Goals Galore! Hawks & Jets Win Big!

Dylan Strome's first of three goals early in the first.

 

Both the Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets were involved in games where eleven goals were scored in each game and both teams came out on top. The Hawks took a 5-0 lead in the first period, to cruise to a 8-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks, while the Jets kept their playoff hopes alive with an impressive 7-4 victory over the Stanley Cup champion, Tampa Bay Lightning.

Takeaways:

• I attended the Jets/Lightning game in person, it was my first game since COVID restrictions were lifted to allow 100% capacity (15,000). I'm guessing there was probably less than 12,000 (they don't announce the attendance), where we sat there was three people to the left of me and the entire row was empty to the right. There were quite a bit of empty seats, especially the upper level and the lineups to the washroom were reasonable. Masks are still enforced, but on March 15, it will be optional, but recommended. 

• For the past few games at home, I thought I heard some noticeable "boos" during the, "glorious and free" part of the Canadian national anthem, when watching on TV. It was confirmed live in person. Apparently, someone let in some freedom convoy supporters. You were vaxxed to attend the game, right? (see past post: Does the NHL have a Russian problem?)
  
• The Jets took an early 2-0 and 3-1 lead before the Lightning tied it 3-3 at the end of the first period. Lots of goals and an exciting opening period. The second period was scoreless and I must admit it was one of the most uneventful periods of the season. Not much going on, with the Jets struggling to do anything and the Lightning content to kill off the period. When the Jets scored the go-ahead goal in the third, the crowd and the team woke up and suddenly, the Jets played with urgency and realized they could win this hockey game. 
• I was disappointed by the play of Tampa Bay. They seemed to coasting out there and going through the motions most of the night and only put in an effort when they were losing. Their stars, Stamkos, Point and Kucherov were non-factors with their lower lines accounting for their scoring. Nikita Kucherov, especially was either giving the puck away or falling, which is uncharacteristic for him. The game against the Hawks a couple nights ago could have gone either way, but the Lightning scored in quick bunches twice. I kept waiting for them to turn it a notch after the Jets took the lead in the third, but maybe they have no urgency in their game because they are solidly in the playoffs and don't feel they need to play harder than they need to.
  

Hawk Thoughts:

• During the second intermission of the Jets game, my daughter messaged me and said, I was missing a crazy Hawks game and that they played, "the best period of the season"! I checked my phone and saw the Hawks scored 5 in the first and 6-0 early in the second, but then I saw the Ducks scored 3 quick ones within three and a half minutes to make it 6-3...(I have to admit I had flashbacks of past blown leads, but from 6-0, no way!)
  
• When I got home after the Jets game, instead of watching the highlights, I replayed the whole first period, then skipped to the goals for the second and third. Sounds like a much more exciting game than the one I went to...at least for Hawks fans!

• What a crazy game it was! Kaner had 6 points (1-5), a career high with five of those in the first period. Dylan Strome notched his second career hat-trick and an assist and the other member of the line, Alex DeBrincat had a goal (his 33rd) and 3 assists. In total the Kane/Strome/Cat line accounted for 14 points! Rounding out the scoring, Toews scored a shorthanded goal, Carpenter scored his third and Hagel scored a beauty early in the second period. Interestingly, despite all the goals, the Hawks didn't score a power-play goal.

Up next: The Hawks are in Boston for a 6:00 pm start. The Jets travel to Jersey for another "must" win game against the Devils. Go hockey!

Double Hat Tricks: Want Goals? We Got Goals!

 

"Hat-trick" Kane completes the hat-trick into an empty net

From a fan standpoint, it was an exciting game, from a goalie's point of view, not so much. Thirteen goals were scored between the Chicago Blackhawks and the New Jersey Devils and fortunately for the Hawks they scored eight of them. A see-saw battle with the teams exchanging goals, scoring in bunches. The Hawks opened the scoring, then the Devils scored two straight to make it 2-1 after the first period. Then, with help from the power-play (3 power-play goals!), the Hawks scored 3 (making it 4-2), the Devils 2 (4-4), Hawks 2 (6-4), Devils 1 (6-5), then 2 more into an empty net (8-5). Lots of goals and lots of hats!

Random thoughts:

• Both Patrick Kane and Brandon Hagel scored hat tricks for the Hawks with their third into the empty net. The last time two Hawks scored hat tricks in the same game was in 2003 with Eric Daze and Steve Sullivan completing the task. A nice way for Hagel to celebrate his 100th game in the NHL.
• Kevin Lankinen made his return to the Hawks lineup in his first game since January 22 because of an injured hand. Despite allowing five goals, he made some timely saves and didn't get much help from a depleted d-core who were without Calvin DeHaan and Jake McCabe and lost Murphy briefly after taking a big hit. Speaking of goaltending, the Devils have experienced loads of trouble in net. Injuries have hurt their starters and they've been struggling to keep a consistent starter healthy. Definitely a weakness.
• Nice to hear Pat Foley back doing play-by-play during the TV broadcast. With all the others auditioning for Pat's job, his voice is part of the joy of listening and watching to a Blackhawks telecast. The combo of Pat and Eddie Olczyk will be sadly missed next season and hopefully Eddie can do as many Hawks games as possible. It was first game with Caley Chelios doing colour commentary and she did a very commendable job filling Eddie shoes. She's much more pleasant to listen to than Colby Cohen (though he's ok) and her work as an analyst in the studio with Pat Boyle this season has been a breathe of fresh air. She's been excellent!
• Jerk of the game: PK Subban. Though he was pretty much unnoticeable most of the game, PK was up to his old tricks with a cheap-shot on Brandon Hagel as he scored into the empty net in the dying seconds of the game. As Hagel flew past Subban full speed, PK tripped Hagel and he crashed into the net. An extremely dangerous play, if the net wasn't there he would have crashed into the boards. Notice how Hagel has been the recipient of so many cheap-shots from opponents? His hard working, never stop working, "nose over the puck mentality" play clearly annoys opponents and it's too bad the Hawks don't have more players that play that way.

 

Remember when a first period three goal lead was safe? Not so much nowadays and the Winnipeg Jets proved that last night. Up 3-0 after the first, the Jets gave up 6 straight in the second and third period. The Avs are a much superior team, especially at home, so being down 3 wasn't a big deal. The Jets gotta get out of this current streak of losses if they have any hope at all of making the playoffs. In a related story, I received my playoff package yesterday. I might save more money this season.