SB Nation - Tomas Kopecky

This Is What I Know About Being Gigantic - Hawks 5, Bruins 4 (SO - Hawks win shirtless slap fight)

McClure — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:09:48 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

Hey! Is that a ninja up there?

The biggest United Center crowd of the year got to see the Hawks' most entertaining game of the year, outside of the obvious asterisk that the Calgary comeback ever shall be.

The Hawks' lineup looked quite a bit different on Friday, with Antti Niemi starting in net, Niklas Hjalmarsson sitting out because of feeling under the weather (rumor has it he hurt his knee in the Peterborough game), and Ben Eager sitting out presumably because he's a steakhead. Personally, I would have sat Tomas Kopecky again in favor of Eager, but I'm not the guy with the mustache...YET. Both teams traded chances in the opening minutes of the first, with the Hawks once again moving the puck very well, but only seemed to be able to manufacture shots from the perimeter against Tim Thomas, who appeared to be on in the early going with his Hasek-esque style. In their own zone, however, the Hawks were an adventure. Joel Quenneville very quickly into the game rearranged his defensemen, pairing Jordan Hendry with Brian Campbell in order to keep two pairs consistent in Hammer's absence- a result which paid dividends. It did not prevent David Krejci from opening the scoring, however, as Niemi failed to smother a dump in with his catch glove (which was suspect all evening), and the puck came to Krejci out front to poke home.

Early in the second, Kris Versteeg potted the Hawks' equalizer off of a careless pass from Andrew Ference which VERSTEEG! alertly snapped past Thomas. The ice then began to tilt in the Hawks favor, as Patrick Sharp gave the Hawks the lead banging home a rebound crashing the left post. After having some issues with the referee in the corner at the other end of the ice Brent Sopel (at his Sopel-est tonight), coughed up a turnover that led to Daniel Paille tying the game at two. However, in the waning moments of the second, Troy Brouwer threw a goal line pass from the corner to Jonathan Toews, who harpooned the puck between Thomas' legs to give the Hawks the lead after 40. All three Hawks' goal scorers in the period potted their tenth goals of the year.

The Hawks' assault on Thomas continued into the third, but Boston once again drew even, as Johnny Boychuk slapped a cross ice feed undereath Niemi's right arm. Less than two minutes later, Andrew Ladd received credit for redirecting a Brian Campbell point blast into the net after some fine perimeter puck movement by Campbell, Hendry, and Sharp. It would not be a lead the Hawks would hold onto. With less than three minutes remaining, the Bruins found themselves on a 3-on-2, with both Sharp and Marian Hossa late to return on their backchecks, which let Krejci pot his second of the night to tie the game up. After relatively uneventful OT, the contest needed to be decided with a couple rounds of rochambeau, with Q deciding to let the B's shoot first. Patrice Bergeron ran out of room on Niemi, and Toews made him pay with the now trademark snapper at the other end. Blake Wheeler got Niemi down and out but drew iron, which made Patrick Kane's backhader at the other end hold up as the winner. Hawks win.

Observations

Outside of Sharp and Hossa's lackadaisical backcheck, Niemi's glove, and Sopel being Sopel, I found very little to complain about from anyone else. No passengers for this game whatsoever. Even Tomas Kopecky's general invisibility was not for lack of effort.
I was very impressed with Jordan Hendry's ability to step in and play with Brian Campbell, one of the more difficult defenseman in the league to partner with, arguably the most. Credit to Quenneville as well for realizing very quickly that Cam Barker simply does not have the foot speed to recover in time to be paired with Soup at even strength, and making the change. As Sam said, why screw up two pairs with Hammer out?
The Hawks dominated in shots in the second and third, and give credit to the Bruins for capitalizing on the opportunities they got. This game could have been a case of water finding its own level with Antti Niemi, who did make some very good saves when they counted, but a couple of the B's goals - Krejci's first and Boychuck's - could and should have been stopped.
Apologies for the obtuse headline. I know it's a reach, but please bear with me. See what I did there?
I know the Hawks have two games in hand, but how the fuck are they only two points ahead of goddamn Nashville? That Barry Trotz really is something.
Credit the Hawks for not shying away from the monster that is Zdeno Chara. I witnessed Kane, Toews and VERSTEEG! initiate contact with that pituitary case, with Toews retaliating a bit on Versteeg's behalf at one point near the benches, and at one point Troy Brouwer and Chara came to within a hair on my sack from scrapping. It would have been a fight that Our Boy Troy would have been destroyed in, but the courage is admirable.
All eight goals came at even strength. For the top two PK units in the league, I know that's a shock.
Thanks to you, the reader, who now seems to understand that if there's a game on a weekend evening, it's pretty well implied that the wrap isn't coming until the following morning due to this blog's propensity for getting itself banged up before, during, and after games. The fact that the weekday games are now a coin-flip as well could be cause for concern, however. Knowing us, though, we'd make the inevitable intervention an open invite event at the Whirlaway.

Player of the Game

While this award could have gone a number of ways, I'll give it to everyone's, including seemingly Q's, favorite $7 million dollar whipping boy. Even with his Swedish security blanket out of the lineup, Brian Campbell managed to be a +1 with an assist during nearly 28:00 minutes of ice time in a back and forth game. Campbell created opportunities in the offensive zone, had an assist on a redirected slap shot, and was solid in his own end.

Game 27 Preview: Jackets head to the Windy City to face the Hawks

Mike MacLean — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:03:19 -0000

by Jay LaPrete - AP

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After snapping a five game losing streak, the Jackets are in Chicago to take on the 'Hawks. On paper, this doesn't look good for the Jackets. It's the second game of a back-to-back, Rusty is out of the lineup with a groin tear (Mathieu Roy will play tonight, he's up from Syracuse on emergency recall), and tonight is the home debut of Hossa.

That said, the boys should still have some momentum from last night. It was a gutsy performance, and maybe the victory against the Blues was the tonic needed to get the Jackets back on track. Chicago is a great team from top to bottom. Their one question mark heading into the season-goaltending-seems to no longer be an issue with the strong play of Huet.

In my opinion, and likely many other share this opinion, the Hawks have the best defense in the NHL. It will be tough to score tonight, but the Jackets do have the weapons needed. Umby is playing his best hockey of the season, and Brass is looking better and better each game. If Voracek can build off of the strong game he had last night, look for that line to produce tonight. That would allow Nash and Juice to do their thing offensively-Huselius has been putting up serious points lately as well.

This is an imprtant game for the checking unit. I haven't seen much from Chimmer all season, and he needs to bring a physical element tonight. Mike Blunden hits everything that moves, and he'll need to continue doing that tonight against the 'Hawks potent forwards. Sammy was a Blackhawk for a brief period last season, and I look for him to have a strong game matching up against either Toews or Versteeg.

Fearless Prediction: Goal from a CBJ defenseman.

Game Time: 8:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Second City Hockey

Game Page: Blue Jackets vs Blackhawks Coverage

TSN Preview: Blue Jackets vs Blackhawks Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

The Blue Jackets snapped a five-game losing streak last night with a 5-2 win over the Blues. It should be a loud crowd tonight in United Center. The Blackhawks are back off a six-game trip, Marian Hossa makes his Chicago debut and coach Joel Quenneville goes for his 500th victory.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kristian Huselius	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
R.J. Umberger	Derick Brassard	Jakub Voracek
Jason Chimera	Samuel Pahlsson	Michael Blunden
Raffi Torres	Derek MacKenzie	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Mathieu Roy

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Alexandre Picard

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett, Rostislav Klesla, Marc Methot

Chicago Blackhawks

Patrik Sharp	Jonathan Toews	Marian Hossa
Dustin Byfuglien	Kris Versteeg	Patrick Kane
Andrew Ladd	John Madden	Troy Brouwer
Ben Eager	Colin Fraser	Tomas Kopecky

Duncan Keith	Brent Seabrook
Brian Campbell	Cam Barker
Niklas Hjalmarsson	Brent Sopel

Cristobal Huet

Antti Niemi

Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Olympic Preview

Matthew Dirt — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 19:00:13 -0000

by Jeff McIntosh - AP

I don't think it's possible to take a picture of Toews on the ice without some stupid look on his face

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We've covered the Olympics on here a few times before and it's safe to say we're all a little concerned about them. All of the SBN Hockey blogs have once again teamed up though to give everyone a good glimpse at who on the teams they cover could be heading to Vancouver for two weeks in February to play for their countries. Please check out the other sites info on this page - it's a good read

We here are SCH are already pretty late with this preview so here we go..

Pack Your Bags

Patrick Kane (USA) - Kaner is an absolute no-brainer to play for the Americans. Kane is just one of the many young stars like Phil Kessel, Bobby Ryan, T.J. Oshie, Erik Johnson and maybe even James van Riemsdyk that could be leading the Men's team back to glory (or at least relevancy). As we've seen throughout this season, few players in the NHL (and therefore the world) can match Kane's vision and IQ out on the ice. It'll be an uphill battle for the USA team to get to any medal rounds but it's players like Kane that will give them a chance.

Marian Hossa (Slovakia) - According to NHL.com - there are only 12 skaters in the NHL from Slovakia that have played this year so my knowledge of who is going to be on this team is pretty damn limited. Regardless, from what we've seen in just 2 games, Hossa would be a lock to make any team in the country so Slovakia is sure to love having him.

Tomas Kopecky (Slovakia) - As I said above, there are very few players from Slovakia who have made it to the NHL - so somebody like Kopecky is pretty much a lock. While he wouldn't make other power house teams, or most teams really, he's a pretty good lock for the Slovak team.. so good for him.

Nearly A Lock

Jonathan Toews (Canada) - I debated putting Toews in the "pack your bag" category but since he's not a 100% sure thing, I thought he should go here. There's very little doubt that Toews will make the team, especially given Yzerman's fondness for Captain Marvel. The fact that Toews might not crack Canada's top 4 centers tells you how deep their team is going to be. With Toews' injury earlier in the year and not exactly lighting the world on fire so far, his stock may have dipped slightly but there's still very little chance we don't see Toews on the team.

Duncan Keith (Canada) - Keith is almost certain to join the team in Vancouver as well - we know that Keith is one of the best defenseman in the league and I'm sure Yzerman does too. Keith is 4th overall in points for d-man and 3rd overall if you take out the Czech Tomas Kaberle.. Keith logs big minutes against tough competition in all situations. It'd be surprising to see him miss the games.

Work To Do

Dustin Byfuglien (USA) - Buff rode an outstanding end of the regular season and even more impressive playoffs to get himself an invitation to the Men's Olympic Hockey Camp this summer. However it was pretty clear to anyone who went there that Buff was at least a step behind every other player in that camp. Brian Burke has an unexplained soft spot for tough guys who can't do much else (read: The current Maple Leafs) - so there's an outside shot that Buff makes the Men's squad. If he had played with the same intensity we saw late last year I think he'd be much closer to making the team but instead we've seen him revert to the player who takes games off at a time, only to have a shift or two of interest. Probably won't be enough for him to make the team but weirder things have happened before..

Brent Seabrook (Canada) - I don't know if Biscuit actually has much "work" to do but he's a dark horse at this point to make the squad. If he could be assured to play with Keith I think they'd obviously be a force during the games. It's not a stretch to say those two are at least in the top 5 of defensive pairs in the league and having a pairing with that level of familiarity could give the Canadian squad a major leg up over players that rarely ever get to play with their teammates for any extended periods of time. I'd think it'd be foolish not to take him but I'm biased...

Patrick Sharp (Canada) - Sharp got off to a red-hot start this year - 9 points in his first 6 games. He's settled down a lot though with only 12 points in the games since that start. Canada's absolutely loaded with snipers that are better than Shooter. He'd pretty much be a lock to make the US squad but the Canadian squad might just be a bridge too far.

Niklas Hjalmarsson (Sweden) - I don't really know much about Olympic hockey squads - I enjoy watching it when it happens but don't follow the build up too far beforehand. So I don't know what Hammer's shots are but in my slight research on the issue, I've only seen Hammer's name thrown out there on message boards so I'm thinking he doesn't have the greatest shot to make the team for Sweden. The Swedes won the gold last year so their team is going to be tough to crack but we've seen how Nintendo has upped his game from the start of last year, especially in the playoffs. If he can play there I don't see a reason why he wouldn't be a great addition to the Swedish team.

FUN WITH MATH! (Not really, though...)

mpetrella — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:37:29 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

2 months ago: Carolina Hurricanes' Scott Walker (24) is congratulated by Joe Corvo (77) and Tim Gleason (6) after Walkers' goal as Atlanta Thrashers goalie Manny Legace (29) falls to the ice at right during the first period of an NHL preseason hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, Sept. 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

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Yesterday, Manny Legace signed a contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, and will become the 17th former Red Wing (or Red Wing draft pick) to play for another NHL team this season.

The Canes are one of three teams to have TWO former Red Wings (Legace and Ray Whitney). The others are Chicago (Tomas Kopecky and Marian Hossa) and Vancouver (Mikael Samuelsson and Mathieu Schneider).

On the other hand, the Red Wings have two former players from each of the following teams:
ANAHEIM (Todd Bertuzzi and Brad May)
CALGARY (Bertuzzi and Brad Stuart)
CHICAGO (Dan Cleary and Jason Williams)
EDMONTON (Cleary and Kirk Maltby)
FLORIDA ( Bertuzzi and Andreas Lilja)
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (Bertuzzi and Chris Osgood)
PHOENIX (Cleary and May)
VANCOUVER (Bertuzzi and May)

The current Red Wings have played for all but FOUR teams. No current member of the squad has played for the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, or Washington Capitals. (Sort of... Doug Janik played for the Stars, Canadiens, and Lightning. Andy Delmore played for the Predators and Flyers. Otherwise, these teams are not represented, either).

The Red Wings have lost 43 man-games to injury. At this point last season, the Wings had lost 34 man-games to injury.

Nicklas Lidstrom leads the team with a +8 rating. Interestingly, his partner, Brian Rafalski, is -1. Funny how that works... Dan Cleary is the low plus/minus man at -7.

Brad Stuart leads the team with 2.9 hits per game. Justin Abdelkader (2.7), Brad May (2.6), Darren Helm (2.4), and Patrick Eaves (2.1) follow. Johan Franzen was averaging 3.7 hits before his knee injury. Ville Leino is at the bottom of this list, averaging 0.21 hits per game.

Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, and Steve Yzerman became the 7th, 8th, and 9th Red Wings to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame this decade. The others are Igor Larionov (08), Paul Coffey (04), Larry Murphy (04), Mike Ilitch (03), Bernie Federko ('memba him?! 02), and Viacheslav Fetisov (01).

And now, onto the Fake Awards Updates:

GOODFELLAS AWARD
Darren Helm
Patrick Eaves
*named by Winging it in Motown's Mr. Norris Trophy, given to the Final Red Wing to be penalized this season. Award will be renamed in honor of one of these two gentlemen, whoever is the last man standing*

LAST RED WING TO SCORE A GOAL (name under advisement...feel free to suggest a name)
Brad May
Derek Meech

MIKAEL SAMUELSSON AWARD
1. Henrik Zetterberg (17)
2. Todd Bertuzzi (15)
3. Jason Williams (14)
4. Ville Leino (13)
5. Tomas Holmstrom (12)

*Given at the year’s end to the Red Wing forward with the most shots to miss the net*

DEREK MEECH AWARD:
1. Derek Meech (10)
2. Patrick Eaves (6)
3. Brad May (4)
4. Brett Lebda (3)
T5. Kirk Maltby (2)
T5. Justin Abdelkader (2)
*Give at the year's end to the Red Wing with the most games spent in the press box*

GREG STEFAN AWARD:
1. Jimmy Howard (1-2-1, 3.42 GAA, .879sv%)
2. Chris Osgood (6-3-2, 2.77 GAA, .902sv%)
*Give to the Red Wings goaltender that makes you question how they're in the NHL and you aren't*

CHRIS CHELIOS AWARD:
T1. Brad Stuart (1 goal, 15 games)
T1. Nicklas Lidstrom (1 goal, 15 games)
3. Brian Rafalski (1 goal, 14 games)
4. Brett Lebda (1 goal, 12 games)
5. Niklas Kronwall (2 goals, 15 games)
NOT QUALIFIED: Derek Meech (0 goals, 5 games)
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings defenseman with the fewest goals scored in the most games played (at least 3/4 of team games played)*

DAN CLEARY "SACRAFICE YOUR FACE" AWARD:
1. Dan Cleary (9). Surprise, surprise
2. Pavel Datsyuk (7)
T3. Todd Bertuzzi (6)
T3. Henrik Zetterberg (6)
T5. Justin Abdelkader (5)
T5. Valtteri Filppula (5)
T5. Darren Helm (5)
*Given at the year's end to the Red Wings forward with the most blocked shots*

Game 17 Recap: Avalanche 4 - Blackhawks 3 (SO)

David Driscoll-Carignan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:20:10 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

about 1 month ago: Colorado Avalanche rookie center Ryan O'Reilly, left, shoots the puck for a goal past Chicago Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi, of Finland, in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Denver on Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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Final - 11.6.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Chicago Blackhawks	2	1	0	0	0	3
Colorado Avalanche	1	2	0	0	1	4

Complete Coverage >

We've got a thing that's called radar love
We’ve got a line in the sky, radar love

-Golden Earring, Radar Love

Well, that was fun. It wasn't the most picture-perfect hockey game, but sometimes those "off" games are the most entertaining. And the Avs won, which always helps. Tack on another great game by Craig Anderson, someone finally making Tomas Kopecky pay for running roughshod over our goalie, some highlight reel goals from Radar O'Reilly and David Jones and, of course, a drunken thedoctor in the game thread and you have all the makings of a fun filled evening.

It started...poorly. The Avs were a tad flat to start the game. By the 10 minute mark, the Avalanche had 1 shot, while the Blackhawks had two goals. But anyone who's watched the Avalanche this year (except jcarti01) knows that you can't give up on this team. The Avs are now 6-2-2 when giving up the first goal. Going down early like that only seems to do one thing: it wakes them up.

By the end of the first, the Avs had started to pick up steam (Joe Sacco had already changed up the lines before the first intermission) and at the 18:38 mark Ryan O'Reilly banged home a rebound of his own shot to cut the lead to 2-1.

About 6 minutes into the 2nd period, the Avs had the Blackhawks right where they wanted them: on the powerplay. The Avs were still struggling to get shots on net, but the Blackhawks PP was the perfect remedy. First, David Jones took advantage of having Dustin Byfgulien on the point (yay, Quenneville!). He turned what would have been an opportunity for a clear into a breakaway as he blew around "Big Buf" before floating a backhand past Antti Niemi (a save Niemi certainly should have made). But wait, there was more. With time ticking down on the same inept powerplay, Ryan O'Reilly found himself all alone on a breakaway. Niemi made the first shot, but Radar collected the rebound and calmly potted it to give the Avs a 3-2 lead. Officially, the PP ended a second before O'Reilly scored, but that puppy was, for all intents and purposes, a shorthanded goal.

We can't overstate the job this kid has done this year. After tonight's game, O'Reilly has 14 points. That's tied for 2nd on the Avs in scoring and tied for first among rookies (with James van Riemsdyk). More amazing to me, though, is that ALL of his points have come at even strength. Only two players in the league have more points at even strength than O'Reilly does - Alex Ovechkin and Anze Kopitar. That is most impressive. And that's just his offense - it doesn't even factor in that he's our best penalty killer, our best faceoff man (not that that's saying much) or that his +13 +/- is 3rd best in the league and #1 among forwards. And, unlike that stiff Duchene, he's got not one, but TWO cool nicknames? ORLY? Yes, really.

At any rate, the goals by Jones and O'Reilly were two of the whopping 3 shots the Avalanche mustered in the 2nd period (including a two minute powerplay). That meant that the Blackhawks - deflated after blowing a lead in just under two minutes - had a chance to gather their senses and get back into the game. They put some pressure on the Avs through the rest of the period. Craig Anderson made some brilliant saves, but ultimately Andrew Ladd tied it up towards the end of the 2nd.

The third period was wild. The Avalanche activated their 5 healthy defensemen (Johnny Liles reinjured his hot pocket in the 1st and left the game) at almost every opportunity. That led to a lot of scoring chances for the Avs...and a few for the Blackhawks as well. Both goalies played an excellent 3rd period, though, and, after regulation ended, each held their ground in OT as well.

That brought us to the shootout, which was almost a carbon copy of the 9-round dazzler in Chicago earlier. This time, it took 8 rounds. 16 shots and only 3 made it in. One from Patrick Kane, one from Marek Svatos (the new Wolski in the shootout) and, finally, the winner from Chris Stewart. It was a big win. Maybe not the most deserving, but we'll take the points.

Oh, and thank you Adam Foote for FINALLY making Tomas Kopecky pay for constantly running into Craig Anderson for the 2nd straight game. Foote took advantage of some swallowed whistles in a late-game flurry to put a whole bunch of hurt on Kopecky, driving him into the ice in the corner and then slamming him a couple of times in the back and then repeating the drubbing later on the same shift in front of the net. He could have easily gotten a penalty for it, but Kopecky certainly had it coming to him.

Lines

Hejduk - Stastny - Jones
McLeod - Duchene - Svatos
Wolski - O'Reilly - Stewart
Koci - Dupuis - Hendricks

As I mentioned above, these all changed before the end of the 1st period, although the McLeod, Duchene and Svatos line was reunited in the 3rd (oh, joy). Hejduk also moved back to the right side after starting the game on the left side (something that started midway through Wednesday's game).

Johnny Hot Pocket was injured in the game. Tom Preissing was sent to Lake Erie on Thursday for a conditioning assignment, so it stands to reason that he'd be available if Lile's injury will cause him to miss time. Ryan Wilson is around as well, of course.

Meanwhile, Chris Durno was sent back to Lake Erie as well to make room for Matt Hendricks.

Quick Hits

Say what you want to about Brett Clark, but that mofo blocked 12 shots in the game. Twelve!
O'Reilly led all players with 6 shots
The Avs have outscored their opponents 21-13 in the 2nd period this year.

Video Highlights

Next Up

The Avs try to continue as the only unbeaten team at home when they face off agains the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.

Desert Sessions

McClure — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:24:35 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

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Well, that could have turned out better. The long layoff seemed to have a slight effect on the Hawks, but not much. Certainly nothing that is significant enough to pin the loss on. A few notes from the game:

After being skewered by most people, myself included, Tomas Kopecky had himself a heck of a game. He was a constant presence in front of Ilya Bryzgalov, and the goaltender interference call that he drew was soft, as a screaming Edzo let the viewing audience know immediately. If the Hawks continue to get this kind of effort out of Kopecky, the fourth line might regain last year's form.
While Patrick Sharp was seemingly everywhere last night, he's got to bury the chances he has. Granted Bryzgalov wasn't giving much to shoot at last night, but true scorers pot at least one of those, and missing the net entirely on the breakaway is not acceptable. It was pleasant to see Sharp creating his own shots for once, though.
As bad as the power play has been, that's how good the penalty kill has been. The Hawks PK kept the Phoenix man-advantage off the board, which is actually saying something, as they've been a top-10 unit all year. Even Patrick Kane was solid in his own zone while shorthanded before setting up the Hawks' lone goal.
Dave Bolland was completely invisible. If it's his back, as soon as Toews returns, he needs to be shelved.
Niklas Hjarmalsson continues to incorporate more and more of the physicality he was rumored to have.
Fix. The. Power. Play.

Once again, thanks to everyone who joined us at the Whirlaway last night, and to Sergio and Maria for having us. More to come later in the day regarding the game against the Avalanche tonight.

We've Been Through This: Blackhawks November Monthly Preview

Matthew Dirt — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:41:43 -0000

More photos » by David Banks - AP

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I did these last year and meant to write one up for October but just forgot with the start of the actual season. These will be up hopefully on the final day of every month..

As for October though, there were plenty of ups and downs - the Hawks are off to the best start in a long time, they're coming into November in first place in the central, Kane is playing above where even some of his biggest fans thought he'd be right now and despite a shaky start, Huet has put together 4 solid starts in a row.

Of course there's bad too - injuries are a growing concern, even with a roster we all thought was pretty deep going into the year. The biggest injury obviously being to the Captain... who doesn't seem like he'll be returning anytime soon. The 4th line is patchwork at best without Eager or Burish. We're still figuring out if Tomas Kopecky is worth anything at all and for the record I'm not sold that he's a complete waste yet.

November will be much more of a challenge with the annual circus trip to California and Canada. The Hawks will be facing much harder competition as well with almost every game against a team with a winning record so far and two games against Colorado who have been one of the hottest teams going so far.

Hit the jump for more numbers and discussion.

Home Games: 4

Road Games: 8

Games Against Teams Over .500: 9

Central Division Games: 0

Longest Road Trip: Circus Trip - From Nov. 19th to the end of the month the Hawks will play 6 games on the road, Canada down to Cali

Sets of Back-to-back Games: 3 - Yotes and Avs to start it off this week, Oilers and Canucks on the 21st/22nd, Ducks and Kings to end it all the 27th/28th

Games to look forward to: The two games against the Avalanche should be interesting given how well they're playing right now. The Avs are 10-3-2 but remember - the Hawks are responsible for one of those OTLs.

The annual circus trip got a lot more interesting after last year now that the Hawks get to play the Flames and Canucks again. After the outrageous comeback against the Flames and the tough loss to the Canucks (not to mention Willie Mitchell's hit on Toews) means we're likely to see two hard fought tough games in Canada plus the Oilers thrown in there for good measure.

And on November 13th we get another Original 6 Match-Up when the Leafs come into town, possibly still looking for their 2nd win of the year.

ON PACE FOR

Record Of: 51-25-6 (108 Points)

4 points higher than last year - and just for the record the Hawks historical high in points was only 107 in the 70/71 and 71/72 seasons... 108 points will be insanely difficult and I would never put money on it.. but it would be a shit load of fun.

Most Goals: Patrick Sharp - 38

Sharp is an interesting case - we've all talked about his coasting and lack of production but this would only be 2 goals higher than his career best which shouldn't be out of the question. Sharp has been a pretty streaky player but netting 5 goals in 6 games then going 6 games without is going to drive us all insane.

Most Points: Patrick Kane - 76

With 12 points, Kane is close to finally being the point per game player we've suspected he might be. Add Hossa, Toews or Sharp to his line instead of Buff and Madden then Kane's numbers will only get better. If the power play ever gets off the ground then the numbers go up again - anyone think we could see a 100 point season if things go right?

Most PIM: Andrew Ladd - 145

Yeah - that's not going to happen. Ladd's numbers are obviously inflated due to the misconduct against the Habs. Ladd's never had more than 50 PIM in a year and only had 113 coming into this year. With Eager and Burish both out there isn't a clear leader in PIMs just yet though if Eager can make it back soon and keep his brain in tact I'm sure he'll start to run off with that stat..

Most Hits: Troy Brouwer -246

Brouwer is averaging 3 hits a night - if this pace keeps up I think Madden might have a little competition for newest man-crush in this city.

Most Blocked Shots: Duncan Keith - 183

Sam mentioned in the Indian on Friday that Keith is having an odd year and this is just another example. Keith is facing a lot of shots and is getting in the way of a lot of them too. 183 is extremely high but Keith came close with 148 in the '06/'07 season. Blocking a ton of shots and logging even more ice time is not a welcome sight - Keith's stats need to be watched closely this year.

Quick, Someone Stab Me To See If I Still Feel: Hawks 0-Preds 2

SamFels — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:40:52 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

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Well that was awful. A bad effort against a bad team in a bad hockey market on a bad ice surface. It's three hours you won't be getting back.

The Hawks have not shaken their incredibly annoying habit of playing to their competition. On a night where we all knew the Preds were going to do their utmost to keep things tight, the Hawks insisted on trying to beat 11 guys at the line on what was probably a warm slurpee of an ice surface. When the Hawks did manage to figure out to get it in deep, they didn't seem all that interested in outworking the Preds. Thankfully, Huet kept them around the whole game where they still should have gotten something out of it.

Obviously, this game was lost on the power play, and hopefully the abortion of a performance will cause the changes that seem so necessary. First off, get Bolland or Sharp off the point. Neither has a skill set that would suggest they can do a job back there. If you're looking for a booming shot, put Buff back there. If you need a handler or distributor, as weird as it sounds, Kris Versteeg would actually be your best bet right now. But neither of those is necessary. Keith, Seabrook, Barker, and Campbell should provided everything the power play needs from the points. Now, why it Tomas Kopecky on with the man-advantage? Why is he on the ice at all? If anyone can explain what he does well, I'll buy you a coke. Oh, and the one guy who's scored a power play goal recently, Troy Brouwer, didn't get any time. Awesome.

Aside from the 3rd against the Wild, and maybe a period against the Preds at home, when was the last time this team looked really good? It's hard to complain about 7-4-1, especially when you're two best all-around forwards have missed time. But there have definitely been some points gone to waste, and you never know when that might come back to haunt you. Luckily, the Habs might be just what the doctor ordered.

Player Of The Game

Look in a mirror. It's you, for surviving watching that drech. Night.

No More Secrets, Marty - Hawks 3, Wild 1

McClure — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:52:50 -0000

Well, that was pleasant to see. To me, this game had the distinct aroma of an ugly affair coming into it, due to the Hawks history with the Wild, as well as on Versus (and particularly against the Wild ON Versus), and the threat of Martin Havlat going all Fatal Attraction on the Hawks. Outside of an early rush around and through Niklas Hjalmarsson, Marty was fairly invisible, likely due to a lingering groin issue, and not the kind that Adam Burish needs inoculations for.

The game had a good pace to start off, with the Hawks again looking to get the crowd fully into it and continue to bolster their tenuous support of Cristobal Huet. After a bit of back-and-forth with no real good chances either way, Dave Bolland buried a rebound of an Andrew Ladd shot, which culmitated a nice sequence that originated with a risky cross-ice pass from Jordan Hendry to Ladd. Troy Brouwer increased the lead to 2-0 by stuffing home a garbage goal off of a rebound on the power play. It's likely due to Toews not being in the lineup, but even once he returns, Brouwer needs to be given a look on the power play as an alternative to whatever it is that Tomas Kopecky has been doing with a man up.

After a thoroughly uneventful second period, the Hawks once again began parading to the sin bin in the third, which led to Andrew Brunette potting a goal on the advantage after a scrum and three or four whacks at the puck in front of a prone Huet; not a lot Cris could do on that one. The Blackhawks responded with a lot of sustained pressure in the Minnesota zone, cycling the puck in the right corner, when Patrick Kane broke free and was allowed to deal from behind the net, walked out in front, and basically gave a Belmont Transfer to Nicklas Backstrom and the Minnesota defensemen. Kane walked out, turned around, and fired a shot past Backstrom's ear, ringing it off the back bar and out before half of the Wild knew what happened. From there on out, it was academic, as Minnesota put up little fight in the waning seconds.

Observations

John Forslund and Andy Brickley are BRUTAL.
It was nice to see the fourth line generate a little bit of pressure and physicality tonight, with Jake Dowell getting into an obligatory scrap with Shane Hnidy after being called up. I know inbound rush hour traffic in the rain on the Kennedy is enough to make most people ornery, probably had the same effect on Dowell.
The Hawks were flat out horrendous at the dot with Toews not in the lineup, winning only 17 of 50
The PK looked good for the most part, despite allowing the lone Minny goal. It was more of a result of giving them enough opportunities. Let's hope this recent trend of heading to the box in the third is merely a fleeting thing.
Likewise, in spite of scoring a goal, the power play still looks like shit.

Player Of The Game

While it was tempting to give this honor to 20 Cent based on the degree of filth in that goal, again, it has to go to Cris, who provided another solid, confidence inspiring effort, albeit against another popgun offense. The eye test shows a more relaxed and aggressive Huet, which is how he'll need to continue to play.

Play of the Game

Killion here... McClure already mentioned it - but this deserves many repeated viewings so I thought I'd add it here. I think the best part may be Backstrom looking back in utter confusion immediately after the goal... or it could be Kane toying with the defender behind the net... or just the insane space 20-Cent fits it in over his shoulder... or just the whole thing in general..

Minnesota Wild @ Chicago Blackhawks: Game Recap

nathaneide — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 03:18:28 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

about 1 month ago: Chicago Blackhawks center Jake Dowell, left, fights with Minnesota Wild defenseman Shane Hnidy during the first period of their NHL Hockey game Monday, Oct. 26, 2009 in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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Minnesota Wild 1-3 Chicago Blackhawks

Another road game, another road loss. This is getting painful. Sure, I know we're only 11 games into the season, but this team isn't exactly showing a lot of signs of improvement or consistency in learning the new system. In fact, I'd say they've regressed overall. Sure, they're showing flashes here and there, but overall, they seem to lose focus in their own end, and either don't have the guys to breakout and apply offensive pressure, or they still don't get the new style. Either way, the Todd Richards-led Wild aren't exactly the talk of the town. They're averaging fewer goals per game scored and more goals per game allowed than they did under Lemaire. This isn't exactly a positive step. Hopefully it's only a matter of time before they leap forward, because crawling doesn't seem to be working.

Once again the Wild found themselves down early, as Dave Bolland took a pass from Andrew Ladd and buried it, putting the Blackhawks up 1-0 at the 9:23 mark. Chicago then added to their lead at 17:13 as Troy Brouwer scored on the power play on the rebound from Tomas Kopecky and Duncan Keith. This goal was yet another this season in which Niklas Backstrom had absolutely no help from his defensemen and Brouwer easily poked the rebound home.

One positive from the first period is that the shots were 10-10, but again, the Wild didn't cash-in on their scoring chances, and the Blackhawks had far too many. The defense needs to get tight, especially on the road.

Chicago started to take over the game after that power play goal, while there were no goals in the second period, Chicago clearly carried the play, outshooting the Wild 11-6, then things only got worse in the third. The Wild seemed to pick up play early in the period, culminating in Andrew Brunette's 7th goal of the season, on the rebound from both Antti Miettinen and Mikko Koivu. Bruno has had a great start to the season, one of the lone highlights thus far.

After Bruno's goal however, Chicago again took over and clamped down hard. Just three minutes later, Patrick Kane made a superstar move, driving to the net, spinning in the low circle and roofing one from a ridiculous angle. It was a goal-scorers goal. That put Chicago up 3-1, and the Blackhawks shut the door from then on. Shots in the third period ended up 14-5 and 35-21 overall.

If this is the up-tempo, offensive style we were expecting, I demand a refund. 21 shots is below the season average under Lemaire, and the team just isn't picking it up.

Oh, and by the way:

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Marian Gaborik	10	8	18	6	4

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Martin Havlat	1	4	5	-10	0

Please read the game recap over at Second City Hockey

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Patrick Kane (1 G)
Andrew Brunette (1 G)
Brian Campbell (+2 in 26:08 TOI)

Questions to Answer

Can the Wild find consistency and bring the Wild Rumpus to Chicago? No.
How will Havlat perform back in Chicago? Less than mediocre. He needs to pick it up. He's killing the team right now.
Can Niklas Backstrom continue the fantastic streak of play? He is doing everything he can to win. He has little support.
Will the time off do Pouliot well? Benoit Pouliot was a -1 in 9:05. The kid needs time to play, this is quickly becoming a lost season, just play him 15 minutes a night and let him free.
With Chicago off to a hot start, can the Wild learn from their level of play? Let's hope so. They need to learn from someone.