Chicago Blackhawks: 2011 Begins with Uncertainty

December 31st, 2010 by Tyler Juranovich Leave a reply »
Thursday night's game against the San Jose Sharks ended in 5-3 fashion, but what scared me the most was seeing the Blackhawks blow another close fought game. 

It's been one of the worst story lines of the year. Third periods have been hell for the Hawks. They've given up 47 goals in the third period-easily running away with that award this season. This one seemed to hurt even worse. 

The Hawks scored two very late goals in the second period. Momentum was on their side. It looked like the Hawks would beat the Sharks and former-Hawk, Antti Niemi, for the first time this season. 

As soon as the third began, the Hawks' momentum seemed already gone. The team is missing Jonathan Toews, and the way they played without him Thursday, makes me scared to watch the other six or so games they'll have to play without him. 

Face-offs won is a very underrated stat in the NHl, and Toews has a very high win percentage(59.6). Offensive plays can be completely shattered if your team loses the face-off. Not only does Toews create goals and assists, but he also creates chances from the face-offs he wins. 

With that ...

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