Faxes from Uncle Dale

Tag: Scott Darling

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

     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

     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.

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  • Angry At Numbers -12/16

    Angry At Numbers -12/16

    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

    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.

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  • Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t – Hawks at Islanders Preview, Artisan Cheese Shop Grand Opening

     at 

    Game Time: 6:00PM CST
    TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
    Worship & Tribute: Lighthouse Hockey

    The Hawks remain in a New York state of mind, taking a trip across the East River and into Prospect Heights to take on the scuffling Islanders in their completely cockeyed arena.
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  • Green Hell: Stars at Hawks Preview/Spin Class

     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)

    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:

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

    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.

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

    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.

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

    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.

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