Bad Day At The Office: Knights Of Gold 4, Hawks 3 (OT)

Once again we have borne witness to The Hawks barely hanging in there against a superior team, getting the consolation point but, at the heart of it, being kinda fortunate to glean even that. Here's why!
As Kane and DeBrincat Go, So Go The Hawks.  Mostly, anyway, and even with the hot streak these two little fellas are enjoying it's often not quite enough.  When, not if, those guys hit a cold spell it'll be very, very tough for The Hawks to earn points.  The team has improved but they're not yet ready for prime time.
Apart from some occasional defensive ambivalence Kane is playing as well as he's ever done.  As good has he's been, DeBrincat is still rounding into shape, suggesting a brighter future for both he and the team, yet I worry about how he's getting all these goals lately.  I mean, if he's gonna score on half the shots he takes from the left circle I'm all-in for that, but we've seen this episode before with Panarin and, before him, Sharp.  Once other teams devise means of blocking DBC out of that position or reliably preventing Kane/Gustafsson ('cos it's always them, isn't it?) from getting him the puck DeBrincat's scoring rate will tumble.
Bad Day At The Office.  Dahlstrom endured his worst game since rejoining The Hawks, his first stinkeroo, really.  Minus three and inadvertently shovelling the winning goal into your own net makes for an evening he'd prefer to forget, I'm sure.  Wrong place, wrong time, wrong circumstance....whatever.  It was bad.
Even Worse but without the stats to back it up were Seabrook and Jokiharju, with Seabs huffing and puffing his way to three giveaways and Hank failing to contain any Vegas forward, ever.
The Stat Line was not kind to Kampf, Saad & Caggiula either, but I feel the need to qualify their apparent failure as tonight's shut-down line.  Their primary assignment was to box out VGK's ostensive top line, Marchessault, Karlsson and Pirri and, while they had their hands full with those guys, they gave up nothing.  Oddly, it was always the next Vegas line that burned them. Unlucky, unaware, definitely unfortunate.
Colliton's OT Deployment has been strange, too.  Coaches play hunches as much as they go with the horses that got them in the race, but I question him trotting out Kampf - Kahun - Dahlstrom, particularly after the rough night Baby Huey and Big Carl suffered.  I dunno much about anything, really but, in that position in a game that you've been a bit lucky to get to OT in the first place, I'd probably go back to Toews, Kane & Gus.  Just sayin'.

Next: Monday vs. the improving Devils, more of a "better win" than a "must win", I'd say.

Posts may be sporadic going forward, lumping two or more games together or just me popping in with vital observations.  Vital!

Bad Day At The Office

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

Snow Blind: Two Games, A Mighty Blizzard and a Single Post

Another catch-up post as I only sort of watched Sunday's game, otherwise occupied with snow removal and related bullshit, and racked out seconds after Monday's non-result.

Hawks 5, Penguins 3
A Close Game, but for weird reasons.  The Hawks gifted PITT all three goals, with Toews trancing out instead of taking out Hornqvist, everybody being non-committal on Guentzel's tally (but especially Anisimov, who was simply terrible in this game) and Cam Ward, who was otherwise okay, getting leaky on Brassard's one-timer. Even Kane was a bit topsy-turvy inasmuch as his three helpies erased some defensive laziness and a heart-in-mouth drop pass to no one.
Meanwhile, The Pens suffered stretches in which they couldn't seem to find their legs, their defence were occasionally bewildered and their keeper, Casey DeSmith, struggled with some long shots eluding him.  The Penguins' general sluggishness was compounded by them trying but failing to skate with The Hawks rather than plug up the middle and slow things down.  If either team had their shit only slightly more together they could have run off with this one.  
The Hawks' Special Teams were looking good, the PP just missing out on going 3-for-3 by mere seconds.  The PK was perfect on the night with Seabrook and Dahlstrom pulling the most minutes there.  Notably, Gustafsson was left OFF the PK entirely which was wise, I think.  He can do a lot of things but straight-up defence...not so much.
Drake Caggiula finally debuted and I liked what I saw.  We'd seen him when he was with EDM, of course, and all I could recall is his speed and hustle, which is pretty much what he brought in this game.  The fourth line, along with Kruger and Kunitz, was energetic all night, laying hits and being nuisances.
Goals From Unlikely Sources sure helped as Keith and Kunitz scored their first goals of the season, both on long shots that probably should have been stopped (see DeSmith, Casey, above) but nevermind...

Flames 4, Hawks 3
In a bizarre reverso of the previous night it was The Hawks who were lured into a wide-open affair with similar results as, on the second of a back-to-back, they simply hadn't the necessary jump to pull it off.  They came close and, but for a cocktail of dumb stuff in the final minute, very nearly got away with it.
Collin Delia was again impressive, and this is with him still figuring out positioning, rebound control and puck handling.  His reflexes and athleticism are incredible so, if/when he comes to grips with the other details of netminding, he's going to be tough to beat.  He did allow his first bad goal of the season when he let Gaudreau's second goal trickle through him but, hey, just one of those in five starts....I'll take that.
Dylan Strome's Timing isn't great.  I was actually going to type some stuff about Strome's passing being just a tad off a lot of he time, either slightly late or slightly early, but in light of his taking three dumbass penalties last night I'd say the timing of that rubbish is somewhat worse.  They were all needless, lazy, selfish acts.
Quietly Excellent: I thought Perlini (!) and Kahun each had strong games despite having nothing to show for it and Brandon Davidson has surprised me these last two games.  Every stride he takes looks as if it's a massive effort but, unlike his smooth-skating colleague Forsling, he's getting the job done.  He didn't commit any turnovers, was even for the two games and was quick to defend his teammates without being stupid about it. If you can get that from a depth Guy that's a win, every time.
That Final Minute: A shambles.  The first and worst sin was Anisimov shooting from where he did because he's not Patrick Kane and of course he missed the net and when you miss the net from that angle it is always coming back your way in a hurry.  Empty net, there, Artie...
And Gustafsson's seemingly half-hearted attempt to track down Hathaway bearing down on the empty net was disappointing, getting turned inside-out and settling for a final desperate swipe with his stick rather than skating.  Caggiula came from a lot farther back and had a better go than Gus did.  Maybe dead legs, maybe overconfidence, maybe just a poor decision, but not at all good.

Next: At home Wednesday vs. NSH who shut out TOR on Monday.
Roster Stuff: Sikura and Martinsen were quietly dispatched to Rockford while Hank Jokiharju was activated after his gold-medal winning stint on the Finnish Junior team.

Steal Away: Islanders 3, Hawks 2 (OT)

Aw, man, that was awful to watch.  The Hawks just looked tired and going through the motions most of the time.  Couldn't win a draw, vainly chasing The Isles and out of sync with each other all night long.  So this is gonna be quick.
Only The Toews Line looked kinda half decent throughout the match and, even then, those three had a lot of pucks behind them, were arriving where the puck was rather than where it was going.  As for the other, Kampf's line had one, maybe two good spins.  Kruger's group had a pair of fine shifts including an utterly dominant one in which they somehow managed to not record a shot on goal.  Apart from that one in which Kane clanked one off the post in the second Strome's trio was invisible until the third period, during which they had a few good looks, and this line was -2 on the night.  Not even remotely enough.
Despite Combining For Six Giveaways I thought Murphy and Dahlstrom had a very good game, playing almost exclusively against The Islanders' lethal Bailey - Beauvillier - Barzal line.  Even against these Killer Bees they notched the highest Corsi-for ratings among Hawks d-men, and by a large margin, too. 
Forsling Was The Worst Hawk, by far, bobbling the puck, losing practically every battle and sending panicky "passes" to empty space.  His lazy penalty late in the second set the stage for Barzal's second tally of the night.  Hurry back, Hank Jokiharju....
Collin Delia, however, single-handedly stole a point for The Hawks tonight, making a whopping 48 saves, directing his rebounds somewhat better than he has been able up 'til now and done in on a couple of oddball goals - one that was bunted in out of the air and another after he'd had his stick knocked out of his grasp.  My only nit-pick where Delia is concerned is that he was not handling the puck well behind the net with several iffy and/or unpredictable passes.

So, really, to leave Long Island with a consolation point is a fortunate result.

Next: Sunday vs. the Penguins who are riding a seven-game win streak.  What a perfect opportunity to be the assholes who mess that up.

Robbie Dupree - Steal Away

Slain In South Bend: Bruins 3½, Hawks 2

Well, it was mostly fun to watch and a game that could have gone either way, but The Hawks never really looked willing to take control of this one.  We know from experience that when The Hawks are the least bit noncommittal things generally end badly.

Stuff I Liked
Cam Ward was mostly great, a little lucky on a couple of saves, a little unlucky on Bergeron's goal, but also outsmarted comprehensively by Pastrnak.
David Kampf played a near-perfect game....for David Kampf, of course.  His takeaway and subsequent pass to Perlini was Baby Huey at his best.  It's just a shame he didn't have the legs to outrace Bergeron on his breakaway.
Eric Gustafsson was very good offensively and good enough defensively, and that's a win any day.
Brendan Perlini had his best game as a Hawk and all in a mere 7:26.  Sure, his goal was kind of a gimme but HE PASSED THE PUCK....TWICE.  That's real growth.

Stuff I Liked Less
DeBrincat was a no-show, looked distracted or something, failing to generate anything.
Strome's "Touch Pass" in the last 30 sec.  Really?  In what reality is that play a good idea?  I know he had his back to the two Bruins that bum rushed the subsequent loose puck that Strome directed to no one, but he knows they're coming....they always will.

Stuff I Hated
Patrick Kane was either sick or hungover or heartbroken or some damn thing that prevented him from doing his job.  23 minutes TOI and not one good look, no sweet set ups and dragging his arse reluctantly back to The Hawks' zone after his playmaking fell short.  A blip, I expect, but one that underlines Kane's impact - when he's bad it's like The Hawks are playing one one foot in a bucket.
Gustav Forsling was dogshit that garbage scrapes off it's shoe.  Couldn't make a pass while a Bruin was within 20 feet and was outmuscled/outhustled countless times behind our net and along the half-wall.  And then there was Goose turning his back on Kuraly who, of course, scored the game winner.  Not at all a good game for him and the sooner Hank Jokiharju returns, the better.

What Else?
No debut for Drake Caggiula due to his US Visa not yet being squared away.  I'm not expecting much but we currently have a few forwards accomplishing far less than "much" and he should be able to exceed that, at least.  If we're lucky Caggiula could perhaps evolve into an Andrew Shaw-type Guy who isn't an asshole (I hope).  As much as anything I'm just happy to see Brandon Manning somewhere else, doesn't matter where...

The South Bend Shovel Slayer

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

The Honeymoon Is Over: Panthers 6, Hawks 3

I hoped it wouldn't happen but I kinda thought it would - The Hawks lost the focus they'd had the last few games.  While they were okay in fits & starts The Panthers were sharper, more alert and better able to pounce on the opportunities that arose.  The Hawks seemed tired....not physically, really, but it often looked as if they were acting on the first impulse that occurred to them and not bothering to take a second look to see if a better avenue was available.
Cam Ward didn't have his best tonight, not especially mindful of his positioning and he made a mess of things on Hawryluk's first goal, letting himself get caught in-between.
Carl Dahlstrom wasn't super sharp either, blowing a tire (maybe with some help, hard to tell for sure) on that first FLA goal and apparently unaware that McCann was heading to the net to score the decisive, momentum-killing goal.
Toews' Line Was Out Of Sorts, skating hard enough, trying stuff, but their timing was all messed up, gacking passes, whiffing on shots...
The Only Plus Players For The Hawks were Murphy and Strome which is exactly how it looked to me in real time.  Granted, Strome's first assist was a right-place-right-time deal but he was there, right, and his pass to Murph was tremendous.  As for Murph, a couple of points and four hits makes for a good day at the office.
Is John Hayden Hurt or did he commit some terrible mischief to be scratched in favour of used-up Chris Kunitz and shoot-first-from-anywhere Brendan Perlini?  I've been generally in agreement with Coach Colliton's deployment but these two, buddied up with Nilsson making his NHL debut tonight, made for a rather weak fourth line, even by fourth line standards.

Oh well, we weren't going to win the next 40 games but it is disappointing to see The Hawks backslide so soon, and against some low-hanging fruit like FLA.  I guess they just started their holiday-days-off a day early.

Next: At home vs. Minnesota on Thursday, in an attempt to reclaim their recent mastery over Central Division foes.  Can't wait to see Seabrook sweating gravy.

The Cruel Sea - The Honeymoon Is Over

Double Your Pleasure: Hawks vs. Dallas and Hawks vs. Colorado Wraps

Wow, three in a row, and all against Central Division teams, which is mighty handy.  What's more, the special teams have actually been kinda special, the PP going 2/7 and the PK a perfect 8/8 over these three wins. We're approaching uncharted territory now, folks.  
I'm just catching up after watching each of these games a day late so enjoy this two-fer at no extra cost.

Thursday - Hawks 5, Stars 2

There were a few wee issues, nothing that they didn't get right eventually, and The Hawks benefitted from DAL fighting the puck a lot of the time but, ultimately, they were good enough and I'll take that gladly. 
Cam Ward Was Excellent.  Evidently, Wardo called the team out after the blowout loss to SJS and all respeck to the guy for walking the walk after talking the talk.  He was maybe a little soft on the second Stars goal but hey, if he's the one kicking these guys into action he can have that one.
Breakouts were not as tight as against NSH but the failed attempts did not, at least, result in goals against. Keith again struggled to clear the zone efficiently, notably on the first PK when he gacked two pretty standard clears, making me wonder if he's losing his mind or if he needs glasses.  It's a fair and serious query.
Some Soft Play preceded both DAL goals.  I was gonna call out Dahlstrom, who I think has been a great add BTW, as he was on the ice for both goals against.  On both goals Big Carl failed to contain Radulov but, hey, hardly anyone ever contains that guy.  The greater sins, as it turns out, were Kane failing to cover Seguin on the first and the second goal was a weird one off a squirted-out puck.  Maybe Saad had a chance to check Fedun, maybe not.  Let's just say The Hawks could have been tighter in the net front.
Dylan Strome Wasn't Great, either, due more to poor decision making than lack of trying.  He can and will be better, I think, and I'm sure he's gonna take the shot the next time he's on a two-on-one like the one he squandered in Dallas.
Standouts In This Match: Anisimov was making things happen all night, getting and creating chances.  Sikura played his best game this season, earning an assist on a subtle little play, and I was impressed with his puck patience, never rushing and never giving the puck away.  Finally, I thought Forsling bounced back well after a bit of a wobbler vs. NSH, moving his feet and playing with more determination than usual.
The Power Play is possibly stirring from its long nap.  They haven't all been gems but, in recent games, we've seen more movement, faster, than we've been getting for, oh...three or four years?  Gustafsson, who also played a solid game, on the first unit is going well and the umbrella scheme he, Kane and DeBrincat have been employing has been working.  Sure, they got a PPG on what was essentially a gift five-on-three when a Stars guy broke his stick but they actually managed to exploit that opportunity, a minor victory unto itself.

Friday - Hawks 2, Avalanche 1

Not as close as it looks at a glance, The Hawks had the stars align for them somewhat to pull this one off.  Outshot by eight but, what's this, The Hawks blocked a mammoth twenty two COL tries.  Two goals that each had a whiff of opportunism, Collin Delia playing out of his head in his season debut,  on the second night of a back-to-back, and against the high scoring Avalanche... I'll take a road win in those circumstances anytime.
Collin Delia doesn't always make it look easy but the kid appears to know what he's doing.  Too soon to tell if he's the saviour Hawks fans need right now but I like what I've seen.
Murphy and Dahlstrom played a lot of hard minutes against The Avs ridiculously good top line and did a fine job.  Their Corsi stats in this one are not pretty but they mostly kept COL shooters on the margins and gobbled up what few rebounds Delia allowed.  These two are the pure-defense pairing we've needed for ages and, under the new regime, are actually getting a chance to take on some high-responsibility tasks.  
Dominik Kahun is just a stupidly good passer.  
Only Two Minor Beefs in this game which, as I suggested, was a great team result.  First, if Brendan Perlini cannot be arsed to pick up a man, any man, fucking ever....he needs to go.  I'm also growing weary of his chucking.  Has he made a pass on a rush since arriving in CHI?
Second, and this is nothing new, Seabrook took all the momentum out of the Power Play after the first unit did a great job keeping the puck and their bodies in constant motion.  Once ol' Seabs arrives, though, it's like watching Pong™ as he plays slow catch with the right wing and other d-man.  Zzzzz.

Next: Back home on Sunday for FLA.  Luke Johnson is back in Rockford in exchange for Jacob Nilsson, a guy who played for Coach Colliton in Sweden so I expect we'll see him at 4C.  Whatever and whoever, The Hawks just need to keep on doing what they've been doing, keep that pedal down....

A Double Pleasure is Waiting For You....

Keep Hanging On - Hawks 2, Predators 1

Not perfect but good enough.
More than anything, after the news that Corey Crawford has suffered another concussion and will be out indefinitely The Hawks turned in a gritty performance, front to back, signalling that they're not prepared to just pack it in and mail in a repeat of last season.

Cam Ward was faultless.  Only divine intervention would have prevented Fiala's shot from going in, so I'm very impressed with Wardo bearing down and taking control tonight.  I don't believe Ward has it in him to carry The Hawks too far but if the old warhorse was going to toss in a blinder of a game he could not have timed it more perfectly.
The Hawks' D was better than usual.  Not perfect, as Keith was again defaulting to just flinging the puck up the boards to no one or, worse, to a Predator and Forsling had a particularly nerve wracking shift in the third in which he gave the puck away twice.  Generally, though, the D were pretty good with Murphy and Dahlstrom being especially mindful of net front activity and clearing rebounds aside. Dahlstrom logged a team high 22 minutes and it was he and Murph that got the call for that last frantic shift, so all respeck to Coach Colliton for going with the horses that got you there tonight rather than the ones that have great resumés but haven't done much lately.
Lack Of Finish Was a Little Frustrating as Kahun, who skated and battled well all night, somehow biffed all of his scoring chances, as well as Hayden and Ansimov not getting good wood (or whatever) on the puck when they most needed to.  
In The End we get two points, a shot of confidence and some satisfaction from having defeated one of the top teams in The West, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Next: Thursday in Dallas, likely with Collin Delia making his season debut so as to save Ward for Friday in Denver. Colliton says Kruger has a concussion after his unfortunate collision with our old pal Ryan Hartman, so we can expect Strome to move back to center and Anisimov to draw in at 3C against The Stars.

The Supremes - You Keep Me Hanging On

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

Not Good Enough: Jets 4, Hawks 3 (OT)

So close....
The truth is, though, The Hawks needn't have been on the wrong side of this one.  Shots were close, chances were closer, but The Hawks made too many bobbles to seal the deal.
Too Much Meh.  Only a few Hawks had truly bad nights (Strome, Martinsen, DeBrincat, maybe) but even fewer had a great night (maybe only Toews and Crawford).  There were just a lot of seemingly insignificant things that did or didn't happen that added up to an overall weak effort.  Saad was flying all night, made a brilliant pass to Toews to put The Hawks up 2-1, but was awkward around the net.  DeBrincat was stepping on the puck and lazy on the backcheck.  Murphy wasn't terrible but had his weakest game of his short season.  Strome couldn't hit water if he fell out of a fuckin' boat.  Perlini took a lot of shots, all indiscriminate without a thought to where his linemates were.  None of these shortcomings sunk The Hawks on their own but they added up to enough weak, failed or thoughtless plays that led to goals against or opportunities missed. The small plays matter, and The Hawks blew a lot of these details.
Signs Of Life: I thought we exited our zone and moved north as well we've done all year.  They're persisting with that silly push-'em-back stuff but at least they were brisk on on-target tonight, actually hitting Kane with a pass when he was already at speed, allowing him a greater chance of barging into The Jets' zone.
Carl Dahlstrom might be alright.  
Could We Try Someone Other Than Keith to start OT?  I know Gustafsson has his defensive issues but, good lord, so does Keith these days. We're 4-and-5 in OT games and Duncs has been on the ice in only one of those wins but in 4 of the 5 losses.  Change it up.

Next: Sunday at home vs. The Sharks.  With a little fine-tuning we'll be alright.

Blood Orange - You're Not Good Enough

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

No Expectations: Jets 6, Hawks 3

I can't even get angry anymore.  I expect little and The Hawks deliver exactly that.  At this point I think I'm just hoping to be surprised.

The Same Old Same-Same.  Another slow start, possibly the worst first period The Hawks have played this season.  The Jets had three goals on fourteen shots before The Hawks recorded their first shot on net.  This is after a lot of chat after Monday's practice about coming out of the gates hard, matching The Jets' intensity.  Just shut up, guys.  Do something, then talk about it.
The Middle 30 Minutes looked pretty good on The Hawks, although it was about 50% CHI bearing down and 50% WPG not giving a damn until The Hawks scored a few.  Once Perreault put WPG up 5-3 The Hawks kept skating but began missing passes, making poor decisions....all the stuff they do in the third period when they're still within a goal or two.
And that's it.  Nothing we haven't already seen over a dozen times this season.

The Rockford Shuffle has begun, with Alex Fortin going north while Dylan Sikura and Carl Dahlstrom will be the next young ones to have spirits crushed in the 312.  Not sorry to see Fortin's tail lights as he remains far from ready for The NHL.  Dahlstrom replaces Forsling, who was placed on IR a day or two ago, while Sikura The Younger fills Arthur The Large's roster spot as he is sidelined with "concussion protocol" (which is seriously how they articulate this now).
Can We Call Time on Chris Kunitz Now?  He's accomplishing nothing except embarrassing himself.  Just end it, now.

Next: Penguins, I think.  Does it matter?  Right now, what I look forward to the most where The Hawks are concerned is Trade Deadline Day, our last best hope to unload Seabrook and/or Keith, providing a contending team or two need a second-pairing guy and have some money to spend AND either of those guys are willing to leave.  That's a lot of Ifs but, hey, I'm an optimist...

Johnny Cash - No Expectations

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

All Change, All The Same: Golden Knights 206, Hawks 3

Toews: "Blah blah blah...embarrassed...blah blah...stay positive....blah blah...small mistakes....blah blah...."  Essentially the same post-game interview he gave after the WASH and TB games.
The Hawks should be embarrassed, yet they don't give any indication of that when they're on the ice, 'cos they keep making the same damn, preventable errors, making things ridiculously easy for their opponents.
Pick Up A Guy, Any Guy: Once again, the forwards were situationally oblivious, unaware of what's happening around them.  Watch Eakin's goal - Toews makes a failed attempt to check Pacioretty, which is fair enough, but Saad and Kane are just coasting into the zone, never bothering to cover anyone.  Again.  By the time Eakin made his move and scored Kane was, for some reason, already heading back towards the Vegas end.  WTF?
Take a Second, Make The Pass Stick: The Hawks have been way too impatient with their passes, just getting the damn thing off their sticks as quickly as they can.  At the start of the second period The Hawks "controlled" the puck for the first four minutes yet only entered the VGK zone briefly, because their passes were flat-out bad and those four minutes were largely spent recovering the puck, regrouping and starting again.

The players claim to be dissatisfied with their performance and the results of same, yet I see zero effort to improve matters.  Just a lot of talk, so far.

New Guys: Hardly noticed Perlini, seems quick if haphazard.  Strome picked up 1G 1A in his debut and had a couple of good looks that didn't go.  First impression is that he's got the speed, some moves and a very good shot, but that he's imprecise.  Tough to say after a single game, but Strome scored as many goals tonight as the guy he's ostensibly replacing did in the last five weeks.
And What Of Nick Schmaltz?  I was just saying that, if Stan Bowman was going to make a trade to shake things up it was going to be Schmaltz that goes, being as he was the most expendable asset that a) would fetch anything in return and b) didn't have a no-move clause in his contract.  The occasional excellent game did not offset the frequency of games that left me saying "what does he do, exactly?"

Next: Winnipeg on Thursday and Nashville on Saturday, the two best teams in The Western Conference, so the guys had better conjure up some give-a-damn.  I'm losing interest almost as fast as The Hawks are....

Dwight Yoakum - Things Change

Why You Make It So Hard?: Hawks 5, Panthers 4 (OT)

Nevermind that The Hawks once again failed to log a complete game tonight.
Nevermind that a couple of their goals were pretty lucky.
And Nevermind that The Panthers have a ton of holes in their lineup and it's no wonder that they're dead last in The East.
It's more than just the two points, 'cos The Hawks finally, FINALLY showed some resolve, some will to win, and managed to execute.  To it, then.

Things Looked Irritatingly Familiar Right Off The Trot.  The Hawks had a hard-charging first shift only for FLA gather themselves and then utterly dominate the first period.  I won't say that Manning's penalty was the sole cause of the momentum shift, as The Hawks had already begun to fold, but it was certainly inopportune.  Worse, though, was the all-too-familiar defensive obliviousness that we've become sadly accustomed to, epitomized by three Hawks players chasing after one Panthers forward, leaving J. McCann to go mano-a-mano with Cam Ward.  Just like that and we were down 2-0, like some cruel Groundhog Day sequel.
The Hawks Showed Some Signs of Life early in the second when, first, David Kampf executed a textbook power move through no less a man than Aaron Ekblad and then around James Reimer to bring The Hawks within one.  Minutes later, in a role reversal, Kane redirected a Saad pass to tie the score.  Then the wheels fell off again.
For The Second Night In A Row Kane missed a defensive assignment, failing to pick up Ekblad who one-timed a crisp pass past Ward.  Minutes later, after a power play in which The Hawks held the puck for virtually the entire two minutes yet generated zero legit scoring chances, The Panthers pounced (because that's what panthers do) on a tired group of Hawks who had been unable to change and put the home side up 4-2.  FLA managed to spend most of the remainder of the second period in the CHI zone and it was starting to look like the sun had gone down for The Hawks, yet again.
Then Two Things Happened.  First, The Hawks finally got the bit in their teeth, outshooting the suddenly passive Panthers 9-0 in the first half of the period, which is nothing new, really, as we've seen these guys wait until it was too late to get their motors running.  HOWEVER, fortune smiled upon The Hawks on this night.  Sometimes you make your own luck through hard work, etc, and sometimes you just fall ass-backwards into it, and I think Fortin's shorty was a little bit of both and I am 100% okay with that.  On the game-tying goal.....well, anytime you tie a game in the final second it kind of smacks of dumb-ass luck but, again, Saad's pass to DeBrincat was pretty special.  We won't overstate that James Reimer was soft as hell on that goal....
Overtime.  What I've become used to is The Hawks getting one or two good looks, changing all three skaters and getting scored on immediately.  Tonight it took 4 or 5 shifts to settle matters, providing not only a much needed victory for The Hawks, but also some redemption for a couple of guys.
Erik Gustafsson has been bad, lately, his play going from sublime in October to terrible in November. Prior to this fall the expectation with Gus had been that he'd be an okay puck-lugger but, when it came to being defensively aware, he was nowhere to be seen.  The last month we were treated to Gus being defensively ambivalent AND he couldn't make a breakout pass no way, no how.  His OT goal tonight was nothing special, just a well-placed shot but, if we're lucky, it might be the confidence booster Gus desperately needs.
David Kampf had his first taste of NHL Overtime about two weeks ago vs. Carolina, and that didn't go super well.  Tonight, though, he dominated at the dot, winning 70% of his faceoffs including the final draw of the night.  That and his impressive goal to start the second period highlight Baby Huey's best NHL game thus far.
Other Good Stuff: Gustav Forsling has been given a lot of icetime and a lot of responsibility for a lad who kinda curled up & died last winter.  Quite right though, on this night anyway, as he was the best Hawks D-man in this match.  John Hayden finally got to play more than five shifts and, while nothing came of his efforts, he was creating opportunities.  
Meanwhile, this is what I suspect goes through Brandon Manning's head when he's out on the ice, doing whatever the hell he thinks he's doing.

Next: The strangely erratic Golden Knights who seem to either win big or lose big.  Here's hoping they've shot their bolt with their 6-0 drubbing of The Sharks tonight.

(Be sure to listen to the song.  The horns really complement the emotional release....)

Boz Scaggs - Why You Make It So Hard?

Hopeless? Lightning ?, Hawks ?

Full disclosure - I only watched the first 9½ minutes before finding something else to do.  I don't even know what the final score was.  Maybe tomorrow when I'm less angry.

In that less-than-ten-minutes The Hawks were already down 3-0, had a single shot on net and looked as bad or worse than they've ever been.
Zero defensive coverage.  Forwards failed to pick up a man, any man.  The D had shitty gaps and either committed too soon or not at all.
Breakouts were terrible, with too many Hawks happy enough to try to pass through skates and bodies rather than hang on to the single second longer to see if a lane would open up.
No Hawk won a puck battle in those 9½ minutes.  Not one.
And good god, The Hawks made Ryan McDonough look like a star. This is a guy who skates like he's got one foot in a bucket, yet he calmly halted every Hawks player who came his way, gathered the puck and moved it up ice with a crisp, on-target pass.  If HE can do it why can NO Hawks defenceman pull it off?

And if tomorrow, when I get around to finding out what happened in the last 50 minutes, I hear any Hawks player or coach utter the phrase "full sixty minutes" I'll plotz.  Stop talking about it and just do it.  Play ONE game from start to finish like you give a shit.  I'm tired of the bait & switch The Hawks keep pulling....playing so well for only part of a game, and I'm tired of typing the same stuff night after night.

One Step Forward Two Steps Back: Capital 4, Hawks 2

The Hawks almost played a complete game tonight but, as Da used to say, "almost only counts in shit fights and hand grenades".  But for an abysmal first ten minutes and a mistake here, a defensive lapse there, The Hawks more than had the measure of The Capitals.  Alas, they once again sucked just enough and at the least opportune times.  Onward to the post mortem, then.

Lazy Defensive Coverage killed The Hawks tonight.  This has been a problem for the last 10 games or so (or two years, arguably, but nevermind) but this evening's failings are even harder to accept than usual 'cos they had this one and gave it away.  On the first goal it was Schmaltz who had a chance to take out Backstrom or Wilson but could only be arsed to wave his stick meekly at the former and glance at the latter as he coasted into The Hawks' zone when, really, he should have been watching for the trailer, Ovechkin.  On Washington's fourth goal it was both Kane and Saad who gave up on the play, picking up absolutely no one and barely moving, really.  Hell, it was Anisimov that made a desperate attempt to cover Smith - Pelly, and he had hustled back from The Caps blue line, twice the distance that 88 and 20 had to cover.  Unacceptable.
The Hawks Failed to Make Much Out of A Lot of Hard Work.  They actually controlled the game, for the most part, comprehensively crushing WASH in shots, chances and possession (to the tune of 62-38 at evens, 59-41 overall).  But, for all the time they held the puck they too often made weak passes, no passes or sent a pass off target, forcing them to start all over again.  Schmaltz carried the puck a lot tonight but, unfortunately, was the worst offender where gacking passes is concerned.
The Hawks Second Line Needs To Get Going.  While Anisimov wasn't bad tonight and Schmaltz was trying stuff but failing, DeBrincat was once again invisible.  These three have combined for a mere 2G and 5A in the last ten games, and Large Arthur collected two of those assists playing with different wingers.  DeBrincat and Schmaltz, particularly, are supposed to be our secondary scorers but are barely putting up bottom-six numbers.  Entirely unacceptable.
Our Old Friend Comes Back To Haunt Us.  Michal Kempny played a gem of a game, scoring the game winner and making a ridiculous defensive play that not only prevented a Hawks breakaway but led to a WASH goal.  My schadenfreude is diminished somewhat with Quenneville not being there to witness the event but I assure you that I still gleaned some sick satisfaction from this.

Next: Off to Florida where, in recent years, we've been sent back to The 312 with healthy glows but no points in hand.  Still, if they can find it within themselves to tighten things up they could, based on the good parts of tonight's game, return with 3 or 4 points.

Gang Of Four - At Home He's A Tourist