Such A Shame: Oilers 2, Hawks 1 (OT)

Tough one, tonight.  Once we'd reached The Coin Toss Round I felt that The Hawks were in with a shout given that they'd largely dominated The Oilers in the third period and had some wind in their sails.  However, one ill-timed and extremely rare gaffe by Patrick Kane spelled doom in the end.

Matchups Were Vital and, with last change, The Hawks did a good job with this.  When Coach Q was able to get Toews' line out vs. McDavid & Friends The Hawks typically had their measure.  Meanwhile, the Anisimov - Kane - Saad trio were able to neutralize Draisaitl's line for much of the game simply by not letting them touch the puck.  Where things broke down badly was when Kruger's line was opposite McDavid and were trounced soundly.  It wasn't even close.  Even after Q abandoned that idea and went to a Toews vs. McDavid tactic Kruger's line was overmatched even by EDM's third and fourth units.  This was largely down to one guy: Andreas Martinsen, he of the 0.00 Corsi rating on the night.  I know that Q loves to have a Guy around that can intimidate a bit and crush the odd open-ice hit, but Martinsen is simply too poor a skater to play that role, unable to catch anyone to actually lay that inspiring hit.  I don't know what Q's beef is with John Hayden, 'cos it seems to me that he could ably fill that role with his vastly superior skating, and he's at least able to hang onto the puck, somewhat.
The Duelling Cams was a fun sideshow, what with Cam Talbot turning in a near-perfect performance for EDM while, at the other end, our own Cam Ward played his best game so far as a Hawk.  Wardo was blameless on both Oilers goals, really.
Brandon Saad - back to earth?  The effort was certainly there but the results were not, with a couple of good looks fired wide or right into Talbot's center-mass.  Of course I have no idea why this is happening but I wonder....what if Saad were to take an extra fraction of a second to aim his shots?  Maybe he's been snakebitten so long that he's resigned himself to just bashing away and chucking, hoping for the best.
Kaner's Mistake.  Hard to say if he topped the puck while trying to hit Gustafsson, creeping in from the point, or if he just failed to put enough gas on it.  Once Draisaitl had the puck, and with Gus already moving north and suddenly needing to head south, a quality chance for The Oilers was inevitable.  If Kane had made the pass The Hawks would have had an equally good look, with Gus having a fairly clear shot on Talbot, or maybe a sneaky shot-pass to Saad to the right side of the EDM net. Well, errors like that are about as rare as Pope shit where Kane is concerned, which is remarkable considering the number of high-danger and low-percentage plays he successfully executes.  This is just gonna happen once in a long while.

Next: the meatgrinder that is the Western Canada swing, with three games in four nights including a rematch with The Oilers.  Worse even, those games are on late, so look for my wise observations that are so vital to your lives on the following day.  I needs my sleep.

Talk Talk - Such A Shame

You Can't Get What You Want: Blues 7, Hawks 3 (Hide The Knives)

Almost entirely disappointing, that one, especially being that this flat effort took place in Garbagetown, whose inbred denizens will get a shit-ton of mileage out of their massive victory.  Hell, they'll probably hang a banner or some damn thing.

Only Patrick Kane had a truly good game.  Even Anisimov, with three points on the night, bookended his great middle part of the game with some pretty shoddy passing and failing to transition to defence in time.  Kahun and DeBrincat both played lazy games. Jokiharju was decent, overall, but made a bad/weird choice abandoning O'Reilly on that first goal.  Kunitz was a disaster.  Keith had one of those nights when the simplest pass was beyond his capacity and his decision to stand idly by while Maroon screened Crawford, unopposed, was a poor choice.  And so on...
Crawford was not sharp, even if a couple of The Blues' goals were simple tap-ins, or made possible by defensive shortcomings in front of him.  He got himself ridiculously out of position before Bozak scored, but we'll spread the blame a bit by mentioning that a) that goal was moments after The Hawks committed an unforced icing and b) Manning was, as usual, being worthless.
I saw Rutta commit one obvious giveaway but was there more than that?  Is that why he was benched for half of the game?  If so, I'd be happy to gin up a lowlights tape of Manning, one that will make Coach Q never stop vomiting.
Passing Was Poor in general.  Breakouts were not crisp and O-zone passes were largely off target.  Even Gustafsson, who has been on-point nearly all the time thus far, was passing behind guys and not putting enough muscle on his passes.  They can be better, they just chose not to, tonight.
I'm Still Not Sure What Luke Johnson does, exactly, but he somehow reeled off 72% Corsi tonight, so I guess he did it properly, whatever "it" is.

Edmonton tomorrow, with The Oilers emboldened after defeating The first-place Predators earlier today.  With last change, I wonder who Q will match up against McDavid.  Can he afford to "waste" Toews to try to cover McD?  What about Draisaitl's line, then?  Some tough decisions are in order and, no matter what direction The Hawks choose, it's likely going to come down to them needed Kane & Co. to score a few.

Joe Jackson: You Can't Get What You Want (Til' You Know What You Want)

As I Was Saying....

Sink Em Low: Hawks 4, Rangers 1

Allllright, just quick some remarks tonight as I'm catching up on the end of the game as I'm typing this thing.
The Straws That Have Been Stirring The Hawks' Drinks all showed up tonight.  Toews, Kane, DeBrincat, Crawford and Gustafsson....all excellent.  I'm slightly worried that when one, two or all of these guys go off their boil we'll be lacking much secondary scoring, but let's maybe cross that bridge when we come to it.
Additionally, we got a great game from Nick Schmaltz, who had been a little wishy-washy in the last couple of affairs.  His puck protection and the pass to Fortin for goal #2 was terrific.
Take Note: Erik Gustafsson led all Hawks in icetime, as it bloody should be the way he's been performing.  I'm still pessimistically waiting for the huge regression but enjoying watching this kid play out of his mind in the meantime.
Anything Here That Was Not So Good?
Sure.  Brandon Saad kinda failed to maintain his momentum after two very good games.  He wasn't awful, by any means, just not as good.  And where Brandon Manning is concerned, unless I indicate otherwise, let's just assume that he played another garbage game in which he failed simple plays in both zones.  Without his shambling giveaway followed by no attempt to pick up a man, any man, Crow coulda had a no-no tonight.
Let's not forget that The Rangers are in the midst of a major rebuild.  They have some good pieces in Zuccarello and Zibinejad, and that Nick Pionk might be an actual thing, but their roster is bulked up with old dudes and role players at the moment.  Brendan Smith played nineteen minutes, fer goodness' sakes, and he's even worse than Manning.  This was a should-win, a must-win, and The Hawks executed very well.

So it's off to Shit City for another tilt against the Purina-fed Blues, where their slack-jawed fans will blow the importance of the game all out of proportion.  Still, it took overtime to subdue those jackasses in each of the two games already in the books, but Cam Ward was still finding his feet at that time.  If The Hawks do what they've been doing the last two games we'll be in good shape.

Clutch - Sink Em Low

The Return of...: Hawks 3, Duckies 1

That's more like it.
It was "only" two goals and one was an empty-netter but the potential effect Brandon Saad's busting out could well be huge.  The expected joy and relief of having finally scored was plainly evident but, almost as good, Saad played with fury, purpose and swagger from there on.  It's not as if he'd been playing so badly up until last night but, when that first goal went in, it's like a switch was flipped.
I'd thought he was lost, perhaps he is found.
Yes, there's more
I don't know what to do about Anisimov.  It felt like he was dragging Kane & Saad down a bit yet, he's pretty good in front of the net, being as he's large and has okay hands.  Is it worth putting up with his lack of speed and his defensive indifference for awhile to see what these three can accomplish?  
Toews and Gustafsson had fantastic games apart from one gacked play....and it was the same play for both of them and Toews very nearly undid his end of the mistake, barely failing to lift Rakell's stick as they bore down on Crawford.  Gus has been a revelation, having upped every aspect of his game to unforeseen levels.  Two months ago I'd written that the roster could only support either Gustafsson or Forsling and not both and, at this point, Forsling will be lucky if Stan Bowman doesn't delete him from his contacts list.  Gus could still use a bit of improvement defensively but he is already ridiculously better than he'd been last year.
Marcus Kruger - penalty minute leader.  Okay, that has to stop.
Luke Johnson - does anyone know what he does?  Schmaltz and Fortin had a few interesting moments last night but Johnson was nowhere around.  Coach Q seems really enthusiastic about Johnson so maybe there's something there and I just haven't spotted it yet.  As it is, he appears to be a downgrade from super-steady David Kampf.
Corey Crawford is The Man.
That is all.

NEXT: The Rangers on Thursday.  Get ready for The Attack of The Killer Zees....or possibly Zeds, with Zuccarello and Zibanejad leading "the charge" in the midst of an icky rebuild.

Left Boy The Return of...

Awful: Lightning 6, Hawks 3

TFW your goalie allows five goals and his save percentage improves....
Okay, not Cam Ward's fault.  He kinda made a mess of that side of the net stuff-in and a couple of his puck exchanges were sketchy but, otherwise, he played a fine game.  It's a pity that the rest of The Hawks only showed up for, what....fifteen minutes?

Not going to pick this one apart because this was a failure on practically the entire team's part, although some surely did fail more than others.
The Hawks' defence was simply awful.  Slow, hesitant, out of position and too often just standing around.  Check the tape on Cirelli's goal, with Gustafsson leaning on the back of the net and Jokiharju pushing Cam Ward off the post - what the hell was all that about?  Meanwhile, NO Hawks forwards had picked up anyone, instead just standing by, waiting for what, I do not know.  I saw Schmaltz' and Anisimov's backs more than once while a TB shot scooted past Ward.
Each of the TB goals, except maybe Hedman's, displayed a similar level of ain't-give-a-damn.
Breakouts were sloppy and subsequently exploited by The Lightning.  That'll happen sometimes but, when it does, you have to try something different.  The Hawks did not try something different, apparently content to keep sailing against the same rocks, again and again.
The Hawks even set a modern record by allowing a whopping 33 shots in the second period alone.
As ridiculous as all that is it's frustrating to note that The Hawks dominated the last half of the first period and the final few minutes of the game.  Why just then?  Isn't anyone putting these guys' feet to the fire, at least in some way that they'll respond to?

Anything good?  Sure, Saad had his best shifts of the season thus far, although he seemed to lose interest in the latter stages (who can blame him?) and, having hit the post twice in one period, one fears that it'll be another one of those years for him.  I thought Rutta was quite good, and Davidson was at least okay, far more than I can say for the rest of them.  
Kane was trying and started some interesting plays but his linemates were nowhere to be seen much of the time.  He fared better while double-shifting with Kruger & Fortin, fer goodness' sakes. Yet, his only reward was a team-low -3, not at all indicative of his effort.

Hole - Awful

Been Caught Stealing: Hawks 4, Blue Jackets 1

Yes indeed, The Hawks got away with one tonight, with an "effort" that was 80% vintage Corey Crawford and 20% opportunism.  But sure, we'll have that, 'cos it makes up for being on the wrong end of it against The 'Yotes on Thursday, right?
This should be rather concise, as the headlines are quite broad & simple.

It looks like Crow needed all of one warm up game to find his feet.  Great positioning, few juicy rebounds and outstanding puck-tracking made it appear as if he's fully prepared to go as long this year as his teammates allow him to.  Hopefully not a mirage.
The Possession Game was a near mirror image to Thursday's loss in which PHX hardly touched the puck yet walked away with a kinda easy win.  Tonight it was The Hawks who struggled to gain any traction but, given a few plum chances, were able to beat a team that largely outplayed them.  It helped that CBJ's typically all-world netminder Sergei Bobrovsky struggled.
Nick Schmaltz had his grittiest game that I can recall in some time.  Why he even took a few shots!  If Nicky-Boy continues to suggest that he's willing to do something other than defer, defer, defer Kane's going to find the going a little easier in the offensive zone.
Passing was a big problem for The Hawks tonight.  In the skates, out of reach or, most often and most annoying, too soft and easily picked off by alert Blue Jackets.  All but one of the many CBJ solo rushes were made possible by a guy attempting a lateral pass that simply lacked the oomph to make it to its destination.  Could have been bad ice but more likely a collective failure to apply oneself (oneselves?).
Brandon Davidson made his Hawks debut in lieu of B. Manning tonight.  Ehhh...he's slow, he flails a bit and he was demolished in possession but, on the few occasions he found the puck he made calm, safe outlet passes which I see as a slight upgrade from Manning.  Worth another look, I guess.

So, with karmic balance restored, we reset for a back-to-back at home vs. Tampa.  Cam Ward is likely getting the start, so The Hawks' D had best get their house in order.

Jane's Addiction, Been Caught Stealing

(When This Is Over I Will) Sleep: Coyotes 4, Hawks 1

I guess it was always going to happen, tendencies that The Hawks had been leaning toward more and more over the last couple of games coupled with the lack of a last-moment bailout by Toews or Kane.  What looked like, on paper, to be a potential slam dunk was instead a disjointed effort versus a team that was desperate to accomplish something, anything really.
I gotta get up for work in 20 minutes, so let's go.

Corey Crawford Returned.  That's the big news, all results aside, and he looked okay.  Maybe not at the tippy-top of his game but that wasn't gonna happen.  He'd probably like to have Hinostroza's goal back and was perhaps a little soft on Keller's (which he gets a pass on, anyway, 'cos what was Kunitz thinking there?) but, overall, a good effort given he's been dizzy since last Christmas.
Some Good Moments from several players, but no complete game from anyone, really. Kahun had a great first period but was nowhere to be seen in the last half of the game.  Gustafsson, who's been shockingly good and arguably The Hawks' best defender en toto thus far, made some excellent defensive and offensive plays but also committed a couple of needless turnovers.  Only Kane appeared to put in a near-complete game, but even that was hamstrung by his linemates, which I'll mention shortly.
The Coyotes: before I go off complaining about people and things let me acknowledge that The 'Yotes hung in there and made The Hawks pay for their sins.  Really, only Hinnie's goal was a result of purely their own efforts, the others made possible by botched plays by The Hawks, but they're a quick team and their forecheck was the toughest The Hawks have had to deal with so far this season, as they harried Chicago's D relentlessly all evening.  They weren't as pretty in their own end, but their fall-back of simply plugging up the danger zone in front of their own net worked well enough, as The Hawks, especially the D, failed to get many shots through.  Antti Raanta was excellent, as well.
So, let the bitching and picking apart commence.
Nick Schmaltz did a few good things but it was the opportunities he passed on that irritated me.  He seems loathe to drive the net or to shoot, unless the puck is on a tee for him.  Schmaltz exemplified The Hawks' offensive problems, tonight: there were precious few second chances because the first shot either didn't get through the wall of Coyotes or, just as often, wasn't taken at all.  Soon enough, other teams will realize that his strong preference is to look to pass, first, and he's going to find teams ceding his route to the net in order to take away his passing lanes, and it'll work unless Schmaltz changes his mindset.
Alexandre Fortin does not appear ready for the top six.  He has eyes only for Kane, rarely involving Schmaltz or his D, always looking to find or be found by Kane, alone.  Maybe if he hits for a goal soon he'll be able to settle into a headspace where he's more aware of non-Kane-related opportunities but, based on what he's shown so far, it might take awhile for that to occur.
Keith and Jokiharju were not good, with young Henri cracking a little under the Coyotes' forecheck.  Keith just seemed slightly off with his timing, especially while passing, and positioning.
Chris Kunitz has contributed something between very little and nothing.  He actually had a couple of near-looks tonight but was either too slow to the puck or mishandled the puck when it came down to it.  And again, what was he thinking with that cross-ice pass that was so easily plucked away by Keller?
Brandon Manning has been terrible.  It's probably not a good idea to call for a pass and then promptly give the puck away while under zero pressure but, of course, that's what he did.  And he made a shambles of defending The Coyotes' two-on-one leading to Crouse's goal - he's gotta take the pass away and let Crow worry about a shot from the puck carrier but, in an apparent homage to his spiritual brother TVR, he chose to linger in between, taking neither the pass nor the shooter.  Just brutal.

Off to Columbus on Saturday, then, when I reckon we'll see Cam Ward get the start and perhaps Brandon Davidson draw in on the third pairing.  But Q being Q, you know it'll be Rutta that'll sit.

Roster Stuff: The Hawks dispatched Luke Johnson to Rockford to make room for Crawford as they quite rightly need a third line of defense in case Crow pulls up lame after a start or three.  If Crawford proves to be Good To Go I expect The Hawks will attempt to trade Anton Forsberg rather than merely expose him on waivers.

Big Black Sleep

It's Late: Hawks 4, Blues 3 (OT)

After the game Steve Konroyd stated "they seem to find ways to win".   Sure, I guess, but they're also finding ways to lose or, in this case, almost lose.  I mean, they chucked 50 shots at STL tonight and absolutely pantsed them in Corsi, yet it took until OT to seal the deal.
Nevermind that The Blues took almost half the game to find their gear because, once they got rolling, they largely outplayed The Hawks and, yet again, that determined effort was helped by The Hawks easing off the pressure. As in the last game, though, that wouldn't be such a sin if it weren't coupled with defensive gaffes and sloppiness.  This team can and should be killing it, yet they're just getting by.

Alex DeBrincat is not the best Hawks forward, but he will be, someday.
Cam Ward was okay.  Well, maybe a little better than okay but he did not help his cause with a poor pass to Manning, which I'll return to shortly.
Alexandre Fortin might be okay, as well.  He's decently quick and has enough size & reach to protect the puck somewhat, but he's kinda stepping on the puck a lot and not getting it from his feet to his stick a lot of the time.  It's early days though and, if he's meant to be part of the team, he'll figure it out.
Eric Gustafsson made his first nasty turnover of the season, which amazes me.
Kruger & Kampf were barely acknowledged yet led all players in possession stats, which is an utterly perfect night for a couple of 4th line guys.
John Hayden played the least of all Hawks tonight despite having no truly bad shifts.  Meanwhile, Kunitz huffed and puffed, a half-step behind whoever he was vainly chasing....
Brandon Manning, it would appear, is just dumb as hell.  Am I offside with this?  Yes, Ward's exchange to him was poor, but why'd Manning lift his foot?  Play the puck, man.  Manning remains the sole Blackhawk d-man who routinely messes up his breakouts, often making a bad first pass or, even more often, simply sending the puck downrange as fast as he can with no discernable purpose nor plan.
Kane didn't have his best night, his timing looking a little off and he fumbled the puck a few times, but the patience he displayed leading to his goal  was certainly admirable.  100% of the other Hawks would just have shot the puck ASAP 90% of the time.
The Power Play is backsliding already, with too much standing around and not enough net presence + shooting.  The first couple of PPs weren't bad but beyond that, and I hesitate to repeat myself, it was all so predictable.  I mean, I could anticipate all of The Hawks' actions on the PP and I'm an idiot, so even mayonnaise-slurping morons like The Blues could figure them out, too.  But it's not far off, 'cos we've seen some wonderful PP efforts already this season, they've just got to bring that more often than they've been doing.



Queen - It's Late

The Step And The Walk: Wild 4, Hawks 3 (OT)

A day late due to a late night beer league game, so this will be quickish.

The talking heads remain positive, asserting that The Hawks have yet to lose in regulation.  That's not the same as "unbeaten" however and I believe they can count themselves lucky to not be 2-and-2 right now.  If not for Kane's heroics vs. TOR and DeBrincat having a bit of a time in MIN last night that's exactly how things would stand.
While I'm loving the fast starts to each game thus far, I've been unimpressed with The Hawks taking their foot off the gas before the games are half over.  In Toronto they faced a team that struggles to prevent goals but, given the space, will cheerfully run up the score.  Yet, even after leaping to an early lead, The Hawks stopped pressing the matter and, even more frustrating, it's not because they tightened up defensively.  Last evening they met a team that hasn't been able to score at all, again took an early lead and, facing a determined attack by The Wild, largely collapsed defensively, allowing far too many chances and only mounting sporadic offense of their own.  While Cam Ward did play his best game in his four starts, he's been weak, and the guys in front of him haven't helped his cause a whole lot.
So let's mention the defense.  Breakouts have been undeniably outstanding, better than they've been for two or three years, and that has certainly keyed the offense, giving them the head start they've lacked for some time.  Simple defense in their own end, however, has been lacking, with missed assignments, soft play in front of and behind their net and, most aggravating, d-men needlessly chasing opposing forwards, taking themselves out of position.
The forwards could be doing more to help, as well.  On the tying goal last night, Keith had a man, Jokiharju sort of had a man (he escaped, but that'll happen sometimes) but none of the forwards had picked anyone up at all.  This is elementary stuff that they can and must pay more attention to.

However, based on this morning's practice, the response has been to shuffle the bottom three lines, the highlight there being Fortin being slotted in the 2nd line and Saad moving to the 4th alongside Kruger & Kampf.  Saad has not been great, granted, but I doubt that inserting A Guy in the top six after only one not especially notable game is the solution.

You know those Purina-crunching mouth breathers from Missouri are going to be gunning for a "statement game" tomorrow - The Hawks had better sort themselves out.

The Step And The Walk

Sixes And Sevens: Leafs 7, Hawks 6 (OT)

That was sure interesting.
Despite the result and despite signaling some legit issues, there are several positive takeaways from this match.
1) The Hawks are scoring
2) Henri Jokiharju looks to be the Real Deal
3) The Hawks battled back in each of their first three games.  One could view that as less than good, but I'm choosing to believe that The Hawks have somewhat more resolve than they've displayed the last couple of seasons.  They're battling hard, for now, anyway.
Let's get to The Bits

The first ten minutes of the game was perhaps the best game The Hawks have played in a year.  Sure, it's a pity that they failed to maintain that relentless pressure but, even with the lulls and lapses, The Hawks' offensive game has been surprisingly good.
Cam Ward, on the other hand, was confounding.  While he made a handful of excellent stops half of the goals he allowed looked quite saveable.  John Tavares is undeniably great but even he shouldn't be scoring on the short side from that angle and 4.62 / 0.843 is not a stat line I'm at all comfortable with.  It feels weird to type this and even to think this, but I'm looking forward to Bergie getting a start, soon.

Come at me, bro'.

Kane & Toews continue to be the straws stirring The Hawks' drink right now.  Maybe not on every shift, but they'll be along, they'll be along soon enough....
Erik Gustafsson defied all logic & predictions by logging a third consecutive solid effort.  No significant errors, unforseen poise in all aspects of his game and the best Hawks d-man where breakouts were concerned.  Proceed, Gus.
Dominik Kahun took a step forward tonight with two helpies and a great chance in the second period.  The only thing better than his pass to DeBrincat was the look on his face after the goal.

John Hayden - goal or no goal, played well enough that I don't expect to see Martinsen back in his spot for awhile.  Johnson's spot, maybe, but not Hayden's.
Henri Jokiharju appears to have shaken off all of the apprehension he was carrying during the preseason.  He made only one serious error and notched three primary assists.  The only thing keeping Hank off the PP unit is Q's loyalty/comfort where Keith & Seabrook are concerned, and that could change really fast.
Alex DeBrincat suffered through an uncharacteristically weak game.  Yes, he scored, a tap-in that was far more about Kahun's sweet pass, but DBC was yippy off and on throughout the contest.
A topsy-turvy game for Brandon Manning.  He had three good looks, one of which resulted in a goal, but was wildly inconsistent in his own end.  Edzo likes that Manning brings a little snarl to the backline and that's fair enough, but tonight it took him all of 20 seconds to give the puck away with a mindless, no-look evacuation play.  A little later he attempted another clearing play, straight up the middle (which is bad enough) that instead struck Saad in the head or upper body (which is definitely bad).  He completed the trifecta on Matthews' second goal, caught standing alone at the edge of The Hawks' net, too slow and too far away to take away Matthews' chance, there.
Duncan Keith, too, had an up-and-down game, turning in some not-great shifts in which it took a few tries to clear his zone (or The Leafs scored) but, on the flip, he's actually getting shots through to the net!  Last season that was as rare as Pope shit.
The Power Play took a step backwards tonight.  While they've still yet to score any PP goals both units were moving the puck extremely well and getting good chances in the first two games.  Tonight, though, looked a lot like the PP we've endured for the last two or three seasons: too static, too rigid in their positioning and taking predictable shots from predictable locations.  Despite failing to cash in either the OTT or STL game, I loved the puck movement and that they were just kind of freestyling out there.  It sure looked tougher to defend against than what they got up to tonight.

And so, we'll reconvene on Thursday (or more likely Friday 'cos I have a late game on Thurs), with a trip to Minny to reacquaint with the annoying Wild.  Over & out.

Sixes and Sevens

Watch The Show: Hawks 5, Blues 4 (OT)

I'll risk saying this too many times but...it's only been two games and, so far, I mostly like what I see.  I'm hesitant to go all-in on calling any long-term shots, as we had a pretty flamboyant start last season, and we all know how that went.
Regardless, two wins to begin the year goes a long way toward not digging a pit early on, which is especially encouraging given that it's been Cam Ward in the twine with Crawford yet to be seen.  

The Bits
Toews & Kane have been masterful, doing almost everything right. Toews is skating with more pep than we've seen in several years and has been driving the net with impunity.  If you cross your eyes a little you could swear it was 2013 again.  Each of them have benefited from linemates who are themselves playing with greater authority; both DeBrincat and Schmaltz are displaying greater vision & puck patience, something that did not kick in until the second half of last season, when other issues cast a long shadow on their blossoming.  Schmaltz made a great keep that led to the second goal and, a bit later, did not hesitate and hit Kane with a brilliant head-man pass to set up Kruger's tap-in.
Henri Jokiharju burst forth with a stunning game after a slightly yippy debut in Ottawa.  It's almost as if he needed to just that first game over & done with before he could settle in and do his thing.  He collected his first two NHL points, foiled no less a man than Vlad Tarasenko and began a number of rushes with smart, calm outlet passes.
Breakouts have been good so far.  The man starting the rush has been able to find one or more good passing options, which says as much or more about the forwards' positioning as the d-men making a good first pass.
Coming From Behind was tough, last year, even for the team that is notorious for leaving it late but, in two games, The Hawks have managed to overcome deficits and win it late.  I like their resolve, thus far.
Plenty of Hawks had quietly effective, even excellent performances.  Saad & Kampf each made nice defensive plays and were positionally strong all evening, while Rutta and Keith were calmly blocking shots and keeping pucks in The Blues zone, and Keith jumped in on the offense to create some chances.  Anisimov didn't have as strong a game, overall, but was driving the net hard and won some crucial faceoffs late in the game.
Did Erik Gustafsson just have the two best consecutive games in his career?  There's been no single highlight reel play but his game has been simply excellent, overall, with none of the defensive complacency he was so often guilty of in the past.  So far.
Beefs - Seabrook was a mixed bag tonight.  Never mind that there should have been a penalty on Maroon for the high hit to dislodge the puck, 'cos Seabs had two far better options other than the one he chose, either of which would probably have clicked if he'd gone that route.  Later on, though, his good stick check stripped Bozak of the puck, allowing Schmaltz to start the rush to The Hawks' third goal.  Seabs and Manning weren't always great in their own zone, either, as they always seemed to be out there when The Blues were taking medium-range potshots from the high slot.  Martinsen, also, was disappointing.  I realize that we musn't expect a lot from the fella but he was flat out bad in this one, taking a thoughtless penalty and making an inopportune turnover.  Probably time for John Hayden to draw in.
Cam Ward wasn't awful, wasn't great but was good enough on the night and outdueled Jake Allen, at least, in a pretty even contest.  I'm not sure we can realistically hope for more than that.

Tomorrow: I'd been worrying about the home opener given that it'll be against the now offensively potent Maple Leafs and on the second half of a back-to-back, at that.  However, The Leafs are also in the midst of two in a row and just lost to OTT this evening.  It will likely be Bergie getting the start tomorrow which probably means less than one would think, as it's a push, really, where he and Ward are concerned.  Hopefully, the guys in front of him can limit the Leafs' quality looks and score some goals while they're at it.

Watch The Show

Myxomatosis: Hawks 4, Senators 3

Close one there.

The Hawks were perilously close to giving one away to a team with maybe, what, five good players.  Outshot them mightily, only experienced one small dip on the Corsi graph, yet were nearly undone by the same-old-same-old.
Still, it's one game, with three guys playing in their first real NHL match, things could and should improve.  It would be nice to not have to rely on Kane to bail them out each and every game this season.

Okay, to the Bits.
Only one Line had consistent net-front presence: Anisimov with Kampf and Kunitz and, while they weren't able to cash in, they had a number of good looks.  That was a pleasant surprise.
Toews & DeBrincat clicked just as they had in preseason.  Kahun wasn't bad by any means but wasn't as involved as his linemates.  Again, his first NHL game, it'll come to him, I think.
Zero urgency with that second line until late in the game.  Haven't we heard that song before, the one where The Hawks wait until the last possible moment to put forth a meaningful effort.  Sometimes, man, they're like a kid that studies for his exam on the bus, going to school.
Lots of Problems with the D: we saw glimpses of ineptitude with Manning in preseason and tonight he confirmed all suspicions.  Too much running around, chasing opposing forwards that he ain't gonna trouble.  Jokiharju may have caught some hell for turning the puck over for the first OTT goal, but he'd never had been in that position if Keith hadn't made that pass to nowhere IN THE HIGH SLOT.  Gotta be better, Duncs.
Gustafsson had a solid game and Seabrook wasn't bad, so that's something positive.
Cam Ward wasn't great, wasn't terrible, which I think is okay, for now.  He didn't get a lot of help in the first period.

So it's off to the worst city in America on Saturday where, for reasons unknown, they get really stirred up when The Hawks come a-calling.  Let's just try not to get hurt.

Myxomatosis

Post 2017 - 2018 Report Cards and Season Preview of Sorts: Forwards, The Made Men

There's nothing like leaving everything 'til the last minute, right?  I envisioned knocking out a post-season wrap up, oh...maybe when the playoffs ended, but I was still grumpy about The Hawks and put it off. Anyway, after a few false starts here it is, the fourth and final 2017-18 Report Cards/ 2018-19 Team Preview  You're welcome.

The forward corps was no less frustrating and underacheivey than the D and G but there are, at least, some bright sunshiny rays here.  Oh, and Ryan Hartman, too!

Artem Anisimov

Large Arthur backslid mightily stats-wise last season, presumably due to the absence of Panarin, in which he lost a productive linemate, but also because he was shuffled endlessly between 2C and 3C, lacking the consistent comfort of the same two wingers that he'd enjoyed for two seasons.  Still, he was a beast on the PP and a fixture on the PK.  He seems poised to suffer the same fate this year, likely beginning the season at 3C but, if the second line falters he'll be the first to slot up, putting him in a weird "good enough to have around even if we don't know exactly what to do with him" place.  Hopefully still useful but he'll have to work his tail off for even-strength ice time if the first two lines happen to gel. B- for last season.

Alex DeBrincat

Despite a slow start DBC was the star of this woeful show last season, posting the best numbers among Hawks rookies and placing second in team scoring, tops in goals.  And this was with a group that, almost to a man, punched below their weight or were deadweight to begin with.  Consider, also, that he skated in the bottom six for some time before Desperate Measures were undertaken.  When he was drafted I scoffed at the idea of a 5'7" forward on an already pretty small squad but, as it turned out, his size had little bearing on what he managed to accomplish.  He was also one of only a few forwards to finish with a plus rating, though I'll temper that with the caveat that he enjoyed rather cushy zone starts a lot of the time.  Had the guys he played alongside had a better time of it last season he'd have been in the conversation for Rookie Of The Year.  A, far exceeding expectations while everything around him turned to mud.

Ryan Hartman

Power forward or meathead?  Who knew which Ryan Hartman would show up from one night to the next?  That first game, the one that turned out to be a cruel lie, promised so much and Hartman was the most intriguing aspect of that fantasy.  Hell, he was The NHL's leading scorer for several days, yet finished the year in Nashville with a paltry 31 points.  It's hard to say how and why he could be a world beater one night and an embarrassment the next but my guess would be that he too easily lost sight of what he needed to do to succeed.  Or maybe his idea of success is more aligned to cheap shots than slap shots.  I'm not going to dwell on it as he's down the road, but I think there's something there with Hartman and it's just a matter of whether he's willing and able to rise above his tendency to....well, be stupid.  B-, as little was expected and we got slightly more than that.

Patrick Kane

Well, he tried, mostly.

It had to be frustrating to have his linemates shuffled around half the time, particularly after playing almost exclusively with the same two guys for two years.  That was not a luxury we had last season and it seemed that the coaching staff were constantly searching for a magic bullet, some combination that would bring more out of Kane.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes not and a lot of the time he just seemed tired, or maybe just tired of having to be THE GUY even when The Hawks were clearly out of the running.  Kane posted his lowest points-per-game in six seasons yet still led the team in scoring.  A few more options exist for this season, perhaps, but The Staff look to be starting Kane off with familiar linemates that yielded mixed results last year.  B, not because he was necessarily bad but circumstances prevailed against him.

Chris Kunitz

Kunitz has been a winner even more often than The Hawks' Core, which is great resumé stuff but one could well argue that his greatest successes, four Stanley Cups and an Olympic Gold Medal, are inextricably linked to his proximity to Sidney Crosby. By no means do I wish to be unflattering and Crosby certainly benefited from his connection with Kunitz but, at age 39 and with little chance of playing alongside anyone Crosby-like, I question his utility.  If Kunitz DOES end up playing regularly with Kane or DeBrincat, for example, that likely means that The Hawks are in serious trouble so I'm in no hurry to slot Kunitz up just to what that looks like.  Based on his preseason outings his wheels are still there and he appears to be in shape, but the hand skills have largely gone to hell.

Marcus Kruger

Krugs is no saviour but he's a known, reliable quantity.  He takes his tasks, as unglamourous as they may be, very seriously and appears to exist quite happily in that role player spot, with no pretenses of playing in the top six.  An outstanding checker, puck retriever and penalty killer, Kruger will take a lot of pressure off Toews, who essentially worked two full time jobs last season. He's still just okay at the dot so I expect he'll usually pair up with Kampf or Johnson and faceoffs will be by committee.  The beautiful thing with Kruger, though, is that even if he loses a faceoff, there's an even chance he'll get that puck back, soon enough. Played well in the preseason, especially with Martinsen, the blunt instrument to Krug's precision tool.  Very glad to have him back.

Richard Panik

It was back to earth for Panik after his breakout season in 2016-17.  Even so, he was rarely bad, but simply failed to repeat the otherworldly shooting percentage he enjoyed the year prior.  The harder it became for Panik to score, the tighter he gripped that stick, to the point where he was gacking tap-ins and wide open cages.  His reaction after scoring vs. Ottawa last January, after having not scored in nearly three months was a mix of elation and resignation, as even he knew it was too little, too late.  He never stopped trying and I liked the guy, even if Phoenix-area restaurateurs aren't crazy about him.  An honest if reluctant C.

Brandon Saad

The prodigal had returned, and just in time assume his rightful place as a Hossa-in-training.  Well, it did not go as well as hoped nor planned.  Saad looked fine, skating well, good positionally and working hard, but he always seemed to be on the wrong side of the inch, just missing a post, getting a puck flat on his stick blade....stuff like that.  Like Panik, though, the longer that went on the worse it seemed to get and, by mid-February one wondered if he would ever score again.  As it was, he posted his lowest offensive stats in any of his five full campaigns yet, had he converted half of the near-misses he flubbed over the season, he could well have been in the 45-50 point range. His preseason was inconclusive, as he looked out of sync on the third line but a lot more in-step with Kane & Schmaltz.
B-, no matter what caused his funk.

Nick Schmaltz

Almost every time I saw Schmaltz during his rookie season, 2016-17, he looked bewildered, only snapping out of that deer-in-headlights trancelike appearance in the latter half of the season, when he put together a series of great games.  In 2017-18 he again had a stronger second half and went long stretches without denting the twine, but he was far less hesitant and much more willing to hang onto the puck a little longer than he'd been doing.  Hell, it was mid-season before I realized just how fast he is, 'cos he'd never really bothered to show off that feature.  As his confidence and his willingness to put himself out there a bit more increases so will his contributions.  I'm eager to see what surprises he pulls out his hat this season, and I hope he doesn't wait until January to do it.  Third in team scoring is worth at least a B and it coulda maybe been an A if he'd found his feet a little earlier amirite?

Patrick Sharp

It was a sad year for Patrick Sharp fans, less for his retirement at the end of the season but more for having to witness his "homecoming" season be such a mess. Age and injuries/surgeries have taken a hard toll on Sharpie and it was clear early on that neither his legs nor his hands were up to the task any longer. As tough as it was to watch an old favourite slog through such an awful season, both for himself and the team, it was still good to see him back in red & black and to be sent off in style by The Blackhawks.  A for effort and let's not judge the man for the last thing he's done, but for his body of work OK?

Jonathan Toews

Only by sheer force of will did Tazer manage to pull even on points with Schmaltz and DeBrincat.  This past season was probably toughest on Toews, as he shoulders a heavy load, especially when things are not going to plan.  As mentioned earlier, he was tasked with centering The Hawks ostensive "first line", the implication there being goal production, but he also faced their opposition's best center, night in, night out.  The long spring & summer, as disappointing as it surely was at the time, will do him a world of good and, if preseason is anything to go by, he's got a lot of jump in his step this fall.  He's connecting well with DeBrincat and Kahun and, even if Kahun falters, there are at least some other options to explore that are a far cry from some of the "solutions" that Q came up last year.  He never quit and persevered through some pretty ridiculous coaching decisions: A-

Tommy Wingels

I was as disappointed as I was surprised that The Hawks didn't offer Wingels a contract once his trade deadline gig with BOS ended.  Wingels is no star, has little guile and even less in the way of hand skills, but he remains far greater than the sum of his parts.  He's smart, disciplined and understands fully what is expected of him. And he mostly succeeds in carrying out his tasks....as long those tasks are in line with his ability, which is checking, mucking, killing penalties and other myriad dirty work.  However, when thrust upon the team's top line for reasons still unknown....well, there's no guarantee attached.  I like the guy, I like his game for what it is and The Hawks got all that they paid for and more.  B for Best guy in the Bottom six last year.

IT'S ALL TO PLAY FOR - TONIGHT - 7:30 ET/ 6:30 CT, TSN5 and WGN.  Go Hawks.