54 Minutes of Crap Gets 2 Points – Versteeg Shines in Final Six Minutes

Lasts night’s Blackhawks game may have been the worst hockey I have seen played for a long, long time…at least for 54 minutes. Outside of Patrick Sharp’s powerplay goal late in the first period where Toews and Kane did some excellent work along the boards to get the puck to Sharp, there wasn’t really anything good to talk about for the Hawks. And for that matter, outside of Selanne’s powerplay goal in the second period for the Ducks, there wasn’t much good to talk about for them either. It was and all around sloppy and very boring game.

When I got back from the game last night, I checked the stat sheet again to notice the Hawks somehow got 41 shots on the Ducks netminder, Jonas Hiller. From watching inside the UC (which is sometimes a different perspective than on TV) it looked as though most of the Hawks shots were coming from outside the circles with little to no traffic in front. Although it appeared that Hiller made some really good saves, the shots from beyond the circles with no traffic in front are the kind of shots that NHL goaltenders are supposed to stop.

The Hawks had trouble all night gaining the Ducks zone and then keeping the pressure on. Their passing was poor last night and it really didn’t look like either team had a lot of interest in getting two points last night. For the Ducks, at least they had the excuse of playing their third game in four days on the road. The Hawks, however, had three full days to rest and were returning to the home crowd after a 2-week hiatus.

If it weren’t for Steeger’s fantastic move along the boards that led to the Hawks game tying second goal, they may very well have lost that game last night. After Havlat buried the second goal, I thought we were in for another OT game, as it seems the Hawks have the tendency to play not to lose if the game is tied late. But last night, they stayed hungry after the second goal and played aggressive, which ultimately led to Jonathan Toews game winner with just over a minute left in the game.

In the end, the Hawks got two points that they probably didn’t earn…but gaining two regulation points against a team that’s higher in the standings is always big. However, I’m certain if they come out and play like that on Saturday at Detroit, they’ll get run out of Joe Louis Arena.

Notes:

-Dave Bolland’s hooking penalty was exactly the type of penalty the Hawks need to avoid. It occurred 160 feet from Huet and the other four Hawks that were on the ice were in between the Ducks player and Huet
-Teemu Selanne now has 13 powerplay goals this year and 14 total goals. Next time the Hawks play the Ducks (or any other team for that matter) can they just put one guy on him and play 4 on 3? He’s scored 59% of their PPG (13/22)…not bad for a 38 year old.
-To the guy sitting behind me last night, go f yourself. Telling me to sit down during the Steve Larmer video and while he was out to drop the puck. If a guy wins the Calder Trophy and plays 884 straight games, he deserves a standing ovation.
-Last night’s crowd was dead. Yes, it was a Wednesday night, but it reminded me of the first game I attended last year in the fall. Granted, when the Hawks finally decided to wake up…the crowd joined in the final six minutes.

Is Michael Phelps also Evgeni Malkin? Vice versa?

After writing a post earlier today which forced me to do a little research on Evgeni Malkin and having also read a story on how Michael Phelps was named SI's Sportsman of the Year, it made me realize that these "two" people may actually just be one, awesomesuperhuman. Is it just me? Quite possibly and most certainly it is...but whatever, it's my blog.

Sundin? No. Jordan Staal…Now We’re Talking

The push to get Mats Sundin to sign with the Blackhawks is something that I just cannot get my support behind. Yea, the guy has been great over his NHL career. However, I just don’t see him fitting in with the Blackhawks plans now and for the future.

The facts: He’s 37 now and will be turning 38 in a couple of months. He’s expensive; reports indicating that he could cost around $9 million per year. There are roughly ten teams interested and he said he’ll narrow his search to three or four shortly.

First, let’s get one thing straight Hawk fans…like it or not, we really cannot realistically expect to make a serious run for the Stanley Cup this year. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see it just as badly as any other Hawk fan…but I’m being realistic. The Hawks are still rebuilding and winning one or two playoff series this year would be a serious step in the right direction.

I will be the first to agree that the Hawks can only get better with the acquisition of a second line center, even if it means giving up a good winger and/or a good defenseman in the process. But the talks of getting the older and really expensive Mats Sundin (and Michael Nylander for that matter) are not what the Hawks should be looking for. Instead, they should be looking to acquire a young, explosive center with potential sky high. Only if the Hawks could be so lucky to get a player like that…or can they?

His name? Jordan Staal. His age? 20. Explosive? You better believe it. Potential? Sky high. His talent? 2nd line center now, with 1st line center in his sights down the line.

But why would any team in their right minds be looking to move a guy like this? Most teams wouldn’t. Unless you are the Pittsburgh Penguins and have the likes of Sidney Crosby (age 21) and Evgeni Malkin (age 22) centering your top two lines (not to mention, making almost $9 mil each per year).

In an article over on MVN, the writer gave his thoughts on Staal’s future and potential and it sounds spot on:

"In order for him to really reach his potential, the Pens will either have to spend the money necessary to have third line wingers good enough to be first or second line guys, or they have to trade Staal to a team where he would get the chance to be a first or second line player (pretty much any other team in the league).

Jordan Staal may have finally turned the corner...right onto someone else's roster.”

Staal is set to become a free agent after this season and to date, there have only been talks and rumors about what Staal may receive from the Penguins if they decide to keep him. It is tough to know if Staal wants to be playing in the shadows of Crosby and Malkin for the foreseeable future; I guess that’s something only he truly knows. However, if he wants to get into a role where he shines and really has the opportunity to showcase his talent, switching teams may be in his best interest. And maybe joining a team with Kane, Toews and company may be something right up his alley.


-One more quick thing about Sundin… for any baseball fans out there, does this not sound eerily similar to Roger Clemens? Sit for a good chunk of the season and then come in, making a crap load of money but not really help the team all the much? If he really wanted to play for the Hawks, maybe I’d be more inclined to support his arrival. But for him to say he’s going to narrow down his list from ten teams to three or four and then decide, forget it. If he doesn’t want to be with us that badly, we (or at least I) don’t want him either. There Mats, we mutually agree…go somewhere else.

Winter Classic Commercial Can Be Summed Up In One Word -- FREAKINGAWESOME

During halftime of the Bears/Vikings game last night, NBC aired a commercial for the 2009 Winter Classic game where the Red Wings will visit Wrigley Field to take on the Blackhawks. Whatever team was behind this commercial, I applaud you. You hit the nail right on the head.



Via PuckDaddy

Circus Trip Over – And Yes, It Was Successful

There seems to be a lot of sour taste in mouths of Hawk fans coming off their annual Circus Trip, which ended Sunday with a 5-2 loss at the hands of the LA Kings. This sour taste, although understandable for the way the trip ended, really isn’t warranted. That kind of a road trip (especially the usually very unsuccessful Circus Trip) needs to be looked as a whole; not focusing on how it began and/or how it ended.

As you’ll recall (or won’t since you probably didn’t read my pre Circus Trip post), I said that Hawk fans should set their sights on the number 6. It didn’t matter how the Hawks got those 6 points, but getting 6 out of 12 was the goal for the road trip. I predicted they would get 7 and wouldn’t you know it, I actually got a prediction right! My genius aside though, the Hawks made this trip very successful, despite the way it ended.

The Good: In Phoenix, they were outplayed for much of the 2nd and 3rd periods, yet still found a way to prevail in a shootout. In Dallas, they dominated after a horrendous first then minutes and took advantage of a struggling Marty Turco. In Toronto, they started sluggish but clawed and fought back to earn an OT victory. In San Jose, they played with (and outplayed at times) the best team in the NHL, only to lose a heartbreaker in OT…while losing their starting goaltender near the end of the 2nd period.

The Bad: The 1-0 loss to the Ducks, minus Jean-Sébastien Giguère. Jonas Hiller played well for the Ducks, but the Hawks missed two or three golden opportunities, helping Hiller secure the shutout. A frustrating loss to say the least.

The Ugly: The Hawks came out in Sunday’s game flat. Despite leading 2-1 after the first period, it was just one of those games that you could never feel good about. Cristobal Huet played well for the Hawks, despite giving up 4 goals. The only goal I really fault him for was the third goal, where he left a crucial rebound that was put in behind him. The Hawks, in my opinion, looked like a team playing its sixth road game on a six game road trip, while also playing back to back afternoon games less than 24 hours apart. And credit has to be given to the Kings. We’ve had our troubles with them in the past and they looked much improved from last year and will be a tough game for almost any team this season.

Again, in the end, the Hawks finished the trip at a very respectable 3-2-1, earning seven points. Would Hawk fans have liked to see it end differently? Of course. Eight or nine points would have been spectacular. But don’t let the way it ended blind you from the seven points they earned on the trip. I’m not sure how people feel about me quoting myself, but what I said two weeks ago still applies and will continue to apply throughout the season…

“If the Hawks can stay relatively healthy over the course of the season, they’ll be fine. They’re still the 2nd youngest team in the NHL and Q has only been behind the bench a little over a month. They’re still going to have their ups and downs, because a team like this, like it or not, has the tendency to be streaky. So get ready to ride the wave the next couple of months and watch this young Hawk team grow into its own.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself…

A few Circus Trip Notes:

-The Patricks (Kane and Sharp, duh!) led the Hawks with 4 goals each on the trip. Kane ended the trip with seven points while Sharp had five.
-Coach Q benched, ironically, Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane during the second period of the game vs. Phoenix for both taking stupid penalties. Kudos to Coach Q for that move.
-Nikolai Khabibulin was injured late in the second period against the Sharks. There hasn't been much official information since then, outside of him being listed as day-to-day. Hopefully he's not out for too long. Corey Crawford was called up from Rockford to back up Huet while Khabibulin is out.

Khabibulin Named Week’s 3rd Star in NHL. Nylander Now? No Thanks.

Let me start by saying that the Hawks starting off 3-0 on this road trip is great. Before this trip started, I stated that Hawk fans should set their sights on the six points. It didn’t matter when/how the Hawks got those six points, but I didn’t see it happening this quick. And now, it’s impossible not to want more out of it…like nine or ten points.

I didn’t get the opportunity to watch the game against the Leafs on Saturday night. (Instead, I wasted four hours watching an inept, poorly coached and intense less Notre Dame football team lay an egg against a lowly Syracuse team…and then passed out only to wake up after the game had finished) I, however, have read the articles and watched the video recap and have to say, I’m quite impressed. That’s the type of game you love to be on the winning side of. They were outplayed for a better part of the first half of the game, yet somehow continue to push, dominate the Leafs in the 3rd period and prevail in overtime. Awesome…just awesome.

I know a couple of weeks ago, I stated that the Hawks were probably going to have to end up trading Khabibulin and that I was ok with that. However, things change and so did my mind on this issue. The Hawks CANNOT trade Khabibulin right now. It’s clear he has earned the #1 starting spot in front of Huet and one would have to believe that the Hawks feel more confident when Q announces Khabibulin as the starter every night he’s in net.

Do I think the Hawks still need that true second line center to be serious contenders this year? Yes, undoubtedly yes. However, I’m not sold on Nylander. He’s 36 and would bring a hefty price tag for the Hawks this year and in the two years to follow. We could always hope he plays well and then turn and trade him after the year, but you just can’t count on that.

The whole goalie situation was a mess before the season started. But almost 1/5 the way in, I’d say that it’s a good mess to be in. I still believe Huet is the Hawks future goalie after this year. Having almost $12 million in goalies is not usually in the plans before a season starts, but that’s where the Hawks are now and things seem to be working well. If they want to move Sopel and/or Byfuglien to nab a second line center, then I’m all for that. But the goalie situation, no matter how big of a mess it appears to be on paper, is working right now. We’ll need to rely on Huet later in the season when Khabby hits a cold streak and vice a versa. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…at least now right now; and not for Michael Nylander.


Here’s the write-up from the Blackhawks website on Khabibulin’s 3rd star recognition:

Khabibulin posted a 3-0-0 record with a 2.90 goals-against average and .918 save percentage as the Blackhawks (10-4-5, 25 points) began their six-game road trip with three consecutive victories. Khabibulin stopped 36 shots and both shootout attempts in a 3-2 victory at Phoenix Nov. 18, made 31 saves in a 6-3 victory at Dallas Nov. 20 and finished the week with 34 stops in a 5-4 overtime victory at Toronto Nov. 22. Khabibulin improved his season record to 7-1-4 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. He has not suffered a regulation loss in his past 11 appearances, going 7-0-4 since Oct. 15.

Preview - Blackhawks @ Stars 7:30pm CST

The Blackhawks and Stars will face off for the second time this season tonight at 7:30pm CST at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. The Stars will try to avenge their 5-2 loss back on Halloween at the United Center.

This is a very winnable game for the Hawks and I have to say I feel more comfortable now that I know Khabibulin will be making the start between the pipes tonight for the Hawks. The Stars, interestingly enough, lead the NHL in goals for and against while playing at home; which, obviously, is a good and bad thing for the Hawks.

The key thing for the Hawks tonight is easy: STAY OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX. Okay, I admit, they won’t “stay out” entirely. But they have to cut back on the number of stupid penalties they commit 180 feet away from Khabibulin, especially when they are already on the power play. If they can accomplish this tonight, I find it hard to see them losing this one unless Marty Turco has an unreal game in net for the Stars.

After a not so deserved two points on Tuesday night, I find this to be a key game for the Hawks to gain some momentum for toughest stretch of the Circus Trip at the Leafs, Sharks and Ducks before ending the trip at the Kings.