Everything Else

The World Is Flat

By 1747

We’ve moved beyond the quarter-mark of the season, almost at a third of it. In the first month of the season, we all sort of marveled at how sloppy the hockey was. We blamed it on the World Cup, with most teams not getting to have a training camp with their full rosters for more than a few days. While play has tightened up a little bit, as the season enters its third month we’re still left with a product that quite simply, isn’t very good.

What’s become clear is that the salary cap has flattened the entire league so that there’s little difference between the best team and the worst team. If you toss out overtime losses, which are essentially ties settled by glorified skills competitions, no one in the Eastern conference is below .500. Only 12 points separate the conference leading Habs from the bottom-dwelling Islanders. While that’s not a gap that’s going to be made up (likely), it’s not all that large for an entire conference.

Thinks are a little more split in the West, where the conference-leading Hawks have a 17 point gap over the wooden spooners, the Avs. But we’ve all seen what a conference-leading Hawks team in the past looks like, and it’s pretty obvious this isn’t the same vintage. Adding to the Hawks somewhat shaky hold on the West is that they lead the league in wins in overtime, which isn’t really a true test of what kind of team you are. They’re 13th in regulation wins.

Essentially, we have a mishmash of a lot of the same things.

Everything Else

You Can Run All Your Life And Not Go Anywhere: Hawks 3 – Ducks 2

By 1320

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

Hockey Stats

You have to love this time of year, the routine you know. Time with the family, drink earlier than you’re used to, argument with a family member you wanted desperately to avoid, and then the Hawks collecting two points in Anaheim. I guess I’m said it’s going away. It’s become a fixture of the Thanksgiving holiday. It even happens when the Hawks don’t even play that well.

Oh sure, it’s another win where the Hawks were outshot pretty badly. A lot will be made that they somehow lost 73% of all faceoffs, even though we know now that faceoffs really have no baring on whether you win or lose. Still, that kind of margin would make you notice. It took another heroic effort from Corey Crawford. But after losing two in a row and only scoring one goal in that time, you don’t complain about how the wins come.

Let’s clean it up, shall we?

Everything Else

Cuz Black Friday, We’re In Anaheim: Hawks at Ducks Preview/Clearance Sale

By 1233

Hawk Wrestlervs. donald-duck-dunn-620x413

RECORDS: Hawks 13-6-2  Ducks 9-7-4

PUCK DROP: 3pm Central

TV: CSN, NHL-N for those outside the 606

O.C. OBSERVERS: Anaheim Calling

PROJECTED LINEUPS

blackhawks-lineup-card

ducks-lineup-card

TEAM CORSI: Hawks – 51.3% (11th)  Ducks – 48.2% (20th)

POWER PLAY: Hawks – 17.8% (15th)  Ducks – 21.7% (8th)

PENALTY KILL: Hawks – Still not talking about it  Ducks – 82.6% (12th)

Hawks Individual Stats

Ducks Individual Stats

TRENDS: Perry hasn’t scored since Oct. 26th.. Getzlaf has 8 even-strength goals in a season and a quarter

I suppose this could be the last Black Friday the Hawks spend in Anaheim. I doubt anyone is going to complain about it. But this is how it has always worked, and it will do so again this afternoon. The Hawks will arrive at the “Ponda” Center to see a Ducks team that seems pretty intent on shooting itself in the face, both in the GM’s office and behind the bench. And so far, they’re succeeding at it.

Everything Else

The “Irreplaceable Shaw,” Pens-Caps, Boudreau, And Other Argle Bargle

By 1704

Lotta strands floating in Ol’ Duder’s head today. Let’s see if we can’t get through it all.

-So it took me a day or two to get around to commenting on Joel Quenneville’s assertion that Andrew Shaw is “irreplaceable.” We know that Q has a loose grip on what a salary cap actually is, considering the way he spent the first month or two of the season in a strop (not Pedro, #HatToTheLeft) that Brandon Saad wasn’t around even though there was no way the Hawks could sign him for what he got. That’s unfortunate, given how much sway we’re pretty sure Q gets over personnel decisions. Or maybe he doesn’t get enough say and that’s why he shits on the ones Stan makes. But that’s not why you called.

Everything Else

Powerage And Other Tuesday Randos

By 1533

Most of the year, we’ve tried to point out that the Hawks’ success this year is largely built on their goaltender and their power play. Yesterday, I went through the brilliance of their goaltender. Today I thought it might be good to look at the power play, but not just in context of the Hawks. Because there’s something a little weird happening this season with the teams with the best power plays.

Generally, power play success isn’t indicative of playoff success. Ask the San Jose Sharks. In fact, the last time a team led the league in power play percentage and won the Cup was the Penguins in 2009. It just doesn’t happen that often.

Everything Else

Now That The Dust Has Settled

By 1585

There is something slightly futile about trying to project playoff matchups and outcomes even in January and the beginning of February, because sometimes rosters look nothing like what they do when March begins. Or are altered in some way at least. Just look at the Hawks. A week ago they didn’t really have a bottom six, even when Kruger returns, and had a huge, gaping hole dripping gravy on the blue line (might still have that one). Now they might have the deepest forward group in the West.

Now that we know pretty much what everyone is going to look like when the playoffs begin, we can get a much better idea of the path the Hawks have to (and likely will) walk. I’ve written all season that even though the Hawks were not the team they were last year, there really hadn’t been a team that stepped into the gap that I thought for sure were a major threat. The Stars are fun but totally flawed, the Blues have remained the Blues, the Kings had some questions, and the Ducks couldn’t get out of their own way. Has any of that changed now?

Everything Else

Third Time’s The Charm: Ducks at Hawks Preview/Keepy-Uppy

By 1182

donald-duck-dunn-620x413 vs. Hawk Wrestler

FACEOFF: 7:30pm Central

TV/RADIO: WGN, NHL-N, WGN Radio

RABBIT SEASON: Anaheim Calling

Ducks Stats

Ducks War On Ice

The Hawks will try and break what constitutes a losing streak for them, all of two games, with their third straight home game against an automatic Western Conference playoff spot holder (there’s a title) in the Anaheim Ducks. Both the Sharks and Stars were able to walk out of the UC with regulation wins which is only the second time all season the Hawks have dropped consecutive home decisions (and the first both have been in regulation). In order to snap the streak, they’ll have to do it against an Anaheim team that is no longer the comedy outfit they were in the season’s first half.

Everything Else

Never Gonna Get Gonna Get It: Hawks 2 – Ducks 2 (Hawks win calf-roping)

By 1190

Box Score

Event Summary

War On Ice

Natural Stat Trick

I made a TLC reference on Twitter earlier, so I figure I might as well throw En Vogue in now. I want to stay on message, after all.

It wasn’t vintage stuff from the Hawks. They were rolled in the 1st and didn’t even look all that threatening in most of the last two periods except for the odd shift from Kaner and The Sons Of Rasputin. What this afternoon did show is that the Ducks remain the Ducks, and no matter how good they might look for a stretch (and I’m sure some Ducks observers would say the first 50 minutes is about as good as they’ve looked all season), they’re still just good enough to fuck it up.

The Ducks had it under control, even with Crawford pulled. There was utterly no reason for Ryan “White Hats Are Still Cool To Me” Getzlaf to take that penalty against Shaw, other than he isn’t allowed to light his own farts on the ice. While the Ducks have the best kill in the league at the moment, you’re asking for it to give the Hawks a look on a two-man advantage to get back in the game. There’s no reason for it. And once the Hawks got it to 2-1, did you really doubt the Ducks would run around their own zone like a kindergarten game of football and the Hawks would find the equalizer? No, of course you didn’t.

You really couldn’t ask for a more clear illustration about the difference between these two teams. One will just find a way to insert thumb in its ass. The other still knows how to get it done when they need to.

TO THE BLUFFS!

Everything Else

Back To The Scene Of The Crime: Hawks at Ducks Preview/Bears Celebration Continued

By 1320

250px-Ozymandias vs. donald-duck-dunn-620x413

PUCK DROP: 4pm Central

TV/RADIO: WGN, NBCSN, WGN Radio

DUCK TALES (Woohoo): Anaheim Calling

Ducks Stats

Ducks War On Ice

Some games you know that the opponent has had circled on the schedule, even if the Hawks know better than to make too much of a regular season game. Then again, the Ducks are so practiced at seeing teams that had beaten them in a Game 7 the previous year maybe they don’t make that much of a deal out of it anymore. Either way, the Hawks return to Anaheim for the first time since they got to partake in the annual giveaway of a playoff series in Orange County last spring.

Everything Else

Just One Fix: Ducks 0 – Hawks 1

By 1411 0

Boxscore

Event Summary

War On Ice

Natural Stat Trick

I’m actually tempted to apply our normal title policy to these silly overtimes, where we list the score as tied. But more on that later.

Once again, the Hawks couldn’t find a goal during normal time, though unlike Saturday they were outplayed for most of the game instead of surviving an opening barrage and slowly turning the game their way. But they have a second straight shutout, and they can think Corey Crawford for it. By the way, Crow’s now gleaming .943 SV% is good for 4th in the league, as would his 1.57 GAA. Hopefully this time he can avoid any arguments with the H.O.B steps.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You could say a second straight shutout without Keith is highly encouraging (though this is the 5th time the Ducks have been shutout this season, so that accomplishment doesn’t get a bunch of gold stars). Or you could look at the Hawks only having put up one even-strength goal without Keith as something to worry. The answer is probably both.

Let’s do the thing.