It’s been a couple years since the Hawks chased Semyon Varlamov from a game at the United Center. The last time it was because the Avalanche didn’t arrive in Chicago until a few hours before the game. The Hawks put up a giant crooked number and Valarmov didn’t make it out of the first period.
This time, he made it half way through the second.
vs. 
PUCK DROP: 6pm Central
TV/RADIO: WGN for both
ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY: Mile High Hockey
It’s the sound of the Avalanche coming to the United Center. Because they’ve won five of the last six here, even though by any measure the Hawks should be painting the walls of their new dressing room with the brains and innards of the Avs. But they don’t seem to here. Certainly not last time, when Semyon “Kiss With A Fist Is Better Than None” Varlamov walked out with his 73rd shutout of the Hawks, or at least that’s how it feels.
Yes, we made the mistake of letting Anthrax out of his cage. It happens from time to time. Ryan was kind enough to share a space with Thrax, which is more than 99% of the populace is willing to do. From tomorrow night’s program:
Since the Avs shutout the Hawks here last time, they’ve gone 5-2-1 which means they’re 10-4-1 since December 1st. Is this real or just a spike of good fortune?
Murphy: This is real. Despite their defensive shortcomings (especially with Erik Johnson out a couple of weeks), the Avalanche were never as bad as they were in November when they were trying to integrate a big chunk of new players onto the roster and losing an improbable amount of close games. Carl Soderberg, Blake Comeau, Francois Beauchemin, and Andreas Martinsen are now making important contributions on a nightly basis and have added a supplementary presence the core group badly needed. What we’ve seen since December is a market correction. Many of us predicted a borderline playoff team at the beginning of the year, and that’s right where they are now 41 games in.
Anthrax: When I was in high school, I got a puppy. Cutest little guy in the world, sweet face, big brown eyes. Problem with this dog was, he was impossible to train. Deuces dropped all over the house, pissing in the corner of the living room, it was awful. Then, finally, one day, it’s like something clicked! The dog is waiting by the door to go outside, I let him out, he goes out and drops corona-corona in the yard, like a Good Boy. I was thrilled! The next day, I woke up, and I couldn’t find my car keys. Do you see where this is going? The dog ate my car keys. Surgery for the dog, the dumbass.
Are the Avs gonna eat my car keys? Probably. I’m gullible though, so I have hope.
The Hawks moved to their sixth win in a row with a simple adjustment after 20 minutes, or at least a tightening of their usual plan. But even though the Hawks basically kept the Sabres under their thumb (it’s down to me) from the start of the second, they let them hang around and hang around. And as the Hawks should know by now, they can’t let any team hang around that has Ryan O’Reilly on it, because he will score against them. Luckily, a few minutes later Rasmus Ristolainen let Phillip Danault have far too much space entering the zone, and Danault was only too happy to gobble it up and bury the winner short-side. Throw in another Toews empty-netter to throw the mainstream off his scent of struggles, and you have yet another Hawks win.
vs 
Game Time: 7:30PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, NHL-US, WGN-AM 720
Don Beebe’s House Of Speed: Die By The Blade
Last month when the Hawks visited Buffalo for a Saturday matinee, surprisingly their hometown hero, the Prodigal Son, received less than a warm ovation, receiving boos every time he touched the puck. Since then, the Sabres’ own Kane, Evander, is now the subject of a rape investigation of his own, and it would stand to reason that those in attendance tonight would feel turnabout is fair play to return the favor because no one even tangentially affiliated with the Blackhawks has had any degree of self awareness for months. Fans on both sides of this equation who feel the need to do such things while not realizing the bigger issues would be well served just to stay home if not walk into oncoming traffic on the Eisenhower.
Let’s say you had a 24-year old center. And let’s say that center had put up three 55+ point seasons in the past four, and in the fourth season he didn’t get to play half of it because you wouldn’t pay him. And let’s say other than that one season, this center missed only 12 games in five seasons. Would you first shift that center to wing? Would you do everything you could to not pay him? And then would you trade him for a collection of hopefuls and spare parts? If you answered yes to all of this, you’re ready to run the Colorado Avalanche.
While the Avs will claim that ROR was never going to be anything more than a third center for them, who willingly gives up on center-depth like this? You’d have to be insane. And luckily for the Sabres, the Avs are completely fucking nuts.
Andy Boron from DieByTheBlade.com was kind enough to answer some questions for us. On Twitter @DieByTheBlade.
Obviously, we’ll start with Jack Eichel. Not getting the press of some other rookies, but 26 points in 40 games is hardly embarrassing. First impressions of your new idol?
Honestly, after watching the 2008-2014 versions of the Sabres that didn’t feature a single superstar forward (Thomas Vanek is a questionable star) watching Eichel is almost indescribable. For a 19-year old rookie, he shows incredible hockey skills, is so unbelievably smooth with the puck, skates like a madman, has a great personality, and has tallied at least 12 incredible goal or assist highlights this season. He’s such a breath of fresh air for Sabres fans that it makes the team’s 29th place standing right now almost inconsequential. Seriously, nobody complains about losses as long as Eichel or one of the other young stars has a strong showing.
If you missed seeing a vintage Blackhawks performance, tonight was your night to bask in the glory. From the first period to the final horn, the Hawks dominated the puck, possession, shots on goal, the tempo, whatever types of nachos were being served (Seabrook’s doing) and anything else you could think of.
Marc-Andre Fleury was the only thing separating this from being the Stadium Series ’14 Redux as the Hawks were in control throughout the game. It would’ve been fitting for the Penguins to steal this one in overtime as the Hawks did last night but the hockey gods didn’t have a sense of humor as Art Breadman found the space over Fleury’s shoulder almost halfway through the third period.
And that was, as they say, that.
