The Goalie Parade: Jets, Avalanche etc

I watched the Thursday and Friday games back-to-back so here's another of my generous two-fers.  Let's start with Thursday and The Hawks' entertaining win over Winnipeg.

Scott Foster, accountant by day and emergency backup goaltender by night, dominated NHL news and even managed to cast a shadow on MLB's opening night.  While it was strange, fun and really nice that it went so well for Foster, the whole story sorta underlines the massive problems The Hawks have had with netminding this season.  Since Corey Crawford became injured it really hasn't mattered a ton who is in net; on some nights the nominated Guy is okay but, in the main, they haven't been adequate, really.  Yes, The Hawks skaters have been defensively inconsistent and offensively impotent, but lemme point out that Crawford owns as many wins as the other five Guys combined, and he's played half as many games.
But Collin Delia was alright until he was stricken by dehydration cramps or fecal peristalsis or whatever was ailing him.  He showed good positioning, quick reflexes and appears to handle the puck pretty well.  More later...
We had our First Look at Dylan Sikura who was maybe slightly better than "alright" as he picked up a pair of helpies in his debut. He's smallish, quick enough and showed some good vision throughout the game.  He didn't win a lot of battles but he didn't back down, either.
Tomas Jurco and Eric Gustafsson both had fine games, with Jurcs enjoying his first two-goal game and Gus consistently pushing the puck north and generating mucho offense, even if he was a little passive in his own end some of the time. Despite The Hawks' fortunes as a group, lately, both of these guys are playing with increased confidence right now, a rare thing on this pretty beaten-down squad.
Duncan Keith was horrifying. He clearly cannot be arsed at this point.
An aside, apropos of nothing: I watched this game on TSN and had to endure The Jets "home" announcer, Dennis Beyak, who is just embarrassingly bad, mispronouncing names ("Ruttu") and spouting stats he seems to have simply made up on the spot.  He's not as bad as those guys who do the EDM games, but he's not far off.

In Denver, tonight, things started off well and The Hawks outplayed The Avs comprehensively up until that PPG late in the period.  Then the wheels fell off.
With a few exceptions, The Hawks just looked tired after that, and the more COL scored the more tired (of it) they got.  Once The Avs tasted blood their speed just stymied The Hawks, only a handful of which really applied themselves in the last 40 minutes.
Delia was less good than in his debut.  He started well and, while I'll rarely hold a goalie entirely accountable for a PPG against, I thought he was a bit soft on the first and third GA as well as Andrighetto's late goal.  So, one good game and one iffy game puts him in the same company as the other three members of his committee, but it's a small sample so far.  Let's not forget that tonight was still only his 36th professional game and that he started the season in The ECHL fer goodness' sake.  He's allowed to waver given all of that.
Particularly Poor: Keith who, once again, was missing passes galore, Ejdsell out of position and really just standing around a lot of the time and Hinostroza, still trying hard but somehow accomplishing nothing, lately.  For a month or two there, Hinnie looked as if he had found his game and could even challenge for a top six spot.  Lately, though, it's been all bobbled pucks and flubbed passes.  If he sorts himself out he can stick next season and will contribute, but if his timing or concentration or confidence or whatever continues to fail him it'll be back to The AHL for him.
Bright Spots included Gustafsson, moving the puck well albeit with the usual defensive indifference, Martinsen being a huge pain in the ass in The Avs zone, even if he lacks the vision or hand skills to contribute anything more, Jurco playing with more confidence in each game and Connor Murphy as The Hawks' most consistent defender the last two games.
Foley spoke of Coach Q deploying some players "out of their comfort zones", his example being DeBrincat on the PK.  That's fine, but Oesterle on the PK is far from MY comfort zone.  Didn't we see that movie already?
Blake Hillman debuted tonight and, to be honest, I hardly noticed him, which probably means he was just fine.
The Hawks have four days off before a possibly very fun home-and-home against STL and a chance to at least spoil The Blues' playoff hopes.  At least give us that, willya...

Almost Got Away With It: Sharks 4, Hawks 3

After only showing up for the first period and overtime The Hawks really had no business thinking about a win tonight, but there they were, hanging in there and making The Sharks sweat a little.
At this point in this season it's the little things that give one hope.
Despite their hideous record this month The Hawks haven't often been kicked around in shots/ Corsi/ chances, but tonight was a night in which they were dominated and shoulda coulda lost badly.
Anton Forsberg, however, had other plans.  Yes, he allowed 3GA and, yes, he was a bit sloppy on E. Kane's goal, but he outplayed the bona fide NHL goalie at the other end and kept his team in it to the end.  Extra credit, too, given the number of A+ chances his teammates ceded to The Sharks.

But you all want to read about Victor Ejdsell, so let's get to that.

The big fella, obtained from NSH at the trade deadline, debuted after playing a mere two AHL games and, in all of 17 minutes, looked okay.
Not great, not terrible...okay.
The first thing you notice is his size: long & lanky, with a vast reach.  He doesn't seem especially quick but he's no slug, either.  Hands seem good and he got a few hard shots off rather quickly.  His positional play was hit-and-miss but, it's his first game, he was thrust onto the top line and played the point on the PP.   Someone might point out that he was on the ice for all three Sharks goals but, to be fair, two of those GA were down to 1) Seabrook turning the puck over (after Ejdsell had won the draw, BTW) and 2) Gustafsson being beaten twice along the boards in a single sequence.  He was clearly not comfortable on the left point on the PP and was a bit out of step during his shift in OT but, he was given a ton of responsibility for a guy playing his first NHL game so I'll not rake him over the coals just yet.
If Edjsell turns out to be A Thing, though, Anismov and/or Hayden had best brace themselves.

And hey, The Hawks allowed fewer than five goals in consecutive games.  That's progress.

No Sleep 'til Brooklyn: Hawks 2½, Islanders 1

Since I watched this one a day after the event I'll keep it brief.

Every Dog Has His Day or Would The Real Anton Forsberg Please Stand Up: As bad as Bergie was in the brief amount of time it took for him to make a big stinky mess on Thursday he was brilliant in this one.  He was in full command, tracking the puck exceptionally well (which has previously been noted as a strength of his) particularly in close when The Isles had multiple whacks at the thing.  While I suspect the real Bergie falls squarely between the disaster on Thursday and the gem last night, it was very good to see him bounce back so emphatically.  And, hey, he didn't let in a softie!
The Islanders Big Line Were Where, Exactly?  In the weeds, mainly, absolutely kicked in while matched up primarily against the Schmaltz - Hinnie - Charlie Bucket line.  It's difficult to say how much of that was due to the effort of that Hawks trio or merely a complete lack of give-a-shit by John Tavares but, even though NYI sport two dangerous lines, as JT goes so go The Isles.
Lookit Jurco, Shakin' Off Checks: Well, there's a first, second and third time for everything, but when Jurc's is able to get around or through a check whatever line he's on is instantly 50% more effective.
Best Of All...with one minor exception I cannot say that any Hawks player stood out as being bad which, I have to say, is all too rare and a pleasure to report.  Only Gustafsson was noticeably naughty; his defensive work was okay but his breakout attempts were poorly executed and his passing a bit yippy.
That's enough high fiving for now and, to be realistic, this win was against a team that is one loss away from being mathematically eliminated from a playoff berth.  Next up are The Sharks, who still need a few wins to seal their playoff berth, so let's keep it real, keep it steady and try to do this again.

Questions Abound: Canucks 5, Hawks 2

Okay, so The Hawks were a bit unlucky in this one, but not to the tune of three goals.  I have questions!
1) Did no one involved in coaching or decision making notice those couple of power plays last week in which The Hawks moved the puck and moved their feet and they scored some goals?
If so, why are we being forced to endure the same old get-the-zone (eventually, if at all) and play-catch-while-we-all-stand-still?  This is ridiculous.
2) Has the so-called Push-em-Back power play breakout scheme ever worked?  This is such a huge waste of time and, almost hilariously, they mess it up half the time, anyway (I'm lookin' at you, Gustafsson).  Yeah, I understand that they want to have Kane, primarily, enter the o-zone with speed, but what's the rush?  IF they manage to gain the zone everyone just takes their positions and stands there, anyway.  It might be smarter to decline power plays, going forward.
3) When was the last time Keith completed a pass?

Otherwise...
The Hawks crushed VAN in Corsi and chances.  Only one Hawks player was south of 50% Corsi, most were 60-70%, yet....
The Hawks' goaltending is garbage, full stop.
Sharp was stymied once and hit a crossbar.
Hinnie had a sure thing tipped away.
Seabrook maybe should have a penalty shot? (which he would have gacked, but that's not for now)
Schmaltz was excellent, so there's that.

But, wow, The Hawks have allowed 26 goals against in the last five games and were -14 in that run.  I need a drink.

Don't Take A Knife To A Gunfight: Avalanche 5, Hawks 1

With the shot totals 45 - 40 it was clearly a game in which neither team could be arsed with playing defense, the advantage was certainly with The Avalanche: they can score, The Hawks cannot.  Doubling down, The Avs have a primo goaltender in Varlamov, whereas Anton Forsberg is terrible.  Absolute dogshit.
Yeah, some dumb stuff happened in front of Bergie, like Keith topping passes and Gustafsson, Oesterle and Jurco all making garbage passes when they weren't under any kind of pressure, either turning the puck over or icing the damn thing.
But they put 45 shots on net and only managed one goal.  
We saw some good sequences in the offensive zone in a few games last week, occasions in which they moved the puck quickly and kept their feet moving.  But they didn't do much of that tonight - instead, they stand still, look around, maybe take a shot that gets blocked or lose the thing altogether.  There was a power play in the third period in which three players played catch for 45 seconds, no shots taken, and Colorado eventually cleared their zone.
The most frustrating part of this is that they're capable of more.  We've seen it, but why The Hawks don't bring that all the time is a mystery.  Instead, we get slow, predictable and unimaginative work in the offensive zone, that any team can defend against if they have a pulse.
Yes, the goaltending has been brutal since Crawford went down and yes, The Hawks' defense has been either old and slow or young and dumb too much of the time, but they've got to sort out their inability to score.  Losing 5-1 or 2-1 is a loss any way you slice it.

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Blows 5, Hawks 4

Once again, The Hawks snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and this time it was despite The Blues doing their level best to hand the win over.  How about a few quick bits and we'll put this behind us and never speak of it again?  Deal.
* Oddly, neither team played especially well but both teams had a couple of players that had crazy-good games.  For STL, Alex Pietrangelo had himself a night, as did his apparent protegé, Vince Dunn, both driving The Blues' offence from the back end and taking it to the net themselves when they found their forwards not up to the task.  Best STL forward?  Kyle Brodziak.  How's that make ya feel?
* For The Hawks it was 80% Alex DeBrincat as he chalked up his third hat trick of the season.  A few other fellas played alright in fits and starts; Toews, Jurco (but guilty of a few brutal shifts to even things out) and Hinostroza each had some excellent moments but no one apart from DBC really blew me away.

* The Naughty List is longer.  Gustafsson was horrible, seemingly under the impression that playing good defence begins and ends with standing nonchalantly in front of your own net until "something happens".  Keith - iffy, at best and Oesterle was pretty poor, but he got the goal line scramble correct this time, at least.  Berubé fell back to earth after a couple of okay outings by serving up a stinker, today.
* It should have been over in regulation but for a dim call in which the referee blew the whistle for no reason apart from confusion.  The deflation that The Blues experienced after the goal review let The Hawks back into it, briefly.  The Blues seem a bit fragile, having lost a bunch of games that saw them tumble down the standings, a decline that seems to coincide roughly with Paul Stastny being traded to WPG.  With Tarasenko and Hutton both injured and the confidence level in The Blues' room probably mighty low and emotional, come-from-behind victory was just the thing they needed.
Happy to oblige, I guess...

Catching Up, Getting Down: Jets and Sabres Many, Hawks Few

Due to mandatory attendance at a Bilderburg Meeting I only managed to watch Thursday's hot mess on Friday and today's game tonight.  Emboldened by said Bilderburg get together and inspired by their unofficial slogan "don't mail it in, bro" I'll make an effort to make some sense of The Hawks' latest disasters.  Which is more than I can say for The Hawks.

The high point of Thursday's match in Winnipeg, Canada's Worst City™, came at the 11 second mark when Saad barged into The Jets' zone and rifled a smart shot past Connor Hellebuyck.  It was all downhill from there, however, as Hawks starter Anton Forsberg allowed a rather dodgy goal that he failed to recover from, subsequently coughing up two more soft goals before being dispatched.  Middle-inning sponge JF Berubé fared little better even if he actually played reasonably well, as the rest of The Hawks had lost whatever little wind was in their sails, eventually falling 6 - 2.
And that was the essence of that game: Forsberg comprehensively shat the bed and the rest of them simply packed it in.  There was nothing encouraging about that game, no brightsides nor positive takeaways.

Surely a trip to Buffalo, home of the NHL's last-place team, would be exactly the tonic for a demoralized squad.  Well, not if every damn mistake The Hawks would make, and there were plenty of those, ended up in their net
Outshot, outskated and well behind in the Corsi game, Buffalo nevertheless made their A+ and even B- chances count thanks to The Hawks' inability to win a faceoff in their own end, as well as the worst defensive coverage they'd put forth all season.  Spicing up this mélange of futility was The Hawks' failure to get out of their zone reliably; this went on all day but, in one five or six minute span, late in the third period with the game tied, The Hawks had nine missed or intercepted breakout passes...before I stopped counting.
The Hawks' broadcasters keep pitching these last few weeks as an opportunity for the team to put some miles on the younger Hawks, some of whom may or not be required next season, but I'm not sure about how they're going about it.  With the roster as it is there's little competition for ice time with a single "healthy" scratch and all indications are that Duclair is day-to-day with an ankle injury.  So we have the same four or five Guys out there, game after game, competing for next year's roster spots that had better not include four or five Guys.  With Keith and Seabrook winding down (despite being under contract until forever and Keith's assertion that he think he can play until he's 40) our best prospects on the back end are Jan Rutta and Erik Gustafsson, which is a scary reality.  Rutta, I think, will be fine if Coach Q doesn't destroy his psyche, but Gustafsson is another story.  For all his offensive acumen he's not really very good at playing defense.  Coach's pet Jordan Oesterle is even worse in that vein; how can a player log a team-best Corsi and still be -3  for the night and fail to make any passes?  The stats, they lie...

At this point the likes of Jurco, Hayden, Highmore, Kampf, Oesterle, Dahlstrom, Gustafsson and even Murphy are practically interchangeable and, if The Hawks are forced to lean on these Guys (or Guys like them) next season we'll be in for another long year, again.  I know that affordable, quality depth players are pretty much unicorns, now, but if The Hawks go to war with this kind of lineup again I can tell you how that movie ends without even buying a ticket.

Forty Minutes ACTUALLY Well Spent: Hawks 3, Bruins 1

From a distance, it might look as if The Hawks didn't do things a whole lot differently than yesterday; they were right there with The Bruins for two periods and were kinda kicked around in another.  However, they managed to avoid completely collapsing in the second period, which was largely dominated by BOS, the power play was working and a few Hawks players turned in stunning performances.  What ya' waitin' for?

The Power Play: those first two PP and the early part of the double-minor in the third period were terrific, and it was easy to see how those shifts were different than 96% of what The Hawks' PP has delivered in, oh, four years - speed.  They moved the puck urgently.  Passes were fast and on target, and the puck carriers refrained from dawdling about trying to decide which stationary teammate they would attempt to pass to.  I loved it, and I just hope that it wasn't a mirage, 'cos that's how their PP can and should look ALL THE TIME.
They did lapse back into their plodding ways, midgame, but old habits and all that...
Toews was a beast today, shooting hard, chasing down pucks and making smart passes, and Kane was almost as good even though he disappeared for most of the second frame.
Keith had his best game in about two weeks and Erik Gustafsson put together a second consecutive game in which he drove the play from the back end so well that he is, for now, the point man on the first PP unit.  He seems singularly able to consistently locate Kane in greasy areas and has, lately, been getting good, low shots on or around the net.  I rather wish he'd not stand around wondering what to do in The Hawks' end of the ice quite so much but, for now, I'll take this.
Forsberg was fine even if he wasn't really tested that often.  The one goal against was a legit shot, so it was good at least that he didn't let any junk past him.

Yeah, The Bruins were a little under-manned and were somehow more penalty prone even without Brad Marchand, but the win is ours and there were many positive takeaways from the game.  I'm very eager to see how the PP performs in Winnipeg on Thursday.

Forty Minutes Well Spent: Bruins 7, Hawks 3

For much of this game The Hawks managed to stay with The Bruins, a vastly superior team by most measure, but could not muster up a full 60-minute effort.  Again.
Yet they hung in there, leading until early in the third period, when an untimely double-minor to Kane helped to open the floodgates.
To be honest, The Hawks defense struggled throughout the game; apart from Gustafsson's offensive contribution we got next-to-nothing from that bunch.  Keith has oscillated from mediocre to outright awful the past week, today being closer to awful than average, while Seabrook and Murphy simply flailed today.  Five of The Bruins' goals were scored in-close with one or more Hawks defenders looking on helplessly.
That the two best Hawks today were guys that a) returned from the minors today and b) was recalled only weeks ago might shine a light on who's motivated and who's not.  John Hayden said the correct, nice things about the team's compete level, but he's not kidding anyone.

There's not a lot more to say about this one; The Hawks got schooled, eventually, by the better team.
We'll try again tomorrow.

Well, That Happened: Hurricanes 3, Hawks 2

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  
It'll always be a tough row to hoe when your top line, which was excellent two nights ago, rock a collective Corsi below 20%.  The second line, also good recently, wasn't much better and the entire defense group struggled all night long.
That left the bottom six to get it done and, while they made the effort, couldn't quite close the deal.
JF Berubé was heroic, if a little scrambly, but certainly made this game closer than it should have been.
Jan Rutta returned and was The Hawks' steadiest defender which, on this night, was otherwise a five-way tie for last.
Anthony Duclair was good enough to show up for this one and even managed to bully a puck out of Scott Darling's pads to set up the Sharp goal.  Later, he set the table for Baby Huey Kampf who was subsequently denied by Darling.  Kampf, incidentally, was the sole Hawks forward to crest 50% Corsi tonight.  That's great for Baby Huey but doesn't reflect very well on the rest of the team.

I cannot point to any particularly evil plays or egregious errors, but rather a general lack of give-a-damn.  The Hurricanes only needed to plug up the middle and that was enough to stymie the majority of The Hawks' breakout attempts.
Buckle up for the upcoming back-to-back afternoon delights vs. Boston, 'cos I hear they're pretty good.

Close Enough: Hawks 2, Lavalantulas 1

There wasn't much to choose in this one but, given that The Hawks have made a habit of losing close games, or even games in which they had 60%+ of the chances, I'll gratefully take the win.  It's just nice to be on the right side of it for a change.  Let's get after it.

Toews + Kane + Saad took the handful of good shifts they had in the Anaheim game and spun it into an almost complete effort.  We even heard Foley say something he hasn't had occasion to utter in a long time, something about "Saad" and "power move".  I like these eggs in this particular basket so, more of that, please.
Schmaltz + DeBrincat + Hinostroza were not so far behind in chances and general effectiveness but they did barely survive being penned-in The Hawks' zone on two far-too-long and fraught with peril shifts.  While those couple of panicky shifts are not ideal I still really like this trio together.  What they lack in size and strength is mostly made up for by their speed and fitness.  Schmaltz and DeBrincat are obviously the greater scoring threats on this line but, lately, Hinnie has been the straw stirring the drink.  His lightning-fast zone entries, demonic backchecking and surprisingly adept passing have been a most welcome surprise.  The kid is playing like his life depends on it because IT DOES (it doesn't).
It's a Good Thing the top two lines were so good 'cos the Anisimov and Kampf lines had a rough night.  There are a couple of guys there that are dragging things down: Jurco knows what he wants to do but can't pull it off 'cos he gets knocked off the puck so easily, while Duclair has ample size and skill but no plan whatsoever.

Defensively, it was a mixed bag.  The Hawks got a quality start from JF Berubé and okay efforts from the D-corps, with no one being especially great nor especially awful.  At least Oesterle was better than in ANA, even if he was still way too soft in his own end.  

Okay, it was a good result from an uneven effort against a team that is battling for a playoff berth, and we get to see another team in that position on Thursday when Carolina visits.  Let's hope The Hawks can be miserable, contrary pains in the ass again.

Big Trouble: Ducks 6, Hawks 3

Yeah, big trouble.  Never mind losing the game because, really, does that even matter now?  Even worse is that too many Hawks players are simply no longer invested in the season, the team or each other.
Dumb, dumb plays abounded.  
The so-called first line failed to hit a pass longer than 10ft until late the second period.  The worst of the three was Kane, floating passes not feet but yards off their mark.  
Seabrook was absolutely awful, his lowlight being that old chestnut, the drop pass to no one, this time completely defusing a power play.  
Keith had more poor shifts than good shifts and Oesterle was flat out brutal, with a shiny -4 next to his name to show for it.
You know things are grim when Connor Murphy was the best Hawks d-man, hands down.
And Anthony Duclair - does anyone know what the hell he's trying to accomplish, ever?  The decisions he makes are just baffling.  Please, Stan, don't even think about re-signing the lad.
The goalies gave it a good shot.  Forsberg, naturally, allowed his customary unforgivable soft goal and he really should take more care to keep his stick on the ice, but even with the clutch of good saves they made, neither he nor JF Berube belong in The NHL.  But, that's who we have, right?
Not All Bad?
Of course not.  The Schmaltz line had a pretty good second half of the game, although I have to say that Schmaltz was invisible to me until he scored.  If this season doesn't utterly crush the spirits of Schmaltz, DeBrincat and Hinostroza there's a slim ray of light on the horizon.
And Kampf's trio did well, with the caveat that they have so little ability to score that the effort hardly seems worthwhile, but they sure tried.  Not sure what to say about Matthew "Charlie Bucket" Highmore as he's not done anything dazzling, yet, but he's not giving the puck away, at least.  Until he shows some offensive acumen, though, he may as well be Tanner Kero.

The neanderthals in the post-game show had a lot to say about The Hawks' non-reaction to Toews' dust up with arch-nemesis Ryan Kesler.  The notion that Toews needed to respond to Kesler's invitation to drop the gloves is incredibly stupid, but I get it, and maybe it served as a release of sorts for Toews.  The studio goons harped about Toews' teammates' lack of acknowledgement when the captain emerged from the penalty box and Jamal Mayers asserted many times that The Hawks "should be embarrassed".  I think they were embarrassed to have let in two more goals while Toews was indisposed, and I imagine their enthusiasm for the game in general had just about bottomed out.  Sure, a few stick taps would have been appropriate, for whatever little that is actually worth, but I'm also guessing that this team is simply emotionally drained and they cannot wait for the season to end.  The hands and feet go through the motions but the head & hearts aren't there, really.

Just The Right Amount of Dumb: Hawks 5, Kings 3

It wasn't very pretty, they really only played well for 25 minutes and they were raked over the coals in most statistical categories but, somehow, The Hawks prevailed.  Perverse lot, these Blackhawks.
Let's go.
The Dumb wasn't referring to The Hawks (much).  Kings ubermensch Drew Doughty took a penalty, the validity of which was discussed to the extent that it became two penalties, leading to the Anisimov PPG and the tide turning in favour of The Hawks.  Late in the period it was Tanner Pearson, somehow too slow or too lazy to keep pace with Connor Murphy (ha!) with Toews, this time, cashing in on that PP for the go-ahead goal.  Doughty's original penalty was a bit of a weak call but, after Carter drilled DeBrincat earlier with nary a glance from the officials, I'd say they were even.

Stats Pack: As mentioned, The Hawks were on the wrong end of nearly all statistical categories, apart from a pair of vital areas: Power Play Goals (2-for-5) and Giveaways.  While Duncan Keith, alone, served up two after-yous that led directly to LA goals, The Kings were even sloppier, with the Oesterle and Hinostroza goals directly attributed to Kings giveaways.
And the power play came alive.  Anisimov did exactly what he's meant to do in front of the net and the rest of the forwards did an admirable job moving the puck and getting shots away.  For a day, The Hawks kinda looked like they knew what they were doing, there.

Bounce-back games for Gustafsson, Dahlstrom and Oesterle helped immensely, especially given that Keith had his problems and Seabrook was not much better.  Despite these performances Keith and Seabrook still led all Hawks in TOI.  There's your Dumb, I guess, but what do I know?

Kane + Toews + Saad didn't really come on-song until the third period and, even then, were not exactly dominant.  Saad continues to have a tough time getting shots away but perhaps, with Kane providing better passes than he's been seeing a lot of the time, that will change.  At this point in the year The Hawks have nothing to lose by persevering with this trio, if only to see what they can accomplish and what effect watering down the other lines will have.

SO, on the back of that deplorable effort in San Jose a few nights ago it was sure encouraging to see The Hawks dig in, come back and beat a team that had blown only one third period lead all season.  Sure, there was a bit of luck involved and The Kings didn't make things too difficult in the third period, but we'll take it, and maybe a bit of momentum into tomorrow's afternoon delight in Anaheim.

Oops: Sharks 7, Hawks 2

That is all.