Stanley Cup Final vs Bruins: Game 4

(image credit)

Concern and worry filtered through Hawkdom, as the Bruins not only put on a defensive clinic on the biggest stage in hockey, but also completely wrestled away whatever momentum the Hawks had earlier in the series.  Up until the Hawks' first goal in Game 4, they played a staggering 129:14 of hockey without lighting up the lamp.  To say that they needed to score in the worst possible way was an under-statement.  

But who would've thunk this 11-goal fireworks of a game by two of the best defensive teams in the business?    

Game 4 (June 19th 2013)

ESPN ScoreCenter

ESPN Box Score

First Period

Michal Handzus opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal, but credit Brandon Saad for a terrific defensive play and takeaway just inside the Hawks blueline.  He rushed up ice, then slipped the puck to a sweet spot to Tuukka Rask's right, well before the trailing Handzus was even there (yet).

Hawks up 1 - 0.

Andrew Ference dropped to his knees to block a clearing attempt by Saad, and kept the puck in the Hawks zone for the power play.  He tried to dump it back in, deep in the zone, which Saad, in turn, blocked.  The puck ricocheted, and Rich Peverley was Johnny-on-the-spot for a great look on Corey Crawford.

Game tied 1 - 1.

Second Period

Joel Quenneville reunited Bryan Bickell, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane for the top line, after playing on three different lines through Game 3 and each of them struggling to produce.  But produce, they all did in this game.  Toews must've heard my exhortation after that game, and scored his first Stanley Cup Final goal with a perfectly-timed deflection of a shot by Michal Rozsival.    

Hawks up again 2 - 1.

Speaking of that top line, Kane drifted to a sweet spot to left of Rask, and was all by his lonesome with a yawning net for his taking, when a rebound off a Bickell shot found Kane's stick.

Hawks up 3 - 1.

The Hawks have been awesome at taking advantage of line-change miscues by the other team.  But on this play, it was perfectly executed by the Bruins.  They pushed the puck deep in their offensive zone, as Zdeno Chara pinched-in to coral an around-the-boards clearing attempt by Patrick Sharp.  Chara shot softly on Crawford, no doubt to produce the best possible rebound.  That best possible rebound produced, and Milan Lucic punched it home, up close and personal, on Crawford. 

Hawks' 2-goal lead halved, up just 3 - 2.

The speedy Michael Frolick and Marcus Kruger saw a great play up-ice emerging, long before they even reached the neutral zone.  The two speedsters had a jump on four Bruins players, at the top of the circle, to Crawford's left.  Sure enough, they had a two-on-one rush, and they made like Saad and Handzus.  It was a superb second-effort stuff-in by Kruger, past the sprawled Rask who couldn't stretch out any further.

Hawks regained 2-goal lead, up 4 - 2.

In a strange play, Chara's wrister sailed above the net, and took a funny bounce off the boards.  The puck popped up, then bounced off the top of the net, and landed fortuitously for the Bruins.  Crawford had no idea where the puck was, and found himself retreating back to the pipes.  Like Lucic, Bergeron punched home the lucky bounce that their home-ice gifted them with.

Hawks' 2-goal lead, halved once again, up just 4 - 3.

Third Period

Jaromir Jagr and Patrice Bergeron played "catch" along the boards, with terrific hustle and tenacity.  The Hawks played catch-the-mouse, in turn, while Bergeron set himself up perfectly for a one-timer past Crawford.

Game tied 4 - 4.  

The Hawks' special teams featured prominently in this game.  They began the rollercoaster ride with a "shortie," then even their power play got in on the amusement thrill.  Their predictable passing is one issue in their powerless play, and it was the same, really, in this case.  The difference?  Once again, the Hawks were Johnny-on-the-spot for a loose-rebound, punch-in.  Patrick Sharp led all skaters with eight shots-on-goal, and his efforts paid dividends for the home team.

Hawks again up 5 - 4.

The Bruins do not score a whole lot of goals, but this point does not belie their tenacity, talent and many nifty plays on the offensive end.  In this case, Nathan Horton saw Johnny Boychuk slide laterally along the Hawks blueline, closer to the play.  So when he retrieved the puck, it was an instinctively quick, backhand drop-off pass for Boychuk.  What Eddie Olczyk didn't cover in his post-play analysis was that it was actually a give-and-go play, as Horton angled toward Crawford.  He may have distracted our goaltender just enough to help Boychuk blast the puck to the back of the net.  

Game tied, once again, 5 - 5.

Overtime

Hawks fans' experience of this game alternated from fist pumps and yeah, baby, to grrgh and oh, man.  Claude Julien looked unfazed in the post-game press conference, as he matter-of-factly noted that if you were a hockey fan, you had to love this game.  Damn right.  Brent Seabrook cashed-in on a seeing-eye slapshot, blocker side on Rask, from the point, with Toews winning the position battle against Chara right in front.  It was Seabrooks' third goal of the playoffs, and his second super-thrilling overtime winner.  

Hawks win 6 - 5!

A pall suddenly fell throughout the TD Garden, and the crowd was deadly silent.  As the Bruins morosely filed into the locker room, the Hawks celebrated a whale of a game.  Seabrook smiled a big smile of disbelief at his own heroics.  

It was clearly a scorer's game, as the home team battled back, time and time again, to tie it up.  If the NHL didn't have a sudden-death structure, and operated instead like the MLB, that is, finish out an extra period as baseball would with an extra inning, then undoubtedly the Bruins would've tied it up in that fourth period.  Instead, they literally ran out of time.

But despite the Bruin comebacks, the Hawks, who never trailed, where clearly in command of the game from the get-go.  Fate meant for them to win it, and they simply had to follow suit.

The extended game highlights and photos from the NHL Network, plus recap and analysis and photos from ESPN.

See everyone at the rocking United Center, for a sweet home-ice Game 5!  

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD