at 
Game Time: 6:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
Fat Cats: Japer’s Rink, Russian Machine Never Breaks
With no time to wallow on what was a less than inspired showing in Filthadelphia last night, the Hawks take their travelling referendum on rape culture to the nation’s Capital to…well…play the Capitals.
Let’s get back to hockey for the seven minutes before something else breaks.
Much like the backup quarterback in this town, although I suppose that’s a lot of towns (and recently the backup point guard), the backup goalie in Chicago has become something of a revered figure. I’m exactly sure when this started. Hackett over Belfour? Passmore over Thibault? When Khabibulin was stealing all his money after the lockout? Maybe it was two consecutive seasons of Niemi outplaying Huet and then Crawford outplaying Turco. Maybe we’re all scarred from watching Hasek leave after backing up Belfour and just assume every backup is now a multi-Vezina winner in waiting (KEENAN WANTED A TEAM AROUND LINDROS AND HASEK MY GOD!!!!).
It doesn’t hurt when that backup also happens to be from Chicago.
There will be more eyes cast on Scott Darling this year, as some still view him as a path to get some salary cap relief if he can prove to be starter-quality in the NHL (those “some” might be in the front office as well). Will he? Let’s find out (not really)!
I feel like this is going to be one of the things I harp on all season and you’re all going to get sick of it, so just be forewarned. Other than maybe Duncan Keith, Corey Crawford is probably going to be the most important Hawk this season and the biggest bellwether on how this season goes, good or bad. And for a team that has done its best to take the goalie out of the equation (which they really haven’t done all that well the past two seasons), it’s kind of an uncomfortable spot to be in.
The talking point of the Hawks “turning it on” had become just about as tedious as “Good Rex Bad Rex, “Good Jay, Bad Jay,” “Why no one goes to Comiskey Park, ” and “The Wrigley Bleachers.” It had gotten silly, and I fell into it, because the Hawks aren’t selectively playing well or not based solely on their whims. They’re inconsistent because that’s the team that they are.
And then of course they went ahead and turned it on.
vs 
Game Time: 7:00PM
TV/Radio: NBC, SportsNet (Anglo), TVA2 (Franco), WGN-AM 720
Country Music Awards: On The Forecheck
Tonight’s game 6 at home is slightly uncharted territory for the Hawks. Only once previous under Joel Quenneville had the Hawks not ended a series in a non-game 7 situation when they had the opportunity to, and that was at home for Game 5 against the Canucks in 2010. So now they get a second opportunity to end the Predators’ season, and it’s one they had better emphatically capitalize on.
This first appeared in our gameday program’s From The Editor before Game 4.
For the first time in the Quenneville era, the Hawks have a playoff goalie controversy. Hard to believe, given how some people think around here. But whatever goalie issues the Hawks have had in the past have always resolved themselves. In 2009, Nikolai HarveyBirdMan grabbed the job from Cristobal Huet well before the playoffs. In 2010 Huet basically spit up the job to Antti Niemi, as much as Niemi taking it. Corey Crawford was well established as the starter in 2011. As wonky as Crawford got in 2012, Ray Emery was much worse and thus never an option. We all know about 2013, when Crow should have won the Conn Smythe but didn’t thanks to a narrative Pierre McGuire and NBC decided to pound for reasons that still escape me. Last year, Crow was really good until faced with immense pressure by the Kings and Antti Raanta was never an option either.
That brings us to this year. But the seeds for this year were sown before, and I can’t really figure out why. The organization certainly hasn’t pushed Crawford out in front of its marketing like others, and the fans in this town have never really warmed up to him.
Why is that? Are people still scarred from 2012? Because fans are supposed to love a redemption arc, and the fact that Crow was able to recover from that playoff outing and back it up with a Cup run should be that redemption story. Shouldn’t that have won everyone over forever?
Ruh-Roh:HockeeNight
Welcome to my nightmare:Lets Go Hawks
7 PM on Saturday:Blackhawk Up
Steeg in a nutshell:Second City Hockey
Time to regroup:CSN
No Fairytale:Daily Herald
at
Game Time: 8:30PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN+ (Ch. 201), NBCSN, SN360 (Anglo), TVA3 (Franco), WGN-AM 720
Opryland Season Pass: On The Forecheck
After 101 minutes of hockey that spanned Tuesday well into Wednesday, the Hawks are at long last in a position to advance in the post season. And that opportunity presents itself tonight in the form of the Nashville Predators once again at Bridgestone Arena.
at 
Game Time: 8:30PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN+ (Ch. 201), NBCSN, SN360 (Anglo), TVA3 (Franco), WGN-AM 720
Opryland Season Pass: On The Forecheck
After 101 minutes of hockey that spanned Tuesday well into Wednesday, the Hawks are at long last in a position to advance in the post season. And that opportunity presents itself tonight in the form of the Nashville Predators once again at Bridgestone Arena.
A process made far longer and more laborious than usual that eventually reaches what usually is a satisfactory ending marred by the miles it took to get there that at that point both participants are just happy it’s over. But one side is much happier with the ending than the other. There’s last night for you.
I saw a lot of people saying that Game 1 was Nashville’s best punch and that the series was over because the Hawks only took a standing eight count and then won anyway. I wasn’t sure. The Preds had the first of three horrible 2nd periods that night, Rinne wasn’t very good, and they still almost got it. Last night/this morning felt like a better right hook that still didn’t connect. The Preds actually won the 2nd period for once, Rinne was much better than he’d been all series (though still not looking totally comfortable), they’d kept Kane quiet, and had a lead in the 3rd.
Now they’re faced with winning three in a row, which they’ve done once since February, including one here which they haven’t managed this season yet. Now you might consider whether they’re deflated or not. Let’s get to it all.
