Everything Else

Beautiful Garbage: Yotes 3 – Hawks 6

By 1391

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

Coming into this one, you had a feeling it could get weird in some way. Not unlike heading into Exit on a weekend night. The Hawks had labeled the Yotes once at the UC, and then played out some absurdist shit out in the desert where the Hawks were clearly trying to get out with two points with the minimum amount of effort and let the Yotes back into it constantly. It’s a wonder Crawford doesn’t wield a butterfly knife at his defense on nights like this, because Darling never sees this kind of negligence.

And tonight fit the bill, as the Hawks pretty much scored at will but also couldn’t locate a fuck to give in their own zone if it had blinking lights and an airhorn on it for the first 20 minutes, if not 40. But against what is basically a hybrid NHL-AHL team, you can do that. Especially when Mike Smith is looking for the Phantom Tollbooth.

Let’s clean it up:

Everything Else

Wrecked Up And Paralyzed, Desert Dogs Are Sableized – Coyotes vs Hawks Preview, Insurance Audit

By 1323

nathan-arizona vs. Hawk Wrestler

RECORDS: Coyotes 8-12-4  Hawks 16-8-3

PUCK DROP: 7:30pm

TV: CSN

LOTTA STORIES IN THE DESERT: Five For Howling

Projected Lineups

coyotes-lineup-card

blackhawks-lineup-card

SCORE-ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI %: Coyotes- 44.0 (30th)  Hawks – 50.1 (15th)

SCORE-ADJUSTED xGF %: Coyotes – 39.5 (30th)  Hawks – 47.4 (24th)

POWER PLAY %: Coyotes – 15.3 (21st)  Hawks – 15.7 (19th)

PENALTY KILL %: Coyotes – 80.8 (21st) Hawks – 70.7 (dead ass last)

If the Hawks could schedule it themselves, and really given the pull they have with the league they may want to try it, they’d schedule the Yotes four or five times while they’re without  Toews and Crawford. Because curveballs don’t hang much worse than this, and it’s boosted with the Coyotes having played last night in Ohio. Whatever is ailing the Hawks, this is how you medicate it.

Everything Else

Wednesday Mishegas

By 1439

Just a few notes to go over on this offday on the last Circus Trip ever. By the way, can we make it the last circus ever? Like, is the circus something we need anymore? I don’t think it is. Elephants are awesome and not a single one should be kept in chains. I guess that Cirque de Solei stuff is cool, there are no animals in that. But if we had to sacrifice that to have no circuses ever, I’m good. Anyway…

-So what had everyone on buzz on Twitter this morning was a tidbit from Elliotte Friedman’s 30 thoughts. If you can’t be bothered to read the thing, even though it should be required reading for every hockey fan every week and I still can’t believe they surround Friedman with a gaggle of buffoons every Saturday night on HNIC, he speculates that Brandon Saad might be available from the Jackets. Apparently he was last year too, and the Hawks at least kicked the tires on it.

Ok, first of all, the idea that the Jackets would even consider this makes me weep for the state of the human race, and I’ve done enough of that already in the past week. There’s no question that Jarmo and especially Torts have little idea what they’re doing. Saad is somehow fifth in ice time amongst their forwards, even though he’s the best forward they have. I don’t even know how this is open for debate. He’s also their best possession player once again, because that’s this thing that he does.

While this rant really shouldn’t go on any longer, Saad scored over 30 goals last year. Only 28 players managed that feat last season. That’s 7% of all forwards who laced them up all year. These are valuable fucking commodities. Somehow goals, y’know, the thing we measure who wins and loses by, are not nearly as valued as they should be. Seeing as how hockey’s scoring is starting to resemble soccer’s more and more, maybe guys who can score should be valued in the same way. If you score 20 goals in a season in soccer, they honestly don’t give a fuck what else you do. Christiano Ronaldo hasn’t seen his own half in like six years. Does anyone care?

Rant over. Now to Saad.

Everything Else

Killed By Death: Hawks 7 – Yotes 5

By 1315

Box Score

Event Summary

War On Ice

Natural Stat Trick

Well that got a little silly.

I don’t know that the Hawks played particularly well tonight, but they played well enough to let some awful Yotes goaltending (Anders Lindback is 6-7 and yet can’t see over or around a screen?) and cash in on some abstract officiating from Dan O’Hochuli (credit McClure on that one) before the Yotes could cash in on the same abstract officiating. They certainly turned off in the 3rd letting Arizona back into it, and the penalty kill gave up the cross ice pass far too easily. How checked in they were is up for debate. Feel like we’ll be having that debate a few times before the season is over.

Everything Else

You Win Some You Lose Some It’s All The Same To Me: Hawks at Coyotes Preview/Whiskey Tasting

By 1269

250px-Ozymandias vs. wileEcoyote

PUCK DROP: 8pm Central 

TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio

SUUUUPER GENIUS: Five For Howling

Coyotes Stats

Coyotes War On Ice

The Hawks head out for a short two-game trip that will close out 2015 (the most roller coaster year ever, clearly). It starts with the last team in the West the Hawks haven’t seen yet this season, the Arizona Coyotes. And for once, they actually look like they’re staying put for five minutes. I know, right?

Everything Else

We Like To Be Here When We Can: Coyotes at Hawks Preview/Pregame Thread/Kids Gymnastics Class

By 1261 0

spacecoyote vs. AltLogo_medium

FACEOFF: 7:30pm Cenral

TV/RADIO: CSN round here, NBCSN not round here, WGN 720

SOUL MATE DETECTOR: Five For Howling

It’s been 20 days since we put the word “Hawks” after the “at” in the title, and now we’re going to do it eight straight times over a span of 15 days. No one can seem to remember a stretch of homes games like this happening in these parts, so it’s a new experience for all. And it’s a real chance for the Hawks to still be counted in the race for the Central Division, or at least home ice in the first round. Eight points is a ton to make up, but then again you rarely get eight straight home games and 11 of 13, and 12 of 16 to do so.