A Day Late, A Dollar Short: Predators 4, Hawks 3 (OT)

Full disclosure - my broadcast was interrupted many, many times, so I missed large chunks of this one, so all I'll do is note a few observations.
Track Meet Trick.  As they did vs. CAL The Hawks were lured into playing a bit more wide open than they should or can do.  Witness Arvidsson's frequent bolts from the NASH zone one of which was executed perfectly, not only resulting in a goal but, coming mere seconds after The Hawks had tied the affair at ones, set back our momentum for a spell. He got a bit greedy, though, and was caught well out of position on the sequence leading up to Large Arthur's late goal.  Nevertheless, The Hawks might have been wiser to play it more cautiously and hope for a bounce, as they spent far too much time chasing down Arvidsson & Forsberg et al.
Better Off Without Seabrook?  Scratched due to illness, Seabrook was replaced by Davidson, who had another decent outing, his last shift being his best  as he made things very tough on The Preds forwards.  I'd hoped we'd see the second PP unit a little more just to get a sense of what that would look like without Mr. Ponderous slowing things down to a crawl but it was not to be.  I'd love to see Jokiharju get a crack at that gig, a low-risk proposition given Seab's zero contribution in that role, lately.
Newish Line Combos were trotted out and I mostly approved.  DeBrincat moving up the order makes perfect sense, since all of his recent points have been gleaned on the PP and I was pleasantly surprised by the Saad - Kampf - Caggiula trio.  I'm not sure that line has the hands to really shine but they were the only Hawks line entirely at or above 50% Corsi and, at the very least, The Preds failed to generate much against those three.
Duncan Keith had his best game in a month or more.
Dylan Strome, meanwhile, remains frustrating.  For all the offense that he eventually provides the missed opportunities due to gacked passes that should be easy is pissing me off.  With just a little more care he could be doubling his and his linemates' opportunities.

Next: At home vs. Vegas on Saturday and a shot at some redemption after being comprehensively roughed up when they last met.

Hanoi Rocks - A Day Late & A Dollar Short

Rocky Mountain High: Hawks 3, Avalanche 2 (OT)

First off, I completely missed the Thursday match between The Hawks and The Wild.  Between guests and a pain in the ass snowstorm I couldn't get it done.

Alright then, to the matter currently at hand.

The Hawks are finally starting to look like the team I thought they could be.  Not everything was perfectly executed tonight but, refreshingly, there were no catastrophic unforced errors that cost them.  Their puck movement was more swift and crisp than it's been in ages, forwards are getting back more regularly and passes were on the mark for the most part.
After a sterling first period there appeared to be a slight letup in the second frame.  Much of that was due to COL getting it together, especially their forecheck, and The Hawks took awhile to up their intensity accordingly.
Patrick Kane Had a Big Night, figuring on all three CHI goals and just looked good all night.  He's been far more engaged than say, three or four weeks ago, when he was often just going through the motions with no joy, no impetus to excel.  Kaner has often connected well with Gustafsson since Gus was called up late last season and, now, Strome is getting in that action.  More than any other Hawks, perhaps other than Toews, those two get what Kane is up to and can either get the puck to where he's going to be or get themselves where they know Kane will find them.
DeBrincat Cashed Yet Again and had several other good looks, yet I worry that he's putting all of his chips on the one-timer from the left circle.  If and when that gambit fails to work I hope he changes his approach accordingly, lest he fall into the doldrums that befell the previous residents of that patch of ice, Panarin and Sharp.
Collin Delia Was Sublime.  My only issue with Delia's play is rebound control as he often pops those straight out into the slot.  That, apparently, is the last thing that goalies get right, if they ever get it right, and with a mere five NHL starts under his belt he's barely even started his apprenticeship.  That's fair enough.
I Hardly Noticed Seabrook and Dahlstrom tonight and that's just perfect.  Big Carl and Murphy played a lot of hard minutes against MacKinnon & Co. and were even on plus/minus which is a big win.  As for Seabs, his memorable games in recent months have been riddled with giveaways and other calamities and there was none of that tonight.
Special Teams Were Actually Special again, hitting for two PPG out of five tries and killing two of three PK.  The PPG against, scored by Rantanen, was a ridiculously well-placed shot through a screen, so I'm not gonna pin that one on the PK or Delia - some shots are just always going to go in. Puck movement and positioning on the PP started off great but lost momentum as the game progressed, but at least we're getting more zone time, more shots and more goals, generally.
Hilariously, Foley Twice Praised Perlini for not touching the puck and avoiding a too many men penalty, rather than calling him out for jumping the boards way too soon.
John Hayden's Hold on a Roster Spot is precarious right now.  His ice time is dwindling and he's one of the few minus players in the last several games.  At the moment I'm failing see what he does apart from protect the puck pretty well, but then do nothing productive with it.

Next: The Winter Classic vs. Boston on Tuesday.  The Hawks have not fared well in these affairs in recent years but, if they can replicate tonight's first period somewhat they'll be just fine.

John Denver - Rocky Mountain High

Beige: Sharks 96, Hawks 3

Hey, it could have been worse and, depending on what's going on with Corey Crawford, it might well be a lot worse.  No news on that front yet, so here are just a few notes on this unremarkable "effort".

If The Hawks Think They "let this one get away" they're kidding themselves, 'cos Martin Jones made them look good.  Three goals on four shots flatters to deceive, especially given that The Hawks recorded only one shot on net in the last six minutes of the first period.  
Not One Hawk Was Particularly Bad (okay, maybe Martinsen and possibly Seabrook, but stick with me) but only a few Hawks cobbled together more than a handful of shifts in which they played really well.  Strome was noticeable and Saad had some looks that were brushed aside but, aside from isolated incidents, The Hawks were just....meh.  Beige.
Special Teams Were Garbage.  The Sharks move the puck so quickly on the powerplay that The Hawks' PK units were just running around most of the time.  Meanwhile, our PP was rotten and I'm going to pin that mainly on Seabrook - he's simply too ponderous and too sloppy to get that job done, missing passes and taking forever to decide whether to shoot, pass or count the stickers on his SubWay Club Card.  He makes it dead easy to defend 'cos the bad guys know pretty much what he's going to do and, if I'm honest, he fucks it up half the time, anyway.
To be fair, I guess, that's on Colliton, too - he keeps trotting that goof out there.
Piss-Poor Defensive Coverage.  If not for The Hawks' D failing so badly they might have been able to stand on those three opportunistic goals but, after two games in which The Hawks' D had tightened things up considerably, they reverted back to mid-November form tonight. Keith was soft on Sorenson's goal, Murphy and Dahlstrom thereabouts but not covering anyone, really, on E. Kane's tally, Seabrook choosing to help screen Cam Ward instead of clearing Goodrow the hell out of there and Gustafsson standing idly by while Couture tips one in unopposed.  That's four of the seven goals against right there.

Anyway, it was a crap attempt at hockey tonight and the worst may yet be coming as we await word on Crow's condition.

Pistol Annies - Beige

That's The Way I Like It: Hawks 6, Penguins 3

For a few hours all was right in the world.
It wasn't an especially pretty win and, if I'm honest, it was maybe a bit fortunate 'cos how often do we get two goals from the fourth line, but it's two points, The Hawks showed some commitment and maybe it's something they can build on.  Let's go.
The Hawks Went Wildly Off Script by not sucking in the first period.  In fact, they were very good, breaking out with precision and moving the puck briskly in the offensive zone.  The defense were shockingly responsible up until late in the frame when they started running around a bit.
Order Was Restored however, in the second period when, all of a sudden, The Hawks couldn't clear their zone for love nor money.  Apart from DeBrincat's goal-scorer's-goal the second period was a complete mess.
The Third Period was better.  Still not great, as The Hawks gave up a lot of chances, but Crawford was outstanding when he needed to be at his best.  They've been in this situation a few times lately, up a goal late in the game, and the fact that they didn't collapse or commit the unfortunately common fatal error should be a big confidence builder.
Fourth Line Represents.  While the Kruger - Hayden - Martinsen trio didn't blow the doors off during all of their shifts they had a handful of crazy-dominant turns, cashing in one goal that was, while a little lucky, made possible by a relentless effort by Kruger in which he kept a play alive by kicking the puck to Hank Jokiharju, hit the crossbar and only then made the pass to Dahlstrom, whose shot would deflect in off Martinsen.  And later, a perfect pass by Marty to Kruger cashed in the game winner.  
The Defence Were A Mixed Bag, the strongest games coming from unlikely sources.  Dahlstrom was very good, keeping things simple and, holy shit, THAT's what it looks like when a d-man pays attention to opposing forwards in front of The Hawks' net.  Murphy and Manning played it quiet and steady,  not giving up much.  Keith and Jokiharju were so-so, with Duncs too often choosing to just launch the puck up the boards without any apparent thought and Hank was yippy a lot of the time.  Seabrook, despite scoring a goal, was garbage, too often out of position and serving up yet another unforced giveaway that ended up in The Hawks' net.

Next: Winnipeg again, in a game that may well be decided in the first ten minutes. If The Hawks come out like they did vs. PIT, like they've promised they'd do for weeks, they could be in it.

KC And The Sunshine Band - That's The Way I Like It

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Vol. VII: Habs 3, Hawks 2

Straight to it, then.

The Good
Patrick Kane scored twice, his first goals since Nov. 24th and just his second and third in the last month.  I don't think it's hyperbolic to suggest that as Kane goes so go the Hawks, so this is kind of a big deal.  Kaner also cracked a smile for the first time in ten days.
Connor Murphy played his first game this season after back surgery in September and was arguably The Hawks' best D-man tonight.
The Hawks outshot MTL handily and the shot attempts were even more lopsided.  HOWEVER....

The Bad
...The Hawks "enjoyed" a whopping 15 minutes of Power Play time which is when they managed to run up the shot clock.  At evens The Habs were outshot by a mere 23-21 and Corsi was dead even.  This signals two issues: first, when your opponent plays shorthanded for almost an entire period and that massive advantage nets you only one goal something is terribly, terribly wrong.  By the time MTL took their 5th or 6th penalty The Hawks, one would think, should have had those guys on the ropes, exhausted and easy to exploit.  Nope, didn't happen.
Second, had Les Canadiens not been short for so long one can only imagine what would have occurred.  
Anisimov left the game after being given a rough ride by Habs captain Shea Weber early in the third period.  I expect we'll have to wait until at least tomorrow to learn the extent of his aches & pains.  His early exit coincided unfortunately with Strome's trip to The Room to be stitched up after being sliced open by Jordie Benn, leaving Toews and Kampf as the only available centers for the ensuing four minute PP.

The Ugly
Well, The Hawks lost.  In a game that, at a glance, looks like they dominated but, in reality, was practically handed to them they managed to find a way to lose anyway.  One could argue they were goalie'd by Carey Price but, with the opportunities given to them, The Hawks should have closed the deal.  Weber's goal was legit but Domi's and Tatar's were made possible by GUESS WHAT - shite defensive coverage, Kruger giving up on Domi for the first goal against and Keith failing to bother Tatar on the third GA.  He was right there, too, but was content to just kinda hang out behind Tatar.  Maybe Tatar tips that one in regardless of any pressure Keith applies but ol' Duncs didn't make life hard for the guy whatsoever.
The Power Play Failed Again.  One PPG out of eight tries, while actually an improvement, is still rubbish.  The main problem tonight, in my view, was that Seabrook was absolute garbage, generating little, letting pucks slip by him at the point and taking too long to tee up shots that either sailed wide or were easily blocked.  With Seabs at the point there's no movement, the entire effort is entirely predictable and any goals The Hawks glean with that unit are going to be despite him rather than because of him.  Seabrook soaked up 10 minutes of power play ice time too and, even with that massive advantage, still rocked 26% Corsi!  Could someone please point out to Coach Colliton that Henri Jokiharju was not only available for this detail but that he gets his shot away far quicker than Seabrook, hits the net more frequently and has excellent mobility, as opposed to Seabs' two settings, "Dead Slow" and "Stopped".  It pisses me off that a better option is right there, sitting on the bench, but Colliton doesn't seem convinced that Jokiharju is up to the task.

Next: Another well-deserved beat-down by Winnipeg, Tuesday night.  Count on it.

The Danish Symphony Orchestra - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Big Come Down: Six Losses And Counting

At this point I have no real idea of what's going on or what to say about it all.
In three of these six abject failures The Hawks were in the thing, had a chance to win or at least get to the coin-toss round, but managed to find a way to screw it all up.
And after each loss we see this:

Lookit that face, that defeated, bewildered expression.  He has no more idea why The Hawks are failing so hard than I do.  There's not a lot of pride or will left in this group.  They only show urgency in brief spasms of realization that they can and should be winning some hockey games.  Then one of them makes an ungodly, unforced error, promptly ending any thoughts that can actually compete.

Sick of seeing & hearing this guy, too.

Keith's assessments of goings-on are even worse, maybe because it's more frequently him making the back-breaking gaffe.  Who does he think he's kidding, jawing about "a full 60-minute effort"?  Any team is allowed to have lulls and it's only sometimes been these lulls that have done them in. The greater sin has been crap like Seabrook sending a pass straight onto an opposing player's stick right in the goddamn Danger Zone™, or Rutta not putting any snot on his outlet passes.  Or forwards drifting lazily into The Hawks' zone, oblivious to opposing players sneaking in behind them.  Or Gus, or Manning or Forsling, standing idly around The Hawks' net, often with their back to the guy who's about to score.
And with every mistake that results in a goal against you can sense the energy leaving these guys, any momentum gained just cast aside.
Kane is losing his desire.  Despite playing almost 28 minutes in Vegas he was only occasionally a factor, just kind of going through the motions a lot of the time.  Even with his soul half-sucked out of him he's been good enough to notch some helpies but has netted only one goal in the last month.  Yeah, he's not "feeling it" as the kids say these days.
Crawford has been so-so.  He's made some incredible saves in recent games but he's also allowed one or more goals in each of those games that he simply whiffed on.  His reaction to the Engelland goal on Thursday was encouraging, at least.  He hasn't given up, yet.
And even leaving out his spectacular giveaway vs. VGK, Seabrook has been garbage in his own end, struggling to even get the puck up the boards reliably.  Yeah, five more years of this horror show.

What else?
Connor Murphy is poised to return which will require another D-man make way.  It's a three-way tie for last, there, as Forsling, Rutta and Manning should all be in the conversation regarding who is demoted, waived, traded or placed on an ice floe.  I like Forsling's offensive side but, going back to a preseason post in which I asserted that there isn't room for Goose AND Gustafsson on the roster, Gus is clearly the one to keep of these two.  The decision makers seem to like Manning despite his general lack of any ability, so his long con will likely continue.  Henri Jokiharju has not, it seems, endeared himself to coach Colliton, so maybe HE ends up in Rockford, fer gawd's sake.....
Dylan Strome might be a real thing but Brendan Perlini definitely is not.

NEXT: Back to The UC on Sunday against not-terrible Montréal.  Someday I hope to refer to The Hawks as "not terrible" but today is not that day.

Nine Inch Nails - The Big Come Down

No Good: Predators Plenty, Hawks Who Cares?

Plenty of times in the last month+ one could easily say "take away that first period and we'd have been okay."  How about even the first five minutes, like tonight?  Without that stupefying five minutes maybe The Hawks do win this one 2-1.  Okay, maybe not but, holy shit, how long is this going to last, this giving the game away in the first period? 

And give it away they did with, guess what - a complete lack of defensive awareness, letting Predators forwards come and go as they pleased in the danger zone™ in front of The Hawks' net.  Other teams must look forward to playing The Hawks these days, like some naughty kids who are left in the care of their deaf granny.  We get to do ANYTHING we want!

And if the lack of defensive give-a-shit doesn't do them in it's the unforced errors and straight-up giveaways, like Seabrook flinging the puck right onto Johansen's stick, or any number of weak and/or dumbass pass attempts by Forsling and Gustafsson.  Hell, Toews didn't make a pass stick until late in the third period.

They're not paying attention to anything.

Not to what the other team is doing.

Not to what their teammates are doing.

Not to what they themselves are doing.  Or trying to do.

And because of this The Hawks suck.  They're a bad hockey team.

I wonder how much of this has to do with the culture within the team.  They sure talk a good talk about correcting what was wrong after a loss (so, obviously, there's been quite a lot of this kind of chatter) but nothing changes. They trot out for the next game and do exactly the same shit that lost them the last game and the one before that, and the one before that.....

No one's feet have been put to the fire for this, not seriously, anyway.  Scratch Chris Kunitz or Jan Rutta all you like but what's that?  Nothing.  Let's try sitting Toews or Keith or Seabrook - they've been as bad as anyone but apparently immune to any consequences.  Even Kane, who has single-handedly won a few games for The Hawks this year, has just seemed listless the last few games. I don't know that I'd have the stones to scratch Kaner but something has to happen to shake these guys out of their vegetable torpor.  

Before I wrap this up I want to mention Keith.  Sure, he got a rough ride and a response was not unreasonable.  However, the extent to which he responded was a bit ridiculous, though I expect there was a lot of pent up frustration that came out there.  Whatever, the game was over for The Hawks by then anyway and, wouldn't you know it, they actually played better without Keith, for awhile, anyway.  Chew on that bit of truth.  Keith has been dogshit since mid-October.

There have to be consequences for this shit show that The Hawks have been putting on.  Sit the fuckers that keep coughing up the puck, that fail to backcheck and that take zero care in passing.  Get a shuttle bus running to and from Rockford if that's what it takes, 'cos they're clearly not understanding why they keep losing.  I have no idea what Jeremy Colliton's coaching style entails, really, but he'd best get into a skull cracking frame of mind or the whole thing is just going to spiral downward even further.  Otherwise, what are we going to do....just wait until some of these long term no-movement contracts expire and hope for better things after that?  I sure hope not, 'cos Seabrook, for example, is practically worthless right now and we're stuck with him for another FIVE years.

Linda Ronstadt - You're No Good

How It Ends

It was arguably a fortunate win but, after more than two weeks between wins, ya take it when you can get it, right?  Beyond the two points and the bonus of earning them vs. the Missouri Jackholes there were things to like about this game.
The Defense Was Solid.  Mostly, anyway.  Despite being raked over the coals possession-wise, having played the vast majority of their shifts vs. The Blues incredibly dangerous top line, Seabrook & Keith were good.  STL had some looks against The Hawks' top pair but no second chances as rebounds were either gobbled up or the nearest Blue was pinched out of the play.  Gustafsson and Jokiharju were outstanding, playing a safe, smart game while generating a lot of push from the back end. The only time either of these fellas put a foot wrong was Jokiharju panicking a bit in the last minute, blindly firing the puck up the boards.  Manning and Forsling were okay - I'm still not sold on Goose's defensive acumen, as he's tentative when challenging opposing forwards and, if he fails, kinda gives up on the play.  We've seen this film before and, if that's how Forsling is going to go about business, he'll be back to Rockford soon enough.  Manning started well but, in the final moments of the first period made an awkward outlet pass and then joined the rush that never happened, getting caught out of position and making a weak poke check attempt.  He followed that up by ending a full-court press in the third period by just flinging the puck away, as he does, when he could easily have skated it back a little and maybe hit Kane or Schmaltz as they cleared The Blues zone.  
Corey Crawford, behind a solid D tonight, was obviously excellent.  He had only a handful of really tough saves to make but he was there every time.  Crow's puck handling was outstanding, too, getting breakouts off to the best possible start.
Andreas Martinsen is a marginal player, at best, but he's been executing his directive to the letter, credited with seven hits tonight.  Not to overstate the importance of the physical element of the game but this is something The Hawks have lacked for a long time and, if it gives opposing defensemen something to think about, I guess that's a good thing.  Marty on the PK, though....I'm less convinced of that being a good idea.
John Hayden, similarly, had a strong game.  He's a puzzle, though: he can rag and drag and otherwise maintain the puck for a long time, but rarely does anything useful with it after all that effort.  Hopefully, sometime soon, he can connect the dots there and start creating some chances but, until then, he's not setting The Hawks' efforts back, anyway.
Each Of The Forward Lines had their moments.  The Toews line played opposite O'Reilly's line for much of the night and spent a lot of time in their own end, but someone's got to pull that duty.  Saad stormed back into the lineup and, while his line often looked like three guys operating independently of each other, he drove The STL net hard all night.  I'm not convinced that David Kampf between DeBrincat and Kahun constitutes a viable 2nd line.  I like Kampf, generally, but I just don't know if his offensive instincts are up to the task of centering a couple of guys who move the puck quickly, often unpredictably, as he's rarely where you wish he'd be when his wingers have the puck.  Maybe that's something he'll grasp with more experience, maybe not.  That said, I think Anisimov would struggle to keep up with those two guys and Johnson is nowhere near ready for that responsibility, so Kampf it is, for now anyway.
So We Get a Win on an Own Goal but, hey, if Bouwmeester hadn't kicked that one in Schmaltz would have tapped it in, himself.  The goal was hard-earned, with a determined effort by Kane to get the puck to Toews, followed by a dandy pass by the captain to Seabrook.

Next: At Home vs. The Kings and an opportunity to rough up a team that's scored only two goals in their last three games.  Keep the foot on the gas, boys.

DeVotchKa - How It Ends

The Fun Machine Took A Sh*t and Died: Flyers 4, Hawks 0

#105: Don't Cost Your Team a Chance At a Win By Doing Thoughtless Things That You Know Better Than to Do
What an utterly disappointing attempt at hockey that was today.  Despite making the worst giveaway in recent memory, gambling and failing on an all or nothing pinch against a much faster opponent and failing to make any passes today, it wasn't all on Keith.
The Hawks outshot Philly, slayed them on faceoffs and, apparently, crushed them in Corsi....yet they never looked like winning this game after the first period.  Lots of shots, lots of zone time, but we can count the number of true quality chances they earned on one hand.  Even then, the best looks they did get were each compromised in some way.  Seabrook charges hard into the slot but is off balance just as he sets to shoot.  Manning (!) is unable to snare a skipping puck as he too barges in on the rush.  Toews loses the handle momentarily when in primo position.  Schmaltz hits a post... and that's about it.
There Were No Second Chances.  I don't believe a single rebound was collected & converted by The Hawks in this game.  Nobody apart from the puck carrier was driving the net.
The Power Play is Complete Garbage.  We saw some light at the end of a long, dark tunnel back in early-mid October, but what happened to the quick puck movement, the brisk one-timers and always having a guy there for tip-ins or rebounds.  How has this all been forgotten?  They even trotted Kunitz out on the PP, he of 0 G, 2A on the season, presumably to provide some presence in front of The Flyers' net....yet he was never there.

That's about all I have the stomach for.  It's still the early days of the Colliton administration but he'd better get busy kickstarting this crew, 'cos they're free-falling right now, and Colliton's first two games were no different than Quenneville's last five.  Last season's excuse was not having the goaltending to compete night-in, night-out.  Well, the goalie is back, and playing pretty well, so what's that leave?  Colliton had better prepare himself for some extreme remedial work with these guys 'cos, right now, the culture on this team is terrible.

QotSA: The Fun Machine Took a Shit & Died

Just Bad...: Flames 5, Hawks 3

When was the last time one of these Western Canadian swings went well?  2015? 2014?  It's become ridiculous.
It's looking as if not even Corey Crawford is going to get this team where they need to be.  Crow was excellent - maybe he'd like either of Monahan's goals back but it's hard to fault him on the others and, given the terrible coverage in front of him, 4 GA doesn't look that bad.  Too often the D were backing in too far before even thinking about closing their gaps and the forwards weren't picking up their guys very often at all.  Just a bad, bad effort in which the final score actually suggests that The Hawks were in this game.  The Hawks were outshot nearly 3:1 fer goodness' sakes.
Only Three Hawks were north of 50% Corsi: Toews, Kruger and Fortin, and we have to take Fortin's stat, here, with a grain of salt 'cos he spent much of the game cruising the neutral zone looking for the stretch pass.  Despite appalling possession stats I thought Schmaltz was good, trying stuff, at least, but Anisimov was downright awful and Kane kinda came & went, still not feeling his normal self, I suspect.
The Third Line accomplished nothing.
DeBrincat put us through a third consecutive game in which he was painful to watch.  His pass to send Saad in to score was the first he'd made this week.
Seabrook was excellent.  His Corsi line tells a different story but, with Keith "unavailable" he was out almost every second shift, always against The Flames top six.
And Then There's Maude.  I know I said I'd just pass on slagging Manning but I can't let this crap pass without comment.  He has no idea what he's doing.  His positioning is dogshit and his decision making is terrible.  I'd like to see what would happen if, given two opposing players to contend with, he chooses to check one of them, y'know, instead of pissing around between the two guys, accomplishing nothing.  Edzo continues to talk about "the element" that Manning brings which is, presumably some snarl, but all we've seen in that vein is some slashing and the occasional cross-check to the back of a player who's just scored on us.  He's had one meaningless fight in which he fought a middleweight to a draw and the only hits he's made have been on stationary players along the boards, so I don't wanna hear about "the time and space" he creates for his teammates. Yeah, Hard Pass on this idiot.  
I Didn't Mind Martinsen and, if Q doesn't get any ideas about expanding Marty's role I'm quite fine with him doing what he does for the amount of time he's being allotted to do it.  He hasn't hurt the team in his last couple of games and his puck retrieval has been impressive.

Anyway, this wretched road trip is mercifully done and, now The Hawks have a few days in which  to focus on either continuing to do all that stuff that failed to work over the last six or so games OR they can start making some passes and not allowing their opponents' third forwards unlimited access to primo shooting zones.  Y'know, good hockey...

Illyus & Barrientos - Just Bad Shit

Almost Got Away With It: Sharks 4, Hawks 3

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.

Questions Abound: Canucks 5, Hawks 2

Okay, so The Hawks were a bit unlucky in this one, but not to the tune of three goals.  I have questions!
1) Did no one involved in coaching or decision making notice those couple of power plays last week in which The Hawks moved the puck and moved their feet and they scored some goals?
If so, why are we being forced to endure the same old get-the-zone (eventually, if at all) and play-catch-while-we-all-stand-still?  This is ridiculous.
2) Has the so-called Push-em-Back power play breakout scheme ever worked?  This is such a huge waste of time and, almost hilariously, they mess it up half the time, anyway (I'm lookin' at you, Gustafsson).  Yeah, I understand that they want to have Kane, primarily, enter the o-zone with speed, but what's the rush?  IF they manage to gain the zone everyone just takes their positions and stands there, anyway.  It might be smarter to decline power plays, going forward.
3) When was the last time Keith completed a pass?

Otherwise...
The Hawks crushed VAN in Corsi and chances.  Only one Hawks player was south of 50% Corsi, most were 60-70%, yet....
The Hawks' goaltending is garbage, full stop.
Sharp was stymied once and hit a crossbar.
Hinnie had a sure thing tipped away.
Seabrook maybe should have a penalty shot? (which he would have gacked, but that's not for now)
Schmaltz was excellent, so there's that.

But, wow, The Hawks have allowed 26 goals against in the last five games and were -14 in that run.  I need a drink.

Forty Minutes Well Spent: Bruins 7, Hawks 3

For much of this game The Hawks managed to stay with The Bruins, a vastly superior team by most measure, but could not muster up a full 60-minute effort.  Again.
Yet they hung in there, leading until early in the third period, when an untimely double-minor to Kane helped to open the floodgates.
To be honest, The Hawks defense struggled throughout the game; apart from Gustafsson's offensive contribution we got next-to-nothing from that bunch.  Keith has oscillated from mediocre to outright awful the past week, today being closer to awful than average, while Seabrook and Murphy simply flailed today.  Five of The Bruins' goals were scored in-close with one or more Hawks defenders looking on helplessly.
That the two best Hawks today were guys that a) returned from the minors today and b) was recalled only weeks ago might shine a light on who's motivated and who's not.  John Hayden said the correct, nice things about the team's compete level, but he's not kidding anyone.

There's not a lot more to say about this one; The Hawks got schooled, eventually, by the better team.
We'll try again tomorrow.

Big Trouble: Ducks 6, Hawks 3

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.

Backbreaker: Canucks 4, Hawks 2

Chances are good that we'll look back on this game with no small amount of regret.  Elsewhere tonight, The Avalanche, Stars, Predators and The Blues all increased their point totals while The Hawks somehow managed to lose, again, to the feckless Canucks.

How do they do it?  Well, let's start with crap passing.  How many passes were off target, in feet instead of on sticks?  I don't believe Duclair has made more than a handful of clean passes in the O-zone since he arrived in Chicago.  Then there's poor pass reception; too often when a pass was on the tape it was bobbled.  Hinostroza fumbled passes twice when in primo position.  Finally, just poor shooting.  Toews, Wingels and Kampf all missed on point-blank opportunities.

Unbelievably, The Hawks dominated The Canucks in practically every statistical category except, as usual, the only one that really matters.  Granted, three of the four GA were tipped in or deflected in, but when a goof like Brendan Gaunce scores 40% of his career goals against you in a single night and outmuscles and outhustles the guy who is ostensibly your #2 defenceman, trouble is afoot.

Good news?  Sure.  Keith played a great, nervy game while the others stood still, and Saad had two pretty good shifts.  That might not sound too stirring but that's two more effective shifts than he's provided in the last seven or eight games.

Buckle up folks: The Hawks play some good teams in the coming week.  

I Get an All-Star Break Too: Two Posts in One, NO Coupon Required

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.

Insufficient: Wild 2, Hawks 1

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.

Went to Ottawa and Poured Gasoline on a Dumpster Fire: Hawks 8, Senators 2

Super-quick up too late & too long post here, with nothin' but The Bits:
* Save some goals for tomorrow, maybe?  Wow, that was something, and not to diminish The Hawks' dominant effort, but The Senators have been dead in the water for a month or more.  Not unlike The Hawks, they have many excellent pieces, up front anyway, but somehow fail to deliver consistently.  One familiar problem is that they rarely seem to get more than one guy producing at any given time.  Second, their defense is suspect with not a whole lot past Karlsson & Ceci, and Karlsson is hobbling these days.  Finally, if Craig Anderson falters in goal it's Lights Out.  I feel your pain, Sens fans.
* Brent Seabrook was scratched, probably for the first time in his career.  I'd be curious if Coach Q tried to frame this as "let's rest you for Wednesday" which would, I think, be kind of insulting.
Anyway, the guys that did play were mostly fine but I fully expect Kempny to make way for Seabs tomorrow.
* Astonishing Fact - Patrick Kane had never had a 4-assist game until tonight.
* The Stats DO Lie: Kane, Schmaltz and Hartman were each around 25% Corsi at even strength.  It just so happened that nearly every shot they generated went in the net.
* Richard Panik scored.  I was about to check the yard for locusts but the window was frosted up...

Kinda luckily, The Senators have a back-to-back tomorrow as do The Hawks and, once the game was truly out of reach, appeared to dial back their effort in the third period to save themselves a bit for the next one.  Accordingly, The Hawks didn't exert themselves much either, but it's still gonna be a big ask to come out with a sharp effort vs. The Wild.

Franson Placed On Waivers

Blackhawks place D Franson on waivers

Well, I didn't see that coming, but I might well have done now that Coach Q is head-over-heels for Jordan Oesterle.  Franson's most useful role is (was) on the power play and it appears that, between Keith, Oz, Forsling and occasionally Seabrook, The Hawks are sorted out in that department.
Follow up remark: has anyone ever used the word "owns" this many times in this short an article?

The Unbelievable Truth: Golden Knights 5, Hawks 4

I offer this assessment of The Vegas Golden Knights: they have two very good forwards, three more pretty good forwards and one more young winger with the potential to be great.  Their defense is nothing special.
Upon reflection, that still leaves them better than The Blackhawks.
While I believe that The Hawks have the better lineup they are, somehow, constantly far less than the sum of their parts.
Or, looking at The Hawks' failings from a different angle, they fail to apply themselves consistently, when they even bother at all.  How many games in recent weeks have The Hawks played out of their heads for 25-35 minutes and been utter dogshit for the rest of the game?  Almost all of 'em.

Anything else?
* Hinostroza's three-point night was spoiled a bit, wasn't it?  Sure, the goal caromed in off his pants but his two assists were marvelous.  On the flip, however, nobody forced him to kick off the seemingly endless chain of icing calls that resulted in Keith being stuck on the ice for almost three minutes, followed by a VGK goal.
* The Icing Fest: all unnecessary and borne out of thoughtlessness and/or panic.  There was no particular pressure on any of the guys who iced the puck early in the third period, there.
* Murphy and Seabrook were eaten alive.  Am I wrong or did one of them always seem to be trying to catch a VGK player who had blown past him?
* The House of Glass is a fragile one, indeed.  That said, 2 GA were deflections, one was a breakaway (watch the replay to see Murph try to catch Reilly Smith) and one was mostly down to Toews and Seabrook just standing around instead of doing their friggin' jobs. That leaves only Eakin's goal that I thought Glass shoulda coulda stopped,but even that GA was after all those icing calls and we had a dead-tired Keith out there with parts of a couple different lines.  Well, Glass outplayed Subban, at least.

Tick tock, boys.  We're approaching that time of the year in which The Hawks typically stop giving a shit for about four weeks.  Good god, though, is it possible they could care any less than they appear to, now?