Canned: Hawks 3 – Capitals 4

It's hard to know what to feel about this game.

An undermanned Hawks team that was outplayed for long stretches somehow found the will to scrape out a point against one of the hottest teams in the league. This probably is a game the Hawks would have lost in regulation earlier in the year, but they found a way to get something out of it. So there's that.

On the other hand, the Caps weren't at full-strength, and it's the third straight game the Hawks didn't garner two points. They now are firmly entrenched in Cell Block Playoff Chase, and seeing the sun from there takes a lot of work and patience.

The Hawks gave away at least three bad goals to Washington, and the breakdowns are coming faster than before. They're now more injured than they were, as Brian Campbell couldn't make it out of the second period, and they'll most certainly be without him and Dave Bolland for the Tums-required clash against San Jose.

The Hawks only gathered 2 of the last six points on offer. But they're 9-2-2 in their last 13. See how hard it is to know where to go?

The season hinges on the next week, as will the reflection of this result. If the Hawks ace this upcoming gauntlet of San Jose, Dallas and Phoenix, then this point will look like one scrappily gained. If they don't, it'll look like the point where collapse into oblivion began.

The notes and jokes:

-If the task set before Coach Q was to turn his promising rookie goalie into plasma and gear, he's getting very close if he's not there already. While Corey Crawford made some heady stops late in the game to keep his team in it, he wouldn't have had to if he didn't let the first one in when he took a horrible angle to close down Boyd Gordon -- he of the two goals all year. You can even argue that the Caps' second, a blast from the point that Crawford was not square to but had a good look at, should have been stopped as well. It's not his fault that he keeps getting trotted out there, but the kid needs a breather. He should be commended for bouncing back from that and making the stops he did to allow the Hawks to retrieve their point.

-All of the goals came from breakdowns, which when facing a team as gifted as the Capitals, you just can't do. Sharp Adam Dunn-ed a keep in leading to Boyd's break, Bryan Bickell took an offensive zone penalty that led to the power play where Marian Hossa missed a clear that led to the goal. Duncan Keith got outworked by Eric Fehr before Fehr fed to Brooks Laich who Viktor Stalberg completely fell asleep on, and the OT winner came after Patrick Kane did a fly by in his own corner retrieving the puck insteand of cleanly gathering it. That wasn't helped by Chris Campoli and Duncan Keith letting Mike Knuble check the real estate values in the crease before thinking about trying to stop him. Overall not an impressive effort.

-But where there's Toews, there's always a chance.

-For the second game in a row, Michael Frolik looked promising as a center. Still too small a sample size, but the Hawks may have Forrest Gumped their way into a solution here.

-Nick Leddy was far more active in the offensive zone, which is what he should be doing.

-When the top line gets nullified, as it pretty much was at even-strength, the Hawks look pretty toothless, having only a lucky goal to thank for being in the game. This is the problem when you front-load a great majority of your scoring on one line, and why it isn't a long-term solution.

-When Brent Seabrook checks his bag on the flight home, they'll probably find Alex Ovechkin in there.

The real game is Monday night.

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