It could be that Richards is turning the corner. After whiffing on a shot in first he then seemed to settle in and looked a bit more comfortable. He finally found the net and later made a diving one handed pass to Versteeg who then set up Kane. I think is he stays comfortable and stops trying too hard we might see more out of him.
Much of the second period looked like the Hawks were on the power play when they were 5 on 5. They probably looked better at equal strength than they did on their actual power plays. That trend pretty much continued into the third.
Let's talk Corey Perry...#10...hit him early and often. The next game I think we will see some action taken against his after he hit Crawford and later cross-checked Hossa. I was surprised that Q did not send Bickell or Carcillo out for the face off after the Hossa hit but I think Q was more concerned with winning the game. Perry can wait for another day.
Overall, great game. Hawks well in control.
#Blackhawks
Friday, November 28, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Scouting the Icehogs...
I made a scouting visit to watch the Icehogs play the Wolves. #1 on must list to watch was Teuvo Teravainen. I believe he still has some developmental issues which is why he has not been called up to the NHL. Let's start with face offs. I am not sure how many he took, but I don't recall him winning a singe face off. He was actually pulled out of the face off circle in the second period and also pulled from a key PP face off. But I think that is a fixable problem.The bigger problem was his tentative play. He is not large at 5' 10" and a mere 169#s but he needs to be a bit more aggressive. He spent most of his time "floating" high in the zone beyond the dots. He has a lot of skill but his size is going to be a bid problem. More bacon cheese burgers.
Garret Ross had a great game scoring two goals. Mashinter with a assist and an empty net goal.
Y'all remember 6' 9" Viktor Svedberg? He cross checks a guy in the corner and they both go down, Svedberg on top cross checks him again. Its the AHL, so no call yet. So Viktor brings his stick over the guys head, down to his upper chest and starts choking him! Finally the arm went up. Unbelievably stupid.
I didn't realize that Terry Broadhurst moved to the Wolves. Not sure how that happened. Alex is still with the hogs but I never saw the brothers on the ice at the same time.
Mac Caruth made some fantastic saves and got the shutout in the 3-0 victory. Darling sat on the bench. Mashinter looked really good. I think he would be the next forward to get pulled up if needed. Klas Dahlbeck and Kyle Cumiskey played great defensive games.
As for the Wolves, they have Colin Fraser playing for them. You old timers might remember him. Brent Sopel now playing with the Wolves. He looks like he gained a few pounds over his listed weight of 201#. Looks more like 220 or 230.
Ty Rattie had a great game. He going to be someone to look for on the Blues once he develops.
And lastly Jake Chelios, son of Chris Chelios, is now with the wolves. Tripped over his own two feet in the first as he attempted to cross over to go after a puck, never saw that from daddy, but played just OK. Didn't see NHL talent there. We'll see if he develops.
Garret Ross had a great game scoring two goals. Mashinter with a assist and an empty net goal.
Y'all remember 6' 9" Viktor Svedberg? He cross checks a guy in the corner and they both go down, Svedberg on top cross checks him again. Its the AHL, so no call yet. So Viktor brings his stick over the guys head, down to his upper chest and starts choking him! Finally the arm went up. Unbelievably stupid.
I didn't realize that Terry Broadhurst moved to the Wolves. Not sure how that happened. Alex is still with the hogs but I never saw the brothers on the ice at the same time.
Mac Caruth made some fantastic saves and got the shutout in the 3-0 victory. Darling sat on the bench. Mashinter looked really good. I think he would be the next forward to get pulled up if needed. Klas Dahlbeck and Kyle Cumiskey played great defensive games.
As for the Wolves, they have Colin Fraser playing for them. You old timers might remember him. Brent Sopel now playing with the Wolves. He looks like he gained a few pounds over his listed weight of 201#. Looks more like 220 or 230.
Ty Rattie had a great game. He going to be someone to look for on the Blues once he develops.
And lastly Jake Chelios, son of Chris Chelios, is now with the wolves. Tripped over his own two feet in the first as he attempted to cross over to go after a puck, never saw that from daddy, but played just OK. Didn't see NHL talent there. We'll see if he develops.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Hawks now 12 goals to 1 against Edmonton this year
I checked the Brovada odds today. Penguins to win the cup 13/2, Hawks remain at 7/1. Still early in the season and the Hawks have hopefully completed their "slump."
I remember when the Oilers were feared. Not so much these days. Lots of #1 draft picks and an $18M first line. But 200/1 for the Stanley cup. And tonight they showed us why. One of if, if not the, worst defenses in the league.How many #1 draft picks really make it big anyway?
Bad break for Rannta tonight. Maybe he could have gotten the shutout. Actually I am not sure there is a goalie in the league that could have stopped that Edmonton goal. As Corey prepared to catch that one in his glove it deflected in on his stick side. Let's hope that Rannta hasn't spread that flu around the team. We certainly don't need anyone else out of the line-up.
I still think Richards needs more time working with this team. He's just not connecting with Kane or Versteeg. Versteeg's goal came while playing with Toews and Hossa. Kane's goal came from Versteeg and Hjlrmarsson.
So it's one to see the Sendin twins and the rest of the Cnuckleheads who lost 4-1 to the Ducks on Friday night.
And by the way, all 8 goals scored by Kane this year have been in the third period.
#Blackhawks
I remember when the Oilers were feared. Not so much these days. Lots of #1 draft picks and an $18M first line. But 200/1 for the Stanley cup. And tonight they showed us why. One of if, if not the, worst defenses in the league.How many #1 draft picks really make it big anyway?
Bad break for Rannta tonight. Maybe he could have gotten the shutout. Actually I am not sure there is a goalie in the league that could have stopped that Edmonton goal. As Corey prepared to catch that one in his glove it deflected in on his stick side. Let's hope that Rannta hasn't spread that flu around the team. We certainly don't need anyone else out of the line-up.
I still think Richards needs more time working with this team. He's just not connecting with Kane or Versteeg. Versteeg's goal came while playing with Toews and Hossa. Kane's goal came from Versteeg and Hjlrmarsson.
So it's one to see the Sendin twins and the rest of the Cnuckleheads who lost 4-1 to the Ducks on Friday night.
And by the way, all 8 goals scored by Kane this year have been in the third period.
#Blackhawks
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Hawks dig deep and win.
I've talked about the depth of this team, in particular the defense. We saw that tonight as Q brings in the new kids, each 22 years old. One of them, Clendening, scores on his second shift and then the other one, Nordstrom, was key to setting up the second goal. On the good side, we won't need to test that depth any further as Hammer returned to the ice in the second after taking that puck to the face late in the first.
The best PK in the league did not look that way tonight giving up 2 goals on the first two PKs. Before the first penalty by Kruger the Hawks were up 10-3 on the SOGs. Finished the first period up 12-11 and then fell to 13-12 by the end of the Toews penalty. UGH This is why we try to stay out of the box. But noooo, they go on to draw 6 penalties for the night, giving up momentum, if not goals, each time.
After a lull in the action early in the second, geez that was boring, the Hawks finally turned on the speed and paid off with a goal from Seabs. But Calgary has good speed as well and answered with a goal from Monahan less than two minutes later.
Great stick movement by Kane to poke in the 4th Hawk goal. While Kane has a great game and played 17:50 minutes, Toews still led the forwards with 20:03 minutes.
For the Hawks, only 4 SOGs in that third. That will be a topic of conversation in the locker room.
But we go on to win the first game of the circus trip against a pretty hot Flames team.
So on to play the lowly Oilers on Saturday and then the Cnuckleheads on Sunday. Buckle up your seat belts, this road trip is not going to be any easier as we move forward.
#Blackhawks
The best PK in the league did not look that way tonight giving up 2 goals on the first two PKs. Before the first penalty by Kruger the Hawks were up 10-3 on the SOGs. Finished the first period up 12-11 and then fell to 13-12 by the end of the Toews penalty. UGH This is why we try to stay out of the box. But noooo, they go on to draw 6 penalties for the night, giving up momentum, if not goals, each time.
After a lull in the action early in the second, geez that was boring, the Hawks finally turned on the speed and paid off with a goal from Seabs. But Calgary has good speed as well and answered with a goal from Monahan less than two minutes later.
Great stick movement by Kane to poke in the 4th Hawk goal. While Kane has a great game and played 17:50 minutes, Toews still led the forwards with 20:03 minutes.
For the Hawks, only 4 SOGs in that third. That will be a topic of conversation in the locker room.
But we go on to win the first game of the circus trip against a pretty hot Flames team.
So on to play the lowly Oilers on Saturday and then the Cnuckleheads on Sunday. Buckle up your seat belts, this road trip is not going to be any easier as we move forward.
#Blackhawks
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Go West Young Hawks
The circus is hitting the United Center. I remember the times when it was hard to tell the difference between the Blackhawks and the circus. How things have changed. Thank you Rocky.
TVR - We now know he suffered a broken patella (aka kneecap). He will have surgery on Thursday and be out 3 or 4 months. That is a really tough break for a guy who jumped up from college to one if, if not THE, top teams in the league.The good news is that this is an injury from which he can fully recover and be back in time for the playoffs. Keep your fingers crossed.
Two young Hawks, Nordstrom and Clendening, join the team to head west to Calgary to open a 6 game road trip to complete November. Clendening is excited to be with the team but feels terrible for the TVR situation.
I attended the Hawks send-off practice today over at Johnnies Ice House West. Based on that practice it appears that Roszival might actually sit and Nordstrom will be in. Clendening pretty obviously the odd forward out. He even played some defense at practice taking a wrist shot from Hossa in a place where no man wants to get hit. No cup is perfect.
All rostered Hawks, sans Sharp and TVR, were present. There was some quick PP practice but mostly drills for timing and shooting. Richards, playing between Versteeg and Kane, still struggling with finding Kane on the passing plays. If they stay together long enough this will work itself out.
Q indicated Crow will be in the net tomorrow night. Raanta said he wasn't worried about his quick trip to Rockford. He would told that the team "had a plan."
So to start in Calgary I believe the lines to be:
20-19-81
23-91-88
29-65-13
42-16-28 (42 = Nordstrom)
and on D:
2-7
4-27
6-5 (6 = Clendening)
#Blackhawks #TrevorvanRiemsdyk
TVR - We now know he suffered a broken patella (aka kneecap). He will have surgery on Thursday and be out 3 or 4 months. That is a really tough break for a guy who jumped up from college to one if, if not THE, top teams in the league.The good news is that this is an injury from which he can fully recover and be back in time for the playoffs. Keep your fingers crossed.
Two young Hawks, Nordstrom and Clendening, join the team to head west to Calgary to open a 6 game road trip to complete November. Clendening is excited to be with the team but feels terrible for the TVR situation.
I attended the Hawks send-off practice today over at Johnnies Ice House West. Based on that practice it appears that Roszival might actually sit and Nordstrom will be in. Clendening pretty obviously the odd forward out. He even played some defense at practice taking a wrist shot from Hossa in a place where no man wants to get hit. No cup is perfect.
All rostered Hawks, sans Sharp and TVR, were present. There was some quick PP practice but mostly drills for timing and shooting. Richards, playing between Versteeg and Kane, still struggling with finding Kane on the passing plays. If they stay together long enough this will work itself out.
Q indicated Crow will be in the net tomorrow night. Raanta said he wasn't worried about his quick trip to Rockford. He would told that the team "had a plan."
So to start in Calgary I believe the lines to be:
20-19-81
23-91-88
29-65-13
42-16-28 (42 = Nordstrom)
and on D:
2-7
4-27
6-5 (6 = Clendening)
#Blackhawks #TrevorvanRiemsdyk
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Four goals for the Hawks!
One of those goals actually went into the Detroit net. The other 3 were great feeds to Detroit setting up the Wings goals. That was an ugly loss. I was wondering what Q was going to do when Kane coughed one up. He couldn't very well let that go after benching Versteeg for about 14 minutes. But it would be tough to leave Kane on the bench. So instead Kane gets the demotion. I'm not really convinced that helped the cause.
And so the Hawks fall to 9th in the conference and prepare to play the 11th place Stars. This should be a team that the Hawks can score a few goals against. We just need to be sure we don't give them any freebies. Seaguin leads the team with 12 goals and 10 assists and Spezza with 3 goals and 10 helpers.. It should be Lehtonen between the pipes with a 2.72 GAA and .912 SV%.
I think it is time that Q turn off the blender and go back to our regularly scheduled lines. That goes for offense and defense. I thought Richards played pretty well last night. Might be time for him to work with Kane. Morin was also chipping away last night. Might I say he could move up to the third line. (Wait a minute, did just say that! If Morin keeps it up I could be eating crow. That's crow with a small "c".)
#Blackhawks #JeremyMorin #PatrickKane #BradRichards
And so the Hawks fall to 9th in the conference and prepare to play the 11th place Stars. This should be a team that the Hawks can score a few goals against. We just need to be sure we don't give them any freebies. Seaguin leads the team with 12 goals and 10 assists and Spezza with 3 goals and 10 helpers.. It should be Lehtonen between the pipes with a 2.72 GAA and .912 SV%.
I think it is time that Q turn off the blender and go back to our regularly scheduled lines. That goes for offense and defense. I thought Richards played pretty well last night. Might be time for him to work with Kane. Morin was also chipping away last night. Might I say he could move up to the third line. (Wait a minute, did just say that! If Morin keeps it up I could be eating crow. That's crow with a small "c".)
#Blackhawks #JeremyMorin #PatrickKane #BradRichards
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Not another shootout!
While the Hawks are 3-0 in the shootout this year I still don't like the shootout. Even watching Patrick Kane roof another SO goal isn't enough to change my mind. But, it's what the NHL wants so I'll take the second point. Let's recap the actual game itself....
0 for 6 on the PP is completely unacceptable. Actually they were -1 for 6 as they gave up their 4th shorty of the year! Passing a problem most of the night again and nothing came out worse than Kane's pass that got picked off resulting in that shorty.
Here is a note to Quenneville, "Put the $%&*@# defense back together again." There is chemistry between Keith and Seabrook and Hjalmarsson and Oduya. van Riemsdyk and Rundblad were also getting things together. Rozsival just seems too inconsistent at this point. Let's just hope Oduya does not miss any games here.
Was anyone at that game last night? I am wondering what Morin is doing to agitate the other teams. He did it again last night and gave the Hawks another PP. Not that getting a PP matters at this point.
Couldn't be better than to play the Redwings on Friday night. Time for a game of Deetroit sucks! For you new readers here are the rules... Each time one of the announcers says "Detroit" you must respond by saying, "sucks!" (Yes, with enthusiasm please.) Failing to do so means to take a shot or a 5 second beer chug. It gets harder as the game goes on.
Nyquist top scorer to date for the Wings with 8. Datsyuk and Abdelkader with 5 each. Zetterberg with the lead in assists (12) and total points (16). Jimmy Howard with a 2.03 GAA and .923 SV%. That save percentage a problem for the Hawks struggling to find the back of the net. Detroit will be coming in after a four day rest having lost, in none other than a shootout, to, none other than, the Lightening on Sunday.
#Blackhawks
0 for 6 on the PP is completely unacceptable. Actually they were -1 for 6 as they gave up their 4th shorty of the year! Passing a problem most of the night again and nothing came out worse than Kane's pass that got picked off resulting in that shorty.
Here is a note to Quenneville, "Put the $%&*@# defense back together again." There is chemistry between Keith and Seabrook and Hjalmarsson and Oduya. van Riemsdyk and Rundblad were also getting things together. Rozsival just seems too inconsistent at this point. Let's just hope Oduya does not miss any games here.
Was anyone at that game last night? I am wondering what Morin is doing to agitate the other teams. He did it again last night and gave the Hawks another PP. Not that getting a PP matters at this point.
Couldn't be better than to play the Redwings on Friday night. Time for a game of Deetroit sucks! For you new readers here are the rules... Each time one of the announcers says "Detroit" you must respond by saying, "sucks!" (Yes, with enthusiasm please.) Failing to do so means to take a shot or a 5 second beer chug. It gets harder as the game goes on.
Nyquist top scorer to date for the Wings with 8. Datsyuk and Abdelkader with 5 each. Zetterberg with the lead in assists (12) and total points (16). Jimmy Howard with a 2.03 GAA and .923 SV%. That save percentage a problem for the Hawks struggling to find the back of the net. Detroit will be coming in after a four day rest having lost, in none other than a shootout, to, none other than, the Lightening on Sunday.
#Blackhawks
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)