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| photo from nhl.com |
The Brad Richards line continues to click, combining for six points (three goals, three assists) in the 4-1 win (ironically the only goal they weren't involved with was the game winner),but the best goal by that line was probably the 3-1 goal by Kane, on a beautiful pass from Kris Versteeg. Versteeg now has nine points in his last six games. Kane is collecting points at a point per game pace (twenty three in twenty three games) after scoring twice tonight, including the empty netter.
After a weak game from Brent Seabrook against Colorado, he appears back on form today, collecting an assist on Richards' goal to extend a career high point streak to seven games, the longest streak for any Blackhawk so far this season. He and his defensive partner, Duncan Keith are currently sixth and fifth in scoring for the Blackhawks, with fourteen and fifteen points, respectively. The defence played well, holding the Ducks to only twenty four shots all game.
The Ducks were playing sloppily this game, and took a lot of ill advised penalties and bad hits, especially a late second period hit on Johnny Oduya, who left the game after receiving a cut on his face. Kyle Palmieri got a five minute major for boarding, and a game misconduct. Near the end of the third, Corey Perry crosschecked Marian Hossa in the ribs, and kneed him as he was going down. No penalty was called on the play, but there probably should have been. In both cases, Daniel Carcillo made an ill advised play. On the Oduya hit, Carcillo leaves the bench to go after Palmieri, and has to be dragged back by Andrew Shaw to avoid a game misconduct and a suspension. As it is, he gets a too much man penalty called, and later on, shortly after the Hossa hit, he takes a slashing penalty and spends the end of the game in the box. I like how Carcillo's been playing recently, but he needs to be way more disciplined than he was in this game.
David Rundblad has also had better games, getting only eleven minutes of ice time and very few shifts after two turnovers on the same shift late in the first period. He hasn't played many games since both Trevor van Riemsdyk and Adam Clendening have been playing so well, but after a shaky game from Clendening, he played his first game since November 14th, a loss to Detroit. I suspect Clendening will draw back in tomorrow against LA.
Including Palmieri's boarding major, the Blackhawks had five power plays this game, and converted on none of them for the first time in six games, despite having the fourth best road power play in the league (and having scored six times in four games already on the Circus trip).
My Three Stars of the Game
3. Andrew Shaw. Shaw now has two goals and an assist in his last two games since returning from an upper body injury that held him out three games, and kept his teammate from being suspended after the Oduya hit. He might be on the fourth line, but he's playing the kind of hockey that will get him promoted back up eventually, and for the meantime, he's clicking well with linemates Bryan Bickell and Carcillo.
2. Frederik Andersen. This game should have been a much higher scoring affair than it was, after Andersen turned away several point blank saves, most notably just sweeping a shot from Hossa away with one of his leg pads, with Hossa less than a foot away. He made thirty four of thirty seven saves for a save percentage of .919.
1. Patrick Kane. Kane is scoring at a point per game pace, and doesn't show any signs of slowing down. He leads the team in points, goals and assists, and has nine points so far on this road trip, with fourteen points in the last ten. He's second in shots only to Hossa, who beats him by one point with seventy three shots on goal.
Next game, November 29th, vs Kings
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