Holy hell what a hockey game! I tuned in a little late to last night’s Game Five in the Hawks/Ducks series… and had an immediate feeling of de ja vu. Pred Nation flashed back to April 15th as Anaheim opened up a three goal lead in the first period, completely dominating Chicago on both ends of the ice. Normally at that point, I switch to something else… but 4/15 taught me something… never count out the Hawks.
The comeback began in the second, including a back breaker goal to draw to within one at the very end of the period. The comeback looked to have been squelched in the third as Patrick Maroon broke the momentum, regaining the two goal lead with about 6 minutes to go… but then the captain took over, Jonathan Toews put the entire Blackhawk team on his back, scoring two goals in the final 1:50 of the game and keeping Chicago in the game and in the series.
You could forgive most Hawk fans for thinking the game was over heading into overtime. Chicago, after all was undefeated in playoff OT, a sparking 4-0 record… yup… this one was done and the series would revert back to the Windy City with the boys in red in control and having a chance to capture the series at the UC on Wednesday night.
That’s how it was supposed to play out
But the X-Factor came into play here. Just 45 seconds into overtime, Ryan Kesler set up the game winner as he and Matt Belesky broke in on a 2 on 1… Kesler fires, Belesky buries the rebound… game over, OT win streak over, and feeling of inevitability gone.
Don’t blame Corey Crawford… Some big saves in the first kept the score in the same zip code. Lay this one off on turnovers… a bad turnover from Brian BIckell as he attempted to get off the ice on a change drove that one on a poor shoot in attempt. The Ducks turned it quick and Brent Seabrook simply wasn’t quick enough in his decision making.
So, the series goes back to Chicago for what should be a dandy on Wednesday night, this Blackhawk team has been incredibly resilient in this playoff run… do they have enough left in the tank to do it again?
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Random Notes
- Well, well, well… Andrei Kostitsyn is signaling interest in a return to North America… when last Pred Nation saw the talented Russian, he was riding the pine as punishment for an incredibly selfish curfew violation in the 2012 playoffs (along with another forward who shall not be named) The talent will draw interest, the mindset will temper it some. It’s amazing what happens when the paycheck gets threatened.
- Negotiations with Nashville’s free agents have been proceeding quietly… I will have a breakdown of my take on who stays and who may go in a blog this week.
- Save the Date – Saturday June 20th… it’s a SlapShot Radio Field Trip! All the info you need is on a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/SlapShot-Radio/250363451666986">the SlapShot Radio Facebook page … come join us for a night of baseball and fun with your hockey family!
- According to The Hockey News, Cody Franson wants to go back to Toronto. Even though the story in that publication seems to absolve Franson of blame for his terrible performance in Music City, I’m not sure that Mike Babcock would want him on his Maple Leafs. Franson certainly killed his value with a sub-par performance in Nashville… he was given ample opportunity to step up and simply did not.
- Chicago’s loss last night put the team in a bad position to win one more cup for a franchise that will be in terrible shape regarding the salary cap next season. Kane and Toews will take up approximately 30% of their cap next year. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Corey Crawford off loaded.
- Word from St. Louis is that they may retain Ken Hitchcock for one more year in what is being called a “last chance… season.
- Anaheim’s “hit ‘em again… strategy seems to be paying off.
- Game Six tonight in the ECF as Tampa looks to eliminate the New York Rangers at Amalie Arena. Game time is 7pm CDT.
- Still wondering if Henrik Lunqvist is nursing some sort of injury. He has not looked like his normal self and his stats certainly don’t look normal either.
- Tampa needs to come out fast and furious tonight, this isn’t “must win… for the Bolts, but they need to treat it like it is.
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