wrist shot just over Khabibulin's glove hand while cutting through the slot. Dan Cleary added a tip-in goal just a minute and a half later which seemed to take the fight out of the Hawks for the rest of the game. Zetterberg added an empty-net goal to cap the scoring and give Detroit the 5-2 victory. Adam Burish finished the game with a double minor for cross checking with 22 seconds left.

Overall, the Blackhawks inexperience on this stage may have hurt them. They scored the first goal and looked like they were playing very well for the first 10 minutes or so but then they seemed to lose their energy midway through the game like they have been all playoffs. The Red Wings are too good of a team to be playing catch-up with all game, and the come from behind style of play the Blackhawks have been playing lately is not going to give them a good chance of winning the series. Also Kane and Toews, the two young superstars, were held in check most of the game. On Toews’ one great opportunity to score Chris Osgood made a great save to keep the puck out of the net. Kane was a non-factor and didn’t get a shot off all game.

Even with the 5-2 final score though, the Hawks played a decent game against a team that many believe to be far superior. If the Hawks can keep games tied going into the late third period, don't be surprised if they pull off an upset in this series, but if they try to come form behind late don't expect a win. The next game will be played on Tuesday at 6:30 CT in Detroit. The Blackhawks would love to come home with a 1-1 split on the road, and the momentum coming back to the United Center. Either way this series plays out, going against the defending champs will give the youngest team in the league the experience they will need for the next few years where expectations of deep playoff runs will be high.

TrackBack URI for this entry

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment