Let’s have fun with small sample sizes, yeah?
And through two games, the Blackhawks are 0-2.
vs. 
PUCK DROPS: 7pm Tonight, 7:30pm tomorrow
TV: CSN Tonight, WGN Tomorrow
YELLOW COLLARED TWEEKERS: On The Forecheck
POWER PLAY (’15-’16): Hawks 22.6% (2nd) Predators 19.7% (10th)
PENALTY KILL (’15-’16): Hawks 80.3% (22nd) Predators 81.2% (16th)
Trends To Watch: James Neal has 14 goals in 23 career games against the Hawks, Jonathan Toews has 35 points in 41 games against Nashville
With some personal commitments for all of us and Game 1 taking most of our attention anyway tomorrow, let’s just set up this old school divisional home-and-home all at once. After a pretty stinging loss to open the season, it’ll get no easier for the Hawks as they’ll open the Predators season, perhaps the most anticipated in Music City in their entire history.
This blog has never hidden its affection for Pernell Karl Subban. It’s just a shame that the rest of the hockey world, specifically the one that considers itself so polite and understanding (and cold), wouldn’t follow suit. That’s ok though. PK Subban can probably make a bigger impact on the sport on this side of the 49th, and we certainly won’t ever make him apologize for who he is.
We’ll get to the off the ice stuff that the Predators have gotten in what is going to be an absolute steal of a trade, no matter how much the crusty hockey media is going full force today to show how well Shea Weber fits in with the Canadiens after one fucking game (though you won’t see anyone writing “because he’s white” which is really what they’re saying). First it’s important how much of an improvement the Preds are getting on the ice.
There’s a few reasons I’m fascinated by the Nashville Predators this season. One, they have my favorite person in the league now in P.K. Subban. They were already one of the more entertaining teams to watch before Subban even arrived. Whether or not John Tortorella was right about Ryan Johansen is something to be studied as well. The idea of them finally breaking through to the later rounds of the playoffs for a fanbase that has become one of the best in the league as well is another reason to watch.
But what I’m really interested in seeing is that I’m not sure we’ve seen a blue line constructed like this before, and what it might mean for the future.
Box Score
Should have taken the left at Albuquerque.
I’m not sure we learned anything we didn’t already suspect is going to be some of the issues early this season. First off, you can’t take five straight penalties when Tarasenko and friends are loitering around the other side. And you can’t have TVR anywhere near there either. So there are two problems.
But we knew the Hawks are a bit mismatched at forward, and there’s going to have to be a level of patience while they see if some of the kids can figure it out. Hinostroza and Motte looked quick, but it was in every direction. Schmaltz looked hesitant as the enormity of the task of being an NHL center sunk in. Forsling showed some really promising flashes, and some flashes the other way. That’s just how it’s going to be. So for now and once again, the Hawks are a one-line team.
vs. 
PUCK DROP: 7pm
TV: NBCSN
GOOD GOD DON’T GO THERE: St. Louis Gametime
Power Play (’15-’16): Hawks – 22.6% (2nd) Blues – 21.5% (6th)
Penalty Kill (’15-’16): Hawks 80.3% (22nd) Blues – 85.1% (3rd)
Trends: Tarasenko has 13 points in 15 regular season games against the Hawks, Allen has a .934 career SV% against the Hawks
It’s finally here, after the World Cup made an already interminable-feeling training camp feel even longer. And as the preseason has gone on I’ve felt better about the Hawks and worse about the Blues, which is actually better, because no one wants to feel good about the Blues. That probably goes for the music as well.
Now that I’ve grown up (ha!) and given up the printed program, at least for the year, there’s only one goofball doing it and that’s Brad Lee in St. Louis. You can find his work at StLouisGametime.com and follow him on Twitter @GTBradLee.
Interesting summer for the Blues, let’s try and parse it out one at a time. Is Jay Gallon really ready to be the #1 on this team and take them farther than Elliot could? Because it seems like they’ve tried to give him the job forever and he’s never seized it with both hands.
If he’s not ready to be the No. 1, the Blues will miss the playoffs by a wide margin. The front office can say whatever they want, but the pedigree of each goaltender was on display at every turn. Brian Elliott arrived in St. Louis signing a league-minimum, two-way contract. He was designated as the backup — if he wasn’t playing in the AHL. And then he pushed Jaroslav Halak for playing time, he won a playoff series, he got picked for the All Star Game twice. Now mixed in were some up and down seasons including one where he sat for a long time and had to go to the minors for a week to get his act together. But he did. When they had to choose between goalies, they always chose not Elliott: Halak over him, Ryan Miller over him and two playoffs ago Allen over him. And then they traded him for a second round pick. But Elliott leaves as the franchise leader in save percentage, goals-against average and shutouts. He’s fourth in wins. And all that was never enough to have the Blues forget that they drafted Allen in the second round of the 2008 draft. They remember how he was the starting goalie for Team Canada at the World Juniors. They know he was an AHL All Star. His resume is awesome. He’s been an elite goaltender at every level. So it’s easy to forget the goals he’s allowed on the faceoff because he wasn’t ready or how one goal in Game 5 against the Wild in the first round made him crumble when the Blues had the momentum. And that’s ignoring the fact that he gets injured. Frequently. Like Saturday night. But I’m sure it will all work out fine.
Predators expert and bowtie aficionado extraordinaire J.R. Lind stops by this week to give everyone a peek at what to expect out of Nashville in the back half of the episode, but not before the Hockey Ghouls get to the bottom of the roster-shakeups league wide from the “Incredibly Good Player Draft” known as the camp-ending waiver wire. All pertinent links for audio acquisition following the jump.
There’s a lot of weirdness about this Hitchcock farewell tour and the planned succession to Mike Yeo. It’s all very Blues, and it’ll be even more Blues in the various ways it could go totally balls-up.
First off, we know Hitch grudgingly lets his team get up and down the ice, and would rather be coaching the All-Blacks and play that version of hockey. But look at this roster. Where exactly is his beloved jam? Backes and Brouwer headed for the exit, and in came in only David Perron and the only grinding with him is the one that produces smoke coming out of his ears when trying to do any sort of math problem. Lehtera, Tarasenko, now Yakupov, Schwartz (for the five minutes he’s in one piece), Stastny, Jaskin, Robbi Fabbry or Robby Fabbri, this team has much, much more skill than GRITSANDPAPERHEARTFAAAAARRT. Is Hitch going to open up the throttle on this? Doesn’t he have to to maximize what he’s got?
