Blackhawks 2015-2016 Season Thread

[anotheridiot]

Carruth played the last 2 games for Rockford. I can't imagine he got released. Maybe he's hurt? I can't find anything either way about him.

Now I am even more confused

CARRUTH RETURNED TO INDY

Carruth assigned to the ECHL Indy club.

Did they need to put him on a two way contract to send him there then?

Other news BLACKHAWKS AGREE TO TERMS WITH BAUN

 

[anotheridiot]

Rough night in bean town, same lineup, no fresh legs to help.

In other news, Stars have lost Sharp for at least a week and Benn for closer to two weeks with lower body injuries. Lets see if the hawks can pull away from them a little.

 

[averagejoe]

I missed the last couple of wins. Was busy for the Bruins game but got to tune in during the 3rd period enough to see it was hopeless.

Needed a hockey fix and watched the very poorly officiated Caps-Bruins game. Disallowed goal on an offsides. Phantom penalties. Was entertaining.

Tuned in late to the Hawks-Wings. Great 3rd period. I had just mentioned to my wife, "Anisimov has been pretty quiet lately" - boom! - he tips in Panarin's slapper.

Nice win, especially since Dallas won too.

@JBM73 Your Flyers have been hot.

 

[anotheridiot]

I missed Kanes :21 seconds into it goal, but it was fun having my Detroit buddy let me know about it.

Fleishmann, Weiss, Ladd all killing penalties yesterday, Crow kept them in the game in the second, even though the Wings were missing the net alot. Loved seeing Ladd put Abdelkater into the wall. The Hawks were bullied around by the bruins, and they need to have a retaliatory game like yesterday to show its not gonna work in the playoffs. Loved seeing net front presence finally, with Anisimov, Toews, Ladd, Shaw, finally getting some traffic at the net. Bickell would still be on this team if he camped there.

Very interesting week, Dallas and St Louis on the road, but a couple days apart at least.

 

[JBM73]

Blackhawks Magazine: Little things bringing big results for Tyler Motte

 

[anotheridiot]

Hossa will be back in the lineup tonight for this important central division game.

It will be interesting to see Shaw with Teuvo and Fleishmann, who have shown some chemistry.

Kruger inked a three year extension at the AAV of 3.083 per after signing a cheap deal for 1.5 this off season.

Really a head scratcher after making him wait to see how much room was left, but there is no offensive side to him, great forechecker and PK, but is that worth 3 million? I am guessing if Bickell does not join the team for the playoffs to play ass in face hockey, he should be bought out this summer.

 

[anotheridiot]

Fun game last night, first loss after leading after 2 periods this season, but it probably wont really count as a loss, just a tie.
Some fun OT, and I for one miss the shootouts, the hawks only in their second all year. Toews and Kane miss, Panarin undresses the goalie, Anisimov power and finesse between the legs, Teuvo rings the final shot off the post after beating him clean.

They said Hossa stayed on the ice longer after the morning skate, apparently did not feel this was the game to return to.

 

[JBM73]

Now I am even more confused

CARRUTH RETURNED TO INDY

Carruth assigned to the ECHL Indy club.

Did they need to put him on a two way contract to send him there then?

Other news BLACKHAWKS AGREE TO TERMS WITH BAUN

In thinking more about this, my guess is that they're trying to give Rockford every chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. Carruth will likely be called up to serve as the 3rd goalie at the start of the NHL playoffs, leaving Leighton and MacIntyre to carry Rockford.

 

[anotheridiot]

We have nothing but cap space left from the Patrick Sharp deal, Stephen Johns might debut tonight.

Former ‘Hawks Prospect Set For NHL Debut…Against the ‘Hawks

 

[JBM73]

 

[anotheridiot]

yes, started skating yesterday they said. Glad he got extra time with that wrist, he would be junk at the dot if it is not completely healed.

Really liked what I saw with Johns in the Dallas game, he sure has a laser from the blue line. Why did it take so much to get rid of Sharp?

 

[JBM73]

Really liked what I saw with Johns in the Dallas game, he sure has a laser from the blue line. Why did it take so much to get rid of Sharp?

Well, Johns turned around and was a -3 against St Louis, so he still has a ways to go. I think the problem with Sharp was that teams knew the Hawks were desperate and teams were trying to lowball them as a result. Also, Sharp was coming off a down year and teams were probably afraid that he may have started hitting the wall. On paper, the trade didn't seem TOO bad, a win for Dallas but not awful. Unfortunately, neither guy ever fit in so you're right, we basically just traded for cap space.

 

[JBM73]

Ugh-ly.

 

[anotheridiot]

At least it was an unwatchable game for me on a Monday anyhow. What I heard was they were trying to get the perfect pass thru instead of peppering Quick. Even though 32 got thru, they figured it could have been closer to 50 trying to get rebounds. Well, St Louis lost to Calgary, so it still Dallas and St Louis at 91, hawks at 88.

 

[anotheridiot]

Head coach Joel Quenneville decided to mix up his lines at Tuesday’s morning skate. He started to switch things up a bit during the second period last night and when you have lost your last two games by a combined score of 10-2, a change is not a bad idea.

The one line that has been together almost the entire year has been the second line, but even they weren’t spared from the line blender today.

Teuvo Teravainen was not on the ice as he skipped practice with a reported illness.

Here is how they lined up today. What do you think?

Tomas Fleischmann – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane

Artemi Panarin – Artem Anisimov – Marian Hossa

Andrew Ladd – Dennis Rasmussen (for Teravainen) – Andrew Shaw

Brandon Mashinter – Andrew Desjardins – Dale Weise

dont know, hell of a time to split Kane an Panarin, would have like to see them both up with Toews.

 

[anotheridiot]

Looks like Teuvo is good to go so Rasmussen will be the scratch.

Should shake things up, lets see how long they last. I have liked Fleischmanns game, but could see him and Panarin switching if they dont score in the first.

 

[anotheridiot]

Q stuck with it, but his montra of whoever wins a 5-3 usually wins the game came true. 1:53 of 5-3 and one good chance. Kane could not lift a bouncing rebound up over the pad with time expiring, missed two chances from less than 2 feet during the game.

I at least thought Q would put Kane, Anisimov and Panarin on the PP together, but Ladd was out with two defenders most of the time.

 

[anotheridiot]

BLACKHAWKS RECALL LEIGHTON, CARRUTH RETURNS TO ROCKFORD

Did not think Darling was that bad last night, has come in relief of Crow and given up 0 or 1 goal, wonder if there is an injury.

Hawks site says Crawford will not travel with the team tomorrow night.

 

[averagejoe]

The Losing Streak
We seem to go through this every season as we get closer to the playoffs. Even in the Cup championship seasons. We go through a slump and the media and fans get all worried about how bad things look. Soft goals. Scoring droughts. We always seem to right the ship when the playoffs start. But more than that, instead of just playing better, we look dominant In the playoffs. I'm not worried.

Crawford v Darling
I've always thought that Crawford was one of the best shootout goalies hands down. He's almost had to be. The defense jumps in on plays and he's left high and dry too often. Sure he lets in a soft goal now and then, but so do all goalies. Crawford isn't alone when it comes to soft goals. Crawford is great at absorbing shots. Hardly a rebound.

Darling is big. Maybe he relies on his size too much? There are times where he looks like Dominik Hasek flopping on the ice - but with no sixth sense of where the puck actually is. And then there are times he reminds me of an over-the-hill Khabibulin staring at ad on the dasher boards 180 feet away, again, unaware of where the puck is. Darling's movements don't look smooth to me. Maybe that's just the way he plays.

Passing v Shooting
The Hawks are a finesse team. They rely on crisp passing. But when it's not working, instead of juggling lines, they need to juggle their approach instead. I noticed that even during this losing streak, the Kings were hitting less because they saw that the Hawks' passing was not a threat.

Meanwhile, other teams are content throwing pucks on net, and having one or two players charge the slot. Pucks bounce off legs and sticks and the other teams get some ugly goals. Ugly goals still count as much as the highlight reel goals. Hawks need to do more of the same when they struggle in the passing game. Problem is, all five guys are along the boards and at the point and no one is going to the slot.

 

[anotheridiot]

I really dont know, to me it looks like Crow prefers to handle the guy screening him in front instead of having a defender also in the way helping screen him. as far as shootouts, its really trying to be put out of the game with the OT changes. I really liked Raantas game up until they got in a shootout.

With the hawks, if Shaw plays ass in face, he does a good job, but he is too quick to leave that crease and go after a puck thats in the corner when the other guy is usually there. I have just seen more times over this streak that the rotation is gone. Christian Erhoff has an offensive game, but its not his fault if he is down in the zone filling in or giving an option, one of the forwards has to circle up to cover the blue line. But after those two or three straight disallowed goals with Goalie interference, on the Hawks, a team that has the least net presence in the league, I am pretty sure it stopped these players from going there as often.

Hopefully the hawks get back on track. Last years losing streak ended up bringing back some old line combinations for the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how long Q sticks with these.