Sloppy second period.
Hell-bent for leather in the third.
Sound familiar?
This has kind of been the pattern for The Hawks all season. It's hard for me to complain too much since they've only dropped 1½ games in their last eight, but the way they're going about it is a little worrisome. Late-game charges got the job done vs. New Jersey and Toronto, while they simply ran out of time against Columbus, and I wonder how long they intend to play one great period each night and still be able to succeed. But, hey, at least they're not blowing leads like they did so often the last few seasons, right?
The Hawks were outplayed for much of last night's affair...sort of. Calgary carried the puck a lot more and took a load of shots, but rarely got the second chance. Crawford was good but he didn't need to be great in this one, despite the gaudy shot count, and The Hawks' D did a mostly good job clearing pucks away (although I thought I heard circus music on one particular sequence with Keith and Soupy stepping all over the puck...).
Sermon & summary over. On to the bits.
Panarin: It's hard to get too excited about an empty net goal, but Small Arthur's effort and skill on this one was a joy to behold.
Motte: the speed, the puck control and especially the little kick he had to make to get the puck back to his stick made me swoon. There's no way Elliott was ever going to go cross-crease in time to stop that, as long as Motte recovered the puck in time.
Forsling returned after missing two games and it seemed to me that Calgary was intent on rattling him (again) by aggressively finishing their checks on the wee Swede. While that did lead to at least one bobble, and while New Goose was not always able to squirm away from The Flames' forwards, he instead made smart, safe outlets. I suspect he's been cautioned about the long passes he was prone to attempting earlier this season.
Panik had a strong game despite not cashing in, probably his best all-around effort, with some hits that mattered and some signs that he isn't necessarily married to the 100% forward attack mode he most often favours. He pumped the brakes a few times, using his D to organize some pressure rather than simply launching everything toward the net. It's a small thing, but I wonder if he's just feeling more confident with his role, and not constantly worried that he'll tumble down the depth chart & back to the press box.
Rasmussen was as good as I've seen him, logging the most PK time of all the forwards and, while Moose was not outstanding at the dot, he won a crucial draw while killing Kruger's penalty.
Penalty Kill: more of this, please.
Crawford was good, Large Arthur racked up another two points to maintain his streak (and now leads the league in scoring) but it's tough to ignore Kane's three points, the most satisfying being the zinger he fired through the not-as-good-as-they-say-he-is Brian Elliott. #88 receives the Nod of Approval.
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