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.

Hawks “Circus Trip” the Seaon's Turning Point? NO

If you’re reading this, you know the Hawks are about to begin their annual “Circus Trip” tonight when they face off against the Phoenix Coyotes. It seems like a lot of writers/fans are placing an enormous importance on this 6-game road trip. Is it important? Well, of course. Six games is a good chunk of games. Will it make or break the season? No. Definitely No. Of course, if the Hawks lay a giant goose egg and come home from the trip with six straight losses, that’s going to hurt. But let’s be realistic, that’s just not going to happen.

During last year’s trip, the Hawks went a very respectable 2-2-2; nabbing 6 out of a possible 12 points. If the Hawks can match that same point total on this year’s road trip, I will easily consider it a successful road trip.

The more important thing Hawk fans should be worried about is how this team holds up physically in the middle of this demanding NHL season. After November last year, the Hawks sat at a comfortable 14-9-2, but then the injuries started to show up. Havlat, after already missing many games, went down again with another injury as did James Wisniewski and Jason Williams. The biggest injury came January 1st when Jonathan Toews sprained his knee and missed the next 16 games, where the Hawks posted a 5-9-2 record without him. During the months of December and Januray, the Hawks went a combined 9-15-2, thus dropping them below .500 before heading into February.

The key for Hawk fans during this stretch where the Hawks are away from the UC is to put things in perspective. If the Hawks go out tonight and lose on the road to Coyotes, don’t go running for the message boards to complain that Player X and Goalie Y sucked and the season is over. Instead, set your sights on the number 6. If the Hawks get 6 points or better on this trip, consider it a success. If they come up short, be a little concerned, but do not panic.

I’m not usually one for predictions…well, because there are way too many factors that can go into a game’s outcome (and maybe I’m not historically very good), but here are mine for the Circus Trip:

@Phoenix: W
@Dallas: W
@Toronto: L
@San Jose: OTL
@Anaheim: L
@LA Kings: W

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.