Blackhawks News

Caps win 4-2 against Blackhawks
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October 12
Washington Times
 
"Most of Brooks Laich's 21 goals for the Washington Capitals last season came from deflections, rebounds and other dirty work around the goal mouth. His first this season was of the same variety, and it decided the Caps' first victory of the 2008-09 campaign. Laich's goal snapped a 2-2 tie at 15:33 of the final period in a 4-2 victory Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks in front of a sellout crowd at Verizon Center. Coach Bruce Boudreau, Chris Clark, Alex Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov watched last season's division championship banner being raised. Alexander Semin carried the puck to the net, and Laich's second whack helped it across the goal line. There was no immediate signal for ..."
Caps win 4-2 against Blackhawks
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October 12
Washington Times
 
"Most of Brooks Laich's 21 goals for the Washington Capitals last season came from deflections, rebounds and other dirty work around the goal mouth. His first this season was of the same variety, and it decided the Caps' first victory of the 2008-09 campaign. Laich's goal snapped a 2-2 tie at 15:33 of the final period in a 4-2 victory Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks in front of a sellout crowd at Verizon Center. Coach Bruce Boudreau, Chris Clark, Alex Ovechkin and Sergei Fedorov watched last season's division championship banner being raised. Alexander Semin carried the puck to the net, and Laich's second whack helped it across the goal line. There was no immediate signal for ..."
Caps Win Home Opener
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October 12
Washington Post
 
"The night began with the Washington Capitals raising last season's Southeast Division championship banner to the rafters at Verizon Center. The crowd roared; the players smiled. Then, less than a half minute later, relative silence. The Chicago Blackhawks scored on their first shot against José Théodore, who yielded another of questionable quality about 11 minutes later. Fortunately for Théodore, his less-than-stellar start didn't end up costing the Capitals for a second straight game. The goalie steadied himself and Washington's explosive offense tallied four consecutive goals -- two from most valuable player Alex Ovechkin -- in a 4-2 victory last night before a sellout crowd of 18,277 ..."
Hawks pay per review
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October 12
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The best way to silence a hostile crowd is by scoring early. The Blackhawks did that twice Saturday -- with third-line wingers getting the goals to boot. The early scores by Kris Versteeg and Jack Skille subdued the sellout crowd of 18,277 at the Verizon Center. At least for a while, that is. The goals inspired a more spirited performance from the Hawks, but they couldn't prevent a second straight 4-2 road loss. So the Hawks are 0-2 in a season that started with extremely high expectations. At least the Hawks showed some improvement in Game 2. They blew a 2-0 lead and allowed two goals by Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, but the game really turned on one controversial play. It was 2-2 ..."
Campbell, Kane form a nice duo
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October 12
Chicago Tribune
 
"Brian Campbell is paying some immediate dividends as the Blackhawks' largest off-season investment. The defenseman, who signed an eight-year, $56.8 million free-agent contract in July, flashed his puck-handling skills when he set up the Hawks' first goal of the season with an end-to-end rush in Friday night's 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers in their 2008-09 opener. Campbell, 29, scooped up the puck in the Hawks zone, weaved past two Rangers and, after arriving behind the New York net, banked a pass off the goal to Patrick Kane, who scored from in close. Those two appear to be developing a nice chemistry on the ice that began when they connected during the first shift of the first ..."
Blackhawks can't hold lead vs. Ovechkin, Capitals
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October 12
Chicago Tribune
 
"A lot of promises are made in the nation's capital, and some of them are even kept. The Blackhawks were trying to show a different kind of promise this weekend, one that would establish them as a force in the 2008-09 season. Instead they remain winless after losing to the Washington Capitals 4-2 Saturday night before a crowd of 18,277 at the Verizon Center. The Capitals' Brooks Laich scored the pivotal goal with 4 minutes 27 seconds remaining in the third period and Alex Ovechkin scored twice to help send the Hawks home from an opening weekend on the East Coast with no points. The Hawks dropped their first game 4-2 Friday night to the Rangers in New York. Nikolai Khabibulin, who missed a ..."
Blackhawks suffer stage fright on opening night in NY
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October 11
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Coach Denis Savard made his Blackhawks well aware of the importance of getting off to a good start in the franchise's 81st season. ''The last four Stanley Cup champions -- Tampa Bay [2004], Carolina [2006], Anaheim [2007] and Detroit [2008] -- were 33-6-8 in the first month of the season,'' Savard said. ''That's a statistic that doesn't lie. ''I'm not a numbers guy, but 47 games and only six losses to become champions -- obviously, we need a great first month.'' ''That's any team's goal, and now it's time to make it happen,'' captain Jonathan Toews said. ''We want that confidence right away.'' Well, the first game didn't do the Hawks any good at all. They were soundly whipped 4-2 by the ..."
Coach Savard seeks fast start for Blackhawks
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October 11
Chicago Tribune
 
"Coach Denis Savard believes he knows the right combination to unlocking a memorable 2008-09 season for the Blackhawks: 33-6-8. "The last four Stanley Cup champions—Tampa Bay, Carolina, Anaheim and Detroit—are [a combined] 33-6-8 the first month of the season," Savard said. "That stat doesn't lie; 47 games, six losses [and] you become champions. That's our goal. We want to be champions. For us to be that, obviously we're going to have a great first month." A 4-2 defeat Friday night to the New York Rangers put them in an early hole toward that goal. Savard isn't the only one preaching the importance of a strong start. "It makes such a difference," said Hawks defenseman Brian Campbell, who ..."
Hawks fail to match Rangers' firepower
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October 11
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Blackhawks were in the perfect venue to show the hockey world what they're made of this season. They kicked off their 2008-09 campaign Friday night on one of the biggest stages in hockey, Madison Square Garden, but couldn't overcome the bright lights of the big city as they fell 4-2 to the Rangers before a crowd of 18,200. "We came out to play hard [but] it's simple, we didn't do the things we had to do to win," Hawks center Jonathan Toews said. "At some point they kind of overwhelmed us. It's tough to come out in the first game of the year on the road in this building." The Rangers, who improved to 3-0, got a goal and two assists from Brandon Dubinsky, but it was Nikolai Zherdev's ..."
'Rusty' Rangers Off To 3-0 Start