Spring Break: Lavalantulas 4, Hawks 3

                              This is when it all started to go wrong, more or less.

Alright, practically nothing about last night's game is worth remembering, let alone mentioning here. The fact that only Kane saw more icetime than Desjardins is all we need to know about The Hawks' attitude going in.  And that's not a knock on Des, that's just a fact.

SO, unless something stirring occurs in the last two games, we'll reconvene when we know who The Hawks will play in Round One of the 2017 NHL Playoffs.  How's that?

Just Good Enough: Hawks 4, Sabres 3

After a late night & early morning I'm a wee bit late with this, so I'll dispense with the play-by-play and get straight to The Bits.
So, Spencer Abbott got a second cup of coffee in The Show.  Good for him, but if a 28-yr-old small forward who now has a total of two NHL games under his belt is the very best The Hawks organization can conjure up....well, they'd better stay healthy.  I'm puzzled as to why he was inserted on the wing alongside Toews & Hossa, but this is also the gang that seems convinced that TVR deserves ice time, so I give up, there.  So is that it for Tyler Motte, or was he sent to Rockford simply in order to play more?
Still preferable to Tootoo, though.
Hossa hit the ground running after missing a week+.  He had no marks on the score sheet but was busily doing Hossa things right off the bat.
Corey Crawford had a game to forget, with a softie by Foligno and a failure to close a gap to prevent Okposo's goal.  He was just good enough, so let's leave it at that and move on.
Tanner Kero: not a good skater, not at all quick, no shot to speak of and plays even smaller than he is. Yet he played 15+ minutes.  See Abbott, Spencer, above.
Seabrook has had two iffy outings on the trot, now, with last night's indiscretions being a pair of unforced giveaways and, more disappointing, being unable to track down Jack Eichel who was barely able to skate after being trapped in his own end for well over a minute. Seabs was far fresher at that moment, yet far slower.  Yikes.
Kempny continues to shoot and get results.  His one-timer is working really well at the moment, so maybe he's been working on getting his body squared up for those passes, or maybe the passes have just been better than usual.  Either way, his play has been a bright spot as late.
Desjardins was an unsung hero in Kruger's absence, starting 2/3 of his shifts in The Hawks' end yet posting Corsi north of 80%.

Kane netted the OT winner, but it took Anisimov to get them to the bonus round in the first place.  With two timely goals, Large Arthur IS GOOD.

Make Your Own Bounces: Hurricanes 3, Hawks 2

A quick wrap, here, as it's late and there's precious little to say about tonight's game.
No Puck Luck, no bounces, however you want to say it, may have been a factor tonight, but when something isn't working you should probably change the way you're going about it.  For the most part, The Hawks thrashed and flailed a lot in this game, right to the end.  There was a lack of patience, little precision and an unwillingness to deviate much from this approach.  They kind of got what they paid for.  
The Only way Vinnie Hinnie was going to score tonight was to get one off his body.  He and Hartman put forth an energetic effort but, as had often been the case earlier in the season, did not take much care in timing or aiming their shots.  A blip, one hopes.
Toews, centering H&H had a strong game, though, not entirely wasted by his linemates' rush to start their weekend.
Right Place, Wrong Guy: Why does it always seem to be Desjardins who gets a gift wrapped chance after some hard work by a linemate, only to stuff it into the goalie's guts?  
Three Passes to Nowhere: In the first five minutes of the third period The Hawks flicked the puck into their own slot / high slot for reasons unknown.  I wish I could remember who got away with the first two indiscretions but it was Kane's that finally cost them.  Yeah, I know it appeared to have been redirected, but what was the plan there, anyway?  There was some bad puck luck in that goal, too: Jay McClement has never and will never again score on that shot.
Michal Kempny had a fine outing, at least, with a couple of points and he rocked 80-per Corsi.  It's a good thing he managed to score, though, as that little miscalculation early in the first that set up a Carolina two-on-one could just have easily got him stapled to the bench.
Kruger Hurt?  Last time he missed the end of a game it wasn't even acknowledged but, tonight, someone noticed and it was mentioned on the broadcast.  Maybe it was because Tanner Kero was playing what seemed like every second shift.  Well, in light of that, let's hope that Krugs is well enough to play Monday, 'cos Kero ain't up the the task.  Better Kero than Tootoo, mind you, but not by much.
Oh well, it's a shame to miss the two points on what should have been easier than The Hawks made it look but, believe it or not, this is a kind of rebuilding year and these things are gonna happen.
Okay, replenishing year.  That sounds better.

Shoot Out The Lights: Hawks 5, Islanders 4

It occurs to me that this game wasn't a whole lot different than the game against The Rangers a few days ago, the big difference being that the goaltending was better on Tuesday.  Once again, we saw end-to-end hockey for much of the game with plenty of scoring chances for both teams
A tentative start saw The Hawks down two goals before everyone had even found their seats, one in which Andrew Ladd just plain beat Scott Darling, the second when Casey Cizakas pounced on a rebound.  Midway through the first The Arthurs went to work, each scoring entirely typical goals on consecutive power plays, and Marian Hossa shoveled in a diiirrrrty pass from Ryan Hartman to go up 3-2.  The Islanders would score an annoying, twice-deflected goal before the period ended.  
After yet another tipped-in goal put The Islanders ahead once again, The Hawks spent much of the second period in an apparent fugue state, indifferently chugging up and down the ice, before another PPG by Small Arthur tied matters.  The Hawks held the balance of play in the third period but it took some demonic forechecking by Marcus Kruger to allow Dennis Rasmussen to find Richard Panik in the slot; he beat Thomas Greiss with a quick release shot to put The Hawks ahead for good.

Well, Michal Kempny has obviously not been invited into Joel Quenneville's Champagne Room.  A healthy scratch for three (four?) games, he found himself -3 after the first period and on the bench for nearly all of the remainder of the game.  This short-leash treatment has gotta be awesome for his confidence.  We've seen this before and it's never ended well for the player in this position.
Meanwhile, He Who Should Be In Rockford, Trevor van Riemsdyk....actually had a decent game, highlighted by a deceptive little jink to avoid a forecheck and, earlier, taking a hit to make a play, rather than the usual cringing and shooting the puck blindly.  He still has no business being on the PP.
Duncan Keith was not especially good, but one play stuck in my mind that made me consider what it is that Keith does, or fails to do, that leads to the majority of his shot attempts going nowhere; when he's in a shooting mode he stops moving.  Tonight, there was an instance where he crept in off the point and called for a pass, getting a shot on target from the high slot.  Nothing came of it, but it was an actual chance to score and not merely a "I'll chuck it and see what happens" gambit.  More of that, please.
Andrew Desjardins had about as good a game as one could hope for without him getting onto the score sheet.  He had a good forecheck going all night, created a scoring chance from basically nothing in the first period and ably filled in on the PK when Rasmussen took a penalty.
I guess it was just a matter of time before Scott Darling had an iffy start.  That's fine, that happens and there's no harm done.
Panarin appears to have scored 106% of his goals from within six feet of the dot in the left face off circle.  It's almost more surprisingly when he doesn't score on one of those one-timers he launches from there.  How long will he get away with this, I wonder?  Anyway, I'm glad it's working well and I don't want to take those goals for granted, but...

I gotta go with Ryan Hartman, despite having tallied a solitary assist in the game. His hit on Cizikas changed the momentum of the game entirely; he managed to not rise to Cizikas' retaliation and The Hawks scored on the ensuing power play.  At the beginning of this season who would have expected that?  All indications based on his brief audition last season suggested that Hartman was kind of a meathead, which is turning out to be a big misapprehension.  He followed that up with the aforementioned impressive pass to Hossa to set up the third goal and drew another penalty in the second period that led to Panarin's second PPG.  His critical contribution, though, was the hit, the penalty drawn and being smart enough to keep his cool and not negate the power play, as that's where the game began to tilt in The Hawks' favour.

No, I'm tellin' ya, Long Island isn't even an island...it's a glacial moraine.

That Gets Ya' One More Night in Suck City: Hawks Many, Blues Few and Saturday's Big Boy

That was just what we needed.  Well, obviously, nothing but a win would be falling short, but we got a really good, four-line effort tonight and earned a Game Seven in the city of low-grade pet food and mayonnaise sandwiches.
- No, seriously, all four lines cashed in tonight.  With a better bounce and better hands (Dez!) the fourth line could have had two or three goals.
- I appreciated the ice time allocation tonight, as well, which felt about right to me.  Gustafsson might argue that point but, hey, I'm not the guy who tried to ring the puck up the boards to no one.
- One sorta kinda niggling negative: despite nabbing two points, once again I thought Ladd was sloppy & lazy a lot of the time.
- Hoss was a beast, though.  Still a little too shooty, but he always has and always will be, I guess, but he was also finding teammates with crisp passes, which he doesn't always do.

This is all I really wanted to talk about.  Richard Panik only notched one helpie tonight but he played a near perfect game...for Richard Panik.  He had the throttle stuck wide open all night, harrying STL defencemen, frightening their chicken forwards off the puck...basically a snarling turnover machine. His unexpectedly subtle spin-and-pass move to Toews was just the icing on the cake.  

                                                                    My man!

The Fun Starts Now: Hawks 3, Capitals 2 and Sunday's Big Boy

Wow, what a fun game,  So fast, with chances at either end only moments apart for what seemed to be the entire match.  Not a perfectly executed affair by The Hawks, but not terrible.  Here's what I think I saw:
- Those Capitals can skate.  Well, not Brooks Orpik, so much, but the rest of them are quick and their forecheck is relentless.  In the first period, especially, they chased The Hawks defensemen back, back and then back some more until, finally, they either made a poor pass or just flipped the puck into the neutral zone.  The Hawks came out for the second better prepared for this
- Only two of our new gadgets played tonight, Ladd & Fleischmann, and they both looked remarkably comfortable straight away.  Q even deployed Flasch on the penalty kill.  Ladd was right at home on Toews' line, it seemed, and his effort in front of the net on The Hawks' second goal was indicative of why Stan went out and got him.
- It was nice to see the lesser lights, if I can say that, have good games. Desjardins was pesky and well positioned all day and that kick pass by Panik was wonderful. That guy is like a turbine, just buzzing at full chat all the time, not always accomplishing much but it's the kind of effort that can lead to unexpected chances and draws the odd penalty, as was the case today.  Rasmoosen ended up with the winner in what may well be his last game for awhile, as long as Weiss' visa gets sorted out soon and, saving the best for last, Teravainen's line with Des and Flasch was The Hawks' best trio today.
- The last time I wrote about TVR I think I said it had been the best game I'd seen him play.  Today was the opposite of that.  Yes, he notched an assist, but that "pass" could only have been corralled by Kane, let only result in a goal.  In his own end he really seemed to have no idea what he was doing, or going to do. When you're killing a penalty one guy is not going to be covered but, when TVR was "killing penalties" two guys were often footloose 'cos TVR wasn't covering anybody, and that's unacceptable.
- Brian Engblom is bad at his job.  He called Taylor Chorney "Tom Chorske" at least once, was convinced that Holtby got a bit of glove on the puck that Des clearly plunked off the post, and was under the impression that Matt Niskanen had scored The Caps' first goal. That said, I'll take his cheerful lunkheadedness any day over Milbury.
- One more aside; there are still 16 hours left before the trade deadline. Just sayin'.

Teuvo's pass to Toews for the second goal epitomizes what makes him so great; that rare combination of being able to see situations just before they unfold and having the skill to act on them.  Teuvo Teravainen gets The Belt tonight, not only for his efforts. but also to herald the beginning of a legitimate third line.

                                                        Se ei ole poro perä.

Bright Lights, Big Goals: Hawks 5, Rangers 3 and Tuesday's Big Boy

Yep, big goals, big saves and a couple of incredible passes.  Here are some quick bits, some good, some not so much:
- Neither team could kill a penalty for love nor money and, without Hinostroza's careless high stick that precipitated two Rangers goals, this game would probably have been a laugher, because...
- ...Henrik Lundquist was awful.  It's rare, but it happens.
- Corey Crawford, on the other hand, was near-perfect, despite allowing three goals.  I have a tough time faulting a goalie for power play goals against unless they themselves do something stupid.  The Hayes goal was a product of momentary incompetence on the part of Gustafsson and Rozsival as well as a terrific pass by Oskar Lindberg.
- The Hawks' defense was not especially good tonight.  Seabrook had another game in which he seemed indifferent, Gustafsson looked yippy a lot of the time, Rozsie and TVR both spent an awful lot of time standing around.  Add all that up and you'll get more shots against, chances and goals than your opposition deserves.
- At the other end, The Hawks moved the puck rather well in fits and starts, and it seemed that every time they entered the zone cleanly and had a chance to set up they scored. Teravainen laid down a couple of slick passes in which first Desjardins and later, Shaw, really just had to be there to deflect the puck in. That said, there was a bit of good fortune thrown in there; while Teravainen's pass to Desi was undeniably excellent, the events that allowed The Hawks to maintain possession in the first place were less "puck movement" than "repeatedly throwing it behind the net and hoping for the best".  I'm pretty sure that Hjalmarsson's pass to Teravainen was, in fact, a ridiculously poor shot that Teuvo was able to corral.
- Keith Yandle is a bit of an asshat, isn't he? And how did Daniel Paille go from an occasional healthy scratch in Rockford to playing ten minutes per night for NYR?  And he wants to be my latex salesman?
- Large Arthur officially has 15 assists this season, but his efforts without the puck have led to far more than 15 additional goals. He's big, hard to move and gets hisself in front of goalies without delay.  On The Hawks' go-ahead goal Anisimov drew two Rangers to him while he drove to the net, leaving Panarin free as the trailer, and left completely alone by Jesper Fast, to take his shot.  All good work that doesn't show up on the scoresheet.

Teravainen was good, Crawford was great, but tonight was all about Small Arthur and his first career hat trick.

                                                       Connor Mc-what-now?

Hanging On for Grim Death: Hawks 4, Avalanche 3 and Thursday's Big Boy

Hey, check it out, The Hawks beat the Avs.  Almost didn't, but nevermind.

- In a game that was equally sloppy and inspired, kinda depending on what point of the game during the game you wanna consider indicative of the overall effort, The Hawks were finaly able to touch up Semyon Varlamov.  The Av's starter played well, but it was a solitary effort for much of the night as The Hawks struck for 43 shots.
- At the other end, Scott Darling had a forgettable game.  Or, more correctly, a game he would like to forget while I will clearly remember Cody McLeod sliding a shuffleboard shot under Darling's pads to get the Av's within one.  I'm not sure what's expected of the guy, though, when he plays only once every week or two. 
- It took four tries but Andrew Desjardins finally netted a goal that wasn't kind of embarrassing. 
- Teravainen took a brief spin on the PK - is that a first?

Once more, Patrick Kane led The Hawks on the scoresheet with 1G 2A.  When you see him start a play in his own end, make a breakout pass and then race up ice for the world's longest give-and-go to score, you know the kid is dialed in like never before.

                                               I am the straw that stirs the drink.

Desjardins Re-signs and Some Other Stuff

From blackhawks.nhl.com

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today they have agreed to terms with forward Andrew Desjardins on a two-year contract, which runs through the end of the 2016-17 National Hockey League season.
Desjardins, 28, tallied a career-high five goals in 69 regular-season games between the San Jose Sharks and Blackhawks and four points (1G, 3A) in 21 postseason games on the way to his first Stanley Cup championship. He also scored a goal in his postseason debut for Chicago in Game 3 of the First Round against the Nashville Predators. Desjardins was acquired via trade on March 2, 2015.

Financial details are said to be two years at $800 a pop, which is downright cap-friendly and, in my view, a good value.  Desjardins hit a career high 5 goals this season, but that's not where his true value lies.  Along with a few hard-earned and timely assists during the playoffs, Desjardins found success as an agitator and space creator playing with Marcus Kruger and Andrew Shaw.  Together, they were a consistent, reliable trio that may not have logged big minutes but they were hard minutes, usually spent hounding their opponents' best line.  If and when Kruger is re-upped The Hawks fourth (or maybe third?) line is done and dusted, assuming Coach Q can resist trying to fix something that ain't broke.  His hands are questionable and his shot unexceptional, but he's got a great motor, decent positional instincts and can kill penalties, in a pinch.  I suspect he's Good In The Room, as well, as his teammates appear to like and value him even though he came to Chicago at the expense of the popular Ben Smith.

Saad signs 6-year, $36mil Contract with Columbus
Okay, that wasn't gonna happen in Chicago, so let's move on.  Saad's post-trade chatter suggests that he just left the whole thing in his agent's hands which is either disingenuous or stupid, both of which reflect poorly on the lad.  At least the other players' agents now know not to play chicken with Stan Bowman, I guess.

Oduya Lurks in Weeds
It looks as if Johnny Oduya's camp is holding back on talks with other teams while they see how much cap space The Hawks may have available.  Oduya earned $3.3mil on his just-expired contract and, on a lesser team, could stand to earn $5mil+, thanks to some hilariously overpaid d-men around the league (I'm looking at you Wideman).  His superior-in-every-way partner, Nik Hjalmarsson earns a mere $4.1mil so we cannot expect The Hawks to go north of $3.x for Oduya.  We shall wait and see.

Other Signings
Artem Anisimov, acquired in the Saad deal, extended to 2021 (I think) at a hit of $3.3mil.  Too soon?  I honestly know nothing about the guy except that he's large and has a rep for versatility.  You know he's going to be lining up with better quality wingers than he's ever played with before, so I'm cautiously optimistic on this one.  If it fails to pan out at least his salary is reasonable enough that he should be easy to move along.
Viktor Tikhonov, F, failed to set The KHL alight since his 61-game audition with Phoenix in 2008-09.  At the NHL level this lad is likely 3rd or 4th line material, at best, but his size may be part of a contingency plan in case Bickell is moved along this summer.
Michael Leighton, G, returns as the presumed #1 guy in Rockford and back-up-to-our-back-up in Chicago.  Why not?
Cameron Schilling and Michael Liambas, D, help fill out the ranks in Rockford and may be useful if Pokka or Johns or whoever begins the season in Chicago.

Departures
Antoine Vermette, back to Phoenix for some reason.  I guess that stuff about wanting to remain was to plump up his deal with the 'Yotes?
Brad Richards, to Detroit, continuing his prolonged farewell tour.  I predict he ends up in Los Angeles before this is over.

About Last Night

Yep, Crawford can be disappointed with a couple of goals against last evening and Desjardins can lament his accidental tip-in, 'cos these things happen.  I'm looking forward, however, to Patrick Sharp's response to his own role in the loss; when he blames himself for whatever's gone wrong he can be absolutely demonic in his pursuit to Make Things Right.

If Quenneville bothers to play him, that is.

Don't Make Me Choose: Hawks 3, Ducks 2 and Something a Little Different

Allow me to break pattern today in recognition of The Hawks pulling off a W in the longest game in franchise history.  Also because I'm tired and lazy and don't care to think too hard on this.

While several Hawks not specifically mentioned here had great games I'm going to call out a few fellas who really made a difference last night...er, this morning.

                                                              I am smiling.
Marcus Kruger, obviously, but not just by dint of his clutch goal in the wee hours.  The Serious Swede spent much of his time on the ice following Ryan Getzlaf around and, apart from one wee hiccup, managed to keep the Ducks' captain more or less subdued.

                                       I think I've already used this pic at least twice.
Corey Crawford.  Any game that includes 60 saves is worth a mention.  Nothing more could be asked of The Hawks' most consistent player.

                                                  Goooooooooooaaaaaalllllllll......?
Sometimes with Andrew Shaw you don't know what you're going to get.  In the worst case, he can be distracted, petulant and a liability.  Thankfully, come playoff time, we're usually treated to Shaw at his best; pesky, determined and having an uncanny knack for making precociously well-timed plays.
His non-typical choice to barge into The Ducks zone on the winning play was a large factor in that all coming together.

                                                            And the...fourth star...
Have I mentioned lately that I am loving The Hawks' fourth line?  Andrew Desjardins made some excellent choices last night, the most critical of which led to a third puck in The Ducks' net. 

That's More Like It: Hawks 4, Predators 2 and Sunday's Big Boy

Not perfect but it'll do.  What can we take away from today's match?
- Welcome back to the lineup, Antoine Vermette and Andrew Desjardins.  Both were effective in their own ways and, I think, an upgrade over the performances of Nordstrom & Teravainen, who they replaced.
- Scott Darling was fine but I fully expect to see Crawford back in situ the moment Darling falters.  Which will happen.
- Three goals on screen shots and another goal on a shot that Pekka Rinne didn't even bother to wave at.  I do believe that not all is well in Rinne's head right now, and that suits me just fine.
- Bravo to more minutes for Sharp and fewer for Shaw and Versteeg. It was odd, I thought, that Shaw didn't get in on either power play, though.
- Certain Predators became a little unhinged today.  If The Hawks keep their feet moving in Game 4 they'll get more looks on the PP.

Right from the opening shift of the match Marian Hossa showed that he was all in today.  Go around ya....how about go right through ya?  His two primary assists just make it sweeter.

                                            He's coming, he's coming, he's coming.

About Last Night: Hawks 3, Canucks 1 and Thursday's Big Boy

Okay, really quickly, 'cos I've got stuff to do...
- That was nice of the Chicago sports media to choose Corey Crawford as First Star.  He played well, stopped 35 shots, but never really looked too bothered.  If not for Rozsival it could have been a pretty easy shutout.
- Andrew Desjardins has not been the waste of time that I expected he would be. Yet.  He's possibly the worst skater since Brian Skrudland but his positioning is decent and he's made some good passes.  Let's put it this way; he's an upgrade over Carcillo.
- When was the last time that two fourth-liners earned game stars?

I'm not sure Marcus Kruger has been in one of these things.  You know he earns his money on the defensive end, night after night, so what a bonus it is when he has an offensive outburst like this.

                                                   Let's do this again, sometime.

About Last Night: Cheese Steak Gobbling Morons 4, Hawks 1

First off, The Flyers played well.
That aside, just because The Flyers didn't stink doesn't mean The Hawks still shouldn't beat the tar out of them.  But they didn't beat and here's why.
- The lineup made even less sense than the hot mess that Quenneville conjured up for Monday's game in Carolina and that's saying something.  Yeah, we all get that Bickell was awful and looked likely to be scratched tonight, but Teravainen being sat down is mysterious.  He had been climbing the depth chart, line by line, every few games and apparently practiced with Toews and Saad this morning.  Instead, we're treated to Shaw on L1 and Desjardins AND Carcillo in the lineup.
- Yes, fucking Carcillo, who has now played two games in the last month.  Hilariously, he played 2½ minutes more than Nordstrom who has been in the lineup consistently and has done nothing particularly wrong. 
- Something is wrong with Toews.  He doesn't have his usual giddyap and has not been stellar at the dot.  What's more is that he is either puzzled an/or annoyed by Q's inane line shuffling.
- Someone has to unplug Rozsival's iron lung tonight.  Let the old boy drift off peacefully in his sleep...

When He's Good He's Great: Hawks 1, Rangers 0 and Wednesday's Big Boy

Okay, so if The Rangers represent the best of the Eastern Conference, we're looking not too bad right now.  I liked all four lines in this game, with each combo creating chances at various times and really looking like cohesive units.  I don't know if Desjardins over Versteeg is necessarily a good choice on the long term but, then again, what's 'Steeger accomplished, lately?  Andrew Shaw somehow evaded suspension after head-butting The Islanders Brock Nelson on Tuesday and promptly turned in a superior effort against The Rangers.  I am loving Shaw on the fourth line, with his fourth-liner grit and second-line hands.  What's not to like?
The defence, for me, was fine.  Rundblad in for Rozsival is always welcome and encouraged and, while he was caught flat-footed a couple of times, Rundblad managed to use his stick and body to prevent The Rangers from completing their plays.  I thought Oduya was very good as he continued to push matters offensively.  As long as he's paired with Hjalmarsson he'll get away with it, too.
Scott Darling was a bit lucky in earning his first NHL shutout, as three pucks did beat him, but there's that whole "you gotta be lucky to be good" thing.  Well, that happened, so good for him.

This guy can disappear for weeks and then, suddenly, he pulls a rabbit out of his hat and has one of these games where he's creating chances, denying the opposition and looking very much like the future hall-of-famer he is.  Brad Richards earns secure trousers yet again.

                                                            MSG is my bitch.

One Man Gang: Hawks 4, Islanders 1 and Tuesday's Big Boy

Seriously?  Four points from a maximum four points, +4 and 76% at the dot...who else could tonight's Big Boy possibly be?

                                                  Admired by man and beast alike.

The Stuff
- Sharp played with Toews & Hossa for for the first time since October.  With all the line shuffling and goofy mid-game scrambles we've all endured, how was this reunion overlooked?  Those three guys just did what they wanted...
- I sincerely hope that Andrew Desjardins on the PK doesn't become a habit.
- Corey Crawford has been godlike the last two weeks.  Please don't peak too soon, sonny...
- Vermette makes 3x as much dosh as Richards and cost us a first-rounder, so play the lad, for goodness' sakes.  The power play will not implode if Vermette participates, I promise you.
- Oh, Andrew Shaw, who told you that you were voted "most likely to headbutt someone"?
- The Isles were not really themselves tonight, missing a few key guys such as Leddy and Halak.  Back up goalie Neuvirth delivered a back up goalie performance.  Take the two points and go East.

Power Restored? Hawks 6, Sharks 2 and Saturday's Big Boy

See what happens when assets are properly managed?  Today's lineup, to my eye, included three strong lines and one good-enough line which, on most days, can beat anyone out there.  I also want to mention ice time; with only a few exceptions the minutes-played for each Hawks player seemed completely appropriate.  Richards, Teravainen and Sharp were above 15 minutes, Bickell played more than 9 minutes and Coach Quenneville resisted leaning too heavily on Shaw and Versteeg.  The exceptions?  Maybe Vermette deserved more time but, not being on either special team, he was probably just crowded out today.  Rozsival, sadly, saw his TOI jump back up to 19 minutes, but we can't get everything we want, can we?
The Good
- How nice to see Sharp get some bounces and probably a shot of confidence after a strong performance.  His intermission interview impressed me, as well, when he referred to his on-ice struggles and "that off-ice BS".  If I or any other Hawks fan is growing weary of all the Sharp rumours imagine how he feels.  His emotional tone suggested to me that Sharp still cares very much and that scoring in the first period (a what a beaut!) probably felt like a piano just slid off his back.  It also sounds as if his father is or has been unwell which cannot have been doing much for his concentration while that has been a concern.
- Corey Crawford continues to do all that is asked of him.
- I thought Keith was pretty good today.  He was efficient and kept it all rather simple, despite that 10 seconds of derring-do that so impressed Pat Foley.
- Teuvo Teravainen continues to show more poise and confidence which each passing game.
- The power play struck twice and, apart from one dodgy PP in which The Hawks failed to get anything going, looked competent with confident puck movement.  Andrew Shaw failed to make the scoresheet but was instrumental in two goals.
The Bad
- Precious little.  Rozsival had one nightmarish shift and a few isolated "yikes" moments, but otherwise I failed to notice him, which is as it should be.
The Ugly
- Andrew Desjardins cannot really skate, can he?  Oh well...

Two goals, his first in forever, and a determined effort all afternoon to drive to the net gets Sharpie The Belt today.

                                                  Now, don't get all misty on us.

Catching Up and Feasting in The East: Hawks 5, Hurricanes 2 and Monday's Big Boy

First, that was an easy two points with Cam Ward playing like that.  I have little doubt that The Hawks could have dug deeper if need be, but there was no need.

Second, those were some unorthodox and somewhat unexpected line combos.  Not that they were necessarily bad, but I sure didn't expect to see Saad "drop" a line, for example.

Third, Andrew Desjardins:  I dunno, is this an upgrade anywhere?  Is this Carcillo 2.0?  I guess we'll have to see but it seems like a nothing deal to me.  OF COURSE Smith broke his 100-game scoring drought as soon as he arrived in San Jose.  All that aside, Nordstrom wasn't bad at all in Smith's former role.

I'm tired so bla bla, three points, leading from the front and if it weren't for Toews I'd have to bestow this thing on Rozsival.

                   I will juggle one or more pucks to prevent Rozsy from wearing the Big Boy Belt.