Blackhawks Lose Twice In One Day

Blackhawks Lose 4-1 and Toews Injured on Hit

Toews Skates to bench holding arm after hit by Orpik!
Source: Dailynewsen.com

Sunday Night the Chicago Blackhawks faced-off against the league rival Pittsburgh Penguins, and played a tough game but could not see too get the puck passed veteran goaltender Marc Andre Fleury.  The Hawks were only able to tally one goal, while the Penguins scored 4, including a last minute empty net. While the Blackhawks were not able to get a win, they also lost their captain Jonathan Toews to a powerful hit into the boards by penguins forward Brooks Orpik. Although the hit sent Toews into the locker room for the rest of the game, there was no penalty's called on the play as it was deemed to be a clean hit. Whether or not Orpik had left his feet during the hit is unknown, but from the angles viewed the hit seems to be perfectly fine. The Hit can be viewed in the video posted below from a Youtube video by "Everything Hockey"







With Toews out for an unspecified amount of time, Kane out for the remainder of the regular season, and Bickell still out for a few games, the Chicago Blackhawks may continue to struggle to find their groove. The Blackhawks are not used to having both of their team leaders out for injury, and it can be assumed the team may not get out of its losing funk until the start of playoffs. Even though the Hawks have clinched a playoff spot, they will not be able to gain home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, and certainly will have a much tougher matchup in the first round (presumably Colorado Avalanche).



The Hawks will host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, which means they will have a few days off to regain the offensive power in which they sustained throughout most of the regular season. While the points for a victory may not play much of a role in the remaining games left, the Hawks certainly need to gain some momentum as they head into the playoffs.