Goin' Back to Cali: Hawks 5, Ducks 2 and Wednesday's Big Boy

That'll do, right?  There's so much to like about tonight's game. The result, obviously, but it was also a relief to see the guys that need to be great really carrying the mail tonight.  Not every great performance showed up on the scoresheet but I like to think that those guys' efforts have been recognized.

- The Vulgar Display of Power - tonight marks the first game since May 3rd, Game Two vs. Minnesota, in which The Hawks won, or lost, by more than a single goal.  Well, now's the time...

- Wasn't crazy about The Hawks circling the wagons in the third but they're always gonna do that, aren't they?  

- Rundblad in for Timonen; whatever, but it just makes me wonder, once again, what Q's thinking when he inserts a replacement player and doesn't bother using them.

- Frederik Anderson was not good.  There's absolutely no guarantee that'll happen for a third game in a row.

- Getzlaf & Perry both being -3 on the night was just a bonus and, again, probably not gonna happen on Friday unless Bruce Boudreau is vain and stupid enough to try to match his top line with Toews' trio.

- Winning faceoffs = getting first crack at controlling the play.  The Hawks were a gaudy 66% tonight.  Hell, even Richards & Shaw were north of 50%.

Duncan Keith was the whole package tonight and, no matter how much press his elevated icetime gets, he not only just keeps ticking along, I think he's getting better.  A couple of sweet passes, saving a goal in the third and, the most of all, lulling The Ducks into a hypnotic state in the lead-up to Saad's goal.

                                                      No sleep 'til Anaheim.

About Last Night: It's All to Do Now

It wasn't all bad, but it wasn't good enough and, frustratingly, not nearly as good as it can be.

• On that tack, it was gratifying to see Toews recover from a so-so effort earlier in the game to give The Hawks a chance at OT.  I guess that's what we need and expect from him, though, isn't it?
• Bickell needs to be removed from the second line, possibly from the roster.  Whatever mythical playoff mojo he's possessed in the past deserted him sometime during the MN series.  His bungled shoot-in, basically the hockey equivalent of a lay up, is inexcusable.  It doesn't end with Bickell, though, 'cos Quenneville continues to trot him out on a line that has, lately, been compromised by Bickell's secret injury/ lack of concern / whatever and Richards' inconsistency.  If Q insists on continuing with Bickell in the lineup I wonder if swapping Kane and Saad might be worth a try.
• Seabrook looked awful on the winning goal but, to be fair to him, he was alone, trying to turn around in the face of two Ducks entering the zone with speed and was probably unsure who would have the puck when he stopped spinning.  Yeah, it would have been better if he took away the passing lane rather than chase the puck carrier, but it was a lost coin-flip as much as anything, I think.
• Another positive; at least we can expect Teravainen and Vermette to remain in the lineup.  Vermette's touch pass on TT's goal gave me chills.
• The Ducks are still very beatable but only if The Hawks refrain from the lazy, thoughtless stuff that so often lead to a puck behind Crawford.  They can do it, let's see if they will do it.

Evening Up: Hawks 5, Ducks 4 and Saturday's Big Boy

That felt like two mini-games to me, the first of which lasted 48 minutes and was dominated by The Hawks.  Part Two, however, was a different story, as Anaheim took over for much of the final 37-or-so minutes.  It wasn't even that The Hawks looked especially bad, either, isolated moments aside...they just didn't press consistently like I thought they should.  I suppose being touched up for three goals against in less than a minute can take the wind out the old sails.
Some notes:
- Toews- Saad - Hossa had a pretty nice first half but they seemed the most affected by the momentum swing.  
- Vermette - Sharp - Teravainen picked up right where they left off before the stupid interruption of Game Three.  Here was The Hawks' best possession line and, fittingly, the authors of the winning goal.  Anytime Q considers tinkering again there should be someone nearby to shout GAME THREE into his earballs.

Yup, despite Toews having a good night against Kesler, Saad finally breaking through with some points and Vermette's beautiful second-effort goal, the belt returns to Corey Crawford.  Crow was the best Hawk when it mattered most.

                                                                    Yoink.

About Last Night: Who's Gonna Take this Faceoff?

So, let's presume that Coach Quenneville knew that Marcus Kruger wouldn't be (or couldn't be) taking any faceoffs.
Then why, please tell me why, does he remove Vermette from the lineup.  We all know that Richards & Shaw are hard pressed to hit 40% on draws on any given night...kinda leaves it all for Toews to do, doesn't it?
But by all means, get Versteeg's "fresh legs" in there.

Don't Make Me Choose: Hawks 3, Ducks 2 and Something a Little Different

Allow me to break pattern today in recognition of The Hawks pulling off a W in the longest game in franchise history.  Also because I'm tired and lazy and don't care to think too hard on this.

While several Hawks not specifically mentioned here had great games I'm going to call out a few fellas who really made a difference last night...er, this morning.

                                                              I am smiling.
Marcus Kruger, obviously, but not just by dint of his clutch goal in the wee hours.  The Serious Swede spent much of his time on the ice following Ryan Getzlaf around and, apart from one wee hiccup, managed to keep the Ducks' captain more or less subdued.

                                       I think I've already used this pic at least twice.
Corey Crawford.  Any game that includes 60 saves is worth a mention.  Nothing more could be asked of The Hawks' most consistent player.

                                                  Goooooooooooaaaaaalllllllll......?
Sometimes with Andrew Shaw you don't know what you're going to get.  In the worst case, he can be distracted, petulant and a liability.  Thankfully, come playoff time, we're usually treated to Shaw at his best; pesky, determined and having an uncanny knack for making precociously well-timed plays.
His non-typical choice to barge into The Ducks zone on the winning play was a large factor in that all coming together.

                                                            And the...fourth star...
Have I mentioned lately that I am loving The Hawks' fourth line?  Andrew Desjardins made some excellent choices last night, the most critical of which led to a third puck in The Ducks' net. 

All That Stuff I Said: Hawks 4, Wild 3 and Thursday's Big Boy

...it all applies for tonight, as well.
1) Get lead
2) Button down
We were treated to an additional element tonight:
3) Almost blow lead.

It's rarely a source of confidence when your game-winning goal is an empty-netter, but that's the way it went.  All credit to The Wild for the effort.
Going forward, hopefully a nice break, perhaps one that will allow Rozsival to mend and be ready for the Conference Finals.  I never thought I would type that this year.

Yeah, three goals against but more quality chances from The Wild made this a harder earned belt for Crow.  It wasn't ALL Crawford tonight, as it seemed on Tuesday, but he was once again the best Hawk.

                                           My Goal?  To run out of decent photos of this guy.

The Man Comes Around: Hawks 1, Wild 0 and Tuesday's Big Boy

The Hawks are a team that, when they do properly what they do best, score early and often.  History has shown that they are not always able to come back from an early deficit and are frequently guilty of being too passive in close games that they ultimately lose.
Tuesday's match felt a bit like the passive approach I mention above.  Failing to really press the issue and merely hang on with a one-goal lead seemed, to me, the wrong choice.  Not to discount the efforts of The Wild, 'cos they were certainly game, but it seemed too close for too long for The Hawks to have switched to lead-protection mode.
That said, The Hawks did not allow a lot of quality chances once they circled the wagons; Granlund had his chance to tie and lost the coin flip, and Niederreiter got the yips at an opportune moment.  I guess this was one way to succeed, but my point is that The Hawks didn't have to approach the game the way they did.  They have the best flat-out offensive skill in the league - it just feels weird for them not to exploit that at every opportunity.

Well, who else could it have been?  That's two solid starts in a row and what will hopefully be the momentum builder that Corey Crawford needs to carry The Hawks forward.

                                      Probably still too early to be swearing in public, though.

Two For the Show: Hawks 4, Wild 1 and Sunday's Big Boy

Wasn't that more like it?  Not dominance, exactly, but it never really looked like The Hawks were especially troubled, even with The Wild's spirited third period. To the juicy bits:
- Crawford was one shot away, albeit an excellent one, from a no-no.  I wonder if his iffy outing in the opening game of the playoffs was a blessing, of sorts, with Darling soaking up considerable minutes in that series and perhaps allowing Crow to get his feet under him for when it really counts.  We don't want him to peak too early, now, do we?
- While he hasn't yet had much impact on the scoresheet, Bryan Bickell has been his usual playoff self in other ways, creating chances without even touching the puck.  Tonight he racked up twelve hits, in case that matters.
- The icetime stats are looking more and more like I'd hoped they would, with a few small aberrations; Richards led all forwards, playing over 18 minutes and Timonen played less than seven minutes.  Otherwise, we're seeing a pretty smart workload allocation.
- Keith played nearly nine minutes more than any other Hawk, once again cracking 30 minutes.  This doesn't worry me, as he has perhaps the best motor of any elite player in the league.  If anything, he's thriving on the extra workload and, if The Hawks go far enough this spring, he'll be in the catbird seat for that Conn Smythe he's deserved in the past.
- Chatter persists that Sharp will be on his way come July.  While this may be simply a fiscal necessity, if there's anything to it, can't you just imagine he and Teravainen tearing it up on what would amount to the best third line in the league?  It doesn't even matter who the third guy is...
- Even when he's not terrible Rozsival manages to leave an icky stain; who was that stumbling out of the penalty box after Dumba's goal?

Saving the best for last, right?  Let's not forget that Patrick Kane wasn't even expected to play until a week or two from now; as it stands, he's third in playoff scoring and plus/minus.

                               I'M NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TODAY.

One But Far From Done: Hawks 4, Wild 3 and Friday's Big Boy

Oh dear.  I fell asleep with The Hawks up 3-0 and only learned this morning that they eked out a tense 4-3 win.  I guess I shouldn't have been too shocked, since The Wild outplayed The Hawks in the first period fairly comprehensively...apart from the three goals, of course.
Still, The Hawks weathered The Wild's comeback in the second and, after being pushed around for much of the period, regained the lead on a shot I would describe as optimistic, at best.

Quenneville came close to rolling four lines in this match.  It worries me, however, that the Sharp - Vermette - Teravainen combo played the least.  Vermette slayed at the dot, though, five-for-five in the defensive zone, in fact, so Q may well lean on #80 and Co. a little more in Game Two.

I'm encouraged by the resiliency and the reversal of momentum in the third period; this is a team that can be...fragile, and I take it as a good sign that they dug in and got the job done.

Here's the guy, for a couple of reasons.  First, for his somewhat-lucky-but-they-all-count winning goal and, second, for playing well enough that we probably won't see Versteeg until at least Game Three.

       Yeah, I know he doesn't wear that number anymore, but doesn't it just rub it in a little more?