Author: sgadmin

  • Morning Linke 12/17/14

    Morning Linke 12/17/14

    2 points: Blackhawks

    That settles that for now: ESPN Chicago

    Dr. Q, says he’s okay so…: CSN (auto play)

    They are allowed to kill the penalty: PHT

    Longest game of Uno yet: PD

  • Get Your Vaccinations Here – Blackhawks 5 Wild 3

    Get Your Vaccinations Here – Blackhawks 5 Wild 3

    The Blackhawks beat the Wild 5 to 3 at the United Center. Goals came from all the cool kids, Seabrook, Kane, Toews, Hossa and they even let their little tag-along buddy, Ben Smith, get in on the fun with an empty-netter at the end of the game. Duncan Keith missed the game due to “illness” which of course everyone believes to be Mumps. I’m pretty shocked we haven’t seen one of those memes comparing toughness, since it appears Mumps are the only thing tougher than an NHL player.

    • Herd Immunity: Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo and some random dude on Twitter believe the referees handed the Blackhawks the win. When an entire season goes by that features a team never drawing a penalty that was a bit questionable, I’ll start giving this argument a lot more credence. At this point, every team gets a call here and there that maybe it doesn’t really deserve. I don’t think the rule book allows teams to decline penalties for moral or sportsmanship related reasons, so they take what they are given and try to make the most of it. This is the way of the hockey world. The Wild have had a tough time doing that this season as their Power Play continues to flounder.
    • Vaccination: Patrick Kane is the cure for all that ails you. He skated freely into the offensive zone on several occasions against a team noted to have a penchant for the neutral zone trap. The Wild didn’t trap very effectively during this game as Kane, Saad and others seemed to walk right in. Kane moved through the penalty killers while the Blackhawks were on the Power Play with ridiculous ease. He even tried the old “bank it off the back of the goalie’s head” move while behind the net at one point in the game. Vaccines are good for you and frankly I don’t think it is a coincidence that Patrick Kane is too.
    • Pathogens: The first period was not very good for the Blackhawks. The Wild controlled quite a bit of the play and there was a lot of end to end action. This is one of the areas where Duncan Keith was missed. The mixed up defensive pairings had a tough time suppressing shots starting at the offensive blue line and working their way back.
    • Booster: Quenneville sent the Blackhawks out in the second period with some changed up lines and defensive pairings. Seabrook and Oduya, Hjalmarsson and Rozsival, and finally Erixon and Rundblad seemed to work out much better for the team. The forwards were mixed up but all of them seemed to do a better job defensively starting in the second period. Kris Versteeg made several nice plays in the defensive and neutral zones that stifled the Wild’s attempts to create some offense. That’s something that was really missing from Versteeg’s game last season so it’s nice to see him improving so much.
    • War-On-Ice
    • Event Summary
  • You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having – Wild vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Background Check

    220px-Minnesota_North_Stars_Logo_1967-1974 vs oldschool

    Game Time: 7:30PM Central
    TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
    Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely: Hockey Wilderness

    For the first time since Patrick Kane terminated their season 8 months ago for the second straight year, the Hawks will square off against the Wild. And Minnesota comes into tonight very much in the same limbo as the one that left them looking for any kind of answer over the summer.

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  • Morning Links 12/16/14

    Morning Links 12/16/14

    They haven’t missed a step: Chicago Tribune

    But who gets that spot: DH

    Doomed from the start: The Score

    The smartest thing they have done since making that kid captain in 1986:RW

    Cleared for Contact:TSN

    GTFO: SI

    Maybe his room is messy? PD

  • High On The Hog: To Kill A Penalty

    High On The Hog: To Kill A Penalty

    The Rockford IceHogs ran their road record to 10-4-0-1 this week. The AHL’s Midwest Division leaders beat the Admirals in Milwaukee for the second time in six days Wednesday night. Rockford then split a pair of games at Lake Erie over the weekend.

    Heading into another week of travel, Rockford is piling up points away from the BMO Harris Bank Center. One big factor in this road surge has been a dominating penalty kill. Come to think of it, it’s been pretty darn good at home as well.

    In 2013-14, the Hogs were an absolute joke when shorthanded. They were dead last in the AHL in this department with a 72.3 success rate. Here are some numbers that show the dramatic change from a season ago:

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  • Morning Links 12/15/14

    Morning Links 12/15/14

    What does winning look like to you?: Blackhawks

    what they lack in experience they make up for in inexperience: PD

    How much time do I have to formulate a comeback: ESPN Chicago

    On a mission to civilize: Trib

    You don’t need to go to WebMD to come up with symptoms: TSN

  • You Can't Be King Of The World: Flames 1 – Hawks 2

    You Can't Be King Of The World: Flames 1 – Hawks 2

    Box Score

    Event Summary

    War-on-ice

    Natural Stat Trick

    Considering the way the Flames play, considering both teams were on their third game in four nights in three cities, and considering the Hawks looked leggy last night, this one was never going to be shipped off to the Smithsonian as a great display of sport. And it wasn’t. This one was about perseverance, as the Flames concentrated on jamming things up in the defensive and neutral zone and just took what they could find at the other.

    Thankfully, the Hawks really didn’t give them all that much after Hudler’s goal. They had to wait and wait for a crack, and they got one when Johnny Gaudreau (who was a threat all night) blew a tire at the blue line and Hjalmarsson was able to shove forward for Toews and Saad to have something of a 2-on-0. Saad didn’t make any mistakes. Two points gained. Move on.

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  • Home For The Holidays – Flames vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Lighting of the Yule Log

    yulelog-fire_lg vs oldschool

    Game Time: 7:00PM Central
    TV/Radio:  CSN, NHLN (US), CITY (Canada), WGN-AM 720
    Chet’s Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire: Flames Nation, M & G

    Having played 10 of their last 12 games on the road, the Hawks will now close out December and 2014 with 5 of their next 7 at Club 1901. That stretch begins tonight against the visiting Flames to close out the inter-divisional season series.

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