Captain Canada????NESN
Sharp deserves it:PuckDaddy
That’s what happens when your country invented the sport: NHL.com
A column about hockey and cold weather…..Mind Blowing idea: SunTimes
Rosy to represent my Great-Grandmother’s Nation: Chicago Tribune
Hossa and Zus to represent Slovakia:USA Today
Swiss Trio:IIHF
Well I think Chicago has seen that first-hand: Comcast
Actual management potential in Buffalo: Puckdaddy
That time again to get a little nerd-y. Or a little more nerd-y than we already are.
This got some play last week thanks to The Score’s Jay Zawaski. But that’s the amount of goals at even-strength that Patrick Kane has scored with Michal Handzus as his center. And that’s the center he’s played the most with. It kind of defies belief. You’d think Handzus would have been struggling to the bench just once while Kaner was dancing through defenders or something. It just hasn’t happened.
If you’re interested, and you are, Kane has scored his most even-strength goals with Brandon Saad, the winger he’s played with most, with 7. He’s also scored 7 with Andrew Shaw. This may be something even Joel Quenneville has seen, as Saad has joined Kane on a line the past few games.
This doesn’t mean that Shaw is the perfect center for Kane, perhaps just the best out of bad choices. Kane scored four even-strength goals with Brandon Pirri, but the seven with Shaw have come in half the amount of time on the ice. Kane’s Corsi% is also about 12 points higher with Shaw than either Pirri or Handzus.
Why? Harder to pin down. Some could be matchups. We know Shaw doesn’t win any draws so it’s not that. Mostly, it might simply be the mobility that Shaw has and he can at least be somewhere when Kane has the puck. Most of Kane’s production is off the rush and one-on-one. You don’t want him trying to produce on a cycle too often. Shaw can at least keep up.
Is Shaw a #2 center? Almost certainly not. Honestly, I think he’d be better at wing where his forechecking and getting to the net would be more pronounced by not having to constantly be low in his own zone. But right now, he might be the best solution of what currently is on offer.
vs. 
FACEOFF: 7pm Central
TV/RADIO: NBCSN, WGN Radio
NEEDING A BIGGER BOAT: Fear The Fin, Battle Of California
After sort of muddling their way through two games in the Tri-State area but still getting three of four points, the Hawks open the 2014 home portion of the schedule tonight with a tilt against Legends Of The Fall San Jose Sharks. Or what’s left of the Sharks, as they’re extremely beat up. And what isn’t injured may be frozen.
Box Score
Event Summary
Extra Skater
This kind of explosion in the third period is exactly what makes this team so much damn fun to watch. While there were chances on both sides of the ice in the first, it remained a pretty even and quiet game. There were shifts where both teams threatened but neither goalie or defense was going to give anything up. So after the first remained scoreless with relatively few shots and the second period ended tied at one it seemed like it could end up being a “next goal wins” scenario. Then the third started and the goals flooded in 3 of them in about 4 minutes. It was a blink and you’ll miss it scene. When the Hawks can smell blood in the water, they can usually capitalize. It’s just where they left off last year when they scored those two goals in 17 seconds. It doesn’t happen every game (like most games against the Blues this year unfortunately) but the Hawks can make good teams look very silly and they can make mediocre teams look worse. While the Devils were able to claw their way back into this one. After Hossa’s wrister you could easily have put it in the books.
The Crow: HockeeNight
Spoiled Return: Chicago Tribune
One Sochi snub raises his middle finger at David Poile: Sportsnet.Ca
Comeback Stalled: Comcast Chicago
US ousted from WJC: CBC
Guess the NYE hangover hadn’t quite cleared.
The Hawks were pretty much where they needed to be in the first, smothering most Islander threats and outshooting them 12-5. Sure, a silly pass from Johnny Oduya to a covered Bryan Bickell at the red line and Bickell being forced into a turnover while Bangkok Dangerous marched off into the sea of green let Casey Cizikas in to give Long Island the lead. But the Hawks could feel good about how they played.
But for the last 40, the Hawks were all over and left far too much space for an Isles squad that isn’t bereft of weapons. The two goals they gave up from there came to the top line, which is exactly what you can’t do against this team. Sure, they fought back to tie it but were always asking for trouble in just being all over in their own zone. Not shocking the game ended when Patrick Sharp came too far over to deal with John Tavares, and left US-snub All-Star Kyle Okposo to rifle one home. That’s how the Hawks had been in their zone all night.
To the notes:
Guess the NYE hangover hadn’t quite cleared.
The Hawks were pretty much where they needed to be in the first, smothering most Islander threats and outshooting them 12-5. Sure, a silly pass from Johnny Oduya to a covered Bryan Bickell at the red line and Bickell being forced into a turnover while Bangkok Dangerous marched off into the sea of green let Casey Cizikas in to give Long Island the lead. But the Hawks could feel good about how they played.
But for the last 40, the Hawks were all over and left far too much space for an Isles squad that isn’t bereft of weapons. The two goals they gave up from there came to the top line, which is exactly what you can’t do against this team. Sure, they fought back to tie it but were always asking for trouble in just being all over in their own zone. Not shocking the game ended when Patrick Sharp came too far over to deal with John Tavares, and left US-snub All-Star Kyle Okposo to rifle one home. That’s how the Hawks had been in their zone all night.
To the notes:
vs. 
PUCK DROP: 6pm Central
TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio
A THREE HOUR TOUR: LIGHTHOUSE HOCKEY
Well, the Islanders are actually leaving the Island in time. Somehow won’t be shocked if it’s next year but it’s scheduled for the one after that. And then being in Brooklyn could very well lead to the most obnoxious fanbase in hockey.
Anyway, the Hawks kick off 2014 after a glorious and somewhat beyond belief 2013 at Nassau County Coliseum, which is probably the opposite of glorious and certainly is beyond belief in the other fashion. Careful in the bathroom is you’re going. They’ll take on a car wreck of an Islanders team there.
Saad alright with change: Chicago Tribune
Leddy charging: SunTimes
Midway point: ESPN
Sharp getting notice: Suntimes
New CTA podcast: Cheer The Anthem
I don’t know that you learn anything from a night like this. When the opponent clearly is still stowed away neatly in the overhead against the Hawks, it’s going to be over in a hurry unless the Hawks are also a couple tacos short of a combo plate. Sadly for the Avs, the Hawks most certainly were not.
This game was probably over when it was scheduled and the Avs weren’t allowed to travel until this morning. While I wrote into tonight’s Indian how I thought the union’s call for a three-day Christmas break was harming the league (no exposure at a time when everyone’s sitting around begging for a distraction from their family), I understand wanting Christmas Eve and Christmas day at home with loved ones. I would have thought extending it to Boxing Day would save everyone the hassle of traveling on Christmas night. But to extend a travel ban through the next day? You’re essentially sentencing more than a few teams to be up against it, and Colorado was one of them. I don’t think it’s asking too much for teams to be allowed to fly into town the night of the 26th. It would give them more of a fighting chance.
