Early Birds: Hawks 2, Predators 1

I watched a hockey game yesterday and this is what I thought I saw.  Yeah, yesterday, and I still have the stones to pop "Early Birds" in the header.  What nerve.

Three Critical Elements
* The Hawks Woke Up Earlier than The Preds.  While they didn't set the world on fire The Hawks did manage to outskate NSH in the first period and made a lot less mistakes than those yellow bastards.  This, of course, flies in the face of every single other time in recent memory that The Hawks have stumbled into a random arena after more than two days off and didn't suuuccckkkkk.  I cannot explain but I will certainly take it.  Let's be honest, too: The Preds are better than The Hawks, so getting the early drop on them was instrumental in this win.  If NSH arrived ready the game could well have been over in 20 minutes.
The Predators gained some momentum at the end of the first period, carried that over into the second only to see The Hawks become interested again after the game was tied.  The third period, however, was all about...

* Anton Forsberg, who played his best game as a Hawk, marred only by his own dreadful puck-handling.  His athleticism has never been questioned and he's very good when the action is close up and frantic but, as we've seen in every game he's played until now, he always lets in a soft goal.  I guess he put a slightly new spin on the obligatory softie in this one but, seriously, Fors was terrific and just the thing The Hawks needed.

* Vinnie Hinostroza continues to shine.  A lot of the time he looks slightly out of control and he's still prone to zooming around with no apparent plan, but he's bringing constructive energy to the team and is beginning to make heads-up plays more consistently.  He started things off in this game with a subtle little forecheck-chip that, fortunately, landed right on Baby Huey's stick.  Later, whilst moonlighting in Saad's spot alongside Schmaltz & Kane, he managed to thread a one-timer through Matt Irwin's pins and just beyond Jusse Saros' blocker.  Maybe a little lucky on both plays but you create your own luck, just as his strong play earlier got him bumped up from the fourth line to the second.
Not going to type anything about who didn't show up or who has been basically invisible for three weeks 'cos it doesn't really matter until the next game starts.  Speaking of, better plan a nap tomorrow...those West Coast games kill me.