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Jeremy’s… Iron: Hawks 3 – Predators 1

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Boxscore

Event Summary

War On Ice

It won’t be news to anyone that I enjoy watching the Hawks win. Well, maybe it is but it’s true. And wins like last night, a wild and frantic last-gasp joint, are cool. Blowouts are cool too. But I think I most enjoy watching the Hawks outclass another team. Maybe it’s because I watched Scum do it to the Hawks for 15 years or whatever and it’s just a relief to be on the other side. But it’s true.

That sort of thing can take different forms. Sometimes it’s a 5-0 shellacking. Or sometimes it’s like tonight, when even on the second of a back-to-back facing a rested team in their building (though you’d hardly call it hostile, would you?) the Hawks just show the Predators why they’re just a little short right now. The scoreline was close, and a bounce here or there and it may have gone to OT. And yet from the start of the 2nd period on, this just felt like the Hawks dangling a treat right in front of the Preds, yet never in reach. Like the Hawks were saying, “We’re not at our best tonight, but we can do enough to carry this one out and there really isn’t much you’re going to do about it.”

And with that, the Hawks are in first for the first time this season’s first week. They may not stay there long with the Preds having a game in hand and not playing again until Tuesday. But whatever. Six is better than five. Get Darryl out here. 

Everything Else

Exit Interviews – Niklas Hjalmarsson

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Climbing further up the depth chart, the time now comes to take a closer look at Niklas Hjalmarsson, who did alright as far as most people were concerned.

Regular Season – 81GP, 4G, 22A, 26P, +11, +.25 BTN, 53.3% Corsi For, +29.8% CorsiRel

Playoffs –19GP, 0G, 4A, 4Pts, -3, Even BTN, 46.7% Corsi For, +30.7% CorsiRel

Everything Else

This Traffic Is Hell Can You Give Me A Lift?: Kings at Hawks Game 1 Preview/Pregame Thread/Disco Brunch

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King Jerry Lawler vs. Hawk Wrestler

FACEOFF: 2pm Central

TV/RADIO: NBC, 87.7 FM

SITTIN’ ON THE THRONE: The Royal Half, Jewels From The Crown

Seems so familiar. A presence we haven’t felt since… well, last year.

The Kings roll into the United Center a mere 40 hours after clocking a fellow California team in a Game 7, though this time the Hawks only needed six games in their previous round. And that’s starts a bit of a train of things that are different this time around, which is going to make for a very tough series.

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Within Your Reach: Hawks at Wild Game 6 Preview/Pregame Thread/Underwater Pilates

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Hawk Wrestler vs. EW_Ygritte_promo_shoot_a

GAMETIME: 8:10pm Central

TV/RADIO: CNBC, 87.7 FM

BEYOND THE WALL: Hockey Wilderness

The Hawks find themselves in a position they’ve been most comfortable, holding the axe to end the season for an opponent. It’s a stat we keep coming back to, probably because it is pretty damn comforting: The Hawks are 11-2 in the Quenneville Era when they have a chance to end a series, with both losses coming to Vancouver (one a Game 7 on the road). To quote one of the great orators of our time, Ice Cube, “The Hawks don’t miss when it comes to this.”

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Cats Van Bags – Game 3 – Hawks at Wild Preview, Pregame Thread, Pedicure

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oldschool at wildthings

Game Time: 8:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CNBC, TSN (Anglo), RDS2 (Franco), 87.7FM The Game
What You Want It To Be: Hockey Wilderness

For the second time in as many playoff years, the Hawks will take the brief trek up to St. Paul and the Xcel Energy center with a two game series lead having successfully held serve on West Madison St. And for the second time in as many years, the Wild and their fans figure to treat tonight as a do-or-die proposition within the context of their season.

Everything Else

Get It Together There, Grouch: Hawks at Blues Game 2 Preview/Pregame Thread/Purple Wedding

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Hawk Wrestler vs. old_school_blue_l

PUCK DROP: 2pm Central

TV/RADIO: NBC, 87.7FM

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

Guessing the legs will still be a little sore even two days after playing a game and two-thirds, but the Hawks will have to find the juice anyway as they look to even this series. While it’s not absolutely vital it would certainly behoove them to do so. I had hoped that the Hawks could jump on what had to be a fragile team after St. Louis’s finish to the season and get them questioning themselves from jump street. They couldn’t do that, so the challenge gets a little tougher with the Blues finding their feet a little. Certainly Ryan Miller will take a lot out of his performance in the last four periods of Game 1.

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Trouble In River City – Game 1 – Hawks at Blues Preview, Pregame Thread, Zip Line Adventure

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oldschool at Imo's St. Louis

Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, NBCSN, CBC (Anglo), RDS2 (Franco), WGN-AM 720
Mung: St. Louis Game Time

When the new playoff format was announced under the plans for realignment, even dating back to the first iteration of the plan nearly two years ago, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Hawks and Blues would collide in the playoffs on an annual basis. In fact, creating and amplifying that kind of rivalry was basically the point of the new format. However, it’s unlikely that anyone had this series pegged for the first round, including these two teams themselves.

Everything Else

Atop The Sugar Pile – Regular Season Edition

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I thought I’d knock this out today, with two games to end the season and attendance at HockeeNight’s thing on Saturday making Sunday completely useless. So let’s do our full season Atop The Sugar Pile.

The Dizzying Highs

Niklas Hjalmarsson – I named him The CI’s Player Of The Season in last night’s issue. And for me, everything has basically centered around him this campaign. Yes, Duncan Keith is the main cog in the engine, or maybe even the engine himself, that drives the Hawks game. But Keith was allowed to be that this season because Hammer was so good and earning the top assignments. It allowed Keith to dominate lesser competition, and when Keith is controlling the ice everything about the Hawks’ game opens up.

While we can look at almost every other Hawks and find a portion of their season that dipped or had a slump, it’s hard for me to remember a time when Hammer’s game varied 5% either way. The only time he looked vulnerable was lately when he had to be paired with Sheldon Brookbank. But who wouldn’t? Hammer’s poise defensively and with the puck has been startling to watch when you consider where he was two years ago. He never panics, he’s always in position, and his short but assured passes to the middle simple deflate every forecheck and start the Hawks the other way.

Has he been the all around game that Keith has? No. But he’s the best defensive defenseman on the team this year. He might be the best kept secret in the NHL, but I don’t think it’ll stay that way for much longer.

Everything Else

Olympics Day 1 Wrap And Day 2 Preview

By Sam Fels 1213 0

We’re off and running. Just a few thoughts about the two games today and then we’ll set up what’s to come tomorrow. Well, actually in just about a few hours but you get the idea.

-I think the reason Sweden is a lot of people’s favorites is because pretty much everyone on their roster would be called one of the smarter players on their NHL team. They’re all intelligent in both ends. Except for the little blip that let the Czechs back in it for a hot minute, the Swedes puck support was really outstanding. Even though they don’t all play together during the year, they seem to just pick up immediately. And this Erik Karlsson-OEL pairing is just too much fun to watch. I thought having to play centerfield for Karlsson would kind of limit Ekman-Larsson’s game, but there was no sign of that today. What a player. And of course, Karlsson is pretty much a video game.

-Oh sure the Czechs don’t need Ales Hemsky to play much when they have… a big handful of themselves, really. They’re a bigger mess than I thought.