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"Sports Quote of the Day"
"I believe there's an inner power that makes winners or losers. And the winners are the ones who really listen to the truth of their hearts." ~ Sylvester Stallone, Actor, Screenwriter, Director and Producer
Trending: 2016 World Series Champions, The Chicago Cubs. It was a hundred and eight year journey but we made it, 1908 to 2016. Never give up, never give out and never give in. Why? Because you're a winner and everyone loves a winner!!!!!
Trending: Corey Crawford stellar again as Blackhawks smother Avalanche. (See the hockey section for Blackhawks updates and NHL news).
Trending: Mid-year musings: Some stories ending, some starting with Bears at the break. (See the football section for Bears News an NFL updates).
Trending: Bulls' fast start drawing attention around the NBA. (See the basketball section for Bulls news and NBA updates).
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6G
CUBS: Jason Heyward's speech spurs Cubs during World Series Game 7 rain delay. What's Your Take?
By Nancy Amour
Jason Heyward celebrates after the Cubs won the World Series, beating the Cleveland Indians in Game 7. (Photo: Ken Blaze, USA TODAY Sports)
As the Chicago Cubs trudged out of the dugout and back toward the locker room to wait out the rain delay, Jason Heyward herded his teammates into a tiny weight room.
The Cubs had blown a three-run lead, and momentum would be squarely in the
With his teammates surrounding him, Heyward began to speak. He’s a quiet man, Heyward, preferring to let the other veterans be the vocal leaders in the clubhouse. So when he does speak, his words have a gravity that commands full attention.
“I just wanted them to remember how good they were, how good we are,” Heyward said as his teammates sprayed champagne around him following Chicago’s historic 8-7 win Wednesday night. “Know how proud of them I was and that I loved them. That I mean it from the bottom of my heart.”
Looking around the room, Heyward said that every single one of them had played a part in bringing the Cubs to this point. Whether it was soon-to-be NL MVP
They had everything they needed to win, Heyward said, so long as they believed in each other and played for one another.
“He spoke up and said this is about your teammates,” David Ross said. “He just said, `We’re the best team in baseball for a reason. Continue to play our game, support one another. These are your brothers here, fight for your brothers, lift them up, continue to stay positive. We’ve been doing this all year so continue to be us.’
“It was a great message,” Ross said, “and well said.”
By the time Heyward was finished speaking, several of the Cubs were in tears.
“We all vented. We all felt we had to say things that were on our mind, just get it off our chest,” Russell said. “We reached new levels. Grown men talking about that stuff, it doesn’t happen. The fact we did it here in the World Series, I really respect everyone for that.”
As Heyward looked around the room, he could see the mood shift and sense a new determination in his teammates.
They had won two games just to get to Game 7,
“Now we are here and we can do this,” Contreras said. “We’ve got this.”
The rain shower was brief, only causing a delay of 17 minutes. But it was long enough for the Cubs to get their minds right.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen but I knew we were ready to do what we did,” Heyward said.
After Russell was walked intentionally, Montero gave the Cubs an insurance run with a single.
“It was,” Rizzo said, “the best rain delay of all time. It kind of settled us down, got us regrouped.”
The Cubs still had to close out the bottom of the 10th and Cleveland clawed back one of the runs. But this was Chicago’s game to win, and they knew it.
“We came back from 3-1 deficit against a really good pitching staff and a really good team,” ace
Players often say titles are won when no one is watching, through the work they put in off the field and in the weight room. Never has that been more true.
Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Take: We've said it since last year. Everyone kept saying the Cubs were going to win the World Series in 2015 because of the movie, "Back to the future". They fell one series short when they were swept by the Mets in the 2015 NLDS. It was a good run but we just felt a little more experience and a little more seasoning would do the trick. We said at the beginning of the 2016 season that the Cubs were going to win the World Series. It's so stated in our blog archives throughout the year. Well it happened and it's not over yet. They still have a couple of more championships in them in the next few years. Yep, that's our story and we're still sticking to it. "Wait until next year" use to be the Cubs' sarcastic battle cry, now it's one of excitement and anxiety; we can't wait for them to start playing and winning again. The tone has been set, the Billy Goat Curse, the Black Cat on the infield and the Steve Bartman fiasco are now all history. Better days loom ahead and one thing is for sure, we won't have to wait another 108 years for a World Series championship.
As usual, we've said it and we're sticking to it. What's Your Take? Please go to the comment section at the bottom of this blog and share your thoughts with us. We love and appreciate hearing from you as we respect and appreciate your take.
Thanks in advance for your time and consideration.
The Chicago Sports & Travel Inc./AllsportsAmerica Editorial Staff.
Chicago to hold World Series Parade Friday. (3 million + expected).
By John Byrne
The city will honor the World Series champion Chicago Cubs with a Friday parade, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said today.
The mayor, speaking shortly before noon at an unrelated event, said the parade will be held "around this time." Specifics are being worked out "as we speak," he said.
Emanuel said there will be "a parade to stand the test of time."
The mayor had no specifics on the route, telling reporters "just stand in the middle of the street somewhere and you'll see it."
Asked whether the Chicago River will be dyed blue, he said he would like to do that, but wasn't certain if it would work. "I want to do a lot of things," Emanuel said.
The city had been planning to hold a parade on Monday if the Cubs won Game 7, but the team asked to move it up to Friday, a City Hall source said.
The mayor's comments came at an unrelated economic development announcement on the South Side. Wearing a Cubs championship hat that he said he grabbed on the field during the celebration in Cleveland, Emanuel repeatedly pleaded for understanding, noting he only got 1 1/2 hours of sleep after getting back to Chicago.
"Where am I, and how did I get here?" he joked at one point, adding that he forgot his kids' names at a parent-teacher conference at school Thursday.
Parade Update: Cubs parade details announced: 11 a.m. start time at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs on Wednesday night edged the Indians in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series and thus claimed the championship for the first time since 1908. That, of course, entitles the Cubs to a parade for the ages.
Here are the details on that championship parade that will wind through downtown Chicago ...
What: The Cubs' 2016 World Series parade
When: Friday, Nov. 4, starting at 11 a.m. CT
Where: The parade will start at Michigan Avenue and Oak Street in downtown Chicago and work its way to Grant Park, where a rally will be held starting at noon local time. Here's a look at the parade route:
Live stream: CBS Chicago
If you're going to the parade in person (or, alternatively, trying to avoid it altogether), then here are a few things to keep in mind ...
Cubs young core delivers a World Series and a blindingly bright future.
By JJ Stankevitz
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Albert Almora scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning of Game 7 of a World Series, but wasn’t quite ready to celebrate immediately after he touched home plate. That’s because he wanted to be 100 percent sure he, indeed, touched home.
“You never know with this whole replay, the last thing you want to do is go back in history and be remembered as that guy, you know,” Almora said. “I went back, tagged home plate and then I started celebrating.
“… I’m bleeding somewhere. I don’t even know what happened. I almost had a heart attack. But it was awesome.”
Consider the ages of some of the biggest contributors to the Cubs’ 8-7 win over the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday: Almora and shortstop Addison Russell (who had an early go-ahead sacrifice fly) are 22; designated hitter Kyle Schwarber (who went three for five and started that 10th inning rally with a single) and second baseman Javier Baez (who homered off Corey Kluber) are 23; catcher Willson Contreras (who delivered an RBI double) and third baseman Kris Bryant (who scored twice thanks to some aggressive, instinctual base running) are both 24. And first baseman Anthony Rizzo is 27 years old, while Game 7 starter Kyle Hendricks is 26.
“They’re so young, and I really don’t think they understand what they just accomplished,” left-hander Jon Lester said. “I don’t think they’ll understand it until they get a little bit older.”
Catcher David Ross said that youth may have actually paid off for this team in their fight to erase a 3-1 series deficit and win the franchise’s first World Series in 108 years.
"I think that's why they did it,” Ross said. “They don't know. They know to go out there and play baseball. They're really, really good. You have a lot of successful, young, talented players that have been successful their whole careers that are on the field and they expected to succeed and I think that's what you saw. There's not a whole lot of guys talking about what's happened in the past. They're looking to the future and the future is bright with that group."
Eight years ago, Joe Maddon managed a young Tampa Bay Rays care to the World Series — which they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies — but never made it back to to the World Series after that. The average age of the Rays' position players that year was 27; the average age of the Cubs' position players in 2016 was 27.4.
Reinforcements were out of the question for the small-market Rays, though. Tampa Bay made it back to the playoffs three more times under Maddon after reaching the World Series but never advanced past the American League Division Series, slowly unloading parts who commanded high-priced contracts until, after Maddon left following the 2014 season, only third baseman Evan Longoria remained from that original core.
The Cubs, though, have the resources to augment and bolster their roster — as they did with the acquisitions of Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and John Lackey after the 2015 season — while keeping that young core that was so critical in the World Series intact.
“There is a better chance of keeping them together just based on finances, whereas back down there (with Tampa Bay) we didn't have the same opportunity to keep that group together, which I've often lamented,” Maddon said. “Had you been able to keep that group together, what it would eventually look like — I thought it could have rivaled the Yankees' run with that kind of group that had come up in the mid-90's or late 90’s.”
For some of the veteran members of the Cubs, seeing how all that youth coalesced into a World Series title without any of them having been on this stage before was incredible, but it was also just the tip of the iceberg.
“I think for all the young guys to get their first taste of the World Series and to perform as well as they did in this moment, I gotta believe their confidence is sky-high,” left fielder Ben Zobrist said. "It's going to be more than ever next year, and I look for even better things from this team next year with all the ability and now the experience that you have with all the young players.”
It’s a scary thought for the rest of baseball that the Cubs feel like they have nowhere to go but up after putting themselves atop baseball on Wednesday. But with a World Series of experience under their belts, in which on the whole the moment wasn’t too big for any of the 20somethings on this team, that’s where the Cubs stand as the best and most powerful franchise in baseball.
“This is it,” Bryant said, smiling and shaking his head. “This is what you dream for. I mean, I made the last out of the World Series.”
Cubs' aggressive approach on bases had huge impact in World Series Game 7 victory.
By Dan Hayes
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Whenever he faces uncertainty, Cubs third-base coach Gary Jones likes to be aggressive with his decision-making.
Not sure if you picked up on it from the broadcast, but the outcome of Game 7 of the World Series on Wednesday night was in question until the final out was recorded.
True to form, Jones pushed Cubs runners on the base paths and it was one of many reasons they outlasted the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in 10 innings at Progressive Field. Thanks in part to Jones’ assertive sends and fantastic base running by Kris Bryant, among others, the Cubs completed an improbable comeback from a 3-1 deficit to win the World Series for the first time since 1908.
“We were just trying to push runs across,” Jones said. “A good friend of my friend in this business told me about coaching third base -- when in doubt be aggressive. I was just trying to be aggressive.”
Aggressive probably doesn’t do justice to how much the Cubs pushed it on the base paths.
It’s nothing new for the 2016 Cubs, who ranked sixth in the majors in the percentage of extra bases taken with 43 percent, according to baseball-reference.com.
Bryant began the team’s hardline tactics on the bases when he raced home in the fourth inning ahead of Rajai Davis’ high throw on a sac fly to put the Cubs ahead 2-1.
Bryant and Jones discussed all the possibilities prior to Addison Russell hitting a fly ball to shallow center. With the score tied at 1 and Corey Kluber on the mound, the Cubs wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Bryant took off even though Davis was only 212 feet from home when he caught the ball, according to MLB.com’s Statcast. Though Davis’ throw home registered 88 mph on the radar gun and was mostly accurate, it was high and Bryant safely slid under the tag of catcher Roberto Perez.
“In a normal game I don’t think you’d ever go on that,” Bryant said. “But given that it’s the playoffs, you want to put pressure on them. Fortunately, it was a high throw and I finally figured out how to keep my foot down when I’m sliding. I haven’t had the best results when I’ve slid, but that was perfect.”
It was Bryant’s perfect form an inning later that allowed him to once again score on an impressively instinctive play. Despite the presence of left-hander reliever Andrew Miller on the mound, Bryant managed to get a gigantic secondary lead on a 1-2 pitch to Anthony Rizzo -- a whopping 30 1/2 feet. Rizzo ripped a 1-2 slider from Miller to deep right field and Bryant read it and raced from first to third fast enough (5.413 seconds) that Jones had no choice but to send him home. By the time he scored to put the Cubs ahead 5-1, Bryant produced his fastest first-to-home plate time (8.68 seconds) ever, according to Statcast.
“For a big guy he runs really, really well,” Jones said. “I just knew he was off and running on the pitch and the ball was in the corner. The right fielder did a good job of cutting it off, but Kris, to his credit, he kept running hard and put himself in position to score. I always tell guys, ‘Keep running. Make me stop you.’ He did a hell of a job with that tonight.”
Bryant, who finished the postseason with three home runs, a .908 OPS and 11 runs scored, doesn’t think he’s ever run faster. Informed of his time from first to home, Bryant was surprised.
“Wow,” Bryant said. “What? … This is the game where you had to turn on everything, you had to give it all you’ve got. I was scoring no matter what on that one.”
The Cubs still had more aggression to give and they needed every ounce.
After reaching on a fielder’s choice in the ninth inning, Jason Heyward stole second base off Yan Gomes and raced to third when the throw went into center fielder. With the score tied at 6, Heyward was in position to score the go-ahead run until Francisco Lindor’s fantastic defensive play on Dexter Fowler’s soft liner ended the inning.
But the Cubs kept pushing and it paid off in the 10th inning.
Kyle Schwarber singled to start the winning rally after the game was delayed for 17 minutes by rain. Albert Almora Jr. ran for Schwarber, who was thrown out stretching a single into a double in the third inning. Almora didn’t waste his opportunity as he tagged up on Bryant’s fly out to deep center and easily moved into scoring position.
“I knew it wasn’t going to be a homer and I knew it was going to be deep enough for me with my speed to get there,” Almora said. “I tested it. I said I’m going to go. If they made a perfect throw and threw me out, so be it. But I was going to take my gut instincts and go for it.”
The gamble paid off as Indians manager Terry Francona intentionally walked Rizzo with first base open to set up Ben Zobrist’s game-winning RBI double down the left-field line. Jones’ decision to send Almora was much easier on that play. Afterward, Jones was satisfied with his players’ efforts and how they impacted one of the greatest games in baseball history.
“We’re not a big stolen base team, but we pride ourselves on running the bases really well,” Jones said. “You don’t have to be a big stolen base team to go first to third and tag up on fly balls. Just running the bases hard and we’ve been doing it well all year.
“This is outstanding.”
Dexter Fowler no longer has unfinished business with Cubs.
By Tony Andracki
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Dexter Fowler did what he set out to do.
In the press conference after he made his surprise return to the Cubs in spring training, Fowler said he came back because he had unfinished business to tend to.
If Cubs fans had a bad taste in their mouths after the way the 2015 season ended at the hands of the New York Mets power pitching, just imagine what it must've felt like for Fowler and the Cubs players who believed they were destined for glory.
In the first week of spring training, the news came out that Fowler — the catalyst setting the table at the top of a relentless Cubs lineup — was signing with the Baltimore Orioles.
Even guys in the Cubs clubhouse like Anthony Rizzo were texting Fowler congratulations on the new contract.
For nearly two days, Fowler didn't answer Rizzo or any of his former teammates.
Then he walked up the path at the Cubs spring training complex alongside Theo Epstein, creating a magical moment six weeks before the Cubs even played their first regular season game.
It was the moment that made Billy Williams believe the 2016 Cubs were destined for history.
Fowler met with the media after that awesome moment, unable to stop grinning from ear to ear, and explained how he turned down a multi-year deal to sign a one-year tender (with an option for 2017) because he had more he needed to accomplish with the Cubs.
Early Thursday morning in Cleveland, that business has now been completed.
Fowler was at the forefront, becoming the first player in baseball history to lead off a winner-take-all Game 7 with a home run, taking Indians ace Corey Kluber deep to center field to put these Cubs on a path toward immortality.
"It's a blessing," Fowler said. "It's a blessing, to say the least. We're World Champions. We're World Champions. It hadn't been done since 1908. We're excited to make history."
Throughout his sessions with the media in the Cubs' champagne- and beer-soaked clubhouse at Progressive Field in the wee hours of Thursday morning, Fowler kept saying that one line over and over again — "We're World Champions."
It was as if it hadn't yet set in for him.
Hell, it hadn't set in yet for reporters, either.
Before he disappeared back into the foray of celebration, Fowler had to drop the line just one more time.
"I don't know [what's next]," he said. "I'm gonna take this. I'm gonna sit down and take a deep breath and realize that we are the 2016 World Champions."
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Corey Crawford stellar again as Blackhawks smother Avalanche.
In the press conference after he made his surprise return to the Cubs in spring training, Fowler said he came back because he had unfinished business to tend to.
If Cubs fans had a bad taste in their mouths after the way the 2015 season ended at the hands of the New York Mets power pitching, just imagine what it must've felt like for Fowler and the Cubs players who believed they were destined for glory.
In the first week of spring training, the news came out that Fowler — the catalyst setting the table at the top of a relentless Cubs lineup — was signing with the Baltimore Orioles.
Even guys in the Cubs clubhouse like Anthony Rizzo were texting Fowler congratulations on the new contract.
For nearly two days, Fowler didn't answer Rizzo or any of his former teammates.
Then he walked up the path at the Cubs spring training complex alongside Theo Epstein, creating a magical moment six weeks before the Cubs even played their first regular season game.
It was the moment that made Billy Williams believe the 2016 Cubs were destined for history.
Fowler met with the media after that awesome moment, unable to stop grinning from ear to ear, and explained how he turned down a multi-year deal to sign a one-year tender (with an option for 2017) because he had more he needed to accomplish with the Cubs.
Early Thursday morning in Cleveland, that business has now been completed.
Fowler was at the forefront, becoming the first player in baseball history to lead off a winner-take-all Game 7 with a home run, taking Indians ace Corey Kluber deep to center field to put these Cubs on a path toward immortality.
"It's a blessing," Fowler said. "It's a blessing, to say the least. We're World Champions. We're World Champions. It hadn't been done since 1908. We're excited to make history."
Throughout his sessions with the media in the Cubs' champagne- and beer-soaked clubhouse at Progressive Field in the wee hours of Thursday morning, Fowler kept saying that one line over and over again — "We're World Champions."
It was as if it hadn't yet set in for him.
Hell, it hadn't set in yet for reporters, either.
Before he disappeared back into the foray of celebration, Fowler had to drop the line just one more time.
"I don't know [what's next]," he said. "I'm gonna take this. I'm gonna sit down and take a deep breath and realize that we are the 2016 World Champions."
How 'bout them Chicago Blackhawks? Corey Crawford stellar again as Blackhawks smother Avalanche.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
After Corey Crawford allowed just one goal against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, he said he’s felt better every game.
He apparently felt fantastic on Thursday night.
Crawford recorded his second shutout in his past three games, stopping all 38 shots he saw, and Marian Hossa scored twice in the Blackhawks’ 4-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. The Blackhawks won their fourth consecutive game and have points in their last six (5-0-1). Jonathan Toews scored his second goal of the season, which proved to be the game winner.
Artem Anisimov had the secondary assist on Hossa’s goal, extending his career-best, nine-game point streak. Duncan Keith had two assists. Artemi Panarin scored his fifth of the season with 7:20 remaining in regulation.
It was another stellar night for Crawford, who has now stopped 103 of the 104 shots he’s seen in his past three games. He was once again tested early and often, but held up under the pressure as the Blackhawks were outshot 11-1 in the first 12 minutes, 47 seconds of the game.
“He’s been outstanding,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Again tonight, the first period comparable to the last few first periods we’ve seen, where he’s kept us in the game and we’ve had opportunistic scoring and put ourselves in a good spot. but single-handedly there, he made some big, big saves.”
It has become a trend for the Blackhawks: struggle and get outshot badly early, then come back with a flourish. Tonight it was two goals in 38 seconds, first by Toews (a rebound off Keith’s shot) and Hossa’s first of the night. And just like that, the Blackhawks were in control.
Crawford again came up big late in the second period, when the Avalanche again pushed the pace and brought a flurry of shots.
“I was just trying to track the puck,” Crawford said. “Our [defensemen] are doing a good job of being on the side of the net, clearing stuff and taking away options on the side there. I just have to try to find the puck from the blue line and our guys are doing a great job with that on the rebounds.”
Hossa scored his second of the night, splitting two Avalanche defensemen off a great pass from Keith, for a 3-0 lead 55 seconds into the third period. Hossa, who certainly benefited from a rare long offseason, has five goals through his first 10 games.
“You know, sometimes when the puck goes in for you early you’re more relaxed. You don’t force things. Right now I think that’s what’s happening,” Hossa said. “I’m playing with two great players (Anisimov and Panarin). Find the open area and those guys can find you. Things are clicking.”
The Blackhawks are sort of clicking, too. Those starts are still an issue; the Blackhawks are not going to be able to win every game they’re slow out of the game. But right now they’re getting what they need from their top six forwards, and getting a ton from their goaltender.
He apparently felt fantastic on Thursday night.
Crawford recorded his second shutout in his past three games, stopping all 38 shots he saw, and Marian Hossa scored twice in the Blackhawks’ 4-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche. The Blackhawks won their fourth consecutive game and have points in their last six (5-0-1). Jonathan Toews scored his second goal of the season, which proved to be the game winner.
Artem Anisimov had the secondary assist on Hossa’s goal, extending his career-best, nine-game point streak. Duncan Keith had two assists. Artemi Panarin scored his fifth of the season with 7:20 remaining in regulation.
It was another stellar night for Crawford, who has now stopped 103 of the 104 shots he’s seen in his past three games. He was once again tested early and often, but held up under the pressure as the Blackhawks were outshot 11-1 in the first 12 minutes, 47 seconds of the game.
“He’s been outstanding,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “Again tonight, the first period comparable to the last few first periods we’ve seen, where he’s kept us in the game and we’ve had opportunistic scoring and put ourselves in a good spot. but single-handedly there, he made some big, big saves.”
It has become a trend for the Blackhawks: struggle and get outshot badly early, then come back with a flourish. Tonight it was two goals in 38 seconds, first by Toews (a rebound off Keith’s shot) and Hossa’s first of the night. And just like that, the Blackhawks were in control.
Crawford again came up big late in the second period, when the Avalanche again pushed the pace and brought a flurry of shots.
“I was just trying to track the puck,” Crawford said. “Our [defensemen] are doing a good job of being on the side of the net, clearing stuff and taking away options on the side there. I just have to try to find the puck from the blue line and our guys are doing a great job with that on the rebounds.”
Hossa scored his second of the night, splitting two Avalanche defensemen off a great pass from Keith, for a 3-0 lead 55 seconds into the third period. Hossa, who certainly benefited from a rare long offseason, has five goals through his first 10 games.
“You know, sometimes when the puck goes in for you early you’re more relaxed. You don’t force things. Right now I think that’s what’s happening,” Hossa said. “I’m playing with two great players (Anisimov and Panarin). Find the open area and those guys can find you. Things are clicking.”
The Blackhawks are sort of clicking, too. Those starts are still an issue; the Blackhawks are not going to be able to win every game they’re slow out of the game. But right now they’re getting what they need from their top six forwards, and getting a ton from their goaltender.
Marian Hossa surging: Five Things from Blackhawks-Avalanche.
By Tracey Myers
(Photo/csnchicago.com)
Tonight’s theme is, “stop if you’ve heard this before.”
If you’ve watched the Blackhawks lately, you’ll know what we mean by that as you go through this story. A few trends are developing, some good and some bad. But the end results have been victories lately, so the Blackhawks will take those and keep working on the issues.
So while you all prepare for the Cubs’ victory parade tomorrow — oh yeah, it’s real— let’s look at Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ 4-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
2. Brent Seabrook’s great defending. Seabrook doesn’t get enough credit, really — yes, we realize that’s our fault — but he had a strong game. He helped cover the net the rare time Corey Crawford was out of position and, when facing a 2-on-1 later in the second period, went down to block Nathan MacKinnon’s pass.
4. The penalty kill keeps improving. We’ll get into this more on Friday but the Blackhawks are reversing their worst trend slowly but surely. They killed off three more penalties and have now nixed 12 in a row. There are a myriad of reasons why it’s working better now — again, we’ll write about that tomorrow — but, as coach Joel Quenneville said, “I thought tonight was one of our better nights, PK-wise.”
5. Quick strikes. We’ll say this for the Blackhawks: when they have had scoring opportunities, they’ve been opportunistic. Jonathan Toews andHossa scored within 38 seconds of each other to turn an otherwise forgettable first period into a 2-0 Blackhawks lead. They had only four shots in the third but scored twice (Hossa again and Artemi Panarin). Again, the Blackhawks want to get their shots up — the Avs outshot them 38-21. But when they do get chances, they aren’t missing.