Hawks vs. Ducks

Last night the Hawks picked up a well deserved two points against the defending Stanley Cup Champions Anaheim Ducks. The game was rough right from the opening face off. Both teams started out strong defensively and physically. The Hawks scored the first goal of the game about eight minutes in when, after a scramble in front of the net, Big D put the puck into an empty night for a power play goal. That was the only goal of the first period in which the Hawks well out shot the Ducks 14-3. At the end of the first period George Parros attacked Ben Eager, who did not drop the gloves; this resulted in a two minute instigator, five minute major for fighting, and a ten minute misconduct for Parros. Ryan Getzlaf also picked up a roughing minor at the very end of the period. To start the second the Hawks had a two minute five on three power play, followed by the remainder of Parros' seven penalty minutes. The Hawks only managed a meager three shots on goal during this time. About half way through the third period Barker took a shot from the blue line that got deflected past Giguere for the second power play goal of the game. With not much time left, Patrick Sharp scored an empty netter. Rookie Corey Crawford continued to play phenomenally throughout the third period, and was rewarded with his first NHL shutout. Note: I was wrong in my last post, Robert Lang did play. Tomorrow night is a special one for the Hawks. They are celebrating Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita's careers. A crowd of almost 22,000 is expected. After the ceremony, the current Hawks take on San Jose. The Blackhawks are only four points out of the last playoff spot.