NHL - Hawks - Round Up November 03-13, 2016

Colorado Avalanche @ Hawks 0-4 - Thursday, November 03, 2016


Corey Crawford made 38 saves for his second shutout in three games to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-0 victory against the Colorado Avalanche at United Center. Artem Anisimov extended his point streak to an NHL career-high nine games with an assist on Hossa's first goal, which made it 2-0 at 15:03 of the first period. Jonathan Toews scored at 14:25 of the first, Artemi Panarin had a goal and assist, and defenseman Duncan Keith had two assists for Chicago (7-3-1), which has won four straight games. Crawford has allowed one goal in Chicago's past three games. He has allowed four goals at 5-on-5 this season, making 223 saves on 227 shots (.982 save percentage), and his save percentage in all situations is up to .932 through nine games. Hossa scored in the first period to make it 2-0 and again 55 seconds into the third for a 3-0 lead. He's scored four of his five goals this season in the past four games. Semyon Varlamov made 17 saves for the Avalanche (4-5-0), who have lost their past two games and four of five. Colorado trailed 2-0 after the first period despite outshooting Chicago 11-1 through the first 12:55 of the period, aided by two power plays, and 12-7 overall. It was the ninth time in 11 games an opponent has outshot the Blackhawks in the first period. Toews made it 1-0 at 14:25 of the first with a goal off the rebound of a shot by Keith. Hossa scored his first 38 seconds later for a 2-0 lead. Anisimov extended his point streak with a secondary assist. Hossa gave the Blackhawks a 3-0 lead 55 seconds into the third period. After getting a breakout pass from Keith, he carried the puck into the offensive zone and beat Varlamov with a wrist shot to the upper right corner of the net.

       

* Crawford made eight saves in the final 4:15 of the second period to preserve a 2-0 lead. He made six of them during two late flurries, including three within seven seconds in the first rush and three more within four seconds 1:14 later.

* Varlamov's save at 7:39 of the second period kept Colorado within 2-0. Panarin beat defenseman Patrick Wiercioch to the puck in the Avalanche zone, cut to the net while holding off Wiercioch, and sent a wrist shot to the far side. Varlamov got his glove on the puck, and then covered it up.

* Hossa's scored at 15:03 of the first with a strong power move after getting the puck from Panarin's outlet pass. While holding off defenseman Fedor Tyutin, he roofed a shot past Varlamov before sliding into the end boards.

"It's such a smart play by Panarin," Hossa said. "He saw me just use my speed, so he just flipped the puck right, so fast off the board behind my back … As soon as I saw the puck going, I [tried] to use my power moves, try to out-speed the defender and try to finish it."
* Varlamov entered the game 11-4-1 with a 2.12 goals-against average and .940 save percentage in 17 career games against Chicago. … Tyutin returned for Colorado after missing four games with a groin injury. … Anisimov, who played in his 500th NHL game, leads the League with 14 points. … Chicago was 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. It remains last in the NHL (61.5 percent) but is 9-for-9 over the past three games and has killed 12 straight since starting the season 12-for-27 (44.4 percent).

"He's so fantastic. He's just so calm in the net. He [doesn't] get frustrated. It seems like he's so big in the net. He's awesome."
"It's nice to have those things behind, and you can just focus on another day, another game. You don't have to think about like chasing one goal or having a ceremony or these things." Marian Hossa
"I feel pretty good right now. I'm feeling good with reading the play. The conditioning's there too. I feel sharp during the game." Crawford said. 

Washington Capitals @ Hawks 3-2 OT - Friday, November 11, 2016


The Washington Capitals ended the Chicago Blackhawks' winning streak at seven games, but it took overtime at United Center to do it. Marcus Johansson scored 2:20 into overtime to give the Capitals a 3-2 victory after Blackhawks right wing Marian Hossa had tied it with 22.3 seconds left in the third period.
Johansson, who started a rush with a nice play in the Capitals zone, beat goalie Corey Crawford with a one-timer off a pass from defenseman Dmitry Orlov for his seventh goal. Jay Beagle scored two goals, and Braden Holtby made 32 saves for the Capitals (9-3-1), who are 5-1-1 on the road and finish a back-to-back set at the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Defenseman Brian Campbell scored for the Blackhawks (10-3-2), and Corey Crawford made 24 saves.

Washington took a 2-1 lead in the first period on Beagle's goals. Beagle scored his first goal shorthanded at 6:17, 39 seconds into the Blackhawks' first power play, off a 2-on-1 rush after a turnover at the Capitals blue line. T.J. Oshie passed to Beagle for a tap-in goal into the right side of the net. Campbell tied it 1-1 with a shot from the point that beat Holtby 22 seconds later, on the same power play. Beagle scored his second goal at 14:44 with a wraparound shot at the right post to make it 2-1, after carrying the puck up the right wing and behind the net.

* Johansson beat Crawford high to his glove side for the game-winner. Johansson got the puck in the Capitals zone and started a rush up the ice. A collision between Washington's Evgeny Kuznetsov and Chicago's Vinnie Hinostroza played a role in Johansson being so open for the pass from Orlov.

* Crawford headed to the locker room for a skate repair at 12:58 of the second period. Backup Scott Darling did some stretching before play resumed and made one of the biggest saves of the game less than a minute later. Oshie had a breakaway but was denied by Darling's left-skate save with 6:15 left. Crawford returned 31 seconds later.  

* Beagle's first goal capped a 2-on-1 rush with the Capitals on the penalty kill. Defenseman Matt Niskanen started the play at the Washington blue line by chipping the puck past Chicago defenseman Duncan Keith. Oshie and Beagle took it from there.
"There was a loose puck and a Norris Trophy winner is trying to beat me to it, so I thought, 'I better do something special here, or something desperate at least,'" Niskanen said. "Lucky play."

* Hossa's goal was the fourth for the Blackhawks to tie a game late in the third period and with their goalie on the bench. Artemi Panarin took a wrist shot from the left point. The puck landed at Hossa's feet, and he scored his eighth goal of the season, seventh in the past eight games.

"He said 'good pass,' but I was thinking it was a shot," Panarin said.
* Blackhawks center Artem Anisimov missed his first game with an upper-body injury. He might return against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday. … Capitals defenseman Taylor Chorney played his first game of the season. ... Washington has won five of its past six games against Chicago (5-1-0). … The Capitals have scored a first-period goal in 10 of their first 13 games, have outscored opponents 15-6 in the first, and are 8-1-1 when scoring first.

"When you come up short, you're always going to look at the things you didn't do. I think the start, getting behind against a team like that [and] the way they play defensively, you can't continue to rely on scoring goals late in the game like that. We just have to focus on trying to play ahead of a team like that."

"It's fun to watch the way [Hossa's] playing right now. He's playing with energy and he's just a force." Jonathan Toews said. 

Montreal Canadiens @ Hawks 2-3 - Sunday, November 13, 2016

Patrick Kane was determined to give the Chicago Blackhawks a lead in the second period against the Montreal Canadiens. The goal he scored at 16:23 while being tripped did even more for the Blackhawks, who made it stand up as the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory at United Center. Less than five minutes after right wing Marian Hossa tied it 2-2, Kane gave the Blackhawks (11-3-2) the lead with speed and skill. After getting the puck from center Jonathan Toews, he dipped around Montreal defenseman Jeff Petry, charged to the net and beat goalie Al Montoya to the far side while being sent to the ice by Canadiens left wing Max Pacioretty. It wasn't nearly as enjoyable for the Canadiens (13-2-1), whose four-game winning streak ended, but even they admired the skill. It capped Chicago's answer to goals scored by Canadiens defensemen Shea Weber and Andrei Markov early in the second to give Montreal a 2-1 lead. Weber scored a power-play goal 59 seconds into the period and Markov scored at 2:40. Hossa started the comeback with his ninth goal of the season to make it 2-2 at 11:29 of the second, which extended his goal streak to four games. Kane scored less than five minutes later to give Chicago a 3-2 lead. Montoya and Crawford dominated the third. Each goalie made big saves to prevent the score from changing. Crawford made 11 of his 23 saves and Montoya made 13 of his 32 saves. Crawford came up with one of his biggest saves late in the period, stopping forward Alex Galchenyuk from close range with 19.6 seconds left and Montoya on the bench. The Blackhawks have earned points in 11 straight games (9-0-2) and have won six straight against the Canadiens.

* Kane's goal with 3:37 left in the second was one to remember. After having a shot near the net blocked by Markov, he got the puck back from Toews and did the rest himself.
"That had the 'wow' factor all over it," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Off that original play and then all of a sudden he makes a play with a guy draped all over him, and makes a great shot falling to the ice. It was a spectacular goal by a great player and fun to watch."

* Montoya made several big saves in the third, but his stop on rookie Ryan Hartman's breakaway topped the list. Montoya, who'd allowed 10 goals in his previous start, used his glove to knock down Hartman's wrist shot.

* Blackhawks rookie Vincent Hinostroza, who was promoted to the top line, gave Kane a feed off a rush in the second that nearly lead to a goal. Markov blocked Kane's shot, but he scored his highlight goal moments later.

* After former Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw got to a loose puck in the low slot, he wheeled and shot the puck along the ice. Crawford sprawled and just got his left skate on it at 13:01 of the third period.
* Blackhawks center Artem Anisimov returned after missing the Blackhawks' 3-2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on Friday. … Chicago's string of 11 straight games with a point tops the Canadiens' 10-game streak (Oct. 13-Nov. 2) for the longest in the NHL this season. … Montreal has hasn't won in Chicago since Feb. 27, 2002. … Shaw played his first game at United Center since being traded by the Blackhawks to the Canadiens on June 24. He had no points, but Crawford stopped him on three good scoring chances. … Pacioretty was struck in the mouth by the puck late in the second period, but returned in the third.

"I tried to make a play and go around the defenseman. Kind of got tripped up, and at that point you're just kind of throwing it at the net and hoping something happens and I got lucky there. It was nice to see it go in." Kane said.

"I don't feel like (I'm) 37 … going on 38." Marian Hossa