(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