Sixes And Sevens: Leafs 7, Hawks 6 (OT)

That was sure interesting.
Despite the result and despite signaling some legit issues, there are several positive takeaways from this match.
1) The Hawks are scoring
2) Henri Jokiharju looks to be the Real Deal
3) The Hawks battled back in each of their first three games.  One could view that as less than good, but I'm choosing to believe that The Hawks have somewhat more resolve than they've displayed the last couple of seasons.  They're battling hard, for now, anyway.
Let's get to The Bits

The first ten minutes of the game was perhaps the best game The Hawks have played in a year.  Sure, it's a pity that they failed to maintain that relentless pressure but, even with the lulls and lapses, The Hawks' offensive game has been surprisingly good.
Cam Ward, on the other hand, was confounding.  While he made a handful of excellent stops half of the goals he allowed looked quite saveable.  John Tavares is undeniably great but even he shouldn't be scoring on the short side from that angle and 4.62 / 0.843 is not a stat line I'm at all comfortable with.  It feels weird to type this and even to think this, but I'm looking forward to Bergie getting a start, soon.

Come at me, bro'.

Kane & Toews continue to be the straws stirring The Hawks' drink right now.  Maybe not on every shift, but they'll be along, they'll be along soon enough....
Erik Gustafsson defied all logic & predictions by logging a third consecutive solid effort.  No significant errors, unforseen poise in all aspects of his game and the best Hawks d-man where breakouts were concerned.  Proceed, Gus.
Dominik Kahun took a step forward tonight with two helpies and a great chance in the second period.  The only thing better than his pass to DeBrincat was the look on his face after the goal.

John Hayden - goal or no goal, played well enough that I don't expect to see Martinsen back in his spot for awhile.  Johnson's spot, maybe, but not Hayden's.
Henri Jokiharju appears to have shaken off all of the apprehension he was carrying during the preseason.  He made only one serious error and notched three primary assists.  The only thing keeping Hank off the PP unit is Q's loyalty/comfort where Keith & Seabrook are concerned, and that could change really fast.
Alex DeBrincat suffered through an uncharacteristically weak game.  Yes, he scored, a tap-in that was far more about Kahun's sweet pass, but DBC was yippy off and on throughout the contest.
A topsy-turvy game for Brandon Manning.  He had three good looks, one of which resulted in a goal, but was wildly inconsistent in his own end.  Edzo likes that Manning brings a little snarl to the backline and that's fair enough, but tonight it took him all of 20 seconds to give the puck away with a mindless, no-look evacuation play.  A little later he attempted another clearing play, straight up the middle (which is bad enough) that instead struck Saad in the head or upper body (which is definitely bad).  He completed the trifecta on Matthews' second goal, caught standing alone at the edge of The Hawks' net, too slow and too far away to take away Matthews' chance, there.
Duncan Keith, too, had an up-and-down game, turning in some not-great shifts in which it took a few tries to clear his zone (or The Leafs scored) but, on the flip, he's actually getting shots through to the net!  Last season that was as rare as Pope shit.
The Power Play took a step backwards tonight.  While they've still yet to score any PP goals both units were moving the puck extremely well and getting good chances in the first two games.  Tonight, though, looked a lot like the PP we've endured for the last two or three seasons: too static, too rigid in their positioning and taking predictable shots from predictable locations.  Despite failing to cash in either the OTT or STL game, I loved the puck movement and that they were just kind of freestyling out there.  It sure looked tougher to defend against than what they got up to tonight.

And so, we'll reconvene on Thursday (or more likely Friday 'cos I have a late game on Thurs), with a trip to Minny to reacquaint with the annoying Wild.  Over & out.

Sixes and Sevens

Watch The Show: Hawks 5, Blues 4 (OT)

I'll risk saying this too many times but...it's only been two games and, so far, I mostly like what I see.  I'm hesitant to go all-in on calling any long-term shots, as we had a pretty flamboyant start last season, and we all know how that went.
Regardless, two wins to begin the year goes a long way toward not digging a pit early on, which is especially encouraging given that it's been Cam Ward in the twine with Crawford yet to be seen.  

The Bits
Toews & Kane have been masterful, doing almost everything right. Toews is skating with more pep than we've seen in several years and has been driving the net with impunity.  If you cross your eyes a little you could swear it was 2013 again.  Each of them have benefited from linemates who are themselves playing with greater authority; both DeBrincat and Schmaltz are displaying greater vision & puck patience, something that did not kick in until the second half of last season, when other issues cast a long shadow on their blossoming.  Schmaltz made a great keep that led to the second goal and, a bit later, did not hesitate and hit Kane with a brilliant head-man pass to set up Kruger's tap-in.
Henri Jokiharju burst forth with a stunning game after a slightly yippy debut in Ottawa.  It's almost as if he needed to just that first game over & done with before he could settle in and do his thing.  He collected his first two NHL points, foiled no less a man than Vlad Tarasenko and began a number of rushes with smart, calm outlet passes.
Breakouts have been good so far.  The man starting the rush has been able to find one or more good passing options, which says as much or more about the forwards' positioning as the d-men making a good first pass.
Coming From Behind was tough, last year, even for the team that is notorious for leaving it late but, in two games, The Hawks have managed to overcome deficits and win it late.  I like their resolve, thus far.
Plenty of Hawks had quietly effective, even excellent performances.  Saad & Kampf each made nice defensive plays and were positionally strong all evening, while Rutta and Keith were calmly blocking shots and keeping pucks in The Blues zone, and Keith jumped in on the offense to create some chances.  Anisimov didn't have as strong a game, overall, but was driving the net hard and won some crucial faceoffs late in the game.
Did Erik Gustafsson just have the two best consecutive games in his career?  There's been no single highlight reel play but his game has been simply excellent, overall, with none of the defensive complacency he was so often guilty of in the past.  So far.
Beefs - Seabrook was a mixed bag tonight.  Never mind that there should have been a penalty on Maroon for the high hit to dislodge the puck, 'cos Seabs had two far better options other than the one he chose, either of which would probably have clicked if he'd gone that route.  Later on, though, his good stick check stripped Bozak of the puck, allowing Schmaltz to start the rush to The Hawks' third goal.  Seabs and Manning weren't always great in their own zone, either, as they always seemed to be out there when The Blues were taking medium-range potshots from the high slot.  Martinsen, also, was disappointing.  I realize that we musn't expect a lot from the fella but he was flat out bad in this one, taking a thoughtless penalty and making an inopportune turnover.  Probably time for John Hayden to draw in.
Cam Ward wasn't awful, wasn't great but was good enough on the night and outdueled Jake Allen, at least, in a pretty even contest.  I'm not sure we can realistically hope for more than that.

Tomorrow: I'd been worrying about the home opener given that it'll be against the now offensively potent Maple Leafs and on the second half of a back-to-back, at that.  However, The Leafs are also in the midst of two in a row and just lost to OTT this evening.  It will likely be Bergie getting the start tomorrow which probably means less than one would think, as it's a push, really, where he and Ward are concerned.  Hopefully, the guys in front of him can limit the Leafs' quality looks and score some goals while they're at it.

Watch The Show

Myxomatosis: Hawks 4, Senators 3

Close one there.

The Hawks were perilously close to giving one away to a team with maybe, what, five good players.  Outshot them mightily, only experienced one small dip on the Corsi graph, yet were nearly undone by the same-old-same-old.
Still, it's one game, with three guys playing in their first real NHL match, things could and should improve.  It would be nice to not have to rely on Kane to bail them out each and every game this season.

Okay, to the Bits.
Only one Line had consistent net-front presence: Anisimov with Kampf and Kunitz and, while they weren't able to cash in, they had a number of good looks.  That was a pleasant surprise.
Toews & DeBrincat clicked just as they had in preseason.  Kahun wasn't bad by any means but wasn't as involved as his linemates.  Again, his first NHL game, it'll come to him, I think.
Zero urgency with that second line until late in the game.  Haven't we heard that song before, the one where The Hawks wait until the last possible moment to put forth a meaningful effort.  Sometimes, man, they're like a kid that studies for his exam on the bus, going to school.
Lots of Problems with the D: we saw glimpses of ineptitude with Manning in preseason and tonight he confirmed all suspicions.  Too much running around, chasing opposing forwards that he ain't gonna trouble.  Jokiharju may have caught some hell for turning the puck over for the first OTT goal, but he'd never had been in that position if Keith hadn't made that pass to nowhere IN THE HIGH SLOT.  Gotta be better, Duncs.
Gustafsson had a solid game and Seabrook wasn't bad, so that's something positive.
Cam Ward wasn't great, wasn't terrible, which I think is okay, for now.  He didn't get a lot of help in the first period.

So it's off to the worst city in America on Saturday where, for reasons unknown, they get really stirred up when The Hawks come a-calling.  Let's just try not to get hurt.

Myxomatosis

Post 2017 - 2018 Report Cards and Season Preview of Sorts: Forwards, The Made Men

There's nothing like leaving everything 'til the last minute, right?  I envisioned knocking out a post-season wrap up, oh...maybe when the playoffs ended, but I was still grumpy about The Hawks and put it off. Anyway, after a few false starts here it is, the fourth and final 2017-18 Report Cards/ 2018-19 Team Preview  You're welcome.

The forward corps was no less frustrating and underacheivey than the D and G but there are, at least, some bright sunshiny rays here.  Oh, and Ryan Hartman, too!

Artem Anisimov

Large Arthur backslid mightily stats-wise last season, presumably due to the absence of Panarin, in which he lost a productive linemate, but also because he was shuffled endlessly between 2C and 3C, lacking the consistent comfort of the same two wingers that he'd enjoyed for two seasons.  Still, he was a beast on the PP and a fixture on the PK.  He seems poised to suffer the same fate this year, likely beginning the season at 3C but, if the second line falters he'll be the first to slot up, putting him in a weird "good enough to have around even if we don't know exactly what to do with him" place.  Hopefully still useful but he'll have to work his tail off for even-strength ice time if the first two lines happen to gel. B- for last season.

Alex DeBrincat

Despite a slow start DBC was the star of this woeful show last season, posting the best numbers among Hawks rookies and placing second in team scoring, tops in goals.  And this was with a group that, almost to a man, punched below their weight or were deadweight to begin with.  Consider, also, that he skated in the bottom six for some time before Desperate Measures were undertaken.  When he was drafted I scoffed at the idea of a 5'7" forward on an already pretty small squad but, as it turned out, his size had little bearing on what he managed to accomplish.  He was also one of only a few forwards to finish with a plus rating, though I'll temper that with the caveat that he enjoyed rather cushy zone starts a lot of the time.  Had the guys he played alongside had a better time of it last season he'd have been in the conversation for Rookie Of The Year.  A, far exceeding expectations while everything around him turned to mud.

Ryan Hartman

Power forward or meathead?  Who knew which Ryan Hartman would show up from one night to the next?  That first game, the one that turned out to be a cruel lie, promised so much and Hartman was the most intriguing aspect of that fantasy.  Hell, he was The NHL's leading scorer for several days, yet finished the year in Nashville with a paltry 31 points.  It's hard to say how and why he could be a world beater one night and an embarrassment the next but my guess would be that he too easily lost sight of what he needed to do to succeed.  Or maybe his idea of success is more aligned to cheap shots than slap shots.  I'm not going to dwell on it as he's down the road, but I think there's something there with Hartman and it's just a matter of whether he's willing and able to rise above his tendency to....well, be stupid.  B-, as little was expected and we got slightly more than that.

Patrick Kane

Well, he tried, mostly.

It had to be frustrating to have his linemates shuffled around half the time, particularly after playing almost exclusively with the same two guys for two years.  That was not a luxury we had last season and it seemed that the coaching staff were constantly searching for a magic bullet, some combination that would bring more out of Kane.  Sometimes it worked, sometimes not and a lot of the time he just seemed tired, or maybe just tired of having to be THE GUY even when The Hawks were clearly out of the running.  Kane posted his lowest points-per-game in six seasons yet still led the team in scoring.  A few more options exist for this season, perhaps, but The Staff look to be starting Kane off with familiar linemates that yielded mixed results last year.  B, not because he was necessarily bad but circumstances prevailed against him.

Chris Kunitz

Kunitz has been a winner even more often than The Hawks' Core, which is great resumé stuff but one could well argue that his greatest successes, four Stanley Cups and an Olympic Gold Medal, are inextricably linked to his proximity to Sidney Crosby. By no means do I wish to be unflattering and Crosby certainly benefited from his connection with Kunitz but, at age 39 and with little chance of playing alongside anyone Crosby-like, I question his utility.  If Kunitz DOES end up playing regularly with Kane or DeBrincat, for example, that likely means that The Hawks are in serious trouble so I'm in no hurry to slot Kunitz up just to what that looks like.  Based on his preseason outings his wheels are still there and he appears to be in shape, but the hand skills have largely gone to hell.

Marcus Kruger

Krugs is no saviour but he's a known, reliable quantity.  He takes his tasks, as unglamourous as they may be, very seriously and appears to exist quite happily in that role player spot, with no pretenses of playing in the top six.  An outstanding checker, puck retriever and penalty killer, Kruger will take a lot of pressure off Toews, who essentially worked two full time jobs last season. He's still just okay at the dot so I expect he'll usually pair up with Kampf or Johnson and faceoffs will be by committee.  The beautiful thing with Kruger, though, is that even if he loses a faceoff, there's an even chance he'll get that puck back, soon enough. Played well in the preseason, especially with Martinsen, the blunt instrument to Krug's precision tool.  Very glad to have him back.

Richard Panik

It was back to earth for Panik after his breakout season in 2016-17.  Even so, he was rarely bad, but simply failed to repeat the otherworldly shooting percentage he enjoyed the year prior.  The harder it became for Panik to score, the tighter he gripped that stick, to the point where he was gacking tap-ins and wide open cages.  His reaction after scoring vs. Ottawa last January, after having not scored in nearly three months was a mix of elation and resignation, as even he knew it was too little, too late.  He never stopped trying and I liked the guy, even if Phoenix-area restaurateurs aren't crazy about him.  An honest if reluctant C.

Brandon Saad

The prodigal had returned, and just in time assume his rightful place as a Hossa-in-training.  Well, it did not go as well as hoped nor planned.  Saad looked fine, skating well, good positionally and working hard, but he always seemed to be on the wrong side of the inch, just missing a post, getting a puck flat on his stick blade....stuff like that.  Like Panik, though, the longer that went on the worse it seemed to get and, by mid-February one wondered if he would ever score again.  As it was, he posted his lowest offensive stats in any of his five full campaigns yet, had he converted half of the near-misses he flubbed over the season, he could well have been in the 45-50 point range. His preseason was inconclusive, as he looked out of sync on the third line but a lot more in-step with Kane & Schmaltz.
B-, no matter what caused his funk.

Nick Schmaltz

Almost every time I saw Schmaltz during his rookie season, 2016-17, he looked bewildered, only snapping out of that deer-in-headlights trancelike appearance in the latter half of the season, when he put together a series of great games.  In 2017-18 he again had a stronger second half and went long stretches without denting the twine, but he was far less hesitant and much more willing to hang onto the puck a little longer than he'd been doing.  Hell, it was mid-season before I realized just how fast he is, 'cos he'd never really bothered to show off that feature.  As his confidence and his willingness to put himself out there a bit more increases so will his contributions.  I'm eager to see what surprises he pulls out his hat this season, and I hope he doesn't wait until January to do it.  Third in team scoring is worth at least a B and it coulda maybe been an A if he'd found his feet a little earlier amirite?

Patrick Sharp

It was a sad year for Patrick Sharp fans, less for his retirement at the end of the season but more for having to witness his "homecoming" season be such a mess. Age and injuries/surgeries have taken a hard toll on Sharpie and it was clear early on that neither his legs nor his hands were up to the task any longer. As tough as it was to watch an old favourite slog through such an awful season, both for himself and the team, it was still good to see him back in red & black and to be sent off in style by The Blackhawks.  A for effort and let's not judge the man for the last thing he's done, but for his body of work OK?

Jonathan Toews

Only by sheer force of will did Tazer manage to pull even on points with Schmaltz and DeBrincat.  This past season was probably toughest on Toews, as he shoulders a heavy load, especially when things are not going to plan.  As mentioned earlier, he was tasked with centering The Hawks ostensive "first line", the implication there being goal production, but he also faced their opposition's best center, night in, night out.  The long spring & summer, as disappointing as it surely was at the time, will do him a world of good and, if preseason is anything to go by, he's got a lot of jump in his step this fall.  He's connecting well with DeBrincat and Kahun and, even if Kahun falters, there are at least some other options to explore that are a far cry from some of the "solutions" that Q came up last year.  He never quit and persevered through some pretty ridiculous coaching decisions: A-

Tommy Wingels

I was as disappointed as I was surprised that The Hawks didn't offer Wingels a contract once his trade deadline gig with BOS ended.  Wingels is no star, has little guile and even less in the way of hand skills, but he remains far greater than the sum of his parts.  He's smart, disciplined and understands fully what is expected of him. And he mostly succeeds in carrying out his tasks....as long those tasks are in line with his ability, which is checking, mucking, killing penalties and other myriad dirty work.  However, when thrust upon the team's top line for reasons still unknown....well, there's no guarantee attached.  I like the guy, I like his game for what it is and The Hawks got all that they paid for and more.  B for Best guy in the Bottom six last year.

IT'S ALL TO PLAY FOR - TONIGHT - 7:30 ET/ 6:30 CT, TSN5 and WGN.  Go Hawks.

Here We Go Again? Senators 2, Hawks 1 (Preseason T-Minus 2)

Sadly, I am compelled to comment on Thursday's meaningless preseason match vs. OTT.
This is because, I am sorry to report, it did not look nor feel meaningless, as what we saw was all too familiar.
The Hawks hit the ice with a more-or-less representative lineup, squared up against a 70/30 veterans/prospects OTT squad who, I must note, were dogshit last season and that was with Eric Karlsson in the lineup.  And we lost, 2-1, which wasn't a blowout, obviously and The Sens goals only half-signaled any specific issues.  The problem is that The Hawks looked exactly like the team that curled up and died last winter.
Passing was abysmal.  That was the worst aspect of The Hawks game between about the 7th and 55th minute.  Practically everyone got in on the act to some extent, but I'll call out Keith, Gustafsson, Jokiharju and Saad as being especially bad.  Watching that occur makes one wonder if this team gives a single crap about what happens this year, 'cos that was a rerun of last year.  You know, the season that they claim was unacceptable?
Ditto for positional play, which didn't help with the passing when guys were late joining the rush or if the theoretical best passing option wasn't available 'cos the guy just wasn't there.

Dark Places
Jokiharju is not ready.  The first OTT goal was on him, too soft and too hesitant going after that puck behind the goal line.  Yep, someone should have had Duchene but Ryan shouldn't have had a puck to pass to Duke in the first place.  As mentioned, Jokiharju's passing was poor and was often rushed.  Nobody likes to get hit but the kid had better get used to it.
Kunitz appears to be a waste of time.
Kahun had his first stinkeroo as a Hawk, rarely being where he ought to be, which was unfortunate as his linemates were having a fine game in the meantime.
Gustafsson made a few nice plays, especially while breaking out, but his first pass was uncharacteristically weak for much of the night and he was lazy getting back, as was the case too often last season.
Keith was flat out bad.  As great as he was vs. DET last week, he was that BAD and more in this game.
Bright Spots?
Forsberg was actually pretty good between the pipes.  Duchene's goal was a coin-flip as to whether or not the puck hits him or not and the game winner was unfortunate as Bergie is usually better at tracking that goal crease stuff.  Still, an okay outing.
Toews and DeBrincat look ready to roll. Loving their chemistry, so far.
Manning had his strongest game, even if he spent too much time distracted by second generation shitbird Brady Tkachuk.

The Hawks need a strong effort tonight.  They don't even need to win, they just need to do something different than what they did on Thursday, which was a replay of the last 40 games of 2017-18.  Even if they found new & unusual ways to fail it would be improvement.

Kampf and Kane in for Johnson/Sikura?
Davidson in for Jokiharju?
Saad - Schmaltz - Kane in practice this AM.

Final 2017-18 wrap/season preview coming in the next few days

Sunday's Big Boy

Don't wanna talk about Saturday's match, but for The Hawks' 3-1 win over Los Angeles the Big Boy is Jonathan Toews with two primary assists  and a determined defensive effort.

                                                    Capt. Serious: I am smiling.