Lankinen, Blackhawks Beat Stars in OT
After beating the Stars in Dallas on Super Bowl Sunday, the Blackhawks came into Tuesday night’s game with a different look.
Kevin Lankinen replaced Malcolm Subban in net, which wasn’t a surprise. Unfortunately, Connor Murphy was out of the lineup because of a hip issue. Before the game coach Jeremy Colliton confirmed that Adam Boqvist had COVID-19 and would need some time to get his legs back under him, so Lucas Carlsson entered the lineup.
Matthew Highmore was also a scratch in favor of a seventh defenseman. Madison Bowey dressed for the first time as a member of the organization, a significant game (it makes him eligible for the expansion draft after the season).
So Chicago was rolling seven defensemen and 11 forwards against a Dallas team that’s had little trouble scoring this season.
Somewhat surprisingly, Jake Oettinger got a second straight start in net for the Stars.
It took Dallas only five minutes to get on the board. An ugly shift for Pius Suter that included two turnovers ended with Roope Hintz beating Lankinen for the first goal of the night.
After the Hintz goal the Blackhawks would get plenty of opportunities but couldn’t convert. Chicago had three power plays in the first period (the third rolling over to start the second) but none of them was successful.
Dallas out-shot the Hawks 10-9 in the first period, not an ideal number considering the amount of power play time the Hawks had in the period.
In the second period the Blackhawks got a little lucky and also got back on track.
The luck came on what appeared to be a second goal for Dallas. Jamie Benn scored the would-be goal but was ruled to have interfered with Lankinen on the play. The goal was waived off.
Chicago’s power play got back on track in its fourth opportunity. Mattias Janmark sniped home his fifth of the season to tie the game.
Philipp Kurashev and Dominik Kubalik were credited with the assists on the Janmark goal.
Lankinen was superb in the second. He officially faced 13 shots in the period and stopped them all, a few of which were terrific chances for the Stars. At the end of 40 minutes of play, Dallas had a 23-17 shot advantage but the score was tied at one.
The Hawks started the third period with better puck possession initially but the period evolved into a back and forth affair. Both goaltenders made some strong saves in the first half of the period to keep the game knotted.
Dallas had a couple periods with strong pressure on the Hawks defense but couldn’t beat Lankinen. For the second straight game, the Stars and Blackhawks headed to overtime.
Lankinen made 32 saves in regulation. Ian Mitchell (17:46) was third among Hawks’ defensemen in ice time at the close of the third period. Duncan Keith led the team in ice time (23:34), blocked shots (six) and shots on net (five).
Brandon Hagel got on the ice in overtime and made it count. He fed Suter, who made a pretty move around a defender and slipped the puck past Oettinger for the game-winning goal.
Lankinen made two more saves in overtime to earn the second point. He was terrific throughout once again and added the secondary assist on the game-winner for good measure.
Mitchell got on the ice in overtime to finish the night with the second most ice time among Hawks’ defensemen. Calvin de Haan was second on the team with five blocked shots in 17:21.
In his Hawks debut, Bowey skated 10:28 with two hits and one blocked shot.
Suter and Patrick Kane led Hawks’ forwards with four shots on goal each.
Hagel is really the deal of the year so far with Lankinen
This guy is really a gem that will get his chance soon he is always playing a very intelligent game ..always winning battles,
Morrison…sorry I was wrong the Hawks won again
Beaudin is going to be a Hawk for many years. His game has really started taking shape and the future looks bright for him.
This was a perfect developmental game for all the young guys. They got significant minutes against a good, tough team. Both Beaudin and Mitchell stepped up with Murphy out and played well. Suter showed mental toughness after a very poor first period. Hagel and Lankinen were excellent again. The second pp unit changed the game with the goal late in the 2nd. Credit to JC for putting the kids out in critical situations. Another fun game to watch.
Hawks withstood the Stars pressure and minimized the damage as they controlled the rebounds and were in the right positions with the forwards coming back hard.Beaudin and Hagel are really making the most of their opportunity. Suter,s move was around 1 of the top d men in the league.Thats prime time stuff guys.
Great win for the boys tonight
I had to watch the Dallas feed, but their announcers are all business with no yuck yuck, so you get lots of insights but nothing about horses. They were commenting that in the first, the Stars were skating much better than on Sunday. That would match the eye test from the rest of us. Suter was not the only Hawk to be stripped from behind. The same thing happened to Janmark about two minutes later. Those were soft plays and reminded one of Nylander.
Has the goaltending decision been made for now? It seemed as though the competition would be all season long. If that was the case, Subban would have been in net tonight because he did nothing that would merit having it taken from him. You can quibble about the goal he gave up on Sunday but even great goalies don’t hold every puck that hits their glove. It doesn’t stay in there as easily as a baseball. Subban is clearly the back-up, even though he has been as good as Lankinen in his last two starts. Lankinen gave up 4 in his previous outing. At any rate, the fact that we are discussing two Hawks’ goalies that have been outstanding is a real nice surprise.
The Dallas announcers commented in the third about how fast and relentless the Hawks were. When have we ever heard that in the past 5 years?
The second PP unit has been far better than the first. Colliton recognized it and put them out there as the first unit one time. The Hawks would have had a couple more PP goals but Oettinger was excellent. For two games in a row he has been stellar. The Stars can now unload Bishop at $5 mil per season if there are any takers.
On the GWG, Hagel was great. He flew past everybody. But it’s time he gets rid of his Dylan Sikura syndrome. He needs a goal. That said, he is playing great. His pass to Suter was not perfect but Suter showed Kane-like skill to gather that puck and then make the moves he did. It was an amazing goal. It felt great after his first period struggles.
Some on these boards think the Hawks should play young players even if it costs them games. Rocky is probably not on board with that. Rocky might be thinking playoffs as playoffs help Rocky’s cause financially. As it is turning out, playing the youngsters has not cost much in losses. The team is competitive with them and they show flashes of brilliance. But if it comes down to playing a veteran if they feel it gives them a better chance to win, that’s what will happen. Hopefully the words “tank” and “draft pick” can get less air time on the boards. At least until the Hawks relapse, which may happen. But maybe it won’t.
Fun stuff! When can we play again?
Unbelievable 6-4-4, through one-fourth of the season. After the start in Tampa and South Florida, it looked like they were headed to a 3-11 type start. This turnaround is remarkable. The number of rookies playing, the relentless effort. Fun to watch.
Kudos to Pius Suter. Made up for that awful turnover in the first period with the game winner. Great to see.
Hagel’s motor is off-the-charts good. Beaudin really has developed nicely. He’s rewarding the coaching staff for its confidence in him.
Let’s hope Stan extends Janmark. Great find so far. Way better than advertised.
Having Suter, Hagel, and Mitchell on the ice in OT, with Lankinen in net was a huge statement. This was an OT win…but I want to look at the minutiae of the game.
FO% was bad. Strome is consistently inconsistent. He was at a miserable 25%. Kampf, the guy who was 2nd only to Toews, has been poor. He was 38%. Not good. Suter is not terribly good at the dot. He and Shaw were at 50%.
Overall game performance? Let’s look at the bad. Shaw was absolutely invisible. 0 SOG, 0 Hits. He had one number 2 GVA. That’s it. That’s not acceptable from a guy who is supposed to be the energy veteran. Again, Strome. 1 SOG. The #1 Center got 1 SOG. Now, we can say that the numbers don’t tell the story, but, I think they really do.
Defensively is where the Blackhawks were impressive. Keith started the year poorly. He’s really stepped up his game during this streak. Tonight was an example. 5 SOG and 6 BLKS. Along with 3 GVA. He actually led the D in all categories, good and bad. Surprisingly, the next defensemen in minutes was Ian Mitchell, followed by Zadorov, and then De Haan. De Haan played the bulk of the PK alongside Keith. Bowey had a good 1st day as a Blackhawk. He led the defensemen in hits. Zadorov wasn’t bad…but he wasn’t the physical presence he is supposed to be. They could have kept Gilbert and probably been just as effective. I am not a Zadorov fan.
Yes, the team has bought in to Colliton’s “Vegas Knight’s” Scheme. During their inaugural season. It’s working. The kids are exciting. Kane, DeBrincat, Kubalik are bringing the skill. I think we all see the potential in Suter, Kurashev, and Hagel. I’ like to see more of Johnson and more of Highmore, and Entwistle. Maybe give Shaw and Kampf a seat so they get the message.
This team is definitely exciting to watch. Janmark is a great surprise. His two way play is perfect for this team. I also want to see more of Kurashev with Kane. They click. I do hope Murphy is back soon. He’s definitely a steady veteran defenseman. Good game. Next!!!
JC is doing well with this group and Hawks dare I say look like a playoff team again.
Great to see Keith in top form again and buying in.
Dallas players came out of the gate with speed, body contact, and persistence — it was almost like they’d spent the last day watching video of their low energy and important one-on-one battles they’d lost in their last game. Our boys looked overwhelmed for much of the first 30 mins, resulting in several bad plays where players hadn’t caught up to the amped-up pace and thought they had more time than they did–the previously noted strips from 24 and 13, and just about every D-man making a similarly egregious error at some point.
But they got their heads straight and adapted. During the critical parts of the 3rd, I took note of 12, 23, and 24 winning important pucks along the boards to keep pressure in the O-zone–the sort of battles you’d expect them to lose based on size. Team D has done a pretty good job of tying up sticks and getting loose pucks out of the slot/crease of late, to avoid the costly 2nd, 3rd, 4th chances.
Oh – and that Lankinen kid too, I think he helped.
Even Madison Bowey looked alright lol
PP1 misses Boquist – hope he’s back onThursday
Best game yet for Ian Mitchell and he was rewarded with some OT time
Another good game from Zadorov- he’s definitely growing on me
Shaw has no puck skills – plays consistently end with him – I appreciate his other skills but maybe give Hagel at shot on PP1 instead of Shaw
This is becoming routine for the Lankster
Love the all rookie line up for OT winner – Suter almost beat Klingberg just before the play where he did beat him and scored – he got moves and a shot- there should be a place for him next year
Craig
Agree that Janmark should Get signed with the Hawks for 2 more Years.
Hagel was slow to start last year with Rockford but never gave up and always played hard now with the Hawks it’s the same start but I am not worried at all that he has the tools to succeed with the Hawks
Beaudin is a bit a surprise for me because I know the kid and I thought he would take more time to play good at that level because his size but I was wrong and he plays good even when they play him at 3 against 3 .he has the skill and it was a good pick when the Hawks move up to get him because Bergevin was high on Beaudin and Hawks got him at the end of the first round (27 pick from a Nashville
They Had Boqvist and Beaudin in first round .another great move from Stan.
I didn’t hear about the coaching change after last season, or the GM change. I still don’t know their names! But it is one heck of an improvement over what we have been suffering through the past few seasons.
That new GM assembled one heck of a bunch of hungry young hockey players, playing without 2 of their top 3 or 4 offensive players. The new coach has the guys hustling hard, fighting for every puck, and has assembled a decent power play scheme. Hey – and he even made a great call by starting the 2nd unit after the 1st unit had been struggling tonight, and they made him look brilliant.
End sarcasm.
Beaudin is starting to make me tingle with hope. I try not to look too far ahead, but he is fun to watch. Now we need to make room for him on the left side, where I believe he will be a better player still. Watch when he gets the puck in the dzone and looks to skate out. If he is on the (his) right side, he struggles up the boards, or moves to the center of the rink and takes off. If given the opportunity, he flies up the left side (happened multiple times tonight). You can see the confidence he has when in full flight up the center or left side, but with hesitation and cautiousness on the right side. Time to open a spot on the left side which can’t happen quickly enough for him. DeHaan is the most likely candidate, but trading him this early is more difficult cuz of the salary (even if we keep half), but I’m all for moving Cal ASAP. Sitting him is not an option. Zadorov hasn’t shown me much, but his age says it can change any time now, and I think the Hawks will look for the entire season to evaluate him. Keith is going nowhere (unfortunately). Getting Beaudin on the left side will also open another right side spot in case Boqvist is sticking around, which is likely (though I don’t have a problem if he visits the Rock for a while). I’d rather have him there than not playing. Mitchell is becoming less apparent, which is a good thing. We need a guy to develop into a defensively stable player too. His positioning has gotten better by a bunch. Perhaps an injury or Covid issue will open up spots for more kid viewing on defense. Not much about Carlsson that has made me jump for joy. Generally, I’m liking what I see, but not trying to expect too much this early in their careers.
Offensively – evaluations are tough. Who doesn’t hustle and become a pest out there? Who can’t score? We have a lot of kids showing a lot of good things. Just keep rolling them.
And the netminding has been awesome after the opening trip to Florida. That too can change on a dime, but Lankinen is proving to the teams in the division he is for real. Can they show us he is a flawed human? A long way to go. I feel for Delia. Subban doesn’t appear to be more than a backup – to me. Keep working with him and see if he can get a better handle on rebounds. He is the guy as he was advertised.
A few points..
1. The overtime goal from Suter was a beauty..the type of one on one move that a top six forward has in their arsenal when needed. But, that goal was made possible by Hagel’s skating. He literally pushed two Stars back as they retreated and Hagel created the space for Suter to drop in behind him. A definite keeper and the type of player that strengthens the bottom six.
2. Janmark is playing really well, excited to see him continue to produce so he can be flipped to a playoff team at the deadline. A potential win-win since hopefully the Hawks can procure a pick/prospect and then still circle back around to him after the season if they want to try and sign him as a ufa. A lot will just depend on who is selected in the expansion draft. The Hawks have cap space, but they also have their own RFA’s to sign. If a decent size contract is moved at the expansion draft, the Hawks will have room for Janmark. Otherwise, he probably won’t be on the Hawks next year. Also, I don’t want to see Suter become the second coming of Panarin with regards to his next contract. See if you can lock him up to a 3-4 year deal instead of just qualifying him next year. He’s a solid complimentary player who can play wing or center..imagine how good he’ll look if he’s receiving passes from Dach or Toews next year. And then imagine what that potential contract will look like if he rakes up a 55 point season next year. Try to lock him up now in the offseason.
3. @hawks2010..the Hawks didn’t move up to select Beaudin..we traded Hartman to Nashville and got their 1st rounder, their 4th rounder, and Victor Edjell. One of Stan’s best trades, as Beaudin and Kurashev both look great, and obviously, neither is close to their ceilings yet. If Stan can get another kings ransom at this year’s trade deadline, this rebuild could be done sooner rather than later. I’m still a fan of packaging our ufas to one team trying to beef up their lineup for the playoffs..I would be offering Janmark+Soderberg+maybe even Carpenter to try and entice a team to bite.
4. A potential lineup for next year(I include these in almost every post simply because they’re fun..feel free to ignore me while I indulge lol)
Suter-Toews-Kubalik
Janmark/Nylander/-Dach-Kane
Cat-Strome-Kurashev
Hagel-Kampf-Barratt/Shaw
There was optimism coming into this season, not for making the playoffs which seemed highly improbably, if not impossible – but because the Hawks were taking a new approach to the season which prioritized playing the young players with an eye to rebuilding the team. We were optimistic because we thought we had some good young players and we were going to get to see them play. I don’t recall if anything was ever quantified, but we probably all had some idea of what a successful season would be based on some young players doing well. I would say most expectations have been surpassed. It’s still fairly early in the season – but very much so far so good.
All the back and forth regarding Boqvist lately has somewhat obscured the success of the mission to date. Even if Boqvist doesn’t establish himself this season as a key piece of the future d-corps – Mitchell and Beaudin have taken big steps in doing just that. If we were asked before the season if we would be happy to come out of the 2021 season with 2 young d-men locked into our plans – we would have been very pleased. We have a shot to come out of the 2021 season with 3 of them – outstanding!
And forwards too. Suter, Kurashev and Hagel have shown they are ready to be part of the new core group.
And then there’s Lankinen.
Think about that. It wouldn’t be unusual for a rebuilding team to work in 2 or 3 rookies into the starting roles – maybe even 4 rookies … but 7? That’s crazy. That’s 1/3 of the starting lineup. And the thing is they all have room to grow and get better, maybe less so with Suter and Lankinen because they’ve been around the block before – just not in the NHL, but 27/51/74/23/38 – they’re still babes just getting started. They still have growing pains to go through and experience to gain, but coming out of 2021 with 7 keepers is probably more than any of us would have expected.
Dang it, I was also going to make a quick point to show how the two pp units could look once everyone is healthy..
PP1 Cat-Toews-Kane
Dach
Boqvist/Keith
PP2 Suter/Nylander-Strome-Kubalik
Kurashev
Beaudin/Keith
What I find interesting is that both units look like they could be pretty successful..each has a nice combination of size, passing, and the potential for one timers..you could even swap Toews and Strome to take advantage of Strome and Cat’s weird sixth sense that they seem to have while on the ice together..
… and to pile on from my previous post … those 7 rookie “keepers” doesn’t include Dach, Kubalik, Nylander and the old grey beards of the young bunch – DCat and Strome. Those 5 added to the 7 rookies is a pretty solid foundation for the rebuild.
So does this mean the rebuild timeline is moved up? Maybe, but the team will need to have a rock solid d-corps to be a legit Cup contender and that takes experience and experience takes time. My opinion is the timeline for finding the players to be the core group of the rebuild may be moved up but the experience timeline for those players has not been shortened much, if at all.
Has every standing point they have earned come from power play goals? What do people say before the playoffs? “[Give me a hot power play and good goaltending]”. Here is your result teams are always in it.
Team overall looks good and for the development it’s nice to catch some breaks like key players for Dallas also being out of the lineup to offset Toews, Seabrook, Dach,etc being out of the lineup.
Stan bowman has some work ahead of him, Seattle draft protection needs some more work but tonight was a big step in the right direction. Opportunity is here to earn a roster spot and a contract past this year for many players.
Regarding near future-let’s not forget
Reichel, Altybarmakyan, Kayumov, and Galvas on D– all have been playing in Men’s leagues for years. They are all closer to contributing and playing roles in near future when compared to North American rookies. All of these guys can skate and have decent skill levels.
Does murphy’s absence make him expendable at the trade deadline? Is it time we forget the vets and move on? Except of course for Kane, Keith and Janmark?
Well, poor Prius was going to get the dreaded 5. But, the kid made up for it! I hope this OT goal propels him to relax and just play his game.
Lankinen (9)
Hagel(8)
Beaudin (8)
Suter(7)
Janmark(7)
Bowey(7)…just because he’s better than David Runblad in his first game
Kubalik(7)
Keith(7)
Kurashev(7)
Shaw(5)
You ll only be sorry if were picking 19th again.
People said we played only mid tier and bootom 10 team after first couple games and that were playing/see how agasint two top 10 teams in CAR?DAL.
Well we did 3-0-1.
Hows that.
Best thing for this team is top 5 skill draft player.
Or
well end up like CAR with lots of good players and only one generational/elite though not enough to win.
I want to win. Which requires more elites then one.
Thats why its oging to be sweet once the entire young wave is ready because well be deep and fast like that and can finally play that dump/forecheck stuff.
ROBS
February 9, 2021 at 10:56 pm
The Dallas announcers commented in the third about how fast and relentless the Hawks were. When have we ever heard that in the past 5 years?
If there is an elite player in the Swiss League, Stan will find him. Now, I want Lucas Carlsson in for deHaan. Same player, only younger and faster. We need Murphy back in there ASAP. What is Shaw doing? We need more from him and Soderberg.
I did say I would try to not post as much about draft standings and I havnt too much so I will less. It is imortant though and will make the young wave batter now matter how good we do now. Its getting more good players like these guys to be deeper/better. Thats not taking anything away from them doing good now its making them better/getting them more help for when were really ready/when it really counts.
Very glad Lankenin Hagel Suter are good I expected Beau Mitch to be good. Be huge Lankenin is a starter/top 15 goalie for future.
Agree with Slayerforever-there’s little to dislike about Janmark, and he has some tempo to his game but sample size. sample size…. he was available for a reason, Let’s see how he does in the next 5 to 10 games, and is there anyone in the system that can do what he is doing?
I haven’t seen a puck hound on this team like Hagel since the departure of the quiet big man and future HOFer. (not 19) Kruger was close but didn’t have the motor of this young guy. Hagel won’t be as good but every team covets a player that disrupts the flow of the opposition.
If Hagel can develop into a bit of a scorer he could replace what Janmark brings
I love the way Janmark is playing but I’m not sure he should be part of the future given his age – maybe yes but maybe not – let’s see how things play out with him
We’re gonna need room for Nylander next year and possibly Reichel/Kayumov et. al. sometime in the next year or two
I know that it’s very early in the season but if they keep playing like this I can see an Adams and a Calder trophy coming to Chicago.
This is exactly what I wanted this season to be-a fun surprise with some hiccups along the way.
I don’t subscribe to the “tank for a higher pick” line of thought; never have. I don’t believe any pro athlete likes to lose & think it hurts the culture of a team long term, big picture.
When it comes down to it, the kids have been a shot in the arm to the vets. Everyone is working their tails off to stay in the line up. Remember 2006-07ish when the team was just on the cusp of breaking through? The mix of vets and fresh faces set the tone for what was to come and it was fun to watch.
That’s the feeling I get when I watch this group now, and I don’t mind it one bit if they mess up a little along the way.
(Oh and I really don’t like Jamie Benn.
Jerk. Pavelski should have the C for them, not him. But I digress.)
See you Thursday night!
Cheers!
Teams don’t tank (players and coaches). But sometimes you don’t have enough talent and drive to win or it’s iffy at trade deadline and you sell, sell sell.
This was never about tanking it was about how good are they-and it seems they are better that most thought and fun to watch as well.
We’ll see if Lanks’ play is sustainable. I hope it is and he is there next goalie of the future.
Noonan – the fact that Lankinen did this with his club team in Europe then at the World Championship winning gold then was an AllStar at the Ahl level suggests that this is what he is – a very good goalie
This is not a one off – he is 25 and has a good track record – teams will soon enough get a book on him but I expect him to adjust
I’ll be surprised at this point if he’s not the real deal
@noonan I meant my tanking comment in general reference to how the team has been playing over the last few seasons, not just this one.
Some people–not necessarily on here–are for the “forget about it and tank” mentality when things get rough. IMO that really hurts a team’s culture. That’s all I meant.
Good to see them playing as a team and everybody getting a chance to step up and be the star of the game. Not just a 19, 88 and 2 team with alot of younger guys along for the ride, but real support and depth happening and a corner turning in that area for sure. Obviously the special team play making a huge difference and as they will eventually cool off, the 5 on 5 scoring with 3rd and 4th line suppport there as well will play a huge part. As much as we said this team should be harder to play against this season, with the hope the team would come together. That hope is exceeding expectations at this point but it all starts with how great the goaltending has been, as long that level of play between the pipes is there for most games giving them a chance, they will win their share of games this season. Just enjoying the ride now.
Wrap I think, and hope you’re right. Stef you are right and it’s not the best for the dressing room. What I wanted to say is that wishing for Dach at 3 or a Kane at 1 isn’t (to me) saying I hope they suck enough to get a top 5, it’s just that having the odd top of the draft pick(s) is usually needed to get to that upper level-
maybe Dach will be one of those guys.
They seem to be going in the right direction with a mix of draft and free agents, and it seems a new sense of purpose-and a coach that just might know what he is doing.
Noonan, I agree – players/coaches don’t try to tank. Everyone in that room is trying to win every game – as they should be. Their job is to play to win, not be concerned with draft position.
The GM’s job, on the other hand, has to be more concerned about the long term perspective than only winning every game. That involves not just constructing and sustaining a competitive roster but doing so within the salary cap. That responsibility may require him to forego short term success for long term sustained success. That is what Stan is doing this year, and I hope this early season success doesn’t compel him to change course. The Hawks should not mortgage any future assets to be buyers at the TDL. If they have a shot to make the playoffs and he decides to not be a seller – fine – but DO NOT be a buyer.
While I don’t think the Hawks are winning with smoke and mirrors, I also don’t believe their success is sustainable over the last 3/4 of the season. Maybe the goaltending and the relentless work ethic will continue, but I doubt the PP will continue at the current pace. Their 5v5 scoring must improve, to go along with continued great work ethic and goaltending, for the Hawks to continue getting points more times than not.
Now that we’ve seen the Hawks play the other teams in the division, I think Tampa, Dallas, Carolina and Florida are better than the Hawks and barring something unforeseen will finish above them in the standings. Coming into the season I thought those 4 teams plus Columbus and Nashville would be better than the Hawks – not so sure about Columbus anymore and Nashville is a lot worse than I thought they would be.
So, I want to have my cake and eat it too – play well enough to finish 5th in the division and get a draft pick in the top-16 and maybe have the ping pong balls bounce our way.
Forget about tanking. These guys are all Pros and they all want to win. Playing the way they are now will only add to their positive outlook for the future. As well for us fans. Besides, there’s always some element of plain luck involved in who you draft, no matter what position you’re in. What I’m seeing now….Lankinen looks like a Number 1 netminder to me, so far. Hagel is simply great. Relentless forecheck and great speed. Hell score, don’t worry. If they move him up in the lines, that could be the catalyst. Kurashev is a keeper, more speed, a goal scorer. As is Suter. Yeah, I’m really happy with these kids. You have all noticed, how much faster we are now. How much better the forecheck has been. One thing, I would like to see more of Reese Johnson. Somewhere. Maybe instead of Highmore. The kid looked very good to me. Beaudin and Mitchell are really panning out. Getting better every game. When Boqvist is brought back in, I hope it’s not at their expense. Someone else will have to sit or go or we play seven D. But I don’t know about always doing that. Zadarov may have been an unnecessary acquisition. Trade deadline should be interesting. Please, SB, don’t do anything foolish. Things are really looking up.
Stephanie – I agree with your comment that everyone is playing hard to stay in the lineup. Teams playing 5+ rookies just doesn’t happen so these guys understand this is a unique opportunity. Most nights the 4th line has brought great energy and work ethic. I thought a bit of that was missing last night with the 11f/7d lineup. I would stick with 6d and have a full forward group that brings the energy, including either Highmore or Johnson on the 4th line. The results may not be sustainable but the work ethic and improved structure should be and that will be a strong foundation to move forward with.
I’m very interested in how the Hawks manage the D now that 27 is available
The 7D 11 Fw model I never liked but I may be changing my mind on that – I know Cooper in TB does that a lot – having fresher bodies on the back end late in a game can be an advantage
The third period was the Hawks best last night – even with only 11 FWs no one seemed tired although if they do go a lot with 7D I’d prefer that Kane not play quite so heavy minutes- 24 last night – I don’t think that’s sustainable at least not if he’s going to play defense as well as offense
But if they spread the extra minutes around more as the young guys deserve more responsibility I think it could be the way to go at least until a solution to the crowded blue line is found
I read that Altybarmakyan took offense to Barratt taking High Hit versus Wolves-
Came in and started Fight- took 17 Minutes in penalties.
Hawks need that type in line up- to add- he can skate/and has skills to boot.
Tough Kid.
Draft- William Eklund- seems like a Hawks/JC guy. Relentless forecheck , fast, skilled, lot like Reichel- but probably better.
Hawks Goalie Coaching should get some credit. Subban looks way better than earlier games, much quieter lower half- just square/close five hole- let puck come to you/and D clean up the rest- much less panic- hope it lasts.
no future with shaw or soderberg and kampf not a definite keeper. all three should be rotated out of the lineup so highmore and johnson get playing time.
going forward no one on this team should be designated top six other than kane and dach. everyone else should have to earn it including strome, de brincat, and kubalik. de brincat has picked up his overall game, but not at all impressed with the other two. not likely either of them would have played top six on any of the recent cup winning teams and the idea is to win the cup.
the point…… the hawks are loaded with bottom six options for the next cup competitive team. not nearly as much with top six personnel.
the team is not scoring 5v5. last night kampf third most estoi. that is insane. nice fourth liner, but no offensive skill. new line combos need to be tried. no sacred cows. think outside the box. maybe hagel starts to score if he plays with more gifted players.
Simply don’t understand the lack of respect for Kampf. He and the rest of the 4th line are constantly in the face of the best line the opposition puts on the ice – and they regularly spend more time in the O-zone than expected. Granted they don’t score – but by keeping things in the O-zone the opposition can’t score either. That is valuable!
Also don’t understand the push among people here for ensuring Boqvist replaces someone/anyone when he gets his legs under him again [and don’t expect that to be immediate either, having spent a week in hospital with Covid, I know first-hand that it takes longer to actually get back to full strength than anticipated]. So many of our commenters complain about the “smurfs” on the Hawks – – anyone seen Boqvist? Not exactly the second coming of Chara! And he consistently gets himself taken out of the play and seems to shy-away from contact. If you swap out someone productive for someone who isn’t, that doesn’t sit well with the rest of the team. Let him go to Rockford, get lots of playing time and get some of his confidence back.
I was all over this site (and others) pimping my “trade Kane” proposals, most notably the proposal to trade him to Buffalo with Cozens being the main player coming back to the Hawks. Well, I’m here to say I was wrong and thank goodness Stan didn’t follow my advice.
Here’s why – I think a solid argument can be made the presence of Kane on the ice has helped Suter and Kurashev be successful launching their NHL careers and has helped DCat, Strome and Kubalik get off to fast starts so there is no doubt creeping in on them where it becomes a “thing” if they aren’t scoring. Kane not only makes elite plays but he takes the pressure off the other guys to try to do too much – they can play more free and easy and that leads to success which leads to confidence which leads to more success, rinse/repeat. We’ll never know if the young players would have been as successful had Kane been traded, but he wasn’t and they have been so it’s all good.
I may be back on the “trade Kane” bandwagon again after the season, because I think he would bring back a very good player for the rebuild, but for this season I couldn’t be happier to have been wrong about trading Kane.
Contrary to popular belief, Boqvist does not have me on retainer. My advocacy on his behalf is due to my penchant to challenge assumptions I feel relatively certain are not verifiable facts … and there’s a lot of that going around regarding Boqvist. Most notably that he is to timid and afraid to play in the NHL, or that he lacks confidence. Both of those assumptions are based on nothing more than conjecture – regardless what you think you see when you watch him play.
I’m not certain it isn’t true – but I am certain those who are posting those criticisms can’t be sure they are true. The coaches will know if he’s playing scared or lacking confidence with a helluva lot more certainty than us fans can sitting on our couch. And they’ll know the best course of action based on the intimate knowledge they have that we don’t.
I get it that playing armchair GM and internet hockey acumen expert is the lifeblood of message boards and it ‘s what all of us do. But so is playing devil’s advocate and although it’s not something I necessarily like to do – it’s something I’ll do whenever I feel compelled to do so. Doesn’t mean my opinion is right – just that non-facts being stated as facts bugs me so I say something.
ER sorry but Boqvist needs some time in the Rock if for no other reason it’s to improve his defensive positioning and play. Mitchell needs to improve in that area also it’s helped that he moved up to play with Keith since Boqvist was put on hold and Keith’s game improved by adding Mitchell with him. Mitchell playing with deHaan was a-8 since playing with Keith he’s a+5.
Beaudin has been playing on the left side with Big Z on the right. That is where his game looked like crap until last night when they were switching sides for either defensive positioning or moving it up ice. That was actually working.
When people take a hard look at the 7 D men dressed last night only 2 were RHD Mitchell and Bowey. Keith,Zadorov,deHaan,Beaudin and Carlsson are all LHD. Zadorov looks like Bambi on ice when playing the right side while Carlsson can hold that side very well. One of the hardest things to do in hockey is to play defense on your off side yet they looked very good against a tough opponent with 2 LHD playing the right side.
One last thing. Check your doors and windows at night cuz you never know what kinda crazy arse Creatures may be lurking about.
Ebony ,I don’t think Boqvist is timid or afraid.I can see that his skating strides are inefficient and he is light on his skates.I also can see that he is a trainwreck positionslly in the defensive zone and quite often finds himself on the wrong side of his check.He does have good hands and knows how to get his shot to the net.I just think the other d men are more developed and better skaters.
I’m not against Boqvist being sent down to Rockford if that is what Stan/Colliton determine is the right thing to do, both for his development and more importantly what is best for the team.
I’m also not against them deciding to keep him in Chicago because they think it’s the best thing to do for his development.
What I am against is the one size fits all mindset that says a player who struggles at the NHL level must go to the AHL where he will be better able to develop. That’s probably true for some players but probably not true for every player. There isn’t anything magical about the AHL that makes it a better place to develop your game – it’s an “it depends” thing and none of us posting on this message board have the inside and intimate knowledge to know whether or not Boqvist would develop better in Rockford versus Chicago.
Nameless, so you think Boqvist couldn’t improve his positioning and play in Chicago? Why do you think that – are there better coaches and teaching methods in Rockford?
I want the same things all you guys are talking about. I also want another top 5 skill draft player. The reason why the 2006 2007 teams felt that way/coming on yea is the young wave thats coming/part here now. It also won because of having two top end elites 19 88 not one top end elite 77.
Otherwise we end up like CAR a fun team to watch with one top end elite Aho and there not going to win.
STEFANIE
February 10, 2021 at 9:00 am
@noonan I meant my tanking comment in general reference to how the team has been playing over the last few seasons, not just this one.
Some people–not necessarily on here–are for the “forget about it and tank” mentality when things get rough. IMO that really hurts a team’s culture. That’s all I meant.
This is what I mean here. I want another one in addition to 77.
NOONAN96
February 10, 2021 at 9:20 am
Wrap I think, and hope you’re right. Stef you are right and it’s not the best for the dressing room. What I wanted to say is that wishing for Dach at 3 or a Kane at 1 isn’t (to me) saying I hope they suck enough to get a top 5, it’s just that having the odd top of the draft pick(s) is usually needed to get to that upper level-
maybe Dach will be one of those guys.
Thats right. Thats cool let the players coaches focus on winning and I do the concerning with the draft position.
EBONYRAPTOR
February 10, 2021 at 9:23 am
Noonan, I agree – players/coaches don’t try to tank. Everyone in that room is trying to win every game – as they should be. Their job is to play to win, not be concerned with draft position.
I like Barratt a lot to. The Johnson guy and your guy and Hagel these guys are the new young wave style players like that. We do need them and some more top players once 2 7 other get older.
Can Boqvist play wing?
@ER, I think coach C gave his answer on whether or not he thinks the three kids are ready to play a more prominent role in the lineup. Carlson and Bowen were added to replace Murphy while Boqvist was not brought back in at all. Colliton replaced Murphy with two players because he did not think any one of the available players could handle that load by themself. That is telling isn’t it?
On the question of why couldn’t Boqvist develop in Chicago over Rockford the answer is simply ice time. If he doesn’t get the ice time in Chicago because other skaters are more deserving, then he would sit. The longer he sits, the more damage to his development. If he can’t get ice time in Chicago he should be sent to Rockford where he would get it. It all comes down to if each of the kids can get enough ice time on the NHL roster or not. If not, send him (whoever it is not getting the ice time) down.
Personally I think if Boqvist is sent down it would only be temporary for post Covid “conditioning” and then he would come back and the three kids go on some kind of platoon system where each plays a couple games while one sits and maybe every fifth game or so they dress seven so all three can play together. I think through this three way platoon one of the three will differentiate himself from the others and earn a more permanent place in the lineup. The other two would then continue with sharing ice time.
Ultimately ice time should be determined based on merit. If a lack of ice time is negatively impacting any of the kids development, then he should be sent to Rockford to get ice time there.
ER where do they have Boqvist? On the top pairing most of the time with Keith. That is not good for his defensive development. He would develop better playing as the 5-6 D man but here’s the problem. Not enough RHD. You have Boqvist, Mitchell and Murphy that’s it unless you want to toss in Bowey. With him I believe they gave him his 1 game to make him eligible for the draft. They may showcase him a few games but who goes from the squad?
He never should have been tossed in the fire to start his career yet he was. Now look at how he got here. They sent the Joker down to the Rock then got rid of him Gus also both who were better defensively and equally offensively. I also though the Joker should have spent time in the Rock to develop and not thrown in the fire. I think every D man needs time in the AHL to develop even if it’s a year. I don’t understand what the rush is as most of the time rushing does more harm than good.
Now what I don’t understand is why everyone is so agog nowadays that thinking the best assets of a defenseman should be his offensive skills. Are they thinking the best assets of a forward should be his defensive skills? If that’s the case Kane wouldn’t have sniffed the NHL. I’m not ready to see hockey with 5 forwards out there but it seems that’s the direction it’s headed.
Good post agree/think same with most of it. We did have the big 4 in the 4 Cups in 6 yrs dynasty. And had guys like Sharpy at center Kopy in top 6 and another. Then in 2013 2014 2015 we had Saad so big 4 plus Saad and again players like Hands Richy Bicks in top 6. So yea we didnt have 6 top 6 playes even on dynasty yrs though we did have the big 4 the whole time.
So looking for similar and thats why I want moar top end elite top 3 gem or top 5 skill draft player so we can have another big 4 who ever they are. 19 88 77 21-draft or not counting 19 then 88 77 21-draft and ufa elite like another 81.
HAWKS29
February 10, 2021 at 10:57 am
no future with shaw or soderberg and kampf not a definite keeper. all three should be rotated out of the lineup so highmore and johnson get playing time.
going forward no one on this team should be designated top six other than kane and dach. everyone else should have to earn it including strome, de brincat, and kubalik. de brincat has picked up his overall game, but not at all impressed with the other two. not likely either of them would have played top six on any of the recent cup winning teams and the idea is to win the cup.
the point…… the hawks are loaded with bottom six options for the next cup competitive team. not nearly as much with top six personnel.
the team is not scoring 5v5. last night kampf third most estoi. that is insane. nice fourth liner, but no offensive skill. new line combos need to be tried. no sacred cows. think outside the box. maybe hagel starts to score if he plays with more gifted players.
Donot worry about Kampf/other being 3rd line once were deep again/when more of the young wave is playing those guys will be in most ideal spots and then prob not here because well have better players then them nothing agasint those guys.
ER, many more before and will after said same things about trade Kane. Trade Kane for Miller well we know how that turned out we won another Cup. Keep Kane and well win another Cup.
EBONYRAPTOR
February 10, 2021 at 11:40 am
I was all over this site (and others) pimping my “trade Kane” proposals, most notably the proposal to trade him to Buffalo with Cozens being the main player coming back to the Hawks. Well, I’m here to say I was wrong and thank goodness Stan didn’t follow my advice.
ER, thats what I was talking about with Ian and someone else said before season started about having that trickle effect/in terms of enough vet/ish age -experience players who know league to be a base and that allows the young wave players to succeed not them just being good.
If there isint a template so they can play in at least a similar spot as there ideal spot for them at where there at development wise/and I mean that in playing in a spot where they can suceed and get better so that there not in over the heads getting nailed left and right. Like 77 did first 5/10 games then he wasnt getting slamed into boards anymore/since then. I was worried about that at first. Now I like watching him crunch other teams players when time is right and is clean 100%.
So what I mean is having Kane and these others like Jannmark Walkmark Kampf Carpenter Murf other allows the yong players to ‘play’ otherwise the young players now matter how good would get wiped.