The Third Man In - An Independent Chicago Blackhawks Web Site

By Dieter Kurtenbach

The Blackhawks and Penguins only get together once a year, hardly frequent enough to consider this '92 Stanley Cup match-up a rivalry. But in this year's get together the levels of hostility was raised within seconds and stayed up to the level of rivalry for three periods and an overtime.

Backup goaltender Antti Niemi was the story of the game. Playing for the first time since Nov. 22, when he posted a shutout Vancouver, Niemi was one minute and 32 seconds away from his third shutout of the season. Off an offensive zone face-off, Evgeni Malkin fired a slap shot from the right point. Niemi gave up a rebound on the shot; a rebound that an unmarked Jordan Staal was able to put in over Niemi's outstretched right pad, tying the game.

The Blackhawks had scored in the first period in similar fashion, when Patrick Kanekept a play alive on the Pittsburgh right wing halfboards and hit trailer Brian Campbell with a cross-ice tape-to-tape pass. Campbell skated to the left wing face-off circle and fired on Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury directed the puck to the left wing circle, but that direction was intercepted by former Penguin Marian Hossa, who was able to score past Fleury before falling into the net.

Niemi kept the Penguins begging for until the very end, as each outstanding scoring chance of Pittsburgh was answered by the 26-year-old Finnish rookie. Number 31 had 32 saves on 33 chances. The Penguins put 17 shots on goal in the second period and hit three posts during the game.

With the game tied in regulation, the teams headed into overtime. 2:38 into that extra period, Kris Versteeg's active stick in the crease gave the Blackhawks the winning goal. Again, it was a Brian Campbell shot that led to the goal for the Blackhawks, as his time the defenseman fired a flare of a shot on Fleury from below the left wing circle. Fleury was unable to control the puck immediately and a net crashing Kris Versteeg was able to poke the puck out from under Fleury and across the goal-line.

It was the Blackhawks first win against the Penguins since Jan. 13, 2006. The last time the Blackhawks had won in Pittsburgh before Saturday night's victory was Feb. 22, 1997.

Feathers in the Headdress:

Third Star: Marian Hossa

Hossa was booed every time he was on the ice by the Pittsburgh faithful. Perhaps it was motivation to be the best offensive player on the ice for the Blackhawks. Saturday's one goal performance proved that Hossa is confident in his surgically repaired shoulder, as he was tossing his weight around on the forecheck and was crashing the netwith reckless abandon. He had numerous scoring chances, something no one else on the Blackhawks could honestly say in the second end of back-to-back games.

Second Star: Brian Campbell

Here's a fact the average Brian Campbell hater might not know, he now has 15 assists on the season. That's tied with Norris Trophy winner Zdeno Chara for seventh in the league amongst defensemen. When Campbell is on the top of his game, wheeling and dealing, there are few offensive weapons like him in the league. With short shifts, it was hard for the Blackhawks to fully utilize Campbell, who also had three blocked shot in 17:09 of ice time. When Campbell was able to do his work was on four-on-four, the situation where he assisted on both of the Blackhawks' goals. Open up the ice and Brian Campbell is a lethal offensive weapon, Saturday was a reminder of that talent.

First Star: Antti Niemi

The Blackhawks might have a goalie controversy. Niemi held down the fort while Cristobal Huetgot his act together early in the season, but when called to duty this year, Niemi has been a wall. In six starts Niemi is 4-1-1 and boasts two shutouts (and early three) to his name. Heading into the game Niemi has a 1.85 GAA, that will only go down with the performance he posted on Saturday. Right now the Blackhawks have two NHL-level goaltenders and the more I see Niemi play, the more I wonder if he might be the guy who is the best option for the Blackhawks, no offense to Huet. As someone who predicted that Niemi would be thrusted into the starting goaltender position by February, I for one am very interested to see how the Blackhawks' goaltending situation sort out. One way or another, Niemi has all the talent of an NHL starting goaltender and put up the performance of a star goalie Saturday.