Blackhawks Escape Columbus with Big Win on Hagel’s OT GWG
The Blue Jackets sold at the trade deadline. The Blackhawks tweaked. Chicago still has postseason aspirations and Monday’s game was as close to a must-win as you can get. Short lineup or not, the Blackhawks needed this one.
The Blackhawks took the ice without forwards Mattias Janmark and Carl Soderberg, who were traded earlier in the day. They were also without defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who wasn’t traded but was scratched. In their places were recently acquired forward Brett Connolly and defenseman Riley Stillman, both of whom came over last week in a trade with the Florida Panthers.
Columbus was playing without a full deck of their own, after a series of deals took a few of their key players – including captain Nick Foligno – out of town. So both teams were still sorting out their lines when the game started.
Adam Boqvist took a deflected puck to the face less than five minutes into the game and went straight to the room. He did not return to the ice in the first period, skating only 42 seconds. His injury put more pressure on Stillman to integrate into the lineup. He skated 7:19 in the first period and was credited with one blocked shot and a team-high two hits in the opening 20 minutes.
It took 14 minutes for either team to get on the board, and it was Columbus who scored first. Stefan Matteau scored his first goal of the season to break the ice. (As an aside, we’re always disappointed with Stefan scores and Pat Foley doesn’t take advantage of the opportunity to scream his last name three times.)
Scott Harrington went to the box 69 seconds after the Matteau goal to give the Blackhawks a power play. Chicago took advantage, as a blast from Duncan Keith worked its way through traffic and into the net to tie the game.
Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane were credited with the assists on Keith’s second goal of the year.
Those would be the only two goals of the opening 20 minutes. Columbus out-shot the Hawks 13-10 in the period. For his part, Connolly skated six shifts (4:14) in his first period with the team. Columbus won 65 percent of the faceoffs in the first period.
Boqvist was ruled out for the rest of the game as the second period began.
Columbus came out with significantly better energy to open the second period. Lankinen made a few impressive saves in the opening couple minutes but Patrik Laine gave the Jackets a 2-1 lead six minutes into the second.
It was going about this well in the second period for the Hawks:
Jack Roslovic sent a pass between Calvin de Haan’s legs to Cam Atkinson, who missed again. #CBJ #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/XWZdQiiikv
— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) April 13, 2021
With two minutes left in the second period, Max Domi completely lost his mind. He held Connor Murphy and an official’s arm went up for a penalty. Domi then broke his stick slashing Murphy. He then challenged Murphy, who politely declined because the Hawks were going to get a power play out of Domi’s initial stupidity. That didn’t sit well with Domi, who then dropped his gloves, threw Murphy to the ice and threw a couple punches while Murphy clearly made zero effort to fight back.
Well, that escalated quickly ? pic.twitter.com/IRnBXc4iOe
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) April 13, 2021
To be absolutely clear: Max Domi should be suspended for his actions.
Domi was assessed two minutes for hooking, two more for cross-checking and also received a ten for misconduct. Chicago went to the powerplay with 1:51 left in a second period that saw them generate almost no offense whatsoever.
Even though they had done next to nothing offensively in the period and failed to score before the end of the second, Chicago out-shot Columbus 9-7 in the period. The Hawks would carryover 2:09 of power play time into the third period, still chasing one goal.
Connolly got a couple shifts with David Kampf and Kane late in the second period. He skated 8:37 with one hit in the first two periods. Stillman had two shots on net, two blocked shots and three hits in 13:14 through 40 minutes.
The Blackhawks did nothing on the 4-minute powerplay but did have some offensive momentum for the first time since their goal in the first period. Six minutes into the third Kane found Philipp Kurashev who scored his eighth of the season to tie the game at two.
That momentum continued. Connolly put a shot on net two minutes after the Kurashev goal that somehow found its way into the net to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead.
Unfortunately, one of the incredibly skilled players still in Columbus has absolutely killed the Blackhawks at times. Laine took a puck coast-to-coast and made a marvelous move to beat Lankinen and tie the game. Chicago’s lead lasted 3:11.
With 2:11 left in regulation, Jack Roslovic had a terrific scoring chance that was robbed by Lankinen. After the Laine goal the Hawks were on their heels and chasing too much.
Neither team scored in the final eight minutes and we headed to overtime. Remember the faceoffs stat at the end of the first period? After 60 minutes, the Blackhawks had won 57 percent of the faceoffs in the game – a huge improvement across the board in the final 40 minutes.
Kampf won the faceoff to open overtime. He stayed on with Kane and Keith for an extended period before giving way to DeBrincat. Chicago’s second defenseman on the ice was Wyatt Kalynuk. He was on the ice with Kirby Dach and Brandon Hagel when Hagel ripped home the game-winning goal.
Let’s say that again: Kalynuk (rookie) to Dach (young sophomore) to Hagel (rookie) for an overtime game-winning goal.
Chicago needed two points and got them behind contributions from youngsters, a new face (Connolly) and the netminder who has carried them all year, Lankinen.
Stillman skated 21:23 in regulation with two shots, two blocks and a team-leading four hits. Connolly skated 13:05 with two shots, one block, one hit and his third goal of the season to give the Hawks a brief lead.
Lankinen stopped 30 of 33 in the game.
Patrick Kane finishes the season series with 12 points in six games against the Blue Jackets. He had two assists and ten (10) shots on goal in 23:38 on Monday night.
With Boqvist out after his second shift, Keith skated 29:48 in the game. He was credited with four shots on net, three more shot attempts that were off the mark, one block and one hit.
Eddie needs to remember who pays his salary. Sounded like he was the announcer for Columbus tonight.
Thought Stillman had a very nice first game for the Hawks especially given that he was thrown into the fire with the Hawks playing only five defensemen for the majority of the game..also thought Kalynuk continued to look solid, even playing on his offhand..between Beaudin, Kalynuk, Stillman, Mitchell, and Boqvist, the Hawks should be fine on the blueline next year if they lose DeHaan in the expansion draft..I also have to wonder if the Hawks are auditioning Stillman to see if he can play a ”Zadorov” style of defense but at a much more affordable rate..It will be interesting to see how long of a look he gets as we finish up the season.
No way did the fellas deserve that W but I’ll take it. good god almighty Duncs with 29 minutes tonight. Holy eff. He has got to be part cyborg.
Max Domi has proven himself a douchecanoe just like his father. What a horses ass.
Liked the way Stillman bounced back after a shaky 1st period.
Connolly did NOT sound happy about his him in FLA in the post game presser. He could be one of those guys that just needs a change of scenery to be a solid piece of the puzzle. Happily looking forward.
Cheers.
Stillman was HORRIBLE. Two bad defensive plays 9f his led directly to goals.
Dach, Hagel, and Kalynuk on the GW?! Good job by the kids when given the chance
CBJ definitely outskated the boys for about 50 minutes of that one
I gotta wonder if Laine’s ears were burning as Pat and Eddie dissed him in the first … he definitely fired up his A game on both goals and almost had an OT GWG hattie too
Stillman although clearly victimized on the first CBL goal and could have covered up for DeHaan getting danced by Laine better than he did still had enough good moments that I want to see more and to see how if at all he learns from his mistakes – showed some decent wheels and hands and physicality
He’ll probably be back in because Boquist is out with concussion symptoms- I expect Z will be back in next game as well – hope Boquist is not out too long – the puck must have caught him square in the jaw
Nice that JC had Kalynuk on ice in OT
Two great passes by Dach to set up the GWGs in both CBL games
Every game that they’re still in the playoff chase is a bonus even if they fall short – NSH may yet hit a bump so the Hawks may still surprise
@okie
apparently you and i were watching the same game and a different one than slayer watched. i believe he gave up a couple of other excellent scoring chances in addition to the two goals he was beaten on and lost a few board battles in the d-zone as well. in his defense he was playing his first game with a new team.
@okie, @hawks29..oh, I see..since Boqvist was out and Zadorov was out, it’s Stillman’s turn to feel the heat lol..sigh…the first goal Columbus scored was definitely on Stillman and Kalynuk..they both got caught sleeping as they assumed the puck was headed into the ozone and Jones made a great pass to spring their forward for a breakaway..the second goal had zero to do with Stillman..he’s trying to shade towards the middle of the ice to shadow the second Columbus forward that entered the zone right behind Laine in case Laine passes the puck..once Stillman realized DeHaan had gotten blown past completely, it was too late..Laine was at the doorstep..like I said, he had a solid game..22 min of even strength..two blocked shots, four hits and 28 shifts which was third most..when he’s had how many practices with this team? Maybe one? He was fine tonight..not a perfect game by any means, but a good performance under tough conditions with the Hawks having to play virtually the entire game with only five d.
Columbus was definitely the better team out there tonight except for Domi. Besides his nonsense with Murphy he oddly refuses to shoot and skates himself out of position. Stillman looked shaky to me at best. I know it was a tough situation so he gets the mulligan. DeHaan skated like he was ailing and should probably sit for a bit to heal. Wish the Hawks would have got Roslovic when he was available for a couple of months. He and Laine were the best players on the ice by far. Laine is a front runner though. He was a better fit surrounded by those talented Jet forwards. Hinostroza and Kubalik came crashing back down to mediocrity tonight,not much from them. This team has to work on puck control and stop turning the puck over so easily. Off to Detroit if its not shutdown for COVID yet.
Kalynuk made two nice moves on the OT winner. He made a strong move around the first guy to create the 3 on 2, then skated hard up ice and pulled their defenceman to him which opened up the space for Hagel. Nice patience by Dach and snipe from Hagel too.
You can’t not like the coach putting those three on the ice together in overtime in a crucial game. He’s getting better along with everyone else.
Team with the better goaltending won. As per usual.
Torts is one of the few coaches to try and exploit the Blackhawks defense by challenging them with speed then outworking them on the boards. I’m surprised other teams haven’t done that more. Instead, they enter the zone, pull up and wait for line mates thus allowing the back checkers to catch up. No need to pull up when you can walk right around our defensemen and give the back checkers fits all night.
The team to watch is Dallas. But 1st, Detroit who has won 2 in a row against the Hurricanes and recently beat Tampa Bay 5-1.
The question I have is: Is this team better or worse after the trades?
Who is John Galt, Given what they gave up I would say they are a little better. Janmark was falling like a ton of bricks,literally. Not only was he producing nothing for the last month but he was physically falling down at least 3 times a game with no one around him. Highmore was given his chance and just is not a finisher and is too small to keep around based solely on hustle and want to. We got Soderberg for just about nothing and turned it into a couple of young guys,yes I know they were both rated from 25th to 30th in the Colorado organization. Connolly is a pro and knows where he is supposed to be and how to play along with being a bigger body. Stillman I think will be decent if they keep rolling him out there and let him play regularly. For now Vinnie and Gaudette should be interesting. I am really curious on Gaudette,s skating. The draft picks in the Janmark deal swing this trade deadline day into Bowman,s favor quite a bit.
Thanks T-W
nice going hawks
WIJG, Janmark, Soderberg were going to walk this summer, an Echl player and Highmore, Wallmark were no longer a part of the future, Bowey signed and played a role Seeler didn’t want all year, then shipped to a team who needed a defenseman to be compliant to move up in the draft, very good move. Picked up players who can fill a void now in Hino, Connelly and Stillman and Gaudette soon along with Hardman signing. 2nd, 7th picks and improved to 3rd and 4th for 5th picks, a prospect, definitely say team improved for future while at worst not losing on this year and likely improving this year too, fos aside.
Hope Boqvist is okay and isn’t out too long, tough break for the kid, although alot here won’t feel that way. Good effort last night need to keep it going against Red Wings and then what likely becomes a make or break series against Preds.
So happy for Hagel, big time goal in a meaningful game, awesome move by coach to get him on the ice. Columbus is really really bad . . . but it is a joy to watch Patrik Laine play even if he’s having an off year. That is what speed looks like on the ice, that is what speed does. 6 foot 5 a man child. His end to end rush was simply stunning.
Kalynuk played well and has a higher all round up side that Bo-Quit. He is always in the right position, when ya keep an eye on him ( him not the puck) he may not always make the play but his sense of space, gaps, passing lanes and visualizing the play, and keeping his head up are great assets. Offensively he has a high IQ on both ends of the ice. Maybe bulk up a little and be a wee bit more psychical.
Connolly played well sort of a poor mans Andrew Ladd? sort of kind of.
Go Hawks
The 2009 – 2010 was simply Hawks best team of all time. Domination.
They had the perfect blend of size, speed and a high skill set. They took very few penalties and seldom turned the puck over. But what really made the best was they where Very very hard to play against. They where pretty big, aggressive and physical. They all played both ends of the ice. They made the ice smaller, made opponents keep their heads up and rush passes, they finished every check. So even with average at best goal tending they won the cup.
But that 2009- 2010 team should be a “GM’s template” Toews was beast back then but the team was built on grit . . . Dave Bolland who is one of the smaller guys was exhibit A for grit,
Bryan Bickell 6 foot 4 223
Troy Brouwer 6 foot 3 220
Dustin Byfuglien 6 foot 3 255
Ben Eager 6 foot 3 225
Hossa 6 foot 1 210
Tomas Kopecky 6 foot 3 200
Andrew Ladd 6 foto 2 200
Toews 6 foot 2 203
Seabrook & Hjalmarsson 6 foot 3 200 pounds
anyway . . . just looking at old games and seeing the size and closing ability of all four line in 2009.
Go hawks
Wrap, these 4 games could get us from 0 to 4 like that. NAS prob will lose a few soon because they won like 13 of 15 and DAL could run off 4 like we are now so three teams could be square with games 40-55 left. Good for development would still like that 8-12 before ping pong balls. What ever is good so lets do both.
Were really going to be good in 23 season maybe 2nd 40 games of 21 season. With 19 77 the whole season and young wavers becoming a little more established its just going to be a wave that cant be stopped. Playoffs every yr once that happens/23 season and on is going to be a good one/slapshot.
WIJG asks if the Hawks are better/worse after trades.
I would say the worst case scenario is they are marginally worse in the short term (remainder of this season) but potentially better in the long term depending on if the players/prospects/picks acquired become part of the rebuilt core group. It seems to me the Hawks lost nothing that affects the rebuild while gaining potential. That’s a win in my book.
This is thought/even without seeing game how hard is it to play our Defense even when it was Q. Maybe give Defensemen 5? games to see/read/homework the playbook. Not saying/not know anything about this player.
SLAYERSE7EN
April 12, 2021 at 11:55 pm
.when he’s had how many practices with this team?
Bummed out regarding Boqvist’s injury. The play looked like it could require some dental work but no way did I think concussion when it happened. Course, that was the concern about Boqvist going back to his draft year so it’s not surprising. Hopefully it’s minor and he doesn’t lose time in this development spurt he’s been on.
Domi is a putz. His post game comments support that assertion.
Connelly, Hardman and Stillman on Nhk roster. Gaudette moved from non roster to regular roster so not sure if that means he is available. Lindholm, Krys and Tomkins moved to taxi squad with Pirri. Guess they are going with 4 goalies.
WIJG forgot about Carlsson, the biggest potential long term losz for sure.
Knuckle – Kalynuk who I like as well is over 3 years older than Boquist
In 3 years you can compare Boquist to where Kalynuk is now – I’ll take my chances that Boquist will be the more impactful player long term but I think Kalynuk could have a future in CHI as well – we’ll see
Domi. Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Wrap don’t see many comparisons to Gustafsson now. Who was traded for a 3rd that landed Walt Kaiser who had a strong year at UMD and a real prospect to watch. Meanwhile Philly signed Gustafsson when Flames didn’t and traded him to Montreal yesterday for a 7th and retained half his salary. Agree these younger defensemen as impressive as Kalynuk has been, in a couple of years will be much more polished at that age.
Is the team better?
Consensus seems to be:
Current State – From now to the end of this year – Not better. But not terribly worse.
Future State – Definitely Better
Ian – Will both Gaudette and Stillman be exposed in the expansion draft? I believe they are both RFA’s. While Stillman certainly had some struggles in his first game I was surprised by how well he skated. Keep in mind he is a year younger than Kalynuk. He also has some grit so I look forward to seeing him get some more games. As I said yesterday maybe his energy will light a fire for Zadorov.
MS yes both are eligible and need protecting or risk losing them. So it appears Keith( nmc) and Murphy plus one of Zadorov or Stillman or Dehaan who is needed for compliancy barring Zadorov being reassignd, Keith waiving his nmc or Stillman playing 8 more games needed, for them to meet compliant requirements.
Zadorov resigned sorry
ms
forget zadorov. i am a broken record, but i am not giving a 26 year old hockey player who is giving inconsistent efforts while in a contract year a three year contract. if he hasn’t figured out how to bring it every night without a contract for next year what will be his effort when he is sitting on a contract?
Re Gait’s comment:
Current State – Better than we expected it to be (by a lot).
Future State – More positive options than glaring questions.
Bowman did what he intended: sign quality veterans, play them to the point trade value (hopefully) increased, and get the best return possible. Can’t view this trade deadline as anything but a win for Bowman. He flipped Highmore for a player with more offensive upside and got good value back for other pieces. In total the trades he made in the month of April have been good hockey moves, not buy or sell.
also, a quick copy edit for the comments at large:
Players re-sign with a team.
You resign when you’re leaving your job.
re protection – the acquisition of Stillman made Bowey available. He’s an upgrade from Bowey, too.
Good to see Hagel back in the top 9 where he belongs. Maybe Jeremy will realize this and stop moving him to the 4th line. It will be interesting to see if Gaudette gets a look and where he slots in and Who gets removed. Connolly looked lost and SLOW….his goal was a goalie flub, but we will take it. Hopefully Connolly will get his legs and look like he belongs….but dang he looked SLOW !!
Beer League, Connelly has been known as somebody who is liked and respected in the dressing room. From the comments by Murphy recently, that could be a big plus even if his on ice presence lacks a little.
The fact that Duncan Keith was able to play 29 minutes when the Hawks needed him to do so is why Eddie and Pay don’t go out of their way to point out when he makes a bad play, and honestly I am good with that. This isn’t a situation like Seabrook where he clearly was not the player he once was. Keith can still contribute and is still a plus player on the ice, so I think he has earned the right to have the occasional bad play. I won’t hold it against the Home team announcers for soft pedaling it every now and again. Just my 2 cents.
I really like Connolly on this roster and I don’t think his cap hit is untenable. He reminds me of Brouwer a little; decent skill, decent size, good grit, consummate pro. I think he is the kind of guy who will be a good example for the younger players and also give some veteran stability in the lineup. I don’t expect him to score 20 goals each year, but I won’t be surprised if he does. I think he will do well picking up the slack for both Janmark and Soderberg. He looks like a good guy to have in the middle of your lineup, steady if not spectacular.
I’m liking Kalynuck the more I see him play. He looks more NHL ready than I expected, but I am not sure how high his ceiling will ultimately be. He is playing well and does not look out of place in the nightly lineup. I guess that is the good part of being a late(ish) call up, your rookie wall show up late (if ever) as well…
It was a nice win, but I’m not looking forward to waiting until Thursday to see them play again. But at least it will be nice wait.
Re: Connolly–could be the replacement “Dad” of the dressing room in 7’s retirement & 19’s absence. By all accounts I’ve read he’s *that* guy. A players player. I like the “poor man’s Andrew Ladd” comparison.
Re: Stillman–Man oh man I wouldn’t have wanted some of you grading me if we were in school–no slack/learning curve whatsoever on Stillman?? Geesh.
That 1st goal was his bad for sure but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Max Domi can go suck an egg; just like his pops he has small man’s syndrome. it’s not Murph’s fault that Max is 5 foot nothing and literally skated into Murph’s elbow. Dumbass. I woulda loved to see Domi get the Wakey Wakey treatment from the big fella. I miss those big shoulders of Brent’s….
Domi, Laine, and Roslovic, and they had P-L Dubois, Josh Anderson, and Alex Wennberg. How come the only team the Blue Jackets fleece in trades are the Blackhawks?
Last nights game – Kalynuk keeps standing out to me. Damn, I was pissed that we traded Carlsson, but I have always liked Connelly. Stillman was just jacked last night and probably couldn’t spell his name if asked. Give him a few games to come down to earth. I did like his enthusiasm and hits. Kirby Dach’s wrist is getting better! Kane and DeBrincat just keep rockin’. Kurashev was noticeable last night, as was Hagel. Strome, Kubalik, and Vinnie were fine, but just a bit unlucky and not clicking.
Lankinen (9)
Hagel (9)
Kane (9)
Kalynuk (8)
DeBrincat (8)
Connelly (8)
DeHaan (6)
Heard 16 was on the trade block yesterday.
Was Saad?
And has Saad ever been a healthy scratch this year in Denver?
Who did Chicago get for Saad, anyway?
Just curious.
Long live the Big Lebowksi.
Hope his trades yesterday compensate for the one noted above.
@perimeter player..why are you presenting the Saad trade as a net loss to Chicago?
Saad-41 games 13 goals 9 assists 22 points..on a full season pace for 43 points while playing 14 min a night..not exactly top line production although at $6mil this year, he should be providing top line production. He’s also playing on a cup contending team. Now compare him to the player below:
Suter-43 games 11 goals 8 assists 19 points..on a full season pace for 36 points while playing 16 min a night..the difference is Suter is four years younger and making $925,000 this year..even if he gets extended next year at $3 mil or so per, he will provide excellent value moving forward.
The Hawks believed that they could find Saad’s production elsewhere and they were correct. It really doesn’t matter whether Zadorov is part of this blueline moving forward..subtracting Saad’s contract and finding younger, more affordable replacements for his production (Suter, Hagel, and Kurashev together won’t earn what Saad is) is already a win for a team that is rebuilding. Saad is a nice complementary forward, but he’s currently overpaid, and will probably be overpaid again once he’s ufa. I’m ecstatic that the Hawks don’t have to worry about him anymore.
Great tale of the tape Slayer. Many forget the money aspect of the team. Wanted Stan to take on money but how much is a draft pick or prospect worth. Rocky still has to pay the money.
Fing good job Bowman! Other then keeping Carlson this summer adds/tardeline was perfect.
This.
TAB BAMFORD
April 13, 2021 at 12:49 pm
Re Gait’s comment:
Current State – Better than we expected it to be (by a lot).
Future State – More positive options than glaring questions.
Bowman did what he intended: sign quality veterans, play them to the point trade value (hopefully) increased, and get the best return possible. Can’t view this trade deadline as anything but a win for Bowman. He flipped Highmore for a player with more offensive upside and got good value back for other pieces. In total the trades he made in the month of April have been good hockey moves, not buy or sell.
Hats off to the Hawks, but I just saw the Preds massacre the Lightning. They aren’t cooling off anytime soon. Folks, we probably ain’t catching that team. So, let’s keep increasing the ice time of our kids to build the future and, if a miracle occurs, enjoy a round in the playoffs as an unexpected bonus.
Tampa is coasting a bit and they played McIlleney in net but still NSH is rolling
The Hawks will need to take 2 of 3 vs NSH coming up to have a chance and so far they haven’t shown they can beat NSH
Wrap,
Don’t forget …it’s a new transforme team that we have now and they will kick the predators butt in the future …. joke
But let see first if they can take at least 3 pts against the red hot wings .
Dallas is the team to worry about, perhaps more so that Trashville.
Wraparound – not sure there is a direct correlation to age and performance. Bo-Quit has an up side on the offensive end, that’s a given. But from my observation this is not Sweden and he Does NOT play well in a crowd, in tight, likes to avoid contact and needs open ice to look like the dude most people wish he was. He does not have the speed to create space ( hence hawks addiction to the Stretch-Pass) nor the size nor the grit. I have not really seen one great aspect of his game? But time will tell, I could be wrong.
Kalynuk just looks very comfortable on the ice, sounds lame but GM look for that calmness on the defensive end. He just needs NHL ice time to develop to see if he can make it. Yes he’s got some age on Bo-Quit but not the ice time that Bo-Quit has gotten. Kalynuk technically is very sound on defense, not out of position, knows when to switch or hit the corners or step up. Warning – When a young defense men is noted as a good skater and offensive minded that usually means he’s a liability in the d-zone. Since they spend serious time on their offensive skill set . . . they often not a good lock down defender. Cant have everything, but they gotta have a thing!
Not sure what Bo-Quit’s thing is.
Go hawks
Knuckle – I think your anti-Boquist bias is showing – if Boquist were to make some of the mistakes that Kalynuk was made you’d probably be all over him
Since Boquist returned from Covid he has been one of the most reliable defensively and the best offensively of the D men
He has a chance (this is not a prediction) to be a special player – Kalynuk has a chance to be a good player
It’s certainly possible that Kalynuk ends up the more impactful player but like I said of the two I’ll take my chances that Boquist ends up the more impactful player
Murphy did a good job not getting involved with the coucou. I really think that some team knows that if Murphy is in the penalty box they will have more chance to get the win .
Good player like Murphy should not get in a fight except in some rare case.
Happy to see him thinking ,,,, team ,,,,, team first.
We need him on the ice and he knows.
Josiah Slavin- Don’t look now but based on a very, very small sample size- scoring at a significantly higher rate than USHL/NCAA. Good size. Can anyone chime in- on how good of a skater/quick he is?
The word on Gaudette kid- is real good skater- followed his stat line when Sikura was playing with him in College- pretty impressive. If he can skate w/ Kane- he has the hands to finish.
Reichel- supposed to be relentless and good skater (hope as Quick as Hagel)
Hawks – slowly adding some size/speed
Excuse me while I beat this dead horse … again.
Adam Boqvist: D.O.B. August 15, 2000 – 20 years & 8 months.
Wyatt Kalynuk: D.O.B. April 14, 1997 – 24 years old (today) – Happy Birthday Wyatt.
Kalynuk has over 3 more years of physical growth and development than Boqvist. Comparing the two without considering the vast difference in physical maturity is misleading. This obsession to rush to judgement on the holes in Boqvist’s game is just mind numbing. Has it been only 8 months we’ve heard “he’s only 20” because it seems like forever that defense has needed to be stated.
It would be fun to catch Nashville, but at this point playing hard and competing every night are more important. Keep in mind that for many of our guys this is their first big league playoff race and there shouldn’t be any expectation that we win it. If everyone just focuses on playing with Hagelian resolve we will be much the better for it for years to come.
I also hope that the coach will use the upcoming games to continue to award ice time to the guys that earn it and play them in key situations. Win or lose, play the guys that are hungry.
J-Hawk- Love Hagel’s relentlessness (Highmore was pretty relentless too). But we really should give him some “skill” credit- has Elite acceleration- almost Hossa like. And his IQ/instincts seems pretty “Bolland” like high.
J-hawk, “Hagelian resolve” – nice. I’d say that’s realism on ice. :-)
Bluto in Rfd. coach Kings words he never cheats on a shift, doesn’t cut corners. Seems to be decent skater for his size and is known as smart player. Prefers wing over C, so may have potential to be bottom 6 winger at some point if he develops. As far offensive stats at Rfd. to quick start, so did B. Morrison at first of year and even though he is still primarily an echl player.
Doot look now but DET wins both games they are only -6 games over .500 and we would be at 0 again. NAS wins agasint us DET wins some more that could get close. Thats crazy to think that that could happen after our 11-2-5 stretch. Most likely where the teams settled in at once NAS DAL starte ‘playing’ is where the teams will be.
CAR
TB
FLR
NAS
CHI
DAL
DET
CLB
Slayer:
Who is the better player?
Saad or 16?
If u say 16 u are not being truthful.
That is always, repeat always, the gauge that determines who wins the trade.
See: Patrick Sharp for Matt Ellison.
Bluto,Researched a couple of articles from Vancouver hockey writers and both stated the Gaudette had a weird skating stride and was slow which was the main reason he could not get into their lineup regularly. Each time I watched him he looked quick and very slick with the puck to me. We shall see.
Weighing in on the Saad/Zadorov trade – I don’t think it’s too lopsided one way of the other when all factors are taken into consideration – including contract and control. But, from strictly impact on the ice – I would give Saad the edge.
Using an arbitrary gauge to compare forwards and d-men where something along the lines of top-3 d-men are equivalent to top-6 forwards and bottom-3 d-men are equivalent to bottom-6 forwards I would place Zadorov solidly in the bottom-3 d-men slot whereas Saad ekes his way into the top-6 forwards slot. Therefore my assessment is Saad has a more positive impact on the ice than Zadorov has.
Nashville is the team right now. And they’ve got the Blackhawks number in how to limit them defensively.
Colliton/Bowman have a number of pieces at their disposal they have to decide how to play down this stretch. Will they do what they absolutely need to to try and win games to make the playoffs? Or, will they set lineups to optimize the development of guys during this remaining season. Some might argue that there’s not much of a big difference.
I just remember Colliton, in his first season, playing Sikura constantly on top lines to end the season with the Blackhawks still having some chance to get in. Sikura did absolutely nothing, certainly no goals and very very few assists, but those last 15 – 20 games it seemed like he was up with the big boys on the top two lines and it didn’t work out. Not at all. Never could figure that one out …. the timing, and never pulling him out, seemed terrible.
Domi is a knot head. It’s too bad as he joins other players who actually have skill who can’t keep their noggin in check.
Stillman had a couple of rough plays but also showed some bright moments.
Go Blackhawks!
Gaudette arbitration eligible rfa, wonder if Bowman does what he did with Kampf last year and not qo and let him become an ufa, then sign him after that and do away with atlrbitration which he doesn’t like. Kampf not arbitration eligible this year either now by doing that. Wouldn’t surprise me if Zadorov being shopped after acquiring Stillman an rfa not arbitration eligible, that played a big role in that to send a little message. None of the rest of rfas Hagel, Nylander, Suter and Linholm have arbitration rights this year. Just Gaudette and Zadorov do.
Gaudette on ice rocking #11 Jersey. He should draw into the lineup relatively soon. Maybe Zadorov and Stillman paired tonight. That should be an interesting duo.
Thats what I am talking about players that could be good wearing the 11 16 36 numbers again.
Love to see Barratt in the 36 like Bolly.