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Game Time: 8:30PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, NBCSN (US), SportsNet (Anglo), TVA3 (Franco), WGN-AM 720
Arrested Development: On The Forecheck
For already the second time in the series, the Hawks have an opportunity to go up two games on the Nashville Predators, this time to push them to the brink. The last time didn’t go so well, but the Hawks are now doing so on home ice where they can dictate the matchups. The key, as always, becomes execution.
Much like the lineup decisions of of Joel Quenneville, the lyrics of At The Drive-In and Mars Volta lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala can be positively inscrutable. And while known more for his wild mop of curly hair that flails in the breeze during the wild and sometimes spastic live performances of both bands, Zavala often sports an equally unkempt beard.
At The Drive-In emerged out out of El Paso, TX in the late 90s and early aughts with post-hardcore bombast and a limitless array of tempo changes augmented by incredible live shows. But just as the band reached the apex of its popularity after the release of Relationship of Command in 2000, the band fractured into two offshoots- the more radio friendly (but still challenging) inclinations of guitarist and co-song writer Jim Ward and his band Sparta, while Bixler-Zavala and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez formed the even more baffling Mars Volta, channeling their dormant prog rock inclinations. At The Drive-In has since reunited for the occasional one-off festival show, but new material seems out of the question. But no matter the project, Bixler-Zavala and his hair and beard will surely challenge listeners both in their patience hoping for a new ATDI release while also pushing new sonic boundaries.
RIP Big Doug
Game 4 tonight: Blackhawks
Darling’s gig for now: ESPN Chicago
Preds perspective: TT
Soupy still defending Crow: CSN
Long time coming: TSN
Dumb: PHT
The Rockford IceHogs will begin postseason play for the first time in five seasons this weekend. The AHL has a different idea of what “home ice” entails, so the boys will begin the opening round of the playoffs in Texas.
Rockford, who finished the season as the fourth-seed, will play Friday and Saturday night against the fifth-seeded Stars. The remainder of the five-game best of will take place at the BMO Harris Bank Center.
How do we feel about the opponent the Hogs have drawn? Well, they did everything they could to make this series happen.
For the disaffected youth of the greater Chicagoland area, the perpetually bearded and long haired Jerry Bryant is nothing short of a saint. His long-running cable access show, JBTV (originally on Ch. 62) has been a haven for interviews, live performances, and music videos that even the so-called “alternative” radio stations wouldn’t touch.
JBTV has always been self-produced, directed, and hosted by Bryant himself, with his signature look ever whitening as the years trudge on, never losing his intimidatingly phallic microphone. Even having now done his show for over 30 years, Bryant has never lost his enthusiasm for the music or the format, and that fact should be admired just as much as his magnificent hair and beard.
If you needed anymore proof that momentum doesn’t carry from game to game in the playoffs, Game 3 between the Predators and Blackhawks should serve as Exhibit A. After exploding for 3 goals at the end of Game 2 and sending the city of Chicago into a rash of overreactions, the Hawks took to Game 3 and made the most of their opportunities.
Even after coughing up two leads in less than a minute, the Hawks continued to dominate play in the middle frame. For whatever reason, this period has been a problem for Nashville all year. There’s really no explanation for something like that. It’s weird, it’s bizarre and it’s hockey.
The Hawks outscored Nashville 3-1 in the second period and it was all the Hawks needed to hold serve on home ice.
Let’s move on to bigger and better things.
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Game Time: 2:00PM Central
TV/Radio: NBC/WGN720
Smashy Smashy: On The Forecheck
Around the time of Craig Smith’s second goal of the night, the conversation at the bar I was at, as I’m sure it did in many bars and living rooms, turned to “Well who starts Game 3?”. I can’t say I’m shocked to see Q give the nod to Darling. Pulling him in Game 1 was certainly the right move, even as a wake up call to the rest of the skaters. He came on and was excellent. Like many of us, I also agreed with putting Crow right back out there to start Game 2. And after that lackluster performance where the entire team seemed to pack it in early, I’m not really sure there is a right answer on which goalie to start. I would personally lean more on Crawford. He’s shown us multiple times throughout the year that he can bounce back. He can win a game on his own. But the atmosphere in the UC this afternoon is going to be a force to reckon with. If Crow were to give up that first goal there would be no shortage of people calling for his head. Maybe it’s smart to just run with the laregely untested commodity at the moment.
And maybe it’ll still act as a wake up for the rest of the team – since that’s still where the majority of the problem remains.
John Wick, played by Keanu Reeves, is someone you don’t want to make angry. Someone you shouldn’t get on your bad side. We need a bit of an asskicker today. Hopefully the Hawks respond to the last minute embarrassment the same way Wick does when you kill his puppy.
