Rivalry Night: St. Louis Blues defeat Chicago Blackhawks
Rivalry Night was last night as the Stanley Cup champs, the Chicago Blackhawks, faced off against the St. Louis Blues. The hype for the game was a little too much, but it turned out to be a great game, especially for the St. Louis Blues. The game was led by St. Louis just about all night, and they pulled through at the last minute to secure the win. Let’s check out the first period.
Apr 25, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) takes a shot as Calgary Flames defenseman Mark Giordano (5) defends during the third period at the Scottrade Center. The Blues defeated the Flames 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
About two minutes into the game, we saw a fight. What is a better way to start rivalry night with a fight? The fight was between Chris Stewart and Sheldon Brookbank. They both got a good number of jabs in, but the fight ended with them both standing. It’s hard to call, but I give the win to Stewart. A little bit later in the first, Marian Hossa turned the puck over to youngster Vladimir Tarasenko, who roofed the shot above Corey Crawford to take a 1-0 lead. Later, Maxim Lapierre took a boarding penalty, which led to a Chicago goal. Patrick Kane received a one-timer that he buried in the early seconds of the power play.
Oct 5, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) moves the puck past Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Eric Brewer (2) during the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports
The second period witnessed two more goals. Alex Pietrangelo took a wicked shot from the blue line, where captain David Backes tipped it in past Corey Crawford to retake the lead 2-1. It was less than a minute into a power play after Bryan Bickell was called for hooking. After the goal, Jaden Schwartz took a hooking penalty that sent the Blackhawks to the power play. 15 seconds into the power play, Patrick Sharp rips a shot from the blue line. The rebound found Patrick Kane at the back door, where he then passed the puck underneath a diving Jaroslav Halak to Toews, who ended the play with the puck in the net.
Apr 25, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues left wing Alexander Steen (20) and Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo (27) wait for a face-off against the Calgary Flames during the first period at the Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports
The third period is where the game was intense. With the game tied in the final period, everyone was on edge. Vladimir Sobotka hit Niklas Hjalmarsson. He slid into the boards awkwardly, but got up. After the hit, captain Toews came to rescue Hjalmarsson and went after Sobotka. The part that amazed me was Hjalmarsson stepped in between Toews and Sobotka. The incident ended in 4 2-minute penalties for roughing. Each team had two players with penalties. Now, the game winner. Alex Steen gets a pass from Pietrangelo and leads a 3-on-1 rush to Crawford. Despite having two players with him, he sends a laser to the net and it goes in. There was 22 seconds left in the game when Steen’s goal hit the net.
The game ended and St. Louis skated away with the win, putting them at 3-0-0. This loss made the Blackhawks 1-1-1. Corey Crawford had 31 saves and Jaroslav Halak recorded 26 saves. Check back into Too Many Men on the Site for all NHL news and breaking stories.