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Rat Tailed Jimmy is a Second Hand Hood: Blackhawks 2, Sabres 2 (Hawks win tickle fight 1-0)

By 1297

Box Score

Event Summary

War on Ice

Natural Stat Trick

Ah, yes. The old Saturday matinee. Much like the Thursday Night NFL matchup, you never really know what you’re going to get. In this afternoon’s matchup, it was a 56 minute snoozefest where even the mouthpieces of the Blackhawks brand (the broadcast booth) took turns saying how boring the game was.

Once Ryan O’Reilly scored his obligatory goal against the Hawks with less than 4 minutes in regulation, it seemed like the pace of play was a little more focused. The Hawks drew three straight penalties and then Patrick Kane scored his obligatory goal in Buffalo.

It’s almost like we’ve seen all this before.

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I See You’ve Constructed A New Light Sabre: Hawks at Sabres Preview/Cantina Fight

By 1146

250px-Ozymandias vs. image-sabre_medium

PUCK DROP: High Noon Central

TV/RADIO: WGN for both, SportsNet up dere in da Nort

BUFFALO? WHY DON’T YOU JUST SLEEP IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR?: Die By The Blade

Sabres Stats

Sabres War On Ice

Isn’t it too early in the year for a noon start? I guess it doesn’t matter, as that’s when they’re going to drop the puck.

Anyway, the Hawks will get their first look at one of the two Wonder Kids of this year’s draft. They won’t see McJesus until next season now due to his busted collarbone, but barring injury they’ll get to see Jack Eichel over the next few weeks.

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Haunting, Familiar Yet, Can’t Seem To Place It: Oilers 0 – Hawks 4

By 1099

Box Score

Event Summary

War On Ice

Natural Stat Trick

The top line. There it is. I knew it was around here somewhere.

The Hawks finally got an explosion from Hossa-Toews-Teravainen, and they were the difference in what was otherwise a pretty even contest. Both goalies played well, though Talbot eventually blinked and Crawford didn’t. The Hawks didn’t even need a power play goal this time, getting all four at evens to skip away from an interesting yet deeply flawed (and deeply depleted) Oilers team. With the wonky Sabres and Sharks next, the Hawks certainly have a chance to wash away the taste of yet another loss to the Avs in a hurry.

No reason to wait around, let’s get to it.

Everything Else

‘Elo Kiddies – Oilers vs Hawks Preview, Encounter On Ord Mantell

By 1270

oil plainview vs evil empire

Game Time: 7:30PM
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
Tikkanese Interpreters: Oilers Nation, Copper ‘n’ Blue

With all of the talks of streaks around these parts recently, one that flew under the radar is the six game winning streak tonight’s vistors the Edmonton Oilers only had snapped on Tuesday at MSG. And in an absolute kitty-litter-covering-kindergartner-vomit-on-astroturf-carpeting Pacific Division, that’s been enough to actually have the Oilers in the playoff conversation. And all without their most recent franchise cornerstone Conor McDavid.

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Marian Go Round In Dreams

By 1521

For the better part of this season, especially lately, we’ve been trying to sound something like alarm bells at the struggles of the Hawks at even-strength. And that’s a big deal, because you can’t be considered a very good team or have prospects of going all that far in the spring if you’re doing so on the back of special teams (unless you’re the ’06 Hurricanes). And the Hawks are a middling, at best, even-strength team right now. They have a -8 goal-difference at 5-on-5. The teams around them? The Flyers are just behind and the Maple Leafs are just ahead. That’s the seat on the bus between with the guy coughing up a lung and the woman yelling out Kentucky Derby winners randomly from the past 35 years (stick tap to friend Brendan McGowan for that line. Follow him at @BMGComedy). Their score adjusted Corsi-rate of 52.0 is solid, as is their Scoring-Chance rate. But their high-danger scoring chance rate is basically an even split of 50%, placing them 14th in the league. Again, middling.

A lot of this I’ve and we’ve laid at the feet of Jonathan Toews and his eight even-strength points this year. Maybe it’s time we look to his right a bit.

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It’s Ned Ryerson: Avs 3 – Hawks 0

By 1332

Box Score

Event Summary

War On Ice

Natural Stat Trick

They didn’t even have to play this game.

Because we’ve seen it already. We saw it twice last year. We saw it twice the year before that. And the year before that. If you’ve watched the Hawks for any length of time, though you might not have fully admitted it, you knew deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties how this one was likely to go.

Jammy, annoying Matt Duchene goal followed by his rich kid punchable face smile. Another Avs goal from some jamoke that isn’t on their top line or top pairing, this time Zach Redmond (but it could have been Holden or Guenin or Skille or Mitchell or anyone else, it really doesn’t matter). The only variable is whether the Hawks would toss a ton of shots at Varlamov or just a bunch. Not that it matters, because we already know he’s going to stop them all. In the meantime the Avs top players will basically run wild over an either uninterested or ill-equipped or both Hawks team.

And so it went. It’s hard to think of another matchup that feels quite as scripted as this one. Anyway, to it…