By Chris Block
Blackhawks set off for their annual father and son’s trip this week.
Glendale, Arizona was the first stop for the Hawks as they visited a majority Blackhawks fan partisan crowd of 17,534 at Gila River Arena.
Andrew Shaw and Brad Richards ended two long goal scoring droughts and Corey Crawford was stopped 17 of the 18 shots he faced in a 2-1 win over the NHL’s 3rd-worst team by record.
The game also marked Antoine Vermette’s return to Arizona for the first time since being traded to Chicago on March 2nd. The Coyotes got the Blackhawks’ first-round draft choice this coming June, and defenseman Klas Dahlbeck back in return for Vermette’s services. So, it was Dahlbeck’s first chance to perform against the team that drafted him 79th overall in the third round of the 2011 NHL Draft.
Dahlbeck is also on the Coyotes’ first penalty kill unit, a unit that had not surrendered a power play goal against in the four games since Dahlbeck joined their team.
This game also marked Johnny Oduya’s return to the Blackhawks lineup. The 33-year old blue liner missed six games due to an undisclosed upper-body injury suffered early in the Feb 22 game versus Boston.
The Blackhawks controlled the game Thursday night almost from start to finish.
Dahlbeck made a couple nice plays early in the game. He poke-checked Bryan Bickell off the puck at the 2:30 mark when Bickell stepped on the brakes at the right face-off dot inside the Coyotes’ zone. On Dahlbeck’s next shift two minutes later he pinched down into the slot down in Chicago’s end and just fired a puck off the left post and crossbar.
Seconds later Tobias Rieder’s 11th goal of the season gave the Coyotes a 1-0 lead. Sam Gagner and Mark Arcobello started the rush in their own end. Duncan Keith slid down the left wall in pursuit of the puck but Gagner made a quick short pass to Arcobello and the Coyotes were off to the races. Marcus Kruger tried a sweeping stick check at center in defense of Arcobello’s feed to Rieder, but Kruger whiffed. Michal Rozsival played the 2-on-1 well, taking away Reider’s option to pass. Rieder snapped a wrister on from the right circle that beat Crawford clean through his legs.
The Hawks got even three minutes later via the power play. Andrew Shaw snapped a personal 18-game goal drought when he smacked in a puck that bounced off Coyotes’ defenseman Connor Murphy in the low slot. Keith showed good patience at the top of the point to freeze Lauri Korpikoski. Once Korpikoski slid by, Keith unleashed his shot. The puck hit Murphy in the pant leg. Shaw was behind him in front of Mike Smith. Shaw’s no-look, spinning backhand beat Smith’s right leg pad at 8:10 of the first. Keith and Marian Hossa earned assists on the goal, the 31st assist of the season for each.
Kris Versteeg got a scare later in the first when John Moore’s shot struck Versteeg on an exposed portion of his right wrist. Versteeg was in pain and skated off immediately to the bench but he didn’t miss a shift. Versteeg had his left hand broken on January 1st.
Chicago dominated the action in the opening period, outshooting Arizona 17-6, thanks, in part, to two extended Blackhawks power plays.
The Hawks got a third power play at 2:43 of the middle period after John Moore checked Joakim Nordstrom from behind near the blue line at the Chicago bench. Nordstrom turned his back and into Moore’s at the last second as Nordstrom was attempting to play the puck. Nonetheless, Moore was cited for boarding. The Hawks failed to convert on that power play opportunity. Patrick Sharp nearly ended his personal 18-game (now 19) goal drought on that power play but his rebound try went just wide of the near post after Smith kicked an Antoine Vermette shot aside.
Andrew Shaw got the Hawks’ first penalty when he boarded Coyotes’ defenseman Andrew Campbell into the wall in the home team’s end at 4:59. Shaw had just been given a rough ride by Campbell when Shaw tried to set up shop in front of Mike Smith. The Arizona power play failed to register a shot on goal and Brent Seabrook, Oduya and Nordstrom took turns blocking Coyotes’ attempts.
There was a somewhat comical moment at 10:35 of the second when Jonathan Toews sent a puck up the left wall towards the Coyotes’ zone, looking for Kris Versteeg. Versteeg, trying to stay onside, stumbled (and stumbled again) and fell humorously into the boards, and off side.
Continuing Nordstrom’s tough night, he caught a swinging Kyle Chipchura stick in the mouth at 12:39 of the second. Chipchura’s stick cut the mouth of Nordstrom. Chipchura got a double-minor for hi-sticking but the Hawks power play couldn’t muster much to challenge the Coyotes’ penalty killers.
The Hawks posted another 17 shots in the second period and held a 34-12 advantage in that category after forty minutes. As lopsided as that is, Arizona was pretty competent in their own end and while Mike Smith was active, it wasn’t being asked to put on a show either.
Crawford made a crucial stop five minutes into the third when a bouncing puck in his end eluded Hawks players. A minute later Toews set up Hossa for a great chance but Hossa fed Smith’s midsection with that shot on net. Toews got drilled by Joe Vitale after letting the pass go. Another minute later, Oduya and Vermette worked a give and go. This time it was Oduya who had a look, from the same spot Hossa shot almost 60 seconds prior in the left circle. Oduya, though, aimed far side for the top corner and shot it just wide.
Arizona was cited for Delay of Game with 8:57 to play in the third when Moore tried to lift the puck over and out of his end but directed it over the Coyotes’ bench and into the crowd.
Brad Richards struck on that power play for his 10th goal of the campaign, snapping his 23-game goalless streak after some nifty stickhandling by Kris Versteeg. Richards actually started the sequence when he circled back with the puck in the visitor’s zone. Richards fed Teuvo Teravainen, who gained the Coyotes’ zone and dished to Versteeg. Versteeg, who was essentially the last guy back, dipsy-doodled through two Coyotes’ forwards, Vitale and Korpikoski, then shot the puck on from the middle of the slot. Richards pounced on the rebound and emphatically celebrated after watching the puck hit the back of the net. It was Richards’ first goal since January 11 against Minnesota at the United Center and would stand as Thursday’s game-winner.
Nordstrom gave the Coyotes’ a power play with 37.5 seconds left when he shoved Oliver Ekman-Larsson from behind dangerously into the top of the dasher boards. Ekman-Larsson was down for a minute but left the game under his own power, though he was favoring and not moving his right arm.
The Hawks managed to thwart anything Arizona tried to end the game at a 2-1 final score.
Game notes
-We’re at that regular quarterly mark when Bryan Bickell’s game goes sour and we read him saying that he “plays better mad.”
-Bickell got 9:06 of ice time. He had 1 shot on goal and led the Hawks with 4 hits.
-I would assume Joakim Nordstrom will be suspended for his hit on Ekman-Larsson with 37.5 seconds to go in the game. It was ugly and deserves a game or two, perhaps more if Ekman-Larsson sustained a real severe injury.
-Quenneville put Keith and Seabrook back together for a short time during this game. That meant Timonen and Rozsival paired and that didn’t last long.
-Timonen was impressive in his Hawks’ debut against Carolina. Since, I think the best thing you can say is he’s been unnoticeable.
-Gila River is a casino chain in AZ.
-Blackhawks fans in attendance cheered loudly during the anthem at Gila River Arena on Thursday. Not sure how I feel about that. I don’t care too much but it felt pretty obnoxious as it was happening. That’s a Chicago Stadium/United Center Blackhawks tradition. It feels somewhat disrespectful to do that in another team’s arena when its not something they do. Its a gang-mentality that spreads when you know you have the opposing team’s fans outnumbered. You don’t see Hawks fans doing that in Vancouver or Montreal, places that have their own anthem traditions.
-As ridiculous as this game was when you look at the stat sheet and shot charts, I never got the sense the Hawks were unbeatable on this night. That’s an ongoing impression I’ve come away with the past month and a half, with and without Kane. Arizona just doesn’t have the talent to play at the Hawks level, yet they competed hard enough to stay within a bounce of a earning a point or two from the Hawks. Again, this is the third-worst team in the AHL. The Coyotes do have a bunch of players looking to prove their worth, either to Arizona or for a job elsewhere in the NHL next year. So there’s that to consider and its why the Coyotes players were so engaged all night even though they were getting their hat handed to them most of the way. I know the Hawks are in a spot in the standings where they don’t have much risk of dropping down, and moving up into second or first in the Central would be a chore, but certainly they would want to go into the postseason playing and executing a whole lot better than they are now because what they are right now is ripe for a first round exit.
KLAS DAHLBECK MAKING AN IMPRESSION
–Dahlbeck before the game speaking to Arizona Coyotes.com
“I really appreciated all the things [the Blackhawks organization] did for me. The system they have is great, with developing players. So, I have nothing but good things to say about the Chicago organization. I was really happy with my three years there. But, at the same time, now I’m [in Arizona] and I really enjoy being here. I think we have a good thing going.”
–Coyotes coach Dave Tippett speaking about Dahlbeck’s game after four games:
“Yeah, he’s been very solid. Good skater. Good defender. He’s certainly helped our penalty kill.
Real good attitude and a young player with lots of room for growth in his game. So, he’s been a very solid player for us. Very nice surprise.”
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Joel Quenneville’s lines, pairs, scratches & specials Thursday in Glendale
Forwards
23-Kris Versteeg / 19-Jonathan Toews / 81-Marian Hossa
20-Brandon Saad / 80-Antoine Vermette / 86-Teuvo Teravainen
29-Bryan Bickell / 91-Brad Richards / 10-Patrick Sharp
42-Joakim Nordstrom / 16-Marcus Kruger / 65-Andrew Shaw
Defense
27-Johnny Oduya / 4-Niklas Hjalmarsson
2-Duncan Keith / 32-Michal Rozsival
44-Kimmo Timonen / 7-Brent Seabrook
Goal
50-Corey Crawford
33-Scott Darling (backup)
Scratches:
Injuries: RW-88-Patrick Kane (left collarbone, 2/24 vs FLA)
Special Teams
Power play I: Toews-Shaw-Saad w/ Hossa & Keith
Power play II: Vermette-Sharp-Teravainen w/Richards & Seabrook
*Versteeg subbed for Shaw on the first unit some. Late in the game, when he was up 2-1, Quenneville ditched the forward on the point. Units were 19-65-81-2-7, 91-23-10-44-32.
PK forwards: Kruger-Nordstrom, Toews-Hossa
PK defense: Keith-Hjalmarsson, Oduya-Seabrook
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Dave Tippett’s Arizona Coyotes’ lineup 3/12/15 vs Blackhawks
Forwards
10-Martin Erat / 24-Kyle Chipchura / 19-Shane Doan
28-Lauri Korpikoski / 14-Joe Vitale / 18-David Moss
8-Tobias Rieder / 9-Sam Gagner / 36-Mark Arcobello
20-Tye McGinn / 22-Craig Cunningham / 44-B.J. Crombeen
Defense
23-Oliver Ekman-Larsson / 26-Michael Stone
34-Klas Dahlbeck / 45-Andrew Campbell
17-John Moore / 5-Connor Murphy
Goal
41-Mike Smith
35-Louis Domingue (backup)
Scratches: D-33-Brandon Gormley… C-39-Brendan Shinnimin….
Injuries: LW-89-Mikkel Boedker (upper body, Jan 18)…. C-11-Martin Hanzal (back surgery, Jan 29)….
Special Teams
Power play I: Gagner-Erat-Korpikoski w/Moore & Ekman-Larsson
Power play II: Rieder-Chipchura-Doan w/Moore & Ekman-Larsson
*Last minute power play (2nd of game): Rieder-Gagner-Chipchura-Doan-Moore
PK forwards: Vitale-Korpikoski, Chipchura-Cunningham, Doan, Rieder
PK defense: Dahlbeck-Campbell, Ekman-Larsson-Stone
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ChrisBlock@TheThirdManIn.com
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