Two For the Show: Hawks 4, Wild 1 and Sunday's Big Boy

Wasn't that more like it?  Not dominance, exactly, but it never really looked like The Hawks were especially troubled, even with The Wild's spirited third period. To the juicy bits:
- Crawford was one shot away, albeit an excellent one, from a no-no.  I wonder if his iffy outing in the opening game of the playoffs was a blessing, of sorts, with Darling soaking up considerable minutes in that series and perhaps allowing Crow to get his feet under him for when it really counts.  We don't want him to peak too early, now, do we?
- While he hasn't yet had much impact on the scoresheet, Bryan Bickell has been his usual playoff self in other ways, creating chances without even touching the puck.  Tonight he racked up twelve hits, in case that matters.
- The icetime stats are looking more and more like I'd hoped they would, with a few small aberrations; Richards led all forwards, playing over 18 minutes and Timonen played less than seven minutes.  Otherwise, we're seeing a pretty smart workload allocation.
- Keith played nearly nine minutes more than any other Hawk, once again cracking 30 minutes.  This doesn't worry me, as he has perhaps the best motor of any elite player in the league.  If anything, he's thriving on the extra workload and, if The Hawks go far enough this spring, he'll be in the catbird seat for that Conn Smythe he's deserved in the past.
- Chatter persists that Sharp will be on his way come July.  While this may be simply a fiscal necessity, if there's anything to it, can't you just imagine he and Teravainen tearing it up on what would amount to the best third line in the league?  It doesn't even matter who the third guy is...
- Even when he's not terrible Rozsival manages to leave an icky stain; who was that stumbling out of the penalty box after Dumba's goal?

Saving the best for last, right?  Let's not forget that Patrick Kane wasn't even expected to play until a week or two from now; as it stands, he's third in playoff scoring and plus/minus.

                               I'M NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TODAY.