Then there's the controversy with Frederik Andersen pushing the net off its moorings right before Artemi Panarin shot it past him, late in the 3rd. This resulted in a no-goal call by the refs, and rightfully so, because the net was clearly dislodged before Panarin got his shot off. But it pissed me off and made me wonder about 2 things: 1) Is there not a penalty on the books about a goalie kicking his own net off on a clear scoring chance? and 2) I think there's something wrong with one of the moorings on that net, as Marian Hossa dislodged it easily a few minutes after the Andersen incident. Supposedly, the United Center got all new boards and I assume new glass, because the old glass partitions often came apart during games, and even injured a fan last year. My point is, if they replaced the boards and glass, they might've replaced the moorings, and those moorings might be shit. It's worth paying attention to as the season continues.
It all should've ended on the Panarin goal, but it went to OT, where after an extended attack by the Ducks, Jonathan Toews countered with the game winner, again. Let's get into it...
Delicious Cake
-Jonathan Toews. 2 straight overtimes, 2 straight game winning goals. Holy shit, that guy is the clutchiest clutch that ever clutched!
-Corey Crawford. 2nd straight shutout, and this one was definitely more difficult than the Tampa shutout. He managed to stop all 19 shots Anaheim threw at him in the 3rd, and made a sick sliding save in OT that allowed Toews to get his chance. He always steps up at the right time. Love that guy.
So-So Soup
-Teuvo Teravainen. The young Finn is struggling to get the puck on net. He has 5 shots on goal in the past 4 games. Last night, he was throwing passes around that didn't find anybody. Perhaps it's his linemates, Hinostroza and Garbutt. We've seen what Teuvo can do, and it's a bit maddening to watch him try to make flashy passes to guys with middling puck handling skills. He needs to be paired up with another playmaker, and if that doesn't happen, he needs to start shooting the puck, because everybody is expecting him to pass, which leads to giveaways. Kane learned that lesson, and I'm confident that Teuvo will learn, too. Speaking of too many passes...
Expired Tuna Salad
-Taking shots. The Hawks only put up 24 shots, and it wasn't because of a stifling Anaheim defense, that's for sure. There were just too many goddamn cross ice passes. If you have the chance, get close and try to put it past the goalie. The Blackhawks are known for using the cross ice pass, therefore, teams that have played them a lot (Anaheim) expect it and are able to defend against it. I lost count on the number of times a pass was broken up when a shot on goal would have been a good option.
That's great, kid. Now shoot it!
Noticeably Unnoticed Award for Excellence in Impalpable Impact
-Trevor Daley, for the 2nd straight game. His serviceable, mediocre play is decisively adequate.
Final Thought:
I live in LA. Because of this, if the Ducks are playing, I am forced to watch them on the local affiliate, Fox Sports Prime. This sucks because Brian Hayward, Anaheim's color analyst, is the worst. He is the most obnoxious, homerific ass. Others have noticed, as well. He always wants more penalties called on the other team. He doesn't see anything wrong if it's done by a Duck, and even if it's right in front of him on his own replay screen, he routinely gets basic facts wrong.
Not even a minute into the game, when Corey Crawford took a shot to the chin, and the slo-mo replay showed Crawford clearly taking a puck to the bottom of his mask, Hayward said (paraphrasing), "Looks like Crawford took a shot to the sternum. Definitely the sternum. He's got a lot of protection there, I don't know why he went down to the ice." Brian Hayward, worst in the business.
Brian Hayward
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