Faxes from Uncle Dale

Tag: Scott Darling

  • Gibby Wasn’t Talking About This Outfit: Avs at Hawks Preview/Clinic Hours

     vs. 

    RECORDS: Avs 20-47-3   Hawks 46-20-5

    PUCK DROP: 6pm Central

    TV: WGN Locally, NHL Network outside the walls

    THEY ACTUALLY WATCH THIS: Mile High Hockey

    PROJECTED LINEUPS

    ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI%: Avs – 45.8 (29th)  Hawks – 50.7 (13th)

    ADJUSTED TEAM xGF%: Avs – 45.3 (29th)  Hawks – 49.0 (18th)

    POWER PLAY %: Avs – 12.9 (Dead Ass Last)  Hawks – 18.8 (16th)

    PENALTY KILL %: Avs – 77.8 (25th)  Hawks – 78.0 (24th)

    Sometimes a team comes into the United Center and they need no introduction. Tonight is not one of those nights. Then again, the Avs have been singularly bad this season, and maybe that makes them unique. They have 43 points. 43. The Hawks had 43 points on December 15th. That was three months ago.

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  • Great Caesar’s Ghost – Hawks at Senators Preview, Full Synthetic Oil Change

     at 

    Game Time: 6:30PM CDT
    TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
    Justin Trudeau Is A Fucking Con Man: Silver Seven

    Given that the Hawks have been hockey monarchy for going on a decade now, with President/Cardinal John McDonough fancying himself its emperor, it’s probably best that they missed being on the Senate Floor in Kanata on the Ides of March by a day. Either way, the Hawks make their way further due southwest along the St. Lawrence seaway to the “capital” of the “nation” of Canada to take on a Sens squad that shockingly still has plenty to play for.

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  • The Sound Of My Ceiling Fan – Hawks at Predators Preview, Secret Menu Order

     at 

    Game Time: 7:00PM CST
    TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
    Get The Red Out: On The Forecheck

    In what is looking more and more to be the case as games tick off the schedule, this will be the last meeting between the Hawks and Predators until Game 1 of the Western Conference Playoffs. And with both teams apparently locked into their respective positions within the division, tonight in Nashville and here on out remain about getting healthy and tightening up play more than about results.

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  • Meet The New Boss – Blues vs Hawks Preview, Rough Draft

     vs 

    Game Time: 6:30PM CST
    TV/Radio: NBCSN, WGN-AM 720
    Dexter Fowler’s Biggest Fans: SLGT

    Now that the Mike Yeo era began a little quicker in West East St. Louis than most outside of this outlet anticipated, the Blues still find themselves at a crossroads organizationally. This is still basically the same group that Ken Hitchcock couldn’t do anything with, and now that the Blues have fired their fourth of the four winningest coaches of all time, they’re left wondering if it’s at all worth going through another one-and done playoff visit, being essentially locked into their current playoff position. And of course that mean bringing their usual brand of bullshit into the UC tonight.

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  • Two Days In February – Hawks at Sabres Preview, Curbside Check-In

     at 

    Game Time: 5:00PM CDT
    TV/Radio: NBCSN, WGN-AM 720
    Frank Sedita Is Corrupt As Shit: Die By The Blade

    Because today is the contrivance that is Hockey Day In America, both the Hawks and Sabres will be travelling from the midwest to play a prime-time game rife with manufactured storylines. The one in particular that will get beaten to death will be the return of Buffalo’s prodigal son, one Garbage Dick, as it always does whenever the Hawks play the Sabres. But because the NHL is now a giant warm, flat beer of parity, the Sabres now find themselves threatening for a playoff spot with only the briefest spasm of competence.

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  • Potemkin City Limits – Hawks at Jets Preview, Customs Detainment

     at 

    Game Time: 7:00PM CST
    TV/Radio: CSN, TVA, WGN-AM 720
    A New Name For Everything: Arctic Ice Hockey, Illegal Curve, Jets Nation

    As the Hawks stay in the snow blasted prairies of the Midwest, they take their road show to the MTS Center in downtown Winnipeg, where they hope to actually win a game against the Jets this season in their last head-to-head meeting of the regular season.

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  • Everybody’s Working For The Weekend: Jets at Hawks Preview/We’re Not The Bulls Celebration

     vs. 

    RECORDS: Jets  22-25-4   Hawks 30-15-5

    PUCK DROP: 7:30pm Central

    TV: CSN

    FOR WE’VE GOT NOWHERE TO BE: Arctic Ice Hockey

    PROJECTED LINEUPS

    ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI %: Jets – 49.2 (20th)  Hawks – 50.0 (16th)

    ADJUSTED TEAM xGF%: Jets – 50.6 (14th)  Hawks – 47.5 (25th)

    POWER PLAY %: Jets – 17.7 (17th)  Hawks – 17.6 (18th)

    PENALTY KILL %: Jets – 76.8 (27th)  Hawks – 75.8 (28th)

    Interesting position the Hawks find themselves in here. Having won three of four, and with the break right on the heels of this one tonight, you wouldn’t be surprised if they played this one with sunglasses on and Bermuda shorts underneath their pants (I assume this is how Panarin has been playing the last month). On the other, the Hawks are coming off a bad loss on Tuesday, losing in regulation when leading after 40 for the first time since Daley was in charge or some shit (no, not Trevor, moron). Backing that up with an in-division loss would certainly put a small pall (see what I did there?) over the vacation time. But then again, this is still a game in January. So you tell us.

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  • Rubber And Glue – Blackhawks at Bruins Preview, Inauguration Ball

     at 

    Game Time: 6:00PM CST
    TV/Radio: WGN, NHLN (US), SportsNet (Canada), WGN-AM 720
    Who’s Your Favorite New Kid? Call Me Joey: Days of Y’Orr

    From one state with legal weed to another, tonight the Hawks find themselves in Boston to take on a B’s team that is once again teetering on the edge of missing the playoffs for a third straight year, and rumors of Claude Julien’s giant bald head being on the chopping block dominate any discussion about the Bruins.

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  • Bamboo Curtain – Predators vs Hawks Preview, Fridge Cleanout

     vs 

    Game Time: 6:00PM CST
    TV/Radio: WGN Ch. 9, WGN-AM 720
    Mike Ribeiro Is A Sex Criminal: On The Forecheck

    It seems like every single year the Hawks manage to have played more games than anyone in the first half of the season, with the entire rest of their division having games in hand up until the final week of the season. This year is no different, and what better way to pile on than with three games in four nights, all at home.

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  • It’s The Little Things That Make Up Life: Hawks 2 – Canes 3

    Box Score

    Natural Stat Trick

    Shift Chart

    Like most every game in the NHL these days, given how little difference there is the talent distribution now, most games come down to a couple moments here and there. Tonight was two of them. The one in the 1st period where the Hawks gave up two goals in 65 seconds (and could have been more in that frame). The second was in the 3rd when Darling couldn’t save McClement’s chance from the slot after a Kane giveaway, and then a minute later when Ward was able to stymie Hartman when Hartman was in the slot all alone. That’s not to be harsh on Darling, who was excellent in the 1st period when he had to be. It’s not a save you’d expect him to make. It really wasn’t a save you’d expect Ward to make, either. But the Hawks success this year is built on Darling and Crawford making saves they shouldn’t make. And then cashing in the limited chances they get. Didn’t work that way tonight.

    That is also a bit harsh, because the last 40 minutes were a far more solid effort than the first 20 and far better than anything we saw last night. The Hawks just couldn’t make it count, once again getting scoring from only one line, just not the line that normally does it.

    Let’s clean it up and then adjourn for the New Year.

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