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Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: NBC, CBC (Anglo), RDS (Franco), WGN-AM 720
Subbacultcha: Cup of Chowder, Days of Y’Orr
For all of the mewling on both sides about the various issues surrounding both the Bruins and Blackhawks, today the series finds itself pretty much exactly where everyone thought it would be. And with the series being tied 2-2 after the Hawks regained home-ice advantage on Wednesday, tonight’s game 5 is critical in taking a grip on the series.
Was it Al Michaels that recently described watching a hockey game like dying a thousand deaths? I think it was. Either way, I would probably describe watching this game as feeling like William Wallace as the English unstrung his intestines and lit them on fire as he watched while tied to an iron maiden.
Let’s not waste anymore time. To the bullets.
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Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: NBCSN, CBC (Anglo), RDS (Franco), WGN-AM 720
Feed The Tree: Cup of Chowder, Days of Y’Orr
Dating back three years to the 2010 Final against Philadelphia, the Hawks have lost the first game away from the United Center in six straight series. Overall in that time frame, the Hawks have gone 7-10 on the road, and 3-4 this post season. And in order to win this series, the Hawks will now have to win at least one game on the road, with the first of potentially three games in Boston tonight.
Well, this isn’t any fun at all. And I think both sides would agree.
There’s so much on either side to indicate either just a shrugging this off as one game and the Hawks were always going to need to take on in the Hub, and also time to engender genuine worry. I guess what that means is that this series is exactly where most everyone thought it would. On a knife edge, between two so perfectly matched teams that barely an inch or a bounce will separate them. It isn’t going to be over any time soon, is it?
But there are warning signs. And now the Hawks face a true hornets’ nest waiting for them on Causeway St.
This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.
Something tells me this will not be a short series.
No more wasting time; let’s get to abbreviated bullets before I turn into a werewolf or whatever mythical creature comes out after midnight.
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Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: NBC, CBC (Anglo), RDS (Franco), WGN-AM 720
The Impression That I Get: Cup of Chowder, Days of Y’Orr
Now the real fun begins. After an abbreviated 48 game season of intra-conference play and three playoff rounds with their fair share of scares for each team, the Hawks and Bruins will meet in the post season for the sixth time ever, and for the first time ever in the Stanley Cup Final. With the Bruins two years removed from their last title and the Hawks three, it’s a juggernaut matchup that the league has dreamed of, but probably doesn’t deserve after what it’s put everyone through. And though superficial analysis would have one believe that these two teams are diametrically opposed stylistically, they’re actually far more similar than one would expect.
In 2011, the Bruins won their Stanley Cup with a lockdown penalty kill, and a power play that bordered on comically bad. Stop me if this sounds uncomfortably familiar. Finding no reason to fix what isn’t (totally) broken, the Bruins are on much the same trajectory as they were two years ago, though the Blackhawks certainly should not take that as a cue to tempt fate by marching to the box as they have to this point in the post season. Furthermore, the Hawks finding a way to somehow take advantage of the Bruins’ penalty kill will go a long way toward mitigating the physical liberties Boston will no doubt plan on taking.
I suppose time will tell if there was something in the Hawks game that got to Jonathan Quick, or if the star goalie simply had a string of bad games at the worst possible time for LA. There seemingly wasn’t a lot the Hawks did to rattle Quick other than find ways to beat him. And Duncan Keith’s goal to open the scoring on Saturday is still pretty baffling to me. Either way, the Blackhawks were facing perhaps the best goalie in the league coming in at damn near the top of his game and they found a way to beat him.
They’ll need to find whatever charm they used in the WCF and bottle it to save over the next few games because it looks like they’re going to have to do it all over again as they face the young Finn Tuukka Rask.
I suppose time will tell if there was something in the Hawks game that got to Jonathan Quick, or if the star goalie simply had a string of bad games at the worst possible time for LA. There seemingly wasn’t a lot the Hawks did to rattle Quick other than find ways to beat him. And Duncan Keith’s goal to open the scoring on Saturday is still pretty baffling to me. Either way, the Blackhawks were facing perhaps the best goalie in the league coming in at damn near the top of his game and they found a way to beat him.
They’ll need to find whatever charm they used in the WCF and bottle it to save over the next few games because it looks like they’re going to have to do it all over again as they face the young Finn Tuukka Rask.
Thar be monsters here.
While we highlighted the Kings unpleasant nature on defense, the Bruins bring that and more. This is a group of men who look like they belong in a bar brawl somewhere and try to turn their zone into one. But they also come with some of the warts that the Kings had as well, just not as large.
There’s no point in going any further without talking about the 6-9-sized problem on the top pairing, and that’s Zdeno Chara. This could be the biggest difference (ha ha) between what the Hawks just saw and what they’re about to see. While the Kings’ #1 d-man Drew Doughty is a great player, he can be erratic and wild and reckless at times. The Hawks got to take advantage of that. They will get no such breaks with Chara on the ice.