SB Nation - Kris Versteeg

Great Kid, Don't Get Cocky: Blackhawks Shut Out Red Wings, 3-0

Matthew Dirt — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:51:51 -0000

More photos » by Charles Cherney - AP

Smell the glove

As Sam pointed out in the Indian - there's little to no bragging rights for this game. The Wings are so beat up right now and missing so many players that Wings fans have an ultimate trump card. We basically beat their AHL team... who the hell is Kris Newbury anyway? That doesn't mean we can't feel good about this one though - even with their injuries, the Red Wings are still the Scum and taking two points from them is always sweet, especially as it increases the Hawks lead in the Central Division.

This game started out with the Hawks looking off - either they were as hung over as I was or they were just trying to be too damn cute. The passes were too risky, the stick handling too cute and the fire wasn't there... Whatever the problem was, it was solved during a shift when the teams were playing 4 on 4. Patrick Sharp, Kris VERSTEEG!, Brian Campbell and umm.. someone else... played like they suddenly had some life to them and began to take control of the game. Once Patrick Kane's penalty ended and the Hawks had the man advantage, it didn't take long to gain the lead they'd keep for the rest of the game. Duncan Keith controlled a puck along the blue line, brought it towards center ice and fired a shot that somehow found a way in, it may have hit a stick along the way..

The second goal was a bit of karmic justice - Patrick Sharp laid out Justin Abdelkader behind the Hawks net. Afrogator took exception to the hit and came after Shooter along the boards. It looked like a clear roughing penalty on the Wings, but somehow Sharp was the only player sent to feel shame for two minutes. No idea how that wasn't at least coincidental penalties but the Hawks killed off the Scum's attack. About 4 minutes after the bullshit penalty, Sharp grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and was left alone by the Wings defense along the boards just long enough to find Brian Campbell charging into the zone. Soupy's brought the puck into the faceoff circle and shot it from the dot - it hits Osgood's pads but bounces over and in.

The final goal of the game was probably the most ridiculous and softest we've seen in a while. Buff took a shot about 60 feet away from the net and oddly it beat Osgood past his skate and in - we'll take it. Not Ozzy's best game, but we never see those in December anyway.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention this... but fuck Jim Belushi. You may have noticed that while George Wendt was signing copies of his new book and shooting the puck during the second intermission, he wasn't around to drop the ceremonial first puck. According to a friend who knows things, that's because after Belushi acted like a jagoff the other night, the NHL sent a warning to the Blackhawks, saying they could no longer have celebrities dropping the puck, as it potentially delayed the game start times. Now, I normally wouldn't have a problem with getting rid of this sideshow before the games, but Wendt, a Chicago native, has based his career on being a guy hanging out in bars drinking and watching sports, is it any surprise we like him? Belushi has once again fucked up something for everyone else... You sir, can eat a bag of dicks.

Random Thoughts

It took over 13 minutes for the Red Wings to finally register a shot on goal. I noticed this about 10 minutes in and mentioned it to my friend - I wasn't sure if the Hawks were playing that well or if the United Center's scoreboards were just malfunctioning again... I never should have doubted the Hawks.
Following that - yeah, this defense is good. Cristobal played well and made a few great saves, but it's pretty easy to rack up wins when the players in front of you never allow the other team to take shots.
I don't know how it seemed on TV - but the crowd tonight seemed pretty quiet, especially for Detroit's first appearance in Chicago this season.
Marian Hossa didn't get a shot on goal tonight but had a couple of pretty passes - including one that led to the breakaway for Toews and the subsequent hooking penalty/power play goal.
The only major stat category the Wings had the advantage in was hits - everything else the Hawks dominated... well the Wings blocked more shots but that's simply because the Hawks didn't allow the Wings to take shots.
Datsyuk was only 38% on the draw... Sharp, Toews and Madden were all over 60%.
Three shutouts in 4 games - second in a row for Cristobal Huet... just sayin'
The Red Wings won't have to wait long to get their revenge - next time the Blackhawks will be the ones on the second leg of a back-to-back. I went to the Whirlaway after the game for a Christmas party and Maria said they'll have a nice little spread out for us... you should really plan on being there.

Player of the Game

Yeah - for the second game in a row we're giving the honor to Brian Campbell. Campbell's really playing the best hockey of his time here in Chicago and man it is fun to watch. Soupy led the team in ice time tonight and while his goal won't end up on a highlight reel, it gets the job done. This is also a bit of a thumb in the eye to the guy sitting behind me, who while mostly decent, was one of the many morons claiming Campbell sucks seemingly just because it's the thing to do nowadays I guess... also, Sam said I'd be banned for a week if I didn't give Campbell the spot. Duncan Keith easily could have been the player of the game though with both a goal and an assist, plus plenty of his brilliant stick work.

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?

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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.

Blackhawks down Bruins 5-4 in shootout

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 04:36:56 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

5 days ago: Boston Bruins left wing Steve Begin, left, watches his shot on-goal get deflected by Chicago Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi during the first period of their NHL Hockey game Friday, Dec. 18, 2009, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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Patrick Kane scored the game-winner for the Chicago Blackhawks in the shootout on Friday night to beat the visiting Bruins 5-4. The B's tied up the game with 2:43 left in regulation on a goal from David Krejci, but the home team would ultimately prevail in the shootout.

David Krejci got the Bruins on the board 9:22 into the game, ending the Blackhawks' hopes of a third straight shutout. Krejci put a soft wrist shot on goal from the right half wall that Chicago goalie Antti Niemi deflected behind the net. Wheeler gained possession of the puck and found Krejci driving to the net in the slot for the game's first goal.

Andrew Ference handed Kris Versteeg a goal on silver platter when his unforced turnover gave Versteeg the puck right in front of the net. Versteeg was able to beat Tim Thomas to knot the score at 1-1 1:55 into the second period.

The Blackhawks made it 2-1 at 8:22 of the middle period on a goal from Patrick Sharp. Thomas got a piece of Brent Seabrook's shot but left the rebound out front and gift-wrapped for Sharp, who had an empty net to shoot at.

Daniel Paille evened the game up at 2-2 when he hammered home a shot from deep in the offensive zone at the right circle off a nice feed from Mark Recchi with 3:28 remaining in the second.

Chicago re-gained the lead just 3 minutes later when Troy Brouwer slid a nifty pass from the right wing boards to a wide open Jonathan Toews at the doorstep.

Johnny Boychuk tied the game at 3-3 with 14:00 left in the third period on a hard slapper.

The 'Hawks re-claimed their lead just 1:40 later when Andrew Ladd tipped in Brian Campbell's drive from the right point.

David Krejci got his second goal of the game when he put home a rebound in front with 2:43 left in regulation to tie the game at 4-4.

With the game tied after 60 minutes of hockey, the teams headed for overtime. The overtime session featured some frantic moments, good scoring opportunities, and scrum after the final whistle, but no goals.

Shootout

Patrice Bergeron skated inand Niemi kicked up his bid with a left pad save.

Jonathan Toews beat Thomas stick side. 1-0 Chicago

Blake Wheeler rang his shot off the post.

Patrick Kane beat Thomas with a nifty move and tucked the puck into the net through the 5 hole. 2-0 Chicago wins

Final - 12.18.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
Boston Bruins	1	1	2	0	0	4
Chicago Blackhawks	0	3	1	0	1	5

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- The Bruins were out-shot 44-29

- Tonight was probably Johnny Boychuk's best game in a Boston Bruins uniform. Boychuk finished the night a +3 with a goal in 30:07 of ice time and made plays at both ends of the ice.

- The 4th line of Shawn Thornton, Steve Begin, and Vladimir Sobotka looked very good tonight. They showed a lot of energy all game long and were constantly putting strong forechecking pressure on the Blackhawks' puck carriers.

- If you are going to loss in the shootout, you might as well do it against a Western Conference team.

- Byron Bitz was a -3 in just 12:29 of ice time.

- The Bruins will be back in action tomorrow night when they travel to Toronto to play the Leafs.

Scumbag Blues - Hawks 3, Blues 0

McClure — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:31:36 -0000

More photos » by Paul Beaty - AP

That's what you get for switching from Graf skates, McDonald.

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Wanna hear one of my favorite jokes, as originally told to me by a college roommate?

"What would you call Chicago if it sucked?"

"St. Louis."

That pretty much sums up my sentiment regarding the Hawks' division rivals after watching last night's game. The Hawks were all over the Blues from the get-go. Troy Brouwer finally dented the twine after one-timing a pass off of a cycle from Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane from the top of the left circle. Shortly thereafter Brian Campbell scored his first goal on North American soil on the power play, blasting a slapshot far-side past St. Louis goaltender Ty Conklin.

Even though during the second period the Blues mounted at least a half-assed attempt to get back into the game forcing Cristobal Huet to make some timely saves, the Hawks managed to extend the lead fresh after killing a penalty when the Unholy Alliance that is Kane-Toews-Hossa got thrown out there once the penalty had been killed. Hossa broke into the zone, and once again a low cycle ensued which somehow left Hossa alone between the hash marks to receive a pass from Toews which he buried.

From there on out, things got quite chippy, as cuntrags Barrett Jackman, BJ Crombeen, and Cam Janssens decided it was time to exact their pound of flesh since they clearly couldn't skate with the Hawks. Credit the Hawks for standing up for one another, as once again Kris Versteeg took on a much larger opponent in Jackman during one of the many extended sessions of slap-dick in the third. While it may earn him much respect in the dressing room, personally, I'd rather not have VERSTEEG!'s skillful hands be pounded to cinders on someone's face, or have his own face re-arranged should he be taking on anyone other than Kyle Turris. Cristobal Huet even nearly got into the act, as he skated out to the blue line and subtly motioned to Ty Conklin during a 5-on-5 dogpile that was the result of Janssens getting in Huet's grill. While I don't need fights to enjoy a game, a goalie battle would have certainly endeared Huet to the fans, and it would be one more thing I could check off my list of things I've seen live. Oh yeah, Hawks win again in shutout fashion.

Observations

In spite of Campbell's goal, the power play is still fucking clown shoes.
Kerry Fraser = Hockey Hochuli
Hossa's backchecking has to be seen live to be believed. One cannot fathom the distance on the ice he covers in such short order to retrieve the puck from his own zone.
Did I mention that Barret Jackman is a fuckhole?

Player of the Game

With the tinted visor he becomes Darth Kaner, harnessing the power of the Dark Side to the tune of three assists.

Deep dishin': Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks preview [UPDATED]

John Fontana — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:39:29 -0000

Yeah, it's a little childish to bring up s293978832.onlinehome.us

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WHERE: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
WHEN: 7 PM EST
MEDIA: Sun Sports (cable), 620 WDAE (radio)

Friday night witnessed the Lightning come out, guns blazing, and then run out of gas for the third period, giving up their slim lead and then losing in the shootout. Ample blame can be given to altitude adjustment or the lack-there-off for the team...

...But the better questionis, how will they play now that they are much closer to sea-level? Will they regress back into a no-effort group that doesn't put forth an effort until the third? Or could they possibly play 60 minutes in a contest against one of the Western Conference leaders?

At 18-10-6, the Blackhawks are not just one of the top teams in the west, but one of the top teams in the entire league. 41 points in 34 games... That's as formidable as they come.

The 'Hawks are coming off a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Sabres, ... And it would almost look like the 'Hawks are going through a rough patch with scoring (that sounds so familiar, who does it remind you of?). Sam from Second City Hockey described the phase in his recap of the Buffalo game:

It's obviously a phase, as the Hawks can't keep throwing 40 shots at the net per game and keep coming out with one or two goals. At the same time, you can't ignore that the Hawks haven't put up more than 3 goals in a game since administering Catherine The Great's Death to the Sharks in San Jose. The last thing anyone expected this team to struggle with was scoring. It's hardly panic time about it, barely worry time. You get the feeling some poor team is really going to pay when the Hawks bust out of it.

That 40-shot thing isn't much of an embellishment: They're taking 32.5 shots on average a night while limiting opponents to just over 24. Knowing how the Bolts can do the Jekyll-and-Hyde thing with efforts, I would not put it out of the question for the Lightning to be the victims of a Chicago offensive reinvigoration. With the Bolts struggling to clear the zone and prevent shots, expecting whomever starts in net to face a shooting gallery is likely.

Chicago boasts the 9th rated power play unit in the league with a 20.8 percent scoring rate, while their penalty kill is a formidable 84.5%. Patrick "Twenty Cent" Kane leads the Blackhawks in scoring with 29 points, but the offensive attack is well rounded for the 'Hawks -- while no one has broken the double-digit goal plateau yet this season (...yet), four players on the team have nine (Kane, Kris Versteeg, Dustin Byfuglien and Patrick Sharp).

There have been no formal announcements of who starts and who sites tonight, I am guessing we'll see the same lineup from Friday's game in Denver but with Mike Smith starting instead of Niittymaki. We'll see by game time.

[Note by John Fontana, 12/13/09 4:26 PM EST ] Niittymaki gets the start in net.

Other Previews

Tampa Bay Lightning official team preview

TSN

Second City Hockey

Off the Post - December 7th

Conico do Mayo Miracle — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:37:44 -0000

1941 - Never forget. And don't forget what happened on Dec. 8th, 1980, while you're at it.
[NEW UPDATE] - Manny Malhotra will be signing autographs for free at the Sharks Store, Tuesday Dec. 15th, from 4:30 - 6pm. Be sure to slip a few greenbacks in the change jar - homeboy's only pulling in 6 figures.
[UPDATE] - McGinn and Vesce get reassigned... place yer bets on whether or not they'll be back by Wednesday.
TCY examines Patrick Marleau's potential price tag after this season, while Ivano27 investigates what Igor Larionov (and his hottie daughter) has been up to lately.
Devin Setoguchi answers questions from the masses, including the perrenial "Whose kitchen are you raiding this season?"
Dany Heatley, Dan Boyle, and Patrick Marleau (plus a 4th Shark TBD) will be signing autographs for a cool $169 per 2 persons @ Dave & Buster's, on January 31st. Reservations required.
A look at former Sharks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff as an Olympic hopeful.
Is Peter Laviolette the right replacement for John Stevens in Philadelphia?
The city of Edmonton begins preparations for the end of Rexall Place.
Size does matter for Gary Bettman - and he likes 'em small and boisterous.
For those that missed the Habs' 100th anniversary celebration, please consult Habs Eyes on the Prize (recommended).
Die by the Blade believes Andrej Sekera is the Sabres' Dan Boyle.
Signs your teammate is trying to kill you (big chuckle on the first one, huge groan on the last one).
Kris Versteeg gets an eyeful.

Scott Reynolds at Copper & Blue has been producing tweaked Bible verses for game day, and his latest for the Oilers victory over the Stars is a gem.
Speaking of the Stars (whom we play on Friday), Defending Big D examines the current state of the Dallas fanbase.
Buddha at Hockey Wilderness, on "He Who Shall No Longer Be Mentioned" (and no, it's not Gaborik).
With Cam Ward returning, the Canes have a goaltending decision to make.
Behind the Net debunks the argument that goalies need to see action in order to stop shots.
St. Louis Game Time has utterly corrupted Bart Simpson.
Hockey bigamy, as Vince Vaughn (a Blackhawks / J.R. fan) invades the Phoenix locker room.
On the off chance you haven't seen it in detail, Miikka Kiprusoff's save on Scott Nichol is (tragic? heart-breaking? nauseating?) destined for highlight reels for years to come.

Blackhawks defeat Pens 2-1 in OT

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:14:06 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Niemi was in the zone and saw the puck all night long.

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Blackhawks vs Penguins coverage - SB Nation blog Second City Hockey

Sans Sidney Crosby, the Penguins had to dig deep when they faced a Chicago Blackhawks team that used much of the skill and style that Pittsburgh's gameplan.

Much of the night featured a lot of skating, a lot of fast-paced hockey going in both directions and stellar goaltending play by Marc-Andre Fleury (29 saves on 31 shots) and Blackhawks' backup Antti Niemi (32 saves on 33 shots). Old "friend" Marian Hossa opened the scoring when he went hard to the net, collected the puck and put it past Fleury.

The score would remain 1-0 Chicago for most of the game, neither team could solve the defenses of their opponent. Until Dan Bylsma called a timeout with about 1:40 left and let assistant coach Mike Yeo draw a play up. They pulled the goalie and stationed Jordan Staal all the way out against the far boards on the blueline, in an ominous lurking position. Recent call-up Mark Letestu won the faceoff, Evgeni Malkin wheeled the puck around and threw it to the net. Staal swooped in and beat Niemi on the second chance.

It wasn't to be for Pittsburgh on this night. In OT, Kris Versteeg got to a loose puck in the crease before Tyler Kennedy could neutralize him and ended it.

Without their leading scorer, Pittsburgh struggled to generate points, but it wasn't for a lack of effort or shots. 33 shots on goal were fired at Niemi, led by Bill Guerin's 6 and Kennedy's 5. While taking nothing away from Niemi, who was solid, a bunch of the Penguins shots were coming from low percentage angles and distances.
Minus Crosby (one of the top faceoff men in the league), the Penguins used nine different forwards for at least one faceoff. Out of all of them, only one had a better than 50% night.
And that was Crosby's lineup replacement of Mark Letestu. Letestu had a solid night, in addition to his clutch offensive zone faceoff win, he did win 56% of his 16 draws, he had 4 shot attempts (1 getting through, 1 hit a post) and a hit in 13:52 of ice-time. Acquitted himself very well on this night.
Speaking of, it showed some stones and intuition by the coaching staff to use a guy in his 3rd career NHL game in an important faceoff against old veteran John Madden, who's made a career out of doing things like winning defensive draws. Mike Yeo is an easy (and reasonable) punching bag for Penguins fans....But the unusual and creative play he drew up for the last moment worked exactly to perfection. So you have to tip your cap to him tonight.
Chicago also earned a cap tip for their hard fought win. They're a good young team with a lot of skill up front, but some of their defensemen shined tonight: Brent Seabrook has 9 hits and 2 blocked shots, Duncan Keith frustrated Pens all night and skated a game high 31:24. Brian Campbell had the primary assists on both goals.
For teams that don't see too much of one another, unpleasantries were exchanged early and often; highlighted by Keith getting a shot on Matt Cooke that upset Cooke. The hit was to the head, away from the play, and from behind; similiar to what just got Cooke suspended for two games. If the league is truly serious about policing shots to the head, they need to review this tape.

So in a somewhat disappointing fashion that the Penguins claw back into the contest with time running out, just to have Versteeg unleash the dagger in OT. First OT/shootout lose of the year as well. Against a goalie in a little bit of a groove -- Niemi was working on 150+ minute scoreless streak -- it's a night where you have to get out taking what you can get. It's only one point against a similiar team.

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

The NHL's top defensive forwards

James Mirtle — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:49:06 -0000

More photos » by David Banks - AP

Montreal Canadiens' Tomas Plekanec and Chicago Blackhawks' John Madden.

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We're about far enough into the season that we can start to look at some individual stats and have enough of a sample size to draw some conclusions. This list is the same one I've been churning out for a couple years now, and ranks players defensively based on (a) quality of competition at even strength, (b) goals against per minute played at even strength and (c) goals against per minute played on the penalty kill.

Players also have to have played at least 15 games and fill a significant role on their team's shorthanded unit. Credit, as always, to Behind The Net for the data.

Here are the top 25 at the quarter-way mark:

	NAME	TEAM	GP	QCMP	EVGA/60	SHGA/60
1	BRANDON CROMBEEN	STL	21	0.12	1.44	1.33
2	KRIS VERSTEEG	CHI	22	0.13	1.49	5.25
3	JAY MCCLEMENT	STL	21	0.13	1.75	6.27
4	VERNON FIDDLER	PHX	25	0.03	1.86	3.61
5	JOHN MADDEN	CHI	23	0.12	2.17	5.61
6	DAVID LEGWAND	NSH	23	0.09	2.28	4.43
7	TRAVIS ZAJAC	N.J	22	0.16	0.73	9.20
8	MILAN MICHALEK	OTT	22	0.22	2.57	5.27
9	JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER	N.J	22	0.09	1.69	7.47
10	DANIEL WINNIK	PHX	25	-0.05	1.59	1.54
11	SAKU KOIVU	ANA	17	0.12	1.62	8.64
12	RYAN MALONE	T.B	21	0.18	2.20	7.49
13	MIKE FISHER	OTT	21	0.08	2.32	5.41
14	JOCHEN HECHT	BUF	20	-0.04	1.64	4.10
15	MIKE GRIER	BUF	15	-0.05	1.60	3.53
16	COLIN FRASER	CHI	23	0.04	2.33	4.39
17	JAMES WRIGHT	T.B	21	0.07	1.29	8.13
18	STEVE BEGIN	BOS	24	0.03	1.96	5.34
19	DANIEL ALFREDSSON	OTT	22	0.25	3.02	5.25
20	TOMAS PLEKANEC	MTL	24	-0.01	1.94	5.06
21	DAVID BACKES	STL	21	0.01	2.03	5.19
22	BRANDON DUBINSKY	NYR	18	0.06	2.20	5.72
23	JEFF HALPERN	T.B	21	0.06	2.34	5.54
24	SCOTT NICHOL	S.J	26	-0.07	1.89	2.35
25	JOEL WARD	NSH	21	0.14	2.10	8.81

There are a lot of different names so far than what we saw last season, and I don't know if that's due to the small sample size or if we're simply seeing new players step into these roles and excel. Players on the list who have gotten recognition as top defensive forwards in the past include Versteeg, McClement, Madden, Fisher, Grier, Alfredsson and Ward.

Without a lot of high profile names in there so far (i.e. Datsyuk, Zetterberg) it'll be interesting to see what the Selke candidates look like this season. I don't think you could go wrong giving it to Alfredsson, who always does a nice job on the Sens' PK.

Players who scored on the low end among those that qualified include Wayne Primeau, Craig Adams, Lee Stempniak, Greg Campbell and Rod Brind'Amour.

I'll look at the top defensive defencemen in the near future.

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:

SB Nation - Kris Versteeg

Great Kid, Don't Get Cocky: Blackhawks Shut Out Red Wings, 3-0

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

Blackhawks down Bruins 5-4 in shootout

Scumbag Blues - Hawks 3, Blues 0

Deep dishin': Lightning at Chicago Blackhawks preview [UPDATED]

Tampa Bay Lightning Projected Lines

Forward Lines:

Defense:

Other Previews

Off the Post - December 7th

Blackhawks defeat Pens 2-1 in OT

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

The NHL's top defensive forwards

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