With Patrick Kane riding the NHL’s longest point streak and two key defensemen back, the Chicago Blackhawks head home feeling a bit better about themselves. The team has yet to get consistent offense from a line outside of their second line, and they are also woefully deficient in terms of defensive depth, although Michal Rozsival looked decent and Trevor van Riemsdyk did score a goal against the Blues Saturday.
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Yesterday, the Blackhawks defeated the St. Louis Blues on the road 4-2.
Any consolation for the Blues in the loss was that it is still early in the season, and that they are still ahead of the Blackhawks in the standings.
Panarin, Kane’s linemate, has four goals and seven points in his last five games.
The third period was mild compared to the first two periods, which seemed to have clusters of players exchanging gloves and shoves after each whistle. The last win over Washington and the recall of Finnish goalie Karri Ramo who made 34 saves in his 7th consecutive start against the Capitals at Verizon Center on Friday bring new hopes to the Flames. “He always finds a way to score big goals and he just doesn’t stop”. His goal at the 6:37 mark of the second tied the game at 1-1 and gave him at least one goal in seven straight games. Ryan Reaves, back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the two games of the Martin Havlat era, Reaves turned the puck over in the Blues’ end, putting it on Teuvo Teravainen’s stick.
Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews is not a fighter, but he has surprisingly found himself in the middle of one twice in the past week.
NOTES: In his second game back after missing 10 following knee surgery (right meniscus), Keith, had 24:13 of ice time to lead the team for the second straight night. The Blackhawks defenseman went to the locker room after that hit but soon returned.
The Blackhawks, who beat the Blues 4-2 on Saturday night for only their second road victory of the season, have been dominant on home ice this season, posting a 7-2-1 record at the United Center this season.
In the second period, Backes was called for boarding on Chicago’s Niklas Hjalmarsson, receiving a two-minute penalty.
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Chicago backup Scott Darling made 25 saves in his fourth start.
