Everything Else

Sunshine, Sweet Love My Labor: Hawks 2 – Panthers 2 (Hawks Win Clog Dancing Competition)

By Sam Fels 1119 0

Looks like the South Florida sun got to them. Or maybe it was the moms preventing them from hitting South Beach. Whatever it was, it was kind of a sleepy effort from the Hawks, though they were in control for most of it. Once again, the Hawks moseyed out to a two-goal lead which put the game on the precipice. But once again, they didn’t quite push it over the edge, which allowed a bounce and/or a mistake to let the opposition tie the game. From there the Hawks coasted to a shootout, where Patrick Sharp discovered the Panthers didn’t have any video on his move in Carolina to end it.

Yet another October two points. Let’s move on.

Everything Else

Atop The Sugar Pile 10/21

By Sam Fels 1352 0

That time again. Put the week that was in a tidy little bow. Or wrap the box that we’re putting the week that was in a tidy little bow. Well, not the actual box, just a ribbon turned into a bow on top of it. Whatever, you get it.

Let’s do it.

The Dizzying Highs

Brandon Pirri – Yeah, I’m totally going to forward my agenda here. But three points in two games is a football in the groin. Pirri’s game certainly has its flaws. You can see him thinking instead of reacting in the defensive zone. His skating, while improved, is balky when he needs to turn from offense to defense or vice versa. He gets very wide when doing that.

But there are clear pluses too, and it’s weird that when the coaches are complaining about lack of offense and yet here’s a player who provides that. I’m sure Patrick Sharp looked longingly at that no-look through the legs pass off the boards that Pirri made to Nordstrom and wondered what he might do with such a thing.

I don’t think Pirri is a long-term answer. I don’t even know if he’s a short-term one. But I know it’s worth a look. Play him with Sharp and Hossa, who’ll flatten out some of his defensive problems. How bad could it actually be?

Everything Else

Dead Leafs On The Dirty Ground: Leafs 1 – Hawks 3

By Sam Fels 1211 0

There is a certain satisfaction in this matchup and coming out clearly on the better end of it–though the talent gap played a huge part. But here you have the possession-conscious Hawks and the possession-dismissive Leafs, and look what happened. The Hawks pretty much rolled them, even though it was a tie game for about half the occasion. It’s like a vision of where the sport was and where it is and where it’s going. Or maybe I’m just feeling like reading too deeply into things, because fuck me this Commodore Perry IPA is good.

After a pretty nondescript 1st period, the Hawks slowly exerted more and more authoritah’ over proceedings and eventually choked the Leafs out in a Million Dollar Dream. Oh sure, there were a couple moments in the 3rd, but not the onslaught the Hawks had been seeing at times this season (a malady that did affect them early last year as well, but was covered up by OT and shootout wins instead of losses).

Let’s get to bulletin’!

Everything Else

New Gold Standard – Blues vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Bloodletting

By Matt McClure 1181 0

bluestrumpet_jersey vs oldschool

Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM
Baseball’s Greatest Fans: St. Louis GameTime

For the second time in just over a week, the Hawks and Blues will square off in what many are already billing as the preeminent rivalry of the new iteration of the Central Division, and last week’s game down in the Meth Capital of the Midwest certainly didn’t disappoint, with the Hawks coming out on the short end of things in the last minute. Since then, Joel Quenneville has remarked that he still has a bad taste in his mouth about the end of the game, and tonight his squad will have an opportunity to correct that on home ice.

Everything Else

Pigs In Zen: Hogs Take 2 Points Out of Cleveland

By 1253 0

The IceHogs’ road swing continued in week 2 of the AHL schedule with back-to-back games in Lake Erie against the Monsters this past weekend. After splitting their opening weekend set in the Lone Star State, the Hogs were looking to add to their win total for this season and to continue their streak of sweeping the Monsters; they went 4-0 against them in 2012-13.

Everything Else

Atop The Sugar Pile 10/14

By Sam Fels 1464 0

I’m sure you’re probably just waking up from a day off nap just like I am, at least those of you who are lucky enough to have the day off. Which probably means you’re a teacher or a banker. If it’s the former, God bless you. If it’s the latter, you need more fucking lollipops available in your lobby. Anyway, weekly players of the week post and such…

The Dizzying Highs

Jonathan Toews – Three points in three games to match his performances from the entire season. Toews has been his normal, dominant self (though has been a -1 in each of the past two games, but hey, +/- is dumb. Like Good). The slow starts of the past appear to be stuck in the past, as Toews has come out flying in each of the past two seasons. And he’s breached the 60% mark in the past two games at the dot. Kid may have a future in this league.