Everything Else

Hurricanrana Is Hurricanrana In Any Language: Hawks at Canes Preview/Craft Gin Week

By 1488

 vs. 

RECORDS: Hawks 23-10-5  Canes 15-12-7

PUCK DROP: 6:30 pm 

TV: WGN

HE HIT THE FUCKIN’ BULL, DIDN’T HE?: Canes Country

PROJECTED LINEUPS

ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI %: Hawks – 49.5 (16th)  Canes – 52.8 (5th)

ADJUSTED TEAM xGF%: Hawks – 47.0 (26th)  Canes – 53.6 (6th)

POWER PLAY %: Hawks -19.2 (14th)  Canes – 20.4 (10th)

PENALTY KILL %: Hawks – 74.8 (29th)  Canes – 90.6 (1st)

TRENDS: Teuvo and Aho combined for 11 shots against the Penguins on Wednesday… The Canes rang up a 67% Corsi in Pittsburgh last out

The title is something my friend who wrestles in Chikara told me once. I think it applies to most things.

The last game of 2016 and the last of the two-game swing through NASCAR country comes up for the Hawks tonight. They arrested their small skid last night, averting something a little more definitive, and will attempt to head into West East St. Louis with a little momentum (assuming this Winter Classic actually ever gets played, which it might not).

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Wounds Won’t Last Long, But An Insulting Song Burns Will Always Carry With Him: Sharks at Hawks Preview/Roadblock Preshow

By 1575

 vs. 

RECORDS: Sharks 19-11-1  Hawks 21-8-4

PUCK DROP: 6pm Central

TV: WGN, NHL-N outside the 606

CHUM: @ItWasThreeZero

PROJECTED LINEUPS

ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI %: Sharks – 52.5 (8th)  Hawks – 50.1 (15th)

ADJUSTED TEAM xGF%: Sharks – 53.2 (6th)  Hawks – 47.5 (20th)

POWER PLAY: Sharks – 17.8 (14th)  Hawks – 18.4 (14th)

PENALTY KILL: Sharks – 81.7 (17th)  Hawks – 73.3 (30th)

TRENDS: Joel Ward was a healthy scratch in Montreal… Brent Burns leads the league in shots

After quashing whatever was being vocalized from St. Louis about being a competitor in the West, the Hawks will welcome the San Jose Sharks tonight, and these two look for all the world to be headed toward each other again in deep spring. So while there’s no such thing as statement games, if you want to toss around the phrase “playoff preview” it’s actually somewhat apt.

Everything Else

Angry At Numbers -12/16

By 1607

Feels like it’s that time again. Let’s get nerdy!

.969/.929

These are the Hawks’ even-strength save-percentage at home and then on the road. Let’s be clear, the road mark is more more than acceptable. It’s why the Hawks are one of the few teams in the West to be above .500 on the road. Still, it’s a tad weird.

You can understand why skaters would have differing home-road splits. Get better matchups at home, maybe more beneficial zone starts. Goalies are susceptible to the same differences in the colors and the whites, i.e. familiar surroundings, routines, whatever else. But they face the same matchups no matter what.

You’d think with the difference in matchups going your way at home and not at home that the Hawks might be a more defensively leaky team on the road. But it doesn’t appear so. They give up just about the same amount of attempts per 60 between the two, 53.7 off of Madison St. vs. 53.6 on it. Scoring chances? 9.7 on the road per 60 vs. 9.0 at home. xGA60? 2.7 on the road and 2.4 at home.

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Every New York Band Is Overrated: Hawks 5 – Islanders 4

By 1384

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick

Hockey Stats

When the Hawks were shorthanded, they attempted to tighten things up a bit, though considering how many shots they gave up whenever there was a genuine NHL team across from them, I’m not sure it worked. Tonight was definitely not tightened up, as this was as open of a game as the Hawks have had in a while. It worked as just about all the rest have; goaltending finds its feet and makes some huge saves to prevent a deficit from getting unmanageable, the top line scores, and then some sort of wrinkle. The wrinkle tonight wast that the Islanders for some reason never watched tape on on the Hawks power play and kept leaving the cross-ice pass open, and the Hawks got goals from the Toews and Kruger lines.

Add it all up, and it’s just enough. Let’s clean it up.

Everything Else

Green Hell: Stars at Hawks Preview/Spin Class

By 1332

 vs. 

RECORDS: Stars 11-12-6  Hawks 17-8-4

PUCK DROP: 6pm Central

TV: CSN

HOW BOUT DEM COWBOYS?: Defending Big D

PROJECTED LINEUPS

ADJUST TEAM xGF%: Stars – 49.5 (17th)  Hawks – 47.7 (22nd)

ADJUSTED TEAM Corsi %: Stars – 49.0 (19th)  Hawks – 50.0 (15th)

POWER PLAY: Stars – 17.4 (15th)  Hawks – 16.1 (19th)

PENALTY KILL: Stars – 76.7 (27th)  Hawks – 72.1 (Dead ass last)

For the second game in a row, the Hawks will play an already beat-up team on the back end of a back-to-back. This time instead of blue it will be green. as the Stars coming in licking their wounds after blowing a third period lead to Brayden Schenn yesterday afternoon in the Illa-delph. Not that the Hawks are anywhere near full-strength themselves.

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This Is The Best We Can Do: Rangers 0 – Hawks 0 (Rangers Win Musical Chairs)

By 1239

Box Score

Natural Stat Trick 

Hockey Stats

So let’s burn a couple things off the top here. After watching these things for a while now, 3-on-3 OT is just as much of a gimmick as the shootout so we’re just going to list them as a tie with the joke qualifier from now on. At least I will.

Second, any point gained where the Hawks are missing their top center, a top-4 defenseman, and their starting goalie should be viewed as a point gained. It feels like a certainty we’ll look back on these in a couple months and marvel that the season didn’t get away from them.

That said, the Hawks faced a team also missing their top center, a very productive winger, a wiener tucker, and going with their backup, though he’s played better than the most handsome man in the world, and couldn’t pull off two points. It feels like opportunity lost. Will it matter in the end? Probably not.

Let’s clean it up:

Everything Else

Wrecked Up And Paralyzed, Desert Dogs Are Sableized – Coyotes vs Hawks Preview, Insurance Audit

By 1327

nathan-arizona vs. Hawk Wrestler

RECORDS: Coyotes 8-12-4  Hawks 16-8-3

PUCK DROP: 7:30pm

TV: CSN

LOTTA STORIES IN THE DESERT: Five For Howling

Projected Lineups

coyotes-lineup-card

blackhawks-lineup-card

SCORE-ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI %: Coyotes- 44.0 (30th)  Hawks – 50.1 (15th)

SCORE-ADJUSTED xGF %: Coyotes – 39.5 (30th)  Hawks – 47.4 (24th)

POWER PLAY %: Coyotes – 15.3 (21st)  Hawks – 15.7 (19th)

PENALTY KILL %: Coyotes – 80.8 (21st) Hawks – 70.7 (dead ass last)

If the Hawks could schedule it themselves, and really given the pull they have with the league they may want to try it, they’d schedule the Yotes four or five times while they’re without  Toews and Crawford. Because curveballs don’t hang much worse than this, and it’s boosted with the Coyotes having played last night in Ohio. Whatever is ailing the Hawks, this is how you medicate it.

Everything Else

Here Come The Warm Jets: Jets at Hawks Preview/Satellite Dish Cleaning

By 1386

warm-jets vs. Hawk Wrestler

RECORDS: Jets 12-13-2  Hawks 16-7-3

PUCK DROP: 6pm Central 

TV: CSN, Rogers for the creepy-ass Hometown Hockey Mishegas in Canada

COLDER THAN A WELL DIGGER’S ASS: Jetsnation.ca, Arctic Ice Hockey

Projected Lineups

jets-lineup-card

blackhawks-lineup-card

ADJUSTED TEAM CORSI %: Jets – 47.5 (24th)  Hawks – 50.4 (15th)

ADJUSTED TEAM xGF%: Jets – 48.3 (21st)  Hawks 48.2 (22nd)

POWER PLAY%: Jets 15.2 (20th)  Hawks – 16.3 (17th)

PENALTY KILL%: Jets – 78.4 (25th)  Hawks – 71.3 (dead ass last)

The Hawks get an immediate chance to get the Listerine out to wash out the taste of yesterday’s loss. The Winnipeg Jets dance on in here, though if the Flyers speed was something of an issue, there’ll be no reprieve from the Jets. It’s been augmented by a return to health for Bryan Little and analytic darling Mathieu Perreault, which they didn’t have last time the Hawks saw this squad. And that one didn’t go all that well anyway.

Everything Else

L.A. Face: Hawks at Kings Preview/Oil Disposal

By 1344

Hawk Wrestler vs. King Jerry Lawler

RECORDS: Hawks 14-6-2  Kings 11-9-1

PUCK DROP: 9:30pm Central

TV: WGN

BLACK DEATH: The Royal Half

Projected Lineups

blackhawks-lineup-card

kings-lineup-card

TEAM CORSI: Hawks – 51.0% (11th)  Kings – 53.8% (3rd)

POWER PLAY: Hawks -18.4% (14th)  Kings – 12.7% (26th)

PENALTY KILL: Hawks – Almost listable?  Kings – 81.7% (17th)

Hawks Individual Stats

Kings Individual Stats

TRENDS: Carter has four goals in his last four games… Doughty has four points in the last three

The last Circus Trip comes to a close tonight on Figueroa Avenue, as it usually has. It only feels like the Hawks have been on the road for a month, and I doubt anyone in the organization is going to miss this trip too much. They sit idled at 3-3 so far, so a successful trip hinges on tonight’s result.