Even though any statistician worth his or her salt would say that two games and an overtime frame is hardly enough of a SAMPLE SIZE to glean anything meaningful from, there still are some interesting nuggets to be found.
Except the WIld have more talent: SunTimes
Now for that Penalty Kill: Comcast
I would assume not, since well you know: Daily Herald
This makes things a bit interesting: ESPN
The definition of the phrase “Fall Guy”Philadelphia Examiner
It’s back. Our weekly feature… or one of them, at least. Let’s get to it.
The Dizzying Highs
Brandon Saad – Well this was easy, wasn’t it? Four points in two games, and when he wasn’t piling up points on the third line he was dominating pretty much every shift. As we suspected, Saad is relishing being away from the other teams’ top pairings, not that he did all that badly when he had to deal with them last year. A physical force, and turning into a premier power forward right before our eyes. While Smith and Nordstrom have been tested on the top penalty killing pair with Kruger, will it be too much longer before Saad gets his chance? I doubt it.
Well, that was weird.
I had remarked on Tuesday how October hockey can be disjointed, sloppy, and a ragged. It can also devolve into what we saw tonight, which is just strange, like when streets are uneven. Obviously, it’s hard to say the Hawks did much wrong. Holding a team with exactly no shots is how you’d draw coming out in the first period at home, even if you don’t score yourself. Outshooting them by over 20 for the game is another thing you’d settle for.
And yet, it was only one point. Why? The only reason has to be… THE BISHOP! It’s been a while since the Hawks had a complete goalie steal against them, and this was one. We could moan about the Hawks not putting a team away, but Bishop came up with everything he needed to in the 2nd and 3rd periods to keep the Hawks from getting away. That kept the Lightning it bloop-and-a-blast range, and they found that. The Hawks had their chances, at both even-strength and the power play, but just couldn’t solve… THE BISHOP! We was too late….
Let’s get to the bullets:
Community Rankings! Cheer the Anthem
Another one: Comcast AP
Coach Q doesn’t agree: Tribune Video
Its been ten years: CBC
Bryz back in the Desert…sort of: PuckDaddy
Yum!! CBS
Up goes the banner: PuckDaddy
On to the next one: SunTimes
So it begins: Hockee Night
The kill was there when it was needed: Chicago Tribune
Gutty: Comcast (ap)
Advanced Metrics: Extra Skater
And we’re off and running. Had you forgotten what a season feels like when it starts in October? You probably did. I know I had. Let’s get right to the bullets.
-First, the ceremony. This is something the Hawks organ-i-zation really does well, if not a little over the top on patting themselves on the back. But the use of the ice as a big screen is always cool, and just like in 2010 they used interviews with the players to highlight the key moment (this time being the :17). It really brings it home that they were in just as much shock as we were. We were all kids then. Speaking of which, nice touch on having the kids bring the banner to the players, though it would have been better to give them a quick, personal introduction.
-I always find it a little off that Rocky is wildly cheered when introduced, same with McDonough, but then I hear all the moaning when ticket prices are raised. Who do you think does that? Still, they both deserve the cheers, because all we ask is that they provide us a winner for our money.
Just about 30 hours or so from the new piece of cloth going up to the rafters. And as I do every year, I’ll take a whack at predicting what goes on this season. I think the only thing I’ve ever gotten right was Hawks-Flyers in 2010 (so did McClure, and boy did the Flyers make it interesting before getting there). But we’ll do it anyway. I’ll invite the other three goofs on this blog to add their predictions to this post later today, but they have lives which I don’t. So no guarantees that I won’t be the only one hanging himself upon his own petard.
Let’s do it:
Hawks point total – The number 102-105 keeps ringing around my head. Of course, last year the Hawks were on a 131-point pace (Jesus Christ!), but no one expects that again. 102 in the old set up would have landed the Hawks probably a 4th or 5th seed. 105 near the top I would think. I just don’t see them ducking the injury and fatigue bugs all season as they pretty much did last year (only Sharp missed significant time). In this new division set up there are certainly easy points to rack up, and the Conference as a whole won’t be as tough as it once was with Vancouver and Anaheim sure to backslide at least a little. Only Edmonton looks like it has a chance to rise up, and even then only a little.
Would 105 win the division? Probably. Not sure 102 will. Pretty sure it won’t matter if the Hawks are mostly healthy in April.
Well, we’re about to embark on it all. Before we head into the dress rehearsal tomorrow (please Brandon Pirri, have like four assists), and before we roll out our Central Division special on Monday and then it all kicks off on Tuesday, there’s a few questions we should wrap up. So, let us away, friends.
Will Patrick Kane crack 100 points?
He’s going to make a run at it, that’s for sure. There’s something that happened to Kane last year. He seemed to thrive in cementing himself as a top five player in the league, at least offensively. There seems to be a new determination in him to do things he hasn’t done before. He wants an Art Ross, he wants to be in the Hart conversation, he seemingly wants to erase what he used to be known for. But, as good as he was last year, he was only on pace for only 95 points.
Well, we’re about to embark on it all. Before we head into the dress rehearsal tomorrow (please Brandon Pirri, have like four assists), and before we roll out our Central Division special on Monday and then it all kicks off on Tuesday, there’s a few questions we should wrap up. So, let us away, friends.
Will Patrick Kane crack 100 points?
He’s going to make a run at it, that’s for sure. There’s something that happened to Kane last year. He seemed to thrive in cementing himself as a top five player in the league, at least offensively. There seems to be a new determination in him to do things he hasn’t done before. He wants an Art Ross, he wants to be in the Hart conversation, he seemingly wants to erase what he used to be known for. But, as good as he was last year, he was only on pace for only 95 points.
