Raffi Torres Gets His And The Blackhawks Still Haven't Lost A Game In Regulation
Well that was fun. The fight. The win. Anytime Mike Smith gets torched and half of the stadium is Hawks fans while the other half is empty seats. And I was in the “Lets get a win and not worry about “revenge” camp prior to the game but Jamal Mayers going after Torres clearly fired the entire team up. Listening to Kane in between the first and the 2nd you could just hear it in his voice and body language. Intangibles like team chemistry and “toughness” are always difficult to measure and usually reserved for meatballs that want the Hawks to hit more, but that fight last night undoubtedly gave the entire team a boost in both departments. So I’m not arguing with it in the least.
As for the game itself. I know the Coyotes spent the entire first period in the penalty box and that Mike Smith had very little help in terms of defense but god damn is it nice to watch that asshole get torched. Outside of Luongo, a Mike Smith meltdown is my favorite opposing goalie experience in the league. Its just too bad the equipment manager took his stick as he was coming off the ice otherwise we would have gotten the whole Smith effect. For Shame.
Other Quick Notes
-Patrick Kane is absolutely on fire (2G, 1A last night, second in the league in total points). Hart Trophy is completely a legitimate thing to start mentioning.
-Mike Smith in 5 Non-Blackhawk games. 8 GA. Mike Smith in 2 Blackhawk games 12 GA. Again, I love seeing Mike Smith self combust.
-One of the best parts about watching the Blackhawks each night is that Toews will always do something that makes you say “Whoa”. Sometimes its not always readily apparent to the naked eye. Last night though, it was clear as day. He broke Oliver Eckman-Larson’s ankles in half, and probably added an ACL for fun. Or as Pat perfectly put it “He undressed him”.
-Speaking of Pat, did he get dressed in the dark last night? Or was he shooting for the diarrhea colored sports coat?
-Still not as bad as Silent Bob in his garish urine colored Starter jersey.
-And now that I’ve made you look at poorly dressed men, lets finish with something nicer. 9-0-2, feels fucking good.