- In Games 6 and 7, when they needed to win, The Hawks rarely looked troubled. They endured a few feisty moments by The Ducks but not much more than that. Where was this in the first five games of this series?
- Maybe it was inevitable that this series HAD to go the full distance, just so Bruce Boudreau could lose yet another Game 7.
Seriously, when it really mattered, The Hawks did (almost) exactly what they can and should do, with their best players sticking to their respective scripts and the role players filling in the blanks. I can honestly say I have no complaints about any Hawks player in Game 7. Here are the bits:
- Hjalmarsson and Oduya were shot-blocking monsters; their timing and positioning may never have been this good. It was kind of a pity that Oduya got flipped inside-out on Perry's goal but he's often struggled with speed coming up on his left.
- More than ever before it feels like as long as Jonathan Toews lives and breathes The Hawks cannot be counted out.
- I guess no one needs to worry themselves about Saad and Hossa swapping lines screwing up the chemistry; Saad's linemates hooked him up for 5 shots, Hossa had 6.
- No one should be too concerned with Crawford allowing three goals, either. Kesler's was on an incredible shot, Perry's came about as a result of Johnny Oduya falling all over himself and Beleskey's...well who cared at that point?
- I hesitate to say that Quenneville outfoxed Bruce Boudreau but, holy crap, a 10 year old kid with a copy of NHL'08 would have chosen better line matches than Boudreau did. Let's see if he insists on trotting out the Getzlaf line opposite Toews next year, assuming he's still employed.
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