Everything Else

Funk-O-Nots: Jackets at Hawks Preview/Get Down

By 1382

 vs. 

RECORDS: Jackets 49-19-8   Hawks 49-21-7

PUCK DROP: 7:30 at The Westside BoogeyDown

TV: CSN

LOVE ROLLER COASTER: Jackets Cannon

PROJECTED LINEUPS

 

ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI %: Jackets – 50.8 (12th)  Hawks – 50.9 (11th)

ADJUSTED TEAM xGF%: Jackets – 50.4 (14th)  Hawks – 49.5 (16th)

POWER PLAY %: Jackets – 20.5 (9th)  Hawks – 18.3 (17th)

PENALTY KILL %: Jackets – 82.9 (8th)  Hawks – 77.7 (25th)

It’s been a while since the Hawks saw this third of the Triumvirate of Doom that resides in the Metro Division. When the Hawks saw the Jackets in the opening throes of the season, the Hawks couldn’t kill any penalty and the Jackets hadn’t quite caught fire yet. That was their first win of the season, and they’ve gone on to collect 48 more. They have the second least amount of regulation losses, and now look poised to host the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs, the first time they’ve ever had home-ice in a playoff series.

But of course, hockey fans and especially bloggers being curmudgeons, we have to wonder if this is real.

Everything Else

I Hurt The Flower: Hawks 5 – Penguins 1

By 1337

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

There’s a line I like to use, I wish it was mine. Most of the shit I say isn’t mine. Anyway, I took it from something someone said about the first era of Mourinho’s Chelsea. It was, “The way to beat them is the same way you get flattened by them.” It works for this Hawks team.

I don’t think the Penguins had the wrong plan, even though they have maybe half of their strongest roster right now. You can’t beat the Hawks trying to be conservative, or trapping, or toeing carefully in the offensive zone. Give the Hawks too much space, doesn’t press their weak points.

You do beat them by going right at them. Trying to get speed to the outside, which the slower-than-accustomed Hawks defense can’t really deal with. You get your defense involved, ahead of forwards the Hawks might have left too high. You make the same, short passes at your line that the Hawks do at theirs to bypass the third forward and possibly a pinching d-man.

The problem though, is that if you don’t take the chances that creates, or the Hawks are at the absolute top of their game, or your goalie isn’t anywhere near his, or you go just a touch overboard, or some combination thereof, you’re going to turn the neutral zone into a runway for the Hawks. While they may not have the wheels out of the back they used to, they have more than enough d-men who can pass their way out of trouble if you give them the space.

Everything Else

The Playoff Buffet

By 1507

Much like the players themselves, or so it seems, it’s hard for Hawks fans to stay locked in for the last two and a half weeks of the season. We know where the Hawks are finishing, and other than the “IT’S ALIVE!” method of experimenting with his lineup that Quenneville sometimes delves into, there isn’t a lot of drama.

About the only thing left is for the Hawks to figure out who they’ll be opening the playoffs against, and thanks to how the West has shaped up over the past couple weeks, it could be any one of six teams. And if the Wild keep going the way they’re going, it could actually be one of seven.

As of right now, it would be the Blues again, for the third time in four years. But they’re one point behind the Predators for third in the division. And the Preds are only one point behind the Flames, who hold the first wild-card spot. Who themselves are only one point behind the Oilers and Sharks, who are only two points behind the Ducks, and the Wild are only two points ahead of that. So it could any of that.

What should you prefer?

Everything Else

Stop That, It’s Too Silly: Hawks 4 – Lightning 4 (Lightning win ping pong tournament)

By 1447

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

I suppose if the Hawks wanted to throw a scare into their fans, giving up 17 real goals (not ones in OT) over the past four games would be a good way to do it. I still have a hard time believing this is anything other than boredom. The Hawks have the division salted away, thanks the Sharks completely going backwards they have the Conference sewn up, and though I suppose they have an outside shot at the Presidents’ Trophy I don’t think that’s something that concerns them. When you take any stakes out of these games, any urgency, you’re going to get a few efforts that look pretty lifeless.

If you want to get into structural things… well, Johnny Oduya’s 32% Corsi might be a place to start.

Everything Else

Orgasm Addict: Stars 2 – Hawks 2 (Hawks win Shadowrun)

By 1231

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

“Well, you tried it just for once found it all right for kicks
But now you found out that it’s a habit that sticks”

For the third game in a row the Hawks couldn’t raise their give-a-fuck level much beyond tepid against one of the products of the league’s sludge factory. And once again they came out of it with points, this time maximum. Only a possible goalie-interference denied them six points out of six from three games that they played as a bar bet. It’s a neat trick if you can pull it off. With the win the Hawks move eight points up on the the Zack Wyldes with nine games to play. They’re almost dormie!

This isn’t one that anybody would use as an example of what the sport can be. The Hawks weren’t bothered, the Stars didn’t seem interested in anything more than getting to the end of the season quicker. It was like an exchange at a 4am bar where the invitation to go home together is out there but the other party realizes they’re too drunk and stupid to do much good if they take it (just me?). The Hawks surrendered 40+ shots again to a team they shouldn’t be doing that against, but we’ll chalk it up to late season, nothing-to-play-for malaise than anything structural or worth worrying about.

As he’s been most of the season, Crawford was able to bail the Hawks out. Because that’s a thing he does.

Let’s clean it up:

Everything Else

Yeah, She’s Doing The Lindy Hop: Stars at Hawks Preview/Vinyl Swap

By 1343

 vs. 

RECORDS: Stars 29-33-10   Hawks 47-20-6

PUCK DROP: 7:30pm

TV: CSN

YU DARVISH FAN CLUB: Defending Big D

PROJECTED LINEUPS

TEAM ADJUSTED CORSI%: Stars – 49.3 (2oth)  Hawks – 50.8 (11th)

TEAM ADJUSTED xGF%: Stars – 48.3 (20th)  Hawks – 49.2 (18th)

POWER PLAY: Stars – 18.1 (19th)  Hawks – 19.1 (15th)

PENALTY KILL: Stars – 74.0 (Dead Ass Last)  Hawks – 77.7 (26th)

What a strange little stretch for the Hawks. They saw teams at the top of the standings, didn’t play well for the most part, won all of them. They returned home to face two things from the bog in the Avs and Canucks, and had to pull a rabbit out of their hat to get a win and a point against them respectively. So where their attention level is going to be tonight is best estimated by throwing a dart at any wall in your office/apartment (and if you’re wondering if I really mean “coworker” instead of “wall”… I leave that to you). They get another look at sludge tonight in the Dallas Stars.

Everything Else

Gibby Wasn’t Talking About This Outfit: Avs at Hawks Preview/Clinic Hours

By 1465

 vs. 

RECORDS: Avs 20-47-3   Hawks 46-20-5

PUCK DROP: 6pm Central

TV: WGN Locally, NHL Network outside the walls

THEY ACTUALLY WATCH THIS: Mile High Hockey

PROJECTED LINEUPS

ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI%: Avs – 45.8 (29th)  Hawks – 50.7 (13th)

ADJUSTED TEAM xGF%: Avs – 45.3 (29th)  Hawks – 49.0 (18th)

POWER PLAY %: Avs – 12.9 (Dead Ass Last)  Hawks – 18.8 (16th)

PENALTY KILL %: Avs – 77.8 (25th)  Hawks – 78.0 (24th)

Sometimes a team comes into the United Center and they need no introduction. Tonight is not one of those nights. Then again, the Avs have been singularly bad this season, and maybe that makes them unique. They have 43 points. 43. The Hawks had 43 points on December 15th. That was three months ago.

Everything Else

In Touch With Some Reality Beyond The Gilded Cage: Hawks 1 – Leafs 1 (Hawks win Stickball)

By 1373

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

The Hawks tried something new tonight. After getting decked on the shot-board the past three games and asking Crawford and Darling to go Barnum and Bailey to get them two points, they methodically controlled the Leafs, who of the past four opponents contained the most high-end finish and thus could have made the Hawks pay for their wayward ways. Although this time the Hawks were trailing early, and thus had to chase a bit until Hayden equalized.

A third period that saw both teams go for it early and then look at each other and say, “You good with overtime?”, gave way to an exciting if not artificial OT where Hartmania ran wild on the Leafs, faking out Andersen from the circle to beat him to the stick side. And with that, the Hawks are now five points up in the division, thanks to their best March under Joel Quenneville.

Let’s clean it up:

Everything Else

The Hawks Against Good Teams: A Study

By 1505

You can start to feel a lift among the fanbase these days. One that never really came last year, as the Hawks’ flaws were so easy to see and so glaring that a first round exit seemed pretty inevitable, even if a Game 7 loss to the Blues still stung. There are no such concerns these days, as the Hawks remain one of the hottest teams in the league for over a month now and have rocketed to the top of the division and conference. Elsewhere, you can feel the growing sense of dread from the rest of the hockey world, as the familiar face no one really wanted to see looks like it’ll be there when it matters most again (some would call this the “Roman Reigns Phenomena”)

In that sense, it’s been a weird week for the Hawks. Consecutively, they’ve beaten 5th, 8th, and 9th overall in the standings in terms of points and all three teams were either in first at the time or right there for it in their division. And yet, at least in terms of possession, they’ve gotten clocked in all three games. Has this been a long-standing problem and is it indicative of what might happen when all the lights come on in a month’s time or so.

Hey, we can research this! Bless!