SB Nation - Brent Sopel

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

Sharks Gameday: Gonna Be A Barnburner

Mr. Plank — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:00:29 -0000

	@ 7:30 PST
15-5-2, 32 points		16-5-4, 36 points
2nd in Western Conference		1st in Western Conference

Television	CSN-CA (HD)
Radio	98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com
Antagonists	Second City HockeyHockeeNight

[Update 10:19 AM]: According to a Worcester Sharks press release from Eric Lindquist, three players were called up today-- Ferriero, Zalewski, and Callahan. I'm assuming this means Boyle will be out tonight as he hasn't been skating since Anaheim where he was shaken up after blocking a shot. He was trying to skate it off during the entire commercial break afterwards; hopefully this is not another case akin to Pavelski (which also occurred against Anaheim-- when they can't beat you they still end up beating you apparently). While the loss of Blake hasn't hurt with Joslin's steady play, losing Boyle means the D corps will be looking mighty thin. Definitely not the best of news, and stay tuned for an update from Pollak.

Marian Hossa returns tonight for his first game in a Blackhawk uniform after recovering from shoulder surgery performed this past offseason, and will find himself placed on the first line between Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. While they may not be quite as prolific as their San Jose counterparts (Heatley-Thornton-Marleau), it should be interesting to see how McLellan attacks them-- does he hard match big guns against big guns like he did against Anaheim early in last year's postseason series, or does he try and split the time between Malhotra/Pavelski in order to give Thornton & Co. some better looks? This is one of those games where I don't think San Jose's big guys stick together on the same line for too long-- Chicago is so deep that it may be wise to spread out your scoring, especially with Devin Setoguchi unlikely to go and Quenneville holding the Keith-Seabrook card in his back pocket. Then again, they'll probably come out and score two goals in the first and prove me wrong. I love it when they do that.

Chicago is one of the hottest teams in the league right now (8-1-1 in their last ten), but with Cristobal Huet as your starting goaltender there's no telling how long that will last. Regardless, what we've got on our hands tonight is what we always have on our hands when it comes to the Blackhawks-- a fast paced matchup that's going to result in a fair amount of odd man rushes going both ways, a lot of creativity with the puck, and one hell of a strain on your blood pressure. We mused about how a playoff series between these two teams would be a dream come true back in November of last year, and after watching every single game since then, nothing has changed that opinion. These two teams are the class of the league right now, and this game has the potential to be yet another one that sticks with you months down the road.

On a side note, Brent Sopel has been mentioned in trade rumors this week (with Toronto being the apparent front runner) which reminded me of something. Maybe I'm crazy or whatever, but is Sopel not a product of some twisted dimension where scientists combined the facial features of Jody Shelley and Teemu Selanne? The resemblance is uncanny.

Have a safe trip if you're traveling today folks.

Prediction: Sharks win 5-4. Goals by Marleau, Clowe, Pavelski, Nichol, and Vlasic. Brent Sopel scores two goals and drops the gloves twice. Uncanny.

Go Sharks.

The Hawks Drink The Oilers Milkshake, They Drink It Up: Blackhawks 5 - Oilers 2

Matthew Dirt — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:10:52 -0000

Another dominating, entertaining and impressive effort from the Blackhawks. The team opened up the scoring early on as Toews pestered Ladislov Smid (which is just a great fucking name) behind the Oilers net, Patrick Kane came in to tap the puck away and Toews picked up firing two shots, the second goes bar and in. It was a perfect corner shot and it looks like Toews was fond of that area. Jeff Drouin-Delorean never stood a chance.

The Oilers didn't wait long to even it up as Sheldon Souray was credited with a goal that Cam Barker helped in. The Oil must have felt guilty though. Brent Sopel fed a pass to Kris Versteeg who the Oilers convientely left all alone in front of the net. When Kris wasn't able to bury the shot, Souray punched it in while trying to clear the puck away. Thanks guys but that kind of sportsmanship isn't really necessary.

From that point on it was almost all Blackhawks who seemed to do whatever the fuck they pleased with the puck. The passing in the Oilers zone was simply a clinic on puck possession. I remember one game last year where the Hawks were able to completely change lines while holding the puck in the other teams zone... this was close to that level of dominance.

Outscoring the opponents 12-3 so far on the circus trip is a damn good sign but the Hawks will have to keep it up as they face the Canucks tonight.

Quick Thoughts:

Patrick Kane's goal was almost as pretty as the Hawks puck possession. Once you saw him get the slightest bit in front of Liam Reddox and lower his shoulder you knew it was going to take an act of god to keep the puck from the back of the net.
Madden scoring is always a welcome sight.
Toews' second goal might have hit the exact same spot on the post before going in. Worth mentioning too that the Hawks now have two games in a row with a forward getting multiple goals.
Another power play goal too - that's also two games in a row with those. Don't look now but they've moved into the top 10 in the league with the man advantage. Going 5 for 7 in the last two games still relatively early in the season will do that.
Lets hope Bryan Bickell isn't hurt too bad. He's actually been playing well the past few games but he looked scrambled after hitting his head on the ice following a hit on Dustin Penner.

Player of the Game:

No poll on this one - Two goals and an assist makes it easy:

Shark Sandwich - Hawks 4, Sharks 3 (OT)

McClure — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:40:34 -0000

Eight of eight points against 3 top conference foes and one truculent opponent? Yeah, we'll take it. Tonight's win wasn't pretty, but an ugly win is still a win.

Things started off well enough with Brent Sopel (yes, BRENT SOPEL) notching his first of the year on a one time feed from Jordan Hendry who won the puck down low skating at forward tonight. Fresh call-up Bryan Bickell provided a nice screen on a shot that Evgeni Nabokov never saw. The Sharks answered later on in the period when dickweed Dany Heatley took a feed from Joe Thornton on a play that the Hawks should have cleared the zone on, but Jason Demers made a nice play to cut off Troy Brouwer receiving the exit pass.

Early in the second, we got to see the numbskullery we had been missing from Ben Eager, where he somehow managed to earn an extra two minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from his scrap with cro-magnon Douglas Murray. On the ensuing power play, the Sharks broke the Hawks streak of 18 straight penalties killed when Demers picked up a loose puck in the left circle on a broken play. It was a shot Huet did not get over to his post in time to cover. Forty-five seconds later, Patrick Marleau got a pass from Joe Pavelski in the slot, where he was left alone in a defensive breakdown, and was allowed to get two cracks at the net, the second of which he punched through. For the rest of the period, the ice was tilted in the Hawks favor. Patrick Kane picked a corner over Nabokov's glove to cut the deficit in half. With about a minute and a half to go, John Madden tied things up after skating through four Sharks to bury a rebound of a shot that was generated between he, Andrew Ladd, and Troy Brouwer. There was a scare in the middle of the frame when the puck squirted behind Huet and the Sharks had thought they had scored, but there was no indication on the ice, and the war room in Toronto determined no goal.

The third period was a rather tenative affair, with neither team generating much offensively, almost playing as if they were resigned to the fate of overtime as teams once did in the pre-lockout era. The Hawks ended things quickly with a great shift from Troy Brouwer and Jonathan Toews, who won the puck after hard work in behind the Shark net, with Toews finally able to slip it to a pinching Brent Seabrook who shot the puck through Nabokov for his second of the year, and second OT winner. Ballgame.

The Hawks were without the services of Kris Versteeg tonight, who was likely banged up after getting demolished by Jeff Finger on Friday night. Bryan "Don't Call me Travis" Bickell filled in admirably, and proving to be basically the left handed version of Troy Brouwer, which isn't a bad thing to be at this point.
Glad to see the Hawks hang tough and win over the top team in the league with basically half of their top 6 out for tonight's game (Bolland, Versteeg, Hossa).
Niklas Hjalmarsson continues to impress with his patience and smarts in his own end. As we've mentioned before here, and in the Indian, pay attention and marvel at his knack for absorbing a hit to make the correct pass. Additionally, he had a nice break up of a rush by dropping to a knee and taking away a passing lane.
Coach Q broke form and got way less matchup happy in the second period when the Hawks were down two goals, in an effort to generate some offense. Of course, with the score knotted in the third, John Madden once again resumed shadow detail on Thornton.
It wasn't Huet's best night, but he made a gigantic save on Scott Nichol in the waning seconds of regulation, so credit has to be given. All we as fans have asked from him is to just make the key save, and there was none bigger in the contest than that one.
The Hawks again limited one of the top offensive teams in the league to just 23 shots.
EDIT: John Madden was 9-0 on draws. The man love grows ever stronger.

Player of the Game

Though realistically, the honor should have gone to Patrick Marleau, who was everywhere tonight, you don't really think we'd pick someone from the other team, do you? So in that case, I'm going to go ahead and hand this out to Hammer, who was again rock solid tonight, in spite of being -1. Stats be damned, I know what I saw.

Unfortunately, Trading Ray Whitney Makes Sense

Cory Lavalette — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:07:22 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

Carolina Hurricanes' Tim Gleason, upper left, and Ray Whitney (13) celebrate Whitney's goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009. Pittsburgh won 3-2 in a shootout. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

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The Carolina Hurricanes are 11 games into the 2009-10 NHL season, 11 games filled with frustration, penalties, poor play and ... well, more penalties. It's hard to point the finger in any one direction. A combination of offensive ineptitude, special team struggles and untimely defensive errors have all sunk the Canes at different moments in this still-young campaign, with the mistakes coming from all corners of the locker room.

Coach Paul Maurice has tried just about every trick in his repertoire: shuffling lines, repositioning players, focusing on avoiding ill-advised infractions, preaching defense, praying for offense. Nothing is working. So it's time for Jim Rutherford to step in — and boldly. It's time to trade Ray Whitney.

Rutherford has tried subtle tactics to motivate his team, including sending newcomer Stephane Yelle through waivers and calling up Brandon Sutter from Albany. The first was a warning shot to every veteran on the team. The second was a reminder that there are young, hungry players waiting for a chance. Neither seems to have worked. If Rutherford wants to save the season, he needs to make a move that will rock his team the core. Enter Whitney.

There's no denying that Whitney has been one of the players holding up his end of the bargain this season. Like last season, he's atop the Canes scoring leaders with four goals and four assists. He's had several momentum-shifting goals, tallies that mostly failed to get his teammates to rise to the occasion, but nonetheless provided hope. He's been a leader and producer for Carolina. and horribly underrated — look no further than The Hockey News leaving him off the list of the NHL's top-20 left wings, behind inferior players like Ryan Malone (15), Scott Hartnell (16) and fellow underappreciated forward J-P Dumont (20).

But while the Canes have struggled, Whitney has continued to play like a player a decade younger than his 37 years. He skated in his 1,000th NHL regular season game Oct. 21, a milestone few would have expected from a 5-foot-10* winger who filled the scoresheet in juniors but lacked the size to make NHL scouts drool. (*generous listing)

On Sunday, the Canes will honor Whitney's achievement at the RBC Center prior to the team's game against the San Jose Sharks, the team that selected Whitney in the second round — 23rd overall — in 1991. So you give Whitney the honor he deserves. Then you thank him, and send him to Chicago on Monday.

In the final year of his deal, Whitney makes sense for the cash-strapped Blackhawks. With Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane all due new deals following this season — and each should get at least $5 million a season, if not significantly more — Chicago needs to prepare for the inevitable: you can't keep everyone.

Departed GM Dave Tallon made several mistakes in assembling this team: he overpaid Brian Campbell, a very good offensive defenseman, giving him No. 1 d-man money for a No. 3 guy; and he screwed up in signing journeyman goalie Crisotal Huet to a four-year, $22.5 million deal to be his No. 1 netminder, a job he has yet to firmly grab a hold of. Then, Offer Sheetgate, with Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker earning big paydays (more than $3 million annually each) because of a paperwork error that would've kept the two emerging stars on the cheap for another season. Sprinkle in the signing of injured Marian Hossa and several other players looking for new contracts after this season, and you have, simply put, a mess.

Acquiring Whitney could alleviate some of the money problem while improving the Hawks' chance at winning the Stanley Cup this season. First off, he's in the final year of a contract that pays him $3.55 million annually. Second, he's an upgrade at left wing, where ex-Cane Andrew Ladd is the only natural playing in the spot. On top of adding a left wing, the Blackhawks would get an elite passer up front, something they lack outside of Kane. In return, Carolina could get back one of the $3 million-club youngsters (Dave Bolland, Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien or Cam Barker) or sniper Patrick Sharp, who is set to take up $3.9 million in cap space through 2011-12.

Bolland, frankly, is overpaid. And while Sharp's scoring prowess, Versteeg's creativity, Byfuglien's size would all help the Canes patch up an area of need, it's Barker who would add the most to the Hurricanes.

Barker would add offensive punch to a struggling blueline, and also serve as the long-term replacement for Joe Corvo, whose deal expires following this year. At 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, Barker has desirable size and isn't afraid to use it. His ability to play the point on the power play — he had six goals and 40 points last season — would allow Eric Staal to return to the front lines with the man advantage and free up fellow point patrolmen Corvo, Joni Pitkanen and Matt Cullen. Plus, Barker' is no slouch in the point shot department himself.

With a $3.083 million cap hit through 2011-12, the Hawks may need to offset more cash, perhaps in the way of recent waiver claim Andrew Ebbett ($500,000 this year). They also will likely want a premium for the talented Barker, who was chosen after only Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in the 2004 Entry Draft in — you guessed it — Raleigh. A draft pick and/or mid-level prospect (Bryan Rodney? Nick Dodge?) might be enough. Or maybe a swap of Brent Sopel (too pricey at $2 million this season and next, $2.33 million cap hit) for Andrew Alberts ($1.05 million cap hit this year and next) would be desirable to Chicago?

The Canes could then carve out a more significant full-time role for Brandon Sutter or even Zach Boychuk — a player Whitney himself said would take his spot one day — while shaking up the team and adding a valuable piece for now and the future. Chicago would improve their chances at a title this year and, though lose a valuable young asset, clear cap space to re-sign Toews, Kane and Keith.

With Campbell untradeable, Seabrook valuable and Keith irreplaceable, the Hawks simply can't afford to shell out more than $3 million a year to Barker as a No. 4 defenseman. And in Whitney they'd get a winner, a player who knows how to overcome the odds and spur his team to victory.

And the Canes — despite losing an important and admired player and man — might just turn things around.

Change The Channel, Marge: Preds 0 - Hawks 2

SamFels — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:27:21 -0000

More photos » by Charles Cherney - AP

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Apologies for the delay, but Saturday night revelry and Liverpool's glorious victory over United this morning kept me from my duties. Anyway, I'm disappointed that I will turn up to the UC twice more this season to watch the Nashville Predators. There's just nothing there. And coach Barry Trotz knows it, which is why he had them trapping and clogging pretty much all night. The Hawks never really got out of 2nd gear except for a couple flashes, but it was more than enough to see of the Preds.

Notes:

-Kudos to the Hawks fans, who started the night with Bronx cheers for every save, but quickly got behind Huet when it was clear he was on his game. Also good to see that Huet was out and challenging shots as often as he could, which is a sign of confidence. Rebounds were occasionally a little dodgy, but one step at a time.

-The fourth line was better, and when people return to health I would have no problem with Dowell replacing Fraser or Kopecky in the regular lineup. He does what he can, that's all you ask.

-If Hjalmarsson keeps laying out people like THAT, he'll officially be a thing.

- I get the impression if a few more passes from Kane bounce off Buff's stick -- or Bolland's -- Kane's going to beat them about the face with his.

-The lines made no sense last night. Why was Madden between Kane and Buff for a portion of the game? Ebbett should have just slotted in where Toews would have been, which he eventually did, instead of screwing up the whole roster.

-How Brent Sopel has earned the right to play 23 minutes and Jordan Hendry only 10 is anyone's guess. If I ever see Sopel try and fire on a one-timer again I think I might have a stroke.

-Seabrook needs to get healthy soon, and Duncan Keith's minutes are a worry. 28 last night, and he's averaging just shy of 27 for the season. We already watched him wear down last season.

Anyway, all of that said, a win is a win, and we get another look at the Preds Thursday.

Player of The Game

We've been forgetting to run this recently. Anyway, you don't give up a goal, you get this honor. Pretty simple . Way to go, Cris.

Just Get The Win

Yankee Canuck — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:37:32 -0000

Hey kid, great job. Have a nice summer.

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Few things are more taxing than having to relive the failures of a previous season's efforts. And as Vancouver fans know...this happens a lot.

Let's start with Mr. Mitchell who the Hawks exploited time and time again in the playoffs. What's his take on seeing Chicago five months later?

"We tried to say we were the tougher team. But all we did was spend a lot of time in the penalty box. We spent a lot of our energy trying to fight guys. While all of their guys just turned a cold shoulder and played hockey...I think, collectively as a group, every one of us got caught up in that...Guys like me have to make sure we tone things down. Because that's what got us into problems."

This is true though it's equally important fellows like Bieksa, SOB, Edler and - yes - Henrik aim to stay out of the box tonight too. If I see another lazy Sedin interference call, I'm putting a chair through the television.

Across the ice the Hawks are coming off a loss to Dallas (wait, didn't we beat them?) in which a deplorable goal given up by Huet helps to explain why Vancouver will be seeing Antti Niemi in net. And joining Huet in the doghouse is Brent Sopel who won't suit up either.

Patrick Sharp is leading Chicago in points (10 pts) but the same names that screwed the Canucks in May are all there and doing fine, including Kane (7 pts), Campbell (7 pts), Vertsteeg (7 pts), and everyone's BFF Dustin Byfuglien (6 pts). Speaking of which, his ass is excited Vancouver is in town. Splendid.

Obviously this is a big game for Luongo, he of the game six meltdown shakes and all. He's looking at it as a shot at redemption which is fair though I'd love to know what defines redemption here. Anyone who has watched the Canucks - especially in the last handful of games - knows it'll take their best game of the year to leave the United Center with the win. Chicago is bigger, more skilled and don't have this pent-up drama from half a year hanging over them. For the Hawks, it's another game

And that's why personal redemption is useless here. If Vancouver wins 9-8 and Huet and Raycroft are in net by the end, so be it. If Buff gets the better of Luongo again but Vancouver eeks out a win in the SO, who cares? With a losing record, the best redemption now is just getting the win. Do the little things right defensively and be smart on special teams. Ignore Brouwer or Bolland or whoever else has their elbows up (Mr. Hordichuk - if you actually play tonight - I'm looking at you). Ignore Chelsea f'ing Dagger. Ignore it all. The past is done and attempts at any sort of personal redemption are probably going to ensure the Canucks return home on Saturday against Toronto still winless on the road.

RIP - Patrick Sharp Point Streak: Huet and Blackhawks beat Predators 3-1

Matthew Dirt — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:17:20 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Yes, I picked this picture just to annoy everyone who has been overly critical of both of them. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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Well - that really wasn't the team I hate to see the Blackhawks play against. Eddie-O mentioned it about half way through the 3rd period but with their current struggles the Predators can't play their normal physical style. Having Jordin Tootoo, one of their leading pests and hitters out doesn't help them keep that normal tempo but nothing was really going to the Predators way tonight. Their passes weren't sharp and they seemed hesitant to shoot.

Of course once again the Blackhawks played an all-around solid game and took away just about every chance the Predators had anyway. This is the kind of game we've been talking about when we say Huet really won't "cost" the team anything when the 5 guys in front of him play their best.

And that's not to take away anything Huet, who had a good game. He came up huge right off the bat with a save off Jason Arnott's first shot of the game. Duncan Keith may have gotten a piece of the pass but Huet was right where he needed to be to take away what looked like it could be the first goal of the night. Later in the night Huet showed a quick glove - knocking away a re-direct from J.P. Dumont just a few feet out. A solid game from Huet who would have had his first shutout of the year had it not been for Niklas Hjalmarsson's skate knocking in a puck for the second game in a row... and a lucky post towards the end of the game.

On the other end of the ice we saw Pekka Rinne improve his game, just not well enough. Dustin Byfuglien has continued his great start to the year and put himself in front of the net on the Hawk's first power play and knocked home the rebound to start the scoring. I've read more than one criticism of Byfuglien that gets on him for not showing emotion, especially after he scores, so I guess he's going to try something now but all he could think of was that one outstretched-arms move Scott Stapp does in every Creed video... I'd go back to the drawing board on that one there. Not even 30 seconds later, the Hawks dented the twine again. This time the play started when the Hawks lost a draw but Jack Skille fights in the corner and forces a turnover which is picked up by Colin Fraser, knocked over to Tomas Kopecky and the Hawks were up two.

Tell me if this sounds familiar though, the puck is kept in the offensive zone on a great move by a Hawk blue liner. It then ends up on Toews' stick who dishes it to another charging player who knocks it home. This time it was Seabrook on the blue line and Toews pushed it to a charging Keith who fired a rocket to finish off the scoring. This play can happen every game and I don't think I'll get sick of it, you?

Stray Observations:

CORSI Numbers are here. Brent Seabrook had a very solid game and his +9 shows it.
Sam wanted me to mention that despite all the noise about how the Hawks can't win anything with this team... they're on pace for 128 points... not that they'll actually keep up this pace of course.
Foley's story on Waite's re-programming of Huet really made it sound like he's read all the comments around the internets and was trying to offer a defense of Cristobal.
What will get you drunker - drinking every time Toews wins a battle along the boards? Or drinking every time Toews wins a face off (60.3%)?
How horribly sexist is this "Hockey 101" thing? "For ladies only"? I've heard plenty of morons with a dick that could use a little refresher on the basics of this sport.
The Blackhawks once again dominated the shot totals - taking 30 while allowing only 13, including just 2 in the third period. They can't score if you don't let them shoot.
The totals for faceoffs were much closer but the Blackhawks once again took the edge. The only weak link tonight was Madden who went 2 for 8. Toews won 60%, Bolland won 59% and Kopecky won 100%. Fraser didn't win any though.
Finally, Brent Sopel led the team with 5 blocked shots, including one that may have prevented a goal on the Predators first power play.

Player of the Game:

Biscuit once again had a solid physical game - he absolutely destroyed a Predator who was in almost alone one Huet (Chris Hansen would be proud). He also factored in on the first and final goals of the game and continues to improve his game. Plus, it gives me a chance to run the picture with the mustache again.

Blackhawks vs Predators coverage

Going forward - Flames trade targets

Kent Wilson — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:45:06 -0000

Assuming Sutter sees what I see, the lone significant move of the off-season is moving Cory Sarich for either cap space or, if possible, a decent scoring forward. While the list of potential UFA's who could fill the Flames needs is brief (listed in the post below), there are actually several trade possibilities that come to mind:

1.) Simon Gagne for Sarich +

The Flyers are one fo the few teams in bigger cap trouble than the Flames and may be looking to move one of their big tickets. They also have a very young defense corps behind elder statsment Pronger and Timonen. Making this move would require Wayne Primeau being replaced by someone around league minimum, of course.

2.) Patrice Bergeron or Phil Kessel for Sarich +

It's been rumored that RFA Phil Kessel is up for grabs out of bean town, mainly because the Bruins have all of 5.34M in cap room, half of which is "bonus cushion" which can evaporate. Moving Kessel or Bergeron (the only Bruin to have a lousy season last year) so the team can keep one or the other probably makes sense. Marco Sturm may also be available, although his littany of severe injuries last season marks him as damaged goods.

3.) Patrick Sharp for Cory Sarich

As of right now, Sharp is the second highest paid Blackhawk behind newly signed Marian Hossa at 3.9M/year. That's no a big deal this season, but next year the Hawks will have to re-sign pending RFA's Andrew Ladd, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonanthn Toews.

While Sharps' and Sarich's contracts basically cancel each other out, the move would balance out the Hawks salary structure somewhat - it would also mean not paying a 3rd line player 4M/year. Their blueline is also in need of some reinforcing; they currently have 4 established NHLers signed and one of them is the useless Brent Sopel. More than half of their defense corps is under 25.

4.) Colby Armstrong + for Cory Sarich

The Atlanta Thrashers still have't re-signed Armstrong who is RFA and have a woeful blueline outside of Hainesy, Kubina and Enstrom. Bogosian has definite promise, but the guy is 19 years old, while Anssi Salmela is the only other blueliner currently under contract.

Armstrong isn't a name that leaps to mind when it comes to offense, but he had a really good year last season considering his surroundings. He played the toughest competition on the team, managed a positive corsi rate (+0.8/60), the 3rd highest ESP/60 number on the club (2.13) and a miserly 2.13 GA/60. That seems like a guy who has figued things out to me and is just 26 years old.

As an added bonus, the Flames recently signed his bother Riley!

5.) Ray Whitney for Cory Sarich

The Hurricanes have 8M in cap space remaining with RFA's Tuomo Ruutu and Anton Babchuk left to sign. They also (still) have an extremely underwhelming blueline once you get past Pikanen, Gleason and Corvo (and even that's not terribly impressive).

Whitney is old, but has just one more year left on his 3.55M deal. He's still an extremely effective scorer, however, gathering 83, 61 and 77 points in the last 3 seasons respectively. He also played the toughest competition out of CAR forwards last season and still managed a positive corsi rate (+8/60) and more than 2 ES points per hour.

This is all fantasy and speculation, so feel free to add your own!

SB Nation - Brent Sopel

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

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

Sharks Gameday: Gonna Be A Barnburner

@

Television

CSN-CA (HD)

Radio

98.5 KFOX, Sjsharks.com

Antagonists

Second City HockeyHockeeNight

The Hawks Drink The Oilers Milkshake, They Drink It Up: Blackhawks 5 - Oilers 2

Shark Sandwich - Hawks 4, Sharks 3 (OT)

Unfortunately, Trading Ray Whitney Makes Sense

Change The Channel, Marge: Preds 0 - Hawks 2

Just Get The Win

RIP - Patrick Sharp Point Streak: Huet and Blackhawks beat Predators 3-1

Going forward - Flames trade targets