Everything Else

Sweet Georgia Breezes – Safe, Cool, And Warm: Hawks at Wild Preview/Tailgate

By 1346

Hawk Wrestler vs. Zakk-Wylde-by-Ivan-Chopik

PUCK DROP: 2:30pm Central 

TV/RADIO: NBC, WGN Radio

GOPHER, EVERETT?: Hockey Wilderness

While it isn’t the last spike, however minuscule, on the EKG of the NHL season, today’s Stadium Series game is certainly the only “event” left on the Hawks’ schedule before the games really count. Matchups with Dallas and St. Louis will still matter a little more considering the standings (though Dallas’s goaltending will see what they can do about that), and next Sunday’s game against Washington will probably be more hyped. But those don’t take place outdoors, and today’s does. So at least it’s unique.

Everything Else

Friday Argle Bargle

By 1399

It’s different than the Foofaraw, as it’s actually about hockey. Just a couple things to clean up today before Outdoor weekend or whatever they’re calling it.

-I’d been meaning to get to this a few days ago, but my life’s inertia at the moment prevented me. Anyway, the idea of trading Teuvo Teravainen came up earlier in the week, and our friend Jay Zawaski addressed it on Twitter:

JZ is pretty plugged in. Generally when he gets something from the inside it sticks. But the tweet after that was to enforce that the Hawks are not going to trade Teuvo unless someone blows their socks, shoes, and arch supports off with an offer. Obviously, everyone knows we agree with this.

Everything Else

Hockey Tonk Women Give Me The Hockey Tonk Blues

By 1851

In which I regularly-ish sum up this past weekend in women’s hockey.

Photo via Kaitlin S. Cimini.

NWHL

NYR 4 – 3 BUF (SO)

For the second week in a row, Buffalo managed to drag a game kicking and screaming into overtime only to drop it there. The Beauts outshot the Riveters 47-32, counting overtime play, but Fujimoto wasn’t having any of that nonsense, and New York took the win on shootout goals from Ammerman and Dosdall. The end result may have been good for New York, but they can’t go on playing catchup like this; they’re going to have to learn to produce a lot more consistently, something that’s been a rare sight from them this season. Come fall, with Boston College scoring juggernauts Carpenter and Skarupa in their lineup, the Riveters’ scoresheets may start to look very different.

 

BOS 4 – 2 CTW

The Pride edged ahead of the Whale for first place this weekend, beating them decisively 4-2. The Whale are still noticeably slipping; losing 3 of the last 4 doesn’t sound so bad, but it feels like a much bigger deal in a 18-game season. Connecticut got a measly twelve shots on Boston’s goal, and took five penalties of which they only killed four. The Whale have always been penalty-heavy, but until now they’ve been able to compensate with a strong penalty kill and plenty of scoring firepower. With the scoring dropping off, they need to either pick their offense back up or clean up their play if they want to take back first place.

The NWHL has two weeks of regular season play left until the playoffs. Boston and Connecticut are one point apart for first and second place; Buffalo and New York are two points apart for third and fourth.

 

CWHL

CAL 4 – 2 MON

CAL 1 – 2 MON

Right on the verge of clinching first place in the league, the Canadiennes stumbled a bit and split this weekend’s series against Calgary. The teams turned out similar shooting numbers in both games; it was goaltending that made the difference between nights. Montreal’s Charline Labonte stopped only 27 of 31 on Saturday, but on Sunday she stopped 34/35 for the win and the first place clincher.

 

BRM 4 – 3 TOR

Brampton got ahead early in this one, leading the shooting for the first two periods and going into the third with a 3-1 lead. However, the Thunder took five penalties in the third and the Furies were able to capitalize twice, sending the game into overtime tied 3-3. with Toronto still on the power play. They couldn’t quite complete the comeback, though–after only a few seconds Vint got the shorthanded game-winner for Brampton.

The CWHL has one week of regular season play left with Montreal securely in first. Brampton and Calgary are one point apart, and will be playing each other next weekend for second and third places. Toronto trails far behind in fourth. Boston still has no regulation wins.

 

EXHIBITION

SHATTUCK 3 – 2 MIN

No word yet on whether the Minnesota Whitecaps will end up being folded into the NWHL. In the meantime, they finished up their exhibition season this weekend against Shattuck-St. Mary’s. The Whitecaps nearly made it through the game with a 2-1 lead, but the Sabres scored back-to-back goals late in the 3rd that Minnesota couldn’t answer. The 3-2 loss left the Whitecaps with a 6-6 record for the season.

Everything Else

Turn The TV On It Looks Just Like A Window

By 1458

As the Hawks and specifically Stan Bowman barrel into trade deadline week, we here at the lab are not only discussing names and proposals but how it fits in with the overall window of the Hawks. It becomes a more and more philosophical discussion, as well as trying to figure out what the actual length is. I’m sure it’s a discussion Bowman and assistants and scouts are having every day, just how much do you shorten the window on the back end for this chance this year?

Last year’s championship basically puts the Hawks on house money. As first-hockey-world problem as it might sound. two Cups wouldn’t have sounded like enough when we look back in 10 or 20 years (though ask Bears fans what a second championship would have felt like in the 80s). A third though puts the Hawks in rarified air, even if they don’t compare to what came before. In my lifetime, only three teams have bunched three Cups or more together, the Oilers, the Devils, and the Wings. Even the Avs in the late 90s, as stacked as they were, only managed two. So even if the Hawks didn’t win again in the Daydream Nation era, three in six basically lives forever.

Everything Else

Cause We All Was Ridin’ Right On The Subway Train: Hawks at Rangers Preview/Pop Up Dinner

By 1227

Hawk Wrestler vs.Night ranger

FACEOFF: 7pm Central

TV/RADIO: NBCSN, WGN Radio

CBGB Refugees: Scotty Hockey, The Hockey Rodent, Blue Shirt Banter

Rangers Stats

Rangers War On Ice

Only seems like six years ago that the Rangers were in town for the reverse fixture on this on Banner Raising night, where it became obvious to everyone that Trevor Daley was not going to work out here as the Rangers walked out 3-2 winners (you probably were watching Jake Arrieta get in up to the elbow against the Pirates. I know I was). The Hawks finally wrap up the season series with their Original 6 brethren on Broadway tonight. They’ll find a weird squad when they get there.

Everything Else

Follow Me To Freedom – Why Brent Seabrook Is Not A Norris Candidate/Even Good

By 1980

We here at the C.I. Labs often like to dispel any myth or the storyline that’s floating around at any given time. What can we say? When we’re not doing that we find children’s birthday parties and go pop all the balloons and steal the cake. It sustains us. It is our oxygen. Yes, we need help.

The current one going around these days, that I’ve seen far too often from people who should know better, is that Brent Seabrook is somehow a dark horse Norris Trophy candidate. This is ludicrous on a ton of levels, the first being that you can already set the three finalists as Karlsson, Doughty, and Klingberg and Karlsson should win it unanimously and the other two should apologize to him for taking up any of his time. Then Karlsson can worry about making a run at the Hart, which he has a serious case for but will never get because the Senators won’t make the playoffs, or aren’t likely to. But that’s not why you called.