Box Score
Event Summary
Extra Skater
With both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane missing a concurrent, protracted amount of time for the first time in their careers, the Hawks could probably be forgiven for looking a bit adrift during this final kick, which they are apparently conceding to a certain degree anyway. But other than a few brief stretches over the past two nights, that hasn’t been the case, and they’ve been learning to adapt while earning 4 points in the process.
vs 
Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, RDS, WGN-AM 720
Rocky Mountain High: Mile High Hockey
As the hockey world anxiously awaits tomorrow afternoon’s trade deadline even amidst the flurry of activity this afternoon (particularly in Anaheim), there still remain games to be played tonight. One of which will be the first time the Hawks will be indoors on West Madison in over a month to take on the ever irritating Avalanche.
at 
Game Time: 6:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, NHLN (US), WGN-AM 720
Without MSG I Am Nothing: Blueshirt Banter, Scotty Hockey
Now that the international nightmare known as the Sochi Olympics is finally over, the NHL can get back to business as usual. With 22 games left, the Hawks will start their final quarter of the season tonight in Manhattan at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.
Now that we can stop talking about the bigger ice and lineups and other coaches, perhaps it’s time to reset where we are with the Hawks and where it’s going.
The Hawks have a few days here to get the legs back under them, though the seven Olympians who went the route through the weekend probably won’t rejoin practice until Wednesday or maybe even Thursday’s morning skate. Obviously, for a little while the Hawks are going to need the non-Olympians to carry them a bit (a Brandon Saad binge would be most welcome, as well as Andrew Shaw coming in from the cold). I’d also look for Bryan Bickell to be more effective (not that he’s been as bad as everyone wants us to believe) as he really needed more time for his deteriorating knees to heal. Hell, maybe he’ll even crack 10 minutes per game.
I’m kind of anxious to get onto the break so I’m just going to hammer this out in the aftermath instead of waiting a bit to reflect as usual. I’m sure you all understand. Let’s get right to it.
-I don’t think the Hawks weren’t interested tonight. The effort was there, which I feared it might not be. What they weren’t was interested in the right ways. What you can’t do against the Coyotes when they’re on their game is fancy-pants your way through the neutral zone and you certainly can’t put your dump-ins where Mike Smith can get it. It’s hard to do, and it takes a fuckton of patience, but you have to chip pucks into the corners or go cross-corner with your dump-ins. The Hawks didn’t do much of either. If you don’t, Smith is going to smother your forecheck by himself.
Secondly, the Coyotes while blocking off the middle of the ice were also determined to outnumber the Hawks in every board battle in their zone. Two guys vs. one, or three guys vs. two. And the Hawks were reluctant to even match them in manpower. They Hawks aren’t blessed with guys who can outwork a numerical disadvantage along the wall. They have Hossa and… well, Hossa. They needed to be a more aggressive in matching the numbers on the wall tonight.
I’m kind of anxious to get onto the break so I’m just going to hammer this out in the aftermath instead of waiting a bit to reflect as usual. I’m sure you all understand. Let’s get right to it.
-I don’t think the Hawks weren’t interested tonight. The effort was there, which I feared it might not be. What they weren’t was interested in the right ways. What you can’t do against the Coyotes when they’re on their game is fancy-pants your way through the neutral zone and you certainly can’t put your dump-ins where Mike Smith can get it. It’s hard to do, and it takes a fuckton of patience, but you have to chip pucks into the corners or go cross-corner with your dump-ins. The Hawks didn’t do much of either. If you don’t, Smith is going to smother your forecheck by himself.
Secondly, the Coyotes while blocking off the middle of the ice were also determined to outnumber the Hawks in every board battle in their zone. Two guys vs. one, or three guys vs. two. And the Hawks were reluctant to even match them in manpower. They Hawks aren’t blessed with guys who can outwork a numerical disadvantage along the wall. They have Hossa and… well, Hossa. They needed to be a more aggressive in matching the numbers on the wall tonight.
vs. 
FACEOFF: 8pm Central
TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio
SORRY, I AM A COYOTE: Five For Howling
The Hawks head into the Olympic break with one more game in the desert against a Coyotes squad that is being kept around the playoff picture thanks to the utter incompetence of the Canucks and Kings. They’ll have to do it a little more shorthanded than they’ve been all season.
Well, I was off the grid until my brother called, and once again Stan Bowman has made a bargain bin, could be more effective than we think or could be nothing move to bolster his team. It’s funny, when I hear trade with the Islanders I immediately think it’s Frans Nielsen because the Hawks have been rumored to have gone after him multiple times. But he’s pretty entrenched on the Island now, so I guess that won’t ever happen. What they did get was Peter Regin and Pierre-Marc Bouchard for a 4th round pick. The Islanders are picking up half the tab money-wise as well, which leads me to believe that Stan Bowman puts GMs under some kind of hypnosis when it comes time to talk about money.
Bouchard has already been assigned to Rockford, along with Brandon Pirri (who can probably watch his Hawks career fading into the distance at this point). We mentioned Bouchard earlier in the year when he was on waivers. He’s had his concussion problems and isn’t exactly a heavy. But he’s been a possession-driver on the Isles this year when he was there and not Bridgeport. Before his injury problems this is a guy who has had four 45+ point seasons, and the one with 38 in just 59 games. They’re a couple years in the rearview obviously, but he’s still just 29 and there might be some gas left in the tank. Though I’m curious if he ever gets out of Rockford, really.
Regin is the more interesting pick up. He’s an actual center, but a bottom six one. He’s been playing something of a checking role for the Isles, though he’s helpless at the dot. Wonder if we don’t see him centering Smith and Bollig/Bouchard with Smith taking the draws, and slotting Kruger either to the 2nd or 3rd line. Regin is also a bigger body at 6-2, and size in the middle is not something the Hawks have a lot of. And some of that size (Handzus) can’t move. Regin can certainly do that.
Both of these guys have been getting drilled in PDO because the Isles’ goaltending has been utter horse manure. So some of their numbers are a little skewed I guess. Neither is signed beyond this year so this is something of a flier. Doesn’t really cost you anything to give them a look and if they don’t work you’re back to the team you had anyway.
We’ll be back with more later.
