Blackhawks Drop Ducks, Run Win Streak To 3
The Anaheim Ducks came into Chicago on Tuesday night winners of three of their last eight games. They’ve struggled since the trade deadline and the Blackhawks were coming home with two pretty big wins to finish their latest road trip. Could the Blackhawks stay hot against a struggling Ducks team?,/p>
The first period passed pretty quickly, and Anaheim dominated it. The Ducks out-shot the Blackhawks 16-6 in a penalty-free 20 minutes. But it was Chicago that got on the board first.
Kirby Dach showed terrific patience crossing the offensive zone before giving the puck to Adam Boqvist, whose shot-pass game continues to impress. This time he found Drake Cagguila on the doorstep to give Chicago an early 1-0 lead.
The goal made a bit of NHL history as well. According to the NHL, Boqvist and Dach picking up assists on the goal marked the first time in NHL history that multiple players born in the 2000s factored on a goal. Not that we needed to feel old, but that’s ridiculous. And gives Hawks fans some hope for the future.
If the Hawks clinging to a 1-0 lead despite being outshot by 10 in the first gave some fans pause, the second period pointed to the Blackhawks taking advantage of a bad Anaheim team and wanting to be part of the playoff conversation.
Dylan Strome found himself in the right place at the right time 3:46 into the second and Chicago had a 2-0 lead.
Boqvist picked up a second assist in the game on the Strome goal; Duncan Keith had the other helper.
The lead was two for all of 34 seconds. Danton Heinen got Anaheim on the board and it appeared the Ducks were going to push back.
At 5:54 into the second, Patrick Kane went to the box. He was joined by David Kampf 96 seconds later, giving the Ducks an opportunity to climb back into the game.
The Ducks did not push back. They got run over.
Chicago killed the two overlapping penalties and then exploded offensively in the final five minutes of the period to blow the game wide open.
Strome scored his second of the night at 15:29 into the second. Patrick Kane picked up the primary assist on Strome’s 12th of the year.
Lucas Carlsson picked up his first NHL assist on the Strome goal that gave Chicago a 3-1 lead.
At 18 minutes into the second, Boqvist created more offense for Chicago – this time from the defensive end. The rookie defenseman broke up a potential breakaway with a great stick and the puck quickly flipped ends of the ice. Alex Nylander got in on net with Jonathan Toews on the opposite side of the net and one poor defenseman trying to cover both. Nylander handled the business end, giving the Hawks a 4-1 lead.
Immediately off the following faceoff, the Hawks attacked. Nylander set up Kane with a nice dish to give the Hawks a 5-1 lead.
That helper gave Nylander two points in 15 seconds. To put that in perspective, Nylander had four points in February and had seven points in 21 games since the calendars rolled over to 2020. The kid turned 22 on Monday and celebrated with 15 terrific seconds in the late stages of the second period.
The Hawks out-shot the Ducks 18-13 in the second period and exploded for four goals. Neither team scored a power play goal and the Ducks appeared to be frustrated and tired by the end of the second.
Ryan Miller replaced John Gibson to start the third period. Gibson was on the hook for all five goals against 24 shots through 40 minutes.
Early in the second period Ryan Getzlaf caught Corey Crawford on the way by with a knee to the side of Crawford’s head. He remained in the game for the time being but at the next stoppage two minutes into the third the concussion spotter apparently called for Crawford to come off the ice. So we got our first taste of Malcolm Subban in a Blackhawks sweater beginning with 18 minutes left in regulation.
Subban’s initial appearance for the Blackhawks lasted 70 seconds. He didn’t face a shot on goal before Crawford returned.
The Ducks started to get chippy, finishing their hits whether the puck was still with a player or not. After a few intriguing moments, Ryan Getzlaf took a seat for tripping Dach at 4:43 and Chicago got a power play for the second time on the night.
The Hawks did nothing with the power play. Anaheim appeared to gather some momentum from the penalty kill. At 8:26 into the third the Ducks scored their second of the night when Carter Rowney threw a wobbling puck on net through a lot of traffic in front of Crawford.
With 9:14 left in regulation, Cagguila was sent to the box. Chicago was hanging onto a three-goal lead. The best scoring chance on the power play came from Matthew Highmore, who got a breakaway but couldn’t convert with 11 seconds left in the Anaheim advantage.
With five minutes left in regulation, Highmore created another scoring chance that the Hawks were able to finish. Highmore set up David Kampf for a tap-in goal (that Kampf still almost botched) and Chicago led 6-2.
Kampf had one point in his previous 15 games, so the finish was sweet. Highmore had a good night in a bottom-line role; he appears to be a guy who could play a role in the future. He probably could have played a bigger role all year if the Hawks hadn’t committed an NHL roster spot to Zack Smith.
From there the Hawks were able to play keep away. Chicago out-shot Anaheim 16-10 in the third period and 40-39 in the game. Crawford was good and able to finish the night and the offense was terrific in a third consecutive win.
Strome had a terrific night at the center position. He finished with one goal and two assists and was tied with Kane for the team lead with five shots on net. Strome won six of 12 faceoffs. He had just four points in 16 games since the calendars rolled over to 2020 coming in and matched his entire offensive output of three points for the entire month of February in his first game in March.
Toews was dominant at the dot, winning 15 of 24 faceoffs. He skated heavy minutes and did a terrific job controlling the action while on the ice. He was credited with two shots on net.
Carlsson picked up his first career NHL point. He also picked up one blocked shot and three hits on the night.
Boqvist had a stellar offensive performance early. He put one shot on net and was credited with two blocked shots and one hit as well.
Nylander skated 13:48 with one goal, one assist and three shots on net.
Its not our teams fault or the other teams fault, that you play the good teams when you do and the teams that are not good when you do. If we would have played these 11 games before those 14 games before this, we would have been +10 games over .500 around deadline, and then what.
It does make a difference, When, you play teams-out with injuries/playing good/not playing good, those things make a difference. EVery team plays the same sch as every other team in conference, the same amount of times. So which ever teams playe an easier sch to now and which ever teams has played a harder sch as of now-like us, thats why were playing not as many good teams in these 11 gmaes/and did the last 14 games.
We still need to do what we need to do, roster wise and org wise.
I would rather get a top 5 skill draft pick, it would be better for young wave.
The fact is, we are a +8 to +12 team-not a .500 team. Thats with our problems and missing some players-our for season/not normal injuries. We need to add 3 FW 2 D and get a good system/make ths changes.
For now these 11 games could be lots of wins.
Only saw half the game. Just saw the dragged leg of Getslapped on Crow helmet. I mean if I see another player make contact with Crows head, Crow should just tamahawks the Fker in the head.
Whats the point of refs/league suspending any player that makes contact with goalies head/helmet. It wouldnt do any good to prevent it.
What needs to happen is we need to have plenty, plenty of physical guys to anyone who does that we can drill them back, pound them and we can take a instigator a 5 min major and a 2 game suspension. It would be worth it to get those players back. Its fricken backwards.
We need to be able to hit back, everytime, and we donot have the roster to do that. Must add those kind of players. Have to.
Anyways, if we went that 6-6-2 during those 14 games before/around the deadline, we would be +7 games over .500 and tied with the teams that are in 6/7/8 seed.
EVen with that terrible 14 games, we are still only 5and6 games behind 6/7/8 seed.
Man are 27 77 young. Give these guys a couple yrs, this being yr one.
Look out.
Boqvist looked the part tonight, as did Dach and other young players, fun to watch even it was a struggling Ducks team. Oilers hot, be tough game Thursday.
Interesting Hawks win only 6 comments. Hawks lose 100s of comments! I guess when the Hawks win the clowns are crying in their beers!
8 comments and 6 of them are Morrison carrying on a conversation with himself. Haha, guy cracks me up. Youngsters had a good game against a shit team. I guess keep it up?
Got my first in person look at the Hawks this season.17-88-92 best line on the ice for both teams.Lots of high end passing and solid play from them.19-20-8 were decent and checked the Ducks top line well.91 was like a tasmanian devil out there.Lots of energy to his game.Dach and Debrincat just did not click together on this night.Dach has to get more dynamic and creative with the puck to open things up for them.64 and 22 just don’t provide much out there in the offensive zone.Highmore was flying and impressive all night winning many races and winning battles.2 and 27 were very smooth and moved the puck well.Carlsson is a little shaky and gets confused with coverage.All in all it was a great night with a pretty lively crowd.
Still amazed how great Keith is! Full throttle every shift!
Crow great as usual. 88, 19, 20 (can’t score on breakaways, ever!), solid again!
Wow, I guess after 60 games Colliton figured out with this so so roster that Carpenter and Kampf are 4th line players at best? To think Kane had to play with those guys most of the season.
12 77 need a bigger winger like a young Evander Kane or TJ Oshie or Anderson in Columbus or someone like Tkachuk in Ottawa!
Cagg has desire / energy and would be fine as a 4th line winger because he struggles getting the puck out of his zone because of his smallish size.
At 6’1″ Nylander is the same size of Sharp but Sharp had desire, speed and grit to go along with a hard shot. If Nylander wants to make an impact without the help of Kane, he needs to look at Sharp video tape to learn!!!
Dach has the potential to be a 65 – 75 point center if in the coming years he starts to shoot a little more. But he has the desire, the skill and the hockey IQ to make a difference. He should look at the Getzlaf and Jeff Carter as role models. If he fills out, he can play that style. Getzlaf’s playmaking is still off the charts!
Boqvist is learning from the best in Keith so he needs to fill out next season if he wants to play at the level Keith plays which is every shift of every 82 games. He has the IQ to grow into a top 4, not a top 2! When The Oilers throw the size and speed of McDavid and #29, he will get the message, the hard way!!!
I was at the game too, Tim. It was nice to see the Hawks play well too. I agree with most of your comments too with one exception. While I agree that Dach and Debrincat didn’t click, I am seeing Debrincat losing the puck too much and making soft passes that wind up going the other way. Nylander certainly has speed and showed it again tonight while playing a solid game. I hope he can put it all together on a consistent basis because we need that speed. Highmore played a strong hustling game tonight and Carlsson is showing his newness to the NHL game but again had 3 hits and isn’t afraid to take a body. I agree with Morrison that we need more of that. Great game for Crow! Go Hawks!
Fantastic night for the AHLers. Now if we can find some veterans to play with them, we may actually have a team! That was a HULL of a sarcastic statement.
Seriously – the kids looked like you would hope they would look at the end of the season. Problem was – they were inconsistent, at best, the rest of the year. But we are seeing growth, and an opportunity to have some latent next year if we can get them to have good summers. Crap team to beat – but that has been more than a problem this year too.
27 played pretty solid at both ends. Gaining offensive confidence. Strome needs to be fed by Kane the rest of the year. Kneelander needs big minutes and let him run. We need those 3 to develop for 6 weeks. Then get at the weights and leg training for the summer. Highmore looks like he can belong. Carlsson went with the quiet approach tonight. I’ll take it every game the rest of the season.
It appeared tonight that there may be the chance to have more blocks in place starting the summer. Yes, we beat a crap team. But this is the result that we want to see each game the rest of the year. Improvement.
Can someone wake the Cat up please?
AJ, its in good spirit. Some people care more then others/about the Blackhawks.
We all on the same side/suppose to be.
Nice of 17 and 92 to show up once every 10 games .
A feel good stretch is a welcome change right now, probably not going to change draft picture in a major way anyways, so keep it going.
Also in attendance at the UC. Nice 100 level seats thanks to a friend. We both had two seats and couldn’t find someone else to go. Ate my 300 seats and sat with him. To the game.
Yes it was Ana. Still looked good. Had a few times that possession looked Globetrotter like. Crow looked good but wanted to handle puck too much. Think he was looking to get an assist and start the break out himself. Ana almost scored again seconds after there goal on an intercepted Crow outlet.
Kane Strome and Highlander had a flow to them. Kane is Kane. You can see the talent in Highlander that he possesses. Strome looked quicker. Hear that Hull. Maybe he plays more connected or inspired to bring his game up to the talent level of the others on his line.
Kube Toews Saad did control their opposing line. Thinking that most top lines of the opposition or not as defensive as Ana’s is keeping our line in check also.
DCat and Dach still growing. Dach showing flashes of what’s coming. The spin o rama to avoid a player was smooth. Let him fill out and look out. Way back someone mentioned he could be a Lindross due to the hit from Minny in pre season. If he fills out and gets that mean streak it could happen. Feed him alligator meat or put tobasco, jalapeno or plabano peppers on all his food. DCat should just shoot his way out of his funk. He is still playing hard just pucks not bouncing his way. Could be squeezing the stick too hard.
The D was good. You can see Boq is talented. Same as Dach let him fill out. Koekkoek can play. Had more faith in him than Maatta. Carlson did look like a rookie. Played safe. Looked slow at getting back on a play like giving up. I hope it was because he was tired at the end of a shift instead.
All in all good game. The same play vs Oilers would make it close. Big test.
Dach is going to just keep getting better, this kid has some great hands. Don’t give up on Nylander either as he gets confidence he’s going to be a very good player. Hawks have to quit recycling older low grade players into the lineup and move to their youth, it’s there give them a chance.
The effort is always there. A good sign.
It was great to see some of the future carry the night – young guys like Strome, Nylander, Dach and Boquist all being contributors – it gives one hope for next year
However the team still surrendered 39 shots – the fact that Crow was 2nd star in a 6-2 win tells you a lot about the Hawks D – not good enough
In a fantasy world let’s imagine that KK, Maatta and Carlsson are replaced in the top top 6 D by UFA (Pietrangelo/Vatanen), DeHaan (healthy) and Mitchell (NHL ready) then combined with 2, 5, and 27 your D looks a whole lot better
Even imagine a rebound from a healthy Seabrook who could either play 3rd pair if Mitchell needs some AHL time or be the 7th D (if 7 stays on LTIR KK can be the 7th or Mitchell fill in)
I like the FW lines mostly as currently constructed but add Shalunov (6′ 3″ 205 lbs.) to the 3rd line – with improvement from Dach and a rebound from DCat that could be a third scoring line
Move Caggulia (who I like) to the 4th line with 36 and 22 and you’ve got a faster and improved 4th line and especially as Highmore gets better maybe a line that scores a little more often than with Kampf on it – 64 can be the 13th FW
Not all of that will come true I know but it shows that the Hawks are not that far away from being back in the post season conversation – next year
Tim W. – enjoyed your insights from the game however I will partially disagree on your Dach comment
Yes he can do more to click with DCat and I’m sure as he develops he’ll acquire more of the skills you’re talking about but DCats problems are just that DCat’s problems – it’s mostly on him
The only time he’s dangerous is on the PP and even then just barely
Now that Gus (who?) is gone DCat is hands down the worst defensive player on the team – anytime he gets the puck on his stick (unless he’s in a shooting position) it’s terrifying – whether in the O zone or the D zone – he can’t pass to save his life and he doesn’t seem to see where the opposition players are because he passes are consistently either picked off or simply bounce off an opposing player
Maybe he’s a bit panicky given his extension and lack of production but he does not look anywhere close to a $6 million/year player which he technically isn’t until next year but he had better get it together over the summer or he’ll become a prime trade piece IMO
Wrap enjoy reading your posts but find the Kampf hate puzzling. He just doing whats asked, no he doesn’t have top 9 offense but putting Kubalik with someone who he played with before as linemates with Saad who struggled offensively to start year may have actually sparked both into bigger years who knows, didn’t hurt them that’s for sure. He has been 2nd best Fo guy overall this year and big part of improved pk along with the other regular pkers, and works hard, why hate him for it.
Same with Carpenter big help to pk, not his fault that Colliton put hom with Kane but he did. Basically stalled Kanes production while there as Kubalik got more comfortable and soared.
Nylander who has shown once in while he has top 6 skill, to me is a long way from someone you bank your future on or a lock to be in lineup next season yet.
Scotty Bowman once said” the better the coaching gets the worse the game gets “ Correct. JC’s anal D scheme, D first mantra produced the record we have. When the boys don’t have to “think, just play, attack, transition, the skill players can do their thing. The last few games, look at the results. I hope I am wrong about Nylander. He looked like something with Kane & Strome. Geez-is Kane good or what? Maybe the boys posting on this site are correct- we are not too far away- just a few D’s, FW’s. We need a Gilbert-Seeler-Ben Eager type on the ice at all times to protect Crow & our skill guys…period! P. S.- Highmore may be a solid 4th liner. Why not give Kurashev, Hagel, others a shot yet this year?
@Truth…I have been swamped, but I would have posted earlier. Bottom line, Stan still sucks, look at his body of work. That is not going to change. Colliton still sucks, look at his body of work. Beating the Mighty F…Ducks is nice and the Hawks played well, but the MFDucks are still one of the three worst teams in the league. However, I am quite pleased about the game that the Hawks had last night, particularly Nylander and Strome! I have been a supporter of Nylander, just read my previous posts. I see something in this kid, he just needs consistency. That will come with experience! I was really glad that Strome played well, because that supports Tim’s argument that we need to roll out 4 competent centers! I liked the way the kid Carlsson played; he’s way better defensively than Gus! I forgot to point out that Highmore played well again, and that was Boqvist’s best game as a Hawk!
Now, show me a W against Edmonton. Now, that will impress me!
@Truth: Sorry, dude. Recovering from the flu so didn’t have energy to post last night. Thoughts:
1. When Kneelander (love that, Silent) wants it/is on, LOOK OUT.
2. Strome needs to be at C.
3. Kirby will be a FORCE once he gets a summer in lifting with Seabs & Co. Was lucky enough to talk to Seabs for a bit at his IceBowl event and 7’s plan is to “teach Kirby everything I know because he’s like a sponge”.
4. “According to the NHL, Boqvist and Dach picking up assists on the goal marked the first time in NHL history that multiple players born in the 2000s factored on a goal”: THIS CONFIRMS I AM ANCIENT
5. Getzlaf is still a douchecanoe.
Saying cap coukd be anywhere from 84 to 88m next season dependent on negotiations with nhlpa. Seems optimistic but hope so.
“Getzlaf is still a douchecanoe.”
HA!!!
More like a “douchefreighter”…..
Its frustrating seeing Nylander have great games like last knowing the talent is there. He’ll probably never be as good as his brother, but even if he comes close to producing like his father did for the Hawks 20 years ago, it would go a long to helping this franchise get back to its winning ways.
If Debrincat has another down season next year, might wanna consider leaving him unprotected for the expansion draft, or possibly even trade him to Seattle before the draft. $6 million cap hit is way too much for this type of production, especially considering he doesn’t do anything else well whatsoever.
Crow has been ridiculously good the last 8 weeks or so. He’s probably gonna face 50 shots against Edmonton on Thursday. Have to imagine Subban will get the nod Friday against a terrible Detroit team.
Dach 19 years old. Boqvist 20. Nylander 22. Kubalik 24. Strome 23. Cat 22. Lots of good under 25 talent. Need 2 top 4 dmen, a suitable back up goalie, Crow to stay solid and healthy, and some depth at forward and they might even be able to get back to the playoffs next season, but we’re probably at least a couple more seasons away.
Ian – I don’t hate Kampf although I will admit to hating JC’s use of him
He is a decent 4th liner but that’s it – think back to 4th line Cs we had on Cup winning teams – Madden, Bolland, Kruger – they all had way better puck skills than Kampf – I get that he plays decent D and forechecks and is 2nd best at FOs but playing him anywhere other than 4th line is not putting him a position to succeed
On a good team IMO he’s a 12th or 13th FW – next year he should be competing with Carpenter or Highmore and maybe Caggiula for 4th line minutes – nothing more
Remember when Colliton rolled him for 3 on 3 last year – yeah that was fun! – not!
@ Tommy Ivan
You don’t think it’s a little premature to be talking about Colliton’s body of work 130ish games into his career? Check out Barry Trotz’s first few seasons, or Paul Maurice. Gallant has been fired 3 times and he hasn’t even coached that many years. Hell, even Quenneville didn’t have a whole lot of playoff success until he inherited a roster full of all stars and future hall of famers. JC was dealt a crappy hand from day 1. I’d give the guy another year with a better, and hopefully healthier roster. He’s also got a half dozen rookies playing regularly this season. Throw in losing one third of your starting defense, Saad, Caggiula, and Strome all missing significant time, not to mention Shaw missing 2/3 of the season, it’s a little unfair to say “he sucks”. Sure, every team has injuries, but we’ve been hit pretty hard this season. Also, I hate to complain officiating, and I very rarely do, but it seems like the Hawks have been getting screwed over quite a bit this season. I’d argue we’ve probably lost at least 4 or 5 points to flat out bullsh!t calls/no calls. Sure, bad calls happen, but we never seem to the recipient of a gift, and many of the terrible calls against us have come at key times in games. Maybe it’s just me.
re: the idea that ” it’s a little premature to be talking about Colliton’s body of work 130ish games into his career” – not at all. If you want to bury another year of what’s left of the prime of the careers of 2, 19 & 88 (and, to a lesser extent, 7 & 50) then sure, let’s keep the kid out there making similar lineup mistakes nightly.
I’m not putting the roster construction issues on Colliton. That’s Bowman’s fault. But Colliton has repeated mistakes throughout the season that simply can’t happen if you’re truly chasing a championship. And, now, there are options available who have a track record of winning in the regular season and postseason.
I can’t believe how many people still watch Nylander and think he is going to be a good player…his rep has always been, ‘I play when I want’ and he doesn’t want to that often. Maybe he matures eventually but thinking this guy is a consistent top 6 guy is a pipe team right now
Hope I wrong And maybe he becomes a Poor man’s Kessel where his skill outweighs everything else about his game
Tab’s has it right. Plus-JC dogma with D,D,D-takes away from transition. Hockey is a fluid game where creativity is rewarded. Does JC even “ allow” Boqvist to lead a rush or “allow d men & forwards to interchange in O zone to create scoring???Does he even teach it? What makes Kane so good is – he feels the game, the situation. That’s not hockey by numbers. No-too many JC mistakes including line combos. JC doesn’t “feel” needed game- line adjustments. Nice guy…but…
were 92-17-88 together against the panthers?
@ tab
i am not a colliton fan, but let’s put the grave digging of what’s left of the core’s prime years on bowman, where it belongs. the rosters the last five years are not on colliton’s head and if a similar roster is in place next year they will, perhaps, be in position to challenge for a 7th or 8th playoff seed again. no matter who is the coach.
you can’t blame colliton for ten fourth line forwards and ten bottom pairing d-men being shuttled through the hawks locker rooms this season.
saad, toews, kubalik, and kane are the only forwards on this team who definitely could have played top six on any of the cup teams. strome and de brincat would maybe have been third liners. and, if so, only one of the two. keith is the only d-man who would have played top four on those teams. and dach and boqvist would have been in the whl and ahl where they should have been this year instead of blowing a year on their elcs and starting their ufa clocks.
so save the nonsense of colliton being the guy to bury another year of the core’s prime. that guy is baby bowman.
I have nothing to say that beats “douchecanoue.”
Without the “u”
Okie if as Craig suggested Colliton went back to Rfd to hone his craft and show he can be successful there, that would be fine. As Tab pointed out he makes too many questionable decisions on the bench and all the Bowman hating roster trashing in the world won’t change that.
Definitely should leave 92, 17 and 88 together and see if they can be a line that continues to produce. After 2 games together and finding that kind of chemistry it’s worth keeping going. Maybe lightning in a bottle with them or maybe a once in awhile thing again, time will tell.
The rub with getting 1 of those top coaches with successful backgrounds is that they will not remain quiet when Bowman does not provide them with a true 3rd and 4th lines and a top Defensive pairing. Bowman is very comfortable now knowing that the Head Coach will not complain at all about not having what he needs to win.Conversely Colliton is comfortable knowing that he won’t be critiqued by the G.M for his numerous mistakes behind the bench.If this organization wants to quickly catchup to the elite teams both have to go.
Ain’t that the truth- Tim W!!!
I still believe a better coach would have this team in the playoffs, injuries or not
So if only one has to go I say Colliton but I would understand if Stan also got the axe – ultimately the team’s performance or lack thereof is on him
Having said that I don’t think either will go before next September – just my feeling – no evidence
Nylander just turned 22 and this is his first full year in the league. My concern is less with his effort and more with his hockey sense (or lack thereof). Hopefully he is just a slow learner because with his skills he should easily be a 20 goal scorer with size and speed, a combination we badly need more of.
Wrap – I have the opposite feeling – that both JC and SB will be gone at the end of the year for two reasons. First, I can’t see the McDonough marketing machine putting on a summer convention trying to sell the status quo after three disappointing years. There would be much more excitement (i.e ticket demand) around a new GM and Coach (which also happens to be the right decision). Second, as has been pointed out it appears that K&T aren’t thrilled with the state of things and will help drive change.
MS – you may be right but I haven’t heard anything from Stan that makes me think he’s worried about his job – and if he stays JC probably stays unless Stan gets an ultimatum such as “hire a new coach or we’ll find a GM who will”
Wrap may be wrong or or not mean anything anyways, but wasn’t there talk of Bowman contract extension going into this season and as far as we know never happened.
MS, I am on record saying Nylander scores 25 goals next year. The Hawks are 5 pts out of a playoff spot with back to back against MN. Ian and Wrap are more concerned with JC and Bowman firings/extensions.
I wrote the Hawks off after their abysmal 5 game road Canadian road trip but here they are only 5 points out with a relatively easy schedule. Crawford even at 35 is better than Lehner. The only goalie I might consider better than Crow is Rask and that is a toss up. This does not mean that there are not better goalies but when the playoffs are on, Crow is one of the best.
Bye bye bowman, you make no sense, I sure hope keith would be a top 4 on our cup wins, maybe he was the top 1 on our teams. Ditto with Toews, Saad, and Kane. Really silly comments on your part. As fro Strome, Dcat, Kubs, Dach playing on the Cup teams. I can tell you dach and TT are about the same type of players so that argument flys out the window.
Vermette, TT, Kruger and Richards were centers on the team so strome and dach are just as good as either of them. You tell me Dach and Strome would not be better than any of those 4. The last cup, the hawks mainly use 4 def only in Keith, Seabs, Oduya and Hjarlms. Any of the current 5, besides keith, might be better than TVR, Cumiinsky, Timmo, Rundbland, Rosi, And what about some of the forwards like Nordstrom, Desj, Versteeg, Carwreck, The Hawks won with some very suspect DEF and OFF of players. Go back and look at the 2015 Hawks roster. It will surprise you. Yes, the hawks lost some top talent like Hossa, Sharp, Oduya, Hjarlm, from the 2015 team but lets face reality, this team had no future moving forward and bet the farm to win ONE MORE CUP as they did in 2016 and should have won in 2014 if not for two bad calls againse the Kings.
sorry made an error. We won in 2015, bet the farm in 2016 and should have won in 2014 if the refs did not miss the offisides late in the 3rd.
2020 – As a fan it would be awesome to see the Hawks somehow make the playoffs but there is almost zero margin of error. For future development another high draft pick would be much better than a first round playoff loss. Agree that Crow has been terrific while facing huge numbers of shots.
Ian and Wrap are two of the most thoughtful posters on the board ( there are many others). I enjoy their points of view and the SB/JC dialogue has been a hot topic for months. At the end of the day we are all rooting hard for Hawks success.
Hawks in 2020 – it’s an off day and I’ve ready posted my thoughts on the ANA game – I was greatly encouraged by the play of the young guys albiet vs a bottom dweller
On an off day my thoughts turn to the off season – I’ll be ecstatic if the Hawks were to miraculously make the playoffs but their statistical odds are below 10%
It’s not the points behind which incidentally is 6 not 5 but it’s the number of teams in front of them that make the task daunting
Plus the SB/JC topic is full of intrigue – for an off day
Thanks MS aprecoate that.
Agree 6 points isn’t alot but figure out the reality of what their record would have to be the rest of the way to overcome it. If a the team 6 pts ahead goes only .500 the rest of the way thats 16 pts, so Blackhawks would need 23 of last 32 available pts because they lose tiebreakers most likely. Chances are teams they are chasing will play better than .500 so more pts be needed. Not great odds.
This.
TIM W.
March 4, 2020 at 2:00 pm
The rub with getting 1 of those top coaches with successful backgrounds is that they will not remain quiet when Bowman does not provide them with a true 3rd and 4th lines and a top Defensive pairing. Bowman is very comfortable now knowing that the Head Coach will not complain at all about not having what he needs to win.Conversely Colliton is comfortable knowing that he won’t be critiqued by the G.M for his numerous mistakes behind the bench.If this organization wants to quickly catchup to the elite teams both have to go.
Query: I like to see Kane-Strome-Nylander and Toews-Saad-Kubalik finish the year intact. Who do we add to Dach-Cat line (not Caggs)? Who should we play on 4th line ? I would like to see Highmore-Entwhistle-Caggs 4 th line the rest of the way. Any thoughts? Someone posted to go with our young guys. I think Smith-Kampf-Carpenter should sit and dealt in the summer so we can see our young guys yet this year.
MS, yea as much as I want to win and go 9-2 in these 11 games, it was those 14 games before-that were right after that 10 day layover that screwed us record wise.
So that and other season out for injuries-not normal injuries tehre and some other things are blessing to get a top 5 skill draft player. It would be huge if Ian is right/I donot know/not putting Ian on spot, that after top 2 or 3 the rest to 12/15 area are same quality players.
So that way, say 12, 3/4-12 are equal players and it ends up being fine picking anywhere in the 4-12 range other then selection-with quality being the same. We get a draft player that we want-style kind wise.
Because we can win a bunch of games here in these 11 games and get right to 8 seed, with 7 games left.
Wrap/Ian, thing is those teams-there are a bunch like 7 playing for 3 spots or something, all play each other most likely and will beat each other so there is lots of room for more than half to go down or stay (for example NAS was 9 now they are 6)(so the team ahead keep doing that kind of thing they are staying right there)(screw the odds-even though I donot hink we do it). We would have to get to that +7 to +10 area for 7 or 8 seed.
Right now those teams are
6/7/8 seeds
CAG 9
VAN 9 (lost 3 in a row like NAS)
MIN 7
NAS 6 (lost 3 was at 9)
WIN 6
ARI 5
CHI 2 (we would need that 9-2 kind of thing to get to +7 and would be close with 7 games left)
I want to get that top 5 skill draft player. Help from ANA and SJ and now NJ. NJ has climbed from 7? or something to 2 (was just at 1) ANA and SJ did good to get to 2 and 3 and lost a bunch and were recently at 6 and 7. While ANA just doesnt want to (even though they were 6-1 on the road on there last 7 games until us) and are still at 6. Its SJ, which is a good team/the better team here, got some back from 7 to 4 now.
So based on that 4th is out because of ANA. SJ and NJ could help and we could get 5th pick. Have to watch out for the flatlander diver teams like BUF MON 3 and 0.
Top 5 skill draft players
DET 82
LA
OTT 9
ANA 6
SJ 4
NJ 2
BUF 0
CHI 2
MON 3
ARI 5
WIN 6
NAS 6
FLR 7
NYR 8
8th pick right now. Whether we go 9-2 and get close to 7/8 seeds or stay or go higher in draft. It looks like we should be able to stay in that quality part of the 1st round dtraf player range of 4th-12th picks.
Tim only thing about sitting both Kampf and Carpenter, you could be taking a big step backwards on pk, after the success its had this season after last, would want to try and maintain status quo there, for rest of year. Sit one and bring up Entwistle be fine and maybe Caggs or try Hagel, Kurashev wi?th 12 and 77, if opporunity fits. Only 2 callups available rest of season, plus not sure how much a Rfd playoff hunt factors in either. Chances are those lines plateau and get shuffled again before season end anyways.
Thanks Ian. Didn’t know only 2 call ups available. I like Hagel & Kurashev. I know it’s a year or so away, but I really like Josiah Slavin. Good hockey genes, work ethic- some skill. Go Hawks.
If Shalunov actually is signed he could be good fit with 12 and 77/17 next year. Running 50% in fos in khl too it seems, plays wing or center, so could help there too maybe. Looks like his team will go too deep in playoffs for anything to happen around end of this year though.
MS agree with a lot of what your saying-Nylander has obvious top on the line skill and he skates well-especially his edges. But I don’t see speed-it’s average to me-say comparing him to Caggs or Saad.
(I think part of it is he might be so smooth but doesn’t pick up his feet and move them quickly-part of ‘who he is’)
He plays well when two things happen, one being he gets motivated and that is often caused by and infrequently shown by # 2 which is who he plays with. I think he is one of those guys that you just will never see that ‘fire’ and you get what you see. A mixed bag of results but with the right circumstance you can get a 20-25 goal scorer.
But it will be a frequent frustration because you know he has the skill in him just not the fire to be the best.
Can we really see that changing? Unlike Kane/Toews he doesn’t make others better.
Nylander reminds me a lot like Patrick Sharp. I would be so frustrated with Sharp when he first came to the Hawks. His play was selfish and quite frankly bad at times. It goes without saying Sharpy had a solid career but it took a few years in Chicago. Now, I dont remember him at all with Phily since I focus mainly on the Hawks but would be neat to read back in 2003-04 to see what Phily writers were saying about Sharp.
I do hope Nylander can become a player like Sharp. Hold me acountable, 25 goals which will make next year interesting to see if we have a sharpy or broken lead.
Tim,
Carpenter has been one of the best hawks this year. at a $1m he is not going anywhere. Our PK is better with him on it. He is the 4th line guy, not his fault JC uses him as a 2C which should give you confidence in his ability even though he should be a 4C and a strong one at that.
If Nalimov who put up decent numbers in Khl is in consideration as one of next years goalies, would like to see them bring him over, now he terminated his contract and let him play a few games down the stretch. He could burn his elc, then have 2 years rfa control left they could sign him to for a reasonable caphit to show he deserves a payday when an ufa in 2 years, also be in line with rest of roster contracts term. Maybe let him have his Khl out clause if he doesn’t stick on Nhl roster for lower caphit, since he’s a ufa at end it anyways
Nylander learned how to play only “when he wants” from Saad….
$6.4m (or so) for 16 goals is it?
Never Scores a goal due to Him.
“traded Breadman for him to make Toews better”..
Best Joke in last 60 years..
Noonan – Nylander doesn’t have “quick” feet or speed but I do think he has powerful strides and can get in on the forecheck pretty effectively. While I would agree that he doesn’t make others better you could say that about a lot of guys, including Dcat who is about to make $6m per year. I just think we need to give Nylander more time to see what we have instead of making a quick decision to move on.
Hawks in 2020- I get it. Carpenter is a good add on for the cost. I never got the Smith deal when you look at Smith’s stats. I’d like to see us free up cap space & bring in young guys ( @ elc costs) so we can add at least 1 D, 1 FW free agents. As to prospects, If Entwhistle, I ‘d forbid him from fighting big guys his first season . He could be a Grant Mulvey type in a couple years. ( that dates me) thanks.
Tim 2, Smith for Anisimov was to clear 1.3m in cap space, plus add a grittier player. Agree Entwistle can fill that role cheaper now, and has more to offer than Smith seems to have at this point in his career.
Dr. Ian- I concur!
Players like Donskoi and Burakowsky were available, dumping Anisimov is one thing but you are losing skill ands size, a legitimate 3rd line center for a 4th line player of $3million, how is that smart? How can anyone defend that stupid move! Trade him for a pick or a young prospect if you want to get rid of his contract, a contract Bowman awarded him after refusing to sign Saad at 5million!
You can build a 4th line with everyone under a million dollars if need be. Hawks needed size and skill which both Burakowsky and Donskoi have. Again, Bowman spent money, like he has the last 3 years on 4th line slugs! Carpenter and Zack Smith?Useless! Money thrown away! And please don’t give me Carpenter leadership talk, we have 19, 88, 2, 7, 2 and 50!!! It’s like Bowman when he defended his Kunitz signing, calling him a leader in the room? Yeah, for a team that has never won a cup but this is the Hawks! What a clown!
I guess Joe Sakic knows what he’s doing!
That’s kinda how I look at it-Hull 65. Play some our “yuts” to save $$, give them NHL experience…& use the savings to get the D & FW(s) we all know we need. The only way to justify ”some” of these I’ll advised contracts IS if the Hawks planned to rotate in prospects. That hasn’t happened. I know Q didn’t like to do it but it still is the case…& Bowhead has drafted small & soft- with a few exceptions. I agree with Hull 65. We really need only one pure scrapper to be our judge & jury on the ice- like a Reeves type ( who has some-game).
Have to disagree on Nylander’s speed – he has above average speed and he is one of the faster guys on the team and has good edge work
I would guess his straight line speed is at least as good if not better than Kane’s for example
Nylander is logging about 9 mins. of ice time a game …that pretty much says it all .
Short leash and can`t be trusted . 1 dimensional and zero grit .add to the equation D cat . 1 dimensional and zero physicality , throw Strome in there ..slow and afraid of the tough places whooo hooo they beat the sad Ducks .
Wrap we will have to agree to disagree about the speed. He’s not a straight line skater and skates in short spurts, with wonderful edges. Lots of gliding, turn backs. he doesn’t win races-like ever.
Kane is a gifted skater (among other things), but has never been really fast-wonderful control and edges.