Backstory: Since I didn't really post anything about the regular season, here's some info that might be useful. This Hawks team has probably been the most inconsistent team since the eighth-seed Hawks of 2011. It mostly started after the Winter Classic. The loss they took in that game really symbolizes how the rest of their season went. Despite the inconsistency, the Hawks still finished with 100+ points. But something just didn't seem right about this team.
Patrick Kane got injured 60 games into the season. He lost an edge and ran into the boards, breaking his clavicle. Many saw this as the beginning of the end. Not only were the Hawks losing games, but they lost the league's top scorer (at the time), in Patrick Kane. He had immediate surgery and was said to miss the first three rounds of the playoffs, if the Hawks were to get that far. Now to the present. Kane is expected to play in Game 1. Roughly 6 weeks before schedule. This scares me. It doesn't seem quite right that anyone could heal a broken bone that fast. But hey, he's the most important member of this team; especially in the playoffs. This series will be a good one. It's the matchup the Hawks were looking for. Instead of facing the much-improved Blues, or the red hot Wild, the Hawks will go against the Nashville Predators. A team who was winless in the last 6 games of the season. I expect the Hawks to prevail in this one, but if we see them play the way the did towards the end of the season, their run for the cup might be cut short.
(Click picture for recap and highlights)
Videos:
Inside the locker room: Darling wins the championship belt
Crawford Starting Game 2
Post-Game Interviews:
Scott Darling
Coach Quenneville
Patrick Sharp
Duncan Keith
Crawford Starting Game 2
Post-Game Interviews:
Scott Darling
Coach Quenneville
Patrick Sharp
Duncan Keith
My Thoughts: I've said it so many times over the past seven years, but it's worth repeating. Never give up on this team. This one is without a doubt one of the greatest Hawks games I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
The Hawks picked up right where they left off in the first period. No offense, lazy defense, and mediocre goaltending. It was shaping up to be disastrous Game 1. I never completely gave up, knowing it was only the first period, but the effort shown by the Hawks in the first didn't convince me that there was going to be a comeback. Then, the second period began. I was absolutely shocked to see Scott Darling appear on my screen in net for the Hawks. I thought I saw the last of him for this season, but there he was. It was so unexpected that it kind of gave me hope. I know it sounds weird, but it was exciting to see the rookie goaltender in net for a playoff game. Crawford didn't play all that bad. He let in a fluke goal where he tripped behind his own net. The other two weren't on Crawford, but on the Blackhawks defense. The reason I believe Darling came in was because Coach Q thought it would give the Hawks a wake-up call. And boy did it ever work. The rest of the game was non-stop, edge-of-your-seat action. My heart rate was up the entire time. Both teams had marvelous back and forth chances. There was never a dull moment. Darling's performance was straight-up insane, if that's even the word. He made multiple pad saves that not even some of the NHL elite could have made. It's a performance I will never forget. It's games like these that keep me watching this sport over and over again.
Coach Quenneville has announced that Crawford will be starting Game 2 on Friday. Initially, I thought this was ludicrous. How could you not start a guy who played 3 1/2 periods of shutout hockey, finishing with 42 saves? Well, Crawford's "the guy". I can see where he's coming from. Crawford has been pretty reliable all season long and clearly has more experience in the playoffs. It would also be unfair to Crawford. He did let in three goals on twelve shots, but he had zero defensive help in front of him. Plus, it was only one bad period. Although that period almost lost the Hawks the game. Anyway, it's clearly a tough situation, but a good one to have. I still think Coach Q should've went with Darling, but I fully understand the decision. As long as the D picks it up, Crawford will do just fine.
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