Everything Else

And Now We're Done And We Can Go Home: Hawks 0 – Yotes 2

By 1186 0

I’m kind of anxious to get onto the break so I’m just going to hammer this out in the aftermath instead of waiting a bit to reflect as usual. I’m sure you all understand. Let’s get right to it.

-I don’t think the Hawks weren’t interested tonight. The effort was there, which I feared it might not be. What they weren’t was interested in the right ways. What you can’t do against the Coyotes when they’re on their game is fancy-pants your way through the neutral zone and you certainly can’t put your dump-ins where Mike Smith can get it. It’s hard to do, and it takes a fuckton of patience, but you have to chip pucks into the corners or go cross-corner with your dump-ins. The Hawks didn’t do much of either. If you don’t, Smith is going to smother your forecheck by himself.

Secondly, the Coyotes while blocking off the middle of the ice were also determined to outnumber the Hawks in every board battle in their zone. Two guys vs. one, or three guys vs. two. And the Hawks were reluctant to even match them in manpower. They Hawks aren’t blessed with guys who can outwork a numerical disadvantage along the wall. They have Hossa and… well, Hossa. They needed to be a more aggressive in matching the numbers on the wall tonight.

Everything Else

And Now We’re Done And We Can Go Home: Hawks 0 – Yotes 2

By Sam Fels 1166 0

I’m kind of anxious to get onto the break so I’m just going to hammer this out in the aftermath instead of waiting a bit to reflect as usual. I’m sure you all understand. Let’s get right to it.

-I don’t think the Hawks weren’t interested tonight. The effort was there, which I feared it might not be. What they weren’t was interested in the right ways. What you can’t do against the Coyotes when they’re on their game is fancy-pants your way through the neutral zone and you certainly can’t put your dump-ins where Mike Smith can get it. It’s hard to do, and it takes a fuckton of patience, but you have to chip pucks into the corners or go cross-corner with your dump-ins. The Hawks didn’t do much of either. If you don’t, Smith is going to smother your forecheck by himself.

Secondly, the Coyotes while blocking off the middle of the ice were also determined to outnumber the Hawks in every board battle in their zone. Two guys vs. one, or three guys vs. two. And the Hawks were reluctant to even match them in manpower. They Hawks aren’t blessed with guys who can outwork a numerical disadvantage along the wall. They have Hossa and… well, Hossa. They needed to be a more aggressive in matching the numbers on the wall tonight.

Everything Else

One More Special Message To Go: Hawks at Coyotes Preview/Pregame Thread/Remaing In The Waiting Room

By Sam Fels 1254 0

Hawk Wrestler vs. spacecoyote

FACEOFF: 8pm Central

TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio

SORRY, I AM A COYOTE: Five For Howling

The Hawks head into the Olympic break with one more game in the desert against a Coyotes squad that is being kept around the playoff picture thanks to the utter incompetence of the Canucks and Kings. They’ll have to do it a little more shorthanded than they’ve been all season.

Everything Else

Hawks Acquire Peter Regin And Pierre-Marc Bouchard: First Reactions

By Sam Fels 1918 0

Well, I was off the grid until my brother called, and once again Stan Bowman has made a bargain bin, could be more effective than we think or could be nothing move to bolster his team. It’s funny, when I hear trade with the Islanders I immediately think it’s Frans Nielsen because the Hawks have been rumored to have gone after him multiple times. But he’s pretty entrenched on the Island now, so I guess that won’t ever happen. What they did get was Peter Regin and Pierre-Marc Bouchard for a 4th round pick. The Islanders are picking up half the tab money-wise as well, which leads me to believe that Stan Bowman puts GMs under some kind of hypnosis when it comes time to talk about money.

Bouchard has already been assigned to Rockford, along with Brandon Pirri (who can probably watch his Hawks career fading into the distance at this point). We mentioned Bouchard earlier in the year when he was on waivers. He’s had his concussion problems and isn’t exactly a heavy. But he’s been a possession-driver on the Isles this year when he was there and not Bridgeport. Before his injury problems this is a guy who has had four 45+ point seasons, and the one with 38 in just 59 games. They’re a couple years in the rearview obviously, but he’s still just 29 and there might be some gas left in the tank. Though I’m curious if he ever gets out of Rockford, really.

Regin is the more interesting pick up. He’s an actual center, but a bottom six one. He’s been playing something of a checking role for the Isles, though he’s helpless at the dot. Wonder if we don’t see him centering Smith and Bollig/Bouchard with Smith taking the draws, and slotting Kruger either to the 2nd or 3rd line. Regin is also a bigger body at 6-2, and size in the middle is not something the Hawks have a lot of. And some of that size (Handzus) can’t move. Regin can certainly do that.

Both of these guys have been getting drilled in PDO because the Isles’ goaltending has been utter horse manure. So some of their numbers are a little skewed I guess. Neither is signed beyond this year so this is something of a flier. Doesn’t really cost you anything to give them a look and if they don’t work you’re back to the team you had anyway.

We’ll be back with more later.

 

Everything Else

Confirmation Bias: Blackhawks 2 – Ducks 0

By Matthew Killion 1408 0

Box Score
Event Summary
Extra Skater

There’s something about this team. Even when they’re not very good (the last few weeks) they can still manage to outplay other teams seemingly at will. Few of us would believe that the Hawks are playing at their highest level right now and we’ve got plenty to complain about.. and even if we don’t, we’ll at least make some shit up.. but they still have somehow won 8 out of 10 possible points so far on the road trip with only a single game remaining before the break.

Everything Else

My Kingdom For A Goal: Hawks at Kings Preview/Pregame Thread/Coffee House Open Mic

By Sam Fels 1314 0

Hawk Wrestler vs. King Jerry Lawler

FACEOFF: 9:30 PM Central
TV/RADIO: WGN for both
VOICE OF THE THRONE: The Royal Half, Jewels From The Crown

The last time the Hawks skated on Staples Center ice, Marian Hossa was burying a one-timer off a Michal Handzus pass after the Kings’ 74th moronic change of that series and the Hawks saw out the rest of the frame to take a stranglehold of the Conference Final. That game saw Duncan Keith suspended for Paul Bunyan-ing Jeff Carter’s face, and saw Johnny Oduya play the game of his life. What we wouldn’t give for Oduya to find anything close to resembling that sort of form.

Everything Else

Groundhog Day: Hawks 1 – Sharks 1 (Sharks Win Odds N Evens)

By Sam Fels 1262 0

There weren’t any pictures, so maybe that game didn’t happen?

Box Score

Event Summary

Extra Skater

Sharks-Hawks games are usually one the neutral enjoys most. Two teams that play fast and skilled with stars galore. I don’t think last night is going to fit into that category.

Sure, it was close and at times tense. But both teams were sloppy for most of the game. At times it felt like both teams were afraid to make a mistake. Others they were both playing so frantically and their passing was substandard that it basically looked like a game of hurling in the neutral zone. I suppose that’s what you get when both teams haven’t been playing all that well recently. At least not consistently well recently. What you get is a game that always looked likely to end tied and from there it’s a coin flip.

Everything Else

Looking For The Heart Of Saturday Night: Blackhawks At Sharks – Preview/Pre-Game Thread/All Ages Matinee

By Matthew Killion 1523 0

AltLogo_medium @   sharkticons

Game Time: 9:30PM CDT
TV/Radio: NHLN, CSN/WGN720
Here’s To Swimmin With Bow-Legged Women: Fear The Fin, Battle of California

While the second period in Wednesday’s game against the Canucks was nice, it’s still not clear that the Hawks are completely out of their funk. It was a better game than we’ve seen the past few weeks but it wasn’t all the way there.. take the two goal deficit they had to climb back from. They had a wonky first but were able to calm down enough to make a return to the game we expect them to play.

In the past few years, a game against the Sharks is a meeting of two of the NHL’s better teams. That’s true this time around only this time we’re seeing two teams that are solidly in the playoff picture but neither team is firing on all cylinders recently.