SB Nation - Patrick Kane

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.

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

4 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.

Wednesday Links: The Goblin lives to coach another day edition

averagejoe — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:00:25 -0000

A home win? What is that? Now let's get a road win again tonight.

Blues news

Blues win! At home! Exclamation points! [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
Were the Flames star-struck? Who knows. I'm just glad they lost. [Vancouver Sun]
Brett Hull is, and always will be, the man. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
Some quotes throughout the day — did you know the Blues told Brendan Shanahan he was traded in a five-second phone call? [Belleville News-Democrat]
Here are some pictures from last night. [Blues]
The Blues are back in action tonight, taking on the hated Chicago Blackhawks. [CBS Sports
Patrick Kane will play tonight against the Blues. [Chicago Breaking Sports News]

Hockey news

Here are your results for last night. [Yahoo! Sports]
Eight games tonight, but really one worth watching. [Yahoo! Sports]
FIGHT! Everyone loves a good throw down, here are the Puck Daddy Top-10 of the aughts. No love for the Cam Janssen/Aaron Downey fight? [Puck Daddy]
What's ailing the Sharks? For once it's not being in the playoffs. [Fear the Fin]
The 12 Days of Christmas gets a Vancouver makeover. [Nucks Misconduct]
Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak might be on the move. [TSN]
Gary Bettman tells the Board of Governors they won't have to cover the Coyotes' losses. That means, of course, they will. [TSN]
Guess what? The Canadian media loves Sidney Crosby. [TSN]
More notes from the first day of the BOG meetings. [ESPN]
Brian Burke will carry the Olympic torch. [ESPN]
Michael Leighton, who is not that good, has been claimed off waivers by the Flyers. [ESPN]

Other links

This map looks pretty accurate said every one of my neighbors. [Pic
You've heard of Letters to Santa, well this is Letters to Walken, as in Christopher Walken. [Letters to Walken]
The year in viral videos. Enjoy. [Videogum]

Video

Donut King knows who he wants to take over the Blues when Andy Murray gets fired: this guy.

That's it for today. Come back for the GDT. I'm off work so I'll be there.

Game Preview: Buffalo Sabres @ New York Rangers

Rafal Ladysz — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:01:38 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

11 days ago: Buffalo Sabres goalie Patrick Lalime makes a save against the Chicago Blackhawks during the second period of the NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Friday, Dec. 11, 2009. The Sabres won 2-1. (AP Photo/ David Duprey)

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I figured I'd salute Patrick Lalime by using his photograph for our game preview today. It wasn't pretty at times but the back-up netminder gave his best Ryan Miller impression Friday evening by stopping 39 of 40 shots in a 2-1 win over his former squad, the Chicago Blackhawks. Lalime earned his first 'W' and Miller got a well deserved night off.

Tim Kennedy and Patrick Kane, who grew up in the same area of the city, each had an assist. As rewarding as claiming top spot in the Northeast Division is, the win was more about Lalime and the level of confidence he brought easing Lindy Ruff's choice to select him. Buffalo was truly shaky to start the first and third period giving him a workload which helped get him into gear.

It's back to work though as the Buffalo Sabres see the New York Rangers today. Henrik Lundqvist stole the show last week when he out-dueled Miller in a low-scoring, tight checking 2-1 result. With a few days worth of rest, the American ~~should~~ will be prepared to even the series for his team.

To our five thoughts on each squad:

First, Buffalo has scored a powerplay goal in each of the last two games after getting shutout by New Jersey to start the week. This brings them up to 17th best in the league and both tallies were because of a player standing at the front or side of the net. If they're to beat Lunqvist, more of the same is needed.
New York's found it hard to put a string of wins together. Losers in five of six, Marian Gaborik's been the one Ranger who continues to do his part in production leading the league in goals, 21, second to Joe Thornton in points and 25 per cent of their markers are courtesy of the Slovakian. It's too bad none of the others are lending a helping hand to their superstar aside from Lundqvist.
If you read my preview for the Blackhawks contest, you'll notice that I kindly asked Thomas Vanek to end his scoring drought. I even said the word 'please' which I'm sure was what brought him on the score sheet. Vanek has had goals in back-to-back matches only once all year so I'll do my best to assist him again. Please get at least one by Lundqvist tonight Thomas.
Starting off the season with a 7-1 record, the Rangers were looking sharp. But they've gone 7-13-2 since largely because of offensive inefficiencies. Averaging 28.7 shots per game (23rd worst), New York needs more from everyone else especially Vaclav Prospal who was clicking very well with Gaborik.
The Sabres are 14-2-2 when they grab that first lead and 4-7 if the opposition does. As usual, getting on the board will calm the supporters as Buffalo's protection of leads is assuring. Why wouldn't it be? We've got Miller back there, undoubtedly the best goalie in the NHL this season.
With one point in ten games, Ales Kotalik is showing why he wasn't the most preferred forward for Lindy Ruff. A powerplay weapon, the Czech can't seem to make as much of an impact during even strength play. Whatever it is, he's not our problem anymore. Speaking of former Sabres, Chris Drury has nine points on the year.
Mike Grier (personal) likely won't join the team, Chris Butler has an ankle injury and of course Paul Gaustad is working his way back from a knee issue. For New York, Brandon Dubinsky remains out recovering from a broken hand. These teams have stayed rather healthy in an injury-riddled campaign and that includes Connolly and Gaborik.
Rookie sensations Michael Del Zotto and Tyler Myers will lead their blue lines into battle. Separated by one point in rookie scoring, it's a story worth viewing as one has been compared to Brian Leetch and the other to Zdeno Chara. Myers had a helper in the first match-up.
Interesting statistic: Patrick Kaleta has thrown at least 39 more hits than all of his teammates. Maybe he'll give Kotalik and Drury a taste of the shoulder (not elbow). We can only hope.
The Rangers own a hitting machine as well. Ryan Callahan has 109 to his credit which is 37 more than the closest teammate behind him. He's third among the entire league, trailing Stephane Robidas by four and Dustin Brown by three. Well respected for his work-ethic, Callahan will be all over the ice.

Elite goaltending, rookie stand-outs, hard hitters and two healthy stars; there's much to look forward to in this meeting of two clubs heading in different directions. And Madison Square Garden will ensure a terrific atmosphere for everyone involved.

Link Chowder 12/11

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:02:59 -0000

Serving up the best links of the week from all across the newfangled interwebs

Barstool Sports re-introduces the world to "Moog Vogue" [Barstool Sports]

NHL.com has set up a live web cam to track to progress of the rink construction at Fenway [NHL.com]

Ever wanted to lace 'em up with NHL has-beens and celebrity never-will bes? Now is your chance. The Boston Bruins Foundation is auctioning off 2 spots on the rosters of the AT&T Legends Classic at Fenway Park. [BostonBruins.com]

Feel free to vote for Stanley Cup of Chowder in Round 2 of The NHL Arena's Bruins Blog [The NHL Arena]

Shawn Thornton was on Toucher & Rich this week admitting that he isn't a big fan of Phil Kessel [98.5 The Sports Hub]

The Syracuse Crunch are offering the "Tiger Wood Foursome Ticket Pack" [Guyism.com]

The Puck Daddy Winter Classic Create-a-Parade-Float contest [Puck Daddy]

I have been meaning to see the documentary "Pond Hockey" for awhile now, but haven't gotten around to it. The movie is now available for free online thanks to SnagFilms [SnagFilms]

There could be some good signs in the stands tonight in Buffalo as Patrick Kane returns [Chicago Tribune]

At Home He Feels Like A Tourist: Blackhawks At Sabres Preview/Game Thread/Ice Cream Social

Matthew Dirt — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:39:22 -0000

Game Time: 6:30 Central
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN 720
Opposition Blogs: Die By The Blade
Don't Forget: Your SPG Picks

For some reason that isn't all that clear - the Blackhawks have had some trouble finding the back of the net when skating 5-on-5. I guess it's good news then that the goalie with a 1.82 GAA and .938 SV% will primarily be concerned with opening and closing the door to the bench tonight. As per Kuc's report from earlier today - Ryan Miller is getting the night off in favor of Patrick Lalime who will face his former teammates. This squad has very little in common from the 07-08 season though when Daydream Nation were rookies and Andrei Zyuzin and Sergie Samsonov actually suited up for a combined 55 games (and 9 points).

Lalime hasn't had a great time since leaving Chicago - he's only played in 27 games and in his 3 games this year has a .836 SV% on a Sabres team that has been surprisingly strong. They're only one point behind Boston for the lead spot in the Northeast despite having played two fewer games. Miller obviously has a lot to do with that since the Sabres are 20th overall in Goals/Game. Like the Hawks, they have no players with a double-digit total in goals (Kane, VERSTEEG! or Buff could change that though if they get one in tonight).

There's three other stories going into this game though, two of them are getting plenty of press so far so I won't bother them much other than to mention that yes, this is Patrick Kane's first game in Buffalo since he and his cousin let out their wrath on a cabbie over a few missing dimes. Will Buffalo turn on their favorite son over this incident? Maybe now that he's signed to Chicago for 5 more years thereby ending their dreams of him playing for his hometown squad they won't treat him quite so fondly.

As Blackhawk Up points out too - this is also Brian Campbell's first game back in The Queen City (I just learned that's Buffalo's nickname). I'm not sure what the feeling is in Buffalo, but if it's anything like the ridiculousness in San Jose - Campbell is going to be hearing a lot off boos again tonight. In an odd way, I do hope Buffalo ends up booing Kane and Campbell. Those two hold onto the puck for so long that any moron booing will pass out by the second when they forget to inhale.

Finally - there's the small matter of Drew Stafford. Last year, Stafford delivered a big hit to Duncan Keith which kept him off the ice for two weeks (and could possibly explain his less than stellar post season). The hit on Keith was legal but questionable. I don't think it was overly dirty but in the game against Pitt we saw Keith take exception to another hard hit and take some revenge. It'd be shocking to see Keith go out of his way to run Stafford but I wouldn't put it past someone like Eager who got out of the penalty box and immediately went after Stafford after the hit.

With Miller out this is a very winnable game for the Blackhawks. If the Hawks play anything like they did against the Rangers it shouldn't be too hard as Lalime is a far cry from Lundqvist in everything except for an alphabetical roll call but we here at SCH have an uncanny ability to call someone out only to have them play the game of their career.

Lets Go Hawks

Game Preview: Chicago Blackhawks @ Buffalo Sabres

Rafal Ladysz — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:03:54 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

13 days ago: Washington Captials left winger Alex Ovechkin, of Russia, bottom left, misses an open net as Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller is caught out of position during the first period of the NHL hockey game in Buffalo, N.Y., Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009. Sabres defenseman Steve Montador, right, watches the play. (AP Photo/Don Heupel)

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You've got to be lucky to be good and good to be lucky. The Buffalo Sabres were a little of both Wednesday becoming the first team in 11 months to shutout the Washington Capitals. While they did an excellent job of keeping Alexander Ovechkin and company outside of the perimeter, Buffalo was fortunate on a few chances that Washington sent wide of an empty net. And Ryan Miller was there to snag the great opportunities that did head on goal.

All in all, it was the type of win that solidifies a squad as a contender with shot blocking, active sticks and back-checking doing the job. Chicago brings their own brand of firepower into HSBC Arena as the schedule hasn't gotten easier. Substitute Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith.

The Blackhawks defeated Buffalo last year by a 4-1 scoreline but the Sabres have won three of the past four get-togethers. Chicago is 5-0-1 against Eastern Conference oppositions thus far and Buffalo is 5-0 facing the West. This should be an interesting match-up, not to mention very exciting.

Five thoughts on each team below.

Patrick Lalime and Cristobal Huet are your starting netminders. It was assumed Miller would be in for this one giving the back-up tomorrow's showdown in New York. I can see why Lalime is eager to get his first win of the year against his former team but the Sabres will have to play similar to their shutdown format against Washington. Motivation for the goaltender means nothing if he's hung out to dry.
Chicago has really taken it to another level since the return of Toews and introduction of Hossa. They are 11-2-1 with their captain back in the line-up and the Slovakian has seven points in as many games. By the way, Toews also has 13 points in 14 matches.
Paul Gaustad has begun skating with the team showing progression but there's no timetable for his return. Regardless, this is a great sign as the Sabres have struggled in the face-off circle without Goose. Mike Grier is expected back possibly Saturday after visiting his mother. In practice yesterday, Tim Connolly felt hip pain and wasn't able to withstand the whole session. Lindy Ruff suspects it's nothing serious and that the center should play. Who knows with Connolly though?
Overpaid defenseman Brian Campbell is back for the first time in a different jersey. Last year's contest between these franchises was in Chicago so it'll be his only visit since abandoning Buffalo. Expect tons of boo-birds for Campbell and I'm sure Blackhawks fans aren't happy either with the dollars-to-points ratio.
A goal and an assist were earned by Nathan Gerbe in his first call-up from the AHL. It was only a matter of time before someone got the go-ahead from Portland. As he was instructed to, Gerbe crashed the net despite his lack of size and threw the puck on it from down low for his first career NHL goal. We'll see what he has up his sleeve this time.
Cristobal Huet owns a 14-6-2 record with a .907 save percentage and 2.18 GAA. Known as somewhat of an enigma, Buffalo would be wise to get pucks at him from various angles and positions. Put the puck on net and good things will happen. The Sabres can't waste time attempting pretty plays and cute ideas.
In response to a third period benching Monday, Derek Roy sprung a pair of assists and tenacious two-way efforts against Washington. Leading the team in points, the 26-year-old needs to bring that intensity and skill routinely.
Buffalo native Patrick Kane has his sights on a career campaign with 28 points already in 29 games. He's played the Sabres twice registering one goal. Kane said he expects to get booed in reference to the cab driver incident from the summer.
Ranked third and sixth in penalty killing, it'll be intriguing to see if either can break through with the man-advantage. Thomas Vanek has four powerplay goals while Toews is up to five. Today would be a good time for Vanek to end his scoring slump. Please?
Yet to win with Miller on the bench, Buffalo is in for a fight with these Blackhawks who can beat a goaltender in bunches. I hope Lalime is ready because it could be a long evening if he's even a little rusty and the Sabres play the first frame laid back.

Normally, you'd hope to get a lighter match after taking on the Washington Capitals. However, this is a huge opening for the Buffalo Sabres. What better way to prove themselves as a threat than beating both Washington and Chicago in succession?

Rangers GameDay: News and Notes, Scouting the Blackhawks

Jim Schmiedeberg — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:28:36 -0000

More photos » by Paul J. Bereswill - AP

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Some news and notes heading into tonight's game with Chicago:

The NY Daily News today talks about Sean Avery going back to the top line:

The initial reason was that a two-game audition on the first line for Artem Anisimov showed the rookie center, while improving, isn't ready to handle that sort of two-way responsibility.

After initiating "a couple of very pointed conversations" with Avery in recent weeks, Tortorella also believes the agitating winger has responded by rediscovering his aggressive and grating style to play his most effective hockey of the season over the last several games.

Granted, the first line has not played up to speed the last two games, but is two games a fair assessment of a rookie's ability to play as a first line center?

For better or worse, looks like Wade Redden will be ready to play tonight against Chicago:

USA Today MVP Poll now has Marian Gaborik at the top, moving up from number 4. Of course this always raises the old question of "can a last place (or close to it) team really have the MVP of the league?"

More after the jump........

Rangers and Blackhawks head-to-head

	STATS
29	GP	28
14	W	18
14	L	7
1	OT	3
29	P	39
0.500	P%	0.696
2.79	G/G	2.93
3.03	GA/G	2.18
20.2	PP%	21.4
83.9	PK%	84.5
29.1	S/G	32.0
29.9	SA/G	24.4
47.5	FO%	53.5

As you can see, the Rangers have their work cut out for them tonight.

Blackhawks Notes:(courtesy of NHL.com)

After fashioning an eight-game winning streak last month, the Hawks have struggled to regain their groove. Chicago has lost three of its last five games, and much like the Rangers, the Blackhawks' offense, too, is struggling. The Hawks have yet to win in regulation since that eight-game stretch, while scoring only seven goals in the process. An obvious source of concern might be Patrick Kane. While the winger has been setting up teammates, Kane is nearly three weeks removed from his last goal, a game-winner against the Oilers on Nov. 21.

With the exception of longterm injuries to Adam Burish and Dave Bolland, the Hawks will have a full lineup Wednesday.

Patrick Kane's seven-game goal-less streak is his third of five games or more this year. While they are not the longest stretches of Kane's career -- he endured a 12-game drought last December and January -- and Kane does have five assists over his current dryspell it is still a worrisome trend for the Hawks. Kane only had three goal-less streaks of five or more games all last season.

NFL Ruins historic ad campaign for Blackhawks and Bears (Puck Daddy, Yahoo Sports)

Marian Hossa "slowly getting there" (Chicago Trib)

Gaborik the focus of Blackhawks attention (Chicago Breaking News)

For more on the Blackhawks, check out Second City Hockey, the SBNation home of the Chicago Blackhawks

Something new I am going to throw into these previews, just for fun:

SweaterRating: A

Original Six teams always lead the pack when it comes to hockey sweaters, and the Hawks home reds have always been among the best in the league. They also get props for a great Winter Classic sweater.

Coming To Chicago This Summer: Cap Reality

The Falconer — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:48:43 -0000

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For those of you who don't pay much attention to the Western Conference the big news this week was that the Chicago Blackhawks managed to get three of their young stars resigned this week. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane both signed for 6.3 million per year and Duncan Keith for 5.5 per year. Blackhawk fans were falling all over themselves in self congratulation with the news.

However, the team is going to have to perform "roster reduction surgery" to clear away the foolishness that former GM Tallon committed in the Summer of 2008. This coming summer the Blackhawks are going to have to move a lot of salary just to field a roster of 21 players for the 2010-2011 season. Below is 21 man roster chart of players currently under contract with Chicago and their cap salaries (or Qualifying Offers for RFAs this summer).

A couple of technical notes. RFAs who make under 1 million must be offered a 10% raise in their qualifying offers (which they don't have to sign). Young players on Entry Level Contracts (ELC) will have all bonus money count against the cap next year because it is the final year of the CBA. I have used a 21 man roster instead of the NHL minimum 20 man roster because it is virtually impossible to go with just 20 players. If a guy is out a few days, he doesn't quality for Long Term Injury Replacement, but someone has to to dress--so I budgeted for 21 roster spots. The minimum NHL salary is half a million dollars currently.

OK and now for the really ugly part. If we assume that all of the current Blackhawks RFAs were to simply accept their qualifying offers and no trades were made, then I have Chicago sitting at $66 million in cap hits with a salary cap expected to remain largely unchanged (currently $56.7 million). The team is projected to be over by $8-10 million depending on where the cap is set next season.

SALARY	FORWARDS
6.300	Toews
6.300	Kane
5.275	Hossa
3.900	Sharp
3.375	Bolland
3.083	Versteeg
3.000	Byfuglien
1.550	Ladd	RFA Qualifying Offer
1.200	Kopecky	ELC
1.070	Eager	RFA Qualifying Offer
1.025	Brouwer
0.770	Fraser	RFA Qualifying Offer
	DEFENSE
7.142	Campbell
5.500	Keith
3.500	Seakbook
3.083	Barker
2.333	Sopel
0.700	Hjalmarsson	RFA Qualifying Offer
	GOAL
5.625	Huet
0.800	Crawford
0.500	Bench Player
66.031	2010 TOTAL
56.700	Current Cap Max
9.331	Difference

Ch-ch-changes

The good news for Blackhawk fans is that their young core players were signed last week. The bad news is that several current members of a Cup-contending squad will have to be traded this summer. Let's play amateur GM and see how this works out.

The non-Campbell, non-Huet Scenario

Let's assume that both the Campbell and Huet contracts are too costly to move. In this situation the Hawks need to deal away 4 guys making some serious coin. If they moved Cam Barker ($3.08 million), Dave Bolland ($3.375) and Dustin Byfuglien ($3.0) and replaced them with three players averaging just $0.700 a piece that still leaves the team $2 million over the current cap. Assuming the cap doesn't rise, they would need to a) move either Versteeg or Sharp; or b) exchange their entire checking group (Kopecky, Eager, Brouwer and Fraser) for 4 guys making the NHL minimum. This scenario involves the most carnage for the existing lineup of skaters, as it would essentially gut the team's depth.

The Campbell Traded Scenario

The two most egregious contracts are those given to Brian Campbell (7.142 million) and Christobal Huet (5.625 million). To move either of this contracts Chicago would probably have to include either a 1st round pick or a top prospect to make another team swallow either of them. Let's suppose that Chicago was able to swing Campbell + 1st round pick to Dallas for a pick or prospect. If Cam Barker moves into the top 4 D for Chicago, and a journeyman making .6 million fills Campbell's roster spot, that still leaves them $2.8 over the cap. To clear that much more salary they would have to swap a player making $3.3 million for a guy making the league minimum or basically Dave Bolland or Patrick Sharp.

The Huet Traded Scenario

Most teams only have one starting goalie--there are only so many starting jobs around the NHL. Few teams can afford afford to lavish All-Star money on a non-All Star talent, which means that the Cristobal Huet contract is probably tougher to move than the Campbell contract. But let's suppose for a moment that Chicago can find a taker. Who would take Huet's place? That's a key question and one that is hard to predict. Almost any starter of any quality is going to have a cap hit of $3 million or more. The team might find a cheaper option such as Theodore, Biron or Emery on the UFA market, but those cheaper options come with a serious downside risk. Let's assume that the Blackhawks go very cheap at the goal position and only spend $2.5 on Huet's replacement. That still leaves them $6 million over the cap. Trading away Barker ($3.08), Sopel ($2.3) and one medium priced forward (perhaps Bolland $3.0) and replacing them with players making just $700,000 gets them under the cap with some money for a Hjalmarsson raise.

The Dream Scenario: Campbell and Huet Traded

The least disruptive solution to the Blackhawks depth would be to move both fat contracts next summer. The biggest question is whether they can find any suckers (call Bob Gainey?) or whether they are willing to part with high draft picks or top prospect Kyle Beach to purchase cap space. Assuming that they can make these two ugly contracts vanish and replace the D slot with a cheap defenseman, that would leave about $2-3 million for a starting goalie. This is easily the least disruptive scenario for the current roster--but presumably would come at the cost of future talent (picks and prospects).

Concluding Thoughts

Trying to game plan the future is always challenging. At this point, we have no idea what the final cap number will be (but attendance is flat and tickets are being discounted in many cities). We also have no way of knowing if RFAs like Ladd and Hjalmarsson will demand more money than their qualifying offers. Despite these "known unknowns" I've tried to get a sense of how things might play out this summer in the Windy City.