Two Points Undeserved: Hawks 7, Coyotes 5 and NO Big Boy

I didn't really want to write this but I find myself compelled to, so I'll be quick about it.

- The bottom line on last night's game is that The Hawks won a gunfight that they probably should have lost.  They can thank The Arizona Coyotes for being slightly worse in most regards, especially in the net.
- The only benefit of the doubt I will grant The Hawks is that, after finding the net rather easily in the first half of the game, they played just well enough to not lose.  Good job there, guys.
- There were several varieties of strange in this one, first with The Hawks leading after the first period recording a whopping two shots at even-strength.  The saving grace here, of course, is the three power play shots they managed, all three of which dented twine.
- The Coyotes rarely outshoot an opponent but, of course, the outshot The Hawks by nine in this one.
- Gustafsson and Rozsival were each +3.
- This has nothing to do with Strange, just an observation: of the legion of Rockford IceHogs that have auditioned for The Hawks so far this season, I believe P. Danault has been the only guy who is both truly committed to remaining in The Show and has the skill to do so.  Rasmussen is a somewhat distant second as he's taken a few nights off, which I find mind boggling, BTW. Who in their right mind, given an opportunity like this, chooses to mail it in?  Anyway,  Kyle Baun, Vin Hinostroza and Tanner Kero might evolve into okay fourth-liners, somewhere, sometime, and history suggests it will probably be Florida.  Marko Dano, it would appear, cannot be arsed one way or the other.  So, well done Phillip Danault and keep on striving, Whatshisname Rasmussen.

Colorado tomorrow to play a bunch of bumbling goofs led by the King of bumbling goofs, who appear to exist solely to defeat The Hawks every time they meet.  I can't wait.

Faster, Cheaper, Better

From blackhawks.nhl.com:

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today they have recalled defenseman Erik Gustafsson from the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League.

Gustafsson

Gustafsson, 23, has recorded 11 points (3G, 8A) in 27 games with Rockford this year in his first professional season in North America. He also registered three assists in six games with the Blackhawks from Oct. 30-Nov. 12, after making his NHL debut on Oct. 30 at Minnesota. The Nynashamn, Sweden, native signed with the Blackhawks as a free agent on April 30, 2015.

So, that's probably a good thing, as long as Coach Q can bring himself to platoon Slow and Slower, allowing Gustafsson the opportunity, at least, to play a bit.

Additionally, Marcus Kruger was officially placed on Injured Reserve and David Rundblad has been placed on waivers.  I really wanted Rundblad to succeed but in the end, when he wasn't running a rather effective point on the PP, he flailed. He never gained anything like trust from Coach Q, which was probably deserved, but I'm still not sure if Rundblad was a worse option than Scuderi.  

Now don't break open the champagne, yet, as Rundblad could still clear waivers and report to Rockford...which means he could be back.  I fully expect that Pittsburgh will scoop him up, though, since they already grabbed Trevor Daley...

Hawks vs. Arizona tonight.  I hope Viktor Tikhonov lights them the hell up.

                              Sure will miss that wonderful, wonderful shot, though.

A Bad Day for "Lems"

                                                      Born to lose, lived to win.

It was always going to happen and, to be honest, I thought it would have happened a lot sooner.
Lemmy Kilmister passed away in his home yesterday, age 70.
Lemmy's people have stated the cause of death was an aggressive cancer but I prefer to believe that he died from "Being Lemmy", which isn't such a bad way to go out.
There will be any number of links to classic and wholly appropriate Motorhead songs and videos, so here's something a little different and, I think, the last best thing ol' Lem did.

PROBOT Shake Your Blood


Meanwhile, an ocean away...

Meadowlark Lemon, long-serving member of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters died yesterday, as well, age 83.  Equal parts athlete and entertainer, Lemon played over 16,000 games with The Globetrotters and thousands more with spin-off teams such as The Bucketeers and The Shooting Stars. Basketball Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain considered Lemon the best basketball player of all time, even though Lemon had never played in The NBA and had a short, undistinguished College career.  Lemon became an ordained minister in 1986, working within his own Meadowlark Lemon Ministries.

Off-Topic Mini-Rant

I'm selling, or trying to sell, some stuff using Kijiji.

It's been a frustrating experience.

There are so many people out there that don't know how to communicate respectfully.  Or, more likely, they know how and simply cannot be arsed.

I did have two very pleasant exchanges, and I thank those folks not only for their business but for conducting themselves like human beings.

I clicked through my Deleted Messages box from the last week, though, and found a lot more of this kind of thing:

"interested"

Emailed him back, no reply.

Lots of these no-replies, actually, usually with more than one word in their message.  But not always.

"60"

I assumed they meant "$60".  This was in reply to an ad for a $300 item.  When I politely declined I received the reply

"fuckn keep it asshle"

Well, thanks for at least replying, I guess.

"your crazy I canget that for 100 at a panw shop"

Be my guest, assuming you can find the "panw shop".

"...I will take can you meet me at Tim's across fro Canadian Tire Arthur St.around 1:30?"

This message sent at 1:02 PM.  It's a 25 minute drive.  For a $10 item. I regretfully RSVP'd on this one as he didn't leave me nearly enough time to bake him some cookies as a Thank You gift.  

Five separate individuals made arrangements to visit for the purposes of buying items, which ranged from $15 guitar accessories to a used car, and never bothered to show up.  

I want to do this right but it's becoming increasingly difficult to not lash out at these people.  I really don't want to make anyone feel bad but, holy shit, the lack of courtesy is mind-blowing and more than a little depressing.  It's not just the disrespectful tone and, it's a lack of respect for another person's time, too.  So, is this indicative of anything?  I have some ideas.

- Many Kijiji browsers are simply jerks.

- Many people in Thunder Bay are simply jerks.

- Many people are simply jerks.

- The anonymity that online marketplaces afford allow people to be jerks and not be called on it.

Musicians are tough to deal with.  Not all musicians, of course, but I've never seen a social group more consistently guilty of having Cadillac Tastes and Hyundai Budgets.  And what is with these guys always wanting to trade?  It's always crap, too, that they want to trade.  They have no problem instructing you on the various deficiencies of the item you're selling yet have no problem offering you what I can only describe as junk.  If they actually listened to the lectures they give on why you're asking too much for an item they'd talk themselves out of wanting the damn thing.  Yes, I realize it's a tactic, but it's the clumsiest application of this tactic that you're likely to encounter...and most of these guys do it.  How stupid do you have to be to think that other people are more stupid than you?

I want to note, also, that when I was in BC we did a LOT of online marketplace transactions.  Mostly buying, as we were outfitting an apartment from scratch, but some sales, too.  Perhaps one in twenty of these exchanges were icky, and we always received a reply and those were almost always typed in sentences. With actual words.  Spelled correctly.  Sideways from that, though, I'll note that Kijiji is not very popular in Vancouver...Craiglist is King, there, which I found odd because Kijiji is so much...prettier and easier to use.  Anyway, remember that - all the best stuff in Vancouver is on Craigslist.

I used to think that Facebook Marketplace pages were pretty bad, and they are.  Most FB users, I think, are more careful about how they present themselves as FB does not provide the anonymity that Kijiji and Craigslist provide.  Most, of them, anyway; there are still some awful people on FB, so consumed with getting what they want that they become oblivious to how horrible they're being.  Or, to backtrack, maybe they just don't give a shit what people think about them, as long as they get what they want.  These Kijiji people, though... the jerks are outnumbering the nice people about 6:1 by my estimation, and it's depressing the hell out of me.

Rant over.  I probably have a number of one-and-two-word emails to respond to.

                                                     $1300?  No, I meant $13!

Just One Thought: Hawks 4, Sharks 3

It seems to me that, when the best option you can come up with is to trot out Brandon Mashinter, who spent more time in the penalty box than he did on the ice, your team is going to have trouble with even a mediocre team like The Sharks.  The Hawks have had great success, lately, with four well defined lines but, with Mashinter in the lineup, you essentially take one of those lines out of play.

What is this, 1976?

Just Good Enough: Hawks 3, Sabres 2 and Saturday's Big Boy

Or was it that The Sabres were just bad enough?  Taking two penalties in the dying moments of a tight game...not usually a hallmark of a successful endeavor but, then again, it was The Hawks' speed and skill that forced those misdeeds...it's a push.
- Unfortunately, this was one of those games in which The Hawks had a decent first period and then decided to mail in the last two periods.  I can't say I noticed Teravainen after the first period and that simply won't do.  Was it the early start, or a lack of urgency due to being up against a feckless opponent that found themselves unexpectedly in this game?  Hard to say, but Teuvo wasn't the only Hawk who disappeared for 30+ minutes and, while they'll sometimes get away with this vs. non-playoff teams, they'll be buried by Dallas, St. Lewis etc.
- One question: what was the idea with keeping Danault's line out for a faceoff in the offensive zone after a TV time out?  
- Not a bad effort from Phillip Danault.  He ended up -1 but did some good backchecking, kept his feet moving and did well at the dot.  No PK duty, but I expect that will come, soon enough.
- Quick - tell me which Hawk is most likely to take a penalty in overtime.  Yep.
- I'm rather liking this Rasmussen guy but I have to say that his impressive goal was tempered somewhat by his apparent belief, later in the game, that he was in a rugby game.  I don't know when I've seen so many superfluous back-passes.
- That O'Reilly guy is pretty good when he's not drunk and plowing a pickup through a Tim Horton's.  Why isn't he in jail, BTW?  Every time I do that I end up in jail.
Speaking of not being jail.

Kane was among the many Hawks who took a powder for more than half the match but managed to rematerialize when it mattered.  It took a deliciously shady pass from Panarin to set up the tying goal but, once that was done, I felt this vibe that Kane would finish the thing, as well.

                                            Hey Chad, what's feckless mean?

Once a Jackass...

Earlier this week former NHLer Patrick O'Sullivan remarked on Twitter:

Burrows only guy who said he wanted to hurt me like me father did — why I can’t stand him. Right to my face, twice actually. Once in the minors and once in Vancouver early in my career.
Vancouver Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows was referring to O'Sullivan's father, who subjected his son to many years of physical and emotional abuse.  On Thursday night Burrows made a public apology for the verbal missteps that occurred almost 10 years ago.

“I apologize if I offended him back then. Especially when I first came in [to the NHL], I was playing six or seven minutes a night on the fourth line and I wanted to help any way I could. And if I could get one guy off his game and get in someone’s kitchen, I was willing to do it to help our team or maybe get [us] on the power play."

Nice.  First, let's assume that Burrows was shamed or even ordered to make the apology publicly.  Second, he says "if I offended him", as if there is any doubt whatsoever regarding Burrows' intention when he said it or how O'Sullivan would react to the remark.  Including that "if" is kind of like saying "I'm sorry you feel that way", as if it's now Burrows who is being troubled by this.  It's a backhanded, insincere apology, and Burrows isn't sorry he said what he did, only that he's been called out for it.
Burrows continued: 
"I think I’ve matured a lot. I grew as a player and a person and in today’s society, for sure, it’s something I’ve got to be careful [about]. I wouldn’t cross that line now.”

Whatever. This is on the back of Burrows being spoken to by The NHL in November for making personal and hurtful comments to New Jersey's Jordin Tootoo.  That was quite a month of growth there, Alex.
So, yeah, once a jackass...and not kidding anyone.

Four Months

So, yeah, I missed last night's game, so no recap or Big Boy.

But there's this, from blackhawks.nhl.com:

The Chicago Blackhawks released the following statement regarding forward Marcus Kruger:

Blackhawks head team physician Dr. Michael Terry:

“Marcus Kruger underwent surgery today to repair a dislocation of his left wrist. The surgery went well. We anticipate Marcus will return to hockey activities in approximately four months."

I wondered if something was up when I noticed he had not played at all in the third period last night.

The Hawks have recalled Phillip Danault from Rockford.  Rather conveniently, Danault recently returned from rehabbing an injury of his own, having played a mere six games in the AHL.  Had he not missed training camp due to being hurt Danault had, by all accounts, a decent shot at making The Hawks right from the get-go this season.  It;s been widely reported that Danault was being groomed to "be the next Marcus Kruger", so here's his chance.

                          My turn-ons include Marty Robbins tunes and holding hands.

Older, Slower, Cheaper

From blackhawks.nhl.com:

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today they have acquired defenseman Rob Scuderi from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Trevor Daley.

Scuderi, 36, has registered four assists, a +4 plus/minus rating and 32 blocked shots in 25 games with Pittsburgh this season. The two-time Stanley Cup champion (2009 and 2012) shares fourth on the Penguins with 2:40 of average shorthanded ice time per game. The Syosset, N.Y., native has recorded 104 points (8G, 96A) in 745 regular-season games across 12 seasons with Pittsburgh (2003-09, 2013-15) and Los Angeles (2009-13). He has tallied 14 points (1G, 13A) in 117 career postseason contests. Scuderi was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fifth round (134th overall) of the 1998 NHL Draft.

Oh, goody.

On the plus side:

- Pittsburgh is eating some of Scuderi's salary, freeing up ~$1mil of cap space

- That is all

On the down side:

- The Hawks just got older and, we thought it couldn't happen but it has, slower

How do you form pairings now?  This leaves The Hawks with three d-men whose two speeds are "dead slow" and "stopped".  Anybody think The Oilers aren't salivating a little at the prospect of spending 10 full minutes behind Scuderi and Rozsival/Rundblad?

Best possible case: Scuderi's heart explodes after a week of being back in The Western Conference.  He dies a heroic death ("with his skates on") and frees up another $2mil on the cap.  Dead guys don't count against the cap, do they?

The Hero of Zero: Hawks 4, Canucks 0 and Sunday's Big Boy

Tonight's was the first game all year that I had an easy, confident feeling about throughout the match. All four lines were ticking away like never before this season.  The defense...maybe not as much, and the level of competition may have flattered to deceive but, for the most part, I liked what I saw.
- That makes four consecutive solid outings for Andrew Shaw, after two months of sometimes-okay-sometimes-chowderhead.  I wonder if playing on a line in which his duties are more in tune with his abilities has anything to do with that.
- On that topic, I thought the Bickell-Rasmussen-Shaw line was excellent tonight.  This was easily Bickell's best game since returning from the gulag and I'm beginning to think this Razmatazz guy might be okay.  I think he owes Bickell a steak or something after bogarting that goal, but he had a strong game with some good looks and sound positioning.
- TVR was a nightmare and Rundblad went back to being unable to get the puck out of the zone if any opposing player was within 20 ft of him.  Hjalmarsson was oddly yippy in the first period but seemed to settle in after that.  On the plus side, Daley almost hit the net with a shot.
- So, Mashinter managed to cash in his third of three gift-wrapped chances tonight.  Bravo, sir.  I guess that will buy him another, what, 10 games?  20 games?  A four year contract?
- What of the others?  Toews' line was, I thought, the least dynamic line tonight, but they had the task of covering those Creepy Twins for most of the game.  They had a shift in the last half of the second period, though, that shifted the momentum back The Hawks' way after being outworked for almost all of the period up until then.  The Art Line was good but just seemed on the wrong side of the inch tonight, which is just going to happen, sometimes.  Even the Kruger line manufactured several legit chances that were done in mostly by Mashinter but, let's face it, neither Krugs or Dez have soft hands, either. 

Extra credit, maybe, for posting two consecutive shutouts, but Corey Crawford was a beaut tonight. The boxscore says he made 30 saves and, while it didn't seem like that many when it happened, some of those were tough stops to make, what with a couple of semi-breakaways and a dandy at point blank range off Vrbata (I think).  F*ck yeah, Chicago.

                                                                 Oy-yoy-yoy.

The Killers: Hawks 2, Jets 0 and Friday's Big Boy

That was a shockingly good effort given the hot mess The Hawks served just last evening.  Pull up a chair.
- Pairing TVR with Keith makes a great deal of sense, actually, with Keith's superior speed and savvy being a better means of covering TVR's lack of footspeed and still-developing positional game.  At least I hope it's still developing.  This is no knock on Seabrook, I just believe that Keith is the better firehose of the two.  We'll see, I guess, if having to mind TVR blunts Keith's sword at all, so to speak.
- All credit to Crawford and the penalty killers tonight.  The Jets, miserable as they can often be, managed only a single shot on the man advantage.  There was also the matter of Byfuglien cutting short one of The Jets' five PPs when he couldn't contain Hossa.  Good sticks, nice work at the dot by Toews and Kruger and some brave shot blocks; that's how it's done, son.
- Outstanding puck movement, once again, on The Hawks' PP, and I love Rundblad's shot.  Those pinpoint passes by Kane and Teravainen were beautiful to behold.
- I may have to refrain from talking shit about Shaw, as he's had three very good games in a row.

He did it all tonight.  His goal wasn't particularly pretty, but any goal is a good goal when they're tough to come by.  Toews was a demon on the PK and, as already mentioned, slayed on faceoffs.

                           Would you mind delivering some Pizano's to my mom?

Little Big Boy: Waaay Late but I'm Doing This Anyway

Last night's encouraging 4 - 1 win over Nashville is old news by now, so I'll just briefly mention a few things.
- That Shaw kid had himself quite a game there.  It's pretty rare for Shaw to register shots from further than a few feet from the crease but, on this night, he scored one from 20+ feet and took the shot that Rasmussen tipped in, that one from closer to 40 feet out.  I'm not sure if there's a connection between last night's successes and his atypical shot choices but I feel like I want to pay closer attention to where he shoots from, going forward.  Shaw has a well-deserved reputation as a "net-front-presence" guy, a label he probably takes pride in, being as it's worked reasonably well for him and, as a smallish guy, the swagger factor plays into it, too.  Anyway, he probably won't want to change his style much, even though I think it might be fun to see him try.
- That power play that led to The Hawks' second goal was pretty special and I really enjoyed watching Shaw, Teravainen and Rundblad  moving the puck so crisply and accurately.  Shaw's shot was outstanding but TT's pass was a thing of beauty.
- On Rundblad and his first game in what seems like months; not a disaster, but The Preds are so thin up front right now and his zone starts were so carefully selected he was set up to succeed.  Which I'm all for, BTW.  He was right at home on the power play but I guess that's where he had better be great, with the extra time and space that the man advantage allows.  It's when he's forced to make quick decisions that things go off the rails for him.  It just breaks my heart to know that his wonderful, wonderful shot is stuck to this guy who is prone to becoming paralyzed when the pressure mounts.
- Crawford's best game in weeks.  'Nuff said.
- The Art Line wasn't The Hawk's best line last night.  That's not to say they were bad, just that the Toews trio was a little better, and that pleases me to no end.

Three games is a small sample, I know, but I'm so encouraged by the Toews-Hossa-Teravainen reunion.  The truth is, if they didn't achieve results in a hurry they would be disbanded, so I'm extra grateful that Teravainen has been getting to do good stuff with good linemates.  He's actually got a pretty quick release, there, far moreso than I gave him credit for since, before this week, the last goals I remember him scoring were of the knuckle puck variety in the playoffs last spring.  He lacks the snap that Panarin possesses but it's better than I'd thought. Last week, Teravainen wouldn't have had those kind of chances, skating 10 minutes with Kero and Mashinter, because the bad guys could pounce on him straight away; if Teuvo passed the puck off what's the worst that would happen? You really do get a lot more space to work with when your linemates are Toews and Hossa.

                                                    Viihdyn taalla ja haluan pysya.

From Hero Kero to Zero

From blackhawks.nhl.com

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today they have recalled forward Dennis Rasmussen from the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs and reassigned forward Tanner Kero to Rockford.

Wow, miss one check and it's off to the Gulag with you.

Two is Better Than One: Hawks 3, Jets 1 and Sunday's Big Boy

Well, that wasn't perfect but it wasn't bad, either.
Here's what I saw or possibly hallucinated.
- It was a decent enough first game back for Bryan Bickell, in which he played the way Bryan Bickell is "supposed" to play, with 7 hits in 7 minutes of work,  I've always found his rep for being a hard-hitting player a bit odd 'cos there have been long stretches throughout his career in which he didn't, wouldn't or couldn't play all that fiercely.  If that's what it takes for him to stay in the lineup I hope he remembers what seems to be expected of him.
- How nice to resolve a game, with a win no less, in regulation and equally encouraging that The Hawks saved their best for the final period.  The Jets looked a little dangerous on their third period PP (but I'm not sure they actually hit the net) and had a pair of good looks before that, but they didn't really trouble The Hawks that much in the final frame.  I was surprised to learn that The Jets put up 31 shots, too, as it sure didn't feel that way to me.
- It was doubly nice that Coach Q saw fit to keep Toews-Hossa-Teravainen together, 'cos I half expected he would stick Bickell in TT's spot, and they ended up generating the most chances of The Hawks' forward lines and scored both of the goals that mattered.  See what happens when you ice two skilled lines?  
- After the game Patrick Kane admitted that he was probably thinking about his points streak a little too much.  He and his linemates weren't bad, exactly - his second period pass through Anisimov's feet and onto his stick was pretty cool - but Kane wasn't as consistently commanding as he's been the last several weeks.  Ah, but we have two scoring lines, right?
- Ryan Garbutt had a good game going until he took that idiotic penalty in the third.
- Had a brief moment of terror and disbelief when I realized it was TVR and Rozsie working the points on The Hawks' last PP.  Get well soon, Trevor Daley.
- Speaking of Rozsie, it almost looked like he was going to join a rush there midway through the third period, but I guess he would have had to leave yesterday to get that done.
- Crawford, as it turns out, had a good crack at a shutout until Kero lost interest in Chris Thorburn.  Yeah, it was kind of a goofy goal, but if Kero kept the check on it never happens.

Hossa looked a little tight early on, I thought, failing on a stuff attempt and losing the handle on the puck a couple of time.  He got better as the game wore on, exercising great patience on his goal and keeping the puck moving on the last Hawks PP as well as during many of his even strength shifts in the third.  I'm encouraged.

                                                        Unbeliebabal perogies.

Would You Pay an Extra $2 Million?

The Hawks recalled Bryan Bickell from Rockford earlier today and, to make room on the roster placed Viktor Tikhonov on waivers, where he was promptly snapped up by Phoenix.  Or Arizona. Whatever.
The hope is that Bickell can jump start some line, any line on The Hawks, having notched 7 goals and 14 points whilst in The AHL.  The reality will likely be that, if he fails to win the next couple of games single-handedly, Bickell will assume Tik's role of watching Mashinter do whatever the hell it is he's trying to do.
And that will cost The Hawks and extra $2 million in salary (over a full season) for Bicks to sit and watch Mashinter, Shaw & Desjardins accomplishing very little.  Oh, and Bobby Hull will be there, drunk.

About Last Night: Twenty Five Percent

On last night's game, itself:
- Jonathan Toews continues to show signs of life, especially when SURPRISE SURPRISE he's combined with other talented forwards.  Last night he played primarily with Hossa and Teravainen which amounted to The Hawks having two lines that represented an actual threat to score.  Doesn't that sound better than just one line?  More about that in a bit.
- Crawford did not look especially great but his D frequently struggled to clear the zone as well as they are able.  Sometimes that happens.

The Bigger Picture:
- This was going to be a post about how Joel Quenneville needs to do something, anything, to live up to his reputation as a "Top NHL Coach".  I remain mostly unconvinced that this is true; I believe he has been a decent coach and can be an effective strategist but, given the talent he's had at his disposal both in Chicago and in Colorado, the job was half-done for him.  He's had the leeway to make many poor decisions and still find success when the players rise above those circumstances and I'm leaning toward thinking that almost any experienced coach could have "guided" The Hawks teams of the past six or seven years just as ably.
Last night's lineup, though, was a small step in the right direction as Q doubled down with two capable lines and at least gave The Senators some decisions to make as far as matching lines was concerned.  The Hawks' best line, among the best in the league, has been the only consistent threat all season, accounting for 35 goals-for which is about 50% more than all the other Hawks forwards combined.  How this trio has managed to remain effective for so long is mind blowing given that they face the opposition's best shut-down men night-in-night-out, especially on the road.  We've already seen Panarin appear to wear down a bit and opposing coaches keying on the rookie, specifically, so the need to have another line that at least might score a goal, someday, is be essential to get Panarin a little less of that personal attention.  
The Hawks have been somehow getting by with 25% of their lineup doing more than 50% of the scoring.  It's time to exercise some patience with the players that have some chance to contribute and cut bait with those that aren't going to do more than skate up and down the rink.  Last night's lineup was encouraging but let's see how long this lasts.  
- On that tack, I find it puzzling that Q has spent as much time tinkering with his third and fourth lines as he has with the ostensible "first" line (i.e. whichever unsuitable wingers Toews has been burdened with, lately).  It's all the more of a head-scratcher when we consider that he persevered with Shaw-Toews-Garbutt for much of the Circus Trip when, as the road team, they ceded last change to their opposition for six straight games, a stretch in which the aforementioned "first" line found modest success in one game.  
- Where the third and fourth lines are concerned, they are what they are; The Hawks are not blessed with incredible depth in the bottom six or eight right now, and that's just something that they'll have to make the best of.  Perhaps establishing consistent lines down there will at least allow those six guys to develop a little chemistry...I don't know.  I'm pretty sure that having Dano and Mashinter play 5-to-8 minutes apiece is not helping these lines gel; Dano needs to play more, Mashinter needs to be playing in the ECHL or some other place, far, far away.  Quenneville's deployment of Dano has hardly set him up to succeed and the few opportunities Dano has been afforded have been halfhearted, at best.  The kid needs a little more rope than he's been given, as he's paying dearly for each and every mistake.
- Andrew Shaw has been a nightmare.  In the past he has usually been able to bounce around the lineup and be sort of effective but, this season...not so much. He's been undisciplined, out of position more often than not and, whilst skating with Toews the last few weeks, probably more of a hindrance than a help.  But, he's Quenneville's guy and, until some other team decides they need a less capable Steve Downie or whichever goof you like, we're stuck with him.
- One last mini-rant on depth and deployment: looking at what should be The Hawks' bottom six Kruger needs to be there, even though his meager offensive skills have all but departed, and Kero has probably been the best of the rest of the group. Shaw, as discussed, is a made man so he's a lock, and Dano should at least be given a chance to play.  This leaves Garbutt, Desjardins and Mashinter for Quenneville to tinker with.  Hinostroza, Baun and Hartman all had their looks, each failed to accomplish anything in their NHL auditions, and only Hartman has been less than shitty even at the AHL level.  Would reinserting Tikhonov or Bickell or even Morin (ha!) be any worse an idea than carrying on with some of the others? Tikhonov knows how to play positionally and keeps his feet moving, at least.  As it is now he's the highest paid interpreter on The Hawks' staff.

I'm Serious

With The Hawks returning home tonight Marcus Kruger will almost certainly start most or all of his shifts in the defensive zone which means, unless changes are made, Marian Hossa will start the majority of his shifts in the defensive zone, as well.

This, of course, is stupid and all but assured to happen, even though Teuvo Teravainen could just as easily be slotted in to play between Hossa and Dano in lieu of Kruger.

If Coach Quenneville fails to make this adjustment he will be visited by this man: