Blackhawks Fail To Finish Against Jets
The latest Vezina-caliber effort against the Chicago Blackhawks came from Michael Hutchinson, who earned his first career shutout at the United Center on Sunday night.
It took only 20 seconds for the Winnipeg Jets to produce enough offense to win a divisional game, as Michael Frolik scored against his former teammates on the first shift of the game. That goal would hold up as the game-winner as Hutchinson and his shot-blocking teammates frustrated the Blackhawks all night.
Winnipeg was credited with 30 blocked shots in the game, led by five from Mark Stuart. Hutchinson stopped 33 shots, 13 of which came in the third period.
Corey Crawford returned to the net for a second consecutive night and was sharp after allowing the early score. He made 26 saves but took the loss.
The Blackhawks have lost five of their last seven games, and have dropped their last two home games by identical 1-0 scores. Chicago out-shot Anaheim and Winnipeg 71-52 in those two games.
Jonathan Toews led Blackhawks forwards with 22:41 in ice time, winning 15 of 24 faceoffs and picking up three hits and three takeaways in the game. Patrick Sharp led the Hawks with seven shots on net in 21:19 and was also credited with one hit and two takeaways.
One night after taking a puck to the face, Niklas Hjalmarsson was back on the ice for 22:18 and was credited with one blocked shot and a team-high four takeaways in the game. Duncan Keith led the Hawks with 24:25 on the ice in the loss; Trevor vanRiemsdyk skated 14:38 and looked strong once again while being paired with David Rundblad for much of the evening.
Jeremy Morin managed to put three shots on net in only 10 shifts (7:39), and wasn’t the Hawks lowest ice time recipient in the game. That distinction belonged to Bryan Bickell, who was on the ice for only 7:21 and did nothing in his 10 shifts.
Looking ahead, the schedule presents a tough upcoming 10 days for the Hawks. Chicago visits Montreal on Tuesday before hosting Washington (Friday), San Jose (Sunday) and Tampa Bay (Tuesday). Through 12 games, the Blackhawks have now managed to score only 29 goals – not good enough.
I heard a rumor that the Hawks were told by the NHL it is illegal to skate/shoot between the circles while 5 on 5!!! Can anyone confirm that???
JS- you still think Bickell is good??? The Guy skated better with 2 bum knees last year.
Just add a 2 on 1 off the opening draw to the Hawk’s resume.
Versteeg must have screwed Buff’s girl- 23 was noticeably un-noticeable!!!
Did the Hawk’s trade their Transition game with Leddy to NY???
Impotent. Less then half the forwards are willing to stick their nose into the hard areas consistently and they end up taking low quality shots and no one is there for a rebound or deflection. They had 33 shots and the Jets blocked 30 shots – that is unbelievable. Actually, after watching these first 12 games – it is unfortunately very believable. The league has caught up to the Hawks and every team has the playbook on how to play the Hawks – keep them to the outside and wait for them to make a mistake. Their PP is inept so that won’t win many games for them. The Hawks are 10th in the conference and I’d say that’s about right. Really disappointing.
I think it is fair to say that most fans expected the defense to regress after trading Leddy late in the preseason. I would also venture to say that most fans did not expect this type of precipitous drop off in the transition game.
The inability to skate the puck into the offensive zone has led to neutral zone turnovers that the Hawks haven’t seen since the cup purge. The deep cycle and line to line passing to attempt to gain the zone destroy the transition game because it allows the opposing forwards and defense to establish position.
I understand that the Hawks have run into some exemplary goaltending as of late, but to this point in the season, they have no answer to consistently gain the offensive zone.
It’s also worth noting that Sharp and Hossa both look a step slower than last year. The Brad Richards experiment has been terrible through 12 games. I can’t understand why he is getting ANY time on the PP, let alone playing the point.
We’ve become spoiled with stellar play for years. At some point, regression was inevitable, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch.
I wouldnt mind losing so much if we would have had somebody go after Buff for his punch to Kaner’s skull
a) the team is noticeably slower. losing a lot of races to the puck when it counts.
b) it seems like the line blender thing is hurting the hawks. if we had some set plays with one-touch passes (a la Anaheim) I think we’d have better luck getting into the high scoring areas with enough time to get an unblocked shot off.
c) right now our offense consists of cycling around the perimeter and popping off shots through traffic.
d) TvR is good. Oduya is looking like his best days are definitely behind him.
e) Morin is making things happen when he’s on the ice. He’s actually more exciting to watch than our stars right now. Does anyone know who jived well with him back in Rockford?
f) It is November, so maybe this is the best time to have that 10 game slump and get it out of their systems… LA has done this sort of thing. Maybe the message was – save your energy (and set-play strategies) for later in the season to leave more gas in the tank and more difficulty for opposing coaches to work out when the games are more meaningful?
g) Crawford is a great goalie.
h) how can you not still love Frolik? did the Hawks make a mistake keeping Bicks instead of him?
h) he’s a player I miss watching a lot, probably, and they sure as heck didnt get enough in return for him.
– Why isn’t Morin being used on the Power Play? He’s big, will crash the net, and gets shots off. A perfect guy to get the sloppy stuff out in front. And why does Q continually give him such little ice time when he’s one of the few guys who has a spark and some aggression? Baffling.
– This team is looking old and flat and slow. Time for an infusion of youth, with fresh legs and hunger. The Hawks, as currently comprised, won’t go anywhere.
– We’re getting outcoached. Everyone’s figured out how to play us and stop us. Where’s the strategic response from the coaching staff? Switching up the lines is not a strategy.
It’s the same thing nearly every game. I would think a serious rationalization is about to happen on Richards and Bickell. Both have been horrendously bad. This team can’t get the puck in deep, is reduced to playing a half court game, and just unwilling to do the board battle and work in the crease and behind the net.
There will be a shakeup of some sort this week. I also look for Danualt up here for Tuesday.
Its like they’re playing the 2011/2012 coyotes every game. Sure they outshoot their opponents, but what’s that mean when its a shot from outside the dots without someone in from of the net? Goalie kicks it way outside and that starts a rush the other way. Very frustrating, as I’m sure they are as well.
Trying to be positive-Sharp showed up-but not enough do on a consistent basis. Rundbald looked more like an NHL defenseman and Crow played well.
There is an old Dakota tribe saying –if you are riding a dead horse, eventually you need to get off that horse and ride a new one–
the Hawks need an infusion of something!
Hawks skill advantage is being neutralized by the opponents speed and aggressiveness. I think this has been building the past couple of years. Q must adjust his thinking, the Hawks need to be tougher to play against. The team has tons of skill, but the Hawks need to get younger, have more top to bottom energy and be hungrier IMO. One way to maintain the energy at the top is by letting the grinders grind. If Bickell can’t accept that role, trade him. We can not expect Hoss, Sharp, Oduya, Seabrook or Rosy to be 100% playing 20+ minutes a game.
It’s all “Sr.Brad’s” fault !!!!
Like someone earlier posted – #FREESRBRAD
Guys, it has taken 12 games…but you are starting to see what I have been seeing since last 1/3 of 2013-14 season…NHL is getting younger/faster and Hawks are slowing. In addition, other teams have just adjusted to the Hawk’s “Cycle/Possession” game= let them do it…maintain your defensive angles/box them to perimeter!!!
And we keep on begging for the Hawks to “go to net” get some “Greasy” goals…but let’s face it… Hawks weren’t built/designed for that…this is looking like 2010-11 all over again- when I was begging for Kane to be traded for bigger/”grittier” forwards who would pay the price…that year Kane was shooting around 6% for most of year…
Kane proved me wrong by coming back and playing great Hockey the next few seasons…He also made me understand IT was more about SKATING then being big/strong…Regardless- the Hawk’s transition game has completely vanished!!!
It goes back to inability to get it out of own zone ( or the other team has figured out how to slow down that break-out… incredibly well)… AND/OR the Hawks are not as fast as everyone has made them out to be (or others have just gotten younger faster)…
I don’t see Q trying to change the “cycle/possession” philosophy any time soon…AND I don’t see the Hawks suddenly getting quicker without several call-ups…
SO WE ARE IN FOR A LONG YEAR!!!
I hope SB doesn’t feel attached to guys like 29 (don’t know who would want him),7, 10, Crow… One or more of these guys should go- if Hawks want to be elite again!!! —imo
I hope it leads to top 3 draft!!!
So so so so so much of this is a nuetered transition game. For every breakaway pass to Sharp, there are 5 more passes that get picked off in the neutral zone and turned back around. Or there is a defender with no where to outlet because the forecheck is eliminating the short pass, forcing them to try to make a 100 foot pass to a guy standing still in the neutral zone.
The Power Play is still infuriating with everyone playing on the opposite side of the ice they should. Forces passes to take longer to connect and eliminates the chance for one timers. Occasionally they will do a rotation and it looks right, but not often enough. The whole “skate towards the guy I’m passing to” thing is also beyond stupid. Lets 1 defender cover 2 skaters and forces a quick decision by whoever is getting the puck.
I have a much bigger problem with how Andrew Shaw is playing than Bickell or even Richards, maybe that’s just me though.
Q needs to make adjustments that aren’t just “try every line combination imaginable and hope one works.” It isn’t working. In fact, I’d say it has been counter productive. So many passes into skates or leading people too far. Then when they get a cycle going in the offensive zone, they don’t know when someone is going to leak to try to get a centering pass. It’s a mess. The talent is there, Q needs to make it work better.
They are still shooting an insanely low percentage that will regress, but watching the team play like this is painful on the eyes and it should be fixed by this 700 game winning 2 ring coach.
Is there anybody out there that has played the game at a higher level that can tell me what Morin is doing wrong? Is he not playing his position with defensive responsibility? I just wonder what I can not see on tv that he is doing wrong.
I don’t think this team needs a huge makeover, but as I pointed out numerous times in the past, to maintain team prosperity, you must move players before they begin to loose effectiveness and open spots for younger players to step in. Is this on SB or Q – maybe they both need to make adjustments and right the ship before we are too far off course.
I agree with some previous posts that it is time for an infusion of young, fast talent. Richards is a big defensive liability. Shades of Handzus. Bickel needs to get a long term ticket to Rockford. Every third game he decides to hit a few people and that is it. Rozy needs to be gone. The regression of Oduya has accelerated from last year. Bring up TT and Danault now so they are ready for the playoffs. If not Danault then Nordstrum with his speed and willingness to crash the net. Bring up Dahlbeck instead of Rozy. If the farm system is so good time to see what they can do. Q needs to quit the line blending, it is not working. We need some offensive continuity. We all know Q probably will not make any of the changes called for on these posts.
JS- I called out Shaw a few games ago… and yes- he has been playing like crap too…
65 TO’s exiting the D zone have become common… not to mention 65’s PP penalties… yet he still get’s Q Luv… Mo makes that mistake in the O zone… and sits next 20min.
Mike57- This is Rufus’s Parrot… Morin can’t skate – Morin Can’t skate!!! (Neither can most of the team right now!!!)
Bickell started the game stuck on a line with Morin and Richards. The 16-28-20 line had two shifts before 29-11-91 even saw the ice and then 29 had 7 minutes total on the night. In the Tribune article this morning he even says that he doesn’t know why he can’t get as motivated during the regular season. Maybe he needs more 8 hours beauty sleep. Wasn’t he supposed to be the guy to replace Big Buff (the guy who was all over the ice last night)? He needs to quit trying to get sprung for break-aways and go park himself in front of the net.
If Toews and Sharp bury those two shots instead of pinging off the post it’s a slightly different story but doesn’t really change the overall plot.
Oduya and Seabrook needs to stop listening to the fans pleas to “SHOOOOOOOOOT” every time they get the puck at the point. Without a lane it’s just a wasted chance. They should know better.
57, I played Juniors in Ontario many many moons ago. Today’s game and players are bigger, faster, stronger and far more skilled, even at that level, than I could ever have hoped to be. The game has changed. However, some things are apparent to me. Q is using Morin as his message sender to all the other prospect begging to get called up. That message….”don’t make mistakes, especially avoidable ones. Until you have proven yourself to be a “needed” part of the team, you will be on a very short leash”. What we argue about here is whether Morin is a “needed” part of the team, some say yes, some say no. What I hate is that stapling him to the bench says we are playing “not to lose”. I do not believe a SC contender can play this way to often.
I and many others, Wall, etc., believe that the club needs to use its youth more than is currently being used. Take Rundblad for example. Is he or will he ever be a top 2 Dman? Does he have top 4 skills or potential? Probably not and it doesn’t matter for what the Hawks use him for…..a 6th Dman. And although I would like to see a Dahlbeck or Johns in the line up, I will Take Rundblad over Rosy any day. This is the reason I advocated trading Oduya over Leddy. Not that Leddy is better but that Leddy’s best days are in front of him and Oduya’s best days are behind him.
Wall, I don’t see Q changing either unless the club falls 3 or 4 games below .500.
Here is what I would do…
1. Move Shaw to RW permanently. Have NEVER liked him at C.
2. Demote Morin, promote Danault and put him a C.
3. Sit Bickell for several games. Seriously, he has been a sh!t show on ice for the better part of a year. His role MUST be the guy who sits in front of the crease, goes gets the puck on the boards and works his ass off behind the net on BOTH sides of the ice. He’s not doing that at any level.
4. Sit down with Saad and get his friggin game under control. He has played piss poor for two plus weeks. Don’t ever confuse manical skating with good hockey.
5. Don’t confuse getting pucks on net with quality scoring chances. With all due respect to the pretzel logic of Edzo. I blind monkey can get a puck on net…doesn’t mean necessarily a high quality shot or a shot at least that can translate into hyper activity in front of the net that can improve the chances for a goal.
6. DO SOMETHING about Richards. He doesn’t fit. He needs to go. Either bury him on the Injury Reserve with a phantom injury, dump him on another team for a box of donuts or give him his unconditional release.
Ever since last season teams that can skate and who also have speed KILL the Hawks. This has to be addressed as part of the 6 point strategy outlined above.
Guys, I have not seen much of the team this year at all. When does Q start to feel a hot seat?
Morin is not waiver-exempt/eligible. He would be grabbed off waivers in a heartbeat — for nothing. Morin is not the problem — but he could be part of the solution. High end players (i.e. Kane) not producing, and Q has horses on brain — worrying about equines instead of setting lines and ice team in consistent fashion. Morin makes one mistake relegated to box seat observer; Oduya and Kane make mistakes, ice team remains the same or increases. By the way, Saad is waiver eligible.
For editing purposes: ice “time” — not team. Further, you can’t question Q’s body of work — he is Hall of Fame caliber coach. The undersigned is a Q advocate. He has hit a major coaching slump — as much as his players — akin to what he went thru when they lost 9 in a row year before Cup #2. It happens. Like anyone else, he has to put the work in, resting on laurels not going to cut it.
Horseshit!!! Enough said…
Screw that, I’m venting…
I believe that the organization should give the fans a 50% discount on their tickets. To pay for the discount, the players don’t get paid for every game they lose, the team starts using school buses to transport the team to games, eliminate all per diems & perks, put them up in tents at KOA’s, feed them fast food, and ban them from hockey and the life it provides if they don’t make it to at least the conference championship. That will light a fire under some of their talented babied asses. The easy life has made too many of these guys complacent, coaching staff included. Remind them what a privileged life they are leading!!!
Leddy’s name has popped up again. My comment on that is that the Isles have one of the worst GAA in the league and Leddy is on the top defensive pairing. Glad he is gone.
Frustration starting build with the team and the fans. So many close games lost by 1 goal are tough when a better result is a bounce away. All complaints are valid, with some more than others. Funny to watch Bickell and Buff last night. Two lazy players that dog it for the regular season and get paid because they have been playoff performers. These dogs feed at the same trough. Yes RD, Buff should have found some payback for popping Kaner and Toews in the 3rd last night. I call that taking liberties and for that a player must pay even if the perp is a big sob.
Never mind just the shots on goal and the blocked shot totals. The amount of shots that should be hitting the next and are missing is the stat that drives me nuts. Could the Hawks have missed the net 20-25 last night? Against Leafs same thing. Combined with the above categories this total represents some big numbers. My point is that while we want to see more shots going to net from between the rings, percentages say goals will come. I still feel the low offensive output is an anomaly within the context of the regular season. Doesn’t make it any less frustrating to go through.
I sold my tickets to last nights game as they were requested by a good friend. I pick my spots to do this. Certain teams I just don’t get that psyched to watch. The usual suspects have been Preds(although not this year), Jets, Devils, Wild(in prior years). The muck it up, slow it down teams. I also put the game on the dvr and watched early this morning. FF thru breaks and commercials. One can watch a game pretty fast this way. Nothing beats live hockey though, but with TV you do get vastly improved access to replays while the UC experience provides strangely very little in that regard.
I would not mind seeing Bicks sent to Hogs and Nordstrom up. TT up Richards sit a game or 2? Shaw plays hard, but with all the line combo switching there is no continuity. Everyone suffers. Saad still fighting it. Habs will be a very good test tomorrow on the road. A breakout game can’t be far away. Reduce giveaways and play a simple game. The talent will eventually produce, but when??? Hang in there guys.
Lets Go Hawks!!
Booman- If you don’t want to pay for your ticket, someone else will gladly take it. The waiting list is forever deep with 99% renewal. Price you pay for living in a big successful market.
As far as Leddy goes, he’s been insanely good this year. The Isles are giving up goals when he isn’t on the ice. His 5v5 Corsi is 10% higher than the rest of the team sitting above 58%. That’s really good. We don’t need to talk about him anymore though, he’s gone to prosper while we watch a struggling Oduya.
Peter- Q will never feel like he’s on the hot seat, he has way too many years left on his deal, but he really needs to reign this team in. They should be better.
Phil, I’m laughing. You need to change your handle to “Voice of Reason” or “Eternal Optimist.” Hahaha! Good post. Maybe some of the emotion on this board should be bottled and fed to the Hawks before their next game.
Phil- Habs just took a beat down from Flames… they will be very pissed off at Home…
My guess is Hawks are in trouble Tuesday nite…
Also, once again- yes I can buy the stats/#’s to a degree… if they shoot 100 vs. 35 shots they should get more goals… BUT – You cannot deny that the Hawks High % 2 on 1’s and 3 on 2’s have gone the way of the Dinosaur!!! Furthermore, they are giving up Odd-mans on a consistent basis- On the PP, Transition, Turnovers, AND even on the Opening face-off… EVERY situation…IT is hard to believe what they are giving up… I am waiting for them to give up an odd-man while on a 5 on 3 PP next!!!
SB/Hawks could have easily have kept Frolik last year (and I think they would have gotten by Kings for another SC) and they could have him now instead of the ever disappearing 23…
JS- the D to forward passes have been awful… TvR seems to be the only D man who can find a stick..Sad
Wall- I would guess that’s because the forwards are willing to stay back longer to help him out. The neutral zone is seriously a cluster F and that is where they have dominated in years past. They NEED to change their break outs and I think we’ve both been harping on that since halfway through last year. It’s broken. It needs to be fixed.
That’s also where the value of a Leddy/Campbell type comes in handy. They are both one man break outs of the D zone and can carry the puck through the neutral zone in transition. It is missed.
I haven’t had a chance to see many games this season. But if the Hawks are slowing, why are their possession numbers still good?
Wall, I agree with your assessment regarding Fro and other points well taken. I would take him over Versteeg anyday. Frolick though would have been a high paid 4th liner, but I liked his tenacity and speed he brought to the lineup. He is missed, although the 4th line isn’t the probelm imo. Look back at what Brouwer walked for. He is the kind of player we need right now. Some size and grit with goal scoring skills. Happy to play in the dirty areas. Bicks supposed to be that guy and has not been often enough. Hawks haven’t taken any points in Bell Centre for years, but the games have been fun to watch. We need some points bad.
JS well put regarding value to Leddy/ Soup one man break outs. This was a very important aspect of Hawks game that needs to be addressed. Someone has to take up this role. Maybe they throw it at Keith/ as he has wheels, but someone needs to fill that role as it causes other teams big problems. This was of course was Campbells great asset and was the tradeoff to his not so great d skills. Salary cap has sadly created the holes back there.
Happy to see Kings struggle of late. They play reckless arrogant and have not had the bounces that brought them to the top. Not so fun to play with the Cup bullseye on their backs. That said they are a good team like the Hawks that hang around and will be there in the Spring when the real season starts.
Lets Go Hawks!
Im frustrated as well, as the Hawks team and system is built on speed and I see guys that are definitely lacking it cough cough Richards,Bickell. I would get rid of both of them. Richards is supposed to have a high hockey IQ but won’t score anymore than Stalberg did (who had no brain and no hands but at least had speed to disrupt the oppostion). Maybe the Cap is a good thing to get rid of some of the dead weight and and if Q won’t play them, maybe time for him to go to. Isn’t Babcock available starting next year.
20 19 81
10 28 88
65 (TT/Moose/Regin) 11
29 16 23
2 7
4 Dahlbeck
57 Johns/Rundblad
Balance these line to have some speed and muscle on each
29 has to learn to engage and grind his way back to another chance at a top 9 or top 6 spot.
We don’t know what happens behind closed doors, but maybe Q needs to lock the dressing room door and do what Barry Trotz did to the Washington Capitals. This team only plays as hard as necessary and it makes me sick!!
Q needs to sit some guys and bring up some hungry players from Rockford. A message has to be sent, NOW!!
You can’t “sit guys down and bring up people from Rockford” when you have no cap space, guys. Check capgeek.com for players they can actually bring up and they’ll still be under the cap.
Trying to stay positive during a diff stretch.
10/19/88
20/24/81
29/28/65
23/16/11
Trade Rozys 2.2 & then you have to play 44/5, which would allow us to add a 6m player at deadline (12m if you include 91).
For better or for worse, this is the team we’ve got. To JS’s point (if I have read the reports correctly and for that, who knows) there are only 2 guys on the active roster on 2-way deals – TVR and Saad. And sending one of them down really achieves nothing. They aren’t the problem. Short of an injury, you could maybe bring up 1 guy with our current space. The team’s current problems are not going to be solved by anyone in Rockford.
The Oduya/Leddy horse has been beaten into bloody pulp, stomped some more, buried, then excavated to give a few more whacks. For the exact reasons listed (age, up-side) nobody else wanted to take Oduya off our hands and we had to get under the cap. Tough decision, but Leddy was the only real chip to play. Time to move on.
JS, cant we ltir 13, that would give us 1.25. Which is enough for any FW.
They can move Bickell though (may have to add a prospect) and can pick a playoff performer at the deadline (as Bickell only shows up then and wont be missed during regular season).
by move i mean trade Bickell away and clear that 4M
Stan : Hello Dale, “have i got a trade for you”
Nobody wants 29 for $4M… he will be lucky to be playing a couple years after this contract expires… so many younger, faster, bigger guys will be coming up in the near future… And they will actually try!!! this guy I call “Handcuffs” got paid… and is richer than he ever thought he would be… no need to try hard any more.
Chevrier, I mentioned Leddy early in this thread, but not clamoring for Stan to travel back in time and trade someone else. His name was mentioned specifically to address the fact that he was able to skate coast to coast, allow the forwards to position, and keep the defense on their heels. No one on the roster can (or has shown that they can) mimic that ability.
Leddy was a defensive liability here, and continues to be a defensive liability on Long Island.
When you trade your puck mover, the ‘top end speed’ guys are slowing down due to age, and your current defensive cannot duplicate the transition game, you are going to have problems scoring goals.
Couple that with the league ‘catching up to’ the Hawks style of play, it has the makings of a very long disappointing season.
Hawks are in 10th place in conference and deserve to be there because of a combination of poor play and tough goalie match ups.
If SB did have a time machine, I’d probably have him get rid of 91 first. Understood the point on the impact of Leddy’s absence though, fair enough.
Sadly, I doubt even Dale Tallon would stomach 29’s contract to join the South Florida Blackhawk Reject All-Starts. Although he took Campbell so there’s always hope.
When were on a roll in about 4-5wks from now, we will be thankful for this temporary stretch we have to stick through now. Its going to make us adjust things.
When were 2025games in, I expect all teams to settle in according to their roster quality and for the return of SR Brad.
I understand about cap space, but Q needs to make adjustments to the ice time with these players. Bickel and Richards need to go to the 4th line. Move Kruger and Morin up and give them the ice time.
I was also very surprised that TVR and Runbladt did so well. It’s time to sit Rosy, anyway. We need to see if the young guys are difference makers
Don’t want to beat a dead horse either but, Gingest get your facts right. Saying Leddy is a defensive liability here and particularly on the NYI is simply wrong. He is a +5 on a team that that has given up more goals than it has scored (-3) and as a team has a +/- of -1. In fact the top Hawk is only a +3. Leddy also has 6 points in 11 games.
Yes Mo, it’s a rough patch. EVERY team goes through them. This group knows how to win and what it takes. It’s a long race to the finish.
Big game tomorrow with the Habs. I will throw out an invite to all here to watch the game together, have a few pops, cheer, bitch and moan. My son has a bar on N Milwaukee called Swig. If people are interested I would be happy to be there and watch with you guys. It would be fun to put some faces with the scribes here. The address is 1469 N Milwaukee in Wicker Park. He has a good tap and decent bar food. Early start helps. Any takers let’s hear from ya.
Lets Go Hawks!!
Phil I would but I dont live in ILL (man now I want to another take a trip to Chicago). It would be cool for all of us to watch some road games together like that each yr.
the hawks just dont have the fire anymore theyve won two cups most of them are rich and its a long season bickel has the skills of a messier but not the heart if i see toews get punched in the face one more time and he does nothing i will vomit buff hitting kane in the head is typical he never did fight anyone his own size and was another bickel type player disappear during season i am glad they won the cup twice and will always be gratefull to have seen it but the bloom is off the rose other teams just seem to have more desire how can you maintain the effort to win every night i dont blame them it just sucks when it comes to trading one of the core i say it will be seabrook call me crazy its just my intuition dave
Dave, agree with a lot of what you and others say. It seems like the regular season is simply a formality. I think at times the team takes wins for granted or that wins will simply pile up. However, most of the players on this team are professionals. I believe it will dawn on them and the team will eventually pick itself up and play to the team’s potential.
The infusion of youth serves another purpose. Those guys want to be rich too. They play hard in the hopes of a bright future financially and as a player. Young players simply seem willing to do things that many established players don’t do or don’t do often.
Phil- if I can get out of moving today and do it tomorrow instead, I’ll be there. I’ll let you know as the time gets closer.
For everyone ready to jump off the cliff (Mostly Wall)- Read Scott Powers article from yesterday. If you think the Hawks are only getting shots from the outside this year, you’re wrong. He interviewed someone that has studied the shot charts and the Hawks are getting shots from the same high scoring areas, just not converting. The goals will come.
Wow, c’mon Dave! Hawks have no more fire to win and compete??? That is crazy talk. I suggest you present that notion of complacency face to face with anyone from the team. One can challenge a guy like Bickells resolve, but even Bicks wants to win and succeed. Yes, I agree with you that watching Buff rough up Kane and Toews at the end of the game Sunday was not pleasant to watch with no response. I grant you that.
It should be kept in mind, each game lost so far this year has been by 1 goal. That stat will change soon of course, but those games lost by 1 goal will also become wins just as quickly and that column will get longer as the season progresses.
Blues blogs last week and 2 weeks ago had everyone on the ledge looking down into the abyss. Well what do you know, they are willing games and NHL Network is gushing over them being a great team. And so it goes.
Based on results the Hawks have brought in at Bell Centre in recent years has me leery of the game tonight, but the guys are due for a good one. Anyone wants to met up tonight at Swig Chicago to watch the game I will be there and wearing my red 65 Shaw Hawks t shirt. Stop in and say hi!
JS- The Problem with the “scoring chances” term- while it is a better indicator than SOG’s (because by definition it is showing where shots have a better % chance of actually going in)… THE HUGE problem still is the term- (as well as any shot chart) DOES NOT Take into account the QUALITY of the actual shot… IT only factors the location!!!!
Let’s take Frolik’s goal… It counts as a “Scoring Chance” by definition- due to it’s location… Hossa had similar shot from even closer range… BUT a defender was in front of him, 81 was off balance (reaching) – so he could not elevate… BOTH will Show up as Grade A Scoring chances… But if you Really think they are/were the same in QUALITY (my EYES say- NO!!!)- you are WRONG!!!
I know u and others say the Stats/Chances will revert to mean… so the more of those 81 chances… some will eventually be “unchecked/balanced” grade A (Frolik types)- and converted… BUT what I SEE- is most of these are checked (lower quality) type shots… VERY SIMILAR to Kane’s horrible shooting % year – when he couldn’t get shots on/net ALL year!!!
That last Staement has me going back to my conclusion- THE PROBLEM is more about the lack of skating/chemistry TEAMWISE!!! Kane didn’t suddenly Suck that year- the cast around Him did!!!! leaving by himself trying to generate scoring/shooting lanes!!!
Thanks for the invite Phil. Under other circumstances I would be thrilled to attend a gathering of the committed indians. However, with a 8 month, 3 week and 6 day pregnant wife there’s a good chance I will be watching from the hospital. The good news is the last 2 times we had kids, we won the cup. If it works a third time we may need to crank out a full hockey squad just for the good of the team.
I agree, the corner will turn at some point. Just frustrating to watch when they go through these stretches.
Wall- definitely understand what you’re saying, and it’s easy to say they aren’t getting the chances because they aren’t scoring goals. It will certainly make you think your eyes are seeing something completely different than they have in the past, but the shots are coming from the same areas. They aren’t being relegated to long shots from the outside that are easy stops, even though it feels that way because those are the shots that stick with you.
There are obviously still problems with how they are playing. Breakouts are sloppy, the passing isn’t crisp which is definitely causing the shot lanes to get clogged. They aren’t getting to the boards fast enough because of sloppy dump ins from sloppy transition in the neutral zone. These are all things that can be fixed.
Phil- AJ and I will be there.
lets devote time to the problems with bickel i just dont get it how can he look so good and then he benched for indifferent or mistake laden play. he has moves that harken back to a power ford eg messier he must want to succeed its a persons nature.is he held back by inner demons i give up i guess you see is what you get oh if he had the heart of shaw can you imagine he would be a one man franchise dave
Doesn’t the Cap impact sitting “regulars” to play “call-ups”? Sitting “regular” still is a Cap hit = limits flexibility…? (- just askin’)
Ok JS, it will be great to meet you guys and whomever else wants to attend. I’ll be there around 6:00.
Let’s Go Hawks!!
Reading between the lines from quotes after the morning skate today, I felt there were some shots fired at Q.
Smith/Toews/Kane – happy for Kane and Toews together… but Smith? Prefer him with Kruger.
Sharp/Shaw/Hossa – What does Shaw have to do to be demoted?
Saad/Richards/Morin – This line is interesting. Love the idea of Morin and Saad together. I expect this to get Richards going (even though I think he’s been playing pretty well as of late)
Bickell/Kruger/Versteeg – no.
Wow soo many comments! For the Hawks to win they have to skate harder and faster and control the tempo of the game and get to the puck first and that is not easy! While this might appear to be some sort of slump it now is a pattern of behavior. Even vs. Toronto when they had 10 players in the NET FOR 10 SECONDS they couldn’t even kick the puck into the net. As I have said they have built this team around the same player profile, in size and skill, Saad and Towes are GREAT but we need some size, (morinnnnn) some size infront of the net too on each line, too much passing and to ask SHAW to give up his under sized body is like the BULLS asking Noah to play point guard and sometimes it works but most of the time its SAD and proves the lack of power players we have. I love TVR but is he doesn’t bulk up next year and ride a few guys into the boards and OFF THIER SKATES he’s doomed. The NHL is not a Euro-Style Finnnnnesssss league yet, hawks ahead of their time, still a Bobby Clark type of style dominates the game. Hawks are still a top 5 team and with a break or two can indeed win it all, but lack of size, net presence and softer defense they need to play near perfect to win . . . physical play makes breaks and hockey is a game of odd breaks and luck too.
When was the last time the hawks were a 500 team? They may just reach that milestone tonight! Sad!
The Line MASH-UP must stop it is at the core of the issue. OF course you need to “matchup” at times with elite teams and switch it up, BUT FOR THE LAST TIME hockey is all about chemistry, speed, anticipation and tenacity in the corners, so let lines play for 5 or 6 games let them find their flow, balance and go! Balance the lines with a net presence, some tuffness and finessssssss and speed. Morrrrrrrin must be playing more . . RASMUSSEN is also a guy to bring up NOW. Funny to me, it’s not complicated at all, the system and Coach Q seems to make it so. Young Players will make mistakes but they need ice time.
Phil: Like some others, your invite to a real Chicago tavern on N Milwaukee Ave makes me home-Chicago-sick. Does Swig have an Old Style sign?!? I shouldn’t complain, life in southern California ain’t half bad (except when it comes to hockey). I will be at the Redondo Beach Café tonight, a place that (despite it’s fluffy) name is actually a terrific hockey bar, owned by a couple of Frenchies from Montreal who are of course die hard Habs fans. The Blackhawks contingent there tonight will exceed Montreal fans, though, as Hawks fans often outnumber even Kings fans in this joint when the those teams play. I got a free beer when I first visited there because I could name all the old Canadiens pictured above the bar, all those guys that broke our hearts in ’71 and ’73 SC finals. Just let me know when your out here
I read where Richards wants to center the second line like Bowman hired him to do. Well duh….anyone would want that. I truly think Smith should get a shot. He is a hard nosed player that can skate, pass and give some net presence with some size. 20 / 28 / 88 is a fast skilled line that would give match up troubles to the opposition
10 19 81 18 min
20 28 88 18 min
29 91 65 13 min
23 16 11 11 min
@ Hockey Junkie,
Good question, when were the Hawks at or below .500 during the regular season?
It doesn’t matter ir our winlosstie rec is around 500 at anypoint, we are atop5 team every yr. We have been one of the best teams a few times as well since ’09. We heard it all before and still at the end of the day we are the same top3 team when it matters.
Is COL a top5 team just because they were 32games over one yr, no. They are a top10-15 team though…
SSHM, we started 8-9 in ’11 and went on to 16 over 500 at game81. So the real last were around 500 was in ’08, before we had a full roster.
IMO what the Hawks really need to do, is get better players! Not only get better players but replace “aging” players with younger talent. The Hawks have a number of guys on the wrong side of 30. Hossa(35) Richards (34) Oduya(33) Sharp(32) Keith (31) This team has relatively been the exact same group since the last cup winner. Thats alot of minutes and ALOT of games and ALOT of wear and tear on guys.
Where is the young talent? When is a top 10 farm system going to replace a championship caliber team? Not to beat a dead horse but Nick Leddy was a really dumb idea IF the Hawks were going to keep him long term(the part is debatable). To trade a 23 yr old for a 33 year wasn’t a smart choice at all. However if this season derails and the Hawks miss the playoffs and Oduya leaves anyways then it makes a bad decision season much much worse! (Unlikely but possible)
Well I’m headed downtown to watch the game. Mo, RTP and other out of towners, we will hoist a few to your health and hope for a positive performance from the boys tonight. A point or 2 would most welcome. RTP, sorry no Old Style sign out front, but the Hawks flag will be flying tonight in front of Swig.
Lets Go Hawks!!
We just started tailgate now with Chicago dogs & Goose Island. Heres to a good game, cheers Phil, JS, AJ, and us guys not in town tonight.
Maybe not a old style sign but a Boogie Nights sign nonetheless .