We move on from what is probably the Blues biggest strength (the blue line) to a severely banged up forward corps. And what it was at full-strength was kind of a debate among everyone to begin with. While most of the mass media in hockey slobbers over Alex Steen, David Backes, and T.J. Oshie, we have screamed at the top of our lungs about their faults and weaknesses. Through injury or whatever else, those have started to show. And while everyone loves to talk about GRITSANDPAPERHEARTFAAARRRRT on the bottom six, even if it’s healthy it looks pretty bereft of anything useful. Which really came to the fore in the season’s last month when the top six stopped scoring and absolutely no one was there to pick up the slack. So let’s dig in, shall we?
Recent Posts
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Morning Links 4/15/14
They’d meet eventually: ESPN Chicago
19 is ready: CSN
History of the damned: Post Dispatch
I like it: PHT
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Careful What You Wish For – Round 1 Preview – Blues Defensemen
Moving outward from the crease, it’s now time to take a look at arguably the Blues’ strongest group as a whole, their defensemen. From top to bottom it’s one of the deeper and more balanced groups in the league, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some soft, stupid, and ugly spots the Hawks can attack and exploit.
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Careful What You Wish For – 1st Round Preview: The Blues Goalies
This is a strange situation in a couple ways. It feels like for most of the season, the Blues and their fans were salivating at the prospect of getting the Hawks in the playoffs. They’ve been a headache for the Hawks for years, even when they sucked, and as we all know victory over the Hawks would mean more to their hilljack fans than an actual Cup. It might even be that way with their players.
For the Hawks and their fans, we just didn’t want to deal with it. Some of it was fear. Mostly it was just the high level of annoyance that would accompany a series with St. Louis. The cheapshots, the bullshit, the yapping, and the drivel that tumbles out of the gaping maws of the unwashed of Missouri and Southern Illinois. Basically, I thought I would have to turn off the internet for this series.
Until lately. Now, it feels like there’s a sense of dread coming from the Southwest with their late-season collapse and the numbers correcting and here come the bitterest enemy to simply put them out of their misery. And we’re feeling pretty good, with how the Blues are playing and the Hawks somewhat snapped into gear since Kane and Toews got hurt.
It could be a careful what you wish for situation in either direction. I’m not sure which it is. But we’ll go do our normal playoff preview, and we’ll start with the biggest question down there, the man in the mask.
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Morning Links 4/14/14
The Defence beings: Cheer the Anthem
The I-55 series: Chicago Tribune SCH
Good problems to have: Chicago Suntimes
Dave Chappelle has a line about this:TSN
Shameless plug for my good friend Ken Oda, who called the longest game in Modern Era Tier 2 Jr. Hockey: NAHL
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Hawks at Predators Postgame Thread
All right folks. It’s Saturday night, there’s a HockeeNight thing and an utterly meaningless game. So there probably won’t be a wrap. We’ll be back on Monday for our full playoff preview.
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Hawks at Predators 3rd Period Thread
You know its been on my mind
Could you stand right there
Look me straight in the eye and say
That it’s over now -
Hawks at Predators 2nd Period Thread
Well it’s over now, yet I can see somehow
When its all gone wrong, it’s hard to be so strong -
Hawks at Predators 1st Period Thread
Yeah, it’s over now, but I can breathe somehow
When it’s all worn out, I’d rather go without -
One More Special Message To Go: Hawks at Predators Preview/Pregame Thread/Parent-Teacher Meeting
vs. 
FACEOFF; 7pm Central
TV/RADIO: NBCSN, CSN, WGN Radio
MUSIC CITY MAESTRO: On The Forecheck
The Hawks head into Nashville tonight to wrap up the regular season and…
Yeah, sorry folks. That sums it up basically. All yours.
