OK, we can breathe again now. I felt my heart drop at least half a dozen times in OT. Sitting on the edge of the couch from the 3rd period on, this was not a game for the faint of heart. This was a classic. How classic is this game? That will be determined by what happens from here on out, but for now, I’m just happy to sit here and relax for a minute. I’m just happy to relax for the next day and a half until Game 6. You ready?
Where to start in this game… First period, up 2-0 after goals by our defenseman, Seabs and Oduya, I was feeling like “We’re baaaaack”. We’re back in Chicago, back in the UC, and ain’t nobody celebrating on this ice tonight except us. Then, the rollercoaster ride started. Kings score 4 of the next 5 goals, and hold a 1 goal lead going into the 3rd. How were we feeling then? I was definitely nervous… the heartbeat was accelerated. As Ben Smith tied it at the start of the 3rd, there was a feeling of OT in the air; 2 OT’s to be exact. How the heck did we make it to that 2nd OT? Well, the Crawford that has made so many huge saves showed up in a HUGE way from the 3rd period on, and ended up with a total of 40 saves on the night. After the first 2 periods, I thought maybe he was hurt. After the final score, I knew we couldn’t have won this one without him.
Did I want to pull Crawford after giving up that 3rd and 4th goal? OK, I’ll have to admit, yes. I was panicking… I was thinking irrationally… I thought maybe he was injured… I needed somebody to blame for this, and Crawford was the easiest guy. Thankfully I’m not Coach Q, and he stuck with OUR guy. He came through with flying colors; he needed to. Not that Crawford has been so horrible… he’s just been average this series, kind of like this whole Hawks team. Where was that guy who single handedly won us a few games this postseason? Well, he entered the building between periods 2 and 3, and saved us again. He wasn’t the only one…
To make matters worse, I https://www.unica-web.com/documents/2014-eng-regl-fest+comp.pdf order cheap cialis work in a very testosterone-fueled, male-dominated industry, where your “manhood” is always in question; I am a broker in the city of toornto. Whatever may be the demand of the clients, Saudi Dutest has the capability to provide the best quality unica-web.com order levitra online of the medicine. Moreover, one can find in the Internet tadalafil 5mg buy without prescription. Well, the alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited while consuming this medicine, Tadaga 40 mg. levitra sale Saad and Shaw were unbelievable in this game. With 5 points between them in this one, they really stepped up. Is this their playoff moment? They both contributed last year, and everybody remembers Shaw for getting pounded in the face with that puck vs Boston, but these guys seemed to really grow up tonight. Let’s not forget about Ben Smith either, who is another potential star-in-the-making in Chicago. We knew were deep, and we showed that tonight. Heck, they even rolled Handzus out of bed after OT to score the game winner. Just as I’m writing him off into retirement, he has another HUGE postseason moment for us. Thanks for that Zeus! Oh yeah, and then there was Patrick… he only handed out 4 assists tonight, as he made sure, with the rest of this team, that the series will go on.
We could go on and on about tonight’s game. Again, how did we get to the 2nd OT? How many times did I think the Kings were ending it in OT? With my heart beating out of my chest, Crawford denied them again and again, and he is the biggest reason that we are playing on Friday night. With 11 saves in OT, he gets my #1 star… a couple hours after I wanted him yanked out… Keep the faith, keep the faith.
Stat of the night: The Hawks are 12-0 in games 5, 6, & 7 since the beginning of last year’s postseason. Wow! Wow, except that it’s going to have to be 14-0 if we want to move onto the Stanley Cup finals. They did it again tonight. How many more of these do they have in them? Game 6 in LA is going to be one heck of a game… kind of like tonight. Get some rest, I know I will.. I need to, I need to go to sleep… like now, but I don’t think I can… my heart is still thumping. BEAT LA!
LD#19
Hawks WIN! I think if Toews would have been tripped for a 4th time in the OT the LA refs would have called it or at least the LA announcers would’ve taken the Hawks side of the argument. The double trip, dropped stick was a joke early on in the OT.
Go Hawks!
Danimal
You forgot to mention one other key contributor on the team. Kris Versteeg deserves honorable mention for blowing it big time in the second period. If he doesn’t get benched for the rest of the game, we are playing with 4 lines instead of 3 and change. At which point Q doesn’t have to work Handzus and Bollig into the mix with the other players. If we are playing 4 lines Zeus isn’t between Kane and Saad for the game winner. At least something positive came out of his continued horse shit play. I agree with you 100% percent on Crawford. I am not his biggest fan and I was screaming at the TV after the 4th goal. I wanted him on the bench next to Versteeg. Glad Q couldn’t hear me through the TV. Let’s pound them Friday.
Mo
Sorry to say, but I have been losing faith in Crawford. If this was the regular season, he would be benched, even with the W, yesterday. Hawks will beat LA, but they will be high scoring games. We need to find a backup via FA or within our system. Next game: Hawks 4 LA 3…in OT!
Danimal
Hate to go back and rehash the Crawford thing again but something came to mind last night while watching the Rangers/Canadians game.The Hawks goalie coach Stephan Waite left this year to go coach for his hometown team in Montreal. You have to wonder if some of Crawford’s difficulties this year were the result of working with a new coach. Just throwing it out there.