Blackhawks @ Red Wings

DEFEAT

4 : Chicago Blackhawks @ Detroit Red Wings : 1

Cory Emmerton

Some Notes From The Game:

There have been 712 meetings between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings. That is the most common match-up in NHL history.

Filppula is out with the flu. Cory Emmerton has been called up for his NHL debut. We now have 4 Griffins on the roster.

Lovely.

Wings are in their road whites at the Joe, for whatever reason. Maybe they're just used to it, considering the obscene amount of road games we've had this month.

And here's the lines this match, since you're probably losing track by now.

Betuzzi-Zetterberg-Eaves

Hudler-Franzen-Mursak

Draper-Helm-Miller

Emmerton-Abdelkader-Tatar

Lidstrom-Kronwall

Ericsson-Rafalski

Kindl-Salei

The First Period:

Big E turns the puck over in the defensive zone. Abdelkader stands someone up. Kindl blows a tire.

Bertuzzi and Zetterberg team up for a rush. No joy.

Finally at the 1300 mark Jimmah gloves a puck and we get a whistle.

After the commercial break we have some discussion on Cory Emmerton. Who apparently trained on Aaron Downey's potato farm in Ontario. Interesting.

He nets our player profile.

Mick, Ken, and Murph are vastly amused that Macoun shares such a lofty position with Lemieux.

Toews gets a breakaway. Jimmah stones him, luckily.

We try to avoid these situations, boys

Emmerton's goal:

If you're a Red Wing rookie fishing for your first NHL goal, this is a good year for you. This is the 4th time in 11 games a Wing has gotten his first.

Rafalski wins a puck battle in our zone, dishes across to Big E, who carries it into neutral. Emmerton is waiting on the right point. Big E makes the pass - Emmerton wrists one from just inside the blue line. Crawford attempts to stick block but fumbles it, and the puck trickles in.

Whoops

 So we're the first ones on the board. This may come as a surprise to you, but the Wings aren't so good at first periods.

We double ice the puck. Awesome.

Bertuzzi freight-trains someone.

Helm gets railed into the boards. He's slow to get up.

Not good.

 The crowd boos Hossa.

There's some fun to be had in the crease.

Don't worry. I've got it.

And then Todd Bertuzzi heads to the box for being Todd Bertuzzi. And because he tripped someone. But mostly because he's Todd Bertuzzi.

You all saw it.

The Blackhawks have the best power play in the NHL. So of course they score. Bolland somehow doesn't get called for crosschecking Salei at least three times, and then crosschecking him again after he scored.

Salei is obviously less than pleased.

A Blackhawk narrowly avoids death

The Blackhawks follow this up by knocking the puck over the glass in their zone.

Power play time.

Can't really generate much. Lidstrom and Rafalski both do some nice keep-in work. Eaves gets a tip, but sends it over the net. Lidstrom gets a slapshot from the point, but Crawford denies that.

And Kronwall makes a somewhat ill-advised choice to go in deep, leaving Rafalski to try and clean up a 2-on-1 break. Luckily, Jimmah makes the save.

Just so you know, we've lost 138 man games to injury so far this season. Thanks for that ray of sunshine, Ken.

The Second Period:

Well it's five minutes into the period and absolutely nothing has happened. Ken and Mick banter about various things. Ken makes another remark on the regular season meetings between the Blackhawks and Wings being the most in the NHL, starting back in the 1920 when the Wings were known as the Cougars.

There's a pause, and then Ken says, "No comment, Larry."

Larry chuckles and says "Ah, don't worry, Ken. I'll be ready."

So ridiculous.

This is followed up by a comment about the old Olympia and Chicago stadiums, and how Larry would have loved watching game in them back then, as they would have had '2 cent hot dog night'.

Helm gets a breakaway. Miller misses a wide open net. God damn it.

Bertuzzi mucks it up during his shift. He looks less than pleased tonight.

Abby goes to the box for roughing. Elbowing someone in the back of the head is a stupid thing to do.

It's hard to see, but the stupidity is there

Kopecky scores. Of course he does. There's a brief delay as they review the goal, necessary because it deflects off his skate. It's a good goal, obviously.

Commercial break, and we return to the fact that they've chosen the alternate captains for the All-Star game. Patrick Kane will be working on Team Lidstrom.

There's some joking about splitting up the Sedins. Nick agreed it would be funny. Then Ken remarks that you wouldn't really know which Sedin you were getting, as you couldn't tell which twin it was walking into your dressing room.

Zetterberg and Toews conduct a faceoff. Zetterberg comes up with it, banging it behind the goal. Lids and Tuzzi both go to pick it up - Tuzzi gets to it first, and then tries to saucer pass between two Blackhawks. This attempt is less than successful, as a Blackhawk nabs the puck and shoots it on goal.

There's a clank as it nails a crossbar, and the ref thinks it went in, so we head to video review.

Luckily it didn't. No goal.

Helm gets a breakaway... and trips. On nothing. Either he fucked himself up with that check earlier in the game, or he's just unlucky. I hope it's the latter.

Zetterberg's goal:

A Zetterberg backhand during some chaos in the crease is gloved by Crawford, who drops it and the puck trickles in.

Patrick Roy is smiling somewhere, I can feel it

Nope. Quick whistle by the ref (yup, there's that 'intent to blow' rule again) negates the goal. Sorry, Zetterberg.

Fuck-wits.

Hulder follows this up by netting a breakaway. He hits the goalpost. Eaves joins the fun and they get another shot.

Nope.

Kopecky nails a rebound on Jimmah and scores.

Even I'm done with this game. I can only imagine how the Wings are feeling.

Franzen gets a good chance. Sends it wide.

Of course he does.

The Third Period:

There's a ridiculous conversation between Ken, Mick, and Murph about false teeth.

Zetterberg makes a good play from his knees. Eaves can't finish the chance. Emmerton gets another shot on goal.

The Blackhawks get yet another breakaway and Jimmah makes the pad save.

Zetterberg and Lidstrom team up for a rush. Nope.

Kronwall gets a chance. Gloved by Crawford, and there's some shoving to be had. Bertuzzi isn't pleased. Still.

And then the Blackhawks score. Brouwer manages to find a spot all alone in front of the crease and bangs one home. Eww.

We knock the net off when Tatar goes on a rush and there's a mad scramble to stop him. Abby gets his face smashed against the goal post. I bet that didn't feel good.

Not the face!

Draper gets sent to the box for a magical roughing penalty. Awesome

Checking is not allowed in the NHL

The Blackhawks get some shots off, but nothing too worrisome. Ken, Mick, and Murph spend the time bantering about Keith and Campbell and their various contracts.

Then a Blackhawk (named Hjalmarsson) goes to the box for hooking Zetterberg. He complains to the ref - loudly. Had that been Bertuzzi being so audacious, he would have gotten an extra 2 for unsportsmanlike.

Nothing on our power play. Zetterberg really tries. Lidstrom holds the point - by himself. It was kind of awesome. But no scoring.

Franzen nails a post. We don't bother pulling Jimmah.

In the last moment, Franzen gets stoned. Again. Just so he can have the pleasure of walking away with that feeling of defeat.

Schmucks.

Don't Think We Didn't Notice:

Nothing cute or ridiculous this match.

And no one Served with Pride.