Hawks Fall to Avs in Shootout

November 8th, 2009 View Comments

Colorado’s very own Burgundy Boys came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in a shootout. Fresh off of a lost to Phoenix Thursday night, the Blackhawks came out ready to turn things around on the road.

Courtesy of NHL.com

Opening to a much larger crowd than that of the Avs home game Wednesday night against the same Phoenix Coyotes, the Avalanche came out rather sluggish and found themselves quickly down by two goals midway through the first period.

Yet, as they’re apt to do, the guys seldom leave enemy points unanswered. On a strong offensive moment in the Hawks’ zone, Ryan O’Reilly managed to sneak behind a battle in front and backhand home a rebound, untouched. Really it was a missed assignment by the Hawks but Radar O’Reilly had the foresight to circle in and he finished strong.

Entering the second period, the Avs began that familiar trip down penalty road, with El Capitan Adam Foote heading to the box for roughing. Typically a precarious situation against a team so hot offensively, the penalty worked to our advantage. On a failed play behind the net, Scott Hannan snatched the puck and sent it to power forward David Jones.

Instead of dumping the puck, Jones saw an opportunity for a two on two chance and powered up the boards. Much to the dismay of Hawks fans, they realized two late that the defenseman matching the lumbering Jones was not a d-man at all. Dustin Byfuglien had been covering point, and although he’s a former defensive player, he got burned on the outside. Jones caught Byfuglien turning around and cut in, protecting the puck with one hand. Hawks backup Antti Niemi, reading the cut, cheated left oh so slightly, leaving the short side open for a nice backhand flip. Fifty-nice seconds remained on the Avs PK.

Fast forward fifty-five seconds and O’Reilly catches an Avalanche clearing attempt all alone at center ice, moving in on Niemi for a breakaway chance. The initial shot was a bit weak and stopped no problem but Radar caught his own rebound and hammered that one past the faltering Hawk’s tender and into the back of the glorious net. The goal came exactly fifty-nine seconds after the previous goal, technically making it another shorty, despite the fact that officially the door to the box had opened as the penalty was finishing up.

The Avs would continue to struggle supremely in the second period, notching only three solitary shots on net compared to the 13 shots (and one goal by Andrew Ladd) that the hawks would amass.

The third period belonged to the Avalanche, who came out flying and basically dominated the offensive opportunities of the period, 12 shots to 7. They had some decent looks and Anderson made some huge saves in the last twenty seconds to force the second OT and subsequent shootout in as many meetings between the two teams this season.

Shootout:

Wojtek Wolski shot first in an interesting move by the Avs, having his shot saved by Antti Niemi. I know that Coach Q wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, as he typically elects to shoot second, putting pressure on the opposing team to score. Wolski hasn’t looked his spectacular self in his shootout showings this year, let’s hope he pulls it together as the season moves on.
Patrick “I WANT MY 20 FREAKING CENTS OR I’LL BEAT YOUR FACE” Kane scored on his first shot, putting the pressure back on the Avalanche to score.
That goal came on the final shot for the Avs, with Marek Svatos keeping the game alive. Much credit goes to Andy though for not only stuffing Patrick “The other one” Sharp, but every other shooter in the eight rounds total.
Chris Stewart enters the grand finale having been on a relatively cool streak since his two game production bonanza after being recalled from Erie. With a move he claims he stole from Hejduk, Stewie bombed up the right side and sent a bullet far side, burning Niemi on the blocker. This clinched the game as Dustin Byfuglien shot last for Chicago and broke his stick on a far shot, missing the net completely.

What you missed:

John Michael Liles played roughly four minutes before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. he’s listed day to day. Let’s hope he’s alright and takes some extra time to let that baby heal up properly.
Chris Durno was sent back to Lake Erie with Matt Hendricks returning from his mysterious (groin?) injury.
David Jones is playing great as of late, finally reaching his potential or so it seems.
Ryan O’Reilly has really been the unsung talent of the draft so far. He is absolutely crushing it out there. I think it is about time for Duchene to step it up. Working through a sore shoulder, Duchene makes some amazing plays but he needs to finish. Keep an eye on him for the next few games to see how he’s handling the rigors of NHL play.

Quick Chat with Ryan O’Reilly via Hockey’s Future.