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Game #40 – Once I Had A Love And It Was A Gas: Knights 5 – Hawks 4

By Sam Fels 1960 0

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

Corsica 

You can tell how far the attention to the Hawks has fallen, as we didn’t get a flurry of stories like we used to about how hard the first home game after a long road trip is. And the Hawks showed you why tonight. They were sloppy when they weren’t lazy when they weren’t stupid. And that extends behind the bench too, but we’ll save that for later. Even with a Knights team that played last night, they still play a team-wide “NO ONE BELIEVED IN US” card and are going to work hard and be fast. When the Hawks wanted to work hard and be fast, they had the Knights pinned. When they didn’t, they were paste. And then somewhere in between Q’s hunch in net gave up two goals you can’t let in. Good stuff here.

To it!

The Two Obs

-I get it with this Vegas team now. They’re fast up and down the lineup, and Gallant has them playing incredibly hard every minute. This will boomerang on them at some point when their opponents start to get more desperate (or stop watching the sun rise at the Mirage), but it’s working a trick now. This is Scott Skiles’s Bulls. As the SinBin Vegas guys pointed out in our Q&A, the Knights aren’t reinventing the wheel here. They have a fast team, so they’re just going to get the puck up the ice as fast as they can. Much like the Predators last year, their games can look frantic and up and down but not necessarily fluid. They’re not all that concerned if passes don’t connect as long as the puck is moving the right way. The Hawks on the other hand, at first, wanted to play their game which involves more precision. But when the Knights raise the temperature on it, it becomes very hard to play that way even for the most talent-laden teams. Which the Hawks are not.

When the Hawks just decided to do what the Knights did, get up the ice in a direct fashion and leave the style for later, they had the game.

-So that brings us to Jeff Glass. I’m gonna hear all about 38 saves and this and that. Once again, Glass makes some of his own problems. He can’t control a rebound to save his life. He’s a pitch-back. He can’t track the puck well, and has to rely on his athleticism to make up for it (which it is most of the time). And that panic spreads to his team, who are not calmly moving the puck out of the zone but whacking at it like it was a wasp that got in the house. It goes hand in hand.

While Glass certainly made some great saves, when the Hawks pulled within 2-1 that third Vegas goal can’t happen. Yes, Seabrook went for a wander for no reason and left another 2-on-1. Yes, he whiffed on the rebound. But Glass took forever to get back to his net because he’s relying on his athleticism to make saves and challenge. You gotta have that save.

Whether Forsling screened him on the equalizer in the third is debatable. Still, that’s Cody Eakin backing up near the blue line that beats him clean. Again, you have to have that save after you’ve come back from two goals down twice and taken the lead. Enough of this shit.

-That said, he didn’t get much help because once again the Hawks forward and d-men played as if they spoke different languages or played different sports. When d-men pinched, there was no forward to cover. When there wasn’t a pinch on, the Hawks d-men did anyway. The forwards broke out of the zone far too early for breakouts. This was October shit.

For the winner, Connor Murphy can’t pinch in there. But where the hell was Seabrook going? Schmaltz was fighting through two guys in the left corner. How was he going to thread a pass to Seabrook breaking to the net on the other side of the ice? Maybe Murphy just thought there was no way in hell his partner would do that. He should know better by now.

-Seabrook was awful all night, Keith wasn’t much better, and why the fuck Franson was out there at all I can’t figure out. Vegas is a fast, fast, fast team. So let’s dress possibly our slowest and defensively helpless d-man. Franson gives up a penalty three minutes in because he gets scorched to the outside in a “THIS JUST IN TOMORROW’S SATURDAY” level of shock, and the Knights score directly after that. That said, Franson did have the highest Corsi on the night. THAT said, he was on the ice for one defensive zone draw.

-The first period shot totals were U-G-L-Y, and a whole host of them came with Top Cat-Schmaltz-Kane on the ice on one shift. That line can’t battle its way out of the zone due to its size (or give a shit in Kane’s case tonight), so it has to pick and pass its way. But with the Knights buzzing around as they do, that’s not going to work. And you get what you got.

-I don’t know if Vinnie Hinostroza is any good. But he’s fast, and on a wing he plays in a straight line and opens up things for Toews and Saad so let’s just stick with it for now and worry about logic later.

Time keeps slipping away. There is ground to be made up with all these home games and the Hawks just pissed away one because they were disjointed, uninterested for too long, and their coach was too hunch-y. Feels like a familiar tale.

 

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Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight – January 5th

By Sam Fels 1338 0

First Screen Viewing

Penguins v. Islanders – 6pm

After biffing a home game last night to the Canes, the Penguins have to get their ass in gear sharpish. They’re three points behind the Canes for the last playoff spot, having played two games more. The Islanders are between them and the Canes as well, and the Isles have to figure out how to get anyone to make a damn save. You won’t find too many more exciting teams than Brooklyn’s finest (for now), but Halak and Greiss will always sneeze out part of their brains at the exact wrong moment. The Penguins don’t have a defense to speak of either, so this one could get get get up and get get get down.

Second Screen Viewing

There Isn’t One

The slate tonight sucks. Do you really want to watch the Sabres and Jets? No, of course not. You have better things to do. The Red Wings are on offer, if you feel like bleeding from the eyes. Senators too. Puke.

Other Games

Sharks vs. Senators – 6:30

Panthers vs. Red Wings – 6:30

Sabres vs. Jets – 7pm

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Game #40 – Golden Knights vs. Hawks Preview, Intervention – A Chip And A Chair

By Matt McClure 2234 0

 vs 

Game Time: 7:30PM CST
TV/Radio: NBC Sports Chicago, WGN-AM 720
Does The Real Caesar Live Here?: Sin Bin

The Hawks finally return to West Madison tonight for the first time in 2018 after their longest road trip of the season that saw them volley back and forth between coasts to welcome for the very first time the Vegas Golden Knights, who inexplicably sit atop the Western Conference with games in hand on basically everyone who is their closest competition for the top overall seed.

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Game #40 – Golden Knights vs. Hawks: Spotlight – Reilly Smith, Jonathan Marchessault And What A Strange World This Is

By Sam Fels 1913 0

You can get a pretty decent illustration of just how hockey works, and doesn’t work, via the journeys of Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault.

Let’s start with Smith. Back in the day, when men were men and all that, Smith piled up 58 goals in two seasons at Miami of Ohio. That’s suggests a natural goal-scorer, because you just don’t see players pile up 30-goal seasons in college, especially when they’re not obscenely overaged.

But hey, you gotta give up someone to get someone, and Smith found himself part of the Tyler Seguin trade. Of course, the Seguin trade was just an example of how dumb GMs can be, and Peter Chiarelli is at the head of that list. Smith put up a 20-goal season in his first year in Boston, and then a further 13 the next season. Not exactly a huge season but he’d already flashed secondary scoring talent and at the time was still only 24 and entering his prime.

Coming off those two seasons, the Bruins were certainly up against the cap but after 13 goals and a restricted free agent, the Bruins weren’t going to have to break the bank to keep him. Instead, they punted him to Florida so they could bring Jimmy Hayes home, and basically bringing him home was the only appeal because Jimmy Hayes sucks.

Smith would go on to score 40 goals over two seasons in Florida. Again, you can’t just “find” guys who score 20 goals per season. They’re kind of the whole point of the operation here. And while the Panthers might have their own internal budget, Smith was considered surplus to requirements by Dale Tallon, who apparently thought this was part of his “I’M IN CHARGE AGAIN!” warpath to undo anything that might have had to do with any sort of analysis. We’ll come back to Smith.

Marchessault didn’t quite flash the same way that Smith did below the NHL. Yes, his last season in the QMJHL saw him score 40 goals, but in that league if you can stand up and avoid sneezing during a game you probably get 40 goals. He put up three 20+ goal seasons in the AHL after that, which isn’t easy but also isn’t a neon sign that he has to be called up. He came up for air for about half of a season in ’16-’17 in Tampa, scored seven goals, didn’t really have a way to crack the lineup, and was moved to Florida last season.

There he popped for 30 goals. And while it’s easy to dismiss that, as he’d never hit 30 as a professional anywhere, a 15.5% shooting percentage isn’t stratospheric. And yet, Tallon thought he was expendable, too. A guy who just put up 30 goals.

And this is where things get really funny. In last summer’s expansion draft, Tallon chose the 4F-D model for his protection list. Which left Marchessault and Smith exposed, for the cause of Alex Petrovic and Mark Pysyk. Which doesn’t make any goddamn sense at all. Yes, championship teams can be built from the back and the Panthers are going to need something beyond Keith Yandle and Aaron Ekblad. But Petrovic and Pysyk? They’re ok, maybe even “nice” players. But we all know the adjective “nice” is at best a backhanded compliment. They’re also both 25. If they were going to be anything more than they are, we’d have seen some signs of it by now.

Making it worse, the Knights took Marchessault, because cheap 30-goal scorers just don’t arrive on your doorstep, and then Tallon handed them Smith for a 4th round pick. That’s it. Maybe the Cats needed to dump salary, maybe they didn’t, but Pysyk was making just about the same.

The Florida Panthers are 19th in the league in goals per game, just so you know.

And the story doesn’t end there. Marchessault and Smith have lit it up in Vegas, combining for 25 goals and 68 points so far. Now, if this were a normal world, they’d be doing this for an expansion team that wasn’t going anywhere was was looking three or four years down the line. Both were headed into free agency after the year, Smith restricted and Marchessault into unrestricted. They would have been prized possessions at the deadline for a bunch of teams, where the Knights could have collected high draft picks/prospects that will matter when this team matters.

Except the Knights do matter now. Or at least they think they do. Thanks to whatever you want to attribute it to–insane goaltending, dumb luck in dumb overtime rules, Vegas flu–they sit near the top of the division. So perhaps they thought it would be a tough sell to their burgeoning fanbase to flog two of their three top scorers.

Instead, they extended both for $5 million a year until for the next four years in Smith’s case and the next six in Marchessault’s case. Both will have entered their 30s when their deals are up. It’s not scandalous, but it is curious.

Because if the Knights’ goaltending drops off next year, or they don’t get the overtime results, or visiting teams actually act like professionals, what are the Knights going to want with two scorers in their late 20s that they can’t move? They just eroded a lot of their value. On a normal track, by the time the Knights are really ready to contend, both will be past their primes.

But does anything work the way it’s supposed to now?

 

 

 

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Game #40 – Golden Knights vs. Hawks: Q&A With SinBin Vegas

By Sam Fels 1800 0

Ken Boehlke and Jason Pothier run SinBin.vegas. They were kind enough to take the time to answer our nonsense. Follow their work on Twitter @Sinbinvegas.

So like the crusty old hockey guys we are, seriously we only drink Molson now, we’ve scoffed for a while at the Knights success. But it’s getting time to get past that, obviously. What is the key here? Gerrard Gallant? A unique style? As lots of people will be seeing this team for the first time live, what should they be looking for?

Boehlke: The biggest thing is their depth. The top line is clearly a cut below every other team’s, but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th are better than pretty much every team. Plus, their defense pairings can hang with anybody and are pitching in a ton of offense. They all play a quick brand of hockey and no matter who is out there at any given moment they are dangerous in transition. You turn the puck over in your own end or in the neutral zone (or even near the blue line) the Golden Knights will be in front of your net getting a scoring chance in a hurry. Defensively, they play the simplest game you’ve ever seen in the NHL. Simple fast decision making usually has them breaking out of their own zone easily and quickly (except last night against St. Louis). Gallant is the ultimate players coach and deserves a ton of credit, but there’s more to his style that’s any different than anyone else. He just has this calming effect on the players and they seem to really want to play for him. Finally, what should they be looking for? Well, quick decision making, great transition from their own end to the neutral zone into the attacking zone, and a bunch of odd-man rushes. They don’t do anything you’ve never seen before, but they are good at doing things you have. That was a long answer, but that’s what you get when you ask seven questions masqueraded as one.

Pothier: 

The Golden Knights play a relatively simple game. Limiting mistakes, pushing the tempo and maintaining possession are a few reasons why Vegas has 56 points in 39 games. Vegas plays smart, makes quick decisions and keeps their foot on the gas. They’re also very balanced, getting impact production from their offense and defense. Plus, Vegas has gotten steady goaltending all season. Lastly, Head coach Gerard Gallant is the perfect leader. His roster came together quick and believed they could win. He’s not a cheerleader type, but a coach that allows players to trust their instincts. Gallant won’t mess with his lines often, and gives players opportunities to work out of funks. His assurance with the players has created a fun, loose environment. One that’s perfect for winning. 

William Karlsson never had more than 25 points in a season, now he’s got 33 in less than half of one. What’s the deal here?

The main thing is usage. In Columbus he was a third or fourth liner who was normally asked to concentrate on his defense. He’s an excellent defensive center, but now the Golden Knights are giving him a bunch more offensive zone starts and have put him on a line with Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault who have made him into an attacking star. He’s just an all around stud player and his success is as much an indictment on the Blue Jackets not knowing what they had more so than the Golden Knights utilizing him properly. This guy is a stud and is going to be for a while. He may not score 30 goals every year because that shooting percentage is preposterous, but his 200 foot game isn’t going to change as time goes on.

Karlsson’s offensive stats are hard to ignore, but his overall play is what’s more impressive. He’s became a lockdown center effectively playing the full sheet of ice. His neutral zone decisions have created countless odd-man rushes for his linemates Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. Like many Golden Knights, Karlsson has benefited greatly from more ice time. The Swede is averaging four minutes per game more than his career average. Columbus couldn’t promise the same opportunities. Now that Karlsson is on the ice more his skill is more defined. The Golden Knights have a core two-way center that has a knack for finding the back of the net.

It’s the same thing with Malcolm Subban. He was never that impressive in the AHL with the Boston organizations, and is now rocking a .922. Is that just maturity and experience or a huge spasm of luck or something in between?

All the credit in the world goes to the Golden Knights goalie coach Dave Prior for Subban’s turnaround. He hit the waiver wire and Vegas pounced on him. Why? Because Prior knew it would only take a few simple fixes to turn him from a bum to a the 1st round talent he was when he was drafted. He’s a lot quieter in the net and he doesn’t take nearly as many risks. Prior has taught him to stay standing a bit longer than normal and with his elite reaction speed and big frame it’s made all the difference. He seems to be the real deal, but I still want to see how he responds to getting lit up. It’s been all positives here. That wasn’t the case in Boston and Providence. Can he keep his head on straight after giving up five or six goals? If he can, he might be the future for the Golden Knights, if not, maybe Oscar Dansk is.

Subban has played above anyone’s expectations, including the Golden Knights organization. In Boston, there was internal pressure because he was a first-round draft pick. His role never developed in the AHL and the Bruins were left waiving him. He’s incredibly athletic, strong and humble. Subban has refined his skills with the aid of Vegas goalie coach Dave Prior. Which could be a big reason why he’s playing so well. All that being said, it’s still early to declare Subban as the goaltender of the future. Vegas fans will be happy if he is. They really love to cheer “Soooooob” when Subban makes a nice save. 

So the goalposts have had to shift now, yes? Where George McPhee might have been tempted to do some selling at the deadline to get long-term assets, he can’t really do that now, correct?

Absolutely not. The only thing he can do in regards to selling is “selling to buy.” If he flips one or two of the UFAs (Neal, Perron, and Sbisa) he’s got to bring back a long term piece that can also help now. No longer are 2020 2nd round picks a valuable commodity. My guess is McPhee completely stands pat at the deadline and just lets this team ride it out, but he’s not afraid to make a splash trade so who knows. But I will tell you this, every time he’s asked about the deadline he runs the same line, “I’m not going to sit here and derail anything.” So, if you take him for his word, he’s not going to sit here and derail anything.

I’m not fully counting out roster movement at the deadline. The Golden Knights GM has continuously said he won’t derail the momentum. However, he carefully reminds fans that it’s too early to plan for the playoffs. Which in my mind suggests McPhee is more concerned about building the future. Is it still possible that McPhee trades a player like David Perron for a prospect or draft pick? Of course, the only problem is disrupting a first-place team. McPhee can’t do that, his boss Bill Foley would be livid. 

With the incredibly surprising start, as well as the novelty, how has the first half-season gone over in Vegas? Are they in the news and such? Buzz?

It’s everywhere. Literally the only thing people in Vegas talk about. It’s kind of a euphoric state in which everyone can’t believe how good they are and therefore there’s very little actual hockey talk. Instead it’s just a bunch of hyperbole and disbelief about how awesome it is to have a team that’s not awful. It feels a lot like a college town where you have to know what’s going on or you are basically a social outcast. That doesn’t mean anyone actually knows what’s going on, cause they don’t and not enough people know about my website, but they certainly know what happened in the last game. It’s cool and it’s only going to get better when the real games start in April and hopefully May and June.

The Golden Knights are the talk of the town, and righteously so. However, to my disappointment the local radio and tv stations haven’t fully committed. The NFL, Raiders, NBA, and UNLV continue to lead the local airwaves. During some local programming it sounds as if the Golden Knights were never created. It’s not the fans fault. Vegas fans are loud, passionate and enjoying this fairy tale inaugural season. The entire city is amped for the second half of the season, and possibly the postseason

 

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Game #40 – Golden Knights vs. Hawks: Douchebag Du Jour – Punchy McPhee

By Sam Fels 1545 0

Just take a moment, and consider what might happen if one night on the Southside, Rick Hahn had a couple too many, or just had a bad day, and wondered down to the Twins clubhouse on a steamy July night and just drifted Paul Molitor for throwing Yoan Moncada. Or better yet, next season things aren’t going Ryan Pace’s way one Sunday afternoon, and he waited in the tunnel to jump Adam Gase (there’s an image).

What do you think the punishment for them would be? They’d be instantly fired, you’d think, no? Have to be. Maybe suspended for a season.

Not in hockey though. You may not know this, it happened nearly 20 years ago. But during the preseason in 1999, in a game in Columbus, then Washington GM George McPhee didn’t care for the lineup or deployment of the Hawks lineup. Instead of airing his grievances to the press or just heading to a local watering hold to blow off some steam. McPhee coldcocked Hawks coach Lorne Molleken outside the Chicago dressing room. This caused him to get jumped by a few Hawks players, which is even more hilarious.

If you tried to parse out inflation in suspension time, perhaps the month Gary Bettman made McPhee sit that season would be half of a season or a full one now. Maybe it wouldn’t be. But can you imagine a sport where this is forgotten? Woody Hayes did this and never coached again. WOODY HAYES. George McPhee went on to GM the Caps for another 15 years or so. In hockey, decking an opposing coach barely gets into your permanent file.

 

 

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Game #40 – Golden Knights vs. Hawks: I Make A Lot Of Graphs

By Sam Fels 1599 0

All stats at even-strength unless where noted. Courtesy of Corsica.hockey. 

Key: CF/60 – shot attempts for per 60 minutes

CA/60 – shot attempts against per 60

CF% – ratio of shot attempts for and against

G/60, GA/60, GF% – goals scored, allowed, and ratio of per 60 minutes

xGF/60, xGA/60, xGF% – “expected goals” i.e. goals team “should” have scored and allowed based on amount and types of chances and attempts created and allowed given neutral goaltending. 

PDO – shooting percentage plus save percentage, used to measure luck. 100 is average.

Time On Ice Percentage – amount of even-strength time player skates

Off. Zone Start Ratio – percentage of shifts started in offensive zone

TOI% of Competition: percentage of even-strength time opponent takes of his team player skates against

 

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Game #39 Makes You Think All the World’s a Sunny Day – Hawks 5, Rangers 2

By Rose Rankin 2945 0

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Corsica

This year is only three days old but it’s basically been one big dick kick for most of those 72 hours. One merciful exception is the Blackhawks winning a game—and in regulation too. It wasn’t always pretty, despite the fact that the Rangers blow in possession which played to the Hawks’ strength. The score makes it seem easier than it was. To the bullets:

– The theme of the night for the Hawks was dumb penalties. Sure, their PK is good, but jesus do you have to make it so hard on yourselves? Toews had two penalties in the first, Seabrook and Glass tag teamed in the second to allow the Rangers a 5-on-3 on which they promptly tied the game, Bouma took a dumbshit penalty late in the second in the offensive zone—it just wouldn’t stop. It also must be pointed out that Glass made pretty much the stupidest mistake possible by lofting the puck into the stands while they were already on the PK. And I had to concede that Dave Lozo made a funny when he called him Jeff “I shoot the puck over the” Glass. In any case, penalties let the Rangers tie the game in the second and nearly again in the third. Penalties like the too many men in the third, or delay of game in the second (and which Seabrook nearly managed in the first as well), are often just dumbass moves. They certainly were tonight.

– And then there was the dumb non-call in the second period: Hartman’s cross-check on Marc Staal that sent Staal hurtling into the net while taking the puck with him. Not that I’m unhappy with the result, of course. We need all the help we can get right now.

– If a line was going to get lucky, it had to be Hartman-Schmaltz-Kane. They were the best line all night with all three of them hovering around a 70 CF%. All of them had multiple shots (three for Schmaltz, five for Kane, two for Hartman), and if it hadn’t been for Lundqvist robbing Kane repeatedly, it would have been a different story tonight.

– But no, it was largely the same scenario we’ve become used to: the Hawks dominated possession (64.6 CF% at evens, with the first two periods being over 70%), they had a huge lead in shots (35 to 25), yet they had to eke out goals until the last couple minutes when they got two empty-netters. Now, granted, I’m not looking this gift horse in the mouth (OK, maybe I am a little), and if this is how we have to claw our way to victory then fine, so be it. The Saad-Toews-Hinostroza thing was working. But if Kane and Schmaltz had had a little more finish on those shots, this could have been a DLR. But whatever. They did what needed to be done.

– Speaking of doing things the hard way, Jeff Glass did himself very few favors, such as the aforementioned dumb penalty, and his habit of losing his net (and occasionally his stick). His rebounds weren’t as atrocious tonight as previously, and he finished with a respectable .920 SV%. But I certainly wouldn’t call his positioning reliably good. The announcers (whoever the fuck this B-team was that the NHL trotted out for their beloved Rivalry Night along with noted asshat Pierre McGuire) kept fluffing him all night, but really they were just pushing this feel-good storyline. The scrambling in front of the net that the Hawks had to periodically resort to stands as a reminder that this isn’t a long-term solution during Crawford’s absence, or at least, it shouldn’t be.

– David Kampf got his first point, so way to go. It came as an assist on Patrick Sharp’s go-ahead goal, which is…good? I’m conflicted by Sharp getting to stay in the lineup and bump Top Cat to his off side, but again, that gift horse thing….

So despite the warts this was a badly needed win, as they all will be from here on out. This game really had the feel of one that would get tied late in the third, and which the Hawks would lose in OT, so I’d rather be sitting here complaining about how many more goals they could have scored, rather than bitching about them blowing it.

Beer de Jour: Crushinator by Maplewood Brewing (an IPA that’s 4.5%? Hello, weekday beer!)

Line of the Night: “Chicago…way too many men.” –Pierre McGuire in a most Freudian-sounding statement.

 

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Game #39 – Hawks vs. Rangers Preview/Track Mastering: You Can’t Get A Joint in Times Square So Who Cares?

By Sam Fels 2080 0

 vs. 

RECORDS: Hawks 18-14-6   Rangers 21-13-5

PUCK DROP: 7pm

TV: NBCSN – It’s Rivalry Night, don’t ya know?

NEW YORK MIGHT BE THE WORST ST. VINCENT SONG EVER: Blueshirt Banter, @HockeyRodent

It’s not officially cold until it gets cold in New York, which it has been now, and you can hear their bitching about it from Oregon. Meanwhile this is par for the course for us, but who gives a shit when we’re here in the middle, busy sending all of our creative talent there to do the work they take credit for? Exactly. Anyway, it’s rivalry night apparently and I guess this counts because it’s two Original Six teams, though you’re forgiven if you forgot that the Rangers were an O6 teams because really… what’s Rangers tradition?

BUT THAT’S NOT WHY YOU CALLED.

The Hawks wrap up this weird six-game trip that’s bounced from Texas to the East Coast, to Western Canada, back to the East Coast, rippin’ and rompin’, North Cak-a-laka and Compton (not actually Compton). It wrapped around Christmas so the Hawks didn’t have to do it all in one, but it also makes it seem like it’s gone on forever. The fact that the Hawks piled up only one win during it, three terrible losses and one credible point I guess in Cal And Gary only made it seem longer. Which leaves us in this state of ennui we currently find ourselves.

As far as on the ice. there will be more changes. Because of course there will. Once again, Richard Panik goes from top line to pressbox in Q’s Rotation Of Confusion, with Vinnie Smalls getting a chance to do whatever it is he does with Toews and Saad. Patrick Sharp comes back from exile (handsome exile!) to be on the other side of David Kampf from Top Cat, forcing Top Cat back to the right side because whatever Baby Sharp wants Baby Sharp gets, I guess.

It spreads to the defense as well, where Gustav Forsling will slot back in to pair with Cody Franson, which won’t have the Rangers forwards giggling until they foam up at the mouth or anything. Personally, I can’t wait for Forsling to get horsed in the corner, the puck making its way to the slot and Franson kind of staring at it with a bemused expression as one might a squirrel dragging a too big piece of food up a tree. After starting the shift in their own end, of course.

Jeff Glass gets his third straight start, as horse-player Q thinks this is finally the Pick 3 he’s going to hit. This is simply asking for trouble, as the “spark” Q was looking for by starting this good story has not materialized, and has in fact has had his skaters playing terrified and panicked in their own zone as Glass spits up another rebound. It has the double effect of fucking with Anton Forsberg’s head, and with Corey Crawford nowhere on the horizon that seems a real problem. Glass is going to give up a touchdown somewhere around here, because he’s not Tim Thomas, and it’s going to be in a game the Hawks can’t really afford to just punt. Forsberg has had his spotty games for sure, but also has the better chance of holding a team below two which he’s done as well. But Q gets to play his hunches because fuck you.

To the Rangers, who are one of the weirder statistical teams you can find. They’ve fallen six points behind the division leading Caps, but have two games in hand. What’s bewildering about the Rangers is that they’re one of the worst possession teams in the league, and yet they create the best chances out of the limited attempts they take. They’re #1 in expected goals at evens per 60 minutes, even though you’d be hard pressed to find a genuine first-liner anywhere on this team. They give up a lot of attempts as well, but not that many great chances.

It also helps that Henrik Lundqvist went a bit bonkers in December, with a .936 SV%. So that talk of him being finished in October seems to have dried up a bit. That helped the Rags to a 7-3-3 record in the month, and they’ll be coming off a truly inspiring OT win in the Winter Classic against the modern day irresistible force that is the Buffalo Sabres.

The Rangers are a little beat up at the moment, as Chris “I Still Give Guys Swirlies” Kreider is out indefinitely with a blood clot in his arm, and so is Jesper Fast. The Rangers weren’t blessed with a huge amount of depth, so it’s kind of stripped their second line. Unless a troika of Buchnevich-Desharnais-Vesey scares you. The top unit of Alleged Wiener Tucker and The Two Z’s has been dynamite possession-wise but not a whole lot of end product yet. It’s the bottom six where the real threat lies, with Michael Grabner and 18 goals, Captain Stairwell, and J.T. Miller always possible to pop up with a goal. There are no big names–Nash really isn’t a top line player any more–but the foot soldiers have gotten enough done.

They’ve had problems getting Kirk ShattenKevin to fit in all season, and he’s currently on a third-pairing with worst player in the world Brendan Smith. Most of their push comes from Chance-Made-Me-Famous Brady Skjei (and the funny thing about that sketch is that Skjei is American). McDonagh and Holden take the human shield assignments, and expect Schmaltz and Kane to see them every shift.

Feels like every time I show up here and say the Hawks need to kick it into gear and blah blah blah, Kesha. Perhaps it’s just not going to happen and this is what they are. The Hawks are going to pack in the games now before their bye week, with seven games in the next 12 days. It is likely that when we get to the end of that stretch, we’ll know if the rest of the season is worth any give-a-shit or not.

 

Game #39 Preview

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Spotlight

Q&A

Douchebag Du Jour

I Make A Lot Of Graphs

Lineups & How Teams Were Built