Everything Else

Angry At Numbers – 3/19

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There’s still a bit of a glow about last night’s win, though around these parts we know there’s really no such thing as a signature win in the regular season. But still, holding the Rangers to 25 shots when they average 31, and to shut them out when they’re the 4th highest scoring team in the league when they’d had three days off and the Hawks were on the second in two nights and now this has become quite the run-on sentence but hey that’s how things go, there’s a half bounce in the step. So let’s check out some trends, shall we?

58.3%

That’s Brad Richards’s Corsi-percentage the past six games. As we’ve said all year, we’ve had a real fear that Richards would fade as the season went along as he did last year with the Rangers, which got him the buyout that landed him in Chicago in the first place. So this is pretty encouraging. It hasn’t resulted in an avalanche of points or anything, just a goal and an assist in those six. But if you keep pushing play this much, the points will follow (Bickell and Desjardins won’t biff every chance they’re presented you hope, and a motivated Versteeg would really help).

Everything Else

Fake Hardcore: Blackhawks 1 – Rangers 0

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Box Score
Event Summary
War On Ice
Natural Stat Trick

Like most Cubs fans, I’m incredibly excited for baseball this year. Not that I think that Cubs are winning the series or even their own division. It’s just that they should at least be pretty damn fun to watch this year. I suppose it’s not too uncommon. I get excited about baseball every year even when the Cubs are going to be terrible. I only bring this up because this game had a “pitcher’s duel” feel to it the whole way through. It’s the type of game that early in the season, hockey or baseball, really kind of bums me out. I can appreciate strong performances on the mound. But early in the season isn’t it more fun to see someone sock a few dingers?

Hockey is obviously a little different. In an ultra high quality pitchers duel, the offense really never gets to do anything exciting. At least in hockey there’s always the chance for tons of speed and back and forth play going on. Watching a goalie make an incredible save has a little more flair and showmanship than a perfectly executed cutter. As the season progresses though, I find I appreciate the quieter games a bit more and more. So maybe if the Hawks had played this game in October I’d feel a little cheated but now when the season is winding down there’s a bit more to it. We’ve seen the Hawks slowly start to chip away at the leads in front of them. The games are becoming more important by the day. To see the Hawks play a tight almost perfectly executed road game against a top tier team (two days in a row really) starts to make you look beyond just the regular season. There’s a lot of time between now and then but it makes you enjoy the tight games a little more, no?

Everything Else

This Ain't No Mud Clubb Or CBGB: Hawks at Rangers Preview/Pregame Thread/Taco Truck Gathering

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Hawk Wrestler vs. chris-rongey1

FACEOFF: 7pm Central

TV/RADIO: NBCSN, SPORTSNET UP THERE, WGN RADIO 720

MY BLUE HEAVEN: Blue Shirt Banter, The Hockey Rodent

After a satisfying win last night, the Hawks get about five minutes to enjoy it before they focus on the task at hand tonight. Because the New York Rangers on Broadway are going to require the A-game if the Hawks want to continue collecting points that they’re going to need.

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Takin' What They're Givin': Islanders 1 – Hawks 4

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Box Score

Event Summary

War On Ice

Natural Stat Trick

This is such a strange team at the moment. The Hawks were certainly the better team in the 1st period as the Islanders basically treated getting out of their zone like Joe Walsh treated getting out of a party and Michal Neuvirth handed them two goals. From there, the game pivoted on the five minute major stemming from possibly Andrew Shaw’s dumbest moment in the NHL (and that’s saying something). The Hawks killed off a major with only one shot against, and you knew from there the Hawks would find another goal and basically end this as a contest. Hossa was able to one-time a very rolling puck into the top corner and… ballgame.

What makes them so strange is they still gave up 39 shots. While they never looked truly in danger, the Islanders without two of their best possession drivers were able to press and press. Was it because the Hawks were up early and could just play Cover-2 for the last 30? Was it because they were defensively deficient? Honestly, I have no idea.

What I do know is that Corey Crawford is the best Hawk right now, and it isn’t even close. Let’s get to it:

DarylZero

The Two Obs

-We knew that it was only a matter of time before the first line popped off. It only took Kris Versteeg not being there to turn pucks over at the blue line for it to get there. They were a combined +37 in Corsi with score adjusted. While Fifth Feather rightly wondered if there was something wrong with Toews the past couple games, when faced with another premier center tonight Toews swallowed Tavares whole and spit out only most of his bones. Give him something to prove, and Toews will get into you up to the elbow.

-Crawford created some of his own problems tonight with some slightly wonky rebound control, but obviously made up for it on his own. Name a goalie playing better right now not named Devan Dubnyk. You can’t do it.

-I really have enjoyed watching this Islanders team all year, and not just because their jerseys are the balls. There’s no bigger Nick Leddy fan than me, but when this game was still in the balance they looked completely lost without him and no team should count on him that much. The turnovers in their own zone felt like a bit.

-Once again, Kimmo Timonen’s possession numbers are ugly, But I see a slow arc up, though I’ll admit it might be because I want to. Timonen wants to play the game the Hawks need. That is, high pressure at both blue lines. Pinching to keep attacks going in the offensive zone, not giving up the Hawks’ line easily in the hopes of turning around play quickly. It’s his natural instinct. Right now, he just doesn’t always get there in time to do so, though that ratio is starting to lean in the right direction. I hope it gets there.

-Doesn’t Kris Versteeg look better when he’s playing 4th liners? When he’s not turning pucks over at his own line, that is.

-I think it’s somewhat odd that Antoine Vermette hasn’t been used on any special teams. During a five minute kill, the Hawks stuck to Kruger, Saad, Hossa, and Toews, and only Desjardins and Versteeg got a shift during it. Vermette has been killing penalties his whole career. Then again, when things have gone this smoothly with what Q knows, I get it.

-We worry and are paranoid, but after Shaw was ejected the right wing to take most of his shifts was Teuvo Teravainen. Q loves this kid, he’s not even hiding it any more, and we should trust his handling of him from now on.

-The Hawks sit four points back of the Preds, but have three games in hand. It’s gone from loosely in their hands to tightly. That’s the nearest target. Those games in hand are in April, but tomorrow is a good start. The Hawks have been piss poor (by their standards) on the 2nd of back-to-backs this season, and tomorrow sees them taking on the best the East has to offer. We’ll know where the recovery is when it’s over, methinks.

 

Everything Else

The Longshoreman's Lament – Islanders vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Plenary Indulgence

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New York Islanders vs oldschool

Game Time: 7:30PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
The Adventures of Young Billy Joel: Lighthouse Hockey

Ahh St. Patrick’s Day. That wonderful holiday where everyone’s a little bit Irish except for the Jig Asshole and the Dropkick Murphys (both of whom are guaranteed to make an appearance tonight at the UC), and white people are allowed to drunkenly piss and vomit and fight with impunity all over major metropolitan across the country. So bust out the Chinese knockoff green Hawks jersey and order an Irish Car Bomb the way a native born Irishman would, and get on down to West Madison for the Hawks and the (not emerald) Isle.

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High On The Hog: Division Split

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The Rockford IceHogs were on the road this weekend, splitting a pair of Midwest Division contests. Grand Rapids defeated the Hogs Friday night to widen their advantage at the top of the division. Rockford got a win in Chicago over the Wolves Sunday afternoon.

The IceHogs trail Grand Rapids, who have won 14 of its last 17 games, by seven points in the standings. Rockford does have a pair of games in hand and haven’t been playing bad hockey, having won eight of its last twelve. If the Griffins ever cool off, a division title may yet be in the cards.