There were only two games to talk about over the past week, and what a two games they were. Even still, the main crew is on hand to discuss all that was, and all that might be coming up with (hopefully) Corey Crawford’s return and Brandon Saad’s seemingly inevitable benching. As always, get the audio sans-subscription after the jump.
Box Score
Event Summary
Natural Stat Trick
Look, going to overtime five straight times as the Hawks have to start this season, an NHL record, isn’t necessarily a good thing. There have been blown leads in the last three games, and in the opener they trailed to a team they really shouldn’t have. But given where the expectations were to start this season, taking 8 of the first 10 points available will be accepted in whatever form it comes in. And tonight was as solid an endeavor as this team is likely to put forward, particularly when it comes at the expense of the Blues. So now onward to what everyone is really waiting for; it’s time to shit on Brandon Manning some more and heap praise upon Alex DeBrincat.
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RECORDS: Maple Leafs 1-1-0 Hawks 2-0-0
PUCK DROP: 6:00 PM CT
TV: CSN Chicago
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THEM?: Pension Plan Puppets
If you were going through a tournament of the most insufferable franchises in sports, it probably wouldn’t take too long to end up with this matchup in the “Hockey Region.” If you spend more than five minutes scrolling through Hockey Twitter (and you shouldn’t, it’s bad for your health), you’re going to see these two teams come up most frequently – the Leafs because there are too fucking many of their shithead fans on the internet who do not shut up ever, and the Hawks because everyone hates them because they were really good for a really long time. Die the hero, become the villain, etc. etc.
The most exhausting and insufferable shit that has already been tossed around in the past, and you will probably hear at least once tonight, (and more if you for some reason watch the Canadian broadcast, which is a national one because of course it is) is that this could be some kind of torch passing from the Hawks to the Leafs because the Leafs have a young core with their key guys still having their labor exploited on their entry level contracts and that’s how the Hawks built their empire and the Leafs are using the same blueprint and blah blah blah I am going to fuckin’ puke.
The annoying part about that shitty narrative is that the parallels keep lining up, most recently with the Leafs making their big splashy free agent signing in John Tavares, which you could equate to the Hawks bringing in Marian Hossa prior to 2009-10, though it’s not even up for debate that JT91 is a better and more impactful signing. There was once an inkling of hope around these parts that StanBo and company would get in on the Tavares train, but we never get what we want because we’re all good people at this website.
The Leafs are even in the process of the RFA fuck up parallel as well. We all remember well the Kris Versteeg situation that ended up giving this site it’s new namesake, and while Toronto hasn’t stuck their dick in a fax machine quite yet (but don’t put it past Kyle Dubas) they still haven’t stopped measuring it in negotiations with William Nylander, who wants to be paid like the good-as-shit player that he is instead of signing some bullshit “bridge contract” and risk getting hurt and losing out on the money. Nylander kinda has the Leafs over a barrel because he is such a huge part of what they’re trying to do there, but the Leafs have him over an even bigger barrel and in a much more vulnerable position because of the NHL’s labor exploitation contract and free agency rules. If I was Stan Bowman I would be annoying the shit out of Dubas until he gave in and traded Nylander to Madison St., but it’s not like the Hawks really even have anything to send the other way that would be worth more than a hearty chuckle when proposed in negotiations.
The most annoying thing about the Maple Leafs at the present time, though, is that they are actually, it pains me to say, going to be really good. Yes they got their shit pumped by Ottawa last night and I’m sure their fans have tried drowning themselves in some maple syrup as a result, but on paper the Leafs forward group (when they get Nylander back) is probably the best in the NHL. They have two of the top-10 centers in the damn league, and even though Nazem Kadri is a giant fuckstick, when he’s your 3C you’re in a really good spot. They have some holes on defense, but we saw Pittsburgh go back-t0-back with leftover popsicle sticks on their second pairing a few years ago. And the good players that the Leafs have are fun to watch. Auston Matthews is almost appointment television, Mitch Marner is a nasty playmaker, and we already know what Tavares is capable of.
So, yeah, the torch passing bullshit is annoying as fuck, and I don’t wanna hear it or think about it or deal with it. But the Leafs might really have something here, and while that’s bad news for anyone’s Twitter timeline, it could be entertaining as hell, even if they shitpump the Hawks tonight.
Game #3 Preview Suite
Through two games of hockey, I am not sure what to make of the Blackhawks. There are times when I think they are completely awful, and others that I think they might be good. Not necessarily win the division good, but like sneak into the playoffs as a wild card and play spoiler good. There is enough there with some of the players they have that they probably aren’t the bottom-five NHL team that I (Hess) originally thought they were. I am not sure how I feel about that. But even if I don’t know what to make of it, these first two games have definitely been good watchin’. LET’S GET BACK AT IT FOLKS:
BULLETS
– I have been trying to tell y’all for like 13 months that Jonathan Toews is NOT done in the way that so many of the Toews haters and detractors have been acting like. I don’t have to rehash the numbers over and over again, but so much of his struggles the past two years came down bad shooting luck, and so far he’s getting the regression from that in a BIG way. Three more goals tonight for his fifth career hat trick and bringing his total to four through two games, to go with an assist in the Ottawa game have him at 5 points already. The pace is obviously unsustainable but he’s laid the groundwork to a 70 point season with this kinda start.
– Q sang the praises of Joker after the first game, and the melody ain’t stopping my frents. For being just 19-years-old, you’d be hard pressed to determine on your own that he’s not a more seasoned vet than some of these other assclowns the Hawks are dressing on the blue line. He is extremely solid defensively, which surprised me a bit honestly, because I felt like the tape I’d seen of him and the reports I saw sang his praises more as an offensive guy, but you will not get me to complain about it. He took the puck away from Tarasenko completely cleanly in the second period, which was really, truly, a moment of pure ecstasy. Then he added his first career point on Toews’ second goal of the night by trailing the play well and releasing a good shot that nearly beat Allen but ended up with a favorable rebound for the captain to pound home. Joker’s not some kind of franchise savior, and his ceiling may be high-end second pairing guy, but on this team right now that’s basically a #1 defenseman and through two games you can make the case he’s been their best blue liner.
– My feelings about Cam Ward are not positive, and I have not kept that a secret. He wasn’t awful in the first game against Ottawa, and he did his best to at least look like he was keeping the Hawks in this game in the first period. But in reality, he was beat extremely cleanly on two of the Blues four goals tonight, and made a comically awful play on another one (Tarasenko’s tally in the first that made it 2-0). Ward may not end up being completely awful, and he’s done enough to get the Hawks two wins in these first two games, so you give him that credit. But he is sloppy as hell and I am not sure I will ever get used to watching him in net, nor do I want to.
– But, in defense of Ward, the Hawks were just absolutely shit in their own zone tonight. There was power play in the third period that St. Louis was able to keep the puck in the zone for the entire two minutes. And that’s just one glaring example of what was an all around bad performance in their d-zone tonight. It’s gotta get better.
It’s a new season, and for the most part that’s probably not a good thing. But there’s a full cast here to discuss it anyway, with John Pullega and Rose Rankin joining in to discuss the slog that’s in store this year. This podcast will probably be more entertaining than the game in Ottawa, trust us. As always, it’s free to everyone, and available for download here along with various other outlets.
It’s tough to put a lot of stock in preseason games, obviously, because you’re not getting a full squad run from either team, and players are still getting back into the rhythm of playing games and what have you. At this point in the preseason, though, we’re getting more toward real-ish hockey. The Hawks played most of the big names tonight, and the Wings played a number of their top guys as well (not that they have many left at this point, but you get me). Keith played. Seabrook played. Toews played.
What I am getting at here is that even with the context of it being a preseason game on a Tuesday night in gosh darn September, the Blackhawks defensive effort being so damn putrid tonight is pretty troublesome. There were just too many occasions where guys got beat, or turned the puck over badly, or were out of position, or were just plain bad. We already knew at the end of this year we’d look back at the blue line and realize it was more like a BLEW LINE (save that one for later, but make sure you credit me thanks), but for it to look so bad so early is not good.
Moreover, and we all already knew this, Cam Ward sucks major ass. He was scheduled to play the entirety of this game and still managed to get pulled after two periods. That’s how bad he was. Joel Quenneville felt the need to pull him out of a PRESEASON GAME because he was that bad in the PRESEASON GAME. One that he was scheduled to play the entirety of. And he still got pulled.
Folks.
Anyone with a brain has known since the charade the team put on last year that Crawford’s health status for this season was gonna be in question. We knew the backup situation was bad, and Stan might need to upgrade it. Cam Ward is not that. If Crawford doesn’t come back relatively early in the season, the damage done by playing Ward could literally be irreversible.
You might be thinking this has become less recap and more scorched earth takedown of Cam Ward. But really, this becoming a scorched earth takedown of Cam Ward is the ultimate recap of this game, because score the earth and take down Cam Ward is exactly what the Red Wings did tonight. They got him pulled from a preseason game in which he was supposed to play the whole damn thing. LMAO.
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images, acquired via Second City Hockey
The main cast returns to give thoughts on the Cup Final, the recent rumors surrounding the Hawks, and what any of this means. As usual, no subscription is required, grab the audio after the jump. And we’re on Stitcher now.
It’s over. It’s finally over. The Blackhawks season has come to an end, with a significantly less exciting outcome than it started with. Let us all store vow to never speak of this season again (until this coming week when you will read several eulogy-esque posts on this site). Gonna take a slightly different approach with this wrap, because at this point there is nothing more to take from the game itself. So if you don’t mind, I’m gonna give you a quick rundown of how the game went, and then touch base on a few of my takeaways and favorite moments from the season:
– First things first, I want to tip my cap to the way these two teams paid tribute to horrible tragedy of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team. From the vigil in the picture above, to the wearing of the word “Broncos” on every player’s jersey, and the donations made by the teams and league, they did a wonderful job of paying respect to the tragedy and offering their support. Good on them.
– The first period was pretty boring. Both teams had a few chances but couldn’t capitalize, but Jets controlled most of the play and didn’t seem particularly inspired to do anything drastic on offense. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, didn’t seem to have much interest in doing anything at all. Dustin Byfuglien opened the scoring with a power play bomb in the first, Winnipeg scored again in the second period when Kyle Connor beat Jeff GL Ass on a breakaway, and that was basically game over. The Jets added two more in that frame, and Seabrook saved face for the Hawks a bit by notching a goal about midway through the middle frame, but that was all. Nothing of major note happened after.
– Let’s address the elephant in the room – the biggest takeaway from this season is that Corey Crawford is really freakin’ good, and beyond a shadow of any doubt, the most important player on this Blackhawks team. We all knew this team’s biggest issue was that they didn’t have adequate goaltending before it became a talking point, and all of the Blackhawks himming and hawing about it NOT being the goaltending only proved that point further. They were pointing a big arrow to the secret treasure with that said “DEFINITELY DON’T LOOK HERE.” There’s no reason to think he won’t be able to come back at 100% next year, but we as fans just have to hope that he does, because if he doesn’t, next year might even be worse than this one.
– The next most obvious takeaway from this year is that the Hawks need help on the blueline. This is a conversation that’s been had countless times already. No obvious hope is coming in this regard, unless a miracle happens and the Hawks win the Dahlin sweepstakes. Hope and pray for that one as well.
– My favorite moment of this season was Alex DeBrincat’s first hat trick, with his second and third Hat Tricks coming at number 2 and 3. I was thrilled when the Hawks landed him at number 39 a few years ago, and I can’t wait to see more of him moving forward. He is the future of this time, along with Schamltz, up front.
– Thank you to all you guys who read this website and these wraps. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we truly appreciate all of you and all of your support. We quite literally can’t do this without you guys to listen, read, share, etc. Here’s hoping we can produce some good content for you this summer, and that there will be some big additions to talk about (lookin’ at you, Rasmus Dahlin and John Tavares).
vs 
Game Time: 7:30 CDT
TV/Radio: NBC Sports Chicago
METH: SLGT
And so it’s come to this, the home finale where the only thing left to do is to shit all over the the Blues and what remains of their playoff hopes. And that might be all right if just for tonight.
When the site staff originally discussed which game wraps we would be able to write in these final weeks of the season, I had signed up for yesterday and Rose had tonight. She asked me to swap because she had something to do this evening, and I obliged because I am the world’s best co-worker (please don’t ask my co-workers if this is true, just take my word for it). I want to trade back. Yes I know I can’t. Whatever. BULLETS:
– Maybe I am just not interested enough given the season is more-or-less over, or maybe I just keep getting the library quality games to wrap, but I was very bored by this game. The Hawks really didn’t even play all that poorly – they dominated the first period, in fact, and ended the night with a slight edge in shot attempts – but it was just a snoozer of a game. There were some exciting chances both ways early in the first, but I wasn’t that impressed with the play of either team, save for whenever Nathan MacKinnon was on the ice for the Avs.
– Until the third period, this was a scoreless game at evens that the Hawks were only losing because of their putrid penalty kill. I wrote about this last year when I was still at Second City Hockey, but the Hawks biggest problem on the PK remains that they are entirely too passive, and pretty much let the opponent dictate the play and do whatever they want. I think it’s fair to blame some of it on the fact that they don’t have the most reliable netminders, and in tonight’s case a rookie, but they get in such a tight box and don’t even flirt with pressuring puck carriers anywhere on the boundaries of the zone. The end result is Mikko Rantanen having plenty of time to tee one up for Tyson Barrie in the second, or MacKinnon having the time to do so for Rantanen in the third. It’s just embarrassing, really, and I don’t quite understand what thee Hawks’ plan is with that strategy on the PK, if there even is one.
– Blake Hillman made his NHL debut tonight. That is definitely something that he did tonight, I can assure you. That is all I have to say about Blaine Hillard on his NHL debut night. I guess him not being noticeably awful is a good sign for now. I hope Blaze Hilltop has a good NHL career and can fix the Blackhawks blue line. Who were we talking about again?
– I’ve made it known I am “team tank,” but at this point that’s about done cuz the Hawks can’t really get much lower down the standings without some miraculous efforts from those below them. I say that so you can know how truly difficult it is to watch them lose 5-0 on a Friday night and not root for it to just get continuously worse. This is the darkest timeline.
– HEY! We only have to do this three more times. And you and I only have to do it once more, and not for a whole week – I will see you next after the season finale. Try to enjoy your week, and have a Happy Easter if you’re celebrating!
