Hawks lay turkey day after Thanksgiving, Ducks celebrate 3-0 shutout

The hawks penalty kill unit gave up 3 powerplay goals on their first 4 chances only a game after they scored shorthanded 3 times, while the powerplay never really threatened, going 0 for 4, and the blackhawks 8 game win streak was snapped by Anaheim 3-0.

The hawks had a couple of early powerplay opportunities midway thru the first period to get on the board first, but never really created many dangerous chances, which proved costly shortly afterwards, when the ducks capitalized on their powerplay. After Duncan Keith took a slashing penalty just as Campbell's minor expired, the Ducks went to work, with Corey Perry taking a high pass from Ryan Whitney at the right side of the net then, seemingly in one motion as he allowed the puck to fall to the ice, batted it cross-crease to an open Selanne, who tapped it in for a 1-0 lead with less than a minute left in the first.

In the 2nd period, the hawks ran into more penalty trouble, with Brent Sopel being called for a hook. The penalty followed a sequence where the ducks first threatened, with Getzlaff moving dangerously into the slot, only to have his stick slashed by Seabrook, effectively breaking it & causing Getzlaff to lose control of the puck. The hawks recovered the loose puck, and quickly moved up ice, with Versteeg getting a chance in close, however, Giguerre was equal to the task. Barker then got caught pinching in, leaving Sopel back by himself to defend as the ducks regained control & moved up ice on an odd man rush - Sopel then hooked Perry, and the hawks were down a man again.

On the ensuing powerplay, the ducks threatened again, and with Huet failing to cover up rebounds and loose pucks, ended up giving the ducks several extra chances, and Selanne took advantage. His first rebound attempt was stopped by Huet, however, Seabrook's attempt to clear ended up hitting Selanne's stick and he was able to direct the puck into the net, beating a down & out Huet & the ducks were up by two.

Just over a minute later, Dustin Byfuglien took another undisciplined penalty, falling over Giguerre without making any attempt to avoid the duck goaltender, and tearing his goalie mask off his head in the process. A mild scrum ensued, however Byfuglien drew the only penalty for goaltender interference, and the ducks' 2 for 3 powerplay on the day had yet another opportunity.

This time, it was a point shot by Nick Boynton, who hadn't scored a goal since last March, that eluded a screened Huet, and the hawks were down by 3 less than halfway into the game. The ducks ended up outshooting Chicago 17 to 11 in the 2nd period, doing to the hawks what the hawks had done so successfully to other teams - namely pressure the opposition in their own zone, and minimize the number of chances given up.

The hawks powerplay featuring Marian Hossa with Kane & Toews failed again late in the 2nd to take advantage & get them back in the game and headed into the dressing room down 3-0 after 2.

At the start of the third, the hawks came out hard and controlled the puck for the first couple of shifts, but were unable to create many good chances off their possession. The ducks did a good job in getting into shooting lanes and clogging the slot, and also clearing rebounds and preventing the hawks from getting to loose pucks around Giguerre.

The ducks were able to stall the hawks' early momentum by responding with a couple of good shifts of their own that put the hawks back on their heels a bit. The hawks one last powerplay chance midway through the 3rd to try to get themselves back into the game never really got set, and the hawks weren't able to mount any serious threat thereafter.

Overall, the hawks didn't appear to have the same jump that they exhibited in earlier games during the road trip, however, credit is also due to Anaheim for executing a solid game plan & for their special teams play, which was the difference in the game. The ducks were also able to create odd man rushes of their own from quick transitions on turnovers, and their defense was able to keep most of the hawks chances to the outside, giving Giguerre good support, particularly after the first save.

In hindsight, the hawks may have had a letdown after their big win in San Jose and may have taken the 14th place ducks a bit lightly, however Anaheim still features cup winners Perry, Getzlaf, Selanne, Niedermayer, Marchant & Giguerre along with several other good players in Bobby Ryan, Saku Koivu, Ryan Whitney and former hawk, James Wizniewski, who led all duck defensemen with 26:42 minutes of ice time.

The hawks finish off their 6 game circus road trip in LA tomorrow against a Kings team that has struggled as of late, winning only 4 of their last 10 games, most of them on the road, including a 4-1 loss in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, when Jonathan Toews returned to the hawk lineup after missing 6 games due to a concussion, which was the start of the hawks 8 game win streak.

While the hawks have had a successful road trip, if they want to reach the next level and truly become an elite team, they need to respond to relative "turkeys" like today with good bounce back wins in their next game.