Everything Else

I See You There With Your Cheshire Grin: Blackhawks 3, Senators 0

By 1220

Box Score

Event Summary

War on Ice

Natural Stat Trick

Throughout the course of a regular season, there will be games that stick out as memorable or “turning points” in a season or even just plain, old exciting games between two teams really getting after it.

This was not one of those games.

The Hawks and Senators played like they were two opposite conference teams feeling each other out and waiting for the game to open up. In most instances, this usually happens about ten minutes into the first period or after the opening frame. Tonight, it went the full 60 minutes without ever happening.

The good news is the Hawks scored three times during that time frame and Senators none.

That’s really all I have to say about that.

Everything Else

Sens Spotlight: Erik Karlsson

By 1392

From today’s program.

It’s a pretty chalky choice to select Karlsson to spotlight when the Senators visit. But there’s hardly any point in talking about anyone else. In pretty much every sense, Erik Karlsson is the Senators.

The surface numbers are silly enough. Karlsson is the Eastern Conference’s leading scorer. As a d-man, that’s ridiculous. He’s averaging over a point-per-game, and if he continues on this pace he’ll break 70 points for the third time in his career (he amounted 66 last year as well). Should he stay at this pace he’ll have three of the top five scoring seasons by a d-man since the Great Bettman Lockout II, the one that canceled out a whole season. If he can better 80 points, he’ll also have the highest, which currently is held by Nicklas Lidstrom and that was from 50 power play points. Karlsson only has about a third of his points on the man-advantage right now.

When you dig a little deeper, it becomes more apparent just how Atlas-ian Karlsson has been for the Senators this year. Only two d-men in the league have higher Corsi marks relative to their team, that’s Aaron Ekblad and Victor Hedman. In Ekblad’s case, he gets far cushier zone starts than Karlsson does, starting over 60% of his shifts there while Karlsson starts only about 55%. Karlsson also faces harder competition than the other two, taking on the toughest the Sens face pretty much every night.

When looking at his teammates, almost every one of them see their possession numbers drop anywhere from seven to 12 percentage points from when they’re on the ice with Karlsson to when they’re not. His partner Marc Methot goes from a 48% Corsi player with Karlsson to 39.7% without him. Kyle Turris drops 9 points. Mark Stone drops six points. Mike Hoffman drops 11 points. It continues down the lineup in that fashion.

What’s more startling is how the scoring rates change. When Turris and Karlsson are out there together, the Sens score 3.55 goals per 60 minutes at even-strength. When Turris is on the ice without Karlsson it’s 1.67. Stone is 3.37 with Karlsson to 1.57 without him. Hoffman? 4.14 to 2.95. Every single player drops down at least a goal per 60 miuts without Karlsson behind them.

There’s been a lot of digruntled voices over Karlsson’s two Norris Trophies, because he doesn’t kill penalties. None of these saggy-balled codgers can tell us what d-man has ever won the Norris simply on his penalty killing though. It’s like complaining about a DH getting into the baeball Hall of Fame. How many players are there simply due to their glove? Like three? Patrick Kane has gobbled up most of the Hart talk, and rightly so because the Hawks wouldn’t be a playoff team without him. What he hasn’t Jamie Been probably has. But Karlsson should be right there with them, because without him the Senators are probably in Auston Matthews territory come the end of the season.

Does he also have to be so good-looking too, though? Seems a bit unfair.

Everything Else

Q&A With Silver Seven Sens

By 1495

Editor’s Note: As I mentioned, there are going to be some changes around here in 2016. One of them, and basically the big one, is I’m going to start putting more and more of what goes into the game program on here. It’s kind of a trial balloon for me to see how the model is changing and what I will do in the future. I’m not sure if I’m going to go full out for every home game or every game total. We’ll kind of find out together what I have the energy for. We’ve been doing Q&As with bloggers all over the league for years, so these are the easiest to share. Ahead of tomorrow night’s game, here’s the one we did with Ross from SilverSevenSens.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Sheer_Rossyness.

The Senators sit just outside the wild card spots in the East, but are only five points from the top of the Atlantic Division (even though Ottawa is nowhere near the Atlantic Ocean). They’re one of the higher scoring teams in the league, but they’re also one of the worst possession teams in the league. What is this team?

I can sum up this team in two words: Erik Karlsson. Granted, there are other players – Mark Stone is other-worldly, Mike Hoffman is a supreme talent, Craig Anderson has been great – but this team lives and dies with Karlsson. Keep in mind that he has a six point lead in the Eastern Conference entering tonight’s game. For a defenseman to be that far ahead of everyone else is mind-boggling. He leads the league in ice time per game. Ottawa’s possession stats are about even with EK on the ice, and are awful with him off it. I’d say more and more Sens fans are realizing that his prime years are being wasted on a team that keeps claiming it’ll wait for the right moment to spend. But for now, having him in the lineup is enough to keep the team afloat despite significant depth issues and questionable coaching choices.

Everything Else

Altitude Adjustment: Hawks at Avalanche Preview/Ball Dropping

By 1378

250px-Ozymandias vs. Avalanche Snowman Christmas

PUCK DROP: 7pm Central

TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio

COMIN DOWN THE MOUNTAIN: Mile High Hockey, Anthrax Jones Twitter Feed (if you’re really into punishing yourself)

Avalanche Stats

Avalanche War On Ice

The Hawks will close out 2015 at altitude, taking on an Avalanche team that’s probably been their biggest headache over the past few years. Strangely, the Hawks have done much better in Denver than they have at home against the Avs. They won two of three there last year, and the one they lost was the last game of the year where half the team didn’t play and the Hawks certainly didn’t think it mattered in any way. Contrast that to losing both home games against the Avs last year, the first one this year, and two of three the year before that.

Everything Else

A Suggested 2016 Resolution For The Hawks

By 1370

As this will be the last non-game related post I write of this year, it’s obviously hard to not look back and think of what a bewildering 12 months it was. From declaring the Hawks dead to watching them lift the Cup in person to questioning whether I could ever be a fan again, I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s exhausted.

But to quote that famous philosopher Gale Snoats, “I’d rather light a candle than curse your darkness.” I really don’t have a need to look back anymore, and I doubt too many of you would want to read it if I did. So I thought I might suggest something that the Hawks organization can do, that would be somewhat original and at least feign interest in making up some ground to the section of fans that are still conflicted about all that’s gone on.

There are obviously huge caveats here. One, the Hawks won’t ever see this. Two, if they did I’d bet a lot of money they couldn’t give a flying fornication about it. Three, there’s no urge for them to do so, as they’ll still sell out every game and flood this city in red jerseys (or red knockoff jerseys, which I guess they don’t cash in on but the point remains). Still, a boy can dream. Anyway, here goes:

Find a former women’s hockey Olympian, and make her an analyst on the broadcast of Hawks games.

Everything Else

Killed By Death: Hawks 7 – Yotes 5

By 1330

Box Score

Event Summary

War On Ice

Natural Stat Trick

Well that got a little silly.

I don’t know that the Hawks played particularly well tonight, but they played well enough to let some awful Yotes goaltending (Anders Lindback is 6-7 and yet can’t see over or around a screen?) and cash in on some abstract officiating from Dan O’Hochuli (credit McClure on that one) before the Yotes could cash in on the same abstract officiating. They certainly turned off in the 3rd letting Arizona back into it, and the penalty kill gave up the cross ice pass far too easily. How checked in they were is up for debate. Feel like we’ll be having that debate a few times before the season is over.

Everything Else

You Win Some You Lose Some It’s All The Same To Me: Hawks at Coyotes Preview/Whiskey Tasting

By 1285

250px-Ozymandias vs. wileEcoyote

PUCK DROP: 8pm Central 

TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio

SUUUUPER GENIUS: Five For Howling

Coyotes Stats

Coyotes War On Ice

The Hawks head out for a short two-game trip that will close out 2015 (the most roller coaster year ever, clearly). It starts with the last team in the West the Hawks haven’t seen yet this season, the Arizona Coyotes. And for once, they actually look like they’re staying put for five minutes. I know, right?