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I was taken to task more than once yesterday on the message board thread for my admonition that the Flames were not a team the Hawks could assume victory against. Lo and behold , the Hawks lost an extra point, falling to Calgary 2-1 in overtime.
They outshot the Flames 50-18. So full marks, by all means, to Calgary netminder Jonas Hiller. Who is starting to look again like, well, Jonas Hiller.
But the Hawks also only have themselves to blame, going 1 for 7 on the power play and missing several open nets. I’m looking at you, Dan Carcillo, Bryan Bickell and Patrick Kane.
You also can’t blame Corey Crawford for this one. Although he gave up two goals on just 18 shots, he also made some big saves down the stretch.
What we learned on B52 Night at the UC is that in the parity conscious NHL, and the sport of hockey in general, you need it all to win: skill, speed, physicality, effort and a few bounces of the puck. Really no game can be taken for granted.
And that should be the thought process of the Hawks as they prepare for a team that they should beat, the Nashville Predators, who visit the UC next.
All for now,
JJ
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