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

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

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

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?

Better You Bet: Hawks 3, Wild 1

Not great, not even very good for much of the game, but The Hawks were good enough, at least when it mattered most.
Despite being outshot badly, more than 2:1 in the last 40 minutes, and being manhandled in possession, The Good Guys managed to make the most of the opportunities they created and got another all-universe performance from Corey Crawford.  Let's get this done.

Saad WasA Beast Tonight, constantly barging into The Wild zone which, in addition to resulting in one goal, gave The Wild D something to think about: when Saad was on the ice in the latter half of the game The Wild had at least one D-man hanging back.  On the goal, he not only outfoxed Dumba but somehow jinked around Stalock's poke check. Equal parts will and skill, my friends.
Crow Was Phenomenal, full-stop.  When he's playing like this a little goal support will go a long way.  Imagine what a shit-show this would have been with Wardo or Bergie in net.  Still, The Hawks mustn't expect to be bailed out by Crow night-in, night-out -- the skaters really have to get back to scoring and take the pressure off the guy.
On that tack, Schmaltz and DeBrincat have to get going.  One fumbled chance between the two of them tonight and a total of 3 points between them in the last ten games is not remotely good enough.  Still, I hope Colliton keeps them with Anisimov a little longer 'cos I think there's some potential there.
I Have A Hard Time Congratulating The Hawks' Defence when they let the bad guys land 40 shots but, only a few mishaps aside, they weren't too bad.  Gustafsson's form was more like in October and Forsling had another good game.  Gus and Hank Jokiharju were the only Hawks north of 50% Corsi which looks pretty good on them on a night when The Wild just never stopped coming at them.

Next: In Maryland to face the also-not-in-a-playoff-position Capitals.  Let's see who wants it more.

The Who - You Better You Bet

Flat, Beat: Kings 2, Hawks 1 (SO)

I don't know what it's going to take for this team to score some goals.
Two half-throttle periods followed by a kind of frantic third just isn't going to get the job done.
In the first two frames The Hawks had ZERO primo chances.  Not a one.  No traffic in front of the net, really, until the third power play and they never looked like scoring at all.
Well, there's yer headline: yet another lacklustre attempt at hockey, far beneath what this lineup should be capable of.
Crawford was excellent, yet again, beaten only (in regulation) by a puck deflected off his own guy.  In all but one or two games that Crow has lost there's been some "circumstance" that prevented a victory, be it a bad bounce or a terrible mistake in front of him.  He deserves better than his teammates have been able provide.
The Hawks' D was okay, apart from a few conspicuous giveaways - Keith, Forsling and Seabrook all committed unforced errors - and Gustafsson's unfortunate tumble wasn't so great but were overall solid.  Manning, though....if he has this much trouble simply getting the puck out of The Hawks' zone how does he manage to cross the street without being killed?
Forsling came to play, though.  Yes, he's defensively anemic but boy did he push the play tonight.  He was credited with only two shots on net but he was launching bombs on practically every shift in the last half of the game, and had a near-miss on a tip-in attempt in OT.  I'll take that trade off.
Adjustments To The Forward Lines in the third period perked things up considerably.  Schmaltz had been invisible on L1 and slotting Saad in there brought at least some urgency to that trio.  Anisimov - DeBrincat - Schmaltz had a couple of good shifts in that frame, as well, and is probably worth further investigation.  Schmaltz and DeBrincat have been MIA for almost the entirety of The Hawks' slide down the standings and I see kicking their asses back into gear as Priority #1 to getting back on track.  Kampf, I fear, has been miscast at 2C.  He does what he does pretty well, but keying offense isn't something he does well, at least not yet.

Next: Two more sleeps until The Hawks get pummelled by Minnesota.  Can't wait.

Flat Eric - Flat Beat

Just Bad: Islanders 7, Hawks 3

Bad Defensive Coverage.  Rutta and Forsling were eaten alive and the rest weren't a lot better.  It was nice for Gustafsson to notch a couple of points in his first NHL game in over 20 months but he was garbage in his own end, too.  Waaaay too many odd-man rushes, virtually unopposed.
Bad Penalties.  Were any of those necessary?  Lazy play, using their arms and not their legs to keep up with their opponents, will always end in tears.
Bad Goaltending.  This game took the bloody biscuit in this category, underlining the fact that without Crawford The Hawks are sunk.  Okay, given the myriad other issues with this squad they might be done-for even with Crow, but it's clear that neither Forsberg nor Glass are legit NHL starters and maybe not even capable backups in the long run.  Both of these fellas made some fine saves tonight but they also coughed up three softies.  Not good enough.
Bad Transition.  Good lord, did The Hawks have any clean breakouts tonight?
Bad Offensive Execution: It's the same old song here - poor positioning and bad timing, as well as being too static when they set up in the offensive zone.  There were exceptions, of course, but for the most part The Hawks' offense was unimaginative, predictable and doomed to fail.

Was anything Not Bad?
Kane was terrific.  Sadly, Hartman and Schmaltz were rarely willing or able to keep up with him.  Things improved with Sharp inserted in Harts' place but even that was too little, too late.
Saad certainly worked hard, but his efforts were largely individual ones.  He drove The Isles' net harder than any other Hawk but couldn't make a pass to save his life and rarely got a shot away.
That's about it.

A missed opportunity, for sure, what with The Islanders struggling defensively. Luckily for the Brooklyn Boys they caught a team in even worse nick than themselves.

To make the playoffs The Hawks are going to have to win roughly two of every three games from here on in, and I'm not convinced they've got in them to fundamentally change the way they're playing to get that done.  I hear a lot of post-game droning about "getting past this loss and looking to the next game" but that mostly ends up with the same guys doing the same things and achieving the same result.  How about focusing on the game that they're currently playing?  Start there.  Sweet Jesus.

Franson Placed On Waivers

Blackhawks place D Franson on waivers

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

Take Five: Hawks 4, Wild 1

Here's the thing: if Crawford and Kane are playing like they can and should they can obscure a lot of sins committed by their teammates.
Not that the others were bad, 'cos they weren't, it's just that Kane and Crow can practically win games on their own.
The Blackhawks' cause was assisted by a tired-looking Wild team, a group that has scored more than two goals in a game only twice this month, something Hawks fans are all too familiar with, amirite?  The Wild's last three GF were all scored by Matt Dumba, and when that's the current state of affairs any opponent that can scratch together three or four goals is gonna get a W against this Wild team.

* The Hawks don't look that different to me this last 7-10 days vs. the two weeks previous to that, yet they're getting the job done.  Kane is finding the net, finally which, as mentioned above, is critical.  Crawford is back from his injury and playing superbly but, on the flip, the power play is still rubbish.  Puck luck?  A better forecheck?  I'm not sure...it's perhaps too subtle for me to detect.
* Hartman has looked rejuvenated the last few games and maybe that beauty goal he manufactured from nothing will kickstart his offence.
* Kane had two nice goals, both made possible by incredible passes from Schmaltz and Oesterle.  There were a few not-so-great moments for 88, especially early in the game, and he persists in shooting from bad angles, but he did plenty of good stuff, as well, and the puck has been going in so I'll shut up now.

* An OK effort from Oesterle.  With a few games under his belt he's making better passes and is moving the puck forward confidently.  His defensive positioning is brutal and he's muscled off the puck awfully easily but, alongside Keith, he'll get away with a bit of that.
* Forsling & Murphy were quietly effective tonight, tops in Corsi for The Hawks all while starting most of their shifts in their own end.  I was gazing over the Shift Chart to see what kind of competition they were up against and quickly determined it didn't matter - none of The Wild forwards are scoring so one line is just as good/bad as another.
* Tommy Wingels scores again and, while it was an empty-netter, it was a good empty-netter, batting it backhanded 3/4 the length of the ice after intercepting Suter's whiffed pass.

Three days off, now, and then The Hawks begin a run of six road games in a row that includes the Western Canada slog.  Next is Dallas for yet another four-point game.  Rest up boys and don't change a thing.

How To Play Ten Minutes of Decent Hockey and Get Away With It: Hawks 3, Coyotes 1

There's no way that a game between The Hawks and those chicken-stealing miscreants from AZ should ever be this close.  It was a largely crap effort on the part of The Blackhawks and they were fortunate to get the W as, with the number of chances they were giving up, they were just a deflection or an eephus away from The Coyotes getting back in the game.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, some really quick Bits.
* The majority of The Blackhawks had a pretty indifferent game, top to bottom.  Only one guy was truly bad, but only one or two played a complete game.  I'm pretty sure that the only pass that led directly to a shot on net before Hayden hit Wingels there, almost halfway through the final period, was Panik to Hinostroza in the second frame.  That's pretty bad.  Kane had numerous "ehh" plays that he appeared disinterested in before he even executed them. Saad was stepping on the puck all night.  Keith fought the puck for the entire first half of the game.  Etc.

* At least the third line had some fire in their bellies, with only small factors like no hands (Vinnie Hinnie), no luck (Panik) and not much left (Sharp) preventing them from accomplishing much.  Still, they spent the majority of their time on the ice in the AZ zone, so that's something.

* Crawford was outstanding and, though I'm sad to reiterate it, No Crow = No Win tonight.
* Forsling had another good game.  Not perfect, but very good and superior to all of his fellow D-men.  Murphy had a quietly solid night, as well.
* Jordan Oesterle was very much on the other end of the stick, completely awful in all regards.  His poor passing was eclipsed only by his terrible positioning.  Given that he hadn't played in twelve games this hot mess was as much on the guys that gifted him 20 minutes of ice time as it was on him.  The Coyotes were clearly aware of this, as their forecheckers were on him like poop on a blanket, and Oesterle wilted under the pressure at almost every opportunity.  Crow was extremely diplomatic when fielding questions about Oz after the game, probably biting his tongue, actually, as he had a good view of #82 falling all over the place.
* Schmaltz was another forward who put forth a solid effort for the full sixty minutes, compromised by Kane's indifference until the last ten minutes and Anisimov being a step behind most of the night.

The difficulty level gets pushed from "Beginner" to "Novice" for Tuesday's game vs. FLA.  With a full game's effort from Kane, more of the same from the Hinnie line and Oesterle punted back to the press box The Hawks should be okay.  Probably.

Taking The Scenic Route: Hawks 3, Sabres 2

Yep, they took a roundabout route, but The Hawks got where they needed to go.  As in the last game, The Hawks laid waste to their opponent in terms of shots (51-28) and possession (Corsi 70-30 - oy!) and, just for good measure, let me mention that The Sabres blocked a further 31 shot attempts.  This is the sort of effort that a team that's clicking transforms into an 8-1 win.  Despite the win, however, The Hawks still aren't clicking.  Here are some Bits before bedtime.
* Sure, they finally cashed a power play goal, but the power play is still trash.  The Hawks have had more man advantage situations than any other team this season, so one would think the in-game practice would have aided them in tuning up this aspect of their game but, somehow, this is not the case.  The end of the second PP, late in the first period, sort of epitomized what a bad job they've been doing, with a half dozen passes between the two point men and Kane along the right wing but no shot until Kane took a wrister from a crappy angle to kill the play.  What the hell?
* Sidebar: while he is one of a select few NHLers who can score somewhat regularly from poor angles, why is Kane insisting on only shooting from south of the faceoff dots?  Why must he ensure that scoring will be difficult?
* Sidebar #2: Edzo quipped that Buffalo had the best power play in the league last season but are now 31st and last in that category.  I submit to you this: Cody Franson was a fixture on The Sabres PP last year.  He had no PP time this evening and The Hawks sucked in that department, again.  Just sayin'...
* Alex DeBrincat now shares the team lead in goals but it took 29 games before Coach Q saw fit to start him in the Top Six.  That it took so long for this acknowledgement is just plain stupid.
* Since Seabrook's ice time declined he's been a lot less conspicuous.  I don't know if the lighter workload has benefited his performance or if it simply allowed him less opportunity to make a mess of everything.  His final gesture tonight took the biscuit, though, being either too lazy or just plain incapable of legging out an iced puck and taking a penalty.  If Franson misses any time we'll be treated to more of this, I'm afraid.
* Tommy Wingels wins the bang-for-the-buck prize, with the game-tying shortie (on the aforementioned Seabrook penalty), five shots and 68% Corsi in a mere 7:35 ice time.  What's more, Wingels and his linemates started every one of their shifts in their own end.
* Good bounce-back game for Keith after that steaming pile on Wednesday.
* Jan Rutta was excellent.  Not perfect, but nearly so.  He and Forsling are seeing a lot more of the opposing teams' top lines, too.
I haven't busted this out for a year or more....

With the game-winner in OT, a pair of helpies and a great effort all night, The Big Boy has got to be Gustav Forsling.  It could just as easily have ended in tears for Goose when he hauled down Jack Eichel, setting up a rare overtime penalty shot, but Corey Crawford capped off his fine game, his first after missing a few with an injury, by denying The Sabres' best player at that crucial moment.  After a pretty rough patch in late Oct - early Nov Goose's confidence appears to be sky-high.  Sometimes the stuff he tries doesn't work out, but having the guts to try and fail will only help him improve and to give him a better sense of his own limits.  Big game for Goose, big win for The Hawks.

Better Get Used To It: Stars 3, Hawks 2

Here's the thing: with the announcement today that Corey Crawford will miss "about a week" with an LBI, the reality is that Anton Forsberg will be The Man.  Because he has to be.  Because JF Berubé is awful, historically speaking.
So what do you do if you're the coach, with a super-short turnaround for tomorrow's game?  Forsberg on nearly zero rest, and after a loss that kinda points to him, or Berubé, who is awful?  Historically.

Anyway, tonight saw a better effort from the skaters, at least.  They had moments of greatness and some of utter fecklessness, but so did Dallas.
The Anisimov line was deadly all night but were stepping on the puck a bit, their passes being just a tad off when they most needed to be spot-on.  The same was true for DeBrincat; generally excellent but slightly out of sync, somehow, at the most crucial moments.
Tonight's Corsi numbers were not flattering for Forsling & Rutta but I'll suggest that they were better than what that indicates.  Not at all perfect as they both had little bobbles that spun off into Dallas chances (and a GA for Faksa when Goose's failed stick check had him badly out of position) but they made their share of great plays, too, and Rutta was heroic in OT.

Surely a frustrating night for the team and especially for Anton Forsberg. The Faksa goal was possibly savable and he was schooled in the shootout by a couple of super-smart & extremely deceptive players but, otherwise, he outplayed his highly-rated counterpart, Ben Bishop.  Yet, no result.
Stick him back in there tomorrow, give him a crack at getting it right.  If it starts badly, well, there's always JF Berubé.  Even if he is awful.

Ten Good Minutes Does Not a Game Make: Stars 4, Hawks 3 (OT)

Aaaand that about sums it up.  The Hawks had a shift here, a shift there and a solid ten minutes to kick off the third period where they threatened, and occasionally scored, but otherwise looked tired a lot of the time.  Not physically tired, either, just worn out mentally.
They displayed zero creativity on the power play, which was unfortunate given the number of opportunities The Stars gave them, there.  Bad passes, no pass at all and a handful of ill-conceived passes when a shot seemed the obvious choice.  There were a lot of lazy decisions made and, really, they were lucky to keep this thing as close as they did.  
There are but a few Bits:
* The power play was awful.  As noted above, they struggled with this for almost the entirety of the game, yet did little to change their approach.  The Stars did a good job of taking away the middle of the ice but that was when a team that's fully invested in the game adjusts their plan to get looks from different areas and not be so utterly predictable.  They really made it easy for The Stars' PK units.  Keith played a whopping seven minutes on the PP and failed to make a clean pass the entire time.
* Corey Crawford made many fine saves yet was beaten on a couple of rather pedestrian shots.  It happens, and he'll be better next time out.

* Cody Franson was brutal and it's time to take a break. I'm unconvinced that Forsling is a better option on the power play but, for tonight, the less Franson, the better.

* The best Hawks tonight, I thought, were Kane, Schmaltz, DeBrincat and Forsling.  None of them were without fault but they were the best of a mediocre lot.  Things sometimes look grim, lately, but consider the experience level of three of those guys and we can agree that the future looks somewhat bright.
I'm still waiting for Coach Q to get DeBrincat into the top six, full time.  Why is this even a debatable issue, for all that Panik, or especially Saad, have accomplished lately?

Good Enough For The Girls I Run With: Hawks 2, Penguins 1

Here comes a workmanlike recap for a workmanlike game, regardless of who or what deserves anything.  It wasn't a perfect effort but good enough to earn two points and with enough bright spots to make one believe, or hope at least, that The Hawks will be able to muddle their way into the playoffs.  Forward to The Bits.

* Anisimov scores again, and a pure garbageman's goal, at that.  It's been fun to watch Large Arthur do his thing and do it so well, as late, but I spoil it for myself (and everyone else, now) by considering where The Hawks would be if he wasn't scoring by the bucketful.  Aside from DeBrincat none of the other Hawks forwards have had much luck around the net for weeks.  Kane and Schmaltz are both moving the puck well enough, exceptionally well in Schmaltz's case, but not cashing in.  The Toews line look dangerous every night but have little to show for their efforts apart from an empty-netter and an OT goal by Saad while playing with DBC.  You have to think that the pucks will start going in for them...but when?  

                                             The best Hawks' player, once again.

* While the Top Six crushed PIT in possession and chances, which says a lot given that this was a road game and The Hawks wouldn't get their preferred match-ups, the Bottom Six were a sucking chest wound.  Sharp had a dozen or so semi-breakaways but couldn't convert because a) a Penguins D-man always managed to catch him just enough to be a nuisance, and b) Matt Murray's already seen Sharpie's best stuff in summer scrub hockey.  Wingels had one good look in the second but, around that same time, Old Lead Hands Bouma squandered an A+ chance.  Is Kero really not an option over Bouma?
* Forsling had another pretty good game with only a couple of "moments", scored a goal and had that same good, darty stick that he had going against NYR.  The Hawks' D was okay, in general, and that's about as good as we can hope for with this bunch, right now.
* Crawford was tremendous, missing a shutout by a fraction of an inch on a shot that may or may not have ticked off of Keith's stick.
* Two Power Play goals in one game is a victory in and of itself.  The Hawks had good puck movement for the most part and actually got a few shots on net during the PP.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that The Hawks' recent successes and Anisimov's scoring binge is partly due to Franson getting the puck on-net so often, particularly with the extra man.  Seriously, The Hawks haven't had a guy on the back end accomplish that in years.

Off to FLA on Wednesday and too many days off for my liking before that and between the Tampa and Miami games.  Maybe it'll rain and the golf courses will be closed....

Power Restored: Hawks 6, Rangers 3

Early in the first period my electricity briefly went off and I had to horse around to get the furnace restarted.  After reviewing the tapes it was apparent that it was a period worth missing, anyway.  However, as the house heated up, so did The Hawks.  I assume this was entirely coincidental.

* Artem Anisimov.  Yeah, he's slow as hell and isn't so good at those faceoffs but, boy, has he been working the front of the net like a champ the last several games.  As long as his big body is allowed to hang out there his strength and his hands will continue to ca$h in the goals.  Also, while he was below 50% on those faceoffs, he always seemed to win the ones that mattered.  That was as perfect a game as one can expect from Large Arthur.
* DeBrincat was good, finally got some significant power play time and continued to surprise me with his aggressive and often effective forechecking.  More, please, and in the top six, if you don't mind; he's being wasted on the third/fourth line.
* Patrick Kane was better, but he still seems not-quite-right.  His passing has not been up to his usual standards, his shooting mediocre and his judgement a bit suspect for about two weeks, now.  He just hasn't always appeared fully invested in what was going on.  Last night saw an improvement in all those areas, even with a couple of ain't-give-a-damn passes and a pair of simply dumb shots, but he can and will be better.

* Nick Schmaltz was, I thought, the second best Hawk in this game.  Thinking back to around this time last year, he had one move, the old Mats Naslund get-the-zone-curl-back-and-look-for-a-pass schtick.  This year, he hardly ever does that, instead usually choosing to barge deep into the offensive zone, trying to set up camp below the goal line and do his passing from there.  He's just so much more confident, isn't shying away from contact like he had been (which might be a mistake, but that's not for now) and has a much wider array of plays he's willing to try.  If it weren't for Anisimov carrying the mail right now I'd campaign for a DeBrincat-Schmaltz-Kane combo.  Yeah, it would be the smallest line in the NHL, but these three all play bigger than they are, and I wanna have a longer look at Schmaltz setting up DBC.
* Brandon Saad.  I hesitate to say he's been bad, but he hasn't been good either.  Having had only one really good game in the last 3½ weeks should be bugging him as much as it's bugging me.
* John Hayden came through with exactly the kind of goal one expects from him given his location in the lineup.  He was well-positioned and did a great job to lift Shatnerkirk's stick, outmuscle him, and get the shot away.  He could shape up into a pretty effective blunt instrument.

* Goose Forsling.  Despite a pretty shaky first period (from what little I saw and, in his defense, everyone in red was pretty poor in the first) he had his best game in ages, breaking up numerous plays with a good, active stick.  His positioning was decent, too.  Could be an anomaly, but one hopes he's being coached in these areas and is applying himself, finally.
* Cody Franson.  Not perfect, and that back-pass in the first would have gotten Murph or Kemps stapled to the bench for the duration, but he's so good along the other guys' blue line I think you've got to keep him in the lineup.  That low, hard shot has led to many primo rebounds.  How is it that he shoots half as often but records a shot-on as often as Keith and Seabrook?  He just does. 
On the topic of Franson v. Seabrook: that's how you execute a last-ditch bellyflop.  Franson kept his eyes on what was happening and used his stick and/or legs, ultimately, to break up the play, while Seabrook's plan appears to be to flop, hope for the best and take the rest of the night off.
* Jan Rutta just had his two worst games, back-to-back.
* Seabrook played a team-low 16:26 on the back end.  I won't get my hopes up that he's blown his cover and that "circumstances" kept him off the ice more than usual, but a girl can dream...
* Corey Crawford.  He did what he had to do and not much else, keeping The Hawks in it during that abysmal first period, but let a few softies in later on.  That's fair enough, as he's stolen more than his share of games in this young season, but I rather hope it's not something we need to worry about.
* Lance Bouma.  I'm unsure of what he does beyond tearing around, laying a few hits and crashing the net.  He has no shot, hands so hard that every pass bounces off of his stick and he's a bad penalty killer.  Sorry, just had to get that out.

The Penguins, then, on Saturday.  It won't be another 10-1 affair (unless The Hawks are really bad... ha ha) since we won't have poor Antti Niemi to slap around. Better be ready, boys.

A Half Effort and Zero Reward: Nathan MacKinnon 6, Hawks 3

Oh, to have just ten minutes back from that game.
In that ten minutes (more like 11, but whatever) Colorado scored four times, took what seemed like half of their total shots and pulverized The Hawks in puck possession.
It didn't help that The Hawks were shorthanded most of that time but, hey, you make your bed, right?
Otherwise, The Hawks weren't completely terrible.
Some quick Bits:
* Anton Forsberg was not sharp.  Circumstances were not ideal, with the penalty parade and several coverage errors in front of him but, really, 3 of the 5 GA looked soft from my angle.  Another poor start will possibly cause a phone to ring in Rockford.
* Nathan MacKinnon simply ran amok.  When he decides that's what he wants to do there's not much you can do about that.

                                           This is not how it looks, but it may as well be.
* Poor Coverage and Soft Play - the first GA was a double-shot, with Rutta taking way too much time doing whatever he thought he was doing behind the net, while Forsling stood idly between two COL Players, not covering either of them.  On the third COL goal it was a gamble lost by Kempny that led to the Av's breakout, and he and Sharp were thereabouts when MacKinnon tapped the goal in, but as spectators, watching but not actively checking anyone.  It didn't help that Seabrook had given up his gap and resorted, yet again, to laying himself out.  On the fifth GA, the guy in the most dangerous place on the ice was the only one not being covered.  All small mistakes with big consequences.
* Too Many Odd-man Chances - yes, this again.  I have no problem with the D joining the rush, and they've been doing that a lot lately but, when the puck inevitably comes back toward The Hawks' zone there is One Guy Back more often than not.  It seems to me that the D needs to tone down their offensive adventures and/or The Hawks' forwards need to ensure that someone hangs back to support the lone remaining D-man.  As it is there appears to be very little communication in this regard.
* Forsling was hurt in the first period and left the game.  Truthfully, The Hawks played better after he left.  Coincidence?  Let's see.

                                                            Crow's lament.
Was there anything GOOD to say about this game?  Sure.
* Cody Franson was excellent, full-stop.  More, please.
* Crawford, in relief, was very good.  He didn't see a lot of action but he did make a tough pair of saves on a shot-rebound combo in the third.
* Shots-for and Possession - all very good.  The missing piece element here is turning those shots & chances into goals.  That, and not having every single error end up in a goal against.

Clumsy: Wild 5, Hawks 2

Well, there went a missed opportunity.  There were actually a few notable bright spots in this match but those were unfortunately eclipsed by a combination of circumstance and a few key players coughing up furballs.  I'm in no mood to type a whole lot, so let's go.
* Seabrook and Keith were absolute garbage.  Those two need to be at least "average", given the amount of responsibility they receive.
* Too much time was wasted messing around with Kero & Wingels centering Kane & Hartman.  Go ahead and make a change, but don't spend half of a period figuring it out.
* Panik had exactly one effective shift.  This was always going to happen, so I guess tonight was the night.
* Sharp was less bad, but he, too, alternated between okay shifts and stepping on the puck.
* The failed coach's challenge was a big setback; not only did The Wild score on the resulting power play but the whole ordeal seemed to take what little wind remained in The Hawks' sails.

But it wasn't all bad.
* The Hawks were fortunate to escape the first period even-steven and managed to pick up the pace and started winning some puck battles after that.  I hesitate to say that they dominated but, despite the score, The Hawks were the better team in the last half of the game.
* Forsling, Kempny and Murphy all had pretty good games.
* Anisimov was rubbish only half the time, which I'll take, for now.
* Hartman had a good bounce-back after being lost at sea for a few games.  It wasn't a perfect effort but he was invested in it, at least.
* The Wild got a bit lucky, managing to salt the game away when The Hawks were starting to hit their stride.  They managed this with only eight forwards late in the game, too.

Get well, Nick Schmaltz.

Something Had To Give: Maple Leafs 4, Hawks 3

In only the third game for each team, the NHL's two scoriest teams met in what many lunkheaded hockey pundits would deem a truth-telling match: are these teams for real and, if so, has their early form given any true indication of where they're at.
Yeah, sort of, actually.
At full strength maybe The Hawks could have had something for The Leafs, but it would appear that I was wrong about things being just fine with Anisimov bumping up 2C and Kero drawing in at 3C.  There were other issues, as well, but the sub-20% possession stats for the Hartman - Anisimov - Kane line was a huge factor in this defeat.  Lemme break it down:
* Anisimov was, quite simply, garbage tonight.  He wasn't the only underachiever on The Hawks' side, but his failure to provide....well, anything concrete, was the most glaring example of a player found wanting.  When you see him get chased down and stripped of the puck by a guy ten years his senior you know it's gonna be a rough ride.  He can be better, probably.  Hopefully.
* Kero was ridiculously miscast in the 3C role, thrust into that position out of necessity, but the fact remains that The Hawks had two lines completely out of whack in the absence of Nick Schmaltz.  The take away here, of course, is how terribly brittle The Hawks' offense is, particularly down the middle and, if Schmaltz cannot remain healthy (or even finish a game or two) some personnel adjustment will most certainly be required.
* The Hawks' D ranged from so-so to downright bad.  Keith couldn't make a pass for love nor money, Seabrook was straight-up giving the puck away (once on a Hawks powerplay, no less) and, for all the good things he did in the offensive zone, Forsling was too often swallowed up and outmuscled by speedy Leafs' forwards.

                                                  A little help, fellas....?

* Anton Forsberg's debut was a mixed bag, as he was mighty in the scrambles around his crease, which were plentiful, in which he showed superior concentration and quickness.  Buuuuuut, three goals through the five-hole isn't especially flattering (although I suppose there wasn't much to do about JVR's off-the-skate goal...).  Still, he outplayed his overrated counterpart, for what little that's worth.
* At least the Toews line was able to mount a consistent attack; Saad and Panik were both excellent, I thought.  The fourth line of Hayden - Wingels - Bouma punched above their weight but, even so, what's that gonna get you?

Montréal tomorrow and a very real possibility of more of the same, should Coach Q stick with the same line combos, which he will because what other choice does he have?  Don't be shocked to see Franson and/or Oesterle draw in on the third D pairing.
En avant.

More Questions Than Answers: End Of Preseason

Just a few notes about The Hawks' final game of the preseason.
* I guess that was a more or less representative lineup, depending on which d-man/men who didn't play end up sticking around, and which assortment of Guys The Hawks end up settling on.  So, it did little for my nerves to see them struggle to get much done against a Bruins roster made up of a lot of not-yet-NHL players.  They finished better than they started, at least, with the games' only goal coming in the 3rd and with the Saad - Toews - Panik line putting together several good shifts in that final frame.
* Maybe Coach Q was just seeing what DeBrincat looked like with Anisimov & Hartman but I fear that his intention is to bury the kid on the third line.  Bad idea (see also: Teravainen, Teuvo).
* The other reason I'd rather see DeBrincat & Sharp swap places, as they'd been early in preseason, is because I'd rather not have Sharp become too accustomed to having Kane feeding him passes across the slot (see also: Panarin, Artemi and Sharp, Patrick c.2014).  Once he gets rooted in that faceoff circle they'll never get him out.
* Sorry, but Gustav Forsling hasn't convinced me, yet.  Let him play, give him a proper shot at this, but I'm wondering if he can do NHL.  It didn't help that he played alongside Seabrook last night 'cos Seabs mailed it in.
* Connor Murphy was awful.  He looked harried and confused for much of the game.
* Lance Bouma is certainly quicker than I'd given him credit for but, holy crap, are his hands awful.  He couldn't make or take a pass at all.
That's all.  There'll be more when something happens.