The Difference-Makers: Hawks 4, Canadiens 2

Looking at the box score one could surmise that tonight's win in Montréal was a rerun of Sunday's game vs. Minnesota.  Same score, same lopsided possession stats, outshot by the same margin, yet The Hawks came away with two wins.  I spotted a few significant differences but, yes, on the surface, this too was a game The Hawks could easily have lost, if not for some brilliant efforts from some of their key players; players who need to matter did matter, which is more than one can say about Les Canadiens.  Price was just okay and, not to disparage the handful of good skaters they have, as Price goes so often go The Habs. I'm going to do something a little different, tonight, and just focus on the players and factors that I saw as Difference-Makers.
Corey Crawford turned in another gem tonight, only faltering slightly in the late going when The Habs got desperate and the guys in front of Crow had already packed up the tent and were struggling to set it up again. For much of the game, and for all the shots Montréal launched, Crow hardly looked troubled, and it wasn't until the last ten minutes of the game that he was called upon to make some really tough saves.  It's got to be exciting for Crow to post a game like that in his hometown, on the opposite end of the rink from the alleged best goaltender in the world.
Seabrook bounced back mightily after a dodgy one on Sunday.  he had a great stick, blocked a zillion shots and looked completely comfortable alongside Oduya as Coach Q veered off script with his D pairings.
Speaking of Q, I thought he managed the forward lines very well after Anisimov's injury in the first period, managing to keep everyone somewhat involved and resisting the easy path of merely sitting Rasmussen and Tootoo.
Unexpected defensive work by Schmaltz & Panik was a welcome sight, as they both got busy on the forecheck and the backcheck on several occasions.  I won't take back anything I typed regarding Schmaltz early in the season 'cos it was all true, but he's not the player now that he was then.  He just seems so much more mindful, now, as well as a great deal more confident.  Would he have had the presence of mind to spot Panarin and then rifle that pass to him back in November?  As for Panik, his forechecking has always been there but he's often lazy about getting back and picking up his man, which was not the case this evening.  It's just a pity that he got yippy with that open net and iced the puck in the dying moments...
The shot differential was again brutal, but this game didn't feel like Sunday's game that much to me. The Hawks controlled the puck a great deal more, I think, but were perhaps more selective with their shooting.  Maybe they were trying to place their shots a little more carefully...I don't know, but it really didn't feel like The Hawks were dominated as they were vs. The Wild.

Let me count the ways in which Patrick Kane was the major difference in this game:

1) A pure shooter's goal on his first period tally, deftly banking the puck off the iron and in.

2) Relinquishing his stick to a d-man without one and then getting off the ice ASAP.

3) Patient and subtle passes to set up the Panarin and Toew goals.