Rinne shuts out Blackhawks - quick hits

October 30, 2:29 PMChicago Blackhawks ExaminerDieter Kurtenbach

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Pekka Rinne, 35, and Tomas Kopecky watch the puck on Thursday.

AP/ Humphry

• Tomas Kopecky was terrible. Just brutal. If he didn't have a shift here he had a puck jump off his stick or where he made a errant pass, he was taking ill advised penalties. I said that Pecks is the kind of player that could win three games singelhandedly for a hockey team, much like Byfuglien did last year. I'm starting to wonder if my prediction should have gone the other way.
• There was a KISS concert in the Sommet Center on Wednesday, you can thank that for the terrible ice surface both teams had to play on. I think that the Predators organization is quality, they put out a good hockey team year after year, but I am starting to get fed-up with Nashville in general. First it's the country music when they score, now the terrible ice - common Nashville. All the Canadians want to get rid of you already, you aren't helping your cause.
• Back to Kopecky. I think it's his fault that the Blackhawks powerplay sucks. Broadcasting sexual innuendo aside (really Eddie O?), Kopecky hasn't done anything worthwhile with the man advantage. Forward on the point? It's dumb, but I can deal with it. Kopecky out there for half the PP shifts? That's inexcusable at this point. Joel Quenneville, if you want a power forward in front of the net, Troy Brouwer and Andrew Ladd are more than capable - something Kopecky has proven not to be.
• Has Cristobal Huet stopped smiling during his current run? I don't think so, and I can't blame him. Huet is giving a vital lesson to all of us who needed to slow our roll.
• For a few minutes of last night's game, I forgot Andrew Ladd was on the team. That's not a good sign for a guy who made his presence known every shift of last year.
• Patrick Kane is very, very good at hockey. He had his fancy pants on all night. Hell, he was double shifted to the fourth line for a shift or two and made Colin Fraser and Kopecky almost look good. That takes a good deal of skill.
• Defensively the Blackhawks were fantastic last night. The PP goal they gave up was a great play by Francis Bouillon, a play that can only be made on the man advantage. He put the puck right on Ward's stick, Ward deflected it home. That was the only real goal the Blackhawks allowed. You take that defensive performance every night.
• For the same token, you would be a fool not to take the offensive gameplan of the Blackhawks on Thursday every night they play. Patrick Kane created roughly 17,300 chances, none were finished. That's inexplicable and I believe to be an anomaly of hockey. Good offense is not always rewarded with goals, as the barometer of offense is scoring chances. The Blackhawks had plenty of those. Sometimes the goalie beats you sometimes you beat yourself. Pekka Rinne was solid, but the Blackhawks were utterly incapable of finishing; making this a very bizarre shutout.

I'll be in Boulder, Colorado this weekend enjoying snow and frivolity, so I will be unable to watch Friday night's game. I'll attempt to listen to it, but its unlikely any content will be posted over the weekend. See you on Monday.