Everything Else

Canes Q&A With Cory Lavalette

By 2036

We’re tickled to have Cory Lavalette of North State Journal (nsjonline.com, and on Twitter @corylav) to tell us what’s going on with the red and… black? I guess it’s black. 

Let’s get it out of the way first. Are you taking care of Our Special Boy (Teuvo)? Because if you’re not…

I think so. You can tell Teravainen is starting to feel more comfortable both on and off the ice. I think it helps playing with a fellow Finn, 19-year-old rookie Sebastian Aho (more on this in a second), even though the two didn’t really know each other prior to becoming teammates. Teravainen is getting chances in Carolina he didn’t get in Chicago, and recently he’s played a lot of center and proven he can handle the responsibilities that come with that.

 

Everything Else

Good For What Ails Ya: Hawks 3 – Sabres 3 (Hawks win Calf-roping)

By 1334

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

Shift Charts

Some of these aren’t so complicated. The Hawks would have won this by three or four goals, and certainly deserved to, if not for the heroics of Anders Nilsson. The Sabres quite frankly are an unfortunate hockey team, and the Hawks mauled them all over the ice. They had 20 shots in the first, and it’s not like the 23 they managed from there are bad. Sure, it took Anisimov getting a bounce with two minutes to go and get the right break in the Rugby 7’s after regulation, but it’s two points and those are always welcome when the Wild are right on your ass. If finishing first means anything, which we’ll figure out later.

The Hawks were punished for all their mistakes. Seabrook channeling last year’s version by lazily going to collect a puck and then belching it up the boards right to Foligno. Keith getting his pocket picked by Okposo. Rasmussen and Working Class Kero not getting a puck out and leaving EichelMania to get teed up. The Sabres do come with the top end talent at forward to make you pay if you fuck up against them. Just upped the degree of difficulty, and even an OT loss there would have felt like the luck was out as well as whatever else hasn’t added up during this small streak of futility. But no matter.

Let’s clean it up:

Everything Else

Sabres Q&A With Die By The Blade

By 1483

Still probably the most metal hockey blog name we’ve encountered. Anyway, Andy Boron is the editor and maven over there, and he was kind enough to take the time. 

We’ll start with something simple: What the hell happened? Wasn’t there supposed to be a move forward after last year?

The short answer is: tons of injuries happened, and to the most important players. It started with Jack Eichel missing the first two months of the season with a high ankle sprain, but other key pieces such as Ryan O’Reilly, Evander Kane, Tyler Ennis, Dmitry Kulikov, and Zach Bogosian have missed significant time this year. The team lost their third-line center, Johan Larsson, for the season to an elbow and wrist injury just this week. The Sabres aren’t yet at the point where they have the roster depth to replace that much production lost, and there were times this season where they were forced to play as many as 6 or 7 injury call-ups from AHL Rochester, even dipping into emergency call-ups from juniors for a few games.

The more complicated answer is: We’re not sure if Dan Bylsma is the right coach for this team. Bylsma has been widely criticized for both his constant line shuffling and for the systems he uses. The line juggling this year has been forced upon him by injuries, so it’s hard to complain about that, but the Sabres play a very safe, boring style of hockey many nights that lots of fans blame on Bylsma. The Sabres, especially when riddled by injuries, are not talented or fast enough to hit a stretch pass or secure the puck on the dump-and-chase, which has led to a low offensive output and plenty of one-goal snoozers. Let’s put it this way – it’s hard to think of any move he’s made that has made you say, “Wow, great job by Bylsma there,” but there have been plenty of moves to criticize both this season and last.

Oh, and their penalty kill is maybe the worst I’ve ever seen, and that includes the tank years.

Everything Else

We All Know Iggy Is Finished, But What My Book Presupposes Is… Maybe He Isn’t?

By 1487

Let’s state right at the top that the case for Jarome Iginla is a stretch. No one’s denying that. We should also state right at the top that we’re extremely biased, because we’ve started talking about getting Iginla to the Hawks about five minutes after we started this blog in 2008. Collectively, he’s probably our favorite non-Hawks in this era, and though he might not have anything left we’d still run out and buy 12 #12 Hawks jerseys were he to arrive. And while the Hawks have bent over backwards to make various nincompoops and nitwits seem like genuinely good guys, Iggy is one. So that’s all out of the way.

The case for Iggy starts with the fact that the trade market for wingers is absolute dog vomit. Moving beyond Iggy as far as players that will be free agents in the summer, we see names such as Patrick Sharp (not sure he can see straight and the Hawks would never, ever do this after all that), Brooks Laich (old and bad), Alex Burrows (Jesus God no, and the Canucks think they’re in it anyway), Drew Stafford (he has two goals. One for Martin, Two for Martin!), Brian Gionta ok we have to stop now my eyes are bleeding now. These are not answers.

So let’s see if we can’t make the case for Iggy, even though the cap numbers are a nightmare.

Everything Else

The Flash Needs More Lightning

By 1408

If you’re a Hawks fan, it might feel like you’re stuck in a bit of a time loop. Last year around this time, the Hawks were running smooth, with 48 points instead of this year’s 51. That didn’t have them in first, as the Stars were binging on everything at the table at that point, but really the Hawks aren’t too different from what we saw last year. Which is strange, because the holes on last year’s team seems so much more obvious.

The formula remains the same. The Hawks are getting other-worldly goaltending from both Crawford and Darling. Whoever is skating with Panarin, as he’s been paired with more guys this year than last, is doing most of the scoring. The power play is doing just enough. And yet, just like last year, there’s a feeling that the rug could slip out from under the Hawks at any point. That’s mostly because their underlying numbers, which would be said rug, just aren’t impressive and at some points are straight up bad.

And they center around two players, two players who have formed the pillar of everything the Hawks have done for close to a decade now. Jonathan Toews’s struggles have been well covered at this point. But it’s time to come to terms with the fact that Duncan Keith just hasn’t been very good either.

Everything Else

High On The Hog: Hoping To Be More Offensive in 2017

By 1599

Here’s hoping that 2017 is kinder to the Rockford IceHogs then the previous three months. To put it plainly, the 2016 part of this year’s campaign flat out sucked.

Through 32 games, the AHL affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks has been struggling to stay out of the cellar of the Western Conference. Only the Charlotte Checkers have fared worse than the BMO boys heading into this week’s action.

How bad has it been? Hold your nose. I’m throwing out some numbers; they aren’t lemony fresh.

Everything Else

Don’t Stop Trying And You’ll Get What You Deserve: Blues 4 – Hawks 1

By 1455

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

Shift Charts

So let’s review what is supposed to be just about the NHL’s signature day during the regular season, possibly only apart from the All-Star Game, which has its own issues.

For the day and morning leading up to it, all the news pretty much had to do with how this game had little chance of getting off on time, what they would do if it didn’t, and what would happen if they had to abandon in midgame. This is not exactly how you build momentum toward an occasion. This is obviously always a problem for outdoor games, but this one was particularly pronounced.

When it came out that the Hawks and Blues would have to engage in a shootout in two months’ time in case this game was ended early, but after two periods, and tied, it had the mark of a league that didn’t have a plan or shouldn’t be taken seriously.

Everything Else

See You Later, Screwy. Maybe: Hawks at Blues Winter Classic Preview/Rain Dance

By 1321

 vs. 

RECORDS: Hawks 23-11-5  Blues 19-13-5

PUCK DROP: Noon, or so they say

TV: W-ENN-BEE-SEE! W-ENN-BEE-SEE! Waste not want not, Robyn.

EVEN BUSCH STADIUM WON’T LET THEM IN: St. Louis Gametime

PROJECTED LINEUPS

ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI %: Hawks – 49.7 (16th)  Blues – 51.5 (11th)

ADJUSTED TEAM xGF%: Hawks – 46.9 (26th)  Blues – 50.5 (15th)

POWER PLAY %: Hawks – 19.0 (15th)  Blues – 21.6 (8th)

PENALTY KILL %: Hawks – 75.0 (28th)  Blues – 86.0 (4th)

For the most part, I’m positive on outdoor games. While most of us Inside Baseball have soured on them, citing the disappearance of the novelty, the lack of interesting, first-time venues, the continued use of the same teams, and whatever else, the NHL season is long and monotonous. Whatever can break it up, whatever can spike the meter here and there, is welcome. While it isn’t by the books that some teams will play a game with different conditions than all the rest, one out of 82 shouldn’t really queer things to a noticeable point.

And yet this one is shaping up to be a giant mess. Then again, that’s kind of perfect for St. Louis, isn’t it?

Everything Else

It’s The Little Things That Make Up Life: Hawks 2 – Canes 3

By 1373

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

Shift Chart

Like most every game in the NHL these days, given how little difference there is the talent distribution now, most games come down to a couple moments here and there. Tonight was two of them. The one in the 1st period where the Hawks gave up two goals in 65 seconds (and could have been more in that frame). The second was in the 3rd when Darling couldn’t save McClement’s chance from the slot after a Kane giveaway, and then a minute later when Ward was able to stymie Hartman when Hartman was in the slot all alone. That’s not to be harsh on Darling, who was excellent in the 1st period when he had to be. It’s not a save you’d expect him to make. It really wasn’t a save you’d expect Ward to make, either. But the Hawks success this year is built on Darling and Crawford making saves they shouldn’t make. And then cashing in the limited chances they get. Didn’t work that way tonight.

That is also a bit harsh, because the last 40 minutes were a far more solid effort than the first 20 and far better than anything we saw last night. The Hawks just couldn’t make it count, once again getting scoring from only one line, just not the line that normally does it.

Let’s clean it up and then adjourn for the New Year.