The Ticket Chest

Blackhawks Cruise Past Canucks 3-1; Take Back Home Ice Advantage

Thursday, May 6th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | 1 Comment

The Blackhawks raced out to a 2-0 1st period lead and never looked back on Wednesday night in Vancouver.  The Blackhawks seized back control of the Semifinals Series after dropping the 1st game 5-1 in embarrassing fashion at the United Center this past Saturday.  Kris Versteeg got the party started with a 1st period goal that gave the Hawks an early lead.  Then Dustin Byfuglien scored the 1st of his 3 goals on the night, giving the Hawks a 2-goal edge.  Although the teams traded goals in the 2nd period which ended with the Blackhawks holding a 3-2 edge, it always felt like the Hawks were going to win the game.  And then it was time for the Hawks to dominate in the 3rd period for a 3rd straight game.  Marian Hossa increased the Hawks lead to 4-2 and Byfuglien’s 3rd goal of the game sent Roberto Luongo – the Canucks goaltender – flying into the net and the Canucks hopes for a come-from-behind win out the door.  It was the 1st time that a Blackhawks player scred a hat trick on the road in a playoffs game for the 1st time since Denis Savard did so way back in 1988.  It’s an incredible feat, especially since Byfuglien is more of your workman-like player doing what it takes to get the job done in sticky situations in the corners and in front of the net.  Byfuglien emerged as a series hero in the Hawks 6-game win over the Canucks last post-season and it looks like he could do the same again this year.

Antti Niemi had another great night in net for the Hawks – you’d never know he was a rookie from the way he’s handled his 1st post-season experience.  He stopped 31 of 33 shots on goal from the Canucks, and even though he did give up 2 goals in the 2nd period, he never got down on himself and he elevated his game in the 3rd period, keeping the home team out of the net for the final 20+ minutes of the game. If the Hawks can some how eake out another win on Friday night at GM Place, they can clinch the series win on home ice at the United Center on Sunday evening.  It would be their 2nd straight appearance in the Western Conference Finals…

Captain Jonathan Toews had 3 assists in the win, and he was really proud of how well the team played after their big win on Monday night at the UC — “We built a lot of confidence in Game 2, but we knew it didn’t mean much if we didn’t come and keep playing the same way.  We did a lot of good things and put them on their heels for the most part.”

The Hawks clearly wore down the Canucks in Games 2 and 3 of the series.  Over the long series, with much more talented players and a lethal combination of big tough players who can do the dirty work to complement the speed and finesse of some of their stars, it is going to be hard for the Canucks to get back in the series.  Come on Hawks – let’s finish this off soon.  Especially with the San Jose Sharks making easy work of the Detroit Red Wings (the Sharks lead the series 3-1 and can clinch a spot in the Conference Finals with a win at home at the HP Pavilion in San JoOse on Saturday night), it would be nice to be done with the Canucks in just 5 games…

Tags: Antti Niemi, Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg, Marian Hossa

WOW – Blackhawks Top Predators 5-4 in OT, Take 3-2 Series Lead

Saturday, April 24th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Nashville Predators, Sports | No Comments

Unbelievable! Patrick Kane’s rebound of a Jonathan Toews shot on goal tied the contest at 4-4 with just 14 seconds remaining on the clock in regulation. Marian Hossa atoned for his costly 5-minute major penalty with just over a minute left to play by scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.  It was his 1st playoff goal in a Blackhawks uniform.

It was a game of 2 halves.  After taking a 3-1 lead midway through the 2nd period, the Predators scored the next 3 goals to regain the lead 4-3.  It looked like they would go home to Nashville with a chance to clinch the series when Hossa committed his costly penalty.  But the Blackhawks pulled Antti Niemi to negate the 1-man advantage and after an offensive spurtm Kane knocked in the game-tying goal.

The Predators futility on the power play has cost them this series.  They are the only NHL hockey team without a power play goal this post-season – 0 for 21.  Now the Blackhawks can clinch the Quarterfinals round win on Monday night in Nashville.

Tags: Antti Niemi, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane

Blackhawks Back on Track – 4th Win in Row

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Tuesday night for their 4th straight win.  After a rough stretch where the club won only 6 games in the month of March, they are now 3-0 in the month of April behind the hot goal-tending of Antti Niemi.  The Blackhawks still trail the San JOse Sharks by 2 points for the top seed in the Western Conference, but they control their own destiny.  If the Blackhawks win out (against the St. Louis Blue, Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings), they would finish with 112 points and earn the top spot over the Sharks because they would have more regular season wins than the Sharks.  That scenario would also mean that the Hawks would probably not be facing the Red Wings – their bitter Central Division rivals and one of the hottest teams in all of hockey right now – in the 1st round of the playoffs.  And that would be a good thing – no one wants to face the red-hot Red Wings right now.

In Tuesday night’s win in Dallas, Colin Fraser scored his 3rd and 4th goals of the season to lead the Hawks.  Marian Hossa (24), Jonathan Toews (24) and Patrick Kane (30) each tallied goals as well.  Niemi stopped 26 of 28 Stars’ shots on goal and looks oh so comfortable in front of the net right now.  Niemi has started each of the Hawks last 4 wins and last night was the 1st night that he allowed more than 1 goal.  Unbelievable…

Let’s hope Niemi keeps up his stellar play and that the Hawks offense keeps firing on all cylinders as the Blackhawks finish off a fine season for the Chicago squad…

Tags: Antti Niemi, Colin Fraser, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane

Can Blackhawks Rebound from Devastating Weekend?

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | No Comments

It was a rough weekend for the Chicago Blackhawks – one the NHL’s top 3 teams.  The Blackhawks blew a 2-1 lead to the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon, allowing the Flyers to score 2 goals for the win in the final 2+ minutes of regulation.  Back in Chicago on Sunday, it looked like the Blackhawks had put the disappointing loss behind them quickly as they raced out to a 3-0 lead of the Washington Capitals after 2 periods of play.  But another late collapse – a 3-goal 3rd period for the Capitals – gave the Capitals a chance to win in overtime.  And that they did as Nicklas Backstrom’s 2nd goal of the game (his 28th goal on the season) 3 minutes into the extra frame gave the Capitals the big road win.

In addition to the back-to-back agonizing defeats, the Hawks also learned that they would be without key defenseman Brent Seabrook for at least 7-8 weeks after he suffered a broken clavicle and broken ribs at the hands of a cheap shove by Alex Ovechkin.  Ovechkin was kicked out of the game for the game misconduct and was ultimately suspended 2 games by the league for the cheap shot – the 2nd time that the NHL has suspended Ovechkin for 2 games this season.  Seabrook will be sorely missed by the Blackhawks during this final stretch to the season.  Seabrook had notched 23 points on the year with 20 assists and he also had a +/- of 18.

The Blackhawks are still 44-18-6 overall with 94 points.  They still only trail the San Jose Sharks (who themselves have hit a rough 4-5-1 stretch) by 2 points for the best record in the Western Conference.  But the trend is not going in the right direction for the Hawks who begin a “big” 3-game west coast road trip tonight against the Ducks in Anaheim.  The Hawks play the Kings the following night in Los Angeles and then they travel to Phoenix to take on the Coyote on Saturday night.  The Ducks always play the Hawks well in Anaheim despite their poor record.  The Kings have 40 wins and 85 points and are still competing to try to improve their playoff position in the west.  The Coyotes are perhaps the biggest surprise in the NHL this season with 43 wins and 91 points.  They are currently positioned 4th in the West, but have more points than the Vancouver Canucks who have the 3rd seed in the west because they are a division winner.

Taking 2 out of 3 games on this trip won’t be easy, but I have a feeling that that is exactly what the Blackhawks accomplish.  Coach Joel Quinneville always seems to find a way to get through to his team when the hit a rocky road, and this road trip won’t be any different.  He has opted to go with Antti Niemi in the opener tonight in Anaheim because he is a more consistent goaltender and more likely to give the team the best chance to win a “winnable” game.  If Niemi plays well, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Quinneville play the hot hand the following night against the Kings.  The Blackhawks boast 4 players with at least 57 points – Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews – plus they have Marian Hossa who has racked up 40 points in just 43 games played.  So look for the Hawks to apply the pressure big time in each of the 3 games.  The Hawks “always” out-shoot their opponents, and this trend will continue to happen in each of the games.

I’m predicting 2 wins for the Blackhawks on the road trip and a renewed confidence as they return to Chicago next week to take on Phoenix at the United Center on Tuesday night.

Tags: Antti Niemi, Joel Quenneville, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane

Blackhawks Emerge from Post-Olympics Funk with Big 5-2 Win over Oilers

Thursday, March 4th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | No Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks emerged out of their post-Olympics funk with a 3-goal 3rd period that propelled them to a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the United Center on Wednesday night.  It was a much-needed win after the Hawks looked lethargic in a 5-3 loss to the Islanders in Long Island on Tuesday night – the 1st game back since the team reunited.

The Blackhawks controlled the puck for much of the game – out-shooting the Oilers 47-14 on the night.  The Hawks took 21 shots in the 2nd period scoring twice and they took 14 shots in the 3rd period scoring 3 times.  Cristobal Huet played the entire game in net after replacing Annti Niemi the night before.  Huet made 12 saves and notched his 25th win of the season. Marian Hossa and Jonathan Toews each had a goal and an assist for the Hawks, while leading-Hawks-points man Patrick Kane added 2 assists in the win.

The Hawks are now tied for the top spot in the Western Conference with the San Jose Sharks.  Each club has 89 points in 63 games played.  Let’s hope the Hawks can keep up the momentum at home at the United Center as they host the Vancouver Canucks, Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings during the next 3 games.

Tags: Annti Niemi, Cristobal Huet, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane

Home “Not So” Sweet Home for Bulls & Blackhawks

Thursday, February 4th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, NBA, NHL, Sports | No Comments

Chicago NBA & NHL fans were eagerly awaiting the return of the Bulls & Blackhawks to the United Center this week.  Unfortunately, while each team played a game at home in front of their raucous fans, the desired outcome – a win – didn’t happen as both teams laid eggs in their home court/ice.

Coming off a 5-game winning streak on the road against teams with winning records – the 1st time a team has ever done that in NBA history – the Bulls looked lethargic in their 90-82 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night at the UC.  The Bulls shot just 38% from the floor and pretty much trailed the entire game.  Luol Deng led the Bulls with 18 points, while Derrick Rose chipped in 16 points.  To put the loss in perspective – the Bulls were 14-7 at home during the season entering the game and the Clippers had won just 6 games all season long on the road.  Not good.  The Bulls get another shot at redemption at the United Center against Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat on Saturday night.

Although the Blackhawks had lost the final game of their 8-game, 5-3 road trip all over the country, the Hawks were poised to make a good showing at home and improve upon their 21-5-1 record at the UC.  After taking a 1-0 1st period lead, the Hawks collapsed in the 2nd period, giving up 3 goals to the Blues in a span of 8 minutes.  Marian Hossa’s 16th goal of the season brought the Blackhawks within a goal with over 15 minutes still to play in the period, but the Hawks never tallied that final goal to send the game into overtime.  As usual, the Hawks outshot their opponent by a wide margin – 34-19 – but in this instance, it didn’t equate to a victory.  Patrick Kane scored his team-leading 22nd goal of the season in the loss.  Luckily, the Hawks only have to wait 24 hours for a shot at redemption in front of the home town crowd when they host the Phoenix Coyote on Friday night at the UC.

Tags: Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane

Blackhawks Off to Great Start on Road Trip

Monday, January 18th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | No Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks did just what they needed to do on the start of their 8-game road trip with 2 wins over the weekend.  The Blackhawks now have an NHL-leading 72 points! The San Jose Sharks are the only other team in the NHL with at least 70 points.  The Blackhawks have opened up an 11-point lead in the West’s Central Division and they seem poised to take at least the 1st or 2nd spot in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs – 3rd seed Colorado has just 60 points.

After jumping out to 2-0 and 3-1 leads over the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Saturday night, the Blackhawks had to claw their way back to get the 2 points on the road.  The Hawks used a 3-goal 3rd period with 2 goals scored by Jonathan Toews to power the comeback.  Cristobal Huet picked up his 22nd win of the season, although the defense didn’t make it easy on him.  Huet stopped 21 of 26 shots on goal during the night.

Less than 24 hours later, the Blackhawks knocked off hated-rival Detroit Red Wings in Detroit in a 4-round shootout.  Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp scored in the shootout to give the Blackhawks the win.  Sharp had scored in the 2nd period of regulation giving the Hawks a 3-2 lead.  Annti Niemi saved 35 of 38 shots on goal, as it was a rare night when the opponent outshot the Blackhawks during the contest (the Blackhawks managed just 29 shots on goal).  After dropping the season opener to the Red Wings way back in October, the Blackhawks have defeated the Red Wings in each of the last 3 meetings.

Hawks fans are loving the success in Chicago – it’s been a long time coming and expectations for a Stanley Cup celebration at the United Center are growing strong…

Tags: Annti Niemi, Cristobal Huet, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp

Wins Just Keep on Rolling in for Blackhawks & Head Coach Quinneville

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | No Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks were thrilled to be back at home after a grueling 6-game west coast “Circus” road trip.  Blackhawks fans were also thrilled as they were treated to an 11-round shootout – the longest shootout in Blackhawks’ history.  Marian Hossa made his United Center debut (he had played in the Blackhawks’ final 3 games on the road) and scored in the 2nd round of the shootout to keep the Hawks alive.  Cristobal Huet made 10 of 11 saves in the shootout round, and Brent Seabrook’s goal in the 11th round gave the Blackhawks the win.  The Blackhawks have now won 8 straight games at home at the UC.

The win was also the 500th of Head Coach Joel Quinneville’s career.  Quineville was “thrilled” with the achievement: “I’ve been in a lot of great places.  I’ve been fortunate, worked with good teams and great players.”

The Blackhawks had a successful “Circus” road trip winning the 1st 4 games of the trip against the Flames in Calgary, the Oilers in Edmonton, the Canucks in Vancouver and then the Sharks in San Jose (the NHL’s best team).  Although the Hawks dropped the final 2 games – 3-0 to the Ducks in Anaheim and 2-1 to the Kings in Los Angeles in a shootout – you can’t complain when you have a winning record on the road.

The Blackhawks are 17-6-3 with 37 points.  They are tied with the Flames for the 2nd most points in the Western Conference.  Only the Sharks (42 points) and Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins (38 points each) have more points in the NHL.

It has been a fantastic start for the Hawks thus far and with the addition of Hossa back on the ice, look for the Hawks to continue to gel over the next few weeks.  9 of their next 14 games during the month of December are at home in Chicago, so look for the Hawks to try to put a little distance between them and the rest of the good teams in the Central Division…

Tags: Brent Seabrook, Cristobal Huet, Head Coach Joel Quinneville, Marian Hossa

Blackhawks Lead Central Division; Gearing up for Circus Road Trip

Thursday, November 19th, 2009 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | No Comments

The Chicago Blackhawks are in a great position to start the 2009-2010 NHL schedule.  So far so good for the up-and-coming beast of the West.  With 26 points (12-5-2), the Blackhawks lead the Central Division of the Western Conference.  The Blackhawks like the way they have started, but also know that they have a tough task at hand in the very difficult Western Conference.  All but 3 teams in the conference already have at least 21 points – that means night in and night out, the Blackhawks will have to play at the highest level if they want to reach the Conference Finals for a 2nd consecutive year.

Patrick Kane has put his off-the-ice issues behind him (he was arrested over the summer in Buffalo for an altercation with a cab driver) and leads the teams in scoring with 7 goals and 12 assists.  Patrick Sharp is 2nd on the team with 16 points (6 goals and 10 assists), while Duncan Keith is 3rd with 15 points (5 goals and 10 assists).  Jonathan Toews has played at a high level as well – 2 goals and 7 assists – but needs to play a little more consistently as the season progresses.  Kris Versteeg (4 goals and 8 assists), Troy Brouwer (5 goals and 4 assists) Brian Campbell (1 goal and 8 assists) and Brent Seabrook (team leader with a +/- of 9 with 2 goals and 7 assists), have all been key contributors for the Blackhawks early success this season.

Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi have shared the goal-tending duties for the Blackhawks in 2009. Huet has started 15 games, going 9-4-1 with a 2.25 goals against average.  Huet has saved 90.2% of the shots on goal while he has been in the net.  Huet overcame a rough start to the season losing 3 of his 1st 6 starts – he allowed at least 3 goals in 5 of those starts.  He is on a hot streak – winning 5 of his last 6 starts – and he looks to keep it going on the upcoming trip.

Niemi has played in 5 games this season, going 3-1-1.  He has a 2.22 goals against average and has saved 90% of the shots taken against him.

The Blackhawks expect to get their big free agent acquisition – Marian Hossa – back on the ice at some point during the upcoming Circus road trip.  That should help the Blackhawks continue their strong play even away from the friendly confines of the United Center.

The “Circus Road Trip” (the United Center is being used for the annual Circus tour for the next 2 weeks) won’t be easy. With games at the Calgary Flames,  Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings over the next 10 days, the Blackhawks will have their work cut out for them.  The Sharks, Kings and Flames each have at least the same number of points as the Blackhawks and the Ducks are the only team on the trip with a losing record.  If the Blackhawks can somehow manage to win half of their games on the trip, Coach Quinneville and his staff should consider that a huge success.

Tags: Annti Niemi, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell, Cristobal Huet, Duncan Keith, Head Coach Joel Quinneville, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Troy Brouwer

Blackhawks tell Detroit to eat it, we got your guy

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL | 1 Comment

The Chicago Blackhawks signed right wing Marian Hossa to a crazy 12-year deal worth $62.8 million on Thursday. Hossa who played for the Hawks biggest rival the Detroit Red Wings will bring the team someone that is older then 27 to this very young team. The 30-year-old is a four time All-Star winger and was the best free agent on the market. This was definitely a shot at the Red Wings who knocked out the Blackhawks in the 2008-2009 season. Chicago did not stop there they also signed 27-year-old forward Tomas Kopecky who was also on the Red Wings for a two-year $2.4 million deal. Hossa is a durable player that can play defense and offense and put up some major points for the team. The super star has only missed 30 games in the last nine season while playing for four major teams. “When I look at Chicago, I think it’s an exciting team,” said Hossa, “They are a big, strong and fast. I see a nice future in Chicago.”

Hossa stats

[edit] International

Tags: 12 year deal, Chicago Blackhawks, Marian Hossa