by Rickhouse on March 6 at 3:51AM
To say this season has been a rollercoaster ride for the Blackhawks would be terribly uncreative yet accurate. The season started out strong with the realization that rookies Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews were actually legit, and hit a lull in December when the Hawks dropped five of six to begin the month. Now the Hawks are on another hot streak, defeating Anaheim 3-0 last night to make them winners of eight of their last 11. Hey, it’s not worth winning if you can’t win big.
The Hawks are currently four points behind Nashville and Colorado for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. While this season has been a success even if they don’t make the playoffs, securing the eighth seed would likely mean a first round matchup with the rival Red Wings. That series would be the biggest event in the Chicago sports world this year, and considering the success the Hawks have had against Detroit already, there is plenty of reason to believe an upset would be possible.
With a multi-point game from Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, and Cam Barker and a shutout by rookie goalie Corey Crawford in his first start of the season, Tuesday’s win over the Ducks was a microcosm of the entire season with the young guys coming up big. Hopefully they will take them all the way to Detroit this spring.
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Comments
Great crowd for a Wednesday night. It was da bomb.
BobbyStompy
said
I watched the game on TV. Very, very enjoyable.
Shutting out one of the best teams in the NHL is a majour accomplishment for this team, especially when you consider they've been depending on 5-8 rookies a night. Byfuglien may be one of the best prospects the Hawks have seen offensively in years, especially with his ability to transition from forward to defense. I was very impressed yesterday with Eager and Craig Adams and their tenacity. I wouldnt be surprised to see the Hawks slip into the number 7 or 8 spot even though I counted them out a few weeks ago.