Extended Morning Snapshots 02/06

Hey everybody, I'm back! Here's a longer than usual look at yesterday's news around the NHL.

• Goals from Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa less than four minutes apart in the second period were all the Blackhawks would need last night against Los Angeles, winning game one 2-1. This series has been billed by many (including myself) as a battle of styles, and that was very evident after the first period, in which the Hawks outshot the Kings 17-2, yet were down 1-0.
•  Justin Williams got the opening goal after a bad series of misplays between Chicago goalie Corey Crawford and forward Dave Bolland when the latter shot the puck directly off Williams's stick into the net. It was the only one that would get past Crawford all night however, as he finished with 21 saves on the night. His counter-part in the LA net Jonathan Quick was excellent all night making 34 saves, many of the spectacular variety, but the two that got past him were enough for this team to lose. 
• Sharp's goal was his league leading 8th of the post-season, while Hossa got his 6th. The Blackhawks are rolling now, having won four in a row. An interesting stat: Los Angeles has now lost seven straight 2-1 games in the playoffs, stretching back to the 2012 post-season.
• Tuukka Rask stood tall for Boston last night, recording his first career playoff shutout as the Bruins beat Pittsburgh 3-0. David Krejci scored two goals, including the game winner, to push is post-season leading point total to 19 in 13 games. The Bruins outplayed the Penguins all over the ice, winning the faceoff battle, outhitting them and shutting down their top stars.
• Speaking of whom, it was a particularly frustrating night for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. They finished a combined -5 with 10 shots on goal and 9 penalty minutes.. While Malkin's frustrations boiled over into a fight with Patrice Bergeron, Crosby got into a heated exchange of words with Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. Crosby didn't stop there, as he was yapping to the refs all night and even took a penalty with less than two minutes to play, negating any chance of a comeback. All three know they can and must be better in game two for the Penguins to have a chance. 
• Everyone knew that Matt Cooke was going to be a target of intrigue going into this playoff series, given his history against the Bruins. He added fuel to the fire after a nasty boarding penalty against Adam McQuaid in the second period. Though Cooke isn't completely at fault as McQuaid saw him coming and turned his back, he still did nothing to slow down and hit McQuaid squarely in the numbers and into the boards. Cooke received a five minute major, a game misconduct, and may be facing supplemental discipline as well. I'm sure many Bruins fans will be quite happy if he's gone for the series, which is entirely possible.
• One last note about the Penguins/Bruins game was how poor netminder Tomas Vokoun looked on the three goals he allowed. He can't take all the blame, as Pittsburgh's coverage in their own zone was abysmal, yet it has increased speculation that Vokoun will be replaced with Marc-Andre Fleury. Personally, I think Vokoun has been great and he should get at least one more game before they make any kind of switch. 
• Let's move away from last night's news and look at what's happening in New York, as the Rangers are trying to focus on their coaching vacancy after John Tortorella was fired. The Rangers have been granted permission from the Toronto organization to talk to Marlies coach Dallas Eakins about taking over, and have also been eyeing former Canucks bench boss Alain Vigneault. The most interesting name to come up though is Mark Messier. The former New York captain and hall of famer has been approached to coach the Rangers in the past, and appears to be showing interest once again.
• Sticking in New York, it's been announced that captain Ryan Callahan and forward Carl Hagelin both underwent surgery last week to repair torn labrums in their left shoulders. The duo combined for 11 points in 12 post-season contests while playing with these identical injuries. 
• Lastly, a few small signings to note, as the Winnipeg Jets have signed their 2011 fifth rounder forward Austen Brassard while the Edmonton Oilers have dipped into the KHL to sign defenseman Anton Belov. 20 year old Brassard has scored 147 points to go along with 288 penalty minutes in 246 OHL contests and now moves into the pro ranks. Belov is a huge (6 foot 4) 26 year old that scored 9 goals and 17 assists for Omsk last year, and also played for team Russia in the IIHF World Championships. He is expected to challenge for a roster spot next year in Edmonton. 

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My apologies for not having any updates for the last couple of days on the blog. I try not to use the blog as my own personal forum, I try to focus more on providing you readers with quality NHL news, but I can't be silent about this. My adopted country, Turkey, has been going through some rather difficult and sensational events in the last few days, and it's been hard to find time to write. The internt and social media has been blocked for many people in the country and I've had problems getting online. For anybody who would like information about how the events have unfolded here, I encourage you to check out showdiscontent.com to learn more. A warning that many images on that link are NSFW. Also, check out the twitter hashtag #occupygezi to get the newest info, and find out how you can help. Thank you.

However, this is a hockey blog after all, and I shouldn't leave without giving you all your daily gif! Here's Dave Bolland absolutely rocking Mike Richards with a hit from last night's Hawks/Kings game: