They haven’t missed a step: Chicago Tribune
But who gets that spot: DH
Doomed from the start: The Score
The smartest thing they have done since making that kid captain in 1986:RW
Cleared for Contact:TSN
GTFO: SI
Maybe his room is messy? PD
The Rockford IceHogs ran their road record to 10-4-0-1 this week. The AHL’s Midwest Division leaders beat the Admirals in Milwaukee for the second time in six days Wednesday night. Rockford then split a pair of games at Lake Erie over the weekend.
Heading into another week of travel, Rockford is piling up points away from the BMO Harris Bank Center. One big factor in this road surge has been a dominating penalty kill. Come to think of it, it’s been pretty darn good at home as well.
In 2013-14, the Hogs were an absolute joke when shorthanded. They were dead last in the AHL in this department with a 72.3 success rate. Here are some numbers that show the dramatic change from a season ago:
What does winning look like to you?: Blackhawks
what they lack in experience they make up for in inexperience: PD
How much time do I have to formulate a comeback: ESPN Chicago
On a mission to civilize: Trib
You don’t need to go to WebMD to come up with symptoms: TSN
Considering the way the Flames play, considering both teams were on their third game in four nights in three cities, and considering the Hawks looked leggy last night, this one was never going to be shipped off to the Smithsonian as a great display of sport. And it wasn’t. This one was about perseverance, as the Flames concentrated on jamming things up in the defensive and neutral zone and just took what they could find at the other.
Thankfully, the Hawks really didn’t give them all that much after Hudler’s goal. They had to wait and wait for a crack, and they got one when Johnny Gaudreau (who was a threat all night) blew a tire at the blue line and Hjalmarsson was able to shove forward for Toews and Saad to have something of a 2-on-0. Saad didn’t make any mistakes. Two points gained. Move on.
Considering the way the Flames play, considering both teams were on their third game in four nights in three cities, and considering the Hawks looked leggy last night, this one was never going to be shipped off to the Smithsonian as a great display of sport. And it wasn’t. This one was about perseverance, as the Flames concentrated on jamming things up in the defensive and neutral zone and just took what they could find at the other.
Thankfully, the Hawks really didn’t give them all that much after Hudler’s goal. They had to wait and wait for a crack, and they got one when Johnny Gaudreau (who was a threat all night) blew a tire at the blue line and Hjalmarsson was able to shove forward for Toews and Saad to have something of a 2-on-0. Saad didn’t make any mistakes. Two points gained. Move on.
vs 
Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, NHLN (US), CITY (Canada), WGN-AM 720
Chet’s Nuts Roasting on an Open Fire: Flames Nation, M & G
Having played 10 of their last 12 games on the road, the Hawks will now close out December and 2014 with 5 of their next 7 at Club 1901. That stretch begins tonight against the visiting Flames to close out the inter-divisional season series.
As I mentioned in my recap against the New Jersey Devils, I thought the next two games would be the difference between a historically good month and a very strong one for the Hawks. The Hawks escaped Boston with a win but it was a different story in Long Island.
vs. 
FACEOFF: 6pm
TV/RADIO: WGN for those ’round these parts, Sportsnet for those around the moose, WGN Radio
Robert Moses’s Wet Dream: Lighthouse Hockey
The world tour-de-force continues tonight out past the bright lights of New York and on Lon’ Gisland, where the Hawks will be another test for an Islanders squad that fancies itself party crashers into the NHL’s penthouse. They’ve had a few of those lately, and they haven’t gone so well for the Blue and Orange.
