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.

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.

Hawks Notch Their Fourth Straight; Toews – One Goal

Boy oh boy, how can you not be excited for this team right now? Almost everything seems to be clicking on all cylinders for the Hawks! They’re scoring…a lot. Their playing better defensively and the goaltending has been very, very solid. Last night was my fourth game at the UC and I find myself looking forward more and more to every game that I am able to attend. (Thank you to United Airlines for getting me back from Boston on time so I could make the game for the anthem…and forget about how terrible ND football is right now).

The game, last night, did not start under the best terms. The Hawks were more or less shorthanded for the first ten minutes of the game and I don’t remember the Flames getting more than a couple good scoring chances. The penalty kill was outstanding last night and helped push our 90.6 PK% to 2nd in the NHL, only behind the Wild’s 92.4 PK%.

As for the offense, they also played tremendous last night. Sometimes teams fall into the habit of making one too many passes and mitigates a really good scoring chance. Last night, however, the Hawks were shooting when they should and making that last pass when they should. Three of the six goals last night were scored, basically, on an empty net. If a Hawks player has an almost completely open net to shoot at, I’m going to go out on a limb and say those shots will result in goals, oh, 99% of the time.

I watched the highlights this morning and could not believe at some of the saves Kiprusoff was forced to make last night. Don’t let the final score fool you because the Hawks could have easily put up ten goals last night if it weren’t for Kiprusoff and some ridiculous saves. I’m sure a lot of people around the NHL will see that Kiprusoff surrendered six goals and think he played bad…but I have to give credit where credit is due.

And finally (and no I didn’t forget), congratulations to Johnny Toews on finally putting the biscuit in the basket last night! I find it fitting after getting robbed a few times earlier in the game, his first goal needed to squeak through a Kiprusoff hole and then barely trickle its way into the back of the net. In the four games I’ve seen at the UC so far this year, the Hawks have scored a combined 21 goals (wow, I’m pretty lucky) and honestly, that was the most excited I’ve been for any of those goals. Granted, I haven’t seen a game winner late in the 3rd period or an OT winner, but still, probably had one of the biggest smiles I’ve had for any goal all year at home. And did anyone else notice how excited Kane was? I think he was the most jubilant guy in the house last night. That’s something you just love to see. (God I hope those two are both wearing Hawks jerseys ten years from now).

And now some quick notes:

-It took Toews just under 736 minutes of play this year to finally tally goal #1.

-The Hawks special teams are right up at the top of the NHL after 13 games. The Hawks PK% is 2nd in the NHL at 90.6% while their PP% is 4th in the NHL at an even 22%.

-The Hawks are 3-0-1 when I am in attendance at the UC (must be all me, right?!).

-Wendesday night, the Hawks will retire #3 to honor the greatest defenseman to wear a Hawks sweater, Pierre Pilote and long time Blackhawk, Keith Magnuson.