4: TSN
Tonight: Blackhawks
Welcome back Darling: CSN (autoplay)
Sharp is skating: ESPN Chicago
Scummy: PHT
A couple things to clean up on this practice day before another big game tomorrow.
-So Corey Crawford isn’t going to play tomorrow due to something called an “off-ice” injury. Which could be anything. What’s curious is if it’s off-ice was it during team activity? And if not was it doing something he should be disciplined for, a la Josh Harding? Of course, we’ll never find this out because the Hawks aren’t talking. If they won’t tell you what an injury is when it happens during the game they’re certainly not going to tell you if it happens away from it.
The Rockford IceHogs took a bit of a pounding this past week. Several Blackhawks prospects got banged up in a physical affair with the Iowa Wild on November 26. Rockford came out on top in that contest, then dropped a home-and-home with the Chicago Wolves over the weekend.
Despite the losses to their Midwest Division rival, Rockford did take three of a possible six points to stay on top of the AHL standings. They did, however, pay a price for those points.
Playing with 88 probably helps: ESPN Chicago
Playing with 88 probably helps: CSN (autoplay)
Blame Canada: Trib
Insert Detroit dystopia joke here: PHT
Before and after the game last night, Darryl Sutter called the Hawks the best team in the league. Before it sounded a little strange, especially as Sutter was saying it because of different stats people should look at and Sutter always strikes people as someone who can’t add (but of course, the Kings are one of the more advanced metric team in the league and Sutter’s a big part of that). It also sounded strange to those of us who watch the Hawks every game, who get in a little deep with picking apart cracks we see because there’s just not much else to do.
vs. 
FACEOFF: 9pm Central
TV/RADIO: WGN for the locals, NHL-N for the non-locals, Sportsnet for the Hosers, WGN Radio 720
SUNSET HONEYS THAT MAKE US SAY: The Royal Half, Battle of California, Jewels From The Crown
You would think that this would have been the game circled on the calendar before the Circus Trip started. And yet it doesn’t feel like there’s an extra charge about this one. Maybe it’s because it’s the last game of the trip. Maybe it’s because both teams know that these sorts of things in November don’t really matter. Maybe it’s because neither team has fired on all cylinders this year for the most part. Or maybe it does and I just haven’t noticed. I am kind of oblivious that way.
Box Score
Event Summary
War on Ice
In what has become something of a tradition, the Hawks once again took on the Ducks in Orange Country for a Black Friday matinee. However, the Hawks bucked tradition by basically taking control of this from the word “go” in what could arguably be their most definitive victory of the year, and would be the most enjoyable were it not marred by predictable Ducks asshattery.
