Hawks Lose in a Shootout, Need One More Point
The Blackhawks squandered a lead and wasted a good first period last night and fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 at the United Center. The Hawks still get one point for the loss, putting them at 100 for the season; four ahead of Calgary and Vancouver in the quest for home ice in the first round.
All three teams have two games left, but the Hawks have a much tougher task than their Canadian counterparts. Chicago ends the season with a home and home against Detroit, while Calgary and Vancouver play teams that will be staying home for the playoffs.
The good news for Chicago is that things have to go perfectly for both of those teams for the Hawks to have to go on the road next week. As long as they finish ahead of either Calgary or Vancouver, the Hawks will host the lower seeded of those two in the first round. That means that both Calgary and Vancouver will have to win their remaining games, while the Hawks will have to lose both to the Wings in regulation.
While Chicago hasn’t beaten Detroit yet this season, the first two of the four meetings ended in shootouts. The Hawks just need to push one of the two games to overtime to secure home ice.
Last night’s game was a disappointing loss, because the Hawks had the lead and played some good hockey. Khabibulin played well again and made one amazing save in the third period on what looked like a sure goal. Dave Bolland also should have been awarded a penalty shot in the last minute of OT when he got behind the Blue Jacket defense and was dragged down right in front of the net. The penalty was called, but a minor penalty was awarded instead of the shot. Maybe it wouldn’t have made a difference, since the Hawks were 0 for 3 in the shootout anyway, including the last miss by Bolland.
Here are the games to watch the rest of the week (all times central):
- Hawks- Saturday at Detroit, 2PM; Sunday vs Detroit, 1PM.
- Canucks- Tonight vs L.A., 9PM; Saturday at Colorado, 2PM.
- Flames- Friday at Edmonton, 8PM; Saturday vs Edmonton, 9PM.
So no matter what, the Hawks will have a chance to make their own bed on Sunday afternoon against Detroit on NBC. Remember, the Hawks just need one point to clinch, and can also do so if Calgary or Vancouver fails to win any one of their games. One last note: if the Hawks don’t get a point and the other teams both get the max of four, the Hawks will not get home ice based on the first tiebreaker of most wins.
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