I will cry for you
I will cry for you
I will wash away your pain with all my tears
And drown your fear
I would die for you
I would die for you
I’ve been dying just to feel you by my side
To know that you’re mine
vs. 
FACEOFF: 8:40pm Central
TV/RADIO: NBCSN, 87.7 FM
ON THE SKYWAY: Hockey Wilderness
As they did last year, the Hawks find themselves having passed up one chance to strangle the life out of this series in St. Paul but with another to do so in Game 4. This time, however, they have a spikier Wild team to deal with (one that’s already escaped this dungeon this spring) and not quite the doomsday arsenal they once did.
If we go off yesterday’s practice, it would appear that Joel Quenneville is going to hit the blender again and try and spread out his scoring (or watch Sharp’s and Hossa’s usefulness get completely erased by Michal Handzus getting beaten silly by Granlund, Koivu, or Haula. Take your fucking pick). That’s if you believe this wasn’t just subterfuge. Even if he’s serious about putting Ben Smith up top and Kane with Kruger and Saad, you know it won’t last much more than a period if the Hawks aren’t up 3-0 and we’ll go back to what the lines have been this series anyway.
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Red Fang has been one of my favorite metal bands for years. They’re the perfect blend of mindless fantasy lyrics combined with melt your face off guitar riffs. If you actually bother to read our silly game threads, you’re likely to have noticed a few of their songs used in them… at least from the ones I write. Much like ZZ Top, Red Fang utilizes the idea that every standing member of the band should rock a beard. Drummers are their own world of crazy. Just don’t bother them.
I had a bit of a discussion on this on Twitter on Monday, as I was watching yet more slobbering over Jonathan Quick and I was drinking. My best Twitter debates tend to come when I’m at the bar and I have time to kill. I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
Anyway, the narrative once again is that Jonathan Quick is dragging the Kings kicking and screaming through the playoffs. And I suppose that blue line beneath Drew Doughty does need some bailing out from time to time. But it got me to thinking:
59 games – 35-24, 8 shutouts, .928 SV%, 2.12 GAA
46 games – 27-18 3 shutouts, .925 SV%, 2.03 GAA
The top is Quick’s career playoff numbers. The bottom is Crawford’s. As you can see, other than the shutouts they’re almost identical. Ah, but I’m sure people will point to the Conn Smythe that Quick got and Crow doesn’t have. Ok then.
Quick’s 2012 run – 16-4 .946 SV%, 1.41 GAA
Crawford’s 2013 run – 16-7 .932 SV%, 1.84 GAA
Obviously, Quick’s run to the Cup was a little better, but not by all that much. And in 2012, Quick’s last three opponents didn’t finish in the top half in the league in scoring (and Vancouver was without Daniel Sedin courtesy Duncan Keith and Ryan Kesler was being held together by duct tape and hope), whereas last year’s Kings and Bruins both finished in the top half in scoring. We could easily make the argument that Crow had a tougher path to the Cup than Quick did.
With today being the second of two days off after a disheartening 4-0 shutout at the hands of a goalie who had a previously embarrassing save percentage in the series, it’s natural that things have taken a sober and somber tone even in spite of a 2-1 series lead. And no one does somber, and in an uplifting fashion, than the bearded Mark Oliver Everett, mastermind of the Eels.
Pitt Rolls: TSN
The “reformed one” returns: MST
Swedish Silence: CSN AP
Still confident: Chicago Daily Tribune
Iron Mike happy behind the once Iron Curtain: CBC
Now that we’re a little separated from last night, I want to try and be as even-handed about Q’s decisions (in this series and in the past) as I can be. It won’t be easy, but if we all work together I think we can get through it.
While Q scratched Nick Leddy for Sheldon Brookbank last night, it didn’t end up working out as a straight swap. As you’ll see from last night’s Extra Skater, Brookbank hardly played with Leddy’s usual partner in Rozsival at all. Brookbank took most of his shifts with Duncan Keith, and like they were in the St. Louis series they were highly effective, at least in terms of possession. Brookbank and Keith were both over 70% in Corsi-percentage, a full 18% above the team-rate for the game. Brookbank didn’t see the highest level of competition either when on the ice, as he mostly saw Brodziak and Niederreiter but there wasn’t a specific matchup either coach was chasing.
Rozsival spent most of his night skating with Johnny Oduya, and they weren’t so lucky. While Rozsvial was above water in overall Corsi, he was below the team-rate. Meanwhile Oduya was completely buried. As far as forwards these two saw it was basically spread out all over the map, as Q couldn’t chase matchups and Yeo didn’t seem too interested when they were on the ice.
Born and raised on Chicago’s southside, Common has long been a fixture in the hip-hop world. Before Common, there wasn’t really much attention paid to Chicago as a city with it’s own identity in the scene. Common began to form an identity with his album Resurrection released in 1994. This album was produced by his longtime friend No I.D. who was also crucial to bringing Chicago to the world as a mentor for both Common and Kanye West.
Common stayed away as much as he could from the trend of 90’s hip-hop trending more towards gangsta rap and used his music to focus on doing what he could to better the world around him. That doesn’t mean he shied away feuds though. He did have a brief battle with California group Westside Connection before both sides sat down with Louis Farrakhan to settle their dispute (which is a very 90’s hiphop kind of thing to do, isn’t it?).
Nowadays, like so many other 90’s hip-hop stars, Common is probably best known as an actor. He still makes time to use his fame to promote his brand of political activism. He was a huge supporter of Obama during both presidential campaigns, a supporter of PETA (ugh) and continues to work to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. He’s done all of this while almost always rocking a really solid beard too.
