Close....: Hurricanes 3, Hawks 2

This was the first game in which head coach Jeremy Colliton attempted to make any significant changes to not only The Hawks lineup but also to their approach.  While they still lost, and really only played a half-game, having lost their focus somewhat around the middle of the second period,they earned a consolation point, which is better than nothing and hopefully something to build on.  Behold!

Big Line Shuffles: To summarize, Toews found himself between Schmaltz and Kane, Kampf centered DeBrincat and Kahun and Anisimov anchored a "what do we do with these guys" trio with Hayden and Fortin.  On the back end, Keith and Seabrook were reunited while Gustafsson and Jokiharju were a new duo.
So how did that go?  Mostly ok.  The first line had a lot of zone time and some dominant shifts, so it was a little surprising to me that the only offence they generated was a tip-in goal, but it's one game, early days yet.  Each of the other three lines had their moments and, unexpectedly, the fourth line of Johnson, Martinsen and Kunitz were the most dynamic of the other three trios, undone only by a general lack of finish.  I'll circle back to the D in a bit. 
I suspect that Schmaltz was not the first choice to join Toews & Kane but, with Saad ailing, he got the call.  He was good, impressing with his puck pursuit and willingness to hang around in front of The 'Canes net.  Maybe not a statement game, as such, but he's sure given the coaches to think about once Saad returns.
Andreas Martinsen impressed me by not trying to be something he is not.  He charged around, laid some big hits, took a lot of shots and kept his feet moving all the time.  That's about all we can realistically hope for from him and, in that sense, he delivered the goods.  Of note, his line sported the best possession stats of any line tonight on both teams, with Martinsen ticking along at a gaudy 68% Corsi.  Kind of on this tack, The Hawks were a lot more physical than usual, allegedly making 27 hits.  Now, I'm with ya when you say "HITTING ISN'T AS IMPORTANT AS IT USED TO BE" but, given that there have been many a night in recent years in which The Hawks have had zero physical presence, I don't mind this directive.  Just keep it clean, boys.
As BAD as Keith was on Saturday, and it was very bad, he was that good tonight, one spectacular whiff notwithstanding.  
Gustafsson with Jokiharju: I expected disaster but it was okay, mainly because Jokiharju is so responsible in his positioning.  I wondered if he'd be left to chase down Raleigh forwards when Gus went walkabout, as he does, but he managed to cover really well.  Some mistakes were made but let's remember that the kid is still 19 years old with fewer than 20 NHL games under his belt.  He's remarkably poised, I think, and quite confident in his ability to skate or pass his way out of danger.  It doesn't always work out but, given his relative experience, he's doing well.
Overtime, Deployment and Hunches: Well, inserting Kampf in the second unit there didn't pay off, but I can see why Colliton went that way.  Kampf had a strong game, overall, and is far quicker than Anisimov, the only other realistic choice to "center" a unit in OT.  Maybe too much, too soon for Baby Huey, as he gambled and lost (as did Colliton, I guess) but what ya gonna do...?   I'm not pleased with the result but I like that they're trying new things, especially being as the same-old hasn't been getting results these days.
Cam Ward was good in his "homecoming" game, but a little soft on the game winner, I thought, perhaps because of Seabrook being more of a distraction than anything.
DeBrincat had his best game in about two weeks, and it wasn't only about the goal.  He hasn't looked fully invested lately but, apart from a pair of weak plays, was far more engaged than he's been of late.  I liked how he worked with his linemates and what about that pass from Kahun?  He seems to have a supernatural sense of what's going on behind him, sometimes.

Next: The Blues on Wednesday.  Stick with the plan, I say, with Saad drawing in for Hayden or Fortin, should he be ready to go.  We're due, but we have to get a full 60-minutes of concentration, something we've not had since the Edmonton game over a week ago.

Thomas Dolby - Close But No Cigar

Gift Of Death: Hurricanes 4, Hawks 3

An interesting, entertaining if somewhat frustrating game, in which The Hawks did some very good and some very bad things, ultimately making enough mistakes and poor decisions to gift The Hurricanes a win, despite carrying the play for much of the game.  Let's break it down, with the bad stuff first.

Too Many Giveaways.  First goal, Rutta's outlet pass was way too soft and easily picked off, while Davidson chased the wrong guy in front and Anisimov was lazy picking up his man.  Third goal, Gustafsson does essentially nothing and loses the puck while Jokiharju chooses to cover a guy with two Hawks already on him, leaving DiGuiseppe wide open.  
Gustafsson got away with another couple of terrible turnovers due to what I can only guess is impatience, in which he chose to take the first action that came to mind rather than take a look and take a better, smarter path, which he is fully capable of.  Just mentally lazy.
Crap Coverage: Beside the botched decisions described above, the 'Canes' fourth goal was made possible by neither Fortin nor Kampf bothering to get after DeHaan.  Baby Huey was a little deep, maybe, to respond, but Fortin was floating in the high slot, something he'd best stop doing if he wants to stay in the lineup.  Breakaways are great and fun and all that, but first things first, son - this ain't beer league hockey.
Generally Weak Defence: While Seabrook did make a pair of clutch defensive plays he couldn't make a pass all night. Keith and Jokiharju started well but gave up their gaps an awful lot, collapsing into Crawford's crease far too much.  I already spoke of Gus' giveaways but that wasn't all, 'cos far too many of his passes were much too soft, either being picked off or causing the intended recipient to have to break stride to corral the puck.  Finally, Rutta and Davidson flailed pretty hard a lot of the time.  I liked Davidson joining the rush and getting a couple of good looks for his trouble, but he and Rutes spent too much time chasing Hurricanes forwards around.
No Deception: Each of The Hawks' goals were scored by either driving or crashing the net, which is great I guess, but there were virtually no shots on net off a quick pass, no one-timers to speak of and no plays in which you could say that they took The 'Canes by surprise.  On the flip of that, the Carolina forwards were coming back diligently and plugging up the middle of the ice, cutting off passing lanes.
But it wasn't ALL Bad....
Kane played a ridiculous 27+ minutes and looked quite comfortable with that.  Hopefully double-shifting Kaner isn't the only item in Jeremy Colliton's playbook, and it was partly down to Kruger's injury, but it almost kinda sorta worked tonight.
Nick Schmaltz was tremendous.  He had a shift midway through the first period in which he just kept ending up with the puck, digging, scrapping and making "small" plays to try to create a chance that just astounded me.  
Crow was excellent, again, complicit on only one of the four goals against, really.  He deserved better.
The Hawks didn't quit.  Down four goals early on they DID battle back, which they don't always do.  Sure, they fell short, but they competed and left with something to build on.
Trevor Van Riemsdyk played just as stupid a game as any he'd played when he was a Hawk.  Is it wrong that this pleases me to no end?  

And What Of Jeremy Colliton?  Too soon to say.  I cannot point to any deployment issues that pissed me off and it was players' decisions/failings that led to any CAR goals.  It'll take more than two practices and one game for the new guy to even begin to figure out how to bring the best out of what he's got.  Let's see what happens.

Next: an afternoon delight in Philly on Saturday, which sounds like something vile on urbandictionary.com.  It might be, actually.

iwrestledabearonce - Gift Of Death

Well, That Happened: Hurricanes 3, Hawks 2

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.  
It'll always be a tough row to hoe when your top line, which was excellent two nights ago, rock a collective Corsi below 20%.  The second line, also good recently, wasn't much better and the entire defense group struggled all night long.
That left the bottom six to get it done and, while they made the effort, couldn't quite close the deal.
JF Berubé was heroic, if a little scrambly, but certainly made this game closer than it should have been.
Jan Rutta returned and was The Hawks' steadiest defender which, on this night, was otherwise a five-way tie for last.
Anthony Duclair was good enough to show up for this one and even managed to bully a puck out of Scott Darling's pads to set up the Sharp goal.  Later, he set the table for Baby Huey Kampf who was subsequently denied by Darling.  Kampf, incidentally, was the sole Hawks forward to crest 50% Corsi tonight.  That's great for Baby Huey but doesn't reflect very well on the rest of the team.

I cannot point to any particularly evil plays or egregious errors, but rather a general lack of give-a-damn.  The Hurricanes only needed to plug up the middle and that was enough to stymie the majority of The Hawks' breakout attempts.
Buckle up for the upcoming back-to-back afternoon delights vs. Boston, 'cos I hear they're pretty good.

Relief: Hawks 4, Hurricanes 3

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.

Scott Darling Joins Hurricanes

                                               Those were the days.

It's sad to see him go but it was always gonna happen, right?  It's time for wee Scotty to spread his wings and.... okay, nevermind, let's just agree that he's earned a shot at being an NHL starting goalie.

Which isn't a certainty in Carolina, what with Cam Ward (61 starts and a career 'Cane) and Eddie Lack (20 starts) as incumbents out in Charlotte or Raleigh or wherever the hell they play.  However, neither of those blokes set the world afire this season and either of them and their relatively cap-friendly $3 million-ish salaries could fetch a third-liner or a second-pairing D-man.  I expect that Darling will get his shot at the very least.

WE GET a 3rd Round Pick in the 2017 draft, which ain't at all bad considering The Hawks lacked the cap space to resign him themselves.  Almost something for nothing, really.

Anyway, all the best to you, Scott, and we'll see you in the 2020 Finals.

Weathering The Storm: Hawks 2, Hurricanes 1

Once again, The Hawks pulled out a win that they didn't really deserve but, despite their gaudy shot count, The Hurricanes didn't deserve it any more.  Does that even make sense?  How about this: The Hawks gave up far too many chances and a combination of Scott Darling's exceptional effort and Carolina's lack of finish allowed them the victory.  On the flip, when your best idea is to simply hack and slash at loose pucks, you can take all the "shots" you want but, most of the time, that ain't gonna get it done.  Both teams had their moments, and The Hurricanes did a fine job of getting and keeping the puck, but neither team exactly shone in this one.
The Hawks scored the only goal of the first period, an absolute gem by Toews after some fine passing by Vinnie Hinnie and Hossa.  Carolina outshot Chicago 19-9 but, to be fair, 23 of those shots came on a single power play, and half of those were desperate whacks into Darling's pads.
Chicago went up 2-1 on a PPG by Small Arthur, who rifled a wrister from his Special Place during an otherwise uninspiring power play.  The Hurricanes closed the gap to a single goal with 4 seconds remaining in the period, a tap-in by Viktor Rask  to conclude a sequence that had The Hawks spinning to try to find the puck.
The Hawks endured a full court press throughout much of the third, but did a good job of limiting quality chances, hanging on for the win.
A Promising Start to the game was undone by several mistakes and poor choices that let momentum slip away.  Hartman ruined a 4-on-2 with a sloppy pass that resulted in a Carolina rush, Tootoo and Campbell made messes of what should have been easy clearing attempts and Panik wasted a fast breakout with yet another selfish shot from a ridiculous angle that soon had the puck heading back to Chicago's end.
Toews, however, was well and truly dialed in, opening the scoring and just missing on several other high quality chances.

Kempny was mostly fine but a little less on point than in the last four games.  He helped create a great chance midway through the first and, a little later, sprawled to intercept a pass on a 2-on-1.  Unfortunately, the play that may have stuck in Coach Q's memory was a bizarre pass to no one late in the frame.  He didn't play a lot more after that.

Vin Hinostroza had what is becoming a pretty typical but quite acceptable game at this stage of his career, highlighted by his quick, short pass to Hossa that soon led to Toews' goal, as well as a determined charge to beat out an icing call, come away with the puck and create a scoring chance. The rest of the game...pretty much up and down the wing.

I'm Not Convinced that Campbell and van Riemsdyk should be paired together, as I'm unsure if Soupy feels he can wheel the puck through the neutral zone when he's unsure if TVR is where he's supposed to be.  Even IF TVR is in position, can he cope with the pressure on his own if Soup gets caught up-ice?  Kempny and TVR were, unbelievably, both better when paired up, and I've liked Soupy with Seabrook whenever they've played together.

Spencer Abbott and Gustav Forsling were both dispatched to Rockford earlier today.  I don't mind these moves, actually, in which Schmaltz, Motte and now Forsling have been demoted, presumably to play more.  They've each had a taste of what it's like to play in The NHL and should have a sense of what they need to do to get back there and stay there.  Results may vary depending on how well each of these players accept this challenge.

Toews was really quite excellent tonight, if a little bit unlucky but, once again, without some fine netminding this W doesn't happen.  Stormare's Star is Scott Darling.

Make Your Own Bounces: Hurricanes 3, Hawks 2

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

Good Enough to Win (and not one bit more): Hawks 3, Hurricanes 1 and Monday's Big Boy

So, how do you get outshot by 19, make a series of bonehead plays yet still win the game?  First, surprise a rather easily exploitable defense and, second, have Corey Crawford as your own last line of defense.

The Good
- Corey Crawford, full stop.
- Patrick Sharp appears to be emerging from the fog, despite appearing to play on a different line every second shift.
- The Hawks' D did a decent job of limiting second chances, clearing rebounds and blocking access to the dirty areas.  I suppose it's the least they could do after their role in 44 shots against.  Bear in mind that The 'Canes are offensively pathetic but, given the fact that these guys were great against the two NY teams and horrifying against Dallas, who knows what to expect from one night to the next?
The Bad
- Coach Quenneville had assembled four lines that worked tremendously in two games against top teams but, at the first sign of trouble (see Dallas, above) he shook up the top three lines once again.  Tonight's result flatters to deceive but I fear that Q will trot out the same combos (sans Bickell) on Wednesday vs. the only slightly less pathetic Flyers.
The Ugly
- Desjardins in for Bickell on Wednesday?  You betcha.

Yeah, Shaw's awesome with no goalie in the net or when he's able to corral a sweet pass, but here's the real man of the match.

                                                                   Superbad.

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

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

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

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

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

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