Antti Niemi saved everything but the Titanic on Sunday. He was great again on Tuesday, but he got a lot of help.
The Blackhawks blocked 23 shots, led by Brent Seabrook's six, and Niemi kept 25 of 27 shots out of the net as the Hawks doubled up the Sharks in their building again, earning a 4-2 victory and a 2-0 series lead.
Niemi now has a .945 save percentage after two games, stopping 69 of 72 shots.
While Niemi's strong play has been a theme through the last seven games, so has the Blackhawks getting traffic in front of the net. In Tuesday night's win, the final three Blackhawks goals scored by Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews and Troy Brouwer were all redirected shots.
The scoring continues to spread all over the Hawks roster, as six different players were credited with an assist. Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith each had two assists, while Kris Versteeg, Toews, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marian Hossa each had one.
On the Hawks first goal, Versteeg appeared to have a blow-out at the blue line that looked to open the door for a two-on-one. Versteeg fought his way back to his feet, broke up the rush, and fed the puck to Andrew L ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by TAB BAMFORD
2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Blackhawks Sink Sharks Again, Coming Home 2-0
May 18th, 2010 by TAB BAMFORD Leave a reply »
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