Everything Else

Any Shade Of Lipstick: Hawks 2 – Canucks 1

By Sam Fels 1407 0

Thanks for pardoning the Saturday night wrap. You know how these things go.

While the players said different on both sides, and there was still some yapping and some gatherings after whistles, there’s definitely some heat out of the Hawks-Canucks rivalry. As more and more distance is put between the Playoff Trilogy, and each team has more and more its own things to deal with, that’s going to continue. It was always a rivalry built on this crop of players, and the more they change then it will fade out.

That doesn’t mean last night’s win didn’t feel particularly good, because it did. Maybe it’s partly because it was Vancouver, and maybe it was beating another team almost certainly using the game as a measuring stick. It was weird, until taking the lead I thought the Hawks were carrying most of the play. But as soon as they were up 2-1 it was bunker time, even though they weren’t the team that had played the night before. But whatever works, right?

Everything Else

Putting On The Oil: Oilers 4 – Hawks 5

By Sam Fels 1155 0

Suppose it doesn’t come down to much more than “job done.” The Hawks were sloppy for most of tonight’s game. They were uninterested for a portion. They played just long enough to beat the West’s worst team, which for them isn’t all that long. Basically the end of the 2nd period (a period which they were outplayed) and most of the 3rd. It was enough, and I guess on the second of a back-to-back that’s enough. But maybe we should aim higher.

Whereas last night it was the Hawks top line that saw them have just enough against a huffing and puffing lower tier team, tonight it was the second line, be it Brandon Saad or Patrick Kane moonlighting on the 3rd. This is probably where I say that’s the mark of a good team, in that it’s someone different every night. Nothing revelatory about the win, but it’s a win. Let’s get to the bullets.