Hawkey Central

The San Jose Sharks have had enormous success against the Chicago Blackhawks, winning 11 straight against the Hawks going into tonight, and they made it 12.

Even a 5-4 lead at home going into the third period wasn't enough for Chicago to erase that incredible streak, as San Jose scored twice in the final 20 minutes to win a wild one at the United Center, 6-5.

Kris Versteeg, the Hawks' rookie written about previously at Hawkey Central, continued his fine play with two goals to lead Chicago, who adorned their vintage black sweaters.

Brian Campbell and Cam Barker also delivered solid play, each with a goal and two assists.  Patrick Kane also scored - his eighth goal of the season.

Special teams is what ultimately decided the game.  The Sharks were 4-for-6 on the powerplay and both of their third period goals came with the extra man.  The winning goal was scored by Devin Setoguchi with 4:15 remaining in regulation.

The Hawks' pulled Cristobal Huet, who finished with 25 saves, for a last ditch effort in the final seconds but failed to generate any quality scoring chances.

Chicago finished 2-for-5 on the powerplay, failing to keep up with the potent Sharks' attack with 5-on-4 hockey.

Defenseman Dan Boyle scored twice for the teal and black.

It was Chicago's first loss in regulation at the United Center this season.

The Hawks now embark on a six-game road swing, which starts Tuesday night in Phoenix.  They'll also journey to Dallas, Toronto, San Jose, Anaheim, and Los Angeles - in that order - before returning to home ice for a Dec. 3 contest against the Ducks.

Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Brian Campbell are all on the ballot for the 2009 NHL All-Star game, set for late January in Montreal.

Fans can vote their picks for both the Western and Eastern conferences at http://vote.nhl.com.  The top six picks from each conference will be inserted into the starting lineup for the game.  The NHL will make the rest of the picks.

The polls opened on Wednesday, Nov. 12 for fans to begin submitting their choices for the game.  They'll remain open until January 2 at 8:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

So far, it isn't even close in the East.  All Montreal Canadiens.  Alex Kovalev, Saku Koivu and Alex Tanguay EACH lead the next forward by more than 100,000 votes. Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek EACH lead the next defenseman by more than 100,000 votes.  Carey Price leads the next closest goalie by 150,000 votes.

But the NHL said yesterday that it's investigating possible voter fraud.  It has observed signs of automatic balloting, which is strictly prohibited in the rules of the contest.  It'll be interesting to see if any action comes of that, but it may be a reason for the Canadiens' enormous leads.

In the West, it's closer, but the top 3 forwards are Detroit Red Wings right now.  Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Marian Hossa, in that order.  Kane sits in eighth place right now with 40,857 votes.  Toews is not in the Top 10.

At D, Detroit's Niklaus Lidstrom and Calgary's Dion Phaneuf are leading big, each with more than 50,000 votes of the next guy on the list, Detroit's Brian Rafalski.  Campbell is sixth with 30,394 tallies.

In net, Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks leads the next vote-getter, Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks, by more than 70,000 tallies.  And rightly so, he leads the NHL with 5 shutouts.

So who are my picks?

It's obvious the contest has been a popularity contest so far, a get-out-the-vote one at that, and Detroit and Montreal fans are really responding (whether or not they are using some illegal means to do that, it's not known at this time).  And that's sad.

But there's still plenty of time in the voting.  As I said, it goes until Jan. 2.  So hopefully a more realistic team will be developed by then.  Hey, a guy can hope.

In the East, I believe it should be:

Forwards:
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Alexander Semin, Washington Capitals
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres

Defensemen:
Andrei Markov, Montreal Canadiens
Mike Green, Washington Capitals

Goalie:
Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

By the way, Thomas is not even on the ballot in the biggest joke of all time!  He leads the NHL in save percentage and goals against average, and led the Bruins to a 2-1 shootout win here in Chicago a few days ago.  He's currently fifth in the balloting with 24,000 write-in votes...what a farce.  Hopefully that is fixed in time.

In the West:

Forwards:
Marian Hossa, Detroit Red Wings
Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
Teemu Selanne, San Jose Sharks

Defensemen:
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
Brian Campbell, Chicago Blackhawks

Goalie:
Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks

Kane should make the team, anyway, after the NHL weighs in on the final picks.  I'm not sure on Toews.  And I'm sure you noticed another big omission in this post...Patrick Sharp, who is off to a great start.  He's been left off the ballot like Thomas, so he'll need to be written in.

Again to submit your votes the site is: http://vote.nhl.com

The Original 6 match-up had it all: fists flying, sprawling saves, goal posts, a penalty shot, overtime - even a shootout, why not?

Tim Thomas and Nikolai Khabibulin faced a lot of rubber by night's end, combining for 69 saves on 71 shots.  Thomas showed once again why he's the NHL's best netminder to date, and Khaby may be 35 years old, but he proved he has a lot of game left in him.

Chicago outshot Boston 18-6 in the first period but the score was 0-0 after one.  The Bruins outshot the Hawks 8-1 in overtime but the score remained 1-1.  Those were some of the momentum swings the 22,000+ in the United Center witnessed.

It was a relatively quiet night for the red light.  Marco Sturm deflected a Zdeno Chara shot for a powerplay goal in the second; Jonathan Toews deflected a Patrick Kane shot for a powerplay goal in the third.  Patrice Bergeron and Cam Barker picked up assists; end scoring summary.

Those two straight six-goal games for Chicago?  Not against us, you don't, Captain Chara and the Bruins said.  The Hawks experienced a healthy dose of trap, trap, trap, as Claude Julien's squad clogged the neutral zone and took away the speedy Hawks attack for much of the game, minus period one.

"The way they play with the trap, it's kind of like playing the Wild, there's not really much in the neutral zone," Kane told Blackhawks TV after the game.  "Looking back, we probably want to get it deep more instead of on the rush, but we'll get them next time.  We get them again this year."

Patrick Sharp fumbled the rubber on a penalty shot attempt in overtime, after the Hawks successfully killed a Barker penalty in OT.  Talk about some serious extra hockey drama.

Blake Wheeler and Kane converted on their shootout attempts for a 1-1 tie going into the third round.  Dave Bolland was stopped by Thomas, and P.J. Axelsson took care of the rest, with a flashy deke and backhand to give the Bruins the win.

Not the perfect ending for a night that honored Pierre Pilote and the late Keith Magnuson, retiring their No. 3 sweaters to the rafters.  But you can't be unhappy with this point because it came against a very good team, and the Hawks remain unbeaten in regulation at home this year: 6-0-3.

Here's a few videos from the game because I was there tonight...  Enjoy.

Toews goal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NCd2-85ey8

Entire shootout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O44OMyxHZM

Eight games at home this season, eight games with at least a point.

The Chicago Blackhawks put that streak on the line tonight against the hot Boston Bruins, who have been vaulting up the Eastern Conference standings lately.

It'll be no easy to task for the Hawks' to preserve their unbeaten-at-home-in-regulation streak.  Only the Washington Capitals and San Jose Sharks share that stat of the 30 NHL teams at this point in the season.

And goals have come easy as of late, with the Hawks rattling off two consecutive six-goal games, but they likely won't come easy tonight.

Boston's Tim Thomas should get the nod in net, after his back-up Manny Fernandez played in the team's last game this past weekend in Buffalo, a 3-1 Bruins win.  Thomas leads all NHL goalies in goals against average (1.85) and save percentage (.944).

As usual, you might as well flip a coin on whether Nikolai Khabibulin or Cristobal Huet will start for the Hawks.  But in fairness to Chicago, more and more lately, it is starting to use the goaltender carousel as a major asset.

Boston has won three straight and currently sits fifth in the East with an 8-3-3 record and 19 points.  Chicago is winners of four straight at 7-3-3 with 17 points.

One of these Original 6 teams is going to have a streak snapped.  Chicago could have two, as it looks to defend its home ice success.

Expect another sold out crowd for tonight's tilt, which will begin with a Keith Magnuson/Pierre Pilote Retirement Ceremony.  Random Fact: My paternal grandfather used to play hockey with Pilote in Fort Erie, Ontario in the late 1940's/early 1950's before he made it big and to the NHL.  They were only five months apart in age and lived in Buffalo, N.Y. in the early 50's.  My little piece to history, as Pilote of course went on to a spectacular career with the Hawks.

I say Blackhawks 4, Bruins 3 in a shootout.

While the firing of Denis Savard just four games into the season made little sense to me at the time, it's clear that Joel Quenneville has made this an entirely new team - for the better.

They have a new attitude on the ice, a newly-found sense of purpose.  Their record since Coach Q has taken over?  It's now 5-1-2.  Not too shaby, eh?

Players have admitted to the local media that the practices have been more difficult.  They're being worked harder and Quenneville expects more from them all the time.  That's the kind of coach he is.

His record speaks for itself.  He's a coach of victories, and in the win-hungry sports market of Chicago, that's just what the Hawks need.

Their 1-2-1 start out of the gate under Savard wasn't going to cut it. Enter Coach Q.

Quenneville has never had a losing season as an NHL coach.  In fact, in eight of his last 11 seasons as bench boss - with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche - his team has finished the year either first or second in its respective division.

The Hawks are bound to make that stat nine of 12.  There's little question, the way this team is built, that they'd finish lower than 2nd in the division.

Is first up for grabs?  I'd argue, yes.  The team is just three points back of Detroit (18 to 15) and it has a legitimate chance to keep gaining ground with its next four games at home, starting Sunday vs. Calgary.

Perhaps most exciting of all, Quenneville stresses offense from his backend.  He tells his d-man to shoot the puck as often as they can and to keep it moving on both sides of the ice.

Defensemen Brian Campbell, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith alone have compiled 15 points since he's taken over, including five goals.

The Hawks are bound for success with Coach Q at the helm.  In many ways, the team has been reborn with him behind the bench.

That's not a misprint in your Chicago Blackhawks' pocket calendar. Tonight's match-up with the Colorado Avalanche at United Center was the Hawks' only game this week.

Final score was Blackhawks 6, Avalance 2.  Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd each had two goals, while Cam Barker and Troy Brouwer each added one for the Hawks.  Nikolai Khabibulin made 24 saves for the win.  Chicago remains unbeaten in regulation at home this season.

The team is off Tuesday through Saturday before taking the ice again for a game Sunday against Calgary.  Puck drops at 6 p.m. local time.

From earlier:

Tonight begins a 4-game homestand, and the team enters the game with a two-game winning streak, after a 5-2 victory vs. Dallas and 4-3 shootout triumph over Columbus in Ohio.

The Avs (5-6, 10 points) and Hawks (5-3-3, 13 points) played twice in the preseason, splitting those games.  Chicago won 7-4 in Denver before losing 4-3 in overtime at home.

There are still a few tickets remaining to tonight's game per the Blackhawks' Web site.  Start time is 7:30 local time and the first 10,000 fans will receive a Patrick Kane Rookie of the Year figurine.  The game will be broadcast by Comcast SportsNet and WGN radio 720.

Don't want to create something out of nothing, but it's official: long-time NHL sniper Brendan Shanahan is available.  Let the courting begin.

The Hawks were rumored to be interested in Shanny (Red Wing from 1996-2006) when he was an unrestricted free agent the summer of '06, but he opted to sign with the New York Rangers.

With the departure of veteran Robert Lang, the Hawks could certainly use a stabling, experienced presence in the locker room.  Shanahan is 39 years old, but he still produced 46 points (23g, 23a) last year and 62 points (29g, 23a) the year before.  He can still play the game.  And he leads by example.

He was ousted out of the Rangers plans due to salary cap woes.  And logically-speaking, that salary cap is also the reason he wouldn't come to Chicago.

But say the Hawks finally deal one of their goaltenders to free up cap space, and all of a sudden signing Shanny is a realistic option.  They'd be silly to not at least talk to him.

From the New York Post today:

Nearly four months after becoming a free agent, Shanahan is putting himself onto the open market.

"I've told [agent] Rick [Curran] that I can no longer wait and that
it's time to move on," Shanahan told The Post yesterday afternoon.

"Until now, Rick has been under instructions to tell inquiring teams that my focus was on re-signing with the Rangers, and that I was not accepting any other offers.

"That has changed."

Lethbridge, Alberta.  Population 83,960.  A Hawk hails from this hockey hotbed.  He's a 22-year-old winger of Dutch descent.

His name is Kris Versteeg.

And guess who's leading NHL rookies on the scoresheet three weeks into the 2008-2009 season?

Versteeg.

Not heavily-hyped Steve Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning (1 point, 8 games), subject of a mass marketing campaign in central Florida with billboards, commercials, the whole deal.  Not Russian sensation Nikita Filatov of the Columbus Blue Jackets (1 point, 4 games).  Not highly-touted Minnesota product Kyle Okposo of the New York Islanders.  Getting warmer, but just 3 points in 7 games for him.

It's Versteeg, who's compiled an impressive 8 points (2g, 6a) in Chicago's first 9 games.

"I don't try to think about it too much," Versteeg told Blackhawks TV.  "No one ever put any money on me to win this little scoring race thing.  I expect it for myself to have fun with this whole thing and go out there and try to get wins, in that column, worry about that stat more than my personal ones."

Sounds like a good ole' Canadian kid, who rose from humble beginnings in a tight-knit community that just can't get enough of the game of hockey.

Lethbridge - south of Calgary and about an hour, 15-minute drive from the Montana border - has produced 11 NHLers prior to Versteeg, including defenseman Jamie Pushor, who spent time with Detroit, Anaheim, Dallas, Columbus, Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers from 1995 to 2006.  But none have had a start quite like this.

Downtown Lethridge.  Photo by Kim Siever, mymaxwellhouse.ca

It's been a long time coming for Versteeg.  Just to make it to the National Hockey League that is.

At age 16, he was playing for his hometown Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League in 2002-2003.  He recorded a modest 18 points in 57 games.

He upped his performance for Lethbridge the following year, with 49 points (16g) in 68 games.

He upped it again in 2004-2005 with 52 points (22g) in 68 games.

He's a classic case of a kid who just keeps giving it his all, gradually improves over time, and just hopes to crack a shot at the pros someday.

The Boston Bruins gave him that shot, when they drafted him in the 5th round in 2004.

He never saw a game in the classic golden brown sweater, and the Chicago Blackhawks gave him a second shot, when he was traded to the Hawks in 2007 for Brandon Bochenski.

Last year, Versteeg was a continuous scoring threat for Chicago's AHL Rockford Wolves.  In 56 games, he tallied 49 points (18g).  He earned 13 games with the parent club, but could only manage two goals and two assists last year.

He spent the entire summer prepping for 2008-2009.  Now he's not just in the NHL.  He's a legitimate threat.

"You can tell he's excited, coming right in out of training camp," linemate Jonathan Toews told Blackhawks TV.  "He's doing a lot of the same things me and Kaner got to do last year.  You come in, you're excited, and he's making an impact right now."

The list of the league's top rookies at this early stage of 08-09 reads like a promotion for the Western Conference:

1. Kris Versteeg, Chicago, 9 games, 8 points
2. Jakub Voracek, Columbus, 9 games, 7 points
3. Derick Brassard, Columbus, 9 games, 7 points
4. Fabian Brunnstrom, Dallas, 7 games, 6 points
5. Brandon Crombeen, Dallas, 9 games, 5 points
6. Jannik Hansen, Vancouver, 9 games, 4 points
7. Oscar Moller, Los Angeles, 8 games, 4 points
8. James Neal, Dallas, 9 games, 4 points
9. Ryan Jones, Nashville, 7 games, 4 points
10. Kyle Turris, Phoenix, 7 games, 4 points

The first Eastern Conference representative is at No. 13.  Nikolai Kulemin of the Toronto Maple Leafs has 3 points in 9 games.

With Chicago and Dallas playing Friday, what's the chances of Versteeg, Brunnstrom, Crombeen or Neal getting at least one point?  I'd say pretty high.  Close to 100 percent.

But as far as the Lethbridge native is concerned, he could care less.

"Personally, it doesn't really matter to me how any other rookie does in this league," Versteeg said on Blackhawks TV.  "All I care about is the win column for the Chicago Blackhawks, because we've got a great team in here, and once you put yourself before team it will never work out good."

I'm telling you, the Hawks' newest kid is all class.

General Manager Dale Tallon took a risk on July 1st, outbidding other teams for the services of Cristobal Huet.

It sent shockwaves across the hockey world.  Why was Chicago even scanning the market for a goaltender with proven starter Nikolai Khabibulin on its roster?

It wasn't just the move that was surprising - it was the $5.6 million price tag (per year).  That's an awful lot of money for a relatively unproven goalie, who's played on three teams in five years and has yet to really find the right fit.

Let's dissect this further.  The Hawks are nine games into the season now.  They're 3-3-3, on the outside of the playoff picture (yes, it's early, but still), and gearing up for a Friday night match-up with the Stars.

The Frenchman, Huet, is 1-2-1.  The Russian, Khabibulin, is 2-1-2.  For those keeping score at home, that's 3 points for Cris and 6 for Nik.

Khabibulin has the superior save percentage (.919 to .894), lower goals against average (2.53 to 2.72), and the coaching staff has had enough confidence to give him more ice time so far (308 minutes to 243).

Khabibulin's making $6.75 million.  Huet's making $5.6, mentioned earlier - that's starting goaltender money, by the way (a good backup can be had for $1-2 million).  Are the Hawks really going to spend $12 million+ on their goalies?  Is this some kind of a cruel joke?

OK, am I the only one seeing this?  Nikolai, the four-time NHL all-star, two-time Olympic medalist, and the first Russian goalie to win the Stanley Cup...is competing with a 33-year-old struggling to find the right fit in this league, who has never played more than 52 games in an NHL season, who's playoff experience amounts to two series losses?  It doesn't add up.  (Khaby is 29-20 all-time in the playoffs, by the way, with an impressive 2.27 GAA and .922 save percentage.)

There's a lot of talk that Khabibulin will be moved to free up some salary space to allow the Hawks to make a trade or two to give the team a boost in their playoff push.  Maybe Huet should be the one moved.  Maybe he shouldn't have been signed in the first place.  It's a real head-scratcher, and it's obvious his performance with the Hawks so far has not been up to par.

This is a good team.  It doesn't need a goalie controversy looming over its heads.  The best teams in the NHL have a solid starting goalie they can rely on, one starting goalie - not this goaltender caroussel business - think about the teams that have won the Cup the last, oh I don't know, decade or so.

This situation needs to be resolved, and it needs to be resolved quick.  It's just a distraction, and it doesn't need to be.  The players shouldn't have to be looking over their shoulders wondering who's in net one night to the next.  Especially when one goalie is clearly struggling compared to the other.

My recommendation is to unload Huet real cheap - he should have never been here to begin with.  Ottawa needs a goalie.  Give him to them for a draft pick.  Hopefully this mess is resolved sooner rather than later.

Welcome to the first ever Hawkey Central live blog. Hopefully many more to come. Follow all the action tonight right here as the Hawks and Wings do battle in their first of six match-ups this season. The refresh button will be your best friend if you'd like to follow along, and I encourage you to leave a comment or two while you're at it!

10:32 p.m.: That's it, everyone. Hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for stopping by.

10:29 p.m.: It was a back-and-forth game and didn't disappoint for any of the 22,000+ in attendance at the United Center tonight. All in all, Chicago has to be happy with the point and they now have sole possession of third place in the division with 9 points, jumping ahead of Nashville who has 8. Blues, BTW, did win tonight 4-0.

10:24 p.m.: Havlat right to Conks' chest, no goal. Hossa blasts a slapshot into the net, and that's it. Detroit wins shootout, 2-1. Wins the game 6-5.

10:23 p.m.: Sharp goes glove side and he's stopped. Hudler can't score either, kicked away by Khaby. We go to a fourth round.

10:22 p.m.: Five-hole goal for Toews. 1-1 now. Zetterberg poke checked by Khaby. 1-1 after two rounds.

10:21 p.m.: Everyone on their feet. First shooter for Chicago: Kane loses the puck and it sails wide. First shooter for Detroit: Datsyuk beats Khaby high.

10:17 p.m.: Shootout it is. Will start momentarily. Shots were 4-4 in OT, but most were harmless.

10:16 p.m.: Detroit gets the first big chance of OT. Khabibulin foils Kronwall point-blank with a nice glove save. 30 seconds left in the extra session.

10:12 p.m.: We've played 2:45 of overtime so far. No real chances yet. Both teams seem to be playing conservatively. That could spell shootout.

10:10 p.m.: Shots were 11-11 that period; 40-37 Detroit for the game. And we're ready for OT. Puck has just dropped.

10:09 p.m.: END OF THE THIRD PERIOD. CHICAGO 5, DETROIT 5.

10:08 p.m.: Time for some extra hockey. Overtime on its way.....

10:07 p.m.: Wings win the draw and calmly clear the zone. They just got a chance in front of Khaby, but he came up with a big save. 43 ticks to go, faceoff in Chicago end.

10:05 p.m.: The Wings with a textbook penalty kill right there. Man, do they have those fundamentals down to a tee. 1:17 remaining in regulation...icing called on Detroit...

10:02 p.m.: I give up. Brian Rafalski trips Kane and Chicago's back on the PP. Again.

10:01 p.m.: Detroit kills off the remainder of the Hawks' PP. Less than 5 minutes to go. Tension in the air at the United Center now!

9:59 p.m.: Nice to see Kaner having so much success. My mom's cousin owns some rinks in Buffalo and has known him since he was a kid. Says he's a class act all the way.

9:55 p.m.: Big-time players score big-time goals. Here's a perfect example....Fellow Buffalo native Patrick Kane (represent!) pots his fifth tally of the season on the ensuing 5-on-3 and it's 5-5. Never mind my Quenneville comment!

9:54 p.m.: Guess what now? You'll never figure it out. Another penalty for Detroit. Daniel Cleary to the box and it's a Hawks 5-on-3 for 1:23. Think Quenneville wishes he still had that timeout?

9:51 p.m.: You'd think a veteran team would be smarter than this, but it's back to the box for Detroit. Another senseless tripping penalty by Kronwall. 8:48 left in regulation.

9:48 p.m.: And that'll cost 'em too. Khaby was waaay out of the goal, and Jiri Hudler easily slips the loose puck into the open net. Halfway through the third, it's 5-4 Wings.

9:47 p.m.: Nothing going on that powerplay. Chicago kept crashing the net, but to be honest, the team looked really disorganized on that opportunity.

9:45 p.m.: Here's the chance to right their ship. Hawks are back on the PP with 13:44 to go in the third after Kronwall is sent to the box.

9:39 p.m.: That's two goals in a 1:08 to level the playing field again. You just can't ever count Detroit out. Hawks coach Joel Quenneville smartly called a timeout after that last goal to settle the troops down. The Detroit fans are all you can hear in the arena now...

9:37 p.m.: Wow..... They. Are. Good. What a deke by Datsyuk, after a great individual effort and pass by Hossa, and we're all knotted up at 4-4.

9:35 p.m.: And just like that.......screen shot by Nikolas Kronwall and Khaby never had a chance. 4-3 now only two minutes into the third.

9:33 p.m.: We're underway again. Third period just started.

9:30 p.m.: And those games end just as they were. Nashville 5-4 winners. Columbus 2-1 losers. Nashville improves to 4-4 and into a tie with the Hawks (for now), who also have 8 points. C-Bus remains in the Central Division cellar with the loss with 6 points.

9:27 p.m.: Again, a peek at the Out of Town Scoreboard. An update from those games of interest mentioned earlier: 3-0 Blues up on Florida early in the third in St. Louis. Nashville looks to hold off Los Angeles, up 5-4 with a minute left in regulation. Columbus trails Minnesota 2-1 with under a minute to play. I'll keep you posted on those last two games.

9:22 p.m.: Shots were 13-12 Chicago that period; now 29-26 Detroit for the game. No question, the Hawks controlled the play in the second frame. But this is far from over, and no one should expect the Red Wings to lay down and concede in the third.

9:15 p.m.: Nothing going the rest of that powerplay. The end-of-period horn just sounded. The Hawks will take a two-goal lead into the third.

9:10 p.m.: Kane just misses with a second to go in the 5-on-3. That penalty expires...5-on-4 for another minute and a half.

9:08 p.m.: Hossa says, "I want to get in on this penalty business!" 2 for Interference. Chicago will have a 5-on-3 chance for about 30 seconds.

9:07 p.m.: Ben Eager credited with the goal..apparently hit him on the way in. Also, the Wings just took another penalty. Not sure what's going on with them? But Hawks back on the PP, up two with about 4 minutes to go in the second.

9:05 p.m.: The Chicago fans are all over the Wings' faithful now...this place is loud.

9:03 p.m.: Quick faceoff win, a blast by Brent Sopel from the point, and it's in the net. Looks like it deflected on the way in. 4-2 Chicago.

9:01 p.m.: Patrick Sharp with his second shot of the game, and it nearly found the back of the net. Conks snags it out of midair for a nice glove save.

8:56 p.m.: Don't like to see this...for either team. Franzen goes down with an injury - his knee it seems? It didn't look pretty and he's bound for the lockerroom. Hopefully it's nothing serious. 6:55 to go in the 2nd, btw.

8:54 p.m.: Marty Havlat roofs the puck on a SPECTACULAR backhander, regaining the Hawks' lead just after the penalty expired. I don't use caps often, that's a highlight reel goal. 3-2 Chicago.

8:52 p.m.: Chicago back on the powerplay now, as Detroit was caught with too many men.

8:48 p.m.: I'll tell ya, you give the Defending Stanley Cup Champs powerplay opportunities, they'll make you pay. Tic-tac-toe that puck went, one of the most beautiful sights in the sport. Hossa with the goal and Khaby had no chance. 2-2.

8:45 p.m.: Johnson is nabbed for holding. About 13 minutes left in the second and the Wings will give the 5-on-4 bit another go.

8:43 p.m.: The Blackhawks just announced that tonight's attendance is 22,690 - a regular season record for the United Center. How 'bout that?

8:41 p.m.: Khabibulin stops Datsyuk point-blank...looked for sure like it would be a goal. Marian Hossa made that play with a few really nifty moves. Man, is he good.

8:38 p.m.: Did the United Center really just play the Pink Panther Theme Song??? I haven't heard that in ages! Classic.

8:36 p.m.: Defensive breakdown for the Wings. Aaron Johnson beats Conklin five-hole after Brian Campbell started the play in the Hawks own zone. 2-1 Chicago.

8:32 p.m.: Ready to go here for the second. Pavel Datsyuk wins the faceoff for the visitors, and we're off..

8:27 p.m.: A quick glance at the Out of Town Scoreboard. Games of interest to Chicago...The Blues lead red-hot Florida 2-0 early in the second at Scottrade. Blue Jackets trail host Minnesota 1-0 late in the second. Predators were up 3-1, but Los Angeles literally scored just now, it's 3-2 in Nashville late in the second.

8:20 p.m.: Shots finished 17-13 Detroit that period. The Wings dominated the first half of the period and Chicago picked it up as time went on. Odd, you'd think it'd be the opposite because Detroit also played last night, but whatever. Both goalies look sharp. The Blackhawks' young guns need to step it up.

8:15 p.m.: END OF THE FIRST PERIOD. CHICAGO 1, DETROIT 1.

8:12 p.m.: Kane with his first shot of the game with 1:40 to go in the first. A weak shot with no traffic in front of Conklin, he stared it down easily, but at least Pat's on the stats sheet now.

8:10 p.m.: SOG are now 16-9 in Detroit's favor. Chicago's been pouring it on as of late. How quickly things change in hockey. 1:44 left in the first.

8:07 p.m.: Yep. Versteeg cashes in on a rebound after a quick wrister by Martin Havlat for the PP tally. And the place goes bonkers. We've got a game folks. 1-1.

8:05 p.m.: Samuelsson gets two for tripping, and the Hawks PP will do business with 5:07 to go in the first. Remember, this team has been scoring about 20 percent of the time with the extra man thus far this year. I smell a goal...? Or at least a good chance..?

7:59 p.m.: Shots are 14-3 now, but the Hawks do get the kill. Back to 5-on-5.

7:55 p.m.: Kris Versteeg dinged one off the post on a short-handed breakaway! He had open net too, just missed on that chance. Shots 11-3 Detroit, btw.

7:53 p.m.: Tempers are flaring, as a scrum in front of Khabibulin develops. A group of red and white jerseys amassed near the goalie's blue crease when he tried to freeze the puck. Khaby gets the only penalty apparently? The Detroit PP looks to up to 2-for-2.

7:47 p.m.: Hey! Hey! Hawks record their first shot on goal! Jonathan Toews' quick wrister is fumbled by Ty Conklin, but then he covers up. Shots are 5-1 Wings five minutes in.

7:45 p.m.: Mixed crowd as usual. The "Let's go Wings" chants are getting drowned out by the "Detroit Sucks" ones so far, even though it's one-nil for the visitors.

7:40 p.m.: Yeah.... Johan Franzen makes them pay. Just 1:40 into the game, Franzen nets his 5th of the season and it's 1-0 Wings. Nikolai Khabibulin is in nets tonight, BTW.

7:38 p.m.: Uhhh...not the way you want to start. Brent Seabrook is off for tripping 25 seconds into the game. The efficient Red Wing power play units get an early go.

7:36 p.m.: Crowd's buzzing already, as Jim Cornelison does his rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Think they know this is a big game?

7:31 p.m.: O.K., I've done live blogs before elsewhere and I always preface with a prediction. 3-2 Hawks, I say. The crowd will be into it and they'll be ready to play at the United Center tonight, and don't forget Detroit played last night. Really, it's Chicago's first big test of the season if you think about it. Look for veterans like Brian Campbell to stand out and lead the way.

7:28 p.m.: Less than 10 minutes from the puck dropping. Just had dinner, so I'm well-nourished and ready to go. Had some corned beef tonight...I'm sure fellow Buffalo native and Irish-American Patty Kane would appreciate that. Let's see if Hawks fans can appreciate the effort he puts on the ice tonight. Kaner, Toews, and Co. will need to be ready from the get-go against their Central Division rivals.