Three Stars: Hawks Fall to Canucks, Lose Tazer and Seabs

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated 3-2 at the United Center by the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night, but the most important loss may not be the one registered in the standings.

Jonathan Toews left the ice after a violent third period hit by Vancouver D Willie Mitchell as Willie came out of the penalty box. Replay clearly showed that the hit was clean (i.e. elbow tucked, no jump involved), and he did not return. Judging by the dazed look on his face, the Hawks could be looking at losing their captain to anything from a concussion to a neck injury.

Another injury of note for the Hawks was that of Brent Seabrook, who left the game after being kicked in the face by a Vancouver skate.

There wasn’t a lot of good to dwell on in this game. Patrick Sharp had a spotty game, missing a lot of passes and illustrating how bad he is at playing the point on the power play. Brian Campbell and Patrick Kane made a key turnover that led to Mikael Samuelsson’s game winning goal in the third period, with their pass being picked off and Campbell inexplicably giving him a wide open lane to work with toward the net.

Antti Niemi looked relatively decent, making some spectacular saves to keep the team in the game, but in the end, the power play stunk, the defense stunk, and the team lost the game.

The Hawks will look to reverse their two-game losing streak when they host Nashville on Saturday night at the United Center.

Here are the Hawks’ Three Stars of the Game:

Third Star: Antti Niemi (28 saves)

Niemi was under siege the entire night from the Vancouver Canucks. The ‘Nucks peppered him with 31 shots, and most of them were on fantastic opportunities that a week defense allowed. Even behind the porous D, Niemi still made some spectacular stops, and kept the team in the game. With an offense only managing 10 shots on goal over the final two periods of the game, it is a small miracle that the Hawks had a chance to win. The multiple dumb penalties in the third period didn’t help matters.

Second Star: Duncan Keith (1 goal, 1 assist)

Duncan Keith: Tonight's 2nd star (photo property of Pam Rodriguez)

Duncan looked absolutely outstanding tonight. Not only did he make some stellar defensive stops on rushes his teammates were allowing with their sloppy play, but he also scored a solid goal from the point in the first period, and also found Troy Brouwer’s stick for a deflection goal in the second. Replays showed his head up the entire way, and he recognized Brouwer’s stick and made the goal happen.

If you’ll indulge an editorial comment, the Hawks need to get Keith under a long-term contract IMMEDIATELY. Thank you.

First Star: Mike Gapski

For those of you not familiar with Mike, he is the Head Athletic Trainer for the Blackhawks. He is in charge of everything related to rehabbing injuries, doling out massages after games/practices, and regulating the temperature of the hot tubs. He is a jack of all trades, and he will need all of the skills at his disposal to hopefully get Toews and Seabrook back on the ice soon. We can only hope.

Tags: antti niemi, Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks, Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, Mikael Samuelsson, Troy Brouwer, Vancouver Canucks, Willie Mitchell