Canucks and Hawks - Game Three Scoring Chances

Hard to take. Halfway through the second period, the Hawks were up 8-2 in EV scoring chances and 14-2 overall. They hadn't played a perfect game by any means, but for the first time in the series, they were, without question, the dominant team. Joel Quenneville's new defensive pairings were working out splendidly, and the hard-match of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Ben Smith against the Sedins was one-sided in Chicago's favor. The game was going as well as the Hawks could have reasonably expected, save for only having a one goal lead.

Then John Scott took a penalty in the offensive zone, Corey Crawford fell apart for a couple minutes, the Hawks got caught on a bad change with the Sedins on the ice, and the home side was behind. The Hawks did come back to tie, but from that point on the game was relatively even. For whatever reason, the Hawks couldn't get back to their previous form, and when they left the ice having lost a 3-2 decision on a night when they doubled the Canucks' chances, well, it must have felt like the gods were against them. This team couldn't afford to lose a game they deserved to win. But they did. Depressing. Scoring chances and more after the jump.

Scoring Chances

For those who'd like a definition: a scoring chance is defined as a clear play directed toward the opposing net from a dangerous scoring area - loosely defined as the top of the circle in and inside the faceoff dots, though sometimes slightly more generous than that depending on the amount of immediately-preceding puck movement or screens in front of the net. Blocked shots are generally not included but missed shots are. A player is awarded a scoring chance anytime he is on the ice and someone from either team has a chance to score. He is awarded a "chance for" if someone on his team has a chance to score and a "chance against" if the opposing team has a chance to score. Finally, a big thanks to Vic Ferrari for making the whole damn thing possible with his awesome scripts.

Head-to-Head Even Strength Scoring Chances

*Click to enlarge

Yes indeed, this is the story of two games, 14-2 Chicago in the first half, and then 7-6 Vancouver in the second. Credit the Canucks for turning things around, but this was a huge opportunity missed for the Hawks. In terms of chances, I didn't credit Duncan Keith for his goal or Christian Ehrhoff for his on what were surprisingly similar plays. In both instances, the defensive player (Ryan Kesler and Marian Hossa) probably would've been better served to get out of the way, but you can't really get into the habit of doing that on the PK, so it's hard to fault them for trying to block shots. Another interesting tidbit is that Chicago has been awful (and/or Vancouver very good) with the net empty so far, generating no chances in the three games combined, which is probably close to five minutes of game time now.

Prepared in Advance for God's Glory

3. Patrick Kane - It was highlighted repeatedly on the broadcast, but once again, Patrick Kane had a tonne of chances. I'm sure he's frustrated that he hasn't been able to cash, and honestly, he probably should have cashed when he had that chance on the 5-on-3, but he's been the one of the only Hawks consistently creating offensive chances all series long. He looked pretty depressed when they interviewed him after the game, and while character hasn't been a word that's followed him around, I give him a lot of credit for taking personal responsibility for the loss when it would be easy to go halfway throw his teammates under the bus with a comment like, "We're really missing some of the depth we had last year." I think that, many times, it's when the chips are down that leaders show themselves. Patrick Kane played a great game tonight, but he also showed me that he's a strong leader.

2. Jonathan Toews - He did an amazing job in what was an absolutely critical game. Although Toews didn't get many of the best opportunities, he was integral in the creation of several scoring chances by driving hard to the net, or finding teammates with passes right on the tape. He played the vast majority of his ice time at even strength against Daniel and Henrik Sedin, and came out way ahead. Teams often praise goaltenders for "giving the team a chance to win". Tonight, Jonathan Toews gave his team a chance to win.

1. Roberto Luongo - This was, without question, his best game of the series. In the first half of the game, he let just one puck past him, and made several outstanding saves. Already down by one and down two men, Luongo stopped first Patrick Kane with a desperation lunge and then later Patrick Sharp who took a slapper from the slot. His movement and positioning looked excellent, and he didn't fight the puck at all like he had in Game Two. I've mentioned before that I live in Vancouver, and Roberto Luongo is a curious guy here, often praised as the best goalie in the game, and just as often thought of as a useless waste of cap space. I know which one it'll be today.

Objects of Wrath Destined for Destruction

3. Raffi Torres - I didn't notice him make a bunch of mistakes with the puck, and God knows that the guy isn't soft along the boards, but between the ears? Different story. Torres absolutely deserved a five-minute major for his hit on Brent Seabrook, and yet when he was called for a minor penalty, he seemed to think a great injustice was being done. Of course, this comes in (a) his first game back from suspension for a blind-side hit to the head, and (b) after getting a charging penalty earlier in the game. The Hawks went on to score on the power play, but the hit could have easily cost them more. The guy is just dumb. And probably suspended. Again.

2. Corey Crawford - I've been holding off and holding off, but a big difference in this series has been goaltending, and on a night that your team allows just nine chances, you can't allow three goals. You just can't. I know he made some great saves (the standouts for me were the stops on Mikael Sameulsson from point blank range when there were passing options, and Ryan Kesler on the breakaway), but he also had a mini-meltdown in the second (Christian Ehrhoff scores from the blueline, which is followed by Chris Higgins hitting the post from outside the scoring area, and then another goal by Daniel Sedin all within two minutes) and gets at least a tiny bit of the blame for the rebound that led to the Canucks' third goal. In order for this team to win, Corey Crawford needs to be better.

1. Brian Campbell - Garbage. I was convinced that the Hawks would be doing everything they could to rid themselves of Brian Campbell over the summer, and I suppose maybe they did, but if not, they damn well should have. Corey Crawford only gets a tiny bit the blame for that last goal because, although there was in fact a rebound, at least he wasn't the guy who threw the puck blindly into the slot. The Kesler breakaway? Brian Campbell is the guy that got beat on it and then promptly took a penalty after the puck went into the corner just to make sure the Hawks' third period power play wouldn't continue. I am filled with anger because of how terrible this man played.