Coyotes Shut Out Blackhawks
For the first time since Feb. 25, 2012, the Blackhawks were held scoreless in a regular season games and head to the Olympic break with a 2-0 loss to the Coyotes.
It took only 61 seconds for a trend to develop and 69 seconds for the Coyotes to score the eventual game-winning goal. Brandon Bollig tripped Shane Doan at 1:01 and Keith Yandle scored just seven seconds into the power play. Unfortunately for Hawks fans, the Coyotes only needed one goal on Friday night.
Bad penalties were the theme of the night for the Hawks. After an exceptional start of the new calendar year while killing penalties, both goals allowed in Glendale were while the Yotes had a man advantage.
The second goal for the Coyotes came during a 5-on-3 in the second period. Brandon Saad crashed into Smith, and Michal Rozsival picked up an unsportsmanlike penalty in the scrum that followed to put the Hawks down two skaters. Radim Vrbata scored 43 seconds into the power play.
Crawford stopped 24 of 26 shots in the loss, and complained after he was hit in the head by Antoine Vermette’s stick just before Vrbata’s goal. Niklas Hjalmarsson was engaged with Vermette in front of the net and took his feet out from under him, leading to Crawford getting whacked. Coach Joel Quenneville was hot after there wasn’t a call on Vermette.
In his first game with the Hawks, center Peter Regin blocked two shots in 11:39, including 1:14 during Chicago power plays. He won three of six faceoffs in the game.
The Hawks were without Patrick Kane, who was home in Buffalo after his grandfather passed away. Johnny Oduya missed his second consecutive game with a lower-body issue as well.
With the Olympic break beginning this weekend, the Hawks don’t play again for more than two weeks. Their next “home” game is at Soldier Field against the Penguins on March 1.
It would be easy to blame the officiating for this loss, and it’s tempting after the attrocious illegal stick penalty called on Bickell, the call on Rozsival to give the Yotes a full 2 minute 2-man advantage and the non call on Vermette when he didn’t control his stick and it hit Crawford over the head just as their second goal was being scored, but let’s call it like it is – the Hawks sucked worse than the officials and didn’t deserve to win this game.
The passing was terrible all night long and if there’s a tell to watch for on whether the Hawks will play a good game or not – it’s their passing. When their passing is crisp, tape to tape with the pass received cleanly, the Hawks can play their speed game and dominate play. But when their passing isn’t clicking their speed game disappears and the opponent clogs up the space and the Hawks are much less effective. That’s what happened tonight. The passes were often off target or not received cleanly and the Hawks speed game turns into a rugby scrum which inevitably favors the opponent. Couple the poor passing with a few bad penalties and it throws the Hawks system of rolling 4 lines with speed out the window.
One thing I wish the Hawks would be more effective at is playing the game before them, and what I mean by that is to be aware of how they’re playing and adjust accordingly. In games like tonight when they’re unable to play fast, then play simpler. All the passing looking for a pretty play rarely works when the opponent has 5 guys and their sticks guarding the middle of the ice. They would be better off throwing the puck on net looking for deflections and rebounds – which means they have to have guys down low rather than on the perimeter playing pass-along.
So – not a bad road trip taking 8 points out of 12 against some quality opponents but it’s a bummer to go into the break with this stinker to chew on for about 3 weeks when the next game is played.
ER- very good analysis… Yotes looked like the team that beat us in PO’s few years ago…
outchecked Hawks, Kept everything to the outside, limited any transition… made Hawks look slow…
Regin is better skater, board player vs. 37 (which deosen’t say much)- I think he made one nice pass… but I really DON’T think he is a “better than average/quick skater”…
I still think that trade- sets up another w/ Isles (please Nielsen!!!)… or Perhaps the Hawks will dump someone and utilize Bouchard very soon… Now I don’t know a lot about Pierre… but he obviously could skate and or Had great hands (at one time) to put up great #’s in jrs. and a couple of decent #’s in NHL… IF- Bouchard can show signs of life in AHL… Hawks will move someone else soon after Olympics and bring in Pierre to play w/ Kane/23 or 88/20…
Last game of a long road trip is always hard. Team is focused on getting home. And in this case getting to Sochi.
Well those of us who were hoping for the best for Pirri got a dose of reality last night. No Kane, no Oduya, Zues in the line up…… but hey, let’s play the guy who has shown very little offensive skill and has been on the team for less than 24 hours. Basically you had 1/3 of a second line last night. Furthermore, sent Pirri down with one measly game left before break while on the west coast. Pirri is toast. Nothing against Regin. I thing somebody must of asked Q….How do you say F-you? Answer, give Pirri a plane ticket.
This was a game the Hawks played themselves out of a win. Dumb penalty to Bollig out of the gate set the tone. It was indeed a penalty, but not the slew foot that Eddie O ranted about. Bollig simply leveraged Doan and took him down. Dumb play in the O zone for Bollig and Hawks quickly paid the price. Kind of a lackluster effort and a boring game to watch. Refs bad again. Not sure what Rozy said, but to saddle the Hawks with a 2 man PK for 2 min was harsh. Bickell stick call was a joke, Versteeg flat out dumped but no interference call. Sorry rant over.
A good road trip overall. Pity to see it end on a bum note against Yotes and Smith. After Saad collided with Smith did you see Smith try and look like he was concussed or something? This guy would be a great actor. Hawks should have brought traffic in front of Smith. He gets riled up easy. Just need pucks to net with bodies nearby. I was happy to see the Cpt dish a little at the end of the game. he takes enough punishment, so I am happy to see hime give a little back. Bicks there to help out was encouraging. Bickell starting to get his game together. Hopefully he uses the 2 week break to his advantage. Regin wasn’t bad, but I am sure he was a bit jumpy coming to a new team and playing the first time.
Enjoy the Olympics, and hope our guys come back healthy. Should be some good hockey to watch.
Let’s Go Hawks!
RD- PMB’s U2 #’s (“With or Without You”) -look very positive!!!
His WOWY stats look pretty good over the past few years…
Anyone have good info on PMB’s skating ability/speed???
Yotes always get the calls. It goes back to their ill gotten playoff victory over the Hawks a few years ago. Bad calls in that series and of course the illegal play by Torres. I will never get over that series. Does anyone know if the league still owns the Yotes and is looking for an owner and a stadium deal? Gee I wonder if the timing of their little playoff run helped them in those endeavors? To my dying day I will never be convinced that those issues didn’t play a factor in their ill gotten illegal victory over the Hawks.
ER, and like Wall said, great analysis. I wish they would change their style of play. Good description of a way to play differently when they are a little off/team is choking the middle of the ice.
I am surprised by what I am reading here…yes, the Hawks were a little sluggish out of the gate and their passing wasn’t as crisp as normal, but come on, the game was 2-0…the Yotes scored both goals on the PP…the 2nd one was scored on a 2 man advantage while their player loosed his stick onto the head of Crawford??? WTF?
Everytime anyone here mentions the slightest thing about the refs, ER goes on a bender…he spent 2 paragraphs telling us about “how the refs could be blamed”, but then dumped it on the Hawks…hey, new flash, the Hawks weren’t that bad…at the worst that game should have been an OT point…but in the NHL, at the end of a long road trip, with your best offensive player out, a real life dinosaur playing centre and a “new” piece of driftwood in the lineup, maybe that’s a bit too much for any team to overcome the refs?
Some have commented that PHX played great team defence…yeah, did you see how? They arrack our players, even without the puck…they could have been called for 20 INT penalties last night, but were only tagged with one…teams do this to the Hawks because its effective and they DON’T GET CALLED…and then, add to that the penalties that the Hawks got??? You have to be kidding me right? Brandon Saad gets run into Smith and the Hawks end up 2 men short…CC gets dinged over the head with a stick as the puck goes through his legs…I mean, you can’t write this stuff…
I have NO IDEA why the refs last night did this…and I don’t care to find out…but the Hawks, from Bowman down, need to start making a stink out of these occurrences because, IMO, they happen far too often. A great game by the Hawks? Nope, but more than good enough to get that stinker into OT…
As for the Hawks…Bollig takes the early minor and Q punishes him…he had just over 1 minute played at the end of the first and just over 3 at the end of the 2nd…Zus was AWFUL…he played 6 and a half minutes in the first 14 minutes of the game, and then played a total of 5 the rest of the way…Smith and Kruger had limited minutes until the 3rd as a result of Bollig’s purgatory…Regin showed NOTHING…yes, its only one game, but the last time Brandon Pirri and the Blackhawks played PHX we won, Pirri scored 2 goals, including the game winner in the SO…but he gets send packing before the end of the trip, Kane goes to Buffalo, Zus plays 2 in a row and 3 in 4, and our new acquisition, who didn’t show any skating ability, was a ghost…
The end result? 3 lines for most of the night and the Hawks lose…what a surprise…Q didn’t need to punish Bollig…at this point, Bollig is a regular player on the team…you talk to him after the game, or have him miss one shift to think about it…you DON’T punish your 4th line which has arguably been our best over the last 6 weeks…at the end of the day, do you want to win hockey games or do you want to prove points everywhere?
Sr. the league is desperate for a successful franchise in Arizona. I’m putting that out there. I’ve seen enough over the years.
Wall- he can do everything better than Bollig can.
The Coyotes play a really frustrating style and the Hawks did not want to adjust their game plan yesterday. They pretty much let Smith ruin any forecheck that they tried to establish. If you aren’t going to ring it around hard, it has to go into a corner that he can’t get to.
I liked when Saad ran him. I thought that would have been a good penalty had Rozi not told the official that his wife smells like tuna.
I know it was one game… but I personally think that Kane is the most important Blackhawk. He’s probably so excited about playing with a real center for the next few weeks.
Bickell looking better after playing more games? You don’t say… No one would have thought that!
Yeah, and I love the news from Oduya’s camp…while he continues to miss games for the Hawks, he will play in the Olympics…nice…is that your head where your heart is, or where your paycheque is?
Bickell was much better and IMO that’s 3 in a row…
Guys, Hammer tripped Vermette which caused him to lose control and hit Corey with his stick. If you’re going to call no goal there, there probably has to be a penalty on Hammer.
That was also 100% a penalty on Saad. You can’t go into the goal that hard. He wasn’t going to stop in time no matter if he was touched from behind. It would be one thing if he was cutting across the top of the crease, but he wasn’t. He was going directly into the goalie. This is an obvious penalty.
Throwing out NHL controversies just makes you sound like a Canucks fan. The Coyotes are in the middle of the pack in penalties taken and received. The only questionable penalty was the one on Bickell… but they didn’t clarify what the penalty was for.
The officials didn’t cause the Hawks to get shutout.
And one more thing… Pirri had to be sent down so he could play AHL games during the Olympic break. I don’t understand why they didn’t send down Raanta as well, since the kid has played like 2 games in a month and now won’t play for another 3-4 weeks.
I didn’t pay Alot of attention to the game because the Hawks seemed disinterested.
Brad- you are being a bit of a homer here… Like JS said- Saad=penalty,,, Guy got slashed by Hammer= stick to Crow… and Yotes didn’t give Hawk’s anything or Hawks didn’t skate well=bad game for Hawks= no Hawks looked good to me… Bickell was the best skater/offensive threat… I guess that was the positive as well as the negative- cuz the rest of the guys were invisible- and yes – like JS points out… They couldn’t dump- cuz Smith played it out of trouble… when we skated it in…Yotes-choked 19,10, Saad into submission…
JS-“He … better than Bollig” – are you referring to 12 or PMB???
Brad- I was a little pissed about the Oduya thing to
JS, that”s almost apologetic for the refs…there wasn’t a way in the world that the Hawks should have been “0utcalled” on penalties 5 to 2…ridiculous…PHX clutched, grabbed, held, and interfered all night…and hey, if you’re not going to call it, fine, but it works both ways…
As for Hammer, they were battling for position…it was both ways with the PHX player…and he is responsible for his stick…if the refs wanted to call coincidental minors, fine, but that goal should NEVER have been allowed. Saad was pushed into the net…watch the replay if you are not sure…Saad’s angle would have taken him across the crease…it was the PHX DMan who pivoted his hips and forced Saad into his own goalie…its plan as day, just watch it again if you want…
There are times to just tip your cap and move on, which the Hawks have to do, but saying that PHX outplayed the Hawks and deserved the win isn’t accurate at all…again, not the best performance by the Hawks, but PHX did whatever it took to win that game, and the refs let is slide, and yet governed the Hawks with a microscope…sorry, but that’s what happened.
Wall, the Saad rush to the net does NOT equal a penalty…watch the replay…and for the point about Hammer, both players are battling…the PHX player is responsible for his stick…that same play has been called back against the Hawks in the past.
Again, it is what it is, but you have to call it both ways…if you are going to let everything go for PHX, then you can’t officiate the Hawks with a microscope.
Brad- the replay shows Saad hitting Smith… at full speed – I thought 20 was pushed into net… but in slow mo… NO!
and even more clearly- the replay shows #4 slashing the Yote in back of leg… guy falling… and the stick hitting Crow. Perhaps at best- it is a penalty on both Hammer and the Yote… but if I am a ref- and a guy gets tripped- and then the stick of the tripped player hits someone… I can’t call a “lone” penalty on the “tripped player”
sorry – just being objective!
I’m not sure how you view the Saad rush that way…Saad was coming across the top of the crease when the PHX defender swung his hips into Saad and forced him straight into the net…I can understand at full speed, in live action how it can be perceived that Saad went straight at the goalie, but that’s not what happened…like you, I can only go by what I see…
Yeah, the Oduya thing is a microcosm of the whole Olympic’s problem…especially for the Hawks…sounds like this will be the last time NHL’ers play in them…
What are your thoughts on my assumption that the Isles trade, means that TT is coming at the end of the season??? I would love your take on it…
We have been using Kruger’s timeline from 2011 as a comparable for TT since the summer. Zero surprise. Regin will be a nice add for the rest of the year.
The Oduya thing pisses me off to no end……really Mike? couldn’t have guessed.
Speaking of the Olympics….Look up and read about that thug Ovechkin. I am glad his teammates (especially our old friend Troy Brouwer) and coach had the balls to call him out. Wanting to go to Sochi early. There are 150 NHL players going to Sochi. Every one of them is an employee of a company who does not want them to go. There are 900 NHL players who have to sacrifice their time, many of them in an apartment away from home. The Olympics is supposed to be an amateur event.
I know few people feel sorry for the owners of NHL teams. But that is not the point. The league, players, owners and fans are put out mid season so that 10% of the players can feed their egos and go play in the Olympics. None of those players was FORCED to sign a contract.
I read a story once about Tiger Woods complaining to Arnold Palmer about all the attention from the fans. Palmer, in telling Tiger to stop whining said “don’t play for money and no one will care about you”. The NHL should bar its players from the Olympics.
It appears nobody has paid attention to the talk about bringing back the World Cup… This will be the last Olympics for the NHL for a while, which is why guys like St. Louis wanted to go so desperately
I think the NHL is in a transition and the HAWKS are leading it with a speed game sort of Euro Style paly . . . But as we see the NHL may not roll with it, lots of TEAMS like the YOTES and even the KINGS a few night before are allowed to “interfere” with players and take runs to slow the Hawks down and disrupt the play, the passing and the timing. When the refs call it close HAWKS dominate but in game like last night it reminds me of BULLS vs PISTONS and how the BULLS like the HAWKS are leading a transition that will take time. Slowing Down a hockey team physically is pretty easy if ya can get away with it.
ER – great wrap up, agree with your take, maybe chewing on a stinker will motivate them when we get back to real hockey.
JS- also surprised Raanta didn’t get sent down for some work.
Thought 12 looked OK. not a top 6 forward but can be an upgrade over 37 and 26. Time to break up 16-28-52 as good as they have been, both 16 and 28 could help on the 2nd and 3rd lines. Seems 28 has gotten better at the dot when he gets his chances. Still liked 65 20 with 88 and how about 16 28 with 29 and 12 23 with 26/52 as the 4th line.
It’s a great time to be a Hawks fan!
Didn’t see the game but hope the conspiracy theories stop quickly. Some nights the calls/puck luck go our way other nights not so much. Regarding Regin let’s give him a few games before drawing conclusions. He found out about the trade late Thursday night, likely had little sleep, caught an early am cross country flight and then played his first game without even a morning skate. Agree with JS – hard to understand why Raanta didn’t go down to Rockford to get some action during the break.
Lotta traffic for a Sat . I find these last 48 hrs very perplexing what with the trade dynamics, Pirri iced, Raanta not, wtf27?, the shutout(!) vs Pho, idk, just seems like we went from stoning ANA
and feeling fairly well, then morphed into 99s description of 80s NJD. Did we make 88 fly coach too? Im probly reaching and just pissed about the break. These are just assinine to be doing.
Comments concerning Ovie are spot on. That guy is all about Ovie. Always has been always will be. If the Caps had any brains they would trade him and raid good team players from whatever sucker wants to take him. Caps would then be a better team. Granted the guy has incredible skills, but he is a selfish hockey player IMO. While I am generalizing by saying this, I think Datsyuk is a rare breed Russian player that is all about TEAM.
Ovie though will probably have a big tourney in Sochi.
Brad- I think TT plays several games at years end w Hawks- if they are not firing on all cylinders (or if a PMB, Regin, et al aren’t working)… The BIG question will be how he “looks/fits” during that tryout… If he looks good+ the Hawks will utilize him… if he doesn’t fit OR if the Hawks are rolling well w/o TT… I don’t see them burning a year of his ELC. I still say PMB will get achnce to play w Hawks top 6 before end of year too!
BUT- TT is playing very well right now…Goals are still not coming… But The Hawks will love this kid’s ability/IQ of pushing the pace/game/passing forward…He is not going to win a board battle… but he is aware of positioning/anticipating where puck is going to go, good stick, and good back-check thru the middle of the ice.
A concern for the Hawks team vs. past is the hawks don’t seem to be getting as many odd-man rushes as past year… perhaps other teams have adjusted… or Hawks are a little slower/off… But regardless of TT scoring points… the Kid will help the Tempo w Puck movement… He is like Hoss- Hoss has ability to make sick passes, thru the neutral zone, as well as kick the puck to his stick going full speed (did it the other nite vs. Ducks- Just sick!!!
We have what it takes to win this year. All this talk abut TT is just wishing on a star. Pun intended! I like when the Hawks give the kids a chance but this is a business and don’t see them rushing along young inexperienced players if we can win with the players we have now. A lot of things can happen and after this forced break and we get back to real hockey, let’s see what 12 brings to the rink and let’s see if 29 is rested and healthy. Let’s see if Stan can pull off any other moves that bring us a little closer to that cup again.
It’s a great time to be a Hawks fan!
Sr Brad, I won’t get into a war of words with you, but c’mon man – have some self awareness. You say I go into a bender everytime anyone mentions the slightest thing about refs, which to begin with isn’t true, but even if it were true – pot meet kettle. For you to call out anyone for going on a bender is stunning. There isn’t anyone I’ve seen here that goes on and on and on more than you do.
Also, exagerations (citing 2 paragraphs I spent talking about refs when it was clearly 1 paragraph) and erroneous “facts” (Bollig had just over 1 minute in the 1st, when the true fact was his TOI was exactly 7 seconds in the 1st period) do not help your already tenuous credibility.
Based on observation, I fully expect an attack response from you and that’s fine, it won’t bother me. Please don’t be offended if I don’t respond. There isn’t anything more I can add that isn’t alrready expressed in paragraph #1 and paragraph #2 of this post.
Fans have the rights to complain about calls they perceive as being wrong. We should be able to do that without being accused of “crying about the refs”. I will go back to the playoff series the Hawks lost a few years ago to Phoenix as an example. Torres almost kills Hossa with an illegal hit. No call made on Torres and in fact after they sort out the play Phoenix goes on the power play. The Hawks then play a man down for the rest of the game and Phoenix wins the crucial game in overtime. What a joke. We know Torres play was illegal because he was suspended for 20 games by the League for it and yet no call in the game for that hit at the United Center of all places. Come on. And yes I am still pissed about it.
And so every time it even appears that Phoenix might be getting a break by the refs it brings it all back for me.
Any chance that the large contingent of players headed to Sochi were unintentionally focusing on their upcoming trip and playing for their respective countries? I think it certainly could have had an impact, if only a minor one.
Pete, they do have ownership there now, and the new name is part of that. I believe lease and all is good for now. I think all fans were upset that game, just to varying degrees. It was a bad night. You have every right to complain about calls today. They are plentiful. I see how you might draw emotion from that night. Though I dont feel you cant link past and present and still be objective when watching current games vs Yotes. I’m not convinced that you are doing that, just sayin…… That night isnt effecting calls now, but it could stir emotions.
Game was what it was. Crow was solid and the rest of the team not really focused at the end of a trip and before the big distraction break that is the damned Olympics.
I like what I saw of Regin. Better fit clearly than Pirri. Regin can skate and works hard defensively and on the boards. He won’t generate a lick of offense but so what. A combo of Zeus and Regin will be fine and fits what this team needs. Like I said, let Pirri go to a non playoff type environment where his narrow skill game can pot 20 goals. Don’t give a shit about his loss because he’ll never be an integral player on a playoff defined club. Ditto the limited Jimmy Hayes and Dillon Olsen in this same regard.
Good point RyanDale. I realize I need to get over it. Jamal Mayers went after Torres for some payback and he diod job. Of course, if he had been on the team John Scott would have done a better job pummeling Torres into submission.
Did a good Job. Sorry for the typo.
In the end we still have a healthy 81, that’s the key. Imagine the emotions had that been a career ending, lifelong injury. Raffi thought he was above the law a bit, and I think the nhl is partially responsible for not reigning him in sooner. He wont find many free meals around Chicago and rightly so.
No need to get upset..I pointed out that you get “angry” when someone calls out the refs…that’s all…no rant…PHX committed 50+ infractions last night and got called for 2…your angry response just bore out what I said…but it has nothing to do with liking you or not, or valuing your role here…I think you are a great poster and look forward to reading your insights…your just touchy about the “using the refs as scapegoats”…that’s all…and maybe that’s a good thing, as complaining about the refs doesn’t seem to get us anywhere. I would also love to hear your thoughts on the possibility of TT this season…
As I’ve mentioned before repeating will be a huge challenge-not impossible but…-
A few things must happen: 1) the core stays healthy-the top 10 Hawks. 2) the leadership group, especially Toews, Keith and Hossa need to help the others realize that there are no guarantees and this could be the last shot in their life to get a Cup. 3) A few newbies that are more hungry in the room-Raanta, Smith, Regin, Versteeg (its been a few years) and a new name or two. 4) A hot or at least very good goaltender for a month. 5) Good penalty kill/power play 6) Re-focus after Sochi. 7) Some good bounces at the right time.
A lot to ask. Please God!
I have a different take on Bollig’s penalty to start the game – A definite slew foot & dangerous play IMO & Hawks were lucky he didn’t get 5. It’s the bush league kind of play that needs to be taken out of the game. I applaud Q for sitting him, sends him a message. It also sent a message to Phoenix that the Hawks don’t condone that type of play & I think it calmed things down a little.
That’s just my opinion from a different perspective.
Sr Brad, I apologize for assuming the worse of your response to my post and commend you for a more calm and measured response than I gave you.
Regarding TT playing for the Hawks this season – it’s anyone’s guess but I think the odds are good that he joins the Hawks after his Jokerit team’s season ends. But, my guess is that he will not play a signicant role, if at all in the playoffs. I feel he needs an adjustment period to the NHL game on the smaller ice surface and the pressure cooker of playoff hockey is not the right time to throw him in there. I hope I’m wrong and TT comes over and jumps right in and contributes to another Cup win.
C’mon Rufus, why so harsh? Is there no joy for a kid in the NHL that doesn’t fit within your personal parameters for a Cup winning roster? These young guys are living a lifelong dream of playing in the NHL. Why not relish their accomplishment? Lest we start referring to you as Ruthless T. instead.
Blues were able to get 7/8 from there last 4, ALL went xtra time. They cashed in well. If this comes down to the wire with them and we fall short, you’ll not have to look any deeper for the reason than us being 5-14 and them 10-6 to this point in xtra time games. Where does the argument of early points not being as meaningful come from? I never believed in that.
The fact that you are still mathematically eligible to overcome a deficit does not, nor should it, discount the fact you failed to do what was needed, repeatedly, up to a given point. To me, the race could have been very much decided already. And the remaining schedule is far from being ez, real far.
Of course you can argue whether the standings mean much as long as you make the 8 spots available, but given the format I would think it would behoove us to be at the top of the Central come seasons end. AND I dislike the current Blues team, which probably drove this entire ramble.
well done ER/Brad !
PMB 3assists
Morin 3 g,1 a
Danault 2 g,1 a
Hogs score 8 vs. weak team…
Maybe SB knows somethin bout Hockey!!! Maybe these guys (PMB/11) build some chemistry and get call up in 3-4 weeks (after Hawks move some cap)…
Sorry Joey, if its a slew foot Bollig pushes through with his skate to trip. The take down was with Bollig’s arm. I take it you have played the game, but for me a real slew foot is when you flat out take a guy down from behind with your skate. If Bollig does not bend Doan over with his elbow he doesn’t go down. Yes a penalty for sure, but not a slew foot. Just my perspective.
A slew foot simply involves leg behind player, pushing back on his upper body. It was a rulebook slew foot. It was dirty and deserves a fine.
I have no idea what Regin does better than Pirri, but we should trust Rufus. He KNEW Danault would be up by Christmas to sure up that 2c spot.
I was able to watch the replay this evening of the Bollig play on Doan. I stand corrected on the Bollig tripping call. It didn’t look that way to me initially but seeing it again confirms. Sorry guys…
With all the recent acquisitions from Bowman, and players being sent down, Ted Dent has a stacked lineup in Rockford for the 1st time in a while…and the Hogs have been hot…Simpson is starting to get starts in goal again (after LaBarbera stabilized things) and is playing well…last night they won again, 8-3, and the top line of Pirri, Nordstrom, Ross didn’t get a point…instead it was a new line of Danault centring Morin and the newly acquired Bouchard from the Isles…well, Danault had his first 2 goals in 30 games, Morin had the hat trick and Bouchard had 3 assists…Morin is a sniper, but it was Bouchard’s speed and finesse that made this line dominating last night…Bouchard might be able to help us after the break…very impressive…also, there are zero reasons for Morin to be in the AHL…its a shame for the kid that he is in the Hawk’s organization where he’s not valued.
Drew LeBlanc had a very good game, his first in an age…maybe he will start to come around…Klas Dahlbeck and Clendening are both ready to play in the NHL…go Hogs!
Also, the top line didn’t produce because Pirri simply went through the motions…he wasn’t “present” for the game…I am sure its been hard on the kid, but he needs to be like Morin, and realize he has to keep pushing with everything he’s got at the AHL level and a trade will eventually happen…
Brad, are you going to watch Hogs games live or are you just looking at the box scores and reading game reviews? Living in the Chicago I think I might try and get out to Rockford during the Olympic break and catch a game or 2 if possible.
Brad- I think Morin should have been w Hawks most of year over others too…
AND I wasn’t at the Hogs game… But looking thru “on Ice stats” during goals-
looks like:
Danault/Winchester/LeBlanc
PMB/Bhurst/Morin
and
McNeill/37/??
Ross/Nords/??
As I said somewhere else- Playing PMB w Morin and??? seems like the best option for future (maybe really soon) line/chemistry…
I looked up some Hi-lites on PMB… the dude can skate/dangle/finish… BIG knock he is small and scared (due to some bad concussions)… BUT- this guy just might be a great/surprise fit w/ Hawk’s speed/finesse.
Phil, I find the time to watch about 75% of the Ice Hog games…the nice thing about the Olympics is that I can watch all Hog games, and they play a bunch…you can watch it for free by following this address…its actually very entertaining hockey…I wish more people here did watch the games, as we would have a lot more to talk about…
http://www.hockeystreams.com/ref/51981
Wall, Bouchard didn’t look that small to me…but there has to be a reason someone with that talent and speed hasn’t made it work in the bigs…it was funny in the game last night Morin just kept positioning himself in the slot while Bouchard skated circles around the net with the puck, until he was able to feed Morin…Danault did not involve himself in a lot of this puck possession between the two…
I think there is a lot of NHL talent in Rockford, but most will need one or two more seasons to develop their consistency…and you were so right about McNeil…while he has more speed than you thought, he has been so inconsistent…which is weird for a team captain in Jrs…I think McNeil can be an NHL player for the Hawks, but not until he realizes he has to gas himself EVERY shift of EVERY game…funny how they just don’t get it sometimes…
Wall, the Broadhursts skated with McNeil last night, and they looked good too…its good for McNeil, because he has to skate hard to keep up with them…
The line to open the IceHogs gm last night was Bouchard-Nordstrom-Morin
Appreciate the Rockford updates – disappointed to hear the comment re: Pirri. It’s not like he is the first prospect that has been shuttled between the AHL and NHL. For example the Wings and Kings have moved prospects up and down many times this year. I hope he snaps out of it but it feels like he will be moved for a prospect or draft choice. Regarding Morin it is more perplexing. He appears to have size, speed and skill yet this will be the 4th year where he has gotten only a small taste of the Hawks. The only other current player that I can recall with a similar situation is Bickell who seemed to be up and down a lot before finally making it. I know Q (and most coaches) like the predictability of veterans but you have to wonder whether they have other concerns about Morin. He clearly isn’t a checking line guy and it is tough to break onto the top three lines but I hope we keep him as he appears to have a very high compete level.
Phil – Thanks for your input, & yes I’ve played some & ref’d for 15 yrs. I assume you’ve played as well.
I understand your point of view I just have a different one. Thanks again!
Rockford beat Utica this afternoon at home in a very entertaining game…Alex Broadhurst led the way with 2 goals and 2 assists…Pirri rebounded well…he had a strong game, with lots of puck control…1 goal and 1 assist…Morin scored yet another…Garret Ross scored a huge goal, his 12th, with only a couple of minutes left to send it into OT, where we got the win…again, lots of fun to watch.
To MS-
Morin is a gifted player with some size and works hard but not a great skater. If he was a better skater he would be up right now—and IMO I think he should be. I don’t want to see the Hawks lose him. Although I will admit to not seeing the Rockford games I watched him a lot in Junior and his time with the Hawks. He is a average NHL skater with other attributes.
To Joey Z, I did play hockey but quit many years ago as leagues could get rough and tumble. Once you get over 30 going towards 35-40 I began to be afraid a serious injury might be around the corner that would compromise my ability to stand on the job. I had seen to many guys with serious knee injuries that required surgery. Last years I played I also sported a cage because of a nasty broken nose I received after a a guy tripped-flipped and my nose found the toe of a skate boot. Bad one. Nose Doc asked me why play organized hockey and leave your face, nose, mouth, teeth open to injury? It never occurred to me to wear a shield, until that moment. I had fun playing, but never regretted hanging up the skates and stowing the hockey bag. It was time.
Joey Z the NHL needs good refs. Get after it.
Brad, thanks for the info regarding Hogs games. I will check it out.
Tab, thanks for the reminder that hockey will return to World Cup and the Olympic interruption and distraction will be behind us soon.
I sure hope that the Hogs make the playoffs this year…..but it will be an uphill battle. Currently in 7th place but the 3 or 4 teams just behind them all have 3 to 5 games in hand. Icehogs will need to play very well to make the top 8. Missing the playoffs again would not be what we want from our prospects. Defense is gonna be the key. The I cehogs give up a LOT of goals.
Sharp – Toews – R Nash
Keith – Weber
World Cup-great, if in late summer. The simple idea to have something is obvious. Middle NHL season, not the time. Just get a new WC trophy next time, thing was awful.
Joe Z for nhl referee! this site doesnt have a ton of info but interesting to some degree
scoutingtherefs.com
oops, maybe this http://www.scoutingtherefs.com
Phil & RD – Thanks but that ship sailed long ago, I’m about to retire from a Police Dept. after 30 years! I got the ref’n bug too late in life, but there were a few guys, kids actually that I worked with who were pretty good & I hope to see them in the big show someday.
And Phil I stopped ref’n for that exact reason, I started getting hurt, with 2 serious head injuries (puck to the face 7 stitches & puck to the head under the helmet both resulted in concussions) which are hard to recover from when your 20 let alone 50!
Keep up the good work guys I enjoy everyones comments & different perspectives & kudos to Tab for not “editing” comments.
For those that don’t even check the replays out of the Hog games, you really should…they score an awful lot of beautiful goals…here’s the link to the highlights from Rockford’s last game, the win over Utica…
http://ahl.neulion.com/ahl/video
The Pirri goal demonstrates Pirri’s wicked shot…I hope he gets back up after the break…the Morin goal shows why Morin is a sniper, incredible shot right off the draw…Ross’ goal shows his hockey intelligence…right place at the right time…and Alex Broadhurst’s 2 goals, especially the OT winner, were things of beauty…
I hope more of you take the time to at least watch their highlights over the Olympic break.
Thanks Brad. Yes indeed, a good site for replays. Some nice goals, but d zone coverage is laughably bad on many. Funny, I still find myself rooting for Morin to someday make it with the big club.
I think Morin is going to score a lot of goals in the NHL.
I do too JS…I guess the thing that I need to remember is that for ANY kid to come up and play for the Hawks, the pressure is incredible, because we are going for a Cup win as favourites year after year…we don’t have time to be patient with the Jimmy Hayes and Dylan Olsen’s of the world (BTW, Olsen is doing VERY well in FLA, not so much with Hayes).
I just wish Q would have given Morin a great time span, as the kid can not only score, he is strong on the puck…the 3rd line never looked better this season then when he was on it…
The Broadhursts have tons of talent…
I agree that Morin will make some coach very happy to put him on the 3rd line. The problem Morin has is that we have guys like Ben Smith and Bicks and Steeg and Shaw and Saad who have all spent time on that line and are blocking his path. On another team, he is probably not in the AHL… but if he can stick it out, he could make it on the Hawks… Its just got to be hard for him to be patient when he is a RFA and he could potentially leave at the end of the year…