Game 4: Blackhawks
Defense wins championships: CSN
Set on their throat: ESPN Chicago
Shaw speaks truth: Trib
Plenty of blame: MST
First time for everything: PHT
Haven’t done one of these in a while, and as the Hawks sit on the precipice of being halfway to another Grant Park Drunkening, seems like a good time to do it. Let’s get to it.
63%
That’s the third line’s Corsi-percentage over the past two games. In case you’re new to us and/or these analytics, 55% would be considered dominant. Now, only one of those games did that line see heavy offensive zone starts, and last night their zone starts were pretty evenly split between the o-zone, neutral zone, and d-zone. That’s the third line. 3rd. #3. In case you want to know what separates the Hawks right now.
447
That’s the career goals currently on the Hawks’ third line. It doesn’t really mean much, it just makes me feel good to see.
There are few musicians as important or as prolific in throughout the course of independent and alternative rock as Lou Barlow. As the original bassist for Dinosaur Jr., Barlow and guitarist (and former BotD) J. Mascis created a wall of distorted sound that deafened and delighted modern rock audiences. But the two butted heads frequently and Barlow was kicked out of the band in 1988. They reunite with Mascis 17 years later, and they have since produced arguably the finest work (Farm, I Bet On Sky) in their entire catalog, a true rarity among nostalgia driven cash-grab reunions.
In the years in between, Barlow helmed two acclaimed projects of his own: the low-fidelity outfit Sebadoh, and the cleaner, pop flavored sounds of The Folk Implosion. The latter of the two groups spawned one of the most unlikely modern rock radio hits of the 90s in the eery “Natural One” from the soundtrack to the equally disturbing film Kids. During that time Barlow has intermittently donned a full, admirable beard to compliment his consistently shaggy hair and glasses. And it is for all of those reasons he is honored here today.
Seven straight Game 3 losses on the road, huh? Maybe the Hawks pulled this one out just because they were sick of that stat. Or maybe they pulled it out because they basically gave the Wild the Million Dollar Dream for the first 40 minutes, and then Crawford proved why he’s still the best goalie in this series for the 3rd (although he didn’t have to make that many highlight reel saves). Or maybe because Hjalmarsson. Oduya, Keith, and Seabrook were at or near their best. Or maybe all of the above. Still, this series kind of feels like the Hawks listened to all the chatter about how the Wild really meant business this time, and said, “Oh? Watch this.” And now they’ve got Minnesota’s nuts in a vice.
This one will go down in the end as a goalie win, but you don’t get through a deep run in the spring without a couple of those. The encouraging thing is that Crawford was aggressive, not getting too deep in his net and standing tall among the scrambles that took place in the 2nd and 3rd. He could have gotten caught a couple times early when he again dropped down too early and lost his net, but as the game went on that happened less and less, the prime examples being coming out to meet Granlund on his breakaway and stopping the Finn again late in the 3rd on a high rising shot. Also helped that Pominville once again lost his radar on where the net it. Most of all, Crow’s rebound control was superb, and that’s where the Wild really profit. Not so tonight.
Let’s go through the rest:
at 
Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: NBCSN, CBC (Anglo), TVA (Franco), WGN-AM 720
Raspberry Beret: Hockey Wilderness
With the series now shifting back to the Twin Cities for games 3 and 4, the expectation is that the momentum will naturally shift back to the Wild, given the Hawks’ abysmal record in game 3’s on the road under Joel Quenneville. The only victory in 10 tries has been Game 3 in 2010 in Vancouver, but that doesn’t mean that anything is a foregone conclusion tonight.
With today obviously being Cinco De Mayo, this space will be used to pay tribute once again to a fine Mexican export to the world of film, director/writer/auteur Guillermo Del Toro.
With a scraggly beard fitting enough for one of his fantastical characters, Del Toro was first introduced to American audiences with 1997’s Mimic, an ambitious if flawed horror/science fiction film that though it bombed at the box office, has since gained a cult following and was recut by Del Toro in 2011. His breakthrough came with his 2006 film Pan’s Labrynth, which won several Academy Awards for its elaborate set designs, production, and costumes, and was nominated for Best Foreign Language film.
Del Toro was even slated to take over the Hobbit/Tolkien franchise from Peter Jackson, but ultimately bowed out of the director’s chair due to the tremendous commitment those films would have required, but remained on as a producer. His most commercially successful film to date remains Pacific Rim, which Del Toro himself admitted is a big ridiculous spectacle, but undoubtedly fun as hell. There have been talks of a sequel that have yet to materialize, and his next project, Crimson Peak, is set to be released this coming October.
Game 3: Blackhawks
Stars shining: ESPN Chicago
So are the others: CSN
Road worries, nahh: Trib
Toews nominated for Messier: PHT
Unrelated but I’m proud of these boys: Minotauros
Editor’s Note: This ran in last night’s print edition.
Now in year seven of the Joel Quenneville era of Blackhawks Renaissance, the Hawks actually find themselves in slightly uncharted territory. Not only is this the first time that they have been past the first round for three straight years in the post-expansion era, but the Hawks are trying to eliminate the same team three straight years for the first time ever, with their most recent opportunity having been thwarted by Alex Burrows and Chris Campoli.
