The Hawks used a whopping six goaltenders this season which offers a clue as to what the hell went on back there. Two of these six guys did practically everything that was asked of them while the others blew warm and cold over the course of the season. Yes, warm....merely warm.
With the caveat that these lads worked behind a ridiculously inconsistent defense group, here we go.
J-F Berubé
Only one of the six men mentioned here today is a bona fide NHL-quality netminder and J-F Berubé is not that guy. He failed to distinguish himself over two seasons in The Islanders' bullpen and, while he played his way into the #1 role in Rockford, he maintained his NHL-level mediocrity over 10 starts in Chicago. J-F would likely have seen more action had he not himself been injured when Corey Crawford went on the Disabled List. Sorry to be harsh but Berubé is a third-stringer, at best, his effort rating a C.
Corey Crawford
In a mere 27 starts Crow managed 16 wins. That in itself is not especially great, but consider that the other Hawks goaltenders combined took only 17 wins in twice as many games and it looks a lot more impressive. Crawford did have a couple of pretty rough outings but, aside from those, did everything we expect from him and stole more than a few wins on his own. At the time of his injury Crow's Save Percentage (SP) and Goals Against Average (GAA) were 0.929 and 2.27, both of which exceeded his career averages. Things could have been different had Crow been around all year. A
Collin Delia
Young Delia had only two NHL starts in this, his first pro season, but showed well enough to suggest that there may be something there for the future, if not the present. Delia was outstanding in his debut vs. WPG despite leaving late in the game due to dehydration/cramping, but much less so in his second start vs. COL. This is a guy, though, who started the year in The ECHL, assumed the starter role in AHL Rockford during the winter and, as mentioned, had a brief look in Chicago, so even though he didn't set the NHL world on fire the progress he'd made is admirable. Delia was on the bench for The IceHogs last several playoff games, however, so we hope that both he and The Hawks organization judge his overall perfomance and not just his last few starts. I wouldn't be shocked to see Delia nab the backup role in Chicago, come September. Incomplete, but promising.
Anton Forsberg
Bergie enjoyed the most starts of all of The Hawks' goalies this season....even if we didn't always find them enjoyable. He may be the most frustrating netminder I've ever witnessed, often making saves he had no business making and ably surviving far-too-long goal mouth scrambles, yet he allowed at least one soft goal in every game he played. Still, he posted the second-best stats after Crawford (0.908 / 2.97) setting career-bests along the way. His inability to put together even one complete game all year is a problem, though. B-
Scott Foster
Talk about exceeding expectations. Foster provided the single-most entertaining fifteen minutes of The Hawks' miserable season. Probably should be Incomplete but fuck it A++
Jeff Glass
Prior to Scott Foster's unlikely three-deep ascension to the NHL spotlight it was Jeff Glass, the 32-year-old rookie who had captured the imagination of the fans and sports media alike. A handful of herioc performances aside, like J-F Berubé, old Glasser had no real business being in The NHL. I'm happy for the guy, enjoyed the story and admire his determination, but there it is. C.
Yes, The Hawks' defense were largely rubbish the the team offense anemic, but this was not a good year on the backline. Maybe if Crow had not been injured we would have had a better result, as not only did The Hawks lose their All-World netminder but I believe they lost a ton of confidence as a group, because once Crawford went on the DL The Hawks' scoring went in the pooper, too. It cannot have been just a coincidence. Maybe if Forsberg stole more than one win, all season, that confidence could have been bolstered, somewhat, but no joy there, I'm afraid.
The complete collapse that occurred when Crawford was hurt is going to affect this team until such time that they have a reliable starter and backup, this group is that fragile. I haven't heard a peep about Crow's health since he did a bit of skating in practice back in March, so we can only assume he'll be back in September and ready to lead from the back, as he's done for so long, but who knows? Forsberg and Delia look to be the realistic backup options, perhaps with Delia beginning the season in Rockford and finishing in Chicago. I wouldn't be alarmed or disappointed if Stan Bowman trades for a backup upgrade, but I expect whether he goes that route depends a lot on Crawford's readiness.
This is undeniable, though: if Crawford is unavailable or is injured during the season we'll be looking at a repeat of this year, barring the unlikely possibility of Forsberg / Delia / whoever stepping forward in a very big way. Not a very cheerful outlook.
Cam Ward
He's new. He's old. He's great when he plays against The Hawks but, so far, not so great when playing for The Hawks. It's early days, Q is obviously handing Ward the keys until such time that Crow is fit to play. That's just the way it is, folks, and we have to hope that if the netminding falters the rest of the team are able to pull some slack, 'cos if The Hawks get themselves in a hole, standings-wise, early on, this thing could be done before it even starts.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It's true that all three CBJ goals were made possible by breakdowns on the part of The Hawks, and that Chicago once again got stuck on two goals-for...but I can't even get mad about it anymore. At this point I'm looking for silver lining moments, just to ward off the disappointment.
So let's look at those bright spots.
Take away Toews' poor clearing attempt, Hinnie's horrible pass and Forsberg allowing his obligatory softie and The Hawks actually played a pretty solid game. True, only two goals-for, yet again, but they had the shots and the chances, plus a couple of goalposts. Mere inches away from flipping this one to a W, but that's the way it's been this season.
It's a small sample but the current forward lines are actually working not too badly. Each line had their share of dominant shifts, particularly the Kampf line (!) and the Schmaltz trio enjoyed a scorcher in which they penned the Jackets in their own end for over a minute. Despite Tomas Jurco finding twine for the first time in forever, I thought L2 was the weakest unit, and that's mainly on Jurco. Kane is kinda being wasted while Q fools around with this combination, whether they're showcasing Jurco or simply because Q is a dope.
Regardless, all four lines have scoring potential and I would think that's making it a little harder for the opposition to deploy adequate checking.
I still think Wingels on L1 is silly at this point but I'll say this: when he's on the power play at least The Hawks are less predictable than usual. He's a wild card! An X-factor! He doesn't know what he's doing!
Ryan Hartman: took a really bad, poorly timed penalty and then spent the remainder of the match sitting in front of Coach Q. It was an idiotic thing for Harts to do but, thinking back, this is the kind of crap that Andrew Shaw pulled on a regular basis and, at worst, missed a shift or two. For whatever reason, Q just does not seem to like Hartman, which is a tough, tough thing to overcome in this organization.
The NBCSNCH (I think?) post game show poll asked "Which player do The Hawks miss the most?" The consensus was that Hossa's absence has been the hardest to make up for, but they didn't even mention Corey Crawford. I know that Crow could not have done a thing about The Hawks' offense going in the pooper but, damn, you know he would have eked out more than a few wins just by not letting in one or more soft goals, night in and night out. Review The Hawks' record since Crow went on the DL and tell me it's not true...
Wouldn't it be cool is The Hawks could, or would, play a complete 60-minute game more than once a month? Tonight, The Hawks started off with an utterly dominant first period but, as is so often the case, took their foot off the gas for much of the rest of the game. That's a simplistic view, of course, as the Senators upped their game for the second and third, but that's when a good team responds rather than accepts, y'know?
The Hawks were a bit lucky, then, to pick up two points, being unable to maintain a lead but sucking slightly less in the shootout. Anton Forsberg was instrumental in both of these aspects, as he made several tough saves in the five minute overtime, yet was also guilty of allowing a couple of dribblers into the net. Whatever, he's doing the best he can, I assume.
The last time these teams met I typed a lot of stuff about The Senators, which I won't do today except to add that they are in tough, tough shape, even more than usual with the trade deadline rushing up and The Sens organization saying nothing to deflect or dispel the legion of trade rumours surrounding them. The only notable Senator that I have not heard mentioned is Mark Stone and, perhaps by omission rather than action, it appears that every other player is potentially up for negotiation, even Erik Karlsson. Apart from Stone, maybe Craig Anderson and the handful of "I'm just happy to be here" Guys, the message is that they're all mere commodities at this point. That knowledge is sure to inspire a will to succeed.
I'm actually surprised that this isn't happening in Chicago, too, 'cos there are plenty of guys who should be worried about their gig.
Back to the game, I was aggravated by some odd deployment choices.
Oesterle played, on the back of possibly the worst game I've seen a Hawks defender foist since, well, I was gonna say David Koci, but you could also pick almost any outing by TVR in the last two years. Oz was slightly less bad last night but he did demonstrate precisely how not to respond in a one-on-one shooting situation on Matt Duchene's goal.
Jurco on the second line. At least there was the fun of counting the seconds every time Jurcs carried the puck and never getting past "three" before he surrendered the damn thing.
This Wingels on the top line thing is a bit ridiculous. Sure, sticking him in there to shake things up and maybe make a point is all well and good, but to persist with that well after the shaking up and point making is done with, well that's dumb.
Meanwhile, Hinostroza has been ripping the arse out of everyone, all while dragging the likes of Baby Huey Kampf and Bouma along behind him. But no, let's move a couple of plodders from the fourth line and the damned press box to the top six...
Anyway
The next few days will be interesting and I am preparing my wish list of players I hope The Hawks successfully rid themselves of. I don't even care what they get in return, anything to shake this group out of their vegetable torpor will be welcome.
Oh, and who wants to take wagers on whether Stan, Q or both Stan AND Q get the old heave ho when this merry-go-round stops?
Catching up a bit, here as I managed to miss the Tuesday game entirely due to an unexpected TV blackout. Speaking of blackouts, though, let's talk about The Blackhawks' offense.
There is none, basically.
During this recent funk, The Hawks have routinely outshot their opponents and have, with a couple games' exception, destroyed their foes in Corsi/possession. Yet, since their lopsided win against OTT on Jan 9th we have:
A 3 - 7 - 2 record
24 GF vs. 36 GA
During these 12 games The Hawks scored three or more goals only three times and even managed to lose two of those "high-output games", too.
I hear a ton of chatter about how if Corey Crawford had been around things would be different. Sure, I can point to several games in which, yes, Crow could well have made the difference, maybe even stolen a win here or there.
But they haven't had Crawford to lean on. They've had to make do with Forsberg and Glass, neither of whom has set the world alight, but that's the reality. Knowing that each of these Guys will undoubtedly give up one or more ridiculously soft goals, night-in-night-out, the rest of The Hawks should know that they'll have to come up with an extra goal, or two, to even things out.
Instead, Crow's injury coincided exactly with The Hawks' offense going into the pooper - they somehow got worse precisely when they needed to be better.
Forsberg and Glass, despite some frustrating outings, have met or exceeded expectations. The goal scorers have not.
Last night in the post-game show the talking heads agreed that team defence is the problem. Horseshit. They've made their share of defensive errors but scoring more than two goals per game would go a long way toward evening those out those mistakes.
(And while we're at it, can someone please explain to Pat Foley that when your team has the puck 60% or more of the time they're gonna get "out hit".)
The Hawks offense is utterly impotent. Toews, Anisimov, Hartman and especially Saad have all failed to deliver, and they've received practically no contribution from the back end. Is it all on these players? I cannot imagine that to be true. Toews is getting older and has some hard miles on his clock, but the cases of Saad and Hartman are just baffling. They've been shuffled up and down the lines (fourth line on Tuesday, in fact) and, in Hartman's case, from a healthy scratch to the top unit and primo power play minutes in consecutive games.
The Hawks' coaching staff are clearly out of ideas.
I cannot say if the problems are motivational, instructional, strategic or if the players are just bad, but things cannot continue like this.
Change the players or change the coaches. Something's gotta give.
Bye, bye, playoff chances...
I watched a hockey game yesterday and this is what I thought I saw. Yeah, yesterday, and I still have the stones to pop "Early Birds" in the header. What nerve.
Three Critical Elements
* The Hawks Woke Up Earlier than The Preds. While they didn't set the world on fire The Hawks did manage to outskate NSH in the first period and made a lot less mistakes than those yellow bastards. This, of course, flies in the face of every single other time in recent memory that The Hawks have stumbled into a random arena after more than two days off and didn't suuuccckkkkk. I cannot explain but I will certainly take it. Let's be honest, too: The Preds are better than The Hawks, so getting the early drop on them was instrumental in this win. If NSH arrived ready the game could well have been over in 20 minutes.
The Predators gained some momentum at the end of the first period, carried that over into the second only to see The Hawks become interested again after the game was tied. The third period, however, was all about...
* Anton Forsberg, who played his best game as a Hawk, marred only by his own dreadful puck-handling. His athleticism has never been questioned and he's very good when the action is close up and frantic but, as we've seen in every game he's played until now, he always lets in a soft goal. I guess he put a slightly new spin on the obligatory softie in this one but, seriously, Fors was terrific and just the thing The Hawks needed.
* Vinnie Hinostroza continues to shine. A lot of the time he looks slightly out of control and he's still prone to zooming around with no apparent plan, but he's bringing constructive energy to the team and is beginning to make heads-up plays more consistently. He started things off in this game with a subtle little forecheck-chip that, fortunately, landed right on Baby Huey's stick. Later, whilst moonlighting in Saad's spot alongside Schmaltz & Kane, he managed to thread a one-timer through Matt Irwin's pins and just beyond Jusse Saros' blocker. Maybe a little lucky on both plays but you create your own luck, just as his strong play earlier got him bumped up from the fourth line to the second.
Not going to type anything about who didn't show up or who has been basically invisible for three weeks 'cos it doesn't really matter until the next game starts. Speaking of, better plan a nap tomorrow...those West Coast games kill me.
Alright, catching up after a busy couple of days and two more games done & dusted.
It could have been worse, right? Oddly, I feel like The Hawks had the Toronto game slightly more in-hand than the Detroit game even if they did appear to dominate The Red Wings.
Statistically, there was virtually nothing to choose between the teams in both games, with Corsi coming up pretty much dead even for both matches and shot totals almost identical, as well.
On Wednesday The Hawks got a decent game from Jeff Glass, beaten only by a deflection, a PPG on which Keith and Oesterle kinda pooped the bed and a penalty shot, which is basically a coin flip. Downrange, though, The Hawks had lots of trouble mounting any offence to speak of. We hear endless chatter about netfront presence, and that's all fine & good, but does that have to mean all three forwards standing in or around the crease? Can't they be a little bit old fashioned and spread out a little bit? At least the latest New Look Power Play was working, hitting for two out of four chances.
Don't Trust The Stats #71: Officially, Oesterle led all Hawks in Corsi with a 62% share, but he was rubbish in his own end. Keith was slightly better in general but was culpable on two TOR goals. It happens.
With the consolation point salted away it was off to Detroit to meet the usually toothless Red Wings who nevertheless shut out The Hawks a couple of weeks ago. Goaltending was the main difference here, as Jimmy Howard was touched up for three GA in nine minutes of work, while Anton Forsberg had hisself a fine game in The Hawks' nets. It's true, also, that The Hawks eased up after the halfway point of the game, allowing The Wings to get some looks that they really needn't have had.
On the plus, though, we got goals from someone other than Kane. Maybe this was thanks to The Red Wings deploying what passes for a checking line against the Schmaltz - Kane - Saad unit, allowing the Toews - DeBrincat- Duclair mob to basically go nuts.
That opportunity wasn't wasted, with DBC notching his second hat trick of the season and Duc potting his first goal as a Hawk, to go with a pair of helpies.
So, maybe a bit unlucky to get one the single point vs TOR and maybe gifted the win against DET by Jimmy Howard being just bad enough and The Wings not being deep enough to counter if The Hawks could get more than one line clicking (which is never assured). It kind of evens out, I guess.
What else?
Loving Hinostroza, lately. It often seems like he has no plan but the energy and determination he brings gets him by. Eleven points in nineteen games, all while averaging 12:45 per night, is a welcome contribution.
Saad was virtually invisible in both of these games.
Seabrook made an ass of himself bitching about the non-call on the icing play vs TOR. He's got to be less casual than that and had no one to blame but himself.
Glass was a bit lucky that Van Riemsdyk bowled him over and The Leafs' apparent goal called back, 'cos interference or not, he wasn't making that save.
Let's face it, Jordan Oesterle has no business being on the PK unit - he's just not that good defensively and lacks the strength to handle any opposing forward who chooses to camp out in front of The Hawks' net. I like the rest of his game but he's often a mess around his own net.
Similarly, as dramatic as his first game in almost two years was, Erik Gustafsson has otherwise been pretty bad; decent enough offensive instincts but a disaster in The Hawks' zone.
The Hawks are now "only" four points out of a playoff berth but have four teams to catch and pass. Corey Crawford has apparently been sighted around The United Center so maybe, just maybe, The Hawks might have a shot at this thing.
Bad Defensive Coverage. Rutta and Forsling were eaten alive and the rest weren't a lot better. It was nice for Gustafsson to notch a couple of points in his first NHL game in over 20 months but he was garbage in his own end, too. Waaaay too many odd-man rushes, virtually unopposed.
Bad Penalties. Were any of those necessary? Lazy play, using their arms and not their legs to keep up with their opponents, will always end in tears.
Bad Goaltending. This game took the bloody biscuit in this category, underlining the fact that without Crawford The Hawks are sunk. Okay, given the myriad other issues with this squad they might be done-for even with Crow, but it's clear that neither Forsberg nor Glass are legit NHL starters and maybe not even capable backups in the long run. Both of these fellas made some fine saves tonight but they also coughed up three softies. Not good enough.
Bad Transition. Good lord, did The Hawks have any clean breakouts tonight?
Bad Offensive Execution: It's the same old song here - poor positioning and bad timing, as well as being too static when they set up in the offensive zone. There were exceptions, of course, but for the most part The Hawks' offense was unimaginative, predictable and doomed to fail.
Was anything Not Bad?
Kane was terrific. Sadly, Hartman and Schmaltz were rarely willing or able to keep up with him. Things improved with Sharp inserted in Harts' place but even that was too little, too late.
Saad certainly worked hard, but his efforts were largely individual ones. He drove The Isles' net harder than any other Hawk but couldn't make a pass to save his life and rarely got a shot away.
That's about it.
A missed opportunity, for sure, what with The Islanders struggling defensively. Luckily for the Brooklyn Boys they caught a team in even worse nick than themselves.
To make the playoffs The Hawks are going to have to win roughly two of every three games from here on in, and I'm not convinced they've got in them to fundamentally change the way they're playing to get that done. I hear a lot of post-game droning about "getting past this loss and looking to the next game" but that mostly ends up with the same guys doing the same things and achieving the same result. How about focusing on the game that they're currently playing? Start there. Sweet Jesus.
It's a full day removed from this lackluster disappointment, now, so I'll be quick about it.
Once again, The Hawks played one tremendous period and then packed up & left town.
This, in a so-called four point game versus a team with whom they are in direct conflict with for a playoff berth.
We had the shots and we received an excellent performance in goal from Forsberg, yet no joy.
Shot selection, positioning and timing were all mediocre, at best.
With the new guy, Duclair, drawing in I expect we'll see significant reshuffling of the forward lines.
And possibly Keith & Seabrook reunited.
And maybe even Tomas Friggin' Jurco.
Please, no, not Jurco.
Well, there's nothing quite like a home game against a team in deep, dark funk to help sort out some things. The Edmonton Oilers have been just plain bad, lately, and The Hawks took full advantage of the situation, making off with a relatively easy two points and a shot of confidence, perhaps, for goaltender Anton Forsberg.
* Wow, The Oilers are thin. I don't mean to diminish The Hawks' effort by stating this but EDM hasn't even got a full top six, really. Tack on a below-average D-corps and a struggling goaltender and you've got yourself a team in a tailspin.
* Hartman had another fire-in-the-belly game tonight. Where was he on Friday? No, seriously, why was he scratched - I think he's been as good as he's ever been, lately.
* Anton Forsberg finally came across with a (more or less) complete game. Even his obligatory soft goal against wasn't that soft.
* Rutta returned and was fine. Kempny was better, but no one on The Hawks' coaching staff gives a damn so that's all I'll say about that.
* Richard Panik does not belong on a checking line. This is not because he's "too good" for that role but because he cannot really be arsed to play in a defensive role.
Alright - Ottawa on Tuesday and then two Divisional games. Now's the time to tear off a few good games in row and not rest on the warm fuzzy feelings one gets after dusting off a bit of a sad sack team
Ugh, these left-coast games are killing me. So far we've seen two games that were more similar than they might appear by looking only at the score, with just a couple of details that led to disparate results. This is already old news so let's go.
Vol I: Vancouver
Now this seriously pissed me off. Even with no Burrows and no Bieksa I still have zero use for The Canucks. The most visible aspect of their fanbase are given to tantrums that qualify as "civil unrest" and they're still booing Duncan Keith every time he touches the puck, presumably because he elbowed one of The Creepy Twins (doesn't matter which one) almost six years. That's all I need to know about that gang.
Just as frustrating was that The Hawks held the balance of play, took a lot more shots and still lost to these jokers who are ahead of only Phoenix in the standings. Oy. So what about them there details?
* Anton Forsberg was rubbish, full stop.
* Forsling and Rutta were both -3 while playing what amounted to second-pairing minutes. Whether by accident or by design Goose and Roots were out against the Gagner line A LOT and were there or thereabouts for three of that line's four goals against. I honestly don't remember Forsling doing anything particularly rotten but Rutta was undeniably awful. They weren't alone where backline fecklessness was concerned as Keith was next-worst after Rutta, but he's Duncan Keith and we won't be seeing him healthy scratched anytime soon.
* Failure to Convert. The same old refrain - poor shot selection, lazy choices, bad positioning
The Advanced Stats made things seem far rosier than they were and The Hawks got what they deserved.
Vol II: Edmonton
At least here The Hawks played one-half of a great game, beginning with Hartman's late first period goal and petering out midway through the third when EDM went into desperation mode. As above, the Advanced Stats were fairly similar to the previous game but a few adjustments helped them eke out a win with an effort that was not perfect, but good enough.
* Jeff Glass. Let's get the feel-good story of the weekend out of the way. Glass was remarkably solid. His game appears a little...static, but he's a big guy, moves the puck well and is surprisingly athletic. He got a bit lucky when he found himself completely out of shape on a couple of plays that The Oilers failed to close, and Strome erred when he had Glass dead to rights. I half expect him to get lit up in Calgary tomorrow - I hope he doesn't - but his NHL debut was a great story and contributed to the win.
* Lineup Changes. Kempny and Franson came in for Rutta and Forsling while Hinostroza and Panik replaced Sharp and Anisimov (injured). The two D-men hardly played and, really, weren't good or bad, their greater contribution being simply avoiding a repeat of The Goose & Roots show from the night before. Panik remains snake-bitten but he was out there trying stuff, at least. Vinnie Hinnie and Franson found themselves on the new-look second power play unit and, while Franson simply picked up where he left off before his injury, Vinnie looked alright in that role, even notching a helpie on the third goal.
Sometimes a change is as good as a rest and the changes kind of paid off, this time.
* Ryan Hartman returning to form. Harts was one of the few Hawks that put in a full effort in Vancouver and he carried that over to Edmonton. I think he's been playing a lot better, generally, for the last couple of weeks, and Hartman starting to contribute again makes me feel slightly less bitter about DeBrincat being buried on the third, arguably fourth line. At least Q is trotting out DBC on the power play, where he's had some good chemistry with Schmaltz , particularly.
* Oesterle breaks through. While he was far from flawless and still leans awfully hard on Keith for safety passes and covering his ass when things go sideways, he did alright. Paired with Franson on 2PP they kept the puck heading toward The Oilers net relentlessly, but I can't help but feel that persisting with these two is playing with fire - The Hawks gave up quite enough breakaways and odd-man rushes as it was. I had a feeling that Oz was going to score soon, so it was cool that he finally found the twine against the team that never really gave him a proper look.
* David Kampf? Never have I seen a player more closely resembling Baby Huey but that's not for now. I cannot yet see what he brings, to be honest, and was surprised to see the big, plodding centreman on the penalty kill. Well, he's a big body with good reach, although he never looked particularly physical in either game.
You know he'll score in Calgary, now, right?
Shots: Hawks 39, Capitals 25
Faceoffs: Hawks 55%, Capitals 45%
Hits: Hawks 17, Capitals 15
Powerplay: Hawks 0/4, Capitals 1/3
Giveaways: Hawks 5, Capitals 22
Corsi: Hawks 60%, Capitals 40%
Looks to be a pretty dominant effort by The Blackhawks, apart from the PP, doesn't it? Yet...
So what went wrong? Of course I think I know. Behold!
The Powerplay
What did I say the other day? Stale and predictable. Well, let's add slow to that condemnation. There is zero urgency, no briskness. Franson returned to the PP and at least got the puck toward the net, as always, but the forwards always seemed to be off in the weeds and never around the net when the puck was there. The PP has been rotten for weeks and just seems to be getting worse.
Shooting Locations
Half of The Hawks' shots, and most of their attempts on the PP, came from locations where the shooter was on a 30-40º angle to the net. Only a handful of quality shots came from the slot or high slot.
Goaltending Beyond Corey Crawford
Errors by Keith paved the way to the first two WSH goals but, as he always does and as mentioned before, Anton Forsberg managed to let in an utterly savable shot and out came the hook. JF Berubé was about as good as he's likely to ever be, i.e. not good.
New Look Forward Lines
I don't have The Answer, here, but Coach Q clearly doesn't, either. With all those reassignments he still managed to keep DeBrincat and Kane separate. And Toews - Hartman - Hayden was just a waste of time.
Who's next? Buffalo, on Friday, and I predict The Hawks will be outshot 40-20 and win 2-1. That would make sense in this season that just makes no sense at all.
And thus endeth the dark ages in which The Hawks played five games in seven nights, earning a mere four points for their trouble. It was a grind, for sure, and there were a couple of games that, while I struggle with saying that The Hawks deserved to win them, they could have won 'em just the same. Tonight's match was arguably the toughest of the bunch, with the puck dropping only about 19 hours after the conclusion of last evening's coin toss/shootout loss, against the LA Kings who had just torn off four straight wins. It was never gonna be easy.
The Hawks actually looked decent for the middle portion of the game, eventually outshooting The Kings and winning the possession/chances game but, as is often the case, it was a few isolated events that did them in. Those events will comprise tonight's Bits.
* Anton Forsberg was fine. If I'm being honest he was actually pretty good, as he made a clutch of saves more difficult than any that Jonathan Quick was asked to make down at the other end of the rink. But, as it always seems to be, he was beaten by an innocuous looking shot, a floater, that any NHL goaltender should probably have. Yeah, he was at least partly screened but so's everybody, most of the time. As athletic as Forsberg is, he seems to always let in one of those floaters.
* Small errors, likely borne out of fatigue, set back The Hawks' cause. Forsling, paralyzed with indecision and stationary in front of Forsberg. Numerous drop passes to no one. Sloppy clearing attempts. Even if they didn't all result in a goal against these little setbacks still prevent The Hawks from mounting their offense.
* Hayden to the top line. Sure, Panik is having a terrible time, lately, but if Coach Q is determined to shake things up why in god's name doesn't he slot DeBrincat into that spot?
* No Rest 'til The UC. Q iced the exact same lineup for every one of those five games in the last week. Wouldn't that be the time to grant someone a break? I know we've only got Kero as a spare forward and, really, swapping him in won't have much impact at all, but couldn't Kempny have drawn in for someone? I guess not. Why would Q want to mess with what's been working so well *cough* one win in the last week *cough*.
* The power play sucks. It's stale and it's predictable.
* Finally, to tie those last two points together, lemme point out that, when the power play was clicking not-too-badly, Cody Franson was QBing the first unit. Now he's not and the PP is garbage again. Also, if Franson is not being used on the power play....he probably doesn't need to be in the lineup at all.
Here's the thing: with the announcement today that Corey Crawford will miss "about a week" with an LBI, the reality is that Anton Forsberg will be The Man. Because he has to be. Because JF Berubé is awful, historically speaking.
So what do you do if you're the coach, with a super-short turnaround for tomorrow's game? Forsberg on nearly zero rest, and after a loss that kinda points to him, or Berubé, who is awful? Historically.
Anyway, tonight saw a better effort from the skaters, at least. They had moments of greatness and some of utter fecklessness, but so did Dallas.
The Anisimov line was deadly all night but were stepping on the puck a bit, their passes being just a tad off when they most needed to be spot-on. The same was true for DeBrincat; generally excellent but slightly out of sync, somehow, at the most crucial moments.
Tonight's Corsi numbers were not flattering for Forsling & Rutta but I'll suggest that they were better than what that indicates. Not at all perfect as they both had little bobbles that spun off into Dallas chances (and a GA for Faksa when Goose's failed stick check had him badly out of position) but they made their share of great plays, too, and Rutta was heroic in OT.
Surely a frustrating night for the team and especially for Anton Forsberg. The Faksa goal was possibly savable and he was schooled in the shootout by a couple of super-smart & extremely deceptive players but, otherwise, he outplayed his highly-rated counterpart, Ben Bishop. Yet, no result.
Stick him back in there tomorrow, give him a crack at getting it right. If it starts badly, well, there's always JF Berubé. Even if he is awful.
It wasn't a pretty game by any stretch, but it may well prove to be a turning point for The Hawks or, at least, for a couple of Hawks that, if tonight's result signals a change in fortune, may have gotten a much-needed confidence boost. Let's see them Bits:
* Alex DeBrincat was the big story tonight, potting two goals and orchestrating a masterful setup on the winning goal. His goals weren't solo efforts, with each marker made possible by excellent passes but, in each case, DBC was charging the net, in the right location for the pass and made no mistake when those chances came. His pass to Saad in overtime was just as good, if not better; as the two forwards approached the Carolina blue line, Saad was rapping his stick on the ice for a pass but, to his credit, DBC had the balls to hold the puck, risking putting Saad offside and, at the perfect moment, deftly slid the puck to #20, who found himself one-on-one with Scotty Darling. This game has certainly lifted a large & angry monkey off the young forward's back, with that gutsy OT play already indicating that his confidence has spiked. It's worth noting that, while DBC was ostensibly relegated to the fourth line, his first goal came when he was tossed out there with Toews and Panik, while his second was off a feed from Kane, who was double-shifting in Hartman's spot. Hmmm....
* Saad scored, even after gacking an easy tap-in and missing on a penalty shot. That was Saad's first goal in four weeks and, in between those goals, he's been absolutely ham-fisted around the bad guys' net. This, too, could be the event that gets Saad back on track.
* Kane made a pass in the offensive zone that actually mattered. He's carried the puck as well as ever, lately, but just hasn't been able to hit a linemate in a primo location very often. That could be down to those linemates not doing enough to get to those good shooting areas, but I wonder if it's been largely impatience or failure to execute on Kane's part.
Those are the key items, now The Other Stuff:
* Forsberg was both great and terrible. He remarkably adept at tracking the puck in close quarters but has let in softies in each game he's played this year. Tonight marks the first game he's ever won as a starter, so that's over with and perhaps he can just get on with business.
* Did Hartman play tonight? That stat line says he did, but he was utterly invisible. While I wouldn't necessarily agree with the move I wouldn't be shocked if he and Vinnie Hinostroza swapped places very soon. Coach Q seems to have little use for him right now.
* Classic Post-2015 Seabrook tonight, complete with the signature bellyflop "move" (it failed) and, despite being on the ice for two goals against, still managed to emerge +1 for the night and smelling like a rose. You're not fooling me, tortoise-boy.
* Is Franson hurt? Did he take another shift after whatever it was that had him in a fetal position in he third period?
* I didn't mind Schmaltz - Anisimov - Kane. The wingers did some nifty stuff and, all foot speed-related shortcomings aside Large Arthur, with his size and hands, has been pretty good in front of the net, lately.
Okay, New Jersey tomorrow, Crow back in net...let's open the floodgates and get this thing going again.
