Patrick Sharp
Blackhawks Still Riding High Despite 2 Straight Losses
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | 1 Comment
The Chicago Blackhawks still have the most points (66) in the NHL and are still sitting atop the Central Division of the Western Conference with a 9 point cushion. The Blackhawks suffered 2 losses over the weekend – the 1st time the team suffered back-to-back losses since the team lost to the Ducks in Anaheim and the Kings in Los Angeles on consecutive nights at the end of November. Both losses were frustrating. In Saturday night’s 6-5 OTL, the Blackhawks let a 5-1 3rd period lead slip away as the Wild outscored the hawks 4-0 in the final period. The team earned a point by losing in the shootout. The next night back at home, the Hawks outshot the Ducks 43 to 12, but 2 of the 12 shots found the net against Annti Niemi and the 3rd Ducks goal came on an empty netter. Hopefully these are games that the Blackhawks can learn from -the next time the Blackhawks have a big lead in the 3rd period, they’ll remember that they can’t let their feet off the gas pedal. They’ll also remember the significance of getting off to a good start each game – when you find yourself in a 2-0 1st period hole like they did against the Ducks on Sunday night, it’s often a very hard task to overcome.
The Blackhawks have 1 more home game this week before embarking on a season-long 8-game road trip. The Hawks play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at the United Center and then again on Saturday afternoon in Ohio. Then it’s a quick turnaround for the Hawks with a prime-time matinee affair against their hated rivals – the Red Wings – in Detroit on Sunday. Then they play the Ottawa Senators before heading west for a grueling trip against some tough teams – the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks with 1 game in between against the cellar dweller Edmonton Oilers team. The Hawks finish up the road trip with a game against the lowly Hurricane in Carolina on Saturday, January 30th. If the Hawks can get off to a good start with wins against the Blue Jackets, Red Wings and Senators, they should be able to finish the trip with a winning record. Let’s hope the team can rebound from the 2 losses with a solid effort on Thursday night in Chicago. Something tells me that Coach Joel Quinneville will have his team primed and ready to go.
Patrick Kane still leads the club with 19 goals and 52 points. Duncan Keith is 2nd on the team with 42 points. Jonathan Toews has 14 goals and 36 points while Patrick Sharp has 15 goals with 35 points. As for the goalies, starter Cristobal Huet has proven his worth during the 2009-2010 NHL schedule. Huet is 20-8-3 with a 2.17 goals against average and 3 shutouts. Annti Niemi leads the squad with a 1.84 goals against average. Niemi is has an 11-3-1 record with 4 shutouts.
Go Hawks!
Blackhawks Just Keep on Winning
Saturday, December 19th, 2009 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins in a shootout on Friday night at the United Center. That makes it 14 wins in 18 games for the Central Division leader of the Western Conference. The Blackhawks are 15-3-1 on home ice and have an overall record of 22-8-3. Their 47 points are tied for most in the Western Conference with the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings.
Kris Versteeg, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Andrew Ladd scored the Blackhawk goals in regulation. Toews and Patrick Kane scored the 2 shootout goals, while goalie Antti Niemi stopped both shots in the shootout to record the win. The Blackhawks outshot the Bruins 44-29 and continued their dominance in the zone.
It has been a remarkable year so far for the Blackhawks. They take on bitter division rival Detroit Red Wings on Sunday and then the Sharks on Tuesday night. Should be fun.
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.
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