A report card look at Blackhawks and Flyers for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup
CHICAGO - Report card on the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final on Saturday (with grades out of 10):
Chicago Blackhawks
Goaltenders
Antti Niemi: Gets a win in his first ever Stanley Cup start but it wasn't very pretty. 4.
Defencemen
Duncan Keith: Wasn't as effective as usual in leading the Hawks transition game but logged big minutes and looked better than the team's other blue-liners. 6.
Brent Seabrook: Had a tough night handling the puck. 5.
Niklas Hjalmarsson: Should have known it was going to be a strange night when first goal went in off his face. Had some struggles in his own end. 5.
Brian Campbell: Turned the puck over on Philadelphia's first goal and took a penalty that resulted in their second. 4.
Brent Sopel: He was on the ice for three goals against. 5.
Jordan Hendry: Saw limited action but didn't make any glaring errors when he was called on. 6.
Forwards
Jonathan Toews: Saw his point streak end at 13 games and finished with a minus-3 rating. 5.
Patrick Kane: Showed some flashes of brilliance but also finished minus-3 along with linemate Toews. 6.
Dustin Byfuglien: The big man didn't do enough to make his presence felt. 5.
Patrick Sharp: Picked the top corner with a beautiful shot and looked dangerous throughout. 7.
Troy Brouwer: Three-point night for a guy who was a healthy scratch earlier in the playoffs. 8.
Marian Hossa: Still stuck on two playoff goals but looked determined and set up a couple of nice goals. 7.
Dave Bolland: Short-handed goal in the first period helped get the Hawks rolling. 7.
Kris Versteeg: Got involved physically and chipped in offensively. 8.
Tomas Kopecky: Only got in the lineup because of an injury to Andrew Ladd and scored key goal in the third period. 7.
Ben Eager: Provided some energy during his infrequent shifts. 6.
John Madden: A reliable, defensively sound performance—just like usual. 6.
Adam Burish: His impact on the game was limited to a dangerous hit on Lukas Krajicek in the second period. 5.
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Philadelphia Flyers
Goaltenders
Michael Leighton: Fought the puck and went down early on a couple goals. Gets the hook after being beaten five times on 20 shots. 3.
Brian Boucher: Performed well after getting thrown into the fire but took the loss. 7.
Defencemen
Chris Pronger: He logged massive minutes and was a force at both ends of the ice. 7.
Matt Carle: An up-and-down night for the team's No. 2 defenceman. 6.
Kimmo Timonen: A steady performance for the veteran Finn. 6.
Braydon Coburn: Bobbled the puck on one goal, got caught running around his own end on another. Tough outing. 4.
Lukas Krajicek: Got confused and missed coverage on Versteeg goal in the second period. 5.
Ryan Parent: Lost his stick during only shift in the first period and saw the Blackhawks score. 3.
Forwards
Mike Richards: A fairly solid night for the team's leader. 7.
Jeff Carter: Showed some speed in the first period but wasn't able to maintain it throughout the game. 6.
Simon Gagne: They'll need more offence from the flashy winger as the series goes on. 5.
Scott Hartnell: He was arguably the team's most effective player, getting involved and creating chances each and every shift. 9.
Claude Giroux: After being a dominant force in Montreal series, he was basically invisible here. 5.
Danny Briere: Strong post-season showing continues with his 10th goal. 8.
James van Riemsdyk: Youngster was a minus-2. 5.
Ville Leino: Made nice little plays every shift and was credited with the game's first goal. 7.
Darroll Powe: Wasn't given much of an opportunity to make animpact. 5.
Ian Laperriere: Ditto. 5.
Blair Betts: Role player scored rare goal with beautiful snap shot. 7.
Arron Asham: A goal and an assist for another of the team's blue-collar forwards. 8.
