Darling, Blackhawks Sink Sharks
Scott Darling stayed hot on Sunday night and the Blackhawks dispatched the Sharks in a prime time matchup.
Darling improved to 6-2-1 in his nine starts since Corey Crawford left the lineup and won both sides of a back-to-back against two Western Conference powers in St. Louis on Saturday and against San Jose on Sunday. His 33 save performance on Sunday night earned him the number one star of the game.
But Darling isn’t the only aspect of the Hawks that’s been great lately. For the second time in as many days, Chicago dropped three goals in the third period as they skated away from a top tier opponent.
San Jose started the scoring early in the second period when Joe Pavelski beat Darling, but that was it for the Sharks’ offense.
Duncan Keith unloaded a one-timer and tied the game with 3:11 left in the second.
Yes, that’s right. Duncan Keith scored a goal – finally.
Keith’s first of the season equaled the score but the Hawks headed to the third being out-shot 21-19 by a Sharks team that had won three games to start a four-game road trip.
But the Triple H line got it going in the third.
Vinnie Hinostroza, who scored the game-winner on Saturday, won an offensive zone faceoff against Mikkel Boedker and Ryan Hartman blasted a shot past Martin Jones to give the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead.
Hartman’s sixth of the year held up as the game-winner, but that line wasn’t done.
Hinostroza scored his third of the year with 2:20 left in regulation to provide some insurance for Darling.
Patrick Kane put his tenth of the season into an empty net in the final minute to extend the score to 4-1. Kane and Artemi Panarin skated with Jonathan Toews in the absence of Artem Anisimov, who was a scratch after getting banged up on Saturday in St. Louis. Marian Hossa joined Hartman and Hinostroza and the trio made an impact in the box score.
After giving Darling six goals of support in his first four starts after Crawford went down, the Blackhawks have now scored 15 in their last three contests.
Darling now has a .938 save percentage in nine starts in December.
Hartman added three hits to his two points while Hinostroza was credited with two blocked shots, one hit, one takeaway and won four of 11 faceoffs with two points of his own. Panarin had two assists to stay among the hottest point producers in the NHL.
Brent Seabrook led the Hawks with five hits and added three blockes shots on the night. Niklas Hjalmarsson led Chicago with four blocked shots.
Perhaps most impressive during the Blackhawks recent streak is the improvement of the penalty kill. Chicago killed both of San Jose’s advantages on Sunday night and hasn’t allowed a power play goal in seven games. Since Crawford went down, the Hawks have killed 14 of 15 penalties.
Oops we did it again .. won!
But.. Toews is no good, we desperately need a winger, Hossa has clearly has lost a step , Seabrook should be traded, and by the way Crawford should go so we can do something with money, Q can’t rotate 4 lines to save himself and at least 5 guys are not NHL ready and need conditioning in Rockford.
First place overall in the NHL must be a mirage.
You are funny ..minning Man ….we have the best team going for a possible 4 stanley and you wany to trade Seabrook .Crawford and Toews and maybe Hossa hehe…..
No way we make any trade …we a Very Good Group now ….Go Hawks Go …
You tell them mining. man! Notice how the doubters, haters and clowns disappear when the hawks are rolling!
After a win the future looks bright. Trending up. Rooks making a contribution with more regularity and hopefully they will continue to do so. Panarin is good.
I am now convinced that the people who talk, hard, would still the same things and think were not a top 5 team/a top 3-5 contender, even if we won 9 of 10 every 10 the rest of the 82 games. Those people need to have a fully loaded roster to feel comfortable.
It alsmost, almost takes the fun at of being a loyal and being excited to know we have one of the best teams again and have a chance to do something special this yr.
When we have a few rough stretchs in JAN or FEB there will be reminders of that and hear words average or even the all almighty above average at best used.
At the end of the day, there is no team in league that is as deep as the 13 Blackhawks, 14 LA or 15 Blackhawks and the 17 Blackhawks are better and deeper then the team that won last yr.
Oh if we have just kept Saad.
As excited as I was about getting Ladd for the playoffs last year, with how this season is going I can’t help but think what this team would look like had the Hawks given more rookies opportunities the last few years rather than making deadline trades for veterans. We may have had danault, dano, and some first round picks and still have been successful if not more. I’ve always thought it important to have young guys in the lineup who are hungry to prove themselves who bring a type of energy and passion that players who have won 3 cups in the last 6 years may start to lack. Of course some deadline trades worked out well and ultimately, I can’t really judge such a successful gm/coach, but hopefully this season will be a lesson for future roster decisions.
We NEED to sign Panerin!! The Breadman is a keeper! The Captain with Kane and Breadman , the Triple H line, six Quality D, ( NO Rosival please!) and 2 great goalies! Just gotta figure out lines 3 & 4
The truth is always somewhere between blind optimism and annoying negativity-I love this team and enjoy watching the games, but last I checked it’s still OK to critique even the best.
Hartman is now showing the combination of skill and pest that he did in the ‘O’. Panarin was a steal, and must be kept. He may be the strongest fore-checker, pound for pound in the league, along with his ability to skate and shoot.
I like the way they have been able to get Forsling the games he needs but he would benefit from a couple of years of getting stronger, Watching #2 play day after day has to help.
Hope we get to keep Darling. Usually when your number 1 goes down you might get a quick win or two but he has been a difference maker in a few games during a long stretch.
This team keeps finding a way to win. No quit in this group. Many tight games so far this year with yet another win for the Hawks. Considering the blistering pace that the schedule has presented to the Hawks in the 1st half of the season, it is fair to say this team is becoming resilient despite the fact that there is a fair mix of young guys playing and learning on the fly.
I am proud to watch our young guys develop and gain confidence. I loved watching Hartman staying in the face of Reaves Saturday night. How did Brodziak not get 2 for roughing in that scrum? Hartman has had a very strong past few weeks and has “officially”arrived. Rassmussen has raised his game to new levels, and now we have Hinostroza getting it figured out. Let’s not forget Motte was playing well before getting dinged up. Forsling clearly has the tools, but needs to be a little quicker moving the puck in the d zone in the face of forechecking pressure. It’s all good and a wonderful surprise.
We knew Darling was good, but he has kept the team in all these games since Crow went in for surgery. A tip of the cap to Darling, who hangs in there even when a softy goes in. Strong mental toughness.
Yes Panaran must be kept, but at what expense to this roster? Every year we have to deal with the cap…. and the roster changes as a result. Breadman must be signed.
Proud of the guys. Keep it rolling.
Lets Go Hawks!
Mining Man- pretty much everything you stated… taking out of context.
I don’t recall anyone saying Toews “is no good”… question is he playing like $10.5M???
“Seabrook should be Traded”- I believe that is prefaced with- IF Hawks can’t afford Panarin… someone else has to go!!!
Crow– once again- my CRAZY idea… that the team/structure and Coaching have SOMETHING to do with goalies numbers… how much evidence/support do you need??? Raanta, Dubnyk, Darling, even the laughable Anders Nilssen ( Sabres)…
All these guys have numbers as good or better than Crow right now… NOT saying Crow isn’t better… I am suggesting the TEAM/Syestem… Just might have something to do with it…. Dubnyk has SHITTY numbers everywhere- before Minn. – but- Somehow he “learned” how to play – right??? No – it’s Minn/Wild system is a decent one!!!
3-2-1…. waiting for the Dolt… to at least make me laugh today!!!
Please come out!!!
Stan cannot sign Panarin now because I believe there is a rule about not being able to be a certain amount over the cap before next season. If the Hawks sign Panarin now, they most certainly would be over the cap for next season. I believe it is for this reason why the Hawks haven’t signed Panarin yet, along with not knowing what the salary cap will be. Can you imagine how impossible it would be to make a deal being a few million over the salary cap? Other teams would not want to help the Hawks out.
In order to sign Panarin someone has to go – who? Some choices are Kruger (and his $3M salary may not clear enough cap space to sign Panarin), Crawford, Seabrook, Anisimov. I supposed there are other players or scenarios to make it happen but those 4 players are the ones talked about most on message boards. It’s a tough call, and it may be a tough sell where we don’t get as much back in a trade as we expect. The ideal trade would be prospects and/or draft picks but it seems like most trades these days result in salary coming back which complicates things.
But, that discussion is for after this season. For now, Panarin is on the Hawks and hopefully the Hawks take advantage and go ahead and win the Cup.
The clown NYCHAWK refuses to eat crow. Not everyone gave up on Hossa but that’s a nice way to spin it! Get a clue clown.
Wall. You’ve been wrong so many times it’s laughable. Isn’t it amazing that the Hawks have the most points in the league! Listening to you from the start of the season you would think we wouldn’t even make the playoffs and it was time to start to sell off parts at the trading deadline. And how did they win 3 Stanley Cups??!! Your constant negativity is annoying, admit you’re not a hawk fan and move on. Get a clue clown.
They won cups because 2 of the best players in NHL were very under paid … and had lot’s of other underpaid players/depth… Saad, Frolik, Shaw, etc.
They are no longer Under paid… + Cap has not gone up as much as projected … which has created issues… of course- Hawks are not alone… Pens- finally won – again… but it took several years of their 2 over paid deals… to level out to the Field $$$ wise… concern here is… buy the time/year 88/19 deals are level with the field and team Cap… will they still be in their Primes like Crosby/Malkin?
Tazer still looks “uncomfortable” on the ice. He sure looks like he is playing in some pain and trying to gutt it out. His shot looks weak and he seems to be favoring his left side. Whether it’s a back, shoulder, neck or whatever, the guy just looks a little “off”.
Let’s hope that he is on the mend and he gets back to 100%, quickly.
The kids are sure looking good. The NHL is not an easy place to learn your craft, but our leadership and guidance are moving these youngsters along nicely. Let’s get everyone healthy for another good Cup run!!
Your not the Man Stan ,,.,.,.,you are a child in sheep’s clothing .
Please refrain from being a dolt .
Hawks will have a lot of decisions to make this offseason. Panarin is the most important but Hawks have to consider this….Trading Kruger for a prospect barely pays off Panarin’s bonuses from NEXT years Cap.
What scares me is the Hawks have 4 regulars (Moose, Panik, Desjardins and Campbell) to resign or replace. Add a couple of non regular roster guys (Kempny and Darling). Now you have 6 competent players needing to be resigned or replaced. The problem…..Their COMBINED cap his is $6mm. I suspect all will want a raise. That amounts to $1mm per player. Hard to replace all those guys at $1mm each. Particularly when one of those replacements must to be a 4 or 5 Dman.
Anyway, enjoy what Stan and company have done this year. Will worry about next year this summer. Go Hawks
The stats are clear. This team is both playoff-qualifyingly good and very lucky. The best predictor of a team’s success is their possession stats. Not their record. Not their save percentage. Not “grit” or “intangibles.” The jury is not out on this issue anymore.
Can we win the cup this year? Of course! But our current method of winning is probably unsustainable. We need more possession drivers, or we will regress to the mean. Feel free to shoot the messenger, but that won’t make the message false.
Stan- I am a fan… and have been wrong many times- especially picking outcomes in series (just a personal defense mechanism)… but I have been right many times on players/prospects… and yes- a broken clock is right twice a day
I apologize for being “negative”… if I offend you… I am a worrier by nature.
I really don’t mean to bring people down here… I like to think I offer some useful content/observations/opinions now and then.
I guess you can always chose to not read my posts- there are a few here that post- who I usually don’t bother reading… ( I do read “Dolt’s” posts- I find them very funny)…
I have been picked on and made fun of for being different much of my life…
So my skin is pretty thick… and so is my head (beat you to it ( 3-2-1 Dolt))
Travis, your comments are spot on. (By the way, these personal feuds on this site are crap)
The key people to watch possession stats for on this team are Hartman, Hinistroza, Campbell and Forsling. If they get anywhere near 50%, the Hawks are a juggernaut. Campbell should get there, given his history but the jury is out on the other 3. If they can somehow hold their own possession wise,their rookie mistakes won’t matter. If they are getting buried in possession, it’ll look like the 2nd period last night (where the Hawks were lucky)
The trend appears to be going the right way. If it continues, you might see one of those 11-0-2 runs before the all-star break
Travis- excellent post… Agreed… and trying to be positive… the Hawks are looking better and better- at least to the eye… actual Possession time appears to be improving… but shots still behind the curve.
It’s too bad a really good site is being pulled into the gutter so often, but I guess it’s the downside of free speech. I hope we don’t lose more good people due to the attacks-(thankfully we have a winner, and multiple Cup Champion, hard to think what would happen if the Hawks sucked)
One Goal.
Ian, do remember what thread you posted the salary cap info on that described a way to sign Bread Man and keep everyone (other then expansion draft). This would be nice to cut and paste.
Reg, with Tazer playing again he must be at least 80 percent/cant hurt it any worse. Need him to get mojo again and I know he will as soon as he gets more flow. Arty being banged up (another hidden cheap shot by STL/they did same thing in a game earlier/against boards to him when he was out rest of that game) for a game or two could be blessing in disguise for 19 to play with 72/88, those guys will up pace/flow. Then when hes around 100 percent again, Tazer will be up and coming. That would be huge. Not going to worry about it unless hes still same way by deadline.
Phil/JS/RyanDale/Jax/Mining/Ernie/SrBrad/ER/SSHM/Reg/DickieDunn/Redtop/Wall/Tim/ Zamboni/BigSmoke/Tab/Bladz/Peter/Pete/Negzz/Else didn’t remember name.
Thanks for the good quality posts and funny posts during these yrs of the Chicago Blackhawks Dynasty.
Good times.
‘a generator for my house since power went out at around 6:00. Stayed off until 12:15. People without generators had to be freaking out. No electricity for a Cup clinch game?’
‘How the hell can you be blacked out from watching the parade. WTF NHL?’
What a lazar by Dunks.
and Noonan.
The reality is we won’t know what this team is until the playoffs. Could be a first round exit or a another cup. We all could probably agree the real season starts n April. So the positive to negative swings are expected during the regular season when you have a bunch of die hard hawk fans on this blog. Comes with the territory, try not to turn on each other. Cut the childishness and personal attacks. Its damaging this site that we’re suppose to enjoy. Who ever this “dolt” is? just stop the attacks and use your effort and writing skills to provide something useful.
Our core is proven even though they’re banged up at times and our young players are showing promise. I think it’s worth noting that Anisimov and Breadman haven’t won a cup yet so I think they are as motivated as ever, which excites me.
In other news Jordan Tootoo has 6 years clean and sober today. Shout out to him, that’s a long time and truly a miracle to recognize and act on addiction. I like him more now.
Morrison wasn t gonna post here anymore but fyi it was dec. 1oth darling notvenough against rangers and to help on shalunov he’s like any other prospect in the organization and all that matters is the nhl has the position ge still and always has belonged to blackhawks. He turns 24 in january so would be eligible for a one year elc then be a rfa to bring him over this yearcwould make him an rfa july 1st again as his elc year instead of elc ending june 30th 2018 would be burnt the only other option may be to sign him before def. 31st and he would be 23 on his signing year and be eligible for 2 years elc and maybe bring over at end of year and use 1 year elc and 2nd next year and still not be a rfa until uuly 1st 2018
Thanks Morrison.
I’ve always enjoyed the conversation with true Hawks diehards without all the petty name calling bs.
Good lord. This once great forum needs a cleansing and an unfortunate moderation from the sites great author.
At this point I will stand up and go on the record with 2 predictions.
First- This is a team of Destiny…we have yet to achieve 100% with our game, in fact far from it, but when we do the other teams won’t know what hit ’em..there will be no counter to fend off the tidal wave that will come. They simply won’t know what to do. I clearly see vital yet differing key elements of each of the years we have won the cup with this group.
Second- Panarin will be the first NHL player to “officially” fire a puck that goes right through the netting and all hell will break loose. We sign Panarin with ease when the time comes. No problem.
I thought Al MacInnis or maybe someone else already put a puck through the net – no?
Ebony- Who in the West could beat us to the final…nooooobody. Then relish this tidbit….vs. Montreal or Pittsburg…..REVENGE time for us old timers.
Yeah, I think a couple of fellows have done it but none counted. Now with the additional cameras and super slow motion we will see the twine bulge and tear apart in glorious detail.
Shea Weber and Brett Clark put it through the net. A shot that rips the net would be quite a feat.
Morrison: I am most certainly not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but this sounds as if you are leaving? Please, I need your humor as we all do. Humor is God’s way of free amusement. Your posts always work for me. Thanks. Go hawks. Was at the game last night and that was pure excitement. I figured it would take at least 1/2 year for this team to jell with all the new faces and kid’s. Very pleased to see the way this team plays a true team game. Very unselfish bunch across the board. Hossa is the best two way player, (especially without the puck) that I have ever seen in 48 years of watching hockey. Thank’s Morrison.
https://youtu.be/wRdKNO_JubY
Thats VAN, those cannucks might have imported those nets from across the sea. Might not be regulation nets, could be Asian knockoffs or indos (like those jersey they had a couple yrs ago).
That does remind me of that Stereo thats so loud, it will blow a womens clothes off. (The Napster)
Jax, I thought after it might sound like that. Just wanted to tell the people from these yrs how good posts have been about hockey and how people shared info of their thoughts when disagreeing. And none of that stinking root beer.
Since there was a couple people not posting anymore, wanted to thank them for the good times (and more to come) if they didn’t post/read anymore.
I respect those who arnt anymore/temporary to things are back to normal. I sort of thought about it, but I have to keep posting for good luck for the team and to release positive vibes. You donot ever know big brother may be listening.
Ian, good info on that Shalunov status so we can add him during these 82 games (and could be a 2 yr elc by doing it before holiday freeze)(otherwise elc/rfa) Which ever way we can add the guy at some point. Hes ours, no more staircase flatlanders.
Thats a good one Morrison…been a while but its back.
It has really been a pleasure to watch Hino and Hartman get excited about their hard work ,crashing and banging ,making plays and scoring goals . Big Hoss is getting off on it as well . The Scott Darling story continues , hard work paying off . I must say ,the first couple weeks of the season i had my doubts about this cast called the Blackhawks ,but they sure are rolling along very nicely now ,.,nice to see a more distributed goal scoring group , would love to see Tootoo get a goal , Great group of vets to mentor the youngsters ,both forward and on the back end .
I don’t like the personal attack stuff either but it’s easy to skip over and there are enough other good posters to make Tab’s blog a regular stop for me.
You know … just to swig back a little koolaid … this talk of Stan being interested in bringing Maxim Shalunov back is intriguing. He showed flashes when he was here a couple years ago but it seemed like he didn’t have the heart and commitment to work hard enough to improve. He ended up in Indy (ECHL) and then headed back to Mother Russia. Well all of a sudden he is a ppg player and one of the top scorers in the KHL. Maybe a light turned on for him – definitely a better player today than he was when he got demoted to Indy. He plays for Panarin’s old St. Petersberg team so they will probably make the playoffs and play late into April – so I don’t know if he would be available to join the Hawks this season, but maybe next season?
Really good comments here and I’m very happy with the backlash to name calling. I guess when people aren’t heard, they get more forceful with their language.
Hawkfacts, I think you’re on the money with the players to watch in terms of possession. Young guys.
Mining- I agree this team has growing to do, and will look different in April. I would argue that they have to, or it’s gonna be another early exit. I have a very difficult time projecting players… would like to hear who you think has serious growth potential and why.
Wall- stay classy San Diego.
Big Earl- Totally agree on the ability to cobble two bottom lines. Our top two lines should be elite. The bottom two will make or break us. It’s really up to the youth in my book.
Big Earl- interesting stuff… wonder why your comments have been deleted???
Truth to your rumor – TvR for Leivo??? I don’t know… Read some scouting on Leivo- seems like type of player /Puck possession guy Hawks might be after…
Only negative- I thought TvR played one of his best games as a Hawk last game- and is trending up… of course He is very injury prone and Might get taken by Las Vegas…
Shalunov was in Toledo at the time. And it’s well known that very few young players in the KHL, especially ones with aspirations of coming to North America get good ice time. Panarin’s numbers werent great and then he took off when given ice. Shalunov already coming over once didnt have the same opportunities veterans had. Now being a veteran he is. He’s near the top of the league in shots per game and his shooting percentage isn’t at an unrealistic level. They’ve been playing him as a center. He has taken the second most draws on his team…but his faceoff percentage is 47%.
The only thing I can figure for why he’d still be property is the current cba doesnt apply.
I really do not care for T.V.R. but i gotta agree with Wall , his play has really rebounded the past few games . With Kempny in the dog house T.V.R. has made the most of his opportunities . We really do have some great depth from the goalie out .
TVR does a lot of things to compensate for his sub-par skating. As a 5 or 6 guy he is fine. I think he gets way too much grief here.
Where we are more vulnerable is with Forsling. There was a shift at about the 5 minute mark of the third period on Sunday where he just stood in front of Darling doing absolutely nothing while SJ was whacking away. He didn’t even try and tie up the guys stick. This guy needs to compete a lot harder. At least Kempny gets stuck in.
While I’m here, I wonder how the Blows felt about Edmundson at 220 pounds getting owned twice on the same shift by Hinostroza on Saturday’s game winner. That was beautiful.
Travis/Mining, Schmaltz seems similar to 86 as for get a few games in the first 10-20, then Rockford for experience/ahl work on certain things and make the guy better/develop. Schmaltz could be just like this and be a good secondary scoring with decent defense responsible (I see same as 86, except he was really good with his stick defensively).
He comes back up for a few games in FEB and see wheres hes at. That along with 64 (who could Rockford/ahl make him better to) were these guys are at, then Bowman knows what we need to add at deadline. Its doesn’t have to be a 1st or any of our good young guys to get what we want/need. Think 4th for a good guy like Hands (faceoffs/3rd line quality depth).
Shalunov is still an option (I think) as a deadline ‘like’ add as long as we elc him by 12/31.
When we add a quality 3rd line guy to our core its better because core is.
The NHL and KHL have an agreement in place where each league honors the others contracts. Which would mean he could sign after his season is over.
I’m not sure where this 12/31 date came up. I always thought it was the trade deadline.
I’d still like someone to explain how he’s still Hawks property other than that he is.
I just have to post again how entertaining/exciting the game sunday was. Stan is the man; don’t waste your time on the terrible predictions of the past, let’s go forward. Speaking of forward, Hartman look’s like the man I predicted him to be. Just think if he and Marian keep progressing as they are. If 19 can work with 38 like he does with 81, YEE-HAA. I think Gustav will mature well with this group, don’t give up just yet! I think this team get’s better as time playing together increases. (less injuries). My concern is why does not Anybody clear the crease for Darling? Too many bodies being allowed to camp out in front of our keeper. Hit somebody, please.
Ernie 2nd city june 1st article on nalimov explains that lack of transfer agreement with khl that cba rules don t apply and the drafting team retains their rights as long as they continue to play in khl. As for dec. 31st cba shalunov he turns 24 in january the cba says at 24 your eligible for a one year elc and at 23 your eligible for a 2 year elc if thats your signing year so by his being 23 on sept. 15 this year he would be eligible for a 2 elc if signed before dec 31st its an euther use it or lose it he would still be elc next year and a rfa on july 1st 2018 either way would just allow to be brought over this year if they wanted
Also what anybody think of looking at jagr at deadline to play on a line with a couple if young guys and on 2nd pp. Florida in turmoil and tallon may move him to a contender for his last run if he really is in charge again
Shalunov s team sibir currently 2 pts out of a playoff spot and khl playoffs begin mud feb.
While they don’t have a transfer agreement, both leagues have agreed to honor each other’s contracts.
The only thing a transfer agreement does is allow players to move freely between the leagues (don’t have to be UFA to jump the pond). If a European player jumps to an NHL club while under contract (Forsling) the NHL team pays 225k to the European club. I have seen no reference in the CBA per the rules about the lack of a transfer agreement pertaining to prospect rights.
Thanks for clarifying the 12/31 date. For some reason I was thinking league year and the 9/15 date.
But per the memorandum of understanding the leagues have agreed to honor contracts so without an actual transfer agreement he can’t be signed until his team’s season is over. Unless his team agrees to terminate his contract…which won’t happen.
Pass on Jagr. Iginla on the other hand…
Just read that second city article. It’s wrong. Had Nalimov played Canadian major Junior they would have been correct that he would have had to be signed. But, since was playing in Europe when he was drafted the 4 June 1sts after the player was drafted rule applies. Has nothing to do with the lack of a transfer agreement.
Whether or not that should be applied to nalimov or not is another debate but it obviously does apply to shalumov as has is listed on their hockeys future depth charts that is easily checked last year and this year. I thought of iginla too and thought maybe price be a lot higher to get him with no guarantees and also the playing with jagr last year how bartok and huberdeau elevated their games made me say him.
I don’t put much stock into hockey’s future. They had Travis Brown listed as a prospect long after his rights were relinquished. The writers over there don’t really have any amazing credentials.
Try shalunov news nhl.com then