Unexpectedly Expected:Cheer The Anthem
Cooling the red hot Kings: Chicago Tribune
The suspension litmus test:The Globe and Mail
I figured “Do you know who I am?” is up next: Tsn
Box Score
Event Summary
Extra Skater
Shift Charts??
This one wasn’t too enjoyable, was it? The Leafs had been in a freefall and their week had them playing some of the top teams in the league in Boston, LA, St. Louis, Chicago and the Pens on Monday. They had lost every game so far coming into tonight. In the first, the Leafs managed some good possession shifts (shockingly) and took advantage of the second penalty from Chicago of the night, a stupid trip in front the net from Shaw. The Hawks would equalize on a power play of their own when a crossing pass from Kane deflected off Phaneuf and snuck in.
In the second, the wheels just came off. The Leafs put 14 shots on net and 4 of them found their way past Raanta, chasing him for the third. We won’t go through all of them on an individual basis since it was disaster and we’ve all get better things to do on this Saturday night. Sam wrote in the preview it would take something unpredictable for the Leafs to pull one out. I’d say 7 goals on 32 shots is pretty unpredictable from a team that averages 2.74 and 27 (third worse in the league). This sucks but lets move on and get ready for the Kings tomorrow.
Domination: Chicago Tribune
Gamesheet: NHL
Advanced Metrics: Extra Skater
Boxed out: Cheer the Anthem
Fork’s take: Hockee Night
One of the best plays in your old spot: Sportsnet
Great thing about this kind of blowout is that I can start sketching out the wrap throughout the 3rd to have it ready so early. Also tomorrow’s my first day off in forever and I want to make tonight count. Anyway, I know what you all come for but let me actually attempt something of a real wrap before we get to it. Don’t want to deprive you of my genius two nights in a row, obviously.
Great thing about this kind of blowout is that I can start sketching out the wrap throughout the 3rd to have it ready so early. Also tomorrow’s my first day off in forever and I want to make tonight count. Anyway, I know what you all come for but let me actually attempt something of a real wrap before we get to it. Don’t want to deprive you of my genius two nights in a row, obviously.
Antoine Roussel will probably learn that when you’re a team like Dallas, it’s better to stay under the Hawks’ radar than to do anything to get them excited to play you.
Oh, and screw Killion.
Preview: NHL
Crow-Less:Chicago Tribune
TV Money: TSN
That won’t help attendance in the desert: ESPN
Maple Leaf Projections:TSN
This headline explains so many things: Globe and Mail
And by that I sort of mean that Scott Clemmensen happened. Not that he was truly awful, though I’m sure he’d like goals #3 and #4 back. But we all knew that with the Panthers coming in after playing last night and rolling out their backup, journeyman goalie that the Hawks would only have to be locked in for so long to build a lead they couldn’t possibly punt. They kind of tried to, but only half-assed their cough-up effort (in the same way they half-assed some of their breakouts) and when bothered were able to slip away again.
The night was overshadowed by Corey Crawford’s injury, and then the Vaudevillian display that would have come if Antti Raanta hadn’t gotten up from being run by Jimmy Hayes (marking the first time that Hayes aggressively went to the net at the United Center). Whether it ends up being long-term or not, we’ll just have to wait. But we better hope not.
I haven’t actually bothered to look up the stats… but if memory serves me right, the Hawks tend to actually be pretty damn great when it comes to the second leg of back-to-backs. Like we saw on recent circus trip, when the Hawks should have been on their last breath, they actually ended up playing one of their most complete games.
So coming on the second game in as many days, I almost expected them to come out with their hair on fire and get close to a DLR. It’s just what happens. Only this time, not so much. We’ve seen some sloppy games but this might have been one of the worst we’ve seen for the year. The fact that it came from two of the top teams in the West, and therefore the top of the league, makes it that much more disappointing. If the Hawks shit the bed against the Oilers, we don’t get too upset. They aren’t really going to be a threat. The Ducks though, they could be a problem. As we wrote in the preview, we expected a back and forth exciting game. We didn’t get it. Both teams were garbage and the Ducks won in the silliest part of the game. Moving on…
vs. 
GAMETIME: 7pm Central
TV/RADIO: CSN for the locals, NHLN for the outsiders, WGN 720 for the dead
WAITING FOR THE GOPHERS: Hockey Wilderness
The Hawks embark on a pretty ridiculously packed schedule the next 10 days here. There’s three games in the next four days, five in the next eight, and seven in the next 12. Only after the 17th’s trip to Nashville will the Hawks get as much as three days off. And the roster is looking a bit stretched tonight with both Michal Handzus and Andrew Shaw not making the trip.
