Blackhawks vs RedWings Round 2

[gmalis1]

Well, the Hawks know who their second round opponent will be. Seventh seeded Detroit will be against the Hawks.

Nice series as these teams are so very familiar with each other. Wings move tot the Eastern Conference next year, so presumably this is the end of the rivalary that has been going on since the NHL started. Two original six teams.

Wings make a formidable opponent. Jimmie Howard has been playing great in goal in Round 1. Same usual suspects of Wing standouts: Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzen, Cleary. Defense is rather weak, but has been improving.

Wings play the same puck possession game as the Hawks and not a lot of physicality in play here, which bodes well for the Hawks.

Hawks won all four games in the regular season and has had the Wings number for the past two to three years. Hawks won 2-1 in OT, 2-1 in a shootout, 7-1 and 3-2 in a shootout. Aside from the 7-1 shellacking, the other three games could have gone either way. If I remember, two of the games the Hawks tied in the last minute...one on a Marian Hossa goal due to a late turnover and one on a Patrick Kane goal after a Wings delay of game penalty.

Should be a good series. Wings fans and players won't have to complain about all the travel tiime out West, although the winner in this series WILL have to go to the West Coast for the Conference Finals. Expect to hear lots of DETROIT SUCKS at the United Center. Get ready for some fun.

 

[averagejoe]

Thanks for getting the thread started g-man...

Glad that the Wings knocked the #2-seeded Ducks out. Nice work by the Wings. Plus you said that the Wings play the same type of game that the Hawks do, so I guess that's what got me a little worried.

The Wings beat the Ducks on the Ducks' home ice. Says a lot for the Wings. Datsyuk is a great player. And Franzen always seems to park his big butt right in our crease - every single game. If we can take care of these two guys IMO then we should do okay, just as in the regular season.

Not that I'm under-estimating the Wings, but I hope the Hawks can get this series done in 6 games.

 

[The Q stache]

Anyone can beat anyone at this point in the playoffs, but I'm confident in the Hawks ability to win this series.

 

[gmalis1]

Only one game...and a game the Hawks needed to win. And they need to win Game 2 to hold serve. Hawks showed plenty of firepower. Jimmy Howard keeps the Wings in the game. Hawks outshoot Wings 42-21. Crawford very solid in net. Marcus Kruger actually scores again!

Wings turnovers killed them all game long. Just a turnover machine. Didn't expect that, but I guess their defense is prone to that all year and in the previous series. Really expected more from the Wings, and would expect more intensity in Game 2.

 

[averagejoe]

Game 2
I had to work Saturday and I was upset that I could not find the play-by-play on the radio. Then I found out later that they lost (and looked bad doing it). So then I wasn't so upset that I didn't hear the play-by-play.

I knew the Wings' series wouldn't be a cakewalk. Let's hope this is a wake up call and the Hawks come out firing Monday night.

 

[HockeyDoug]

Things not going to hot but I'm not going to be concerned until they get that 3rd loss. I've thought they've outplayed Detroit so far but they don't have the second win.

Seabrook has been a disaster and Toews is ice cold. Unacceptable for those two.

Bolland is especially worthless, even defensively, but he's a role player, not as important as the two mentioned above. He might be suffering from an injury. Handzus has been bad too.

I still think the Hawks are capable of adjustments, hopefully they are interested now. I think Detroit will have to play a stronger game than Monday to get the last 2 wins.

 

[averagejoe]

Talk radio in Chicago has some fans panicking. Not that it's an ideal situation or anything, but we've been down this road before. I don't think most of those fans watch or understand hockey much anyway.

In the Cup year (2010), we were down 2 games to 1 to the Preds and won the series in 6 games. And in the next round, Vancouver jumped out and won game one 5-1 and led the series 1 game to zero. Even in the Finals, the Flyers tied the series 2-2 and seemed to have the momentum. Yet the Hawks won all of those series.

I think they can do it again too.

Game 3 was sad. The goalie interference that wasn't. Turnovers. Would be nice if Jimmy Howard didn't have a clear view of all of the shots. (i.e. get someone in front of him.) Pretty much all of the things that can send you to the golf course early.

I'm going to miss most all of game 4 unfortunately. Go Hawks!

 

[averagejoe]

Still believe in epic comebacks? Maybe it will be tough to accomplish, but this is a Hawks team that broke some long-standing records already this season.

And wouldn't it be nice to send the Norris rival, original 6, Wings a nice going away present (to the Eastern Conference) by completing a remarkable comeback?

I think it is possible. Why?

Well, primarily I think they are just in a scoring slump. Slumps happen, even in the playoffs. The Hawks scored the 2nd-most goals this season, 149 of them. That's an average of 3.1 goals per game.

Against the Wild, they scored 17 goals in 5 games, for an average just slightly above the regular season mark, at 3.4 goals per game.

So far against the Wings, they are averaging 1.5 goals per game, and that includes an empty-netter.

They need to start scoring. Abandon the attempted pretty passes and start creating havoc in the crease. The game 1 goals, the Shaw disallowed goal, most all were because the Hawks created chances that were not in Howard's comfort zone.

Let's make history. Again.

 

[averagejoe]

I guess I may be alone? Go Hawks!

 

[HockeyDoug]

Not alone Joe. I've been lurking more than I've been posting lately. Been busy. I'll be around all summer no matter what happens on game 7.

 

[averagejoe]

Still believe in epic comebacks? Maybe it will be tough to accomplish, but this is a Hawks team that broke some long-standing records already this season.

And wouldn't it be nice to send the Norris rival, original 6, Wings a nice going away present (to the Eastern Conference) by completing a remarkable comeback?

I think it is possible.

Epic comeback complete!

 

[gmalis1]

Cue Chelsea Dagger...right to the heart of the Red Wings. Funny how Brent Seabrook, who had his minutes limited after Game 2, winds up being the hero of the series.

Thought the Hawks were royally screwed on the Hjamarlsson goal that was waved off with less than two minutes to go in the third. Still scratching my head about that one...and everyone on NBC Sports Net disagreed with the call, as well as a whole bunch of Tweets from current NHL players disagreeing with that call.

Saad is mauled by the Wings bench, eventually being thrown into the bench and then pushed back and down to the ice. Should have been a roughing penalty on the Wings. The only thing that I saw from Saad's end was the short jab at the end that I think missed the Wings player. If anything, the ref should have let them play on until the Wings got possession of the puck, which of course they didn't. BS goal that could have cost the Hawks the game.

Luckily it didn't. Great exciting Game 7 with an OT win. How sweet!

 

[HockeyDoug]

Walcom was there when Torres went without a penalty on the Hossa hit.
He was on the ice for the weird Kane game 6 OT goal too.
Can you imagine that storyline if Detroit caught a bounce and won?

Would have been Bartman-esque.

 

[HockeyDoug]

What an ending to that series.

 

[averagejoe]

Series MVP

Could go with Toews here. He'd be deserving with all of the attention that he got and yet still managed to get some lone, all-effort scoring chances.

But I'm going with Andrew Shaw. For a guy that only plays about 13 minutes a game, he certainly became a thorn in the Wings' side. The guy was everywhere. He hit everyone. He created scoring chances. At times he was out of control, but I love that kind of intensity and emotion. Especially since it seemed like the Hawks had lapses of intensity and emotion.

 

[gmalis1]

Series MVP

Could go with Toews here. He'd be deserving with all of the attention that he got and yet still managed to get some lone, all-effort scoring chances.

But I'm going with Andrew Shaw. For a guy that only plays about 13 minutes a game, he certainly became a thorn in the Wings' side. The guy was everywhere. He hit everyone. He created scoring chances. At times he was out of control, but I love that kind of intensity and emotion. Especially since it seemed like the Hawks had lapses of intensity and emotion.

I, too, vote for Shaw as series MVP. First runner up to Corey Crawford, who never gets any props for his play keeping the Hawks in just about every game. Second runner up to Bryan Bickell. Toews...well he's way down on my list. Poor guy got pretty beat up by the Wings and his temper tantrum in Game 3 really cost the Hawks. I'm guessing the Kings will play it the same way...put a man or two right on Toews making it tough for him to maneuver.

Great Game 7 OT win by the Hawks. Loved every second of it.

 

[HockeyDoug]

I can't really give an MVP out to anybody besides Crawford.