Good Enough For The Girls I Run With: Hawks 2, Penguins 1

Here comes a workmanlike recap for a workmanlike game, regardless of who or what deserves anything.  It wasn't a perfect effort but good enough to earn two points and with enough bright spots to make one believe, or hope at least, that The Hawks will be able to muddle their way into the playoffs.  Forward to The Bits.

* Anisimov scores again, and a pure garbageman's goal, at that.  It's been fun to watch Large Arthur do his thing and do it so well, as late, but I spoil it for myself (and everyone else, now) by considering where The Hawks would be if he wasn't scoring by the bucketful.  Aside from DeBrincat none of the other Hawks forwards have had much luck around the net for weeks.  Kane and Schmaltz are both moving the puck well enough, exceptionally well in Schmaltz's case, but not cashing in.  The Toews line look dangerous every night but have little to show for their efforts apart from an empty-netter and an OT goal by Saad while playing with DBC.  You have to think that the pucks will start going in for them...but when?  

                                             The best Hawks' player, once again.

* While the Top Six crushed PIT in possession and chances, which says a lot given that this was a road game and The Hawks wouldn't get their preferred match-ups, the Bottom Six were a sucking chest wound.  Sharp had a dozen or so semi-breakaways but couldn't convert because a) a Penguins D-man always managed to catch him just enough to be a nuisance, and b) Matt Murray's already seen Sharpie's best stuff in summer scrub hockey.  Wingels had one good look in the second but, around that same time, Old Lead Hands Bouma squandered an A+ chance.  Is Kero really not an option over Bouma?
* Forsling had another pretty good game with only a couple of "moments", scored a goal and had that same good, darty stick that he had going against NYR.  The Hawks' D was okay, in general, and that's about as good as we can hope for with this bunch, right now.
* Crawford was tremendous, missing a shutout by a fraction of an inch on a shot that may or may not have ticked off of Keith's stick.
* Two Power Play goals in one game is a victory in and of itself.  The Hawks had good puck movement for the most part and actually got a few shots on net during the PP.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that The Hawks' recent successes and Anisimov's scoring binge is partly due to Franson getting the puck on-net so often, particularly with the extra man.  Seriously, The Hawks haven't had a guy on the back end accomplish that in years.

Off to FLA on Wednesday and too many days off for my liking before that and between the Tampa and Miami games.  Maybe it'll rain and the golf courses will be closed....