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.

Blackhawks Still Trying To Acquire Nylander, Deal Getting Closer

Over at The Fourth Period, they are reporting that the Blackhawks are moving closer towards a deal that would bring Michael Nylander back to Chicago.

http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/chi081119.html


The possibility of moving Sopel sounds like it's a both welcoming and possible option for the Hawks. I know Khabibulin will probably not finish the season with the Hawks, but with the way he's playing right now, I really do not want to see him go.

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.

Blackhawks Avg Home Attendance #1 in NHL

The Chicago Blackhawks attendance at the United Center sits atop the NHL's average through the first month of the season. A lot of people may argue that is due to the record number of season tickets sold this year (due to the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field), but regardless, I'm proud of my fellow Chicagoans for getting out to the UC this year and cheering on this young Hawks team. For the most part so far this year, empty seats have been scarce and the crowd has been ready to go when Jim Cornelison takes the mic for the National Anthem.

Coach Quenneville had this to say about the crowd at the UC this year:

"It's a great motivator for our club. With their backing it creates a great environment with excitement and noise. The pace of the game is quicker when they're into it. It's been a great start. It's 21,000 every night. It has to be the greatest place to play."

Friday night should be a rockin' crowd at the UC when the Blues come to Chicago for the first time this year. I'll be there, again, making it my 4th straight trip to the UC to see the Hawks. God it's nice to be excited about the Hawks again!

Savard Rejoins Hawks as Team Ambassador

The Blackhawks announced today that Dennis Savard will be rejoining the organization (not like he really left) as a team ambassador. He will join the likes of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony O as Blackhawk team ambassadors.

It's really nice to hear this news. It really looks like the Hawks made the right move by letting Savvy go and bringing in Quenneville to head the team. Savvy was thrown into a tough situation with the Hawks; and given his prior coaching experience, I think he did a good job with what he had.

If you weren't at the game last night or had a chance to watch the #3 retirement ceremony live last night, Savard received the biggest ovation last night when he was introduced...a very nice moment to witness.

Bulin Wall Stellar – but Hawks still fall in Shootout

Last night, the Chicago Blackhawks faced off against, to my surprise, a very good Boston Bruins team. The game started off almost the entire opposite way the game started off Sunday night against the Flames with the Hawks on the powerplay for the majority of the first period. Despite getting off 18 1st period shots, the Hawks were unable to find the back of the net.

From my thoughts at the game, our powerplay was pretty poor last night. They had trouble gaining the zone and once they did, it was tough to keep the puck in for an extended period of time. When they did get shots off, they were not the high quality chances you like to see on the powerplay. Most of the shots came from further back in the zone and when it looked like they had set up a good screen, the shot wouldn’t find its way all the way to the goaltender. When a team spends that much time on the powerplay in the first period and cannot convert, it usually doesn’t bode well for the momentum and confidence for the rest of the game.

After the first period, the Bruins seemed to gain almost all of the momentum from then on out. They notched a key powerplay goal late in the 2nd period. Jonathan Toews did tie it at 1-1 on a powerplay goal midway through the 3rd period, but were clearly outplayed after period one. The Bruins, after the 1st period, outshot the Hawks 33-14, including an 8-1 advantage in the OT.

The Hawks had a golden opportunity in the OT when Patrick Sharp was hauled down from behind when he was on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Sharpie didn’t convert and they eventually lost in the shootout.

The biggest story of the night (after the Pilote/Magnuson retirement ceremony of course) was Nikolai Khabibulin’s play between the pipes last night. The guy was absolutely magnificent last night. He wasn’t just making all the saves he should make, he was making all the saves he should not have made as well. He had multiple saves stretching from one post to the other, was in great position all night and just absolutely stood on his head for the Hawks. The Hawks really had no business receiving any points last night, but Khabibulin almost earned that point for the Hawks entirely by himself. I don’t care that Tim Thomas got the win or played pretty well himself, Khabibulin was better last night…albeit in a loss.

After the game, during my drive home, I heard Adam Burish talking on the radio. He talked about how that was a good game and test for them to have. Sure, they would always like to win 6-2 and have the ability to relax in the 3rd period, but last night’s game resembles playoff hockey. I know people don’t like to hear the “it’s a good learning experience” line, but for this team, it was.

Few Notes:

-Jonathan Toews scored his 2nd goal in 2 games. After going goalless for the first 12 games, he now has a goal streak!

-Our penalty kill continues to play extremely well. I think Burish had four blocked shots last night. If people still have the qualms about him, fine. But at least admit his work on the penalty kill this year has been tremendous.

-The ceremony for Pilote and Magnuson was a really awesome experience to witness first hand. I knew a little about Magnuson (and have his autograph) before last night, but outside of a short email from my Dad yesterday, knew nothing about Pilote. The #3 on the Hawks sweater will forever be represented by two great hockey players; and more importantly, great people.

-To the kid sitting next to me last night, you were probably the most annoying type of Hawks fan around. Constantly complaining about their play and saying "Come on Campbell (or insert popular player's name)" like it was cool that you knew who all the popular players names were. It was great to hear you say "This is bullshit" referring to the Hawks powerplay exactly three seconds before they scored. Get over yourself.