Don’t freak out…yet: LGH
Home Sweet Home? CSN
The injury curse of CBJ:TSN
Not surprisingly:ESPN
Stop using the same water bottle: SI
The Rockford IceHogs took a bit of a pounding this past week. Several Blackhawks prospects got banged up in a physical affair with the Iowa Wild on November 26. Rockford came out on top in that contest, then dropped a home-and-home with the Chicago Wolves over the weekend.
Despite the losses to their Midwest Division rival, Rockford did take three of a possible six points to stay on top of the AHL standings. They did, however, pay a price for those points.
Playing with 88 probably helps: ESPN Chicago
Playing with 88 probably helps: CSN (autoplay)
Blame Canada: Trib
Insert Detroit dystopia joke here: PHT
Before and after the game last night, Darryl Sutter called the Hawks the best team in the league. Before it sounded a little strange, especially as Sutter was saying it because of different stats people should look at and Sutter always strikes people as someone who can’t add (but of course, the Kings are one of the more advanced metric team in the league and Sutter’s a big part of that). It also sounded strange to those of us who watch the Hawks every game, who get in a little deep with picking apart cracks we see because there’s just not much else to do.
vs. 
FACEOFF: 9pm Central
TV/RADIO: WGN for the locals, NHL-N for the non-locals, Sportsnet for the Hosers, WGN Radio 720
SUNSET HONEYS THAT MAKE US SAY: The Royal Half, Battle of California, Jewels From The Crown
You would think that this would have been the game circled on the calendar before the Circus Trip started. And yet it doesn’t feel like there’s an extra charge about this one. Maybe it’s because it’s the last game of the trip. Maybe it’s because both teams know that these sorts of things in November don’t really matter. Maybe it’s because neither team has fired on all cylinders this year for the most part. Or maybe it does and I just haven’t noticed. I am kind of oblivious that way.
Box Score
Event Summary
War on Ice
In what has become something of a tradition, the Hawks once again took on the Ducks in Orange Country for a Black Friday matinee. However, the Hawks bucked tradition by basically taking control of this from the word “go” in what could arguably be their most definitive victory of the year, and would be the most enjoyable were it not marred by predictable Ducks asshattery.
vs. 
FACEOFF: 3pm Central
TV/RADIO: WGN for both
CONSEQUENCES SCHMONSEQUENCES AS LONG AS I’M RICH: Anaheim Calling, Battle of California
After taking a break from it last season, the Hawks return to their usual Black Friday matinee at one of the biggest hives of scum and villainy in the world, Honda Center in Orange County (at least for me personally). In the past, these games have been something of a looney bin. The last two times it happened, in ’12 and ’11, the Hawks managed goal-explosions in the 3rd period to win. That would be all right this time, as the Ducks remain something of a bogey team for the Hawks, beating them only twice in the past seven meetings.
