Tag Archives: Damien Brunner

Howard, Red Wings stand tall, Take 2-1 series lead; Game 3 clouded over questions on officiating

By Brad Gardner

The second round playoff series between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, tied at one game apiece, shifted to Joe Louis Arena for Game 3 on Monday night. Even though the Blackhawks offense opened up to the tune of 40 shots, doubling their total from Game 2, Jimmy Howard stood tall in net for the Red Wings and carried his team to a 3-1 victory.

Quick strikes from bottom-six forwards Gustav Nyquist and Drew Miller in the second period put the Blackhawks in a hole from which they would not get out. Patrick Kane scored for the second consecutive game, but Howard came up with the save on the rest of Chicago’s 39 shots, including saves on 16 of the 17 shots he faced against the Hawks late push in the third period.

Viktor Stalberg suited up for the Blackhawks after being a healthy scratch for the first two games of the series. It looked like his night might end early when on his first shift the game, Jakub Kindl ducked a check, sending Stalberg head first into the boards. He was slow to get up but eventually skated off under his own power. After a few minutes in the locker room, Stalberg returned to the bench. Read more »

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Detroit draws even: Disjointed Blackhawks effort leads to 4-1 Red Wings victory in Game 2

By Brad Gardner

Three days after the Chicago Blackhawks took a 4-1 victory in Game 1 of their second round playoff series against rival Detroit, the Red Wings responded in kind with a 4-1 win of their own to even the series. Henrik Zetterberg assisted on two goals for Detroit as the visitors handed the ‘Hawks their first home loss of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Red Wings’ tight-checking game didn’t give the Blackhawks nearly as much room to operate as they had in the latter stages of the first game. The puck possession time favored Detroit, and even when the Hawks were able to get a shot on goal, they did not challenge Jimmy Howard too much. The Red Wings goalie made 19 saves on only 20 shots, the lowest total for the Blackhawks in the playoffs.

Corey Crawford made 26 saves on 30 shots and did not look as sharp as the Blackhawks had come to expect of him in the playoffs. Read more »

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Hawks take Game One; Sharp’s 3-point night leads way to a 4-1 victory

By Jon Fromi

The Chicago Blackhawks broke open a tie game with three third period goals, finishing up their game long attack on the Detroit Red Wings. The Hawks captured the opening game of this Western Conference semifinal series with an impressive 4-1 victory.

Shots on goal were in short supply early, with the Blackhawks coming out with a fierce forecheck. Returning center Dave Bolland was credited with the only shot for both teams in the first six minutes. The Red Wings managed just a single shot in the first half of the period, while the ‘Hawks got off three shots. Fortunately, one of those shots hooked up with twine.

The game’s first penalty came 8:01 into the period when Gustav Nyquist was whistled for the hook. Chicago took advantage of the power play, with Marian Hossa taking a feed from Jonathan Toews in the slot and burning the net at the 9:06 mark. Read more »

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Leddy, Blackhawks edge Red Wings 2-1 in Overtime; Chicago off to best start in franchise history

By Brad Gardner

The Chicago Blackhawks set a new franchise record by getting off to a 6-0 start to the 2013 season with a win on Sunday at the United Center over the rival Detroit Red Wings.

Corey Crawford stopped 29 shots and Nick Leddy was the overtime hero by beating Jimmy Howard off the rush to extend the Hawks excellent run to open the season.

Both teams wanted a good start in the first period. The Red Wings, who only practiced Saturday after winning 5-3 over the Wild on Friday, had been inconsistent in the first period in the early going this season, while the Blackhawks were coming off a first-period pummeling at the hands of the Blue Jackets in their game Saturday. Read more »

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