ONE GOAL!: This series could be one for the ages
Trailing 3-1 in the third period of Game One last night, the Hawks displayed the same heart they showed in coming back from a three games to one deficit in the Detroit series and winning it.
First Dave Bolland scored to cut the Boston lead to one. Then Johnny Oduya tied it.
And then- after the fifth longest game in Stanley Cup (and therefore NHL) history- Michal Rozseval took a shot from the point. It hit Bolland, ricocheted off Andrew Shaw, and slipped past Boston goalie Tuukka Rask and into the net.
Final score: Chicago 4, Boston 3 in triple overtime.
The Boston take on the game is hilarious.
The Hawks won with their secret weapon: heart. It's what, I'm convinced, is going to win them the Cup- though I concede that it will probably take seven games. I understand that a writer for USA Today opined the other day that if these two teams played each other a hundred times, each would win fifty.
That's close to the truth. The Bruins and the Blackhawks are the two best defensive teams in the NHL. They have two superlative goalies in Rask and Corey Crawford. The Bruins play a somewhat better physical game; the Hawks have more skill. But a more evenly matched series would be hard to imagine.
This is going to be a heartbreak for somebody. But it will be a whole lot of fun for everybody until that moment comes. And right now, I'm betting that the team with the biggest hearts- the team that plays its home games in Chicago- will be celebrating all summer long.
Game Two- which in many ways will actually be Game Three, last night's contest having been nearly two full games long- will be at the United Center at 7:00 Saturday night.
GO HAWKS!
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