Chicago Sun-Times

Bruins blank Blackhawks 2-0 in Game 3, take 2-1 Final lead

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:30:57 -0500

No, the mere absence of Hossa — a surprise scratch minutes before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on Monday night after apparently getting injured during warmups — can’t be blamed for the entirety of the Hawks’ 2-0 failure against the Boston Bruins.

TELANDER: Tough position, but Corey Crawford is tougher guy

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:08:01 -0500

BOSTON — Look at Corey Crawford sometime. Like as he gets blasted with the puck, chest-high, by the Bruins’ Andrew Ference early in Game 3 on Monday at TD Garden. Crawford looks like a robot eating shrapnel from a cannon. Would you like that to happen to you once? How about having the equivalent of that shot, times 30, directed at you almost every other night for months on end? And just for kicks, we’ll throw in a triple-overtime game in the playoffs and shoot 54 pucks at you, of which you will stop all but three. No. You wouldn’t …

3 KEYS: To the Blackhawks’ Game 3 loss

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:20:20 -0500

THREE KEYS to the Game 3 loss 1. the loss of 81 Losing a star like Marian Hossa always has a trickle-down effect and losing him during the warmups only compounds things. Coach Joel Quenneville already was planning on altering his lines with Hossa after losing Game 2, but Hossa’s absence led to major changes and odd-looking lines, including Jonathan Toews seeing time with usual fourth-liners Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger. Ben Smith had good moments, but no one replaces Hossa. 2. boston’s 3rd line For the second consecutive game, the Bruins’ new-look third line of Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly …

3 STARS: In Blackhawks’ Game 3 loss

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:22:54 -0500

Patrice Bergeron, BRUINS The center had his best game of the Stanley Cup Final, scoring a power-play goal but also dominating in the faceoff circle. He won 24 of 28 draws, including 19 of 22 in the first two periods. DANIEL PAILLE, BRUINS The winger had his second solid game in a row. In Game 3, he picked Dave Bolland’s pocket and immediately fired in a goal at 2:13 in the second period. COREY CRAWFORd, BLACKHAWKS Some fans will call for Ray Emery, but Corey Crawford (33 saves) is the only reason the Hawks were in Game 3. He withstood …

Hossa injury shakes up Blackhawks’ lineup to no end

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:22:54 -0500

BOSTON — No matter when, where or how Marian Hossa suffered an injury Monday, one thing is for sure — the Blackhawks didn’t look the same without him. Details are sketchy, but Hossa was a late scratch from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Bruins at TD Garden because of an upper-body injury. Coach Joel Quenneville said the injury did not occur during warmups, but Hossa was ruled out with such late notice that his replacement, Ben Smith, did not participate in the team’s warmup. ‘‘[Hossa is] day-to-day. We’re hopeful he’ll be ready for the next game,’’ …

Bruins’ pest Brad Marchand not living up to rep

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:36:52 -0500

BOSTON — Is Bruins instigator Brad Marchand getting to the Blackhawks yet? ‘‘I’m not going to comment on that. Just let it be,’’ Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said Monday prior to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden. But when the subject is Marchand, even Toews can’t help himself. ‘‘He’s doing his job,’’ Toews continued, barely missing a beat. ‘‘We know the style of hockey he wants to play. We’re not going to get into the antics and the things he wants to pull on us out there. [That’s] the best way to control a player like …

Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask continues playoff mastery

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:30:08 -0500

BOSTON — Now the Blackhawks know how the high-powered, star-studded Pittsburgh Penguins feel. And it’s an empty feeling — a goal-less feeling. Goalie Tuukka Rask can do that to folks. Rask posted a 28-save shutout in the Boston Bruins’ 2-0 victory against the Hawks in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on Monday. “He’s been focused since Day 1 of the playoffs,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. Rask shut out Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, James Neal and the rest of the Penguins twice in Boston’s sweep of the Eastern Conference final. He allowed just two goals …

Viktor Stalberg is glad to be back in the mix

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:21:11 -0500

BOSTON — Viktor Stalberg has been frustrated — with his situation, his ice time, his own play. But he knows the quickest way to get out of Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville’s doghouse is to force his way out. Play better, and he’ll play more. “I haven’t had the same role I had in the regular season; sometimes that’s frustrating,” Stalberg said Monday before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. “I also didn’t score when I had that chance in the first series. It’s a give-and-take. I can be better. Hopefully, I’ll be able to come in here and make …

Blackhawks’ Dave Bolland has a game to forget

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:20:20 -0500

BOSTON — Almost nothing went right for Blackhawks center Dave Bolland, the once-acclaimed playoff performer, in the Hawks’ 2-0 loss in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday at TD Garden. Bolland had his stick lifted and the puck stolen from him on the Boston Bruins’ first goal and was five seconds out of the penalty box when they tallied their second. He was 1-for-7 in the faceoff circle and spent six minutes in the penalty box. What did coach Joel Quenneville think of Bolland’s performance? “We’ll reassess and re-evaluate the game,” Quenneville said. It has been an …

MORRISSEY: Power has been turned off during Blackhawks power play

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:21:11 -0500

BOSTON – The night started with the news that Marian Hossa was out with an injury. This being the ultra-secretive NHL, we’ll probably find out what that injury is during the next lockout. From there, things went downhill on an icy slope for the Blackhawks, who looked overmatched in a terrible 2-0 loss in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. If they keep this up, they’ll be watching the Bruins celebrate a title on the United Center ice very soon. The most glaring problem Monday was, again, the Hawks’ power play, which seems more interested in doing acoustic sets. …

Bruins top scorer David Krejci can do it on defense and special teams, too

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:30:08 -0500

Everybody knows about David Krejci’s offensive game. The Bruins center has led the NHL in postseason scoring for most of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs and entered Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final with 23 points (nine goals) in the first 18 games of the posteason. Krejci also led the league in playoff scoring in 2011 and he has twice tied for the regular-season team lead in scoring during his Bruins career. But all those offensive numbers can sometimes overshadow the fact that Krejci is also a solid, reliable defensive player. Observers were recently reminded of Krejci’s responsible play …

Bruins get physical, able to cash in checks for win over Blackhawks

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:24:54 -0500

BOSTON — Earlier this season, when chided a bit for being dead last in the league in hits among everyday players, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane smiled and said, “It’s tough to hit when you have the puck the whole game.” That quip encapsulates the Hawks’ philosophy — a well-timed body check is great, but it’s far better to be the hunted than the hunter. Control the puck, control the game. So it was easy to write off the massive hit disparity in the first period of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. Yes, the Bruins outhit the Hawks 21-8. …

VIDEO: Joel Quenneville on Viktor Stalberg being back in lineup

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:42:01 -0500

Blackhawks coach Joel Quennevilla talks about putting Viktor Stalberg back in the lineup.

Stalberg might replace Bollig for Blackhawks in Game 3

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:30:57 -0500

BOSTON — Brandon Bollig might have cost himself his spot in the lineup when he helped cost the Blackhawks Game 2 on Saturday night. Coach Joel Quenneville said Sunday that benched winger Viktor Stalberg “could play” — which usually means “will play” — Monday night against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. Bollig’s turnover in the Hawks’ zone led to Daniel Paille’s game-winning goal in overtime. Bollig, who acquitted himself well in Game 1, played only 8:42 in Game 2 with two giveaways and no hits or shots. He played on the fourth line with Marcus Kruger and Michael Frolik. …

Blackhawks aren’t averse to adverse situations

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 21:29:12 -0500

BOSTON — The Blackhawks are used to reeling teams in during the playoffs. Over the last four postseasons, they’re 14-14 in Games 1-3 but 19-6 in Games 4-7. They might have hooked a little bigger catch than they bargained for in the Bruins. But the Hawks thrive on adversity. The way they frittered away momentum against the Bruins in a 2-1 overtime loss in Game 2 that cost them home-ice advantage, they seem to depend on it. ‘‘I think it’s a great challenge,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said Sunday at TD Garden, where the Hawks will face the Bruins in Game 3 of the …

Blackhawks look to snap 0-for-3 hex

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:07:19 -0500

BOSTON — It’s not desperation time yet for the Blackhawks, with the Stanley Cup Final tied 1-1. But coach Joel Quenneville wants his team to play like it is. After losing home-ice advantage with a 2-1 overtime loss Saturday night against the Bruins at the United Center, the Hawks will have to win at least once on the road to win the Cup. That’s not a big deal. The Hawks have won at least one road game in their last nine playoff series, including all three this season. But each time, they lost Game 3. ‘‘We played pretty well in …