Blackhawks-Flyers: Patrick Sharp Leads Chicago to Victory

It may have been the oddest of nights.

Here I am, shoveling water, ice, and snow in 60-degree weather on December 26th.

The Chicago Blackhawks just hosted 22,000 fans, in a dominating performance.

The win was the Blackhawks' eighth consecutive victory.

They manhandled the hottest team in hockey for 60 minutes.

No, it's not the year 2313. We are not experiencing a hyperactive global warming. Nor are we living in an alternative universe.

Yet, it sure does feel like it.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the hottest team in hockey, and they are beating teams in every conceivable way.

Only minutes after an ear-splitting rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the Blackhawks commanded two early goals from Andrew Ladd and Patrick Sharp.

Ladd's goal came off of a rebound, while Sharp's goal came off of shoddy Philadelphia defense. Sharp was allowed to skate right into the front of the net, eight feet out, and flip a wrister past the Flyers netminder Biron.

Sharp's goal may have catapulted him into my 'superstar' arena of athletes. In my book, a superstar is somebody who you know is going to perform a feat moments before it happens—and the opposition can do nothing about it.

Sharp skated between the circles, took a look at the net, and BAM!

Everybody knew that shot was going in. Patrick Sharp makes those shots. He is quickly morphing into another arena of athlete that we never expected.

After Mike Richards' goal cut Chicago's lead to 2-1, the Blackhawks continued pounding Philadelphia in every area.

Josh Gratton tried to go toe-to-toe with Craig Adams and took a couple shots to the face. The Flyers managed a meager one shot during the entire second period.

The Blackhawks out-skated, out-hit, out-thought, and out-maneuvered Philadelphia in every phase of the game.

In the third period, the Flyers frustration ran uphill. The Blackhawks punished Philly with three goals in five minutes to dash any hopes of a comeback.

The NHL Network stated after the game that Philadelphia had arrived late in Chicago, and did not have enough time for a morning skate.

Boo-hoo.

A morning skate may have made the score 5-2. The Chicago Blackhawks were the better team. Period.

The end of the evening left me with a bad aftertaste of the current Philadelphia Flyer club.

Marty Havlat spent time during a five-on-three getting his head beat in by a meathead on the opposite end of the ice. After this, Philadelphia's finest Mike Richards decided to drop the gloves with Troy Brouwer.

Brouwer, who is nothing more than a scrapper, went toe-to-toe with the blood and guts of the Flyers franchise. Brouwer had hit Richards fair and square, and Richards reacted with a slash on a Blackhawks player with only 13 points. Classy.

I'm not sure why a player on a team down four goals in the third period would do such a thing. Then, to drop gloves? And you keep your helmet on? What planet is this guy from?

Is that a captain? Is that leadership?

Or is that just typical Philadelphia trash? I'll go with the ladder.

Yet, once again, the Blackhawks took one of the NHL's best behind the wood shed.

From this point forward, we'll see how they can build on it.

Til next time.