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

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

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

Post 2017-2018 Blackhawks Report Cards: In The Twine

The Hawks used a whopping six goaltenders this season which offers a clue as to what the hell went on back there.  Two of these six guys did practically everything that was asked of them while the others blew warm and cold over the course of the season.  Yes, warm....merely warm.
With the caveat that these lads worked behind a ridiculously inconsistent defense group, here we go.

J-F Berubé 

Only one of the six men mentioned here today is a bona fide NHL-quality netminder and J-F Berubé is not that guy.  He failed to distinguish himself over two seasons in The Islanders' bullpen and, while he played his way into the #1 role in Rockford, he maintained his NHL-level mediocrity over 10 starts in Chicago.  J-F would likely have seen more action had he not himself been injured when Corey Crawford went on the Disabled List.  Sorry to be harsh but Berubé is a third-stringer, at best, his effort rating a C.

Corey Crawford

In a mere 27 starts Crow managed 16 wins.  That in itself is not especially great, but consider that the other Hawks goaltenders combined took only 17 wins in twice as many games and it looks a lot more impressive.  Crawford did have a couple of pretty rough outings but, aside from those, did everything we expect from him and stole more than a few wins on his own.  At the time of his injury Crow's Save Percentage (SP) and Goals Against Average (GAA) were 0.929 and 2.27, both of which exceeded his career averages.  Things could have been different had Crow been around all year.  A

Collin Delia

Young Delia had only two NHL starts in this, his first pro season, but showed well enough to suggest that there may be something there for the future, if not the present.  Delia was outstanding in his debut vs. WPG despite leaving late in the game due to dehydration/cramping, but much less so in his second start vs. COL.  This is a guy, though, who started the year in The ECHL, assumed the starter role in AHL Rockford during the winter and, as mentioned, had a brief look in Chicago, so even though he didn't set the NHL world on fire the progress he'd made is admirable.  Delia was on the bench for The IceHogs last several playoff games, however, so we hope that both he and The Hawks organization judge his overall perfomance and not just his last few starts.  I wouldn't be shocked to see Delia nab the backup role in Chicago, come September.   Incomplete, but promising.

Anton Forsberg

Bergie enjoyed the most starts of all of The Hawks' goalies this season....even if we didn't always find them enjoyable.  He may be the most frustrating netminder I've ever witnessed, often making saves he had no business making and ably surviving far-too-long goal mouth scrambles, yet he allowed at least one soft goal in every game he played.  Still, he posted the second-best stats after Crawford (0.908 / 2.97) setting career-bests along the way.  His inability to put together even one complete game all year is a problem, though.  B-

Scott Foster

Talk about exceeding expectations.  Foster provided the single-most entertaining fifteen minutes of The Hawks' miserable season.  Probably should be Incomplete but fuck it A++

Jeff Glass

Prior to Scott Foster's unlikely three-deep ascension to the NHL spotlight it was Jeff Glass, the 32-year-old rookie who had captured the imagination of the fans and sports media alike.  A handful of herioc performances aside, like J-F Berubé, old Glasser had no real business being in The NHL.  I'm happy for the guy, enjoyed the story and admire his determination, but there it is.  C.

Yes, The Hawks' defense were largely rubbish the the team offense anemic, but this was not a good year on the backline.  Maybe if Crow had not been injured we would have had a better result, as not only did The Hawks lose their All-World netminder but I believe they lost a ton of confidence as a group, because once Crawford went on the DL The Hawks' scoring went in the pooper, too.  It cannot have been just a coincidence.  Maybe if Forsberg stole more than one win, all season, that confidence could have been bolstered, somewhat, but no joy there, I'm afraid.

The complete collapse that occurred when Crawford was hurt is going to affect this team until such time that they have a reliable starter and backup, this group is that fragile.  I haven't heard a peep about Crow's health since he did a bit of skating in practice back in March, so we can only assume he'll be back in September and ready to lead from the back, as he's done for so long, but who knows?  Forsberg and Delia look to be the realistic backup options, perhaps with Delia beginning the season in Rockford and finishing in Chicago.  I wouldn't be alarmed or disappointed if Stan Bowman trades for a backup upgrade, but I expect whether he goes that route depends a lot on Crawford's readiness.
This is undeniable, though: if Crawford is unavailable or is injured during the season we'll be looking at a repeat of this year, barring the unlikely possibility of  Forsberg / Delia / whoever stepping forward in a very big way.  Not a very cheerful outlook.

Cam Ward

He's new.  He's old.  He's great when he plays against The Hawks but, so far, not so great when playing for The Hawks.  It's early days, Q is obviously handing Ward the keys until such time that Crow is fit to play.  That's just the way it is, folks, and we have to hope that if the netminding falters the rest of the team are able to pull some slack, 'cos if The Hawks get themselves in a hole, standings-wise, early on, this thing could be done before it even starts.

The Goalie Parade: Jets, Avalanche etc

I watched the Thursday and Friday games back-to-back so here's another of my generous two-fers.  Let's start with Thursday and The Hawks' entertaining win over Winnipeg.

Scott Foster, accountant by day and emergency backup goaltender by night, dominated NHL news and even managed to cast a shadow on MLB's opening night.  While it was strange, fun and really nice that it went so well for Foster, the whole story sorta underlines the massive problems The Hawks have had with netminding this season.  Since Corey Crawford became injured it really hasn't mattered a ton who is in net; on some nights the nominated Guy is okay but, in the main, they haven't been adequate, really.  Yes, The Hawks skaters have been defensively inconsistent and offensively impotent, but lemme point out that Crawford owns as many wins as the other five Guys combined, and he's played half as many games.
But Collin Delia was alright until he was stricken by dehydration cramps or fecal peristalsis or whatever was ailing him.  He showed good positioning, quick reflexes and appears to handle the puck pretty well.  More later...
We had our First Look at Dylan Sikura who was maybe slightly better than "alright" as he picked up a pair of helpies in his debut. He's smallish, quick enough and showed some good vision throughout the game.  He didn't win a lot of battles but he didn't back down, either.
Tomas Jurco and Eric Gustafsson both had fine games, with Jurcs enjoying his first two-goal game and Gus consistently pushing the puck north and generating mucho offense, even if he was a little passive in his own end some of the time. Despite The Hawks' fortunes as a group, lately, both of these guys are playing with increased confidence right now, a rare thing on this pretty beaten-down squad.
Duncan Keith was horrifying. He clearly cannot be arsed at this point.
An aside, apropos of nothing: I watched this game on TSN and had to endure The Jets "home" announcer, Dennis Beyak, who is just embarrassingly bad, mispronouncing names ("Ruttu") and spouting stats he seems to have simply made up on the spot.  He's not as bad as those guys who do the EDM games, but he's not far off.

In Denver, tonight, things started off well and The Hawks outplayed The Avs comprehensively up until that PPG late in the period.  Then the wheels fell off.
With a few exceptions, The Hawks just looked tired after that, and the more COL scored the more tired (of it) they got.  Once The Avs tasted blood their speed just stymied The Hawks, only a handful of which really applied themselves in the last 40 minutes.
Delia was less good than in his debut.  He started well and, while I'll rarely hold a goalie entirely accountable for a PPG against, I thought he was a bit soft on the first and third GA as well as Andrighetto's late goal.  So, one good game and one iffy game puts him in the same company as the other three members of his committee, but it's a small sample so far.  Let's not forget that tonight was still only his 36th professional game and that he started the season in The ECHL fer goodness' sake.  He's allowed to waver given all of that.
Particularly Poor: Keith who, once again, was missing passes galore, Ejdsell out of position and really just standing around a lot of the time and Hinostroza, still trying hard but somehow accomplishing nothing, lately.  For a month or two there, Hinnie looked as if he had found his game and could even challenge for a top six spot.  Lately, though, it's been all bobbled pucks and flubbed passes.  If he sorts himself out he can stick next season and will contribute, but if his timing or concentration or confidence or whatever continues to fail him it'll be back to The AHL for him.
Bright Spots included Gustafsson, moving the puck well albeit with the usual defensive indifference, Martinsen being a huge pain in the ass in The Avs zone, even if he lacks the vision or hand skills to contribute anything more, Jurco playing with more confidence in each game and Connor Murphy as The Hawks' most consistent defender the last two games.
Foley spoke of Coach Q deploying some players "out of their comfort zones", his example being DeBrincat on the PK.  That's fine, but Oesterle on the PK is far from MY comfort zone.  Didn't we see that movie already?
Blake Hillman debuted tonight and, to be honest, I hardly noticed him, which probably means he was just fine.
The Hawks have four days off before a possibly very fun home-and-home against STL and a chance to at least spoil The Blues' playoff hopes.  At least give us that, willya...