A Three Dressed Up As A Nine: Canucks 4, Hawks 2

Thought we had a good one going, for 35 minutes anyway.  Even then I was confident that The Hawks would regroup after those few rough minutes at the end of the second period and resume having their way with The Canucks.  Alas, The Canucks stormed the gates right off the trot in the third, while The Hawks failed to respond.
These west coasties always have me a day late so let's not muck about.

No Kane looked like No Problem for awhile.  Kunitz was an odd choice to fill 88's boots but Saad was so good that it could have been anyone on the left wing.  Saad was a beast all evening with a goal, a shot off the post and an optimistic kick-in that was called back.  All his game seems to lack, when he's switched on like this, is precision - he could stand to be slightly more patient and choose his shot locations more carefully rather than just shotgunning the puck.
The Hawks Third Line was a nightmare.  Schmaltz's errant pass led directly to VAN's first goal, annoyingly scored by a guy who, had he not stumbled onto that interception, would have been hollered at for lazy-dogging it back to The Canuck's zone.  Fortin did  little more than chug up and down the wing, rarely involved, probably just hoping for a long pass and a scoring chance.  I didn't mind Johnson on the PP, actually.  He'd got some poise and he appears to know what to do and where to do it, even if he lacks any finish (which is still left to be seen).
Brandon Manning: I'll partially violate my standing order to not discuss this lump unless he's anything except bad, but only because he was well beyond merely bad last night.  As usual, his first pass was rotten all night and, on Virtanen's second goal, he was absolutely pantsed by Granlund.  Why was he standing still at his own blue line with three Canucks entering The Hawks' zone?  Tipping Roussel's shot past Crawford was just the icing on Manning's shit cake.  He might have gotten away with fucking up the Granlund thing had Davidson not been paralyzed by indecision.  Maybe if Davidson had committed to Virtanen he could have closed the gap and prevented the shot, or maybe the shooter was always gonna be out of reach.  We'll never know.
Crawford had a so-so game, mighty in many ways but three of the four VAN goals were nothing special.  That's partly on the guys in front of him, allowing so many mano-a-mano chances, but Crow did lose all of those duels.
DeBrincat wasn't super sharp, either, whiffing on passes and having the puck bounce off his stick a bit.  He's going to have off nights like anybody else but his timing kinda sucked, what with Kane being ill and half of his teammates not showing up for the third period.
Dominik Kahun is in a precarious spot right now.  That line has been great, generally, but his contributions have been infrequent.  If that trio fails to get going in EDM and CAL I expect Kahun to find himself in the bottom six next week.

Trooper - 3 Dressed Up as A 9

Questions Abound: Canucks 5, Hawks 2

Okay, so The Hawks were a bit unlucky in this one, but not to the tune of three goals.  I have questions!
1) Did no one involved in coaching or decision making notice those couple of power plays last week in which The Hawks moved the puck and moved their feet and they scored some goals?
If so, why are we being forced to endure the same old get-the-zone (eventually, if at all) and play-catch-while-we-all-stand-still?  This is ridiculous.
2) Has the so-called Push-em-Back power play breakout scheme ever worked?  This is such a huge waste of time and, almost hilariously, they mess it up half the time, anyway (I'm lookin' at you, Gustafsson).  Yeah, I understand that they want to have Kane, primarily, enter the o-zone with speed, but what's the rush?  IF they manage to gain the zone everyone just takes their positions and stands there, anyway.  It might be smarter to decline power plays, going forward.
3) When was the last time Keith completed a pass?

Otherwise...
The Hawks crushed VAN in Corsi and chances.  Only one Hawks player was south of 50% Corsi, most were 60-70%, yet....
The Hawks' goaltending is garbage, full stop.
Sharp was stymied once and hit a crossbar.
Hinnie had a sure thing tipped away.
Seabrook maybe should have a penalty shot? (which he would have gacked, but that's not for now)
Schmaltz was excellent, so there's that.

But, wow, The Hawks have allowed 26 goals against in the last five games and were -14 in that run.  I need a drink.

Backbreaker: Canucks 4, Hawks 2

Chances are good that we'll look back on this game with no small amount of regret.  Elsewhere tonight, The Avalanche, Stars, Predators and The Blues all increased their point totals while The Hawks somehow managed to lose, again, to the feckless Canucks.

How do they do it?  Well, let's start with crap passing.  How many passes were off target, in feet instead of on sticks?  I don't believe Duclair has made more than a handful of clean passes in the O-zone since he arrived in Chicago.  Then there's poor pass reception; too often when a pass was on the tape it was bobbled.  Hinostroza fumbled passes twice when in primo position.  Finally, just poor shooting.  Toews, Wingels and Kampf all missed on point-blank opportunities.

Unbelievably, The Hawks dominated The Canucks in practically every statistical category except, as usual, the only one that really matters.  Granted, three of the four GA were tipped in or deflected in, but when a goof like Brendan Gaunce scores 40% of his career goals against you in a single night and outmuscles and outhustles the guy who is ostensibly your #2 defenceman, trouble is afoot.

Good news?  Sure.  Keith played a great, nervy game while the others stood still, and Saad had two pretty good shifts.  That might not sound too stirring but that's two more effective shifts than he's provided in the last seven or eight games.

Buckle up folks: The Hawks play some good teams in the coming week.  

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?

Maybe It's Better This Way: Canucks 5, Hawks 4

It's time for another The Good, The Bad and The Ugly post.  This won't take long.
The Good
- Great possession stats, a gaudy shot count and a rare night in which The Hawks won the faceoff game.  How do you lose a game with numbers like this?  I'll get to that.
- There were some very good individual performances: Hartman, obviously, and Hossa put together a solid game after a bit of a haphazard start.  Panik was strong on the puck all evening, and both Hayden and Rasmussen made excellent plays at both ends of the ice.  
The Bad
- Two goals against were precipitated by The Hawks' forwards bolting downrange before they had established control of the puck.
- Five goals against on fifteen shots. While three of the four allowed by Crawford were on odd-man rushes or deft redirections, the poke check attempt on Sutter's first goal was clumsy and maybe a little impatient.
- The penalty call on Toews in overtime was as soft as they come.  Maybe they felt that Toews embellished the shove from Edler that propelled him into Ryan Miller?
- Where was Kane for the first 45 minutes of the game?  
The Ugly
- Duncan Keith: six giveaways.  Soupy, another three.  Jurco, two giveaways in a mere seven minutes.  I've seen quite enough of Jurco, now.
- Seabrook simply could not keep the puck within The Canucks blueline.
- TVR and Jurco gave up on the second Sutter goal.  Unacceptable.

So, yeah, maybe it's a good thing to have lost this one.  The game came pretty easily to The Hawks, yet they really only applied a full effort in the last ten minutes or so.  Again.  Losing to a team that's basically senior citizens and Guys, after pummeling them in all regards except the score, might be just the thing to create some urgency and perhaps inspire The Hawks to bring their A Game in the first two periods.  I'd be embarrassed and I rather hope The Hawks are, as well..

One Minute Away From a Proper Trouncing: Hawks 4, Canucks 2

Alright, before anyone gets too excited, let's just remind ourselves that this was The Canucks and that they're garbage.
On the other hand, results aside, Jonathan Toews having a dominant performance this evening IS pretty exciting.
I'll offer one other point / counterpoint before I rack out: Corey Crawford wasn't great.  Not awful, but far from tip-top, and he was fortunate on a few occasions, such as when one of The Creepy Twins missed the net with 4+ feet of mesh in full view, as well as a couple of pucks that he failed to track but hit him, regardless,
On the other hand, Kempny had a few minutes that were exactly what has sometimes kept him on the outside looking in and, tonight, had him benched for much of the third period.  On the flip of his unarguably dumb penalty and being completely pantsed by Horvat, he had an otherwise pretty good game.  As a Very Smart Guy I once knew used to say, though, "It takes ten 'attaboys' to make up for one 'oh shit'", and that's what went down for Kemps tonight.

Well, duh.

More NHL News and Non-News

No Consensus On Hall - Larsson Deal?  

He said: It Hasn't Paid Off
She said: The Gamble Looks Smart
All I know is that Hall is producing at a point-a-game clip and The Oilers defense is still dogshit, but what the hell do I know?

Once A Bruin Always A Bruin?

Ex-Bruin Pleads Guilty to Drug Charge
I get that Kevin Stevens is a Mass. boy, but I'll bet most people don't even remember the 41 Games he played as a Bruin.  Weird choice of associations, there.

We Don't "Do" Vancouver

Canucks Fourth Line are Teh Awesome
This is not so much about the game or The Canucks' bottom three, but rather this: SportsNet has nothing up today about the Canucks' game last night.  It's like it didn't happen or, better yet, The Canucks don't exist.  Yeah, either way...

The Habs: I Am Not Making Any of This Up

The following was gleaned entirely from English-language sources.  My point here is that this probably isn't even the really Good Stuff.
Should Price be Suspended for Blocker Punch?
Maybe, but the real question is should The Habs' Defense be suspended for being spineless do-nothings?
Habs Don't Have any Prospects that Other Teams Want
Also, players on other teams don't want to be in Montréal.
Galchenyuk & Desharnais Out 6-8 Weeks
Add Greg Pateryn to this list, as well.  But wait, things get worse!
Beaulieu Likely to Return
Yeah, that'll sort things out

Monday Morning Mockery: NHL "News"

Canucks Walked Away From Potential Trade for Evander Kane
Apparently, the deal involving Kane in exchange for Bo Horvat and All-You-Can-Eat Sushi for life was blocked by the Greater Vancouver Restaurateurs Association.

Is It Fair to Compare Marner to Kane?
Patrick Kane, in this case.
No, it is not.
Two months ago the Toronto hacks still believed Marner was too small, and played even smaller than that, not quick enough and, given the wealth of young talent on The Leafs' roster, highly unlikely to displace Matthews, Nylander et al for the few spots available for untested rookies. Good for Marner for rising above being constantly measured and found wanting.
But Patrick Kane he is not and it's a silly question to consider only 20 games into Marner's career. Facebook isn't the only source for Fake News, I guess.

Johnny Gaudreau Addresses Broken Finger
"Hullo, broken finger."
(Apologies to Art Carney)

One Out of Three is Quite Enough (If You're In Vancouver): Hawks 4, Canucks 3

              I do this for all the little people.  And also that guy behind me.

These recaps during the Circus Trip are all going to be late 'cos, once The Hawks went full-left coast, it's all happening way past my bedtime. I'll try to be brief since this is old news to everyone except me, apparently.

Vancouver has been awful and only the even-worse Flames and Coyotes separate The Canucks from the bottom of the West Standings.  Their scorers aren't scoring, their defense has been a mess while Chris Tanev has been hurt (file that under "You Know It's Bad When...") and their goaltenders have been feckless by committee.  The Creepy Twins are showing signs of winding down and there's not a lot below them to supplement what little scoring they are providing. Also, their fourth line have awkward names.
Yet, these Canucks played a pretty even first period against The Hawks and even took the early lead on a typical Loui Eriksson goal, one in which he won a Swipe Madly at The Puck duel with M. Kempny.  Emboldened, perhaps, Vancouver buried The Hawks in the second, particularly late in the frame, and popped another two goals, the first with considerable assistance by a too-lazy Brian Campbell and another off a diabolical pass and a shot that probably should have been stopped. It should have been in the bag for The Canucks, right?

Nope. Suddenly, The Hawks, who actually hadn't been that bad, just not very good, got serious, while The Canucks....well, they went back to being The Canucks.
Small Arthur began the comeback with a typical quick-release from the left circle, followed moments later by Vinnie Hinostroza, netting his first NHL goal on a nice individual effort.  Then in the last five minutes, Panik knocked Alex Edler off the puck, leaving a loose puck for Hinostroza.  It looked as if Hino was going to get the puck back to Panik, charging downrange, but instead spotted Hartman trailing the play, and laid a perfect pass for his linemate to one-time a blast past Jacob Markstrom. The Hawks continued to pressure Markstrom and Co. but this one was concluded in OT.

It was in extra time that Scott Darling earned this win, as all but the Horvat goal looked quite savable. Five saves in OT, including a stunner off Eriksson, kept The Hawks in it after their own apparent winning goal was called back after a Coaches' Challenge.  After another minute of exciting end-to-end play the man of the moment, Marian Hossa, potted yet another game winner, this time off a hard shot through a screening Alex Edler.
The Bits
The Roster had me pumped up right from the get-go, with Motte back in and no sign of Tootoo The Incredible Five Minute Man. The third and fourth lines looked promising and, as good as he's been generally, Forsling sitting in favour of Rozsival felt like a good call after Forsling's rough outing in Calgary.  It took over 40 minutes for them to make good on this promise, but whatever.
Schmaltz had his finest game as a Hawk and it's a shame he didn't manage to get something for the back of his hockey card in the bargain. More of that, please.
Keith had a series of miscues, once again.  What's going on with him, lately?
Kruger took no draws, which could mean nothing, as we know that Coach Q likes his centers pulling the puck backhand to the boards-side, but it could also indicate issues with Krug's hands or wrists.
The Fourth Line played only about ten minutes and started no shifts in their own end, but they absolutely slayed their opposition.  Speaking of...

Nine out of ten Stormares agree that Vinnie Hinostroza is deserving of recognition for this game.  He not only scored his first NHL goal but tallied two helpies, as well.  Didn't I say that Hino would start clicking once he got that first goal over with?  Well, I never get tired of being right, 'cos it so rarely happens....

Off-Day Shenanigans

It's time once again to enjoy the manufactured hockey "news" that somehow keep dozens of otherwise unemployable people afloat!

Little Mistakes Plague The Canucks

But why sweat the small stuff, though, when there's ONE big mistake that really matters: their lineup.

Teams Around the League Aren't Surprised by The Habs' Start

Of course they're not surprised, and nor will they be surprised when The Habs drop sixteen straight games immediately following Carey Price's next inevitable injury.

Will Trouba's Teammates Welcome Him Back with Open Arms?

Of course they won't; The Jets like being a -7 team.  Seriously, though, rumour has it that if this Trouba contract thing dragged on any longer The Jets would have activated Jim Kyte.

One Hundred Greatest Leafs

Hey, this list only goes to 63!

Tortorella: "I'm Going to Protect My Players"

"Because it's MY job to publicly demean them and throw them under the bus."

Why Does it Have to Be This Hard? Hawks 2, Western Canada 0

Awreet, since I watched both weekend games one after the other I'm sure I'll get some events mixed up, so I'll just pop in some general comments about both games.  It helps that both matches had a similar feel, with many things in common, both good and bad.
- The Hawks needed to come out of this weekend with four points and they managed that but, Sweet Mother of Zuul, they didn't exactly cruise to either victory.  That this occurred against two utterly feckless teams is somewhat worrisome.
- I say "somewhat" because we all know that The Hawks can be much better.  They seem to have this annoying let-up every March, so there's that, but the time to get serious is upon us, as there is still a dim hope of snagging home ice in the first playoff round.
- Both games "featured" a lot of the crap passing, poor timing and weird choices that we've been treated to over the past 3-4 weeks. Too often a player, mostly but not exclusively Panarin, either hangs onto the puck too long, missing a chance to hit a moving linemate, or hits the eject button too early and either launches a pass toward a colleague who's in no position to accept a pass or misses their mark entirely.  There were fewer of these instances this weekend, though, and a greater number of sequences in which The Hawks moved the puck kinda well but, again, consider the level of the opposition before declaring this a turning point.
- Scott Darling was very, very good.  I'll try not to diminish his efforts by pointing out (multiple times) that the quality of their opposition this weekend flatters to deceive, but the big guy allowed no soft goals, had decent positioning and a quick glove hand in both games.  He spent a lot of time in a semi-butterfly (kinda like in the photo above), though, with his stick flat on the ice, jerking his head back and forth trying to get a bead on the puck.  He's a large fella and covers a lot of the lower part of the net by doing that, but I have this niggling worry that if this represents his Plan A he's going to get lit up by teams that are more disciplined and accurate with their shooting (i.e. all the other teams in The West).
- The defense wasn't awful in either game but, again, level of opposition.  TVR was actually working rather well alongside Ehrhoff, which was weird because I thought it was supposed to be Ehrhoff that would push the play from the back and jump in on the offense.  TVR's first assist was a bit lucky as Flasch was fortunate to corral a pass that hot from so close, but the assist on Teravainen's goal was impressive;seriously, did anyone not expect TVR to shoot?  Anyway, good for him but let's not forget he was also alone, standing still when Burrows scored, earlier.
- Svedberg was on the ice for that goal, too, and was just as guilty of loitering as TVR.  I'm not sure what Svedberg hopes to accomplish by simply camping out in front of The Hawks' net; he hasn't shown any ability to read the play and lacks the quickness to react to any threat beyond his immediate reach, so he mostly just stands there, being in the way.  He was able to use that considerable reach to break up some plays along the boards but, really, this guy shouldn't be playing until his game becomes more active than reactive.
- As ridiculous a job Coach Q has done with the defense at least he had the good sense to immediately reunite possibly the finest fourth line in the league, Kruger, Shaw & Desjardins. These three wasted no time getting back to the task of consistently moving the puck north before handing the keys to one of the other lines and even cashing in a couple of times for good measure. The best Hawks line, overall, this weekend.
- Of small concern is the fact that Andrew Shaw took a lot more faceoffs than Marcus Kruger.  This could just be a cautious approach with Kruger just returning from wrist surgery, as he took 3x as many draws in his second game back than in his first, or it could just be a matter of which side of the ice these draws were taking place, as Coach Q seems to always want his centers drawing the puck backhand-style. It actually worked out fine on Sunday, as Shaw inexplicably laid waste to his Canuck counterparts, winning 11 of 12 attempts.

- Andrew Ladd had himself a good weekend after two weeks of just pilin' 'er up and down the wing.  He didn't have to work especially hard for any of his goals but that's okay; sometimes the gimmes lead to other things in the near-future.

- Teravainen was alright centering the second line.  I suspect that having played center the last few weeks had him better-prepared for the task than the last time he was parachuted into that spot. Amazingly, Teravainen led all Hawks forwards in ice time on Sunday.
- Looking ahead we're off to Minny on Tuesday for a chance at redemption against the eighth-placed Wild.  I would half expect Coach Q to come back with the same lineup as Sunday's, but that probably depends on whether Large Arthur was, in fact, out on Sunday due to an injury or if his exclusion was a coach's decision. Weise wasn't bad in limited duty on Sunday, so I see him getting the nod over Panik.

TSN = Comedy Gold

Against my better judgement I logged on to the hockey page at TSN.ca today, but I'm sure glad I did. Without clicking a single link I laughed until I stopped laughing.  
Check this trio of headlines:

• Ducks Horcoff banned 20 games for PEDS: Wow, imagine how awful he would have been without the use of banned substances.  Scary to even consider.
• Blues Seek Arena Upgrades in St. Louis: Easy - build a new arena in some other city.
• Hamhuis Most Important Player to Canucks:  I heard it was bad in Vancouver but this news is stick-your-head-in-the-oven bad.

I can't wait until tomorrow, when Gary Lawless (probably) writes Jets Are Bad at Hockey and Should Probably Move Back to Atlanta.

Once a Jackass...

Earlier this week former NHLer Patrick O'Sullivan remarked on Twitter:

Burrows only guy who said he wanted to hurt me like me father did — why I can’t stand him. Right to my face, twice actually. Once in the minors and once in Vancouver early in my career.
Vancouver Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows was referring to O'Sullivan's father, who subjected his son to many years of physical and emotional abuse.  On Thursday night Burrows made a public apology for the verbal missteps that occurred almost 10 years ago.

“I apologize if I offended him back then. Especially when I first came in [to the NHL], I was playing six or seven minutes a night on the fourth line and I wanted to help any way I could. And if I could get one guy off his game and get in someone’s kitchen, I was willing to do it to help our team or maybe get [us] on the power play."

Nice.  First, let's assume that Burrows was shamed or even ordered to make the apology publicly.  Second, he says "if I offended him", as if there is any doubt whatsoever regarding Burrows' intention when he said it or how O'Sullivan would react to the remark.  Including that "if" is kind of like saying "I'm sorry you feel that way", as if it's now Burrows who is being troubled by this.  It's a backhanded, insincere apology, and Burrows isn't sorry he said what he did, only that he's been called out for it.
Burrows continued: 
"I think I’ve matured a lot. I grew as a player and a person and in today’s society, for sure, it’s something I’ve got to be careful [about]. I wouldn’t cross that line now.”

Whatever. This is on the back of Burrows being spoken to by The NHL in November for making personal and hurtful comments to New Jersey's Jordin Tootoo.  That was quite a month of growth there, Alex.
So, yeah, once a jackass...and not kidding anyone.

The Hero of Zero: Hawks 4, Canucks 0 and Sunday's Big Boy

Tonight's was the first game all year that I had an easy, confident feeling about throughout the match. All four lines were ticking away like never before this season.  The defense...maybe not as much, and the level of competition may have flattered to deceive but, for the most part, I liked what I saw.
- That makes four consecutive solid outings for Andrew Shaw, after two months of sometimes-okay-sometimes-chowderhead.  I wonder if playing on a line in which his duties are more in tune with his abilities has anything to do with that.
- On that topic, I thought the Bickell-Rasmussen-Shaw line was excellent tonight.  This was easily Bickell's best game since returning from the gulag and I'm beginning to think this Razmatazz guy might be okay.  I think he owes Bickell a steak or something after bogarting that goal, but he had a strong game with some good looks and sound positioning.
- TVR was a nightmare and Rundblad went back to being unable to get the puck out of the zone if any opposing player was within 20 ft of him.  Hjalmarsson was oddly yippy in the first period but seemed to settle in after that.  On the plus side, Daley almost hit the net with a shot.
- So, Mashinter managed to cash in his third of three gift-wrapped chances tonight.  Bravo, sir.  I guess that will buy him another, what, 10 games?  20 games?  A four year contract?
- What of the others?  Toews' line was, I thought, the least dynamic line tonight, but they had the task of covering those Creepy Twins for most of the game.  They had a shift in the last half of the second period, though, that shifted the momentum back The Hawks' way after being outworked for almost all of the period up until then.  The Art Line was good but just seemed on the wrong side of the inch tonight, which is just going to happen, sometimes.  Even the Kruger line manufactured several legit chances that were done in mostly by Mashinter but, let's face it, neither Krugs or Dez have soft hands, either. 

Extra credit, maybe, for posting two consecutive shutouts, but Corey Crawford was a beaut tonight. The boxscore says he made 30 saves and, while it didn't seem like that many when it happened, some of those were tough stops to make, what with a couple of semi-breakaways and a dandy at point blank range off Vrbata (I think).  F*ck yeah, Chicago.

                                                                 Oy-yoy-yoy.

About Last Night: Hawks 3, Canucks 1 and Thursday's Big Boy

Okay, really quickly, 'cos I've got stuff to do...
- That was nice of the Chicago sports media to choose Corey Crawford as First Star.  He played well, stopped 35 shots, but never really looked too bothered.  If not for Rozsival it could have been a pretty easy shutout.
- Andrew Desjardins has not been the waste of time that I expected he would be. Yet.  He's possibly the worst skater since Brian Skrudland but his positioning is decent and he's made some good passes.  Let's put it this way; he's an upgrade over Carcillo.
- When was the last time that two fourth-liners earned game stars?

I'm not sure Marcus Kruger has been in one of these things.  You know he earns his money on the defensive end, night after night, so what a bonus it is when he has an offensive outburst like this.

                                                   Let's do this again, sometime.

Not Worth Talking About

In the Good Decisions Column:
1) Teravainen sits out so that Carcillo can play ~5 minutes against the Canucks' weakest line.  Bravo.
2) Versteeg on the PP point.
3) Q started mixing his lines up before I even remembered the game was on.
4) EVERYONE bolting the zone before Sharp has obtained possession of the puck.  That's swell that they all have so much confidence in Sharpie but, y'know, give the guy a hand, maybe?

Regrettable:
1) Rundblad finally gets some serious minutes in but it's on a night when the entire team was kinda doing their own thing.  Most certainly Q will point to this as evidence that Rundy is not up to the job.

Encouraging:
1) Hossa - 6 goals from his last 9 shots.  His shooting percentage rose 2.2% over a three-game span.  HE can do whatever the hell he wants when he does it this well.
2) Crawford actually wasn't bad.  It may seem strange to read that after 5 goals against but the lad was left swinging in the breeze much of the night.

                                                                   Steely.

Hockey Fandom Explained

Last evening the difference between fans of three Canadian NHL teams was explained to me.  Allow me to share.

Montréal fans celebrate major victories by rioting and destroying their city's downtown area.

Vancouver fans lament major disappointments by rioting and destroying their city.

Toronto fans throw a parade for their team if they make the playoffs.

It's all about expectations.