Blackhawks vs Bruins Stanley Cup Series Thread

[averagejoe]

The thing that seemed a little puzzling to me about the whole "Hossa is out and Smith is in" on Monday night was that I heard a report that quoted Q as saying that he didn't want to tip his hand to the Bruins (which is why Hossa skated in warmups and Smith did not).

If this is even remotely true, then I'd have to question Q's sanity a little. Not tip your hand? Really? Like the Bruins would be intimidated or thrown off with on-ice match-ups because Hossa (and his 15 playoff points) is now out, and being replaced by seldom-used (zero points) Ben Smith?

Did Q really think there was some strategy to this?

Game 4 Outlook
I've said it before (most recently in the Wings series) that players and teams go through slumps, even in the playoffs. If the slump lasts longer than a game or two your team could be in trouble. I think the Hawks are having another slump. Unfortunately it lasted through most of the last 2 games. All it takes to break the slump is some solid play and a goal or two. Hawks have shown in these playoffs that slumps can be broken. It needs to happen again.

And I'm not even counting on Kane and Toews. Guys like Bolland (fat chance), Bickell, Stalberg, Frolik, Handzus and Shaw need to score. Maybe even throw in a defensive score too from Seabs, Keith, Leddy or Oduya.

Bruins rode the hot had of Paille. Q needs to do the same. If someone is playing out of his mind (in a good way) then Q needs to reward him with more ice time, instead of throwing Kane and Toews out there if the production just isn't there.

Go Hawks. This is must win as SportsChic said.

 

[SportsChic]

The thing that seemed a little puzzling to me about the whole "Hossa is out and Smith is in" on Monday night was that I heard a report that quoted Q as saying that he didn't want to tip his hand to the Bruins (which is why Hossa skated in warmups and Smith did not).

And I'm not even counting on Kane and Toews. Guys like Bolland (fat chance), Bickell, Stalberg, Frolik, Handzus and Shaw need to score. Maybe even throw in a defensive score too from Seabs, Keith, Leddy or Oduya.

Agree on wtf Coach Q is doing. Those are Spygate Bill's type of tactics.

Seabrook won a game in the playoffs with a decider and maybe Keith and him might need to take some long shot chances if they have an opening instead of dumping it forward to our centers and wings that are not doing nothing. Might be able to sneak one past Rask.

 

[averagejoe]

Game 4
Here's my synopsis of the game:

Happy (1-0). Sad (1-1). Happy (2-1). Ecstatic (3-1). Sad (3-2). Surprised (4-2). Disappointed (4-3). Heart attack (4-4). Relieved (5-4). Heart attack (5-5). Awesome (6-5).

Hope Leddy's ok. Got sick of hearing about Crawford's glove side. Good all-around team effort. Bruins are tough, man. The only thing worse than the Hawks PP is their clearing attempts. If you're going to fix anything, fix the clearing. Please! Bad clears led to too many Bruin goals.

 

[SportsChic]

Great response. Big thing was racking up 6 on Rask. Also Toews and Kane scoring in the same game. Like the way Toews was standing up to Chara.

UC will be loud for game 5 and now the best of 3 for the Hawks instead of a elimination game each to win it.

 

[gmalis1]

No one has talked about why Nick Leddy didn't play since the second period...AND was sitting on the bench.

Is he in Q's doghouse...or injured?

 

[averagejoe]

I like listening to ESPN Chicago in the afternoons. Apparently, the hot topic after the Hawks 6-5 overtime win was whether or not Crawford should remain as the starter? Seriously?

To even think of pulling Crawford is ludicrous. He has a 1.86 Goals Against Average. The great and stupendous Tuuka Rask that the NHL media seems to favor is only 3/100 of a point ahead of Crawford at 1.83 GAA.

The Hawks have faced hot goaltending in every round of these playoffs. Jimmy Howard of Detroit was supposedly playing phenominal. (2.44 GAA) Next was the prior media darling Jonathan Quick of L.A. (1.86 GAA - same as Crawford)

Flashback to 2010 when the Hawks last won the Cup. Do you remember what Antti Niemi's GAA was? A whopping 2.63.

Replace Crawford because of one bad game? A game he WON!?!? Stop it. Crawford is our goalie.

 

[averagejoe]

Game 5
Better effort with the clearing attempts. Better defensive stand as well. Nice positioning of the forwards too around Rask.

Bruins are so dangerous. While most probably view these games as exciting, it's nail-biting for both cities.

Hope Toews is ok. Bergeron too.

 

[averagejoe]

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Toews will play on Monday night. Not sure about Bergeron's status?

I hope the Hawks can close this out in game 6. I'm not sure my heart can take a game 7? So where is everyone? G? Doug? Chic? Q stache? Did you all have heart attacks already?

 

[HockeyDoug]

Toews and Bergeron both in. I like the Hawks chances tonight. Seidenberg and Chara look slow, even though Chara's minutes were down, he did more hard skating in all zones in game 5. Hawks can take the game over with an early goal. Lots can happen, but with the short breaks between games, I think it favors the Hawks. I think it will be easier for the Hawks to shake off the hits in one of the next two games than it will be for the Bruins to get their legs going for both games.

Speed more important than ever, can't imagine Lucic, Horton, Jagr, most of the blueline, and a few others will be able to get right up to speed at the puck drop. Hope the Hawks expect some nasty hits and are ready to shake them off.

Q still has a few more wrinkles to throw in the mix, I think Boston showed their full hand outside of getting Seguin up to the top line.

I'm not betting any of my money, but I would take Joe's money and put on Chicago tonight.

 

[averagejoe]

What a finish. Down a goal with about 3 minutes. Then 2 goals in 17 seconds! Wow!

HAWKS WIN!
HAWKS WIN!

​

 

[averagejoe]

Bruins are one tough team. Now I see why so many sports writers picked the Bruins in 7. This series gave me heart palpitations.

So Kane gets the MVP per the NHL (and that includes the entire playoffs).

As for my personal choice in the Bruins-Hawks series, I'm picking Corey Crawford. Rask had the benefit of some stay-at-home defensemen to help cut down on the quality scoring chances. But since the Hawks D jumps into the offensive play, many times Crawford needs to be on his game - and he was. Crawford is my series MVP.

 

[oaknightshockey1]

Bruins are one tough team. Now I see why so many sports writers picked the Bruins in 7. This series gave me heart palpitations.

So Kane gets the MVP per the NHL (and that includes the entire playoffs).

As for my personal choice in the Bruins-Hawks series, I'm picking Corey Crawford. Rask had the benefit of some stay-at-home defensemen to help cut down on the quality scoring chances. But since the Hawks D jumps into the offensive play, many times Crawford needs to be on his game - and he was. Crawford is my series MVP.

Patrick Kane agrees

 

[gmalis1]

THE most AMAZING finish to a hockey game...ever. And for it to be the Stanley Cup clinching game...WOW!

I don't think I've ever seen any hockey game where a team pulls its goalie and gets the tying goal...only to have the OTHER team pull its goalie attempting to tie the game.

I've ragged on Dave Bolland all season long...and of course he gets the Cup clinching goal...the latest Cup winner in regulation EVER!

Amazing run by the Blackhawks. Congratulations to the players, coaches, staff and administration for just an amazing season from start to finish.

Chicago Blackhawks. 2013 Stanley Cup CHAMPIONS!

 

[SportsChic]

Never give up!

Looked like game 7 in Chicago but two goals in less than 17 seconds LATE gives us another Cup!

At least resign Crawford as he matched/or out played three great goalies in Howard (RedWings}, Quick (Kings). and Rask (Bruins).

 

[averagejoe]

I think one of the things that is almost ironic to me, is that as good as the Hawks have been this season, it seemed like they were most vulnerable in the last couple minutes of every period. How many late-period goals would be scored against the Hawks? Bruins had a couple. And how about the Kings tying it up with 14 seconds left. (My question is actually rhetorical because there were many more during the regular season so it seemed.)

So how ironic then that the tables are reversed in one of the most important games. Game-tying goal. Game-winning goal. 17 seconds. Another record for the record-setting Hawks.

To quote Syndrome from The Incredibles, "I'm still geeking out about it!"

 

[gmalis1]

Just some thoughts and things thrown off the wall after the Blackhawks win the Cup:

1 Fourth liners with the Series winning goal. How ironic is that, after all the talk of rolling four lines all year long. Frolik with the redirect off the shaft of his stick from Oduya's shot from the point. Puck goes off the post right to Dave Bolland for the gritty punch in for the series winner.

2 All the injuries the Hawks battled through in the playoffs. Toews with yet another concussion (seemingly), Handzus broken wrist and bad back, Hossa with a disk problem and numbness in his leg/foot, Bickell with a Grade 2 knee sprain, Shaw with a back problem. All those along with I'm sure all sorts of other ailments for just about everyone else. More grittiness.

3 As I'm watching the game get to under five minutes, and yet another pathetic Hawks power play, we're all thinking it's gonna be Game 7 in Chicago. Pull the goalie (which seems to rarely work), Keith with a great pinch from the point to Toews to a wide open Bickell in front of the net for the game tying goal. Seventeen seconds later (next shift) Hawks win it. Probably the quickest turnaround in a meaningful game I have ever seen...ever.

4 Crawford gets the monkey off his back. He will forever be known as the goalie for the Stanley Cup Champions. Good for him. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

5 The picture of Andrew Shaw skating around the ice holding the Cup above his head, blood oozing down his cheek from the 12 stitches he took in two places after being hit with the puck early on. Now, we all admit that Shaw isn't the prettiest of guys, but his face is gonna look like a zipper now.

6 Not sure where you rank this on the "dramatics" scale...2010 was pretty sweet with the Kane OT series winner that no one saw. But this just had a fairy tale ending for Hawks fans.

7 Everyone complains about the ice conditions in Chicago at the United Center, especially late in the season and the playoffs. But has anyone seen worse ice in any NHL game? Especially one that meant so much? Looked like the players were trying to skate on jello with the puck bouncing every which way.

8 Loved all the hype about the opposing goalies throughout the Hawks playoff run. Each and every goalie was made out to be invincible. Hawks showed that wasn't true.

9 I don't know if Zdeno Chara was hurt in the Finals, but he looked awful...and worse as the series went on. He was on the ice for 10 of the last 12 Hawks goals. Great shot (which he rarely used), but aside from that, I didn't see much from him.

10 As the day went on today, I actually felt bad for the Bruins fans. If that had happened to the Hawks, with the game in grasp and then lost in :17 seconds, I think I would have jumped off a building.

11 Wife is a sweetie. Got me a Stanley Cup Champs hat, mug and car decal today at Dick's. Didn't even ask her to do so.

12 Been watching the highlights over and over and over again. I'm having hockey withdrawal already.

 

[averagejoe]

If you want to track the whereabouts of the Stanley Cup...

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=202172732178006841180.0004dffbf7cee018fc2d8&msa=0

 

[SLY]

You guys are so damn lucky we were as depleted as we were. Congrats and all that happy horseshit.