Three Stars: Sharp Impresses In Return Hawks Win

Ray Emery notches his third shutout in five games in victory

Patrick Sharp returned to the Chicago Blackhawks’ lineup Tuesday night, but despite the veteran winger being held without a point, the Hawks managed to pull off a 1-0 win over the Minnesota Wild.

To help recap the night, here are Madhouse Enforcer’s Three Stars:

Third Star: Ray Emery

In similar fashion to the way he held off the Nashville Predators on Saturday, Emery was able to fend off a limited assault Tuesday night. He only had to stop 20 shots, and only a couple of those were truly good opportunities for the Wild.

There are some goalies who don’t thrive in situations when they aren’t facing a lot of shots, but Emery was able to stave off the effects of boredom for long enough to notch his third shutout of the season, as well as the 14th of his career.

Second Star: Patrick Sharp

Judging by his comments about eagerly awaiting his return from a shoulder injury, Sharp was itching to get back on the ice, and his actions proved it. He ended up racking up five shots on goal, and he also won six of the nine faceoffs that he took.

It is entirely possible that Sharp will end up taking over as the team’s second line center before all is said and done this season, but even if that’s the case, he would appear to be well-equipped for the challenge if Tuesday was any indication.

First Star: Marian Hossa

In a game that only saw one goal scored, it would make sense for the first star of the game to be the goal scorer himself. The play that Hossa scored on was a perfect representation of what he brings to the ice for the Hawks.

On the play, Clayton Stoner of the Wild tried to push a pass to the middle of the defensive zone as Minnesota tried to get a possession started. Sensing the play developing, Hossa jumped up from the blue line and snared the pass, and proceeded to fire a shot past Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom for the Hawks’ lone tally.

Here is a video of the play in case you missed it:

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