James Reimer, Leafs Hold Off Blackhawks
Toronto netminder James Reimer was able to hold strong against a big third period rush from the Blackhawks, and the Leafs escaped with a 3-2 victory.
Reimer faced 26 shots in the third period and kept them all out of the net to earn a big victory for the hosts. In the game, Reimer made 45 saves.
Chicago’s power play was as good as it’s been all season, and the Hawks’ two goals both came with an advantage. Brad Richards scored his first goal as a member of the Hawks in the first period, and Brent Seabrook added his second of the season in the second period.
Unfortunately, the Hawks weren’t able to score at even strength and their inability to control the puck cost them two points.
Johnny Oduya had an awful night. He was involved in turnovers that led to Toronto’s second and third goals, and later went to the box for slashing after he was badly beaten by Phil Kessel on a rush. Oduya was limited to 17:05 in the game as coach Joel Quenneville mixed up his defensive pairs and compensated for Oduya’s terrible performance.
Oduya’s partner, Niklas Hjalmarsson, had a painful night. He got hit in the face with the puck late in the second period and left the ice bleeding. He returned for the start of the third period, but limped off at the end of a Toronto power play after getting hit with a shot in an unprotected area. Hjalmarsson skated 17:46 in the game and somehow was only credited with two blocked shots (a total that might really reflect less than half of the shots he redirected).
One of the stories that was abused before the game was the matchup of the vanRiemsdyk brothers. Trevor was moved up to skate with Seabrook and was on the ice for 19:59 in the game, the second-highest ice time total among Hawks defensemen behind only Seabrook; Duncan Keith skated 19:54 in the game. TvR had a solid game and looked good throughout; he was credited with three shots on net, two hits, hits takeaways and one blocked shot against his big brother’s team.
James vanRiemsdyk, the second overall pick behind Patrick Kane in 2007, scored the Leafs’ second goal in the game and skated over 22 minutes for Toronto.
Ben Smith led Hawks forward with 2:30 in short-handed ice time and led the team with four blocked shots in the game. Chicago’s penalty kill was successful all three times the Leafs had an advantage.
Bryan Bickell was limited to 11:40 in the game, but was credited with five hits. Jeremy Morin was once again stapled to the bench, but was credited with one hit and one shot on net in only eight minutes of ice time.
Corey Crawford returned to the net after two weeks away and allowed three goals against 27 shots in the loss. The game-winner was a save Crawford needs to make, but didn’t on Saturday night.
How much longer is 32 going to be in the lineup? 27 was brutal tonight. Giveaways in Toronto goals 2 and 3 and terrible penalty. No continuity due to Q’s incessant line blending.
Very entertaining game to watch even though the Hawks lost. In watching the game the Hawks were clearly the better team. Oduya had a bad game. Ben Smith is getting better every year and he should play more. At some point this year I’d like to see a few guys from Rockford on the roster and then they should be ready for another playoff push. GO HAWKS.
Saw the last half of 60, thought it was sloppy but still entertaining. My question, what was happening with the D?? Rozy goes 9 mins in pd 1 ? leads toi after 2nd? 27 was out to lunch. 4/7 were good
I dont recall many 26 sog periods , be interested to know how long its been.
In 3rd, 88 went 10 shifts for over 10 mins, nearly doubling his toi from first 40. He had a great chance late but missed, he seemed to be moving well though
The problem is we aren’t taking care of the puck. Simple as that. We are getting shots, we are down on shooting pct, so you figure that’s gotta turn. Leave the lines alone for awhile. maybe to’s drop…and shots go in.
Hows that power play coming a long. Yeaaa, were working on it.
Richards finding the net, his speed is gone as is his quickness but he has one of the most accurate shots in the NHL when he down between the face off dots, very very good below the goal line too, Seems the Hawks over skating and passing has worn off and he’s just gonna get shots on the net. Richards is a great power play guy but a liability because of his lack of speed. Morin needs those minutes, time to develop and him sitting is just wrong. Johnny O did play bad but that happens why too many turnovers by everyone as lame bloggers and fans pocked at Bickel the other night Towes, Hossa and a lot more turned pucks over all night. When teams CLOSE on our defensemen we’re in trouble as the KIGNS did and even the not all that Physical Leafs did, teams got it figured out. BUT when the HAWKS SKATE and i mean SKATE they’re untouchable. long season but way too many GOOD teams that will make it a “miracle” for the HAWKS in this configuration to win the CUP and go all the way.
Another game where the Hawks should have won, but fell just short. Toronto was given some opportunities on a platter and took advantage of the gif ts bestowed by the Hawks via unforced errors and giveaways. Oduya forgot Halloween was Friday because last night he was scary bad. Had they hit the net with shots that should have been on goal the Hawks would have had over 30 shots on net in the 3rd, something I can never remember seeing in all the years I have watched hockey. Yes RD it would be interesting to see when or if that was some sort of record. It was a withering attack and fun to watch. Wish some pucks had got by Reimer who was really good last night, but I can’t fault the offensive effort. To listen to players talk before the game, their focus was on taking care of their own end, the defensive effort. Right out of the gate it would appear that was forgotten once they hit the ice. They were particularly charitable to the Leafs in the 1st. Referees terrible in the 3rd. They just let the teams play, which I believe really helped the Leafs, but the Hawks got away with plenty as well.
I nicknamed the Richards, Bickell, Morin grouping the Purgatory Line. Why Morin was punished last night with reduced ice time escapes me. Bickell was not very good again. Richards skating a little better, but not fast enough to play with faster Hawks forwards is becoming evident, which more or less leaves the Hawks AGAIN needing a 2 line center. Richards hour glass is running low on time with me. I thought that we would see Teuvo around the Holidays or in January. It might be sooner. Yes, Richards scored, but other aspects of his game are not improving and that is troubling.
TvR is really a pleasant surprise. Reminds me a lot of when Hammer was first with the Hawks. You can tell by watching certain players if they are carrying themselves well, and understand what they are supposed to be doing. This kid seems like one of those guys. Rozy right now is hit or miss, but his reduced mobility is clearly hindering his play and making him a liability. Q will stick with the vet when given a choice. I would like to see Dahlbeck paired with TvR. Oduya play suggests he needs to be more focused. As the season began the guy I was worried about based on how last year ended was Seabrook, but he seems re-energized. I’d rather see him get more aggressive clearing traffic in front of the Hawks net, but his play has been solid IMO.
The guys are back at it tonight, and hopefully they can best a not very good Winnipeg team. We need the points as there are NO weak teams in this division.
Lets Go Hawks!
Its frustrating watching reading the headline of Reimer, Rinne,Gibson, Hiller etc ; hold off Hawks. At some point you have to wonder how you can outshoot so many opponents yet continue to lose. I mean I know how it happens. Just seems to be a pattern that I hope turns out to be an anomaly. It does seem like every game the Hawks play is playoff hockey, which is troubling when you need everybody to get through the season with gas left.
Loved watching Kaner last night-he showed up. Last night confirmed two things people have said about TVR-he isn’t fast but he knows how to play and what to do-
if some people’s expectations are to win at a .700 clip it will be a painful year-I hope they find enough of a groove this year to get into the middle of the playoff pack and then do some damage.
Oduya may not have had his best game but that short clear out pass is done relatively often by their top 4 d-men-it’s risky and looks good when it works.
Best player on the Leafs last night was Oduya… Oh never mind…
I liked the pairing of 7/57. I think the D pairings need to be mixed up a bit. Need to better compensate for 32 or 5 and the growing inconsistency of 27.
I think Q needs to throw some wattle bottles and maybe have a bag skate to wake the boys up a bit. Can’t give away points like last night. Tonight is another night where we need to take advantage of a weaker team. Hopefully a better showing and a stop to the bonehead giveaways in our zone that has plagued us the last couple of games.
Morin had 7 shifts in the 1st, 3 in the 2nd and only 1 shift in the 3rd. Why? Did I miss where he did something wrong?
Bickell had 5 hits, 3 SOG and got tagged for a bogus penalty that should have been an embellishment call against Robidas. Bickell still isn’t consistent game to game, but he’s been better.
TvR – yep, average speed (at best), but a pretty damn good d-man.
Sure fire way to improve your goalie’s save percentage – play the Blackhawks. According to JenLC, the Hawks lead the league in SOG with 428 (avg 38.9 / game), but have only 27 goals which is 16th in the league. That works out to be a shooting percentage of 0.06%. That is over two percentage points lower than they have averaged the past couple seasons. If the Hawks were averaging their “normal” shooting percentage (using 8%), they would have 35 goals – 8 more goals. All five of their losses were one goal games ( Cal 2-1 OT, Nas 3-2, StL 3-2, Ana 1-0, Tor 3-2). How many of those lost games would have been wins or at the very least gone to OT where the Hawks would have gotten a point, if the Hawks were shooting their normal shooting percentage? At least a couple is a fair guess. Add 4 more points on to their record and the Hawks go from 9th in the conference with 13 points to 2nd in the conference with 17 points.
Long winded – I know, but the point is that unless the Hawks continue to shoot well below their normal, they will be just fine.
Didn’t watch the game, but disappointed about the loss. Phil, you are the eternal optimist, but I did sense a bit of frustration with your posts today. I will follow your optimistic lead and just say I am unhappy with the loss, but that I expect all the pieces to fall into place. The hawks will gel and hit a higher gear.
Maybe the plan on Rosy is make him play minutes warranted by his contract. If he can’t handle it physically, too bad. If his body gives out, to the LTIR he goes and we see some young blood on defense.
Let’s go Hawks.
4th in the division
9th in the 14 team conf
16th in the 30 team league
Let’s go boys…
I did find the team record is 27 , it was vs Tor back in 1959 Firewagon 59’ers! W 7-4
Game record 62 vs Pitt ’89 L5-6 Manson 11 sog Konroyd 10! geezus – lanes were open from the blueline I guess! Larms had 2g on 5 shots. 28 needs a banner and a call from Toronto
Team record for shots given up, 33 vs Bos in 1941. It also holds game record at 83. L2-3
This Hawk team looks “out of sinc”. For some reason our passing coming out of our zone is terrible. Defensemen that are not even being pressured are missing sticks that are on the ice!! We turned the puck over on unchallenged passes 5 times in the game. This team is better than this!!
Q has to start sitting players who are not performing to their expectations. This is ridiculous!! Turnover after turnover is ending up in our net and killing us!! There is no “consistency” with this team, right now. To me, it seems that the Hawks play to their opponents level of play. They play good against the really good teams and terrible against the teams that they should beat.
The only guy being held accountable is Jeremy Morin and he’s one of the most consistent players on the ice!! Q’s coaching and line screw ups are starting to wear thin, already. This team needs a serious “wake up call”!!
The Hawks were horrible in their own end. Hossa uncharacteristicly had a bad turn over that nearly lead to a goal. Oduya had an awful game, and the Hawks looked out of sync. Last year this was a game the Hawks would have squeezed a point out of. This year its not happening. The league has caught the Hawks and there arent as many easy nights these days. 6-4-1 doesnt seem like a cup front runner to me.
ER not long winded, but reasonable. I’m with ya. I also think the road will bring the team together more. Happens all the time . Last year both western trips were beneficial. The circus version was the best ever if I remember. Enjoy the ride, it’s a long season.
Booman… the Hawks are where they should be… I said earlier, the Hawks should “throw in the season”… And Go for Top 3 pick next year… Eichel and others WILL be difference makers…
27 was terrible, Hoss ( I luv him) but he has been pretty bad, TO’s, Hands Like Carcillo, I thought Bollig stole #81’s Jersey and was playing last nite…
Icehogs are on fire… Perhaps- they make a deep run in Playoffs AND Hawks Don’t make PO’s… Trade a Big $$$ guy + move into top 3 Draft… If Darling continues to Shine… Hawks will be able to trade Crow or 10 or 7 (maybe even combo)… TvR is Looking like he is for real…
Let’s go Hogs…
Hogs D has been very good
The defense and goal tending have been very strong, but the offense remains a mess. There are several factors at work…
1. Richards has screwed up the line chemistry. Hugely so. Sure, he’s been solid on the PP. But where do you put the guy otherwise? He can’t skate, doesn’t even pretend to get back defensively and is really, really, really, really messing up any sort of line flow that Q is trying to go with. I’m a big Bowman fan of course, but bottom line Bowman screwed up massively in adding Richards. Who do you pair with him? And how do you combat the domino affect with the other lines??
2. Saad is a mess. He has been since the start of the season. He is skating like an uncontrolled maniac anytime the puck in on his stick. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t know what is the right thing to do in attempts of getting him settled and going.
3. Bickell is dog crap. He just is. We can all thank him profusely for his 2013 playoff play, but since then his play has been bitterly disappointing. We have to call it like it is folks.
4. Everybody likes Smith. I like Smith, especially on the PK. But you know what, Kruger can be the only forward who get a pass for the lack of an offensive game. Bottom line is Smith needs to start contributing.
5. Morin can’t really skate and is prone to incredibly stupid and ill advised play. Fact is he should never see the ice for more than 10 minutes. Surely we have something better than this at Rockford who can take his place and perhaps provide a spark. To include in the skating department.
6. Hossa can’t get it going. I blame the domino impact of Richards in part for his struggles. Hossa will get it going, but what should be the reasonable expectation at this stage of his Hall of Fame career?
7. Hawks are struggling to unshackle Kane. Maybe its the Richards domino impact,or maybe opponents are very seriously committing to shutting down the Kane line.
8. Hate to say this, but Toews really is off to a slow start. His game isn’t there yet. I’m not worried.
Oduya? Terrible game. But he’s been a godsend wince his arrival. The Oduya – Hjalmarsson pairing is one of the best and most underrated in the NHL. And Oduya has a nice contract that goes away after this season. What he can do with the puck on his stick and in terms of back checking? Well, things that Nick Leddy can only dream of doing. And that’s not a knock on Leddy.
TvR? I like him. Obviously he has a high hockey IQ and is a quick learner. But I think his potential is as a 3rd pairing type at max. His skating ability is what will limit his upside. And it’s not as if he will ever be a credible physical blue line presence. But he can have a nice several year future as a 3rd pairing type.
Other than that though, you gotta be pretty pleased right Rufus? ha!
I thought i was a slight pessimist about Hawks hockey until I stumbled in this joint, no longer! I’m sky high here thanks to all the doom and gloom. Not knockin anybody I just dont know how you guys do it. It’s comical.
What would have been the pulse here during 97-07 had we gathered ?
I hope we get something for yall to cheer about tonight, Here Come the Hawks !
RyanDale,
Nice post. I’m retired and just having nothing else to do. Hawks aren’t playing that well so I figure I would complain on here. I can’t speak for the others, but I would guess several are retired like me. Hahahaha!!!! Great post. It is just a matter of time gents before a run happens. Hopefully tonight is the night the great run starts. We all know there is too much talent for this to continue much longer.
In the interim, someone mentioned the Icehogs. They are playing well and I just checked out their site and the stats of some of the guys are looking good. Thinking about going to the Chicago Wolves game when Rockford comes to play them on 11/23/14.
Go Hawks…
… the mighty Blackhawks
Take the attack, Yeah, and we’ll you Blackhawks
Your flyin’ high now, so let’s wrap it up
Lets go you Hawks, move off
Now all look out, Here come the Hawks
Here come the Hawks…
Tab’s Headline… Hutch&*&%$&?? Shuts down the High Flyin Hawks!!!
ER- Hawks Shooting % just got worse and continued…
I knew the game was over when the Jets had a 2 on 1 off the opening draw!!!
So we couldn’t have kept Frolik???
Another Ring around the Rosey game for the Hawks with few High Quality shots…
Another disappearing act for 29, 23…
Has anyone seen the Hawk’s transition game???
I just saw a “Missing/Reward” poster at the grocery store for the Hawk’s O… it was right next to the Sr. Brad poster!!!
Brad comeback!!!
Let’s talk about the Hogs… and the Hawk’s top 10 pick next year