Don't Keep 'em Waiting, It Just Makes Them Mad: Rangers 3, Hawks 2

I don't usually type anything when The Hawks lose but, it's the first game and there was plenty to see.

- Standing around at an over-long banner raising ceremony that has nothing to do with you, I am sure, is among the most irritating things an athlete might endure.  You can bet The Rangers wanted to piss off the crowd at The United Center as much as they wanted two points.
- Not a good night at all for Trevor Daley, eh?  On The Rangers' first goal Daley committed the cardinal sin of having two options but choosing neither, and he was a perfect storm of bad decisions and clumsiness on the eventual game winner.  So, they really couldn't sign Oduya for the $3.3 mil that Daley will "earn"?
- When David Rundblad plays 18 minutes it either means Rundblad is playing well or The Hawks cannot do any better, and one of these options seems far more likely than the other, I'm afraid.
- Don't get me wrong, 'cos I'm a big fan of Marcus Kruger, but anyone who thinks he has more offensive upside than he's able to show off as The Hawks' safety valve needs to see the open nets he gacked tonight.
- Did Kyle Baun play in the third period?  Ah, well, I predicted 8 minutes ice time so he...uh...overachieved by my reckoning.

But it wan't all bad.
- The top two lines were pretty much everything I had hoped for.  More, please.  Teravainen's goal was exactly what I was picturing in my mind's eye the other day whilst droning on about Toews and Hossa doing the digging and allowing TT to be more shooty.  And Panarin...how many guys score their first NHL goal on their first shot against one of the most dominant goaltenders in the game today?  Probably just one.  

Despite the loss, I find it uplifting that The Hawks got goals from the two guys who need to chip in offensively.  If Teravainen and Panarin want to shut up those who say they won't measure up to Sharp and Saad (whose former spots they skated in tonight, BTW) that's the way you do it, son.

Brooklyn next.  I expect to see Tikhonov in for Baun and half-expect Pokka to come in for Van Riemsdyk, which isn't entirely fair, 'cos TVR was competently average, just as he's always been.  I also have a funny feeling that they'll stick with Crawford on Friday and come back with Darling, at home, on Saturday.  But I'm wrong a lot, so...

                   All this not falling over or knocking goaltenders down was misleading!