The Boston Bruins were tossed a softball when they learned that Marian Hossa would be out of action for the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals and boy did they crush it.
Hossa has been a Hawks mainstay at forward since signing with the club in 2009, so not seeing No. 81 on the ice is pretty odd. Flat, lethargic and non-energetic doesn’t even begin to describe the Blackhawks without Hossa and although Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said the team knew Hossa wasn’t playing all day, you could tell that wasn’t the case as the players looked out of place in their new slots.
Patrick Sharp was the only Hawks player who seemed to benefit from the lineup change as Sharpie looked more confident than ever, but was still unable to slide a single puck past Bruins goalie Tuukka Rusk. Chicago is calling Hossa day to day, but if he can’t give it a go in Game 4, look for Sharp to carry an even bigger load once again.
If that’s the case, the Bruins may just cruise to a victory in these Finals as the Blackhawks already had to climb out of a hole in the Conference Seminfinals against the Detroit Red Wings and that was with Hossa healthy. Let’s just say Game 4 is going to be interesting.
