Blackhawks 5, Hurricanes 2 – Recap

The United Center was the site for the Blackhawks debuts of Kimmo Timonen and Antoine Vermette, Andrew Desjardins was not on the ice. The Hawks got out to a great start, controlling the action and getting a few good shots on net. They would get the game’s first goal a little over eight minutes in when Jonathan Toews got in behind the Carolina defense and a great pass from Michal Roszival led to a breakaway for the Captain. The Hawks would maintain control of the game following the goal, but the remainder of the period saw them unable to expand their lead. The team did a great job defensively of limiting Carolina’s opportunities; the Hurricanes ended the first twenty with only four shots on goal. However, the Hurricanes would start the second on the power play, the result of a Brent Seabrook slash as time expired in the first.

The Blackhawks started the second on the penalty kill and were able to kill off the Seabrook penalty, and in the process, score a goal of their own. Toews beat Cam Ward on a breakaway for the second time in the game, this time set up by Duncan Keith 44 second into the period. Shortly after the Seabrook penalty ended, Sharp was whistled for goaltender interference after crashing into Ward pursuing a puck that had escaped him. Forty-six seconds into the Sharp penalty, Marian Hossa joined him in the sin bin after tripping Andrej Nestrasil, giving the Hurricanes a two-man advantage. The Hawks were able to kill off both penalties, thanks in large part to a superb effort by Niklas Hjalmarsson who was on the ice for the majority of the kill.

Once the game returned to five-on-five play, the Hawks picked up right where they left off in the first and controlled the game. Brandon Saad would expand the lead to 3-0 with the first goal of the game not scored by Toews 9:42 into the period. This was number 20 for number 20. The Hawks would make it 4-0 exactly six minutes later when Ward gave up a rebound on a shot by Andrew Shaw and Marcus Kruger tipped it into the net. Nobody would score for the last 4:18 of the period, and after forty, the Hawks lead 4-0.

Anton Khudobin replaced Cam Ward in net for the Hurricanes to start the third period. The Blackhawks’ great play continued, getting some great looks, but Khudobin kept the shots he faced out of the net. The Hurricanes would cut the deficit to three when John-Michael Liles scored his second goal of the year just under four-and-a-half minutes into the period. The Hawks would get the goal back about three-and-a-half minutes later when Marian Hossa beat Khudobin. With the game a blowout, the pace of play seemed to slow down a bit. There was a scary moment with a trainer coming out to attend to Corey Crawford after a save, but Crawford would stay in the game. The Hurricanes would cut the lead to three again when Alexander Semin scored a 18:50 into the period. This would be the final goal scored in the game, and the Hawks would win 5-2.

My picks for 3 stars:

★★★ Michal Roszival, D, CHI (2 A)

★★ Niklas Hjalmarsson, D, CHI (1 A)

★ Jonathan Toews, C, CHI (2 G, 1 A)

Twitter: @KSchroeder2325

E-mail: schroeder.giig@gmail.com

146 Comments

1. Pingback: Welcome to Chicago, Vermette, Timonen, and Desjardins! – Your Weekly Blackhawks Recap | Good if it Goes