Trade Deadline Recap: I Guess Q WAS Really Pissed

Predictably, The Hawks were sellers at this season's Trade Deadline and made one move that, while not entirely surprising, is still pretty dramatic.

OUT

Ryan Hartman and a 2018 5th Round Pick to NSH

IN: Victor Ejdsell, 2018 1st Round Pick and 2018 4th Round Pick

Well, ol' Harts finally wore out his welcome, and just in the nick of time, too.  Nashville paid a ridiculously high price for this soon-to-be RFA that Coach Q never really knew what to do with.  That's not entirely on Q, mind you; players create and destroy their own opportunities to a large extent and Hartman often made it easy for Q to bench him or have him banished to the press box.  The implication is that Hartman is perhaps difficult to coach and has not demonstrated that he's learned from past transgressions.  It could merely be a personality conflict between he and Q but, given their relative status & responsibilities, that's something that Hartman had to work around, not Q.  The trust was lost and, as we all know, when you lose Q's trust, you're Done, Son.

The Draft Picks are generous and the warm body we've received is of great interest, as Ejdsell is a big center (6'5" and 214 lbs) who was a Swedish Div II MVP last season and is currently the goals leader on his HV71 club.  If this lad can skate at all I'll gladly learn how to pronounce his name.

OUT

Tommy Wingels to BOS

IN: 2018 5th Round Pick (upgraded to 4th Round if BOS make it to round two of the playoffs OR if they re-sign Wingels)

Useful if a bit frustrating, Wingels was slotted up and down the lineup all year.  Smart, defensively responsible and somewhat versatile, yet possessing virtually no hand skills.  As Guys go, he's a very good Guy but had been ridiculously miscast as a first line component.

All that aside, I half expect Wingels to be back with The Hawks for next season.

ALSO OUT

Lost in shuffle, here, but I'll mention it now, was the dispatching of Michal Kempny and Ville Pokka.  Kemps is another player who Q did not seem to like, which mystified me.  Kempny plays a pretty straightforward game and does it reasonably well, but is somewhat mistake-prone.  That said, I'd rather go to war with Kemps than with Oesterle or Gustafsson.  We'll probably never find out but Kempny may well have requested a trade OR indicated that he would not return next year to be a healthy scratch half the time.

With Pokka's departure we say so long to a guy that The Hawks waited on through the duration of two contracts.  Even though he had been called up from Rockford a couple of times during his tenure in The Hawks' organization we only ever saw him play in pre-season games.  He struck me as competent but not really excellent at any one aspect of the game. The Hawks' current devotion to Gustafsson and Dahlstrom, as well as Forsling waiting in the wings, clearly made Pokka an expendable asset.

AND

Lance Bouma, waived and successfully demoted to Rockford, making space for Matthew Highmore.  I cannot say much about Highmore except the dry facts: he's a 22-year-old small forward, undrafted, and leads The IceHogs in goals and points.  Maybe he's A Thing or maybe he's just the first of a series of late season auditions that we'll be treated to in the coming weeks.

We Now Return To Our Regular Scheduled Program: Blue Jackets 3, Hawks 2

It's true that all three CBJ goals were made possible by breakdowns on the part of The Hawks, and that Chicago once again got stuck on two goals-for...but I can't even get mad about it anymore.  At this point I'm looking for silver lining moments, just to ward off the disappointment.
So let's look at those bright spots.

Take away Toews' poor clearing attempt, Hinnie's horrible pass and Forsberg allowing his obligatory softie and The Hawks actually played a pretty solid game.  True, only two goals-for, yet again, but they had the shots and the chances, plus a couple of goalposts.  Mere inches away from flipping this one to a W, but that's the way it's been this season.
It's a small sample but the current forward lines are actually working not too badly. Each line had their share of dominant shifts, particularly the Kampf line (!) and the Schmaltz trio enjoyed a scorcher in which they penned the Jackets in their own end for over a minute.  Despite Tomas Jurco finding twine for the first time in forever, I thought L2 was the weakest unit, and that's mainly on Jurco.  Kane is kinda being wasted while Q fools around with this combination, whether they're showcasing Jurco or simply because Q is a dope.
Regardless, all four lines have scoring potential and I would think that's making it a little harder for the opposition to deploy adequate checking.  
I still think Wingels on L1 is silly at this point but I'll say this: when he's on the power play at least The Hawks are less predictable than usual.  He's a wild card!  An X-factor!  He doesn't know what he's doing!
Ryan Hartman: took a really bad, poorly timed penalty and then spent the remainder of the match sitting in front of Coach Q.  It was an idiotic thing for Harts to do but, thinking back, this is the kind of crap that Andrew Shaw pulled on a regular basis and, at worst, missed a shift or two.  For whatever reason, Q just does not seem to like Hartman, which is a tough, tough thing to overcome in this organization.
The NBCSNCH (I think?) post game show poll asked "Which player do The Hawks miss the most?"  The consensus was that Hossa's absence has been the hardest to make up for, but they didn't even mention Corey Crawford.  I know that Crow could not have done a thing about The Hawks' offense going in the pooper but, damn, you know he would have eked out more than a few wins just by not letting in one or more soft goals, night in and night out.  Review The Hawks' record since Crow went on the DL and tell me it's not true...

Back To Our Regular Scheduled Program: Ducks 3, Hawks 2

After being outshot, outhustled and badly losing the Corsi game vs. Vegas on Tuesday, The Hawks really only lost that one in the third period. Tonight, as has been more often the case, The Hawks put the boots to Anaheim in shots, chances, possession...you name it,  yet, they lose again.
One of the Guys in the studio (and they usually are Guys, or goalies, aren't they?) sputtered something about "the all-important first goal".  More horseshit.  
The all-important goal would the third one they score in a game.  Any game.
Because, it seems, almost every big mistake they make results in a goal against.
The goalies are only AHL-quality, after all, so all those breakaways and odd-man chances are gonna cost The Hawks, sooner than later.

That's pretty much it: score three goals in a game.  See what that gets ya.

What Else?
Oesterle cannot miss that open net.
Bouma has no business trying to play with Kane & Schmaltz.
Kempny was pretty poor.  After a solid game in Vegas it was disappointing to see him making things easy for The Ducks forwards.
Toews looked great...until he got within shooting distance of the net.  At that point he either lost the handle, made a poor shot or failed to get a pass to a linemate.
Duclair - I think he played tonight.  I saw him on the bench.
The Hartman Call - Adam Burish needs to settle down.  Sure, the refs got that call wrong, it should have been a 5-on-3, I reckon, but what's the difference?  The Hawks aren't scoring on the power play, anyway, so Burr needs to find another windmill to charge.

Not All Bad?
Saad came out of hibernation, briefly, and Keith finally got a shot through.
Hartman worked incredibly hard and enjoyed some good sequences with DeBrincat.
Wingels, unbelievably, had a decent game, again.

But what it all comes down to is that The Hawks cannot score.  The power play is impotent and their attack, in general, is stale and predictable.  That song remains the same.

Down. Out.

Catching up a bit, here as I managed to miss the Tuesday game entirely due to an unexpected TV blackout.  Speaking of blackouts, though, let's talk about The Blackhawks' offense.

There is none, basically.
During this recent funk, The Hawks have routinely outshot their opponents and have, with a couple games' exception, destroyed their foes in Corsi/possession.  Yet, since their lopsided win against OTT on Jan 9th we have:
A 3 - 7 - 2 record
24 GF vs. 36 GA

During these 12 games The Hawks scored three or more goals only three times and even managed to lose two of those "high-output games", too.

I hear a ton of chatter about how if Corey Crawford had been around things would be different.  Sure, I can point to several games in which, yes, Crow could well have made the difference, maybe even stolen a win here or there.
But they haven't had Crawford to lean on.  They've had to make do with Forsberg and Glass, neither of whom has set the world alight, but that's the reality.  Knowing that each of these Guys will undoubtedly give up one or more ridiculously soft goals, night-in-night-out, the rest of The Hawks should know that they'll have to come up with an extra goal, or two, to even things out.
Instead, Crow's injury coincided exactly with The Hawks' offense going into the pooper - they somehow got worse precisely when they needed to be better.
Forsberg and Glass, despite some frustrating outings, have met or exceeded expectations.  The goal scorers have not.

Last night in the post-game show the talking heads agreed that team defence is the problem.  Horseshit.  They've made their share of defensive errors but scoring more than two goals per game would go a long way toward evening those out those mistakes.
(And while we're at it, can someone please explain to Pat Foley that when your team has the puck 60% or more of the time they're gonna get "out hit".)

The Hawks offense is utterly impotent.  Toews, Anisimov, Hartman and especially Saad have all failed to deliver, and they've received practically no contribution from the back end.  Is it all on these players?  I cannot imagine that to be true.  Toews is getting older and has some hard miles on his clock, but the cases of Saad and Hartman are just baffling.  They've been shuffled up and down the lines (fourth line on Tuesday, in fact) and, in Hartman's case, from a healthy scratch to the top unit and primo power play minutes in consecutive games.
The Hawks' coaching staff are clearly out of ideas.  
I cannot say if the problems are motivational, instructional, strategic or if the players are just bad, but things cannot continue like this.
Change the players or change the coaches.  Something's gotta give.

                                                Bye, bye, playoff chances...

Done, Son: Flames 4, Hawks 3

* That's probably The Hawks' season done & dusted.  Maybe they were out of it earlier, maybe not, but this half-assed effort underlines how far off the plot they are.  If you're only willing, or only able to play 20 - 25 minutes of half decent hockey this is the result you can expect.
* Oesterle, despite his qualities as an okay puck-mover, is a shitty, shitty defender.  He has no business being anywhere near the ice during 3-on-3 overtime 'cos he hasn't got anyone to back him up, which he needs.  A lot.
* Three goals against were caused by turnovers, one of which was inexcusably stupid, and the fourth saw Oesterle get absolutely pantsed.  Too much responsibility is being placed on so-so players and it probably seems necessary to the coaching staff because many of the players who should be carrying a heavier load have been making a mess of things far too often
* Tonight's lineup "featured" four skaters who failed to make The Hawks out of training camp.  This is not to slag on those players; Kampf and Jurco have had good moments and Hinostroza's been a pleasant surprise, but what the hell can one expect if a team that hopes to contend is leaning on Guys that are mostly marginal?  
* BUT the reason those Guys are up from Rockford is because too many players are underachieving mightily.  Toews works hard every game but, especially lately, accomplishes little.  Saad has been a disaster.  Anisimov, albeit recently back from injury, has been out of step.  I'm not sure what to expect from Duclair but it would sure be nice to see him win a puck battle someday or not lose the handle while trying to stickhandle around defenders.  After a promising rookie season Hartman has been a disappointment.  Kane has been good for the most part and Schmaltz & DeBrincat have been outstanding given where they're at in their careers, but how much can one line's worth of players accomplish?
* That so many Hawks are somewhere between struggling and pissing the bed makes me wonder....how much of this is on the players and how much is on the coaching staff.  It just seems so odd, so improbable, that so many players that The Hawks are counting on to produce, cannot.  Is it a lack of skill or a lack of motivation?

If this season ends badly, and all signs point to that being the case, expect a major housecleaning, top-to-bottom.

Under Control: Hawks 4, Oilers 1

Well, there's nothing quite like a home game against a team in deep, dark funk to help sort out some things.  The Edmonton Oilers have been just plain bad, lately, and The Hawks took full advantage of the situation, making off with a relatively easy two points and a shot of confidence, perhaps, for goaltender Anton Forsberg.
* Wow, The Oilers are thin.  I don't mean to diminish The Hawks' effort by stating this but EDM hasn't even got a full top six, really.  Tack on a below-average D-corps and a struggling goaltender and you've got yourself a team in a tailspin.
* Hartman had another fire-in-the-belly game tonight.  Where was he on Friday?  No, seriously, why was he scratched - I think he's been as good as he's ever been, lately.

* Anton Forsberg finally came across with a (more or less) complete game.  Even his obligatory soft goal against wasn't that soft.  
* Rutta returned and was fine.  Kempny was better, but no one on The Hawks' coaching staff gives a damn so that's all I'll say about that.
* Richard Panik does not belong on a checking line.  This is not because he's "too good" for that role but because he cannot really be arsed to play in a defensive role.

Alright - Ottawa on Tuesday and then two Divisional games.  Now's the time to tear off a few good games in row and not rest on the warm fuzzy feelings one gets after dusting off a bit of a sad sack team

The Full Package: Hawks 5, Rangers 2

Tonight we were treated to The Hawks putting together a near-complete game, much like the best parts of the EDM and CAL games but sustained for almost the entire game.  It wasn't a perfect effort, as The Hawks' D had some moments in which they flailed, but it was quite enough to handle 'dose Ranger bums.
Those Rangers had been mighty at home too, having lost in regulation only once in over a month, but Coach Q and Co. were much quicker on the draw than The Rangers' staff, getting preferred matchups more often than not with The Hawks' top six rarely seeing the NYR shut-down line.
* The Hawks' best trio in the first period was the Toews line, with Hinostroza starting the scoring off a bang-bang set off by a blind back-pass from Toews.  Along with Saad they dominated every shift in the early going.  Saad's effort flagged a bit later on and Vinnie Hinnie became a bit unfocused, but Toews was mighty for the entire game.  I was furious to see that Vinnie Hinnie had drawn in on Toews' wing while DeBrincat remained on the fourth line, but I guess things worked out okay...
* The second period was all about Hartman - Schmaltz - Kane.  Schmaltz did some some wonderful forechecking, Kane was strong on the puck, as usual and Hartman was an absolute beast.  Not talking about Harts drilling Staal into The Rangers' net, either, although I suppose that was indicative of the kind of fire Hartman brought to the rink tonight.

* Jeff Glass was generally solid in his third straight start.  As was also the case in Alberta he was guilty of over-committing a couple of times and found himself waaaay out of his net yet, somehow, The Rangers could not close the deal.  He showed great concentration during The Rangers' several full court presses, especially in the third, and I saw no fault in the two goals against, one being a total screen job, the other on a five-on-three.  The only mistake he had to pay for was that puck he goosed into the stands.
VGK on Friday.  Let's hope The Hawks can keep the ball rolling and bring those goldenrods back to earth.  Hey, somebody has to.

Baby It's Cold Outside: Western Canada Tour Vol I and II

Ugh, these left-coast games are killing me.  So far we've seen two games that were more similar than they might appear by looking only at the score, with just a couple of details that led to disparate results.  This is already old news so let's go.

Vol I: Vancouver
Now this seriously pissed me off.  Even with no Burrows and no Bieksa I still have zero use for The Canucks.  The most visible aspect of their fanbase are given to tantrums that qualify as "civil unrest" and they're still booing Duncan Keith every time he touches the puck, presumably because he elbowed one of The Creepy Twins (doesn't matter which one) almost six years.  That's all I need to know about that gang.
Just as frustrating was that The Hawks held the balance of play, took a lot more shots and still lost to these jokers who are ahead of only Phoenix in the standings.  Oy.  So what about them there details?
* Anton Forsberg was rubbish, full stop.
* Forsling and Rutta were both -3 while playing what amounted to second-pairing minutes.  Whether by accident or by design Goose and Roots were out against the Gagner line A LOT and were there or thereabouts for three of that line's four goals against.  I honestly don't remember Forsling doing anything particularly rotten but Rutta was undeniably awful.  They weren't alone where backline fecklessness was concerned as Keith was next-worst after Rutta, but he's Duncan Keith and we won't be seeing him healthy scratched anytime soon.
* Failure to Convert.  The same old refrain - poor shot selection, lazy choices, bad positioning
The Advanced Stats made things seem far rosier than they were and The Hawks got what they deserved.

Vol II: Edmonton
At least here The Hawks played one-half of a great game, beginning with Hartman's late first period goal and petering out midway through the third when EDM went into desperation mode.  As above, the Advanced Stats were fairly similar to the previous game but a few adjustments helped them eke out a win with an effort that was not perfect, but good enough.
* Jeff Glass.  Let's get the feel-good story of the weekend out of the way.  Glass was remarkably solid.  His game appears a little...static, but he's a big guy, moves the puck well and is surprisingly athletic.  He got a bit lucky when he found himself completely out of shape on a couple of plays that The Oilers failed to close, and Strome erred when he had Glass dead to rights.  I half expect him to get lit up in Calgary tomorrow - I hope he doesn't - but his NHL debut was a great story and contributed to the win.
* Lineup Changes.  Kempny and Franson came in for Rutta and Forsling while Hinostroza and Panik replaced Sharp and Anisimov (injured).  The two D-men hardly played and, really, weren't good or bad, their greater contribution being simply avoiding a repeat of The Goose & Roots show from the night before.  Panik remains snake-bitten but he was out there trying stuff, at least.  Vinnie Hinnie and Franson found themselves on the new-look second power play unit and, while Franson simply picked up where he left off before his injury, Vinnie looked alright in that role, even notching a helpie on the third goal.
Sometimes a change is as good as a rest and the changes kind of paid off, this time.
* Ryan Hartman returning to form.  Harts was one of the few Hawks that put in a full effort in Vancouver and he carried that over to Edmonton.  I think he's been playing a lot better, generally, for the last couple of weeks, and Hartman starting to contribute again makes me feel slightly less bitter about DeBrincat being buried on the third, arguably fourth line.  At least Q is trotting out DBC on the power play, where he's had some good chemistry with Schmaltz , particularly.
* Oesterle breaks through.  While he was far from flawless and still leans awfully hard on Keith for safety passes and covering his ass when things go sideways, he did alright.  Paired with Franson on 2PP they kept the puck heading toward The Oilers net relentlessly, but I can't help but feel that persisting with these two is playing with fire - The Hawks gave up quite enough breakaways and odd-man rushes as it was.  I had a feeling that Oz was going to score soon, so it was cool that he finally found the twine against the team that never really gave him a proper look.

* David Kampf?  Never have I seen a player more closely resembling Baby Huey but that's not for now.  I cannot yet see what he brings, to be honest, and was surprised to see the big, plodding centreman on the penalty kill.  Well, he's a big body with good reach, although he never looked particularly physical in either game.  
You know he'll score in Calgary, now, right?

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.

Relief: Hawks 4, Hurricanes 3

It wasn't a pretty game by any stretch, but it may well prove to be a turning point for The Hawks or, at least, for a couple of Hawks that, if tonight's result signals a change in fortune, may have gotten a much-needed confidence boost.  Let's see them Bits:
* Alex DeBrincat was the big story tonight, potting two goals and orchestrating a masterful setup on the winning goal.  His goals weren't solo efforts, with each marker made possible by excellent passes but, in each case, DBC was charging the net, in the right location for the pass and made no mistake when those chances came.  His pass to Saad in overtime was just as good, if not better; as the two forwards approached the Carolina blue line, Saad was rapping his stick on the ice for a pass but, to his credit, DBC had the balls to hold the puck, risking putting Saad offside and, at the perfect moment, deftly slid the puck to #20, who found himself one-on-one with Scotty Darling.  This game has certainly lifted a large & angry monkey off the young forward's back, with that gutsy OT play already indicating that his confidence has spiked.  It's worth noting that, while DBC was ostensibly relegated to the fourth line, his first goal came when he was tossed out there with Toews and Panik, while his second was off a feed from Kane, who was double-shifting in Hartman's spot.  Hmmm....

* Saad scored, even after gacking an easy tap-in and missing on a penalty shot.  That was Saad's first goal in four weeks and, in between those goals, he's been absolutely ham-fisted around the bad guys' net.  This, too, could be the event that gets Saad back on track.
* Kane made a pass in the offensive zone that actually mattered.  He's carried the puck as well as ever, lately, but just hasn't been able to hit a linemate in a primo location very often.  That could be down to those linemates not doing enough to get to those good shooting areas, but I wonder if it's been largely impatience or failure to execute on Kane's part.

Those are the key items, now The Other Stuff:
* Forsberg was both great and terrible.  He remarkably adept at tracking the puck in close quarters but has let in softies in each game he's played this year.  Tonight marks the first game he's ever won as a starter, so that's over with and perhaps he can just get on with business.
* Did Hartman play tonight?  That stat line says he did, but he was utterly invisible.  While I wouldn't necessarily agree with the move I wouldn't be shocked if he and Vinnie Hinostroza swapped places very soon.  Coach Q seems to have little use for him right now.
* Classic Post-2015 Seabrook tonight, complete with the signature bellyflop "move" (it failed) and, despite being on the ice for two goals against, still managed to emerge +1 for the night and smelling like a rose.  You're not fooling me, tortoise-boy.
* Is Franson hurt?  Did he take another shift after whatever it was that had him in a fetal position in he third period?
* I didn't mind Schmaltz - Anisimov - Kane.  The wingers did some nifty stuff and, all foot speed-related shortcomings aside Large Arthur, with his size and hands, has been pretty good in front of the net, lately.
Okay, New Jersey tomorrow, Crow back in net...let's open the floodgates and get this thing going again.

Better, Worse or Just Kind of The Same?: Hawks 4, Coyotes 2

A road win and another two points are always great, but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, here, because The Hawks took the scenic route to victory and had to lean on some of their lesser lights to pull it off.  Let's get right to the Bits.
* The Opponent was not good.  They have a handful of promising forwards, one pretty good defenseman but a black hole where they thought they put their goaltenders.  With everything ticking along as it should The Hawks ought to destroy these no-hopers.  Yet...
* Shots against remain too high.  There's no way PHX should ever be even on shots with The Hawks, especially given that The Coyotes managed only a single shot on their 4+ minute powerplay.  This "come at me bro'" defensive posture has to change.  
* Coach Q teased us by starting Murphy with Keith but, after the first TV timeout it became clear that he was merely tossing Murph a bone by slotting him into the starting lineup in the barn he used to play in.  Status quo, sadly, was soon restored with Seabrook waddling back to Keith's side for the remainder of the match.
Keith, Rutta and Forsling were all okay with only a rough shift here and there, and even Seabrook wasn't awful if you discount the shot he took on his own goalie.  Murphy wasn't great though, falling all over himself as often as not and, while I previously complimented his willingness to take chances, Oesterle spent the evening writing cheques that his talent couldn't cover.  Against a better team (i.e. any other team) their effort would have been found wanting.

* The Forward lines were all over the place, with Toews' trio enjoying many dominant but unproductive shifts, Schmaltz' and Wingels' lines blowing hot & cold and the Anisimov group having a largely indifferent outing.  Toews' line looks ready to have an explosive game very soon, as their puck movement and awareness are tip-top at the moment, hampered only by some indiscriminate and often inaccurate shooting.  The second line had several great shifts and Hartman, in particular, pursued the puck with great determination all night, but Schmaltz and Kane weren't "there" for all of their shifts.  DeBrincat tried some interesting things but, alas, Sharp and Anisimov were nowhere to be found a lot of the time.  DBC's best play was his cross-crease pass to Rutta, his best option when 10 and 15 were swanning off, somewhere.
* The Penalty Kill got a good workout though, and apart from one lazy clearing attempt, Anisimov was very good in that role.

                                                    May I be excused?

* The Fourth Line had themselves a bit of a night.  Bouma and Wingels' over-exuberance handed PHX that 5-on-3 power play, which wasn't great, but they had enough effective shifts to offset that.  Bouma, of course, managed to keep it together sufficiently to sweep in a rebound for the game winner, while Wingels led the team in hits, put up a couple of points himself and, together, they formed the rush that led to Wingels' penalty shot.  A good effort from those guys.
And of course the penalty shot was a no-goal - Wingels had already lost control of the puck and Dominque had actually pushed it back to him, so shut up, intrawebz.

Next up: Vegas, baby Vegas and, with two days off in Sin City between now and then, it's gonna be a mess.

Two Halves of The Coin: Hawks 2, Predators 1

How can a team dominate for half of a game and be completely out-to-lunch for the other half?  It drives me nuts, but it is what it is, right, because we're stuck with Seabrook.

The Hawks came out in the first with a little fire and generated a few almost-chances, but then tripped all over themselves for the remainder of the period and all of the second.  And that second period was an absolute horror show, in which no one could make a pass and the puck was turned over countless times, all while Coach Q fiddled with the second and third lines.  Seabrook was the worst offender with several passes to no one, including a drop pass to....Corey Crawford while his teammates were poised to break out.  I expect he has "33" burned into his retinas as he was left huffing and puffing while Mags Arvidsson streaked away from him at seemingly every opportunity.
Yet, they hung in and hung on, and a timely keep-in by Franson followed by some fine board work by Hayden set up Sharp's backhand goal.  The momentum had swung in The Hawks' favour enough that, by the time they reached overtime, only a bad bounce or a gack of the highest order would deny them the win.  The four shifts in the OT period were their best all night, epitomized by the excellent give-and-go between Saad and Kane.
Here, have these bits.

* No Crow = No Chance:  Crawford was outstanding, once again, especially in close.  Maybe he'll finally get some credit for being one of a handful of truly elite goaltenders without the tiresome disclaimers about "the great defense in front of him" 'cos in recent years it hasn't been that great at all.
* Anisimov wasn't super but he was better than in recent games, getting a few looks whilst stationed in Pekka Rinne's kitchen, and his breakout pass to Panik was superb.  He was actually better when he slid down the order to join Sharp and Hayden.
* Hartman is no center-man but he did alright in the late going and, with DeBrincat alongside he and Kane, the second line put together a string of solid shifts in the third.  The indication is that Schmaltz will be back for the next game but, if not, I wouldn't mind seeing this trio again, or even DeBrincat in Hartman's spot.
* While Franson was caught flat-footed once or twice his offensive acumen was welcome in the late-going, as well.  He made several nice keep-ins and kept the puck heading toward the Nashville goal.  That oughta earn him another game, I'd say.
* Kero's fish-out-of-water state was never more evident than when he goofed up the three-on-two late in the second period.  He does what he does pretty well, but an offensive threat he is not, so to expect more than what he can realistically deliver is just unfair to everyone.
* Toews' line seemed on the wrong side of it for most of the night.  Toews looked creative on the power play with Kane, as well as in OT, but he and his usual linemates generated precious little.  That's just going to happen, sometimes, and I refuse to believe that their honeymoon is over.

Alright, job done, and a wee break before venturing to The Midwest's worst city.  Hey, at least David Backes won't be there to re-injure Schmaltz, right?

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.

Beat 'Em At Their Own Game: Hawks 3, Canadiens 1

For a few years, now, The Montréal Canadiens have iced rather uneven teams, with much of their lineup populated by Guys, often relying on All-Universe goaltender Carey Price to steal wins more often than not.  Well, tonight the skate was on the other foot, as Corey Crawford continued his dominance of The Habs by thoroughly "Pricing" MTL in their home opener.

Make no mistake, The Habs have a number of truly fine players beyond Price; Shea Weber has yet to fall off the cliff as I had predicted he would, Pacioretty and Drouin are good all-rounders and Paul Byron is an underrated gem, despite being so small that he can order from the Kids Menu without argument from his server.  Even Tomas Plekanec, at age 63, continues his sterling two-way game.  Then we get to The Guys....Benn, Petry, Shaw, Mitchell and so on...marginal at best and too often entrusted with tasks beyond their grasp.  Spare a thought, also, for Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk, two talented youngsters who have endured so much mismanagement and mind fuckery that you wonder why they haven't bolted to The KHL to sweat it out until their contracts expire.

My point is that, between the brace of below-average skaters, promising players being crushed by the weight of expectation and a front office that allows the Montréal media to influence their decisions, far too much is left to Carey Price who, somehow, has yet to crumble under this enormous responsibility.  The Canadiens are not nearly as good a team as they are made out to be.

ANYWAY
The Hawks barely played well enough to win this one, but an indifferent effort by Price and an outstanding performance by Crawford allowed them to slip out of la Belle Province with another two points in the bag.  Here are ya Bits:

* Ah, so much gushing over Alex DeBrincat potting his first pro goal but, apart from that and the helpie he picked up later, he didn't really have an outstanding game, otherwise.  Still, it's great that he was able to contribute and perhaps he'll get a little confidence boost as a result of tonight or, better yet, maybe tonight's efforts will be enough to earn him a look alongside Kane.
* The second line was essentially rubbish again.  Yes, Anisimov scored, finally, albeit on a tap-in that anyone but myself could have completed.  Hartman has been nowhere since the moment Schmaltz went down on Saturday and, for some ungodly reason, Kane spent a chunk of the game skating alongside Hayden and Wingels.  I get that the second line was flailing but, man, there has to be a better option than deploying Kane with the fourth-liners.

* In the feel-good story of the fall, however, the first line continues to steamroll over everything in its path. Their backcheck has been solid, their forecheck relentless and their offensive awareness shockingly apt.  The two quick, pinpoint passes that led to the Saad goal were beautiful to behold.  While other parts of The Hawks' lineup have struggled these last couple of games Toews, Saad and Panik have been consistently excellent, all the more important with the other lines being such a mess at the moment.
* I didn't mind Franson slotting into Murphy's spot.  Sure, The Habs had him running around a bit in his own end but, really, he wasn't any worse than Murphy has been at times and, surprisingly, no slower.  The big upside with Franson tonight was that The Hawks had another option on the power play; Franson's shot is hard, low and he doesn't waste any time unleashing it, and his cross-ice pass to DeBrincat was borne of equal parts skill and nerve.  I'll take my chances with Franson's shortcomings if he can bring this 'zazz on a regular basis.

I'm still deeply concerned about the wide-ranging effect of Schmaltz's injury.  If this is what happens when a second year forward who played only half the time last year goes down.....well, Toews and Co., as well as Corey Crawford, had better be prepared to carry the mail.  A Lot.  

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.

That'll Do, Pig: Hawks 10, Penguins 1

I wonder if anyone has compiled The Hawk's record for these One More Shift events

                             This is roughly when things went awry for The Penguins.

It's late and there's not a whole lot to say, really, except maybe "wow" and "well done". I'll get right to it.
* There were a couple of unexpected personnel shuffles at forward and two defense pairings we had not seen in any preseason games, which was definitely weird, but it worked so I'll shut up about that except to say that Hartman + Schmaltz + Kane = 👍👍👍👍
* Aaaand not to rain on anyone's parade but The Penguins should have taken it as a sign when Antti Niemi fell when he stepped onto the ice for warm-ups.  Granted, The Hawks were very much on-point to start the game and relentlessly so, at that, but this one was done, son, well before Antti let that fourth one through.  The Penguins simply had no will to continue after The Hawks' furious start.
* I was prepared to condemn Coach Q to hell or even Missouri when I realized that DeBrincat would skate on the third line....but given the game Hartman had and the potential for The Hawks to have a third line that will run wild on the opposition's bottom six....well, I'm prepared to be patient on this issue.
* Olli Maata was one of a few Penguins who were -5 on the night and, hilariously, looked as if he might vomit after his third minus.
* I believe this is the first season-opener 30+ years in which The Hawks did not have a lineup spot wasted with some neanderthal goomba who "played" six or seven minutes.  See how well that went?
* Kero and Schmaltz both left the game early but Coach Q stated that both were "fine" after the game.  While Q is often guilty of understating the extent of injuries The Hawks did have the luxury of not having to play those guys after they had come up lame.
* Finally, congrats to Patrick Sharp on his 600th career point!

Okay, we'll be back on Saturday for The Blue Jackets for what seems like the 100th time in a month.  Let's do it again.

Are We Doing This Or Not? Predators 5, Hawks 0

Was that the worst game The Hawks have played in eight years?  Maybe not, but it may have been the worst playoff game they've fumbled through.
It's not like the team was universally bad, although several Hawks were, indeed, outright awful.  It's more that enough Hawks players were bad enough, often enough, for things to get out of control pretty quickly.  Infuriatingly, when they needed to step things up, they actually played worse, even when Nashville were content to let The Hawks come at them and just tried to limit their chances.
By the midpoint of the third period our guys were squeezing their sticks so hard they looked like Del Griffith's steering wheel in Planes Trains & Automobiles.
Panarin appeared indifferent for much of the game.
Hjalmarsson couldn't complete a pass for love nor money.
Every defenseman, for that matter, made at least one pass to nowhere.  That said, oftentimes the forwards were so far up-ice and heading the wrong way it certainly made it more difficult to break out than it needed to be.
Toews and Schmaltz, I thought, put forth a good effort, anyway, but rarely at the same time.
Rasmussen had a mostly good game....for Dennis Rasmussen, but even that was undone by his failure to knock Sissons on his ass, 'cos he was the only guy in a position to do so.
Don't even get me started on T-V-fucking-R.  This team will never meet their potential as long as that waste of skin is in the lineup, let alone soaking up 15+ precious minutes of ice time.
And then....

This idiot posted what must be a team record 5% Corsi.  How is that even possible?  I guess we'll be treated to seven minutes of Tomas Jurco in Game Three, but even that would be better than Hartman's stupidity tonight.  Another game like that and he'll be a Las Vegas Golden-whatever soon enough.

Gotta get the first goal on Monday.  If these guys get down early again, even by a goal, it could be lights out.

About Last Night: Predators 1, Hawks 0

It was another one of those nights in which The Hawks appeared to be the better team but came away with zippo to show for it.  Apart from the last half of the first period the home side demolished Nashville in possession and chances but simply could not close the deal.  Of course I'm gonna tell ya why I think that happened.
The Line Blender was brought out of storage a little too quickly.  Only the third line remained unaltered after the puck dropped for the second period and, while they provided some of The Hawks' most dominant shifts, they remain an incomplete unit to a large extent.  For all his good qualities, Kruger is pretty limited offensively, while Hossa and Hartman are primarily finishers.  If they're not able to get the puck to each other on a regular basis (and they haven't been) goals will be hard to come by.
On that tack, I don't recall what serious indiscretion Schmaltz committed to be relegated to spot duty for the last 40 minutes, but was Kero really the best choice to skate with Toews and Panik for the duration?  Would it have been a bad idea to shoot Hoss in there, instead, as it's not like his trio was accomplishing much, despite their best efforts?  I like Kero, and he puts forth a solid effort every night, but he's far from being a skilled player.
The Nashville goal was made possible to a large extent by the collision of Schmaltz and Panik, with Toews becoming slightly entangled there, as well.  Is THAT what led to Schmaltz's banishment, 'cos he was the only one of those three Hawks forwards who had a Predator in his grasp?  If that's the case then Coach Q and Co. need to look at the tape.
While Anisimov was better in his first game back than I expected his timing was all messed up, so it was unfortunate that he had the lion's share of chances that his line created.
Oduya struggled in all aspects; too slow and couldn't make a simple pass reliably.  On the flip, Campbell had a good bounce-back effort after a few pretty indifferent games to close out the regular season, his only errors in judgement being involving TVR in his plans.  Keith was fantastic, I thought, even if he made a couple of decisions late in the game that didn't pan out.

It's far from panic time. The Hawks could well have won this one; if the sticks start working and the lines begin gelling again we'll be just fine.

Well, At Least That Frees Up The Evening: Bruins 3, Hawks 2

Keith looks like he's already had enough, here, and Kane had to be stitched up before the game even started.  Yeah, just get it over with.  Several of The Hawks just weren't mentally invested in the game. Keith had the puck go through his wickets or hop over his stick a bunch of times, Panarin looked like he was playing rat hockey on half of his shifts, I can't say I really noticed Toews much at all today and I won't even start on TVR.  The guys who tried hardest were the ones with the least ability to make a difference in the match.
But so what?  They have the Conference locked up, there's not really anything left to play for, yet they have another three games to just get through, hopefully without anyone getting hurt.  It's not even like they played badly...just not as well as they can, and that's okay.

An Open Comment to Ryan Hartman:
Let's give the embellishment a rest, already.  Why was it necessary, when hacked a little on the chest area, to try to sell a shot to the face?  It's unbecoming.  Just keep doing what you're doing - it's great so far - but knock it off with the histrionics. Understand that I HAVE to mention this, having mocked The Coyotes' Mike Smith for several years now.  Do yourself and everyone else a favour by rising above the level of that idiot.