Faxes from Uncle Dale

Tag: Kris Versteeg

  • Tweaks Still Needed

    Tweaks Still Needed

    The Hawks got their goalie win last night, and for a team that usually only requires its goalie to do just enough, that’s basically got to be considered a bonus. The Hawks certainly can’t count on Corey Crawford to win the series by himself, and whether we like it or not Ryan Miller probably has one virtuoso performance in him this series as well which the Hawks will have to win anyway unless they plan on being perfect in every other game. Which means there have to be some changes in their game and possibly lineup that they have to figure out. Not that they will, because “Quenneville” is becoming a synonym for “stubborn.” (becoming?)

    -I guess it took 85 games, but the moment Michal Handzus was having his name chanted by the UC faithful I guess I finally came to the conclusion that he’s just a necessary evil of sorts. While I still think to a certain extent his fine work on the PK is something of a result of not being quick enough to get into a shooting lane to prevent a shot at all thus resulting in all his diving blocks, I can’t argue with the results on the PK (which is far more important than the power play). I’m sure that’s what Q’s pointing to, and the evidence is that he’s half double-shifting Ben Smith to get him between Hossa and Sharp at times to get more from them. I think we can safely conclude that Q thinks Zus’s PK work is vital, but his work at even-strength is basically something they have to overcome.

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  • N-V-T-S Nuts – Blackhawks at Senators Preview, Pregame Thread, Mid Term Election

    AltLogo at senator clay-davis-sheeeiiiit

    Game Time: 6:00PM Central
    TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
    House of Representin’: Silver Seven Sens

    With no time whatsoever to dwell on last night’s steaming turd squeezed out on the shores of the Charles River (debatable whether or not that’d be an improvement), the Hawks stay within the Flortheast division with a trip up to Canada’s capital. No, not Toronto, Rand McNally. They’ll be in Ottawa to face off against the Senators, whose issues this season made whatever difficulties the Hawks had with the Bruins last night seem meager by comparison.

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  • Fantasy Killer: Stars 2 – Hawks 4

    Fantasy Killer: Stars 2 – Hawks 4

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    Event Summary

    Extra Skater

    When the Stars look back on what will likely be a missed playoff spot, it might be this night that they point to. Before the night they probably counted on the Penguins doing them a favor and perhaps sneak a point or two off a still sleepy Hawks team. The Hawks weren’t all that sleepy, the Pens probably were, and the Hawks walked away with two points and the Starts with a three-point gap to the last wild card.

    It’s still kind of startling how the Hawks can exert just enough to not only swing a game but pretty much dominate it. The shot-board says 42-27, and there were definitely stretches where the Hawks pinned the Stars in. But this wasn’t an all-out assault we’ve seen before. It was more pure control, not letting anything get out of the bottle (except for Garbutt’s two goals). Containment rather that domination. It’s still quite effective, and doesn’t take everything out of the legs.

    So let’s get to it.

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  • Ineptly Yours, Sincerely Sorry – Predators 2, Hawks 0

    Ineptly Yours, Sincerely Sorry – Predators 2, Hawks 0

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    Extra Skater

    When the dust settles on the 2013-2014 season, however it ends, that the Blackhawks have pissed away more than their fair share of points not only in the division, but to teams such as the Predators in their current state, could very well come back to haunt them.

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  • Get On Down To I-76: Hawks at Flyers Preview/Pregame Thread/All You Can Eat Buffet

    oldschool vs. Radio-Flyer-Classic-Red-Wagon-lg

    FACEOFF: 6:30pm Central

    TV/RADIO: CSN, NBCSN, WGN Radio 720

    GET ALONG, 76ers: Broad Street Hockey (but good God don’t ask about our cheesesteaks)

    After getting some things back aligned against the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday, the Hawks look to keep it going with a return to the scene of the crime (the first one, not the second. God I love writing that).

    News out of the morning skate sees Antti Raanta taking the start. While I fear for how he will deal with Wayne Simmonds, Scott Hartnell, and others in his smallish grill all night, let’s all be relieved that Q wasn’t tempted to try and wheel Crawford out for both halves of this back-to-back (especially as tomorrow night basically constitutes the Hawks Central Division Last Stand). Michal Rozsival and Brandon Saad will both miss out with injuries to various parts. While some will cower in fear at the thought of Brookbank drawing in, by every measure he’s been just about Rozie’s equal this year and whatever problems he’s had could be attributed partially to lack of sharpness.

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  • Lousy Smarch Weather: Blackhawks 5 – Penguins 1

    Lousy Smarch Weather: Blackhawks 5 – Penguins 1

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    Extra Skater

    I could not have been more excited about the Blackhawks playing at Wrigley Field back in 2009. The Hawks were still on their way up and there was finally energy back in the stands. I gladly paid hundreds of dollars for two tickets for my brother and myself to sit in centerfield, lose all feeling in my toes and fingers to watch the Hawks get off to a fast start before getting demolished at the hands of Scum. This year, while I was tempted to go to the game and even had tickets offered the day before, I couldn’t muster up the same excitment. Whether it was my ongoing headcold or just my disinterest in Soldier Field compared to the iconic Wrigley, I just wasn’t as excited. That doesn’t mean the game didn’t turn to be a pretty exciting and beautiful spectacle though. It just means I was happy to have been watching it from a bar where I only had to walk 5 feet to get a new beer and not worry about whether I would lose a toe.

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  • Visiting The Lake House: Penguins at Hawks Preview/Pregame Thread/Pilates Class

    t_36383 vs. Hawk Wrestler

    FACEOFF: 7pm Central (more like 7:20)

    TV/RADIO: NBC, WGN Radio

    YINZER YAP: Pensburgh, The Pensblog

    The Hawks and Penguins will venture out to the Lakefront to combat temps in the teens and an approaching snowstorm (it may or may not get here in time for the game, but the way this winter’s gone, it’ll get here). Oh, and each other I suppose.

    Both teams did not come out of the break in a fashion they would have wanted. The Hawks looked a little leggy in a 2-1 loss to the Rangers, and the Pens coughed up five goals to the Canadiens at home and eventually lost in a shootout. Both teams would like to kickstart their run-in tonight.

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  • New York Dolls: Hawks 1 – Rangers 2

    New York Dolls: Hawks 1 – Rangers 2

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    Extra Skater

    It was about what you would think a game after nearly three weeks off would look like. Players playing at different speeds, wavelengths, sloppy, disjointed, a bit frantic. I don’t think the Hawks looked lethargic per se (well, except for Seabrook) but they definitely didn’t look in sync. It might be a couple games before they do, and the problem there is that that’s when the adrenaline of being back with your teammates might wear off and the miles traveled might catch up. But we’ll run that kitten over when we get to it.

    The Hawks didn’t create much thanks to their habit of not being able to complete three consecutive passes, and they’re not really a team built to rugby scrum the puck into the net. Thanks to the form of Spear And Magic Cam Talbot (Spear and Magic Cam Talbot? Spear And Magic Cam Talbot!), that’s kind of what they needed to do.

    And once again the hammock nature of the Hawks forwards kind of reared its ugly head again (much like love). The Hawks get dominant shifts from the top consistently, they get decent ones from the fourth line for the most part, and then the second and third lines come out and give a performance art interpretation of Zaireeka. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s bad, and most of the time it’s splatter pattern. Can we break up the top line yet?

    Let’s get to it:

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  • Confirmation Bias: Blackhawks 2 – Ducks 0

    Confirmation Bias: Blackhawks 2 – Ducks 0

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    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.

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

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

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    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.

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