Everything Else

With Intellect And A Savoir-Faire: Blues at Hawks Game 6 Preview/Paint Huffin’

By 1331

old_school_blue_l vs. Hawk Wrestler

PUCK DROP: 7pm (so calm down)

TV: NBC

I AM BECOME DEATH: St. Louis Gametime

Done it once, can you do it twice? And then thrice?

The Hawks staved off elimination on Thursday night, essentially letting the Blues punch themselves out in the 3rd period and 1st overtime without landing a knockout blow. The Hawks slowly, slowly made their presence known at the end of the first OT and then were the better team in the 2nd, bringing everyone back to Chicago for a Saturday night on the town. And really, where would you rather spend a Saturday night?

Everything Else

Leave Me Lying Here: Hawks at Blues Game 5 Preview/Dress Fitting

By 1324

Hawk Wrestler vs. old_school_blue_l

PUCK DROP: Somewhere in the neighborhood of 8:42pm

TV: NBCSN round the nation, CSN here

THE SWORD OF DEMOCLES: St. Louis Gametime

All right, let’s get the positive right here at the top. No team has put the Hawks to the sword at first time of asking since the ’09 Wings. It took the ’11 Canucks four tries, the ’12 Coyotes two, and the ’14 Kings three. Quite simply, when the Hawks haven’t won the whole fucking thing they’ve been just about the toughest out around. And that’s with rosters as or more limited than this one. This is also a Blues team that has one series win to its name in this era. So for proceedings to end tonight, both teams are going to have to do something that has gone against their recent nature.

Everything Else

I Wanted To Live, So I Pretended To Die: Blues at Hawks Game 4 Preview/Taco Club

By 1418

old_school_blue_l vs. Hawk Wrestler

PUCK DROP: 8:30pm Central (more like 8:42)

TV: CSN here locally, NBCSN everywhere else

JASON HEYWARD FANCLUB: St. Louis Gametime

Blues Stats

Blues War On Ice

This all feels so familiar, mostly because the Hawks were here the last two playoff series they played. They lost a Game 3 at home to both the Ducks and Lightning, the former partially due to some baffling lineup decisions from their coach and the latter because they couldn’t find a way past a goalie who couldn’t move. That was a weird one. Anyway, how will they respond to this Game 3 loss, the first they’ve lost in regulation when leading after 40 minutes in more than two seasons?

Everything Else

It Doesn’t Matter If You Think You Might Be, You Are: Hawks at Blues Game 2 Preview/Babies On Spikes Shower

By 1454

Hawk Wrestler vs. old_school_blue_l

PUCK DROP: 7pm Central (Holy shit a normal time)

TV: CSN and NBCSN

GOOD GOD DON’T GO THERE: St. Louis Gametime

Blues Stats

Blues War On Ice

It took about one game for this series to get annoying in all the ways we knew it would. The raging debate out of St. Louis is whether the Blues were physical enough, which is always the fucking debate down there and shows that no one has learned anything from the Hawks’ reign of dominance or how the one team to beat them during it actually did it. For the Chicago side, the return of Duncan Keith is the main story, and whether he will shift the balance of this series and/or change how the Blues might play it (I tend to doubt it).

Everything Else

Take Me To The River, Take Me To Where All The Poisons Go – Blues Series Preview: The Forwards

By 1409

We keep moving along through the river, well to be more apt this underground garbage fire of a preview that is slowly encroaching on nuclear waste, to the forwards of the St. Louis Blues. And once you get past the first line, it gets pretty automaton, but you probably already knew that. It’s a raft of palookas and hired goons that are meant to make a bunch of sounds flashed on the screen from the Batman TV series (live-action, Pure West, not the cartoon, which I haven’t seen but am told isn’t bad). You know the plan, you know the players, it’s just a question of if the Hawks can execute the plays.

Alex Steen-Jori Lehtera-Vladimir Tarasenko

I’ve spent so long thinking that Alex Steen is just a guy that’s taken about two years for me to pivot and finally admit that he’s a plus forward. Is he really a first liner? No, probably not. But he’s struck up an understanding with Tarasenko that’s become pretty deadly and really Steen doesn’t do anything wrong. He’s always in the right spot making the right play, he just doesn’t do it with any flash so you have to really pay attention to him.

Everything Else

Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes – Hawks at Jets Preview, Vow Renewal Ceremony

By 1197

evil empire at benny the jet

Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
Sons Of Flin Flon: Arctic Ice Hockey

Regardless of how long Duncan Keith is suspended for this afternoon- and he will be suspended for at least the remainder of the regular season- the Blackhawks are still in a position wherein they’re for all intents and purposes locked into their playoff spot barring losing the remaining five games or getting a tremendous amount of help from the opponents of the Stars and Blues. And while the former can’t be ruled out, the latter is still an incredibly low probability, as the schedule makers certainly did the Hawks plenty of favors by putting batting practice like the long out-of-it Jets on the schedule for the home stretch.

Everything Else

Reasons For Optimism… No, I’m Serious. Don’t Look At Me That Way

By 1364

You might say things look a little dark in Hawkdom these days. You might say they look darker than a black steer’s tookus on a moonless prairie night. Their most important skater is facing a suspension that has a chance of seeping into the playoffs. They don’t know when their goalie who is most responsible for their record this year is going to be able to return. Their other MVP isn’t scoring at near the rate he has before as teams have focused on that line and the top one hasn’t been able to bail him out. We’ve been over the defense.

But all is not lost, my friends. There are reasons that the Hawks could yet have a long spring. I’m totally serious. Let’s go through them. Caveat: None of these mean shit if either or both of Keith and Crawford miss significant playoff time. Then they’re totally boned. Sorry.

Everything Else

What A Way To Run A Railroad

By 1733

Another banner day in great Hawkdom and hockey in general. It’s gone beyond comedic to the surreal at this point. A listless, 5th straight loss to the decidedly in-the-middle Wild, the Hawks most important player looking at some sort of suspension, an organization continuing to act in a most callous, cowardly fashion, and a league that if it were any more balloon-handed would be able to carry the dude’s house from UP to Jupiter and back. Let’s see if we can’t get through it all without opening wounds on our collective faces.

-Let’s start with Duncan Keith. While his elbow on Shooty Twin from 2012 and his high-stick can’t actually be considered in whatever discipline is coming his way, past displays of behavior can, which essentially is the same fucking thing. I suppose the technicalities would come up in any sort of appeal, which I’m fairly sure is going to come up.

Everything Else

A Floater Left With Pleasure In The Executive Washroom – Wild 4, Hawks 1

By 1300

Box Score
Event Summary
War on Ice

It is a very real possibility that the Hawks are going to go the final two months of the season without a win against a Western Conference playoff team, pending the outcome of next Thursday’s home tilt with the Blues, when the outcome could be moot anyway. And yet it’s high treason when it is suggested that this team might not be built for two months straight of Western Conference opponents. Kiss a sick monkey’s wet ass.

Time to pass the fuck-you’s around.

Everything Else

Searching For A Former Clarity

By 1735

There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding the Hawks’ possession troubles this season, specifically as it relates to the deployment of their defensemen. But maybe, just maybe, there might be a path by which they can solve this thing once the playoffs roll around, and it will once again have to be on the back of their instantaneous Hall of Fame defenseman.