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

Insufficient: Wild 2, Hawks 1

It's a full day removed from this lackluster disappointment, now, so I'll be quick about it.
Once again, The Hawks played one tremendous period and then packed up & left town.
This, in a so-called four point game versus a team with whom they are in direct conflict with for a playoff berth.
We had the shots and we received an excellent performance in goal from Forsberg, yet no joy.
Shot selection, positioning and timing were all mediocre, at best.

With the new guy, Duclair, drawing in I expect we'll see significant reshuffling of the forward lines.
And possibly Keith & Seabrook reunited.
And maybe even Tomas Friggin' Jurco.
Please, no, not Jurco.

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.

Front To Back: Hawks 2, Wild 0

                        Large Arthur can erase many sins if he continues to score de goals.

Front
All four lines were effective tonight.  Not all the time, but more often than not.  On the first line DeBrincat had one rotten pass but was otherwise tip-top with sound passing and a solid effort on the forecheck, which doesn't always pan out cos he gives up a lot in size & strength, but his stick and timing are excellent.  The third line had moments good & bad and Sharp had a far better effort than in recent games.  The fourth line was surprisingly aggressive and occasionally dangerous although Bouma, fine in the 1st, was inattentive & yippy the rest of the way.  Wingels had the best scoring chance for The Hawks in the first period.

Middle
Probably the best all-round effort from the D this year.  Franson repeated his Wednesday performance, still awfully slow but rarely beaten due to realizing that fact & positioning himself accordingly.  Loving him on the power play.  Kempny and Murphy were solid; not without errors but when Kemps gacked a clear or made an errant pass, Murph had his back and vice-versa.  Kemps also hit for 6 shots - where'd that come from?

  

Back
Corey Crawford continues to be the most reliable Hawk but, for a change, he didn't have to steal this win.  His presence of mind on The Wild's best chance, in which he refused to panic and back the puck into his own net, demonstrates just how dialed-in he is right now.

If The Hawks can keep playing like this good things will continue to happen.  They'll have to stay in this headspace tomorrow, as Forsberg will almost certainly get the start and, as stupid as it sounds, I fully expect Forsling to draw in at the expense of a guy who's played well in his absence (pick a guy, doesn't matter who).  Regardless of that decision, here's hoping that Forsberg can follow his teammates' lead and have a good bounce-back game after his last rotten start.

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.

You Know Who You Are? Hawks 4, Wild 2

Five minutes in and up 2-0 on their first two shots, The Hawks had chased Devan Dubnyk and had a pretty good saunter going.  By the time Eric Staal scored to get Minnesota within a goal, The Wild were already beginning the full-court press that they would maintain for almost the entire game.  You don't have to squint to envision a different result.  Yet, The Hawks never trailed and, what's more, without a couple of errors in judgment, The Hawks could well have blanked The Wild.  It's a funny old game, ain't it?  To The Bits:
I don't when I've seen The Hawks lose the possession contest this badly before, only commanding a 37% share, overall.  You know things are goofy, too, when TVR leads all Hawks in Corsi (55%, BTW).  It certainly showed, too, as Minnesota piled on shot after shot and seemed to out-chance The Hawks about 10-0 during the middle part of the contest, while The Hawks only managed occasional forays into The Wild's end of the rink.
Seabrook wasn't entirely awful today but there were those two shifts in which he should and could have been better.  On the first goal against he was furious and completely distracted after an apparent high stick that wasn't called.  He was essentially spinning around in front of The Hawks' net and allowed Charlie Coyle to get between himself and Corey Crawford, and ultimately preventing Seabrook from sweeping away the puck before Staal slid it past Crawford.  The second goal against was set into motion by Schmaltz's failed attempt to chip the puck, while stationary, past Mikael Granlund, but Seabrook made only a token effort to intercept the Minnesota speedster, allowing him to launch a perfectly-aimed shot past Crawford.  Not at all acceptable.
As for Schmaltz, it wasn't entirely surprising that he was benched briefly after his botched play that enabled Granlund's goal.  I appreciate, though, that he didn't have to pay too high a price for his indiscretion, as I'd much rather he at least be trying stuff in a situation that, in the autumn, he would have just tossed the puck downrange as quickly as he could, and I expect he'll take greater care in the future.

Tootoo had another decent outing.  After his big night against Nashville he's played with infinitely more confidence, looking for plays when he would previously just mash the puck somewhere, anywhere.  He's still extremely limited in what he can accomplish but I'm glad his head is in the game a lot more than anytime all season, and his willingness to fight through Ryan White's check created the loose puck that Kruger fed to TVR for the eventual game winner.
While Panarin appears to be getting back on track, with five points in his last five games, Anisimov remains in the wilderness, with only a single assist in his last five.  What do you do, though? Schmaltz was okay filling in at 2C, briefly, but I like him a lot more with Panik & Toews, and neither Kero nor Kruger are up to the task.  I think we just have to wait out whatever's going on with Arthur The Larger.

No question here.  After a series of just-okay outings Corey Crawford was solid today, only narrowly missing Staal's tally and I cannot fault him on Granlund's impeccable shot.  It was a nice bounce-back game for Crow, and with no further back-to-backs this season, it's possible that Crow can hold the fort on his own until Scott Darling returns.

So, yeah, we got the right end of the stick that I mentioned a couple of games ago.  You know what that makes The Hawks....?

                                                      EVEN STEVEN.

Oh Captain, My Captain: Hawks 5, Wild 3

Before I get into it, I have to say that Scott Gomez may be the worst of the between-periods suits I've endured.  Yes, possibly worse than Jughead Jones and the perpetually clueless Mike Milbury.  He offers little in terms of observation, choosing instead to insert dull personal experience anecdotes. When a guy has the biggest ego in the room AND he's sitting next to J.R....well, that's special.

Back to it. The first period was a fast-paced and exciting frame, but it wasn't so much end-to-end hockey as it was a series of three or four minute spells in which each team pressed hard and created chances over several shifts.  In one such sequence The Hawks rolled four lines without Minnesota getting the puck into The Hawks zone.  No goals, though, so on to the second.
And that frame, apart from an irritating miscue by Duncan Keith, was all Hawks, getting goals by Toews off a rebound and Panik, courtesy of a sharp feed from Toews.  Once The Hawks went up 2-1 they weren't really troubled...until the third.
And even that looks flattering on paper for The Wild.  A missed assignment by TVR plus a legit PPG got Minnesota close but, in response, Nick Schmaltz and Jonathan Toews put together their best period all season.
First, it was Schmaltz, scoring on a floater from the left circle for the third time this year ("floater" is a relative term when we're discussing NHL players, BTW) and, midway through the period he hit Toews with a diabolical pass from behind the net that The Captain expertly backhanded past Devan Dubnyk.  An empty-netter to complete Toews' hat trick rounded out the scoring.  

Before I fall asleep, some Bits:
- While The Wild did enjoy some periods of sustained pressure The Hawks outshot and outskated them comprehensively.  The Wild had two opportunistic goals, which still count of course, and may serve as vivid reminders for The Hawks to continue to apply themselves at all times, even when everything appears to be going as planned.  Chicago was only one more error or cheap penalty away from the game being tied, after all.
- Corey Crawford had a good outing, giving up nothing truly soft.  At the other end Dubnyk was actually very good, as well, so all credit to The Hawks for touching him up for four goals against, something that's only occurred four other times this season.
- Keith had a night worth forgetting, having gift-wrapped The Wild's first goal as well as committing a number of bobbles and poor passes.
- Three of The Hawks' four lines had several excellent shifts, the Kruger line being less of a factor tonight.  Kane & Co. put together some typical shifts in which MN struggled to touch the puck but, on the flip, found themselves pinned in their own end a few times, also.  The fourth line were exciting and effective, especially in the first half of the game, only undone by their lack of polish.
Which then brings us to

Toews, Panik and Schmaltz had themselves a time.  Schmaltz played with more confidence than I've ever seen, hanging onto the puck a little longer than usual, working the half wall effectively and keeping his feet moving when he didn't have the puck.  Panik brought his usual chaotic tenacity, which doesn't always amount to anything but was just fine tonight.  Toews, however, was a demon, particularly behind the net, flashing those crazy eyes throughout the game and notching a career best five points to boot.

So, another two points and Minnesota denied two in the bargain. I don't know if these two victories over The Wild will have enabled The Hawks to truly get inside their collective head, as The Wild were in this thing until the end, but it can't have hurt.  I expect their final regular season tilt to be a doozy.

Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Something-Somethings: Hawks 4, Wild 3

The NBC crew were eager to pitch this match up as "The Hawks' most important game of the year" which, at first, sounded pretty hyperbolic to me.  Given the outcome, it was an important game, but more important for Minnesota than for The Hawks.
Much was said about The Wild having caught and passed The Hawks in the divisional standings, as well as their eight-game winning streak vs, Chicago so, yeah, on the surface it could appear like a must-win situation.  The truth of the matter, I believe, is that having failed this test will have greater impact than a Wild win would have had on either team.
Hawks lose: it's another midwinter game where they didn't give enough of a shit.  Business as usual, really.
Wild lose: their eight game streak of dominance ends and, with playoffs only two months away, The Wild receive a reminder that, when it really matters, The Hawks have their number.

Anyway, here are The Bits.
The Hawks had a little trouble with the officiating tonight. It's not on purpose, of course, and it's just going to happen, sometimes, but they could not get a break from those guys until the final moments. Parise's goal...I don't know.  I understand the explanation in relation to how the rules on goal reviews work, but come on - they peered at this play for nine minutes and still declare it "inconclusive"?  I wish they would just have the stones to make a decision and not have this "inconclusive" option.  Or, better yet, trust the on-ice officials to make the call and stand by it.  It was good enough for the first 90 years of the league, after all.
Additionlly, the call on Rasmussen was soft, as was the lack of a call when Staal fouled Hjalmarsson just prior to Haula's goal (without mentioning Keith and Anisimov making a mess of their coverage).  Only the call on Suter in OT went The Hawks' way, and they probably wouldn't have made that call had Suter not gone overboard with his molestation of Hossa, 'cos you know the officials really aren't too keen on calling penalties during the bonus round.
I complained about Schmaltz's positioning in the last game but, tonight, if only just for an instant, he was exactly where he needed to be.  It's possible that Kempny's deep pinch had some Wild players thinking that he was one of the forwards, 'cos there were no green sweaters anywhere near Nicky-Boy while he slipped downrange to redirect Toews' pass.
Coach Q pretty much rolled four lines when he didn't have a spot wasted by Tootoo, so no line juggling to worry about.  It helped, also, that The Hawks didn't take many penalties and therefore did not upset the line rotation much at all.
That said, Hinostroza wasn't great.  His pass to set up the first goal was excellent but, apart from that, he played like he always seems to after he's been a healthy scratch - frantically and desperately - which is usually not productive.  
Kempny was his usual mixed bag of very good with a dash or two of WTF?  Still a better choice than Forsling at this time, though.
Anisimov struggled, gacking passes, turning the wrong way at the wrong time and seemed to have the puck in his feet a lot.  He posted 34% Corsi at ES which is about how it looked, but what's weird is that Kane and Panarin had 53% and 62% Corsi, respectively.  They couldn't have been playing apart from Anisimov that much, to end up with a 20-30% spread, could they?  I would gladly inspect the shift chart to confirm on deny this but NHL.com is still a piece of crap.  He seemed to be up against Koivu a lot of the time but NHL.com is still a piece of crap.

At the end of it, The Hawks played alright - not perfect by any means, and they got slapped around a bit in the possession game, but they had roughly the same number of quality chances that The Wild did.  Similarly, the best Hawk tonight didn't have a perfect game either, sometimes not quite having the hands to finish what he started, but he never stopped digging, never stopped trying.  Tonight, Stormare's steely glare falls upon Johnny Toews.

Area Man's Single-handed Effort Comes to Nought: Wild 3, Hawks 2

                                    Patrick Kane after logging 27 minutes tonight

It certainly feels like January now, does it not?
After a pretty decent first period it all kind of slipped away.  The Hawks continued to roll up the shot count but, apart from a few quality chances (Hinnie, Hoss, Kane, Kane and Kane) there was often no support, no screen, or no one around for rebounds.
Individually, a few Hawks looked troubled: Hoss appeared tired, Keith was yippy again and even Panarin, though he kept his feet moving, was just slightly on the wrong side of it all night.  Crawford looked like he was putting together a nice bounce-back game, particularly after the bang-bang by Granlund & Zucker, but that goal by Stewart...not so great.
The coulda won it, but were just 10 or 15% off their Max Potential, and that's what made the difference.
Coach Q got a bit bold, dressing only eleven forwards (THANKS NBC TEAM FOR SO SUBTLY INFORMING US OF THAT 38 TIMES) and filling that blank spot up front almost exclusively with P. Kane.  It ain't the worst idea in the world - certainly preferable to Tootoo or even Dez - but if this is going to be a thing, now, he's gotta spread those extra few minutes out between Kane, Panarin, maybe Hoss....or Kane is going to be ruined by the time playoffs roll around.

Midwinter blahs.  We'll get 'em next time.  Probably.

About Last Night: Wild 3, Hawks 2 and If They Don't Care Why Should I?

Far be it from me to suggest that the second-winningest coach in NHL history is bad at his job, but granting Trevor Van Riemsdyk 28+ minutes is not a recipe for success. 

                            My birthday is approaching soon and this is what I want.

That Q seems to be utterly oblivious to how little TVR provides, which is typically and frustratingly at the expense of what the team needs, i.e. competent puck-movers from the back end, is driving me around the bend.  Seriously, what did TVR accomplish during the third period, which Gustafsson spent the entirety of on the bench?  How do Gus and Ehrhoff get absolutely no leeway yet TVR receives enough rope to hang himself over and over again?

Well, since I'm bothering...
- This could have easily been a 3-0 win for Minny, as Shaw's shot was absolutely a shot Dubnyk should have saved and Panik's goal, while it was the product of some admirably hard work, was of the "let's just keep smashing at this thing until someone tells us to stop" variety.  Even with these goals Zach Parise should have salted it away but inexplicably failed to hit a wide-open net.
- While Shaw was one of the better Hawks in this one I'm still left wondering how effective he could be if a) he could shoot the puck harder than a 14-year-old, and b) he would refrain from taking these weak shots at every opportunity.

That is all.

All That Stuff I Said: Hawks 4, Wild 3 and Thursday's Big Boy

...it all applies for tonight, as well.
1) Get lead
2) Button down
We were treated to an additional element tonight:
3) Almost blow lead.

It's rarely a source of confidence when your game-winning goal is an empty-netter, but that's the way it went.  All credit to The Wild for the effort.
Going forward, hopefully a nice break, perhaps one that will allow Rozsival to mend and be ready for the Conference Finals.  I never thought I would type that this year.

Yeah, three goals against but more quality chances from The Wild made this a harder earned belt for Crow.  It wasn't ALL Crawford tonight, as it seemed on Tuesday, but he was once again the best Hawk.

                                           My Goal?  To run out of decent photos of this guy.

The Man Comes Around: Hawks 1, Wild 0 and Tuesday's Big Boy

The Hawks are a team that, when they do properly what they do best, score early and often.  History has shown that they are not always able to come back from an early deficit and are frequently guilty of being too passive in close games that they ultimately lose.
Tuesday's match felt a bit like the passive approach I mention above.  Failing to really press the issue and merely hang on with a one-goal lead seemed, to me, the wrong choice.  Not to discount the efforts of The Wild, 'cos they were certainly game, but it seemed too close for too long for The Hawks to have switched to lead-protection mode.
That said, The Hawks did not allow a lot of quality chances once they circled the wagons; Granlund had his chance to tie and lost the coin flip, and Niederreiter got the yips at an opportune moment.  I guess this was one way to succeed, but my point is that The Hawks didn't have to approach the game the way they did.  They have the best flat-out offensive skill in the league - it just feels weird for them not to exploit that at every opportunity.

Well, who else could it have been?  That's two solid starts in a row and what will hopefully be the momentum builder that Corey Crawford needs to carry The Hawks forward.

                                      Probably still too early to be swearing in public, though.

Two For the Show: Hawks 4, Wild 1 and Sunday's Big Boy

Wasn't that more like it?  Not dominance, exactly, but it never really looked like The Hawks were especially troubled, even with The Wild's spirited third period. To the juicy bits:
- Crawford was one shot away, albeit an excellent one, from a no-no.  I wonder if his iffy outing in the opening game of the playoffs was a blessing, of sorts, with Darling soaking up considerable minutes in that series and perhaps allowing Crow to get his feet under him for when it really counts.  We don't want him to peak too early, now, do we?
- While he hasn't yet had much impact on the scoresheet, Bryan Bickell has been his usual playoff self in other ways, creating chances without even touching the puck.  Tonight he racked up twelve hits, in case that matters.
- The icetime stats are looking more and more like I'd hoped they would, with a few small aberrations; Richards led all forwards, playing over 18 minutes and Timonen played less than seven minutes.  Otherwise, we're seeing a pretty smart workload allocation.
- Keith played nearly nine minutes more than any other Hawk, once again cracking 30 minutes.  This doesn't worry me, as he has perhaps the best motor of any elite player in the league.  If anything, he's thriving on the extra workload and, if The Hawks go far enough this spring, he'll be in the catbird seat for that Conn Smythe he's deserved in the past.
- Chatter persists that Sharp will be on his way come July.  While this may be simply a fiscal necessity, if there's anything to it, can't you just imagine he and Teravainen tearing it up on what would amount to the best third line in the league?  It doesn't even matter who the third guy is...
- Even when he's not terrible Rozsival manages to leave an icky stain; who was that stumbling out of the penalty box after Dumba's goal?

Saving the best for last, right?  Let's not forget that Patrick Kane wasn't even expected to play until a week or two from now; as it stands, he's third in playoff scoring and plus/minus.

                               I'M NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TODAY.

One But Far From Done: Hawks 4, Wild 3 and Friday's Big Boy

Oh dear.  I fell asleep with The Hawks up 3-0 and only learned this morning that they eked out a tense 4-3 win.  I guess I shouldn't have been too shocked, since The Wild outplayed The Hawks in the first period fairly comprehensively...apart from the three goals, of course.
Still, The Hawks weathered The Wild's comeback in the second and, after being pushed around for much of the period, regained the lead on a shot I would describe as optimistic, at best.

Quenneville came close to rolling four lines in this match.  It worries me, however, that the Sharp - Vermette - Teravainen combo played the least.  Vermette slayed at the dot, though, five-for-five in the defensive zone, in fact, so Q may well lean on #80 and Co. a little more in Game Two.

I'm encouraged by the resiliency and the reversal of momentum in the third period; this is a team that can be...fragile, and I take it as a good sign that they dug in and got the job done.

Here's the guy, for a couple of reasons.  First, for his somewhat-lucky-but-they-all-count winning goal and, second, for playing well enough that we probably won't see Versteeg until at least Game Three.

       Yeah, I know he doesn't wear that number anymore, but doesn't it just rub it in a little more?

A Proper Wilding: Hawks 4, Wild 1 and Sunday's Big Boy

Check it out - The Hawks cracked the 30-shot mark!
A closer game than the score would suggest, with significant, lasting momentum swings, this one was most influenced by The Hawks' greater scoring prowess and Niklas Backstrom's...whatever he was doing out there.

Five Hawks notched two points apiece and Corey Crawford put in another solid effort, but on merit of a goal, a helpie and five hits, Bryan Bickell is again The Big Boy.

                       I will continue to post dog pics until all of Bick's Pits are adopted.

It's Opposite Week: Hawks 4, Wild 2 and Thursday's Big Boy

You have to ask what's going on when a team launches 54 shots in a game and is shut out and, two days later, is outshot 44-20 and manages to win. I guess the easiest answer may be that there was a very good goalie at the other end on Tuesday and not so much tonight.  At least The Hawks received a decent effort from their netminder in each game.

Despite being owned in the shots & chances departments there was still lots of positive stuff to take away from tonight:
- Rundblad, decisive with his shoot-ins
- Sharp, getting after the shoot-in!
- Kane, three more points and climbing steadily up the scoring ladder
- Bickell, unexpectedly on the second line and cashing in a pair
- Faceoffs, with The Hawks continuing to improve in that area (34-for-62 tonight)
- Best of all, though...

Brad Richards, with 3 sweet assists while playing more minutes than he's logged in several weeks earns secure trousers on this day.

                                              I'm makin' Mike Yeo anxious!

Four Swedes and Closer than it Needed to Be: Hawks 5, Wild 3 and Tuesday's Big Boy

The stars were aligning for a disappointing result; Duncan Keith being out for the evening with an undisclosed (ha ha ha!) illness caused Coach Q to trot out two defencemen that he's shown little trust in and a third d-man whom he should not trust, yet does.  On top of that, Antti Raanta got the call between the pipes vs. the jostling Wild and their affinity for "net presence".
Well, it wasn't the prettiest effort, with a terrific, dominant second period sandwiched by two inconsistent frames but, even so, the game didn't feel as close as a one-goal game.  That one of The Wild's goals was on a penalty shot reminds us that this was really more like a 4-2 game.  
Speaking of the penalty shot - these things happen; Hoss had to make an effort to foul Neiderreiter and Raanta's only fault on the subsequent PS was that he's too small.

As for the defence, The Hawks blue line had a rather Red-Wingy look about it with four Swedes at the points and, being completely optimistic here, it's possible that this game may prove important going forward.  Coach Q fooled around with his d-pairings for much of the evening before appearing to settle with Seabrook/Oduya, Hjalmarsson/Rozsival and Rundblad/Erixon...and it wasn't a disaster.  Despite spending a straight six+ minutes on the bench in the third period Rundblad hit a season-high for ice time, cracking 16 minutes and even saw some power play action.  Erixon barely cracked ten minutes but, as the newest new guy he saw only even  strength shifts, which is probably okay.  The kids did alright.

Yup, it's this guy again, on merit of a goal and two primary assists.  

                 Next, I shall try to bounce this off Versteeg's head toward yon twine.