The Blackhawks biggest problem...

[averagejoe]

Wasn't sure what else to call this thread?

All teams go through slumps, so I'm not too worried about the last 10 games (6 losses 4 wins) and the lack of scoring (averaging 2.0 goals per game, when they were averaging close to 3 (2.8). They've also allowed 2.7 goals in the last 10 games when they were averaging 2.3.

The whole team seems to be struggling. Losing Kane and Oduya hasn't helped.

The pairings on D have been less than expected, turning the puck over and failing to clear the zone. And even though Hossa, Versteeg, Toews and Saad have been playing some great hockey the last 10 games, there is little to show for it on the score sheet. Bickell, Shaw, Sharp, Richards ahave been invisible. The 4th line has been decent, but Kruger and Smith aren't expected to light the lamp anytime soon.

Which brings me back to the thread title... the Hawks biggest problem...

• ...outside of scoring & defense, they need to have timely hits. I realize that the Hawks are not a hitting team, usually ranking near the bottom of the league in hits. But in every game, there is usually a play or two where the opponent is bringing the puck up and rather than go for the hit, (or even just disrupt their stride with some kind of contact), what generally happens is they force the player along the boards (which is still good positional hockey fundamentals). Howeer the non-hit allows their teammates to join the play which results in a quality scoring chance. HIT them!
• ...is a lack of a goalmouth presence. Shaw would get the snot beat out of him, but he'd occupy a defender and create vision problems for the goalie. We seem to have gotten away from that.
• ...they're not shooting enough. The Hawks are one of the best passing teams in the NHL. But sometimes they pass too much. Other teams get "dirty" goals, and it seems as though the Hawks are always going for the highlight reel scoring play. SHOOT the puck!

 

[anotheridiot]

A term you hear alot of by the NHL Network guys is youth infusion. Young energy, on a veteran minded head coaches team is non existent.

Q put Teuvo on the ice the third power play Friday and thats when they started generating chances. Richards has been terrible, 20 games without a goal got our top PK guy Ben Smith benched. They will just never have the confidence in the kids here. Just let Teuvo have that second line job. He is defensive minded enough, he needs to gel with a Sharp shooter a few games in a row.

I really like watching Krueger, Smitty and Nordstrom on the fourth line. Lost of disruption there. They are basically all centermen, I think that is their real secret.

Everyone says the hawks are not a hitting team, but when Q was most pissed, two weeks ago, he ran them thru a violent physical practice. When Kane went down, the only guy to go after the hitter was Sharp, and now he is supposedly reinvolved with the summertime team mate banging or whatever happened between the two players.

I have watched Bickell be a runaway truck on the ice. Finally. Pretty sure he is thinking he or shaw are on the way out when Richards should be out, or at least dropped to the third line with Bickell and Shaw.

 

[JBM73]

I don't disagree with anything in the original post, but it's all things we've heard and said before over the past few seasons. Fortunately, the Hawks DO tend to play a different style in the playoffs, with more timely hits, a better crease presence and general willingness to shoot more often. I'm not going to panic until they aren't showing it come playoff time.

 

[anotheridiot]

We will see what Desjardins adds to the lineup next game, sure sounds like a move that was made to get this team tougher. They have pieced around with Bollig, then expecting Manschinter to move to that role, resign Carcillo, now Desjardins. I guess the usual excuse of we wont hit your guys so dont hit ours might be tested.

 

[averagejoe]

Just let me clarify about the hits.

I don't expect the Hawks to change to a hitting team. We know they're not built that way. But what frustrates me most is when the Hawks watch a guy carry the puck into their zone - instead of checking him, or at minimum, knocking him off his stride, they usually force him to the boards and will not make contact. That is what I'm referring to as a timely hit.

Cause what ends up happening, is the player goes to the boards and his teammates enter the zone, and now the defense is out of position and the other team gets a decent scoring chance. Wouldn't have happened if they just checked/hit the guy.

Doesn't happen a lot. But it happens enough. At least in my world.

 

[anotheridiot]

Just let me clarify about the hits.

I don't expect the Hawks to change to a hitting team. We know they're not built that way. But what frustrates me most is when the Hawks watch a guy carry the puck into their zone - instead of checking him, or at minimum, knocking him off his stride, they usually force him to the boards and will not make contact. That is what I'm referring to as a timely hit.

Cause what ends up happening, is the player goes to the boards and his teammates enter the zone, and now the defense is out of position and the other team gets a decent scoring chance. Wouldn't have happened if they just checked/hit the guy.

Doesn't happen a lot. But it happens enough. At least in my world.

I get that, just seems like when the hawks get in the playoffs against one of the california teams, the answer to kane is hit him at the blue line. hit him at the boards, hit him getting off the ice, anybody near him, just hit him.

Then I watch Bickell in a non active game get 7 minutes of ice time, you see bickell laying out the lumber and he is on the ice for 14.

I get the Shaw has to do more and he gets more time when he is physical.

I get the fact that the hawks want to be a puck possession team and you cant be hitting people when you have the puck.

Just finally am starting to see some mixed signals that Q wants a more physical game, not to hurt people, but it engages the team in the game. There are no lulls when they are physical.

I am tired of hearing on national broadcasts how physical Seabrook is, just because of a few monster playoff hits. Well, people complain about Bickell not using his size, I also see that in seabrook. Opportune hitting is important, like when a team goes for a change, one guy decides to carry the puck past the goal line, thats an opportunity to wipe him out, or at least at a minimum, give that team a reason to think its not free when they take out our talent.

We will see if they run the line of Bickell, Shaw and Desjardins as a checking line or if they delegate the new guy to the fourth line. When Carcillo got here, he got put on the top line to be in the ice with Kane and Toews and be there when they got hit.

 

[HockeyDoug]

If the blueline keeps playing as slow as they have been as a group (better lately but still poor in terms of speed), I think they have to hit more. Eventually they'll get worn down by having to spin to catch up wings that beat them so they better be hitting them in the hopes of wearing those wings down. The Hawks just aren't that fast, I hope they find another gear for April, especially those bottom 3. I've been a huge Oduya fan, but he's gotten considerably slower in my opinion. Rosizval has concrete i ever joint and Timmonen isn't close to what he was yet.

 

[HockeyDoug]

I'm not a fan of hitting, I'm just suggesting that they better do something different than what they have been doing if they want to win a series playing the way they are (solid but slow defense and sparse offense) against anybody besides Nashville, I'm very concerned.

 

[anotheridiot]

Hopefully it opens a spot for TVR and Rosie and Timo share game time. I think Oduya would have been dealt if TVR never broke the kneecap.

 

[averagejoe]

Starting to worry.
We don't seem as fast anymore.
I know Q is trying to send a message with all of the line-juggling, but it may be too much too late in the season. The top 2 lines should be hitting their stride with a handful of games left. Not trying to capture chemistry this close to the playoffs IMO.
Starting to worry.

 

[anotheridiot]

Minnesota and Winnipeg are not going away and Hawks at one time thought they are now closer to wining the central, are not close to becoming a wild card team. I dont know, every year Stans make moves and some of them just seem to be nothing more than to make a move. Teuvo has shown he can play, but get a second line center again in Vermette. Runbland and Cumiskey were playing well, but we needed to get Timonin and defense has been pretty inconsistent and bad. Lost our second line power play guy in Smith for Dejardins that has done nothing. At least Smitty was affordable and very good on the power play, very good on the forecheck. Fourth line of Smith, Krueger and Nordstrom played keep away from the other teams top line. Nobody was looking for offensive numbers from the fourth line. It happens every season with this team. I was at least expecting Dejardins to have dropped gloves at least once by now, didnt even get that.

 

[HockeyDoug]

I'm not sure what Desjardins does, he's not even going to push Carcillo. Tough to find him even when I know he's on the ice.

I was more confident about this group, relative to the competition in 12', than I am right now.

 

[HockeyDoug]

I shouldn't say "this group" obviously since the teams are much different, I meant the Hawks on the ice.

 

[averagejoe]

Had the same thought about Desjardins. I'd rather have Carbomb out there - at least he hustles.

 

[anotheridiot]

Had the same thought about Desjardins. I'd rather have Carbomb out there - at least he hustles.

Maybe its Q. This is a big example of why you carry 23 skaters. Three games in four nights seems the opportunity to use your spare skaters to get some fresh bodies in the game. Its the same syndrome Thibbs has with the bulls. I guess it ended up working this time with Q looking for the skaters he wants to use in the playoffs, but Teuvo on the fourth line is not alot of sense since Shawzee will actually punish people.

Really dont know what happened with Dejardins, maybe he was told we did not get you to fight and he took that as he is supposed to be one finesse guys.

 

[HockeyDoug]

I really shouldn't get on Desjardins.
He's doing what he's supposed to do since he only makes a tiny bit over league minimum. His ice time is a reflection of other circumstances, since they just had to downgrade from Smith for cap reasons. Kind of the same as all the Handzus hatin' last year. He was bad, but he was making less than 2x league min. How many of those guys, given 4th line minutes like Handzus or Desjardins are supposed to be very good or somebody worth counting on.

As much as I don't like Desjardins, I'm completely against gambling on a rookie, given the choice, if they're serious about contending.

 

[averagejoe]

Doug, maybe the salary value is good, but Carcillo is a pinball out there. He skates hard, hits everybody, and even creates scoring chances. Not seeing that from Desjardin. Yet.

Maybe its a small sample size, but Carcillo is a plus 3, while Desjardin is a minus 1.

 

[averagejoe]

...Hawks need to get better at their line changes.