Blackhawks vs. Islanders5-4 Win Recap

"Ambush"

by Patrick Norton

@pdnorton

Pregame

The Blackhawks enter play with the highest point total in the Western Conference, and the Islanders have the lowest total points in the Eastern Conference. This one has the scent of “trap game” from mile away. With Scott Darling playing exceptional hockey in the absence of starting goaltender Corey Crawford, the question was, would the Hawks offense be able to match the level of play of their goaltender. With the team finally getting back to full strength and coming off of a win against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, this would be the perfect opportunity for the offense to pick up some confidence.

Game Time

Whoops. Here come all the Stan Bowman haters for letting Andrew Ladd go. Just 2:14 into the first period, Ladd scored just his fourth goal of the season. The Islanders then grabbed the Hawks by the pucks with Casey Cizikas also picked up his fourth goal of the year. Down two, the Hawks went to work. After Ryan Hartman duped Cizikas into taking a roughing penalty, the Blackhawks got on the board with an Artemi Panarin one-timer. It didn’t take long for the Blackhawks and even it up. On another powerplay, some tic-tac-toe passing led to an Anisimov equalizer. Then, an incredible pass from Ryan Hartman gave Marian Hossa an empty net. Up 3-2, the Islanders felt the pressure and responded. Ryan Strome snuck one past Darling and tied it up towards the end of period number one. At the end of one, it was all knotted up at three...THREE!

That didn’t take long. Just twenty-two seconds into the second period, Anders Lee redirected an Islanders shot to give New York a one goal lead. After that? Both teams took a nap. After an eventful first period, the Islanders couldn’t pull away, but the Blackhawks couldn’t tie it up. A very lackluster period to follow up an energized first period. BUT WAIT A SECOND. Another PPG! With 18.7 seconds left in the second, Artemi Panarin scored off a nifty pass from Brent Seabrook. Maybe some momentum heading into the third?

Sure, there have been four goals for each team through two periods, but this game has been kind of bland. Hopefully the third would prove to be a little bit different. The first fourteen minutes of the third were very similarly to the second. Richard Panik was finally able to break the ice and give the Hawks the lead, their first since the first period. That’s all they would need, too. Somehow, the Blackhawks steal this one, 5-4.

The Good

• The offense is alive and well. Three first period goals, including two on the powerplay finally gave fans something to cheer for on offense. Totalling five tallies including adding another on the powerplay gave them THREE PPGs.
• The penalty kill was pretty solid. They didn’t give away many opportunities and were able to keep the Islanders from scoring on the advantage.
• Marian Hossa is absolutely tearing it up. He scored his sixteenth goal of the season. Oh yeah, but he’s old, so it doesn’t count.
• The powerplay was better than great. It helps that the Islanders penalty kill was trash, but the PP was marvelous, nonetheless.
• Hjalmarsson is a stud. Blocking shots left and right. I can’t imagine the bruises he wakes up with in the morning.
• Defensively, the first 20:22 were awful, but the remaining 39:38 showed a tightened up core, but also saw some new pairing. We saw a lot less Kempny and a Keith and Seabrook pairing.
• Special teams was a solid tonight, which is always good to see when that’s been a big struggle for the team.
• Talk about a team win. Needed a win that relied on something other than spectacular goaltending. Now, put it all together and put the best possible product on the ice. So, uhhh, not Jordin Tootoo.
• Seabrook improved throughout the night and finished with two helpers, along with Keith.
• Bread Man finished with a two goals and an assist. Last time I checked, he still does not have a contract extension.

The Bad

• Sure, it was nice to score three goals in the first, but the start to the game was soooo sloooow. I don’t get how a league leading team can be so consistently bad at jumping out of the gun.
• The Hinostroza line dressed. I think.
• Konroyd and Boyle continue to find themselves in this section of the recap. When talking about potential #1 stars of the game, the seemed confused about Ryan Hartman and forgot about his behind-the-back pass to Hossa. C’mon. It was a sweet dish, but their only positive was a darn open ice check in the first period.
• Ryan Hartman won over the hearts of a lot of fans tonight. He baited a penalty and had a sweet assist .Another good-near-great game for the kid.

The Ugly

• Sorry Gate, but Kempny sucked. Seabrook wasn’t much better in the first period. Remember how the score was 3-3 at the end of one? Both defenseman were -3 at that point, too. Coincidence? I think not!
• The start to the second was all Islanders. Surprisingly, they were only able to scratch one across the goal line in the entire period.
• Puck possession for the Hawks was pretty crappy. Besides the powerplay, the Hawks had trouble getting sustained opportunities. The second and third period was full of sloppy passes and weak shots.
• Scott Darling didn’t have the best defense being played in front of him, but he looked like a combination of Gate and Brian Elliott out there. He’s been worked a lot, but it looks like Crawford is close to a return, so Darling just has to get through a couple more.
• This game was ugly for me. I’ve never had such difficulty critiquing a team. Sure, the first period was treacherous, but once the Islanders scored a fourth goal, the Blackhawks got their heads out of their respective asses. You can’t throw away an entire period of horrible defense, but the Hawks regrouped very well.
• I’m still not positive if Jordin Tootoo actually skated once.
• Thomas Greiss has a miserable night in net. Sorry pal, but you can’t let your team score four goals on a scorching goalie and still lose the damn game. That’s like rule number one in goalie school.

The Lineblender

Left Wing - Center - Right Wing

Hartman - Toews - Hossa

Panarin - Anisimov - Kane

Rasmussen - Kruger - Panik

Desjardins - Hinostroza - Tootoo

*I’d put the defensive pairing here, too, but they changed every thirty seconds*

#Fatrick Stankus Fatsy Stats

• The PAK line had Corsi’s through the roof, but Brian Campbell shocked me when I saw he finished +16.
• Michal Kempny finished with a team low -4. Not horrible, but still, not great.
• The Blackhawks took just 23/53 at the dot. But they also took two points, so who gives a rats ass.

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Blackhawks at Rangers 2-1 Win Recap

"As Long As We've Got Each Other"

 
by Patrick Stankus
Tweet to #Fatrick

As you know by now, my recap titles this year are a tribute to Alice In Chains, but tonight we honor a legend. During tonight's game, it was announced that actor Alan Thicke died. As someone who grew up watching Growing Pains during the early 90's as well as the reruns, Thicke was one of my favorite actors. So before you tell me "too soon" with the title, its a tribute to Thicke and his legacy. RIP Jason Seaver.

The Blackhawks began a three game road trip on Tuesday night to take on the New York Rangers, in the world's most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Tuesday's game also marked the second time the two teams have played each other in the last four days, thanks to the NHL schedule makers. The Hawks were looking to get some sort of payback after the Rangers defeated the Hawks 1-0 in Chicago on Friday night. Leading up to the game, the Hawks got some good news as Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook made their returns to the lineup.

In what was hopefully a sign of things to come, Jonathan Toews managed to win the opening faceoff of the game, something that hasn't been easy in his absence. In the opening minutes of the game, you could tell the Hawks had a bit of jump to their step, unlike in recent games. As the period went on, the Hawks had numerous chances, some of very good quality, but Antti Raanta was there to stop them all. At the other end of the ice, Scott Darling only had seven, one and done, shots thrown at him by the Rangers, and managed to stop them all. Despite dictating the pace of the game for most of the period, the Hawks would skate into the intermission scoreless after one period.

The second period of the game was nothing short of exciting. Both teams had countless chances, that also featured end to end action. After being dominated by the Rangers early in the period, the Hawks were able to get on the board first, thanks to an unlikely goal by none other than everyone's second favorite scapegoat TVR. However despite the goal, the Rangers momentum didn't break. Just under three minutes later, the Rangers managed to get the equalizer to tie the game at one. Late in the period, Scott Darling made a big save, to keep the game tied at one. Not surprising, after that save, the Hawks rode the momentum down the rink, and Artem Anisimov was able to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead after two periods.

While starts have been much of the story this season for the Hawks, tonight was a different story. In the third period, the Rangers absolutely dominated play throughout the twenty minutes. Unfortunately for the Rangers, the Scott Darling Show was in full effect in the third. Time after time, Darling came up with some spectacular saves to preserve the Hawks one goal lead. While the Hawks had their chances, they weren't able to add to their lead, and their goalie bailed them out. As time wound down, the Rangers couldn't do anything with the extra attacker, and the Hawks skated out of MSG with the 2-1 win.

The Good

• Pardon me while I do some cartwheels as not only Brent Seabrook returned for the Blackhawks, but so did The Captain, Jonathan Toews.
• #SlowlyImprovingTVR added his first goal of the season in the second period. That trade value just keeps going up, up, up, up, up.
• The pass by Brian Campbell on Anisimov's goal was old school Brian Campbell. That kind of play has been severely lacking from Campbell thus far.
• Marian Hossa's swipe of a loose puck in the Hawks goal crease in the third period was huge. When he's not scoring goals, he's saving goals for the Hawks.
• The Hawks defense when the Rangers had the extra attacker was outstanding. They clamped down, and the Rangers struggled to even enter the zone.
• Amazing, The Captain returns, and the Hawks become respectable at the dot again. Tonight they were 55%.
• Unpopular opinion, but that Rangers third jersey is awesome. See what simple does NHL?
• SCOTT FUCKING DARLING. Period. End of story.

The Bad

• #RandomPatFoleyStats made an appearance in the first period. Tonight's random stat was Brian Campbell being a +4 over his last 11 games. DRINK PAT. DRINK.
• While their start was good, the Hawks struggled at times during the second and third periods. In those two periods, the Hawks yielded 27 shots to the Rangers.
• Those great six o'clock starts aren't so great during the work week.
• Michal Kempny sat again. And again, I only mention this because it pisses Gate off, and lets be honest, he signs my checks here, so gotta keep the boss man happy.

The Ugly

• Chris Kreider had a nasty hit on Ryan Hartman in the corner during the second period. Hartman was slow to get up, and eventually was forced to the dressing room by trainer Mike Gapski. Hartman did however return to the game.
• In the first period, Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei took a skate to the face. A skate to the face is something you never want to see happen to anyone.
• Kevin Hayes shit in the hallway and was a -2 tonight.

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Blackhawks vs. Stars3-1 Win Recap

"Right Turn" 

by Patrick Stankus
Tweet to #Fatrick

On Sunday night, the Dallas Stars visited the United Center as the Blackhawks wrapped up their four game homestand. The Hawks were looking to avenge their 1-0 overtime defeat on Friday night at the hands of the New York Rangers. Scott Darling made his fifth straight start for the Hawks while Corey Crawford continues to recover from his emergency appendectomy. With goals getting harder and harder to come by when they play an NHL caliber team, a visit from the embarrassing Stars goaltending could be just what the doctor ordered for the Hawks confidence.

The opening frame was less than exciting to say the least. The Hawks looked like a team that was out there for an open skate than a hockey game. Most of their chances came from the one and done variety. Just over five minutes in, the Hawks did have a power play opportunity, but couldn't convert. The best chance for both teams came from Artemi Panarin who hit the inside of the post with a shot. Thankfully the period didn't last too long, and we'd head into the first intermission scoreless.

In the second period, the pace of the game picked up dramatically from the first period. Both teams found the back of the net in the first two and a half minutes, and before you knew it the game was tied at one. As the period went on, both teams had a power play chance, but neither team could add a goal to take the lead. A few minutes after the Hawks killed off a Ryan Hartman penalty, Artem Anisimov crashed the net and hammered home a loose puck to put the Hawks up 2-1. For the most part, the Hawks controlled play for the period and peppered the Stars net with 13 shots as they took the lead into the second intermission.

The Hawks took to the ice for the third period looking to protect and add to their one goal lead. The Hawks were forced to kill off an early Stars power play, thanks to a hooking penalty called against Niklas Hjalmarsson. Once the Hawks were able to that off, it looked as if the Stars packed it in for the night. Midway through the period, Artemi Panarin added a power play goal to give the Hawks a 3-1 lead. When the final horn sounded, Scott Darling made 23 saves en route to the Hawks 3-1 win over the Stars.


The Good

• Scott Darling was excellent in net again for the Hawks. He made a key save early in the third period to preserve the Hawks one goal.
• #SteadilyDecliningMarianHossa added his 15th goal of the season.
• While its good Artemi Panarin scored again, its not good for the Hawks cap situation as that dollar sign keeps getting bigger and bigger.
• The special teams came through for the Hawks as the power play had a goal, and penaly kill, killed off both of the Stars power plays.
• TVR had another solid game. Tonight he was a +2 on the night. Anything that builds this guy's confidence we should be all for. And it doesn't hurt that trade value either.
• Ryan Hartman and Dennis Rasmussen both had respectable, noticeable games. 
• 2-1-1 homestand without Crawford and Toews, not to mention part without Seabrook, I'll take it.

The Bad

• Michal Rozsival was in the lineup instead of Michal Kempny. I don't mind this as much as the other half of #TeamMiserable , Gatekeeper does. In my opinion Rozsival's been better than Kempny. 
• The Hawks were only 44% at the dot tonight, but that's nothing new.
• Four shots in twenty minutes is kind of embarrassing. That was the Hawks total in the third period tonight.
• If there is a defenseman thar's struggling on the Hawks, its that of Gustav Forsling.
• Apparently Andrew Desjardins played tonight. Eight minutes of ice time will do that too you.

The Ugly

• In case you need to be reminded, be thankful we don't have to call the Stars goaltending tandem ours. Christ almighty.
• Seabrook, Toews, and Crawford all missed the game.
• The schedule this week of a trip to both New York teams and St. Louis should be fun.

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Blackhawks vs NY Rangers1-0 OT Loss Recap

"Phoney Smiles & Fake Hellos"

by Gatekeeper
Tweet to Gatekeeper

Friday night, the Blackhawks welcomed the New York hockey Rangers to the United Center for a mid December tilt that not many of us were looking forward to. Not only were the Ranger coming in hot, but they also boasted two young players that spurned the Blackhawks in Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Hayes. Hayes came in second on the blueshirts with 11-9-20, and Vesey came in with a respectable 9-7-16 but was injured. Those aren't the only two names the Blackhawks fans would recognize, as Antti Raanta started instead of Henrik Lunqvist, Brandon Pirri was centering the Rangers 4th line and Adam Clendening took his familiar spot in the UC press box for unlimited shrimp cocktail. Both teams came in pretty injury ravaged with the Blackhawks missing Jonathan Toews (Upper Body/Back), Corey Crawford (Appendectomy), and Brent Seabrook (Bump on the noggin), while Rangers were missing Rick Nash, Mika Zibanejad, Pavel Buchnevich and Matt Puempel. With Seabrook out you'd think that Quenneville wouldn't do something crazy like sit Kempny, right? You would be wrong. Michal Rozsival was in the lineup against one of the faster teams in the entire league. Makes total sense.

It can't go without mentioning the Steve Larmer "One More Shift" tribute. The guy is a legend and deserves so much more credit than he has ever gotten. Larmer for Hockey Hall Of Fame!


You might not have recognized that team in red you saw at the beginning of the first period, because they were wearing Hawks colors, but they actually had some sustained pressure on the Rangers. For a little while, that is. They started fast caught the Rangers on their heels, but it wasn't long before the Rangers woke up and gave the Hawks fans a few scares. Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard, but the Rangers finished the period out shooting the Blackhawks 12-9.

The second period turned into the wild fucking west in this contest, with both teams going end to end a few times and getting several grade A chances. There were no goals up on the board at the end but the scoring chances had everyone on the edge of their seats. The shots favored the Rangers 11-10 which showed just how close the period was played.

The third period was just more of the same for these two teams. Both goaltenders played excellent and thanks to an offsides negated goal, these teams took the game to overtime tied at 0-0. Shots were 13-7 with the Ranger outshooting the Hawks for the third straight period, and 36-26 for the game. It only took the Rangers one shot and about a minute into overtime to catch the Blackhawks in a bad change, and the Rangers were able to leave the UC a winner.

The Good

• Pat Foley, for the second time in as many weeks, went into a tirade about Bob Pulford forcing Steve Larmer to end his iron man streak. I love it. Preach on, Pat. Pulford was an enormous piece of shit and held the Blackhawks down for a majority of the 80s both behind the bench and as a GM.
• Both Annti Raanta and Scott Darling put on a goaltending show. In the second period, alone, Raanta made an old school pad stacking save and then Darling made two fully out stretched saves.

The Bad

• Patrick Kane was flattened from behind in the second period and there was no call, so he went ape shit and highsticked JT Miller and took a penalty. After the play, Kane ended up in the locker room for an extended time, but eventually returned.
• #DickFuckingPanik was able to poke the puck past a defender and it turned into a 2-on-1, but there was a small problem. The other forward was Andrew Desjardins.
• The Blackhawks got a little enamored with their puck movement in the overtime and forgot to cover their guys, leaving Defenseman Nick Holden to have a breakaway. Of course he ended the game.
• The ever valuable Jordin Tootoo with 4:26 of playing time.

The Ugly

• Sitting Michal Kempy for Michal Rozsival, especially with Brent Seabrook on the shelf, is a fucking dumb move. This is the shit that Quenneville pulls that is utterly infuriating. The Rangers are a blazing fast team, and Q purposely makes the Blackhawks SLOWER? Lets not even get into the fact that Trevor van Slows-dyk is anchoring that 3rd pair, too.
• Six minutes into the third period, Ryan Hartman fed Marian Hossa. who beat Raanta for what looked like a 1-0 game, but the Rangers challenged the goal and it was ruled to be offsides. This stupid replay system is dumb.
  
• In the third period Pat Foley not only called Scott Darling, Raanta once, but they he did it again just seconds later. I praise him for his Pulford rant and then he does this.

The #Fatrick Stankus Fatsy Stats

• The Hrivik/Lindberg/Fast line were possession beasts all night and led all players.
• No surprise that Ryan Hartman and Marian Hossa were the possession leaders for the Blackhawks, while the Motte/Rasmussen/Panik line got eaten alive.
• Faceoffs were right down the middle. Derek Stepan was able to win 70% of his faceoffs, so thank god the rest of the Rangers sucked a donkey's ass.

The Lineblender
Left Wing - Center - Right Wing
Panarin - Anisimov - Kane
Hartman - Kruger - Hossa
Motte - Rasmussen - Panik
Desjardins - Hinostroza - Tootoo

Defense
Keith - Hjalmarsson
Campbell - van Riemsdyk
Forsling - Rozsival

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Puckin Hostile ShoutcastEpisode 71

In this 71st Puckin Hostile Shoutcast (the Evgeni Malkin episode) Gatekeeper, Pat, Derek, and Norton welcome in the holiday season by cracking wise on each other for a few hours. Could a member of the team be leaving? Tune in and see.

The panel discuss the following:

-New iTunes review
-Possible rule change discussion
-Brazilian soccer team plane crash
-Gerard Gallant fired in total shitshow fashion
-An ECHL player damn near kills someone
-The overly sensitive internet gets the Leafs Garrett Sparks suspended for post in his Facebook GGSU group
-John Gibson had the hershey squirts, and Randy Carlyle wasn't shy about informing the media
-John Scott and Travis Moen retire.
-Several key injuries including Darnell Nurse and Alex Galchenyuk
-Taylor Hall's hit on Philip Larsen
-Steve Larmer debate
-Coach Wizzo strikes again
-Toews and Crawford out of the lineup, and possibly Seabrook
-Games vs the Sharks, Ducks, Kings, Panthers, Devils, Flyers, Winnipeg, and Coyotes
-Mail sack questions
-And of course, as always, an abundance of extremely inappropriate references and jokes in incredibly bad taste

You can find the episode on iTunes by following this link: iTunes

Get the Shoutcast directly though Soundcloud here:


For all your custom jersey needs visit Black and Tan Sports at:

http://www.facebook.com/BlackAndTanSports

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Blackhawks vs Coyotes4-0 Shutout Win Recap

"Junkhead"

by Gatekeeper
Yell at Gatekeeper

The shitty Coyotes took a trip from their tropical home to the sub freezing December Chicago weather to face the struggling Blackhawks, Tuesday night. If there was any team that was frustrated and struggling more than the Blackhawks, that team is the Arizona Coyotes. They were coming off 3 straight losses where they gave up a combined 127 shots for an average of over 42 shots a game. It can't go without being mentioned that they gave up 60 shots in one game vs the Blue Jackets. BAH-ROO-TAL. The Blackhawks were without their captain and top goaltender once again, so this certainly wasn't any walk in the park for the home team, even if they wanted to try and will this game on talent alone. Noted Yotes elbow chucker Shane Doan was just one goal from 400 coming in, so they had good reason to keep him off the scoreboard. Of course Coach Wizzo had to trot out his large adult son, Trevor van Riemsdyk, so Michal Kempny got the press box shrimp cocktail to himself while I got one step closer to an aneurysm.


The first period started off as most do for the Blackhawks, these days. Slow. Like Fatrick's metabolism. They were out shot in the first period 9-5 by a team that was averaging about 14 against per period, recently. That's just sad. It was even more of a god damn miracle that they were actually up 1-0 after this mess. This was the Coyotes, after all. The dominoes would soon fall.

Fall is exactly what those dominoes did, in spectacular fashion. The Blackhawks came out with 7 quick shots right out of the locker room and 2 goals, in the first half of the middle period. The shot totals were much more like what you would expect from this horrid Coyotes franchise, as they were beat on to the tune of a 13-4 Blackhawks advantage. This was much more like what the United Center crowd and all of us watching from our couches were expecting.

The Coyotes just folded up and died in the third period. They didn't get a single shot on net until there were under six minutes left in regulation, which just a pants shitting moment. This Arizona team is just plain terrible. Where are your scibbity dibbity score effects now? The Blackhawks didn't exactly pour on the pressure themselves, either. They did just enough to add one more goal to their lead, and put the snot nosed little Yotes to bed early.

The Good

• The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead with about 4 minutes remaining in the first period on the powerplay, no less. A late Jamie McGinn hooking call on the ever dangerous Andrew Desjardins, gave the Hawks time to pick their spot. And pick their spot they did, very SLOWLY. Not only did the Yotes feel that leaving Patrick Kane all alone with the puck for about 8 seconds low in the circle was an excellent choice, but they doubled down and Luke Schenn let Artem Anisimov tripod right in front of his greasy goaltender. You can imagine how that ended. All Kane had to do was bank it off Arty's stick and Daggar!
• About 5 minutes into the second period Ryan Hartman and Marian Hossa worked a pretty nice 2-on-1, which gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead. The pass wasn't perfect, by any stretch, but Hossa did what a demigod does and played it with his skate. Hossa corralled the puck quick enough to jam it through Mike Smith for a 2-0 Blackhawks lead.
• Twenty one seconds after the Hossa goal, the line of Motte/Rasmussen/Panik smelled Coyote blood and drove the puck deep in the Arizona zone. #DickFuckingPanik made a nice play and ended up 1-on-1 with Mike Smith. Smith made the save, but the chaos immediately following ended up with the Moose slamming home a Panik pass for a 3-0 lead.
  
• Marian Hossa took a nice Nik Hjalmarsson pass and turned a partial break-a-way into a 4-0 Blackhawks lead with about three minutes remaining in regulation.
• Scott Darling didn't have to do a bunch, but he did enough to earn a 22 save shutout. Nothing to scoff at. It's about time a Blackhawks goalie had an easy night.

The Bad

• Gustav Forsling made a wonderful stretch pass to Jordin Tootoo, and it looked like Tootoo was in on a clear breakaway. That was until the referee caught Artemi Panain slacking it getting on the bench for a change, and blew the play dead.
• Dennis Rasmussen was eaten alive at the faceoff dots, winning only 9 of 23 faceoffs.

The Ugly

• Brent Seabrook got tied up with Jordan Martinook in the second period and fell very awkwardly. He stayed down for quite a while but was able to skate off under his own power. The worrisome part was that he went directly to the locker room for what seemed to be some time in the quiet room and never returned.
• Starting Trevor van Riemsdyk over Michal Kempny is just imbecilic. If they are going to play this stupid rotation game, just send someone down. Forsling told Lazarus today that he thought the deadline had passed to send him back to Sweden, so send him down, then. Move someone! Rotating 4 defensemen is a nice option to have, but that doesn't mean you need to exercise it. The slobber fest over van Riemsdyk is bordering on obscene.

The #Fatrick Stankus Fatsy Stats

• The Blackhawks saw more shots against, 20, with Trevor van Riemsdyk on the ice than any other player. But please keep telling us how lucky we are to have Q shoehorning him into the lineup, organizational muppets.
• The Motte/Rasmussen/Panik line ate it possession-wise, even with the goal they scored.
• Yotes Michael Stone was a brutal -15 in overall Corsi.
• Marcus Kruger quietly had a nice little night winning 10 of 13 faceoffs while centering the second line. He was on the ice for 2 goals and a plus 7 overall Corsi.

The Lineblender
Left Wing - Center - Right Wing
Panarin - Anisimov - Kane
Hartman - Kruger - Hossa
Motte - Rasmussen - Panik
Desjardins - Hinostroza - Tootoo

Keith - Hjamarsson
Campbell - Seabrook
Forsling - van Riemsdyk

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Blackhawks vs. Jets2-1 Loss Recap

"Clash With Reality"

by Patrick Norton

@pdnorton3

Pregame

The Blackhawks would be without Jonathan Toews (back) and Corey Crawford (appendix) as they took on the Winnipeg Jets to close out the weekend. The last time these teams met, the Blackhawks were beginning their circus trip and let’s just say, it didn’t go as planned for the road team. The Blackhawks were shut out 4-0 and played one of their worst games of the season. And that was without their captain and starting goaltender. Eric Semborski would not be in attendance either, as his Amateur Tryout didn’t pan out. Instead Lars Johansson was called up from Rockford to fill in as the backup goaltender for the next two weeks.

Game Time

Neither team was shot out of the gate. The Blackhawks and Jets played possibly the most boring twenty minutes of hockey all season. The Jets finished the period with eight shots and the Blackhawks could only muster up two of their own. The only excitement of the frame came 2:22 in when Jordin Tootoo and Clayton Thorburn squared up and dropped the gloves. Even that was kind of boring. At the end of one, no score.

After a game in Philadelphia the day before, the Hawks stayed in bed for the second period, too. It reminded me of a classic Blackhawks first period with the amount of turnovers by Chicago and the total chances Winnipeg had. Somehow, nobody scored until the Blackhawks gave the Jets the first powerplay of the game and Winnipeg capitalized. With 43 seconds left in the period, Bryan Little gave the Jets the lead heading into the 3rd. I don’t know what it is about the game, but through two, I was beyond frustrated. The Hawks should be beating up on a team like Winnipeg, but we fall into the trap time and time again. Damn. Anyways, after two, the Jets had a one goal edge, 1-0.

The third period started with a great penalty kill by the Blackhawks (wait, seriously?) and it seemed like winds may be shifting when Dustin Byfuglien tripped Patrick Kane leading to the first powerplay for the Hawks. No. Not even close. The Blackhawks looked like they were trying to kill the penalty and the Jets put together multiple decent shot opportunities. Finally, with a quarter of the period remaining, a beautiful set-up from Kane to Panarin put the Blackhawks on the board. It wouldn’t last long, though. Andrew Copp, who had hit the pipe with a shot ten seconds before Panarin’s goal, didn’t miss the second time around. He broke the tie with a snap shot skating right and shooting left past the stick side of Scott Darling. Could he have saved it? Maybe. Should the Blackhawks have had more than one goal? Most definitely. The Blackhawks got lucky with just over three minutes remaining when Hinostroza drew a high stick and gave the Blackhawks a four minute powerplay. Chicago couldn’t capitalize. There were flurries, but nothing came of it.

The Good

• Richard Panik looked pretty good. Fighting for pucks in corners and hustling his ass off to create turnovers. He’s got some hidden speed, but tonight, he showcased it.
• Vinny Hinostroza looked pretty good, too. Seemed to have the puck on his stick a lot, but he kept trying to be a bit too fine, which led to a few mistakes. I liked his style of play, though.
• Scott Darling played his damn ass off, which is impressive after starting on short notice yesterday.
• Brian Campbell had his best defensive game of the season. And he still turned over the puck numerous times. Just goes to show.
• Pat Foley calling Dustin Byfuglien “Big Boy” made me laugh so hard I almost forgot about how crappy the Hawks were playing.
• The desperation powerplay to finish the game was pretty entertaining. They just couldn’t finish.
• Connor Hellebuyck was really good, especially in the final three minutes. Helps that the Blackhawks offense decided not to test him until them.

The Bad

• The commercials for the new CSN show “In The Loop” make me want to turn my set off. I like the idea for the show, but the ads are cringeworthy.
• F*** Steve Konroyd. His takes are so bad, it’s not even fair to Blackhawks fans anymore. Goodness, take your crappy analysis elsewhere. It’s not even fun to make fun of you anymore.
• I’m just bitter because I have a cold and my mom made me shovel during the intermissions. I love the snow, but I despise shoveling, especially when I can’t even drink water because my throat is so sore. Also, I’m writing this recap instead of doing homework, but whatever, I already got into college.
• I don’t blame Eddie for this, but every damn time he talked about a play, the guy in charge of replays played the wrong clip.

The Ugly

• The Blackhawks offense generated TWO shots on net during the first period and the second shot didn’t look like it was even going on goal. Brutal.
• Turnovers by defensemen make me furious. Hjalmarsson had a few, but not terribly noticeably. Duncan Keith gave up some A+ chances stemming from his turnovers. IT just can’t happen.
• Classic shitshow penalty kill.
• Frustrating. Very frustrating game.
• The defense gave up what seemed like thousands of breakaways, but Scott Darling kept it close. Unfair to do to the guy who just played in another crappy game the day before.
• This game was so “Ugly” worthy, the “Bad” section was reserved for notes about the telecast and my life.
• The Blackhawks powerplay in the beginning of the third period seemed more like a damn penalty kill. More shots and chances for the Jets. Pure ridiculousness.
• Can’t blame him for the offense being nonexistent, but Joel Quenneville’s gotta throw the damn challenge flag on that second Jets goal. Not even close to being onside. Whoops.
• For the next practice, I’d appreciate if “putting the puck on the net” were on the to-do list.
• The Jets played last night, too, so what made the Blackhawks so flat footed for an entire 59 minutes? I just don’t get how they have so many points when they play like this. They’ve played way better. They’ve played worse. They haven’t played as frustrating. I would’ve shut off the TV had I not been writing the recap.
• The equipment manager had an off night, eh? Twigs were breaking left and right throughout the game, but most noticeably during that final powerplay when the Blackhawks were trying to sustain constant pressure on the Jets and Hellebuyck.
• After the game, Quenneville called the offense’s play throughout the season “sporadic,” which is good to know that the fans aren’t the only people who seem to think so. He also said the team didn’t deserve to be in this one. Thanks, Captain Obvious.

#Fatrick Stankus Fatsy Stats

• Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin both had Corsi’s above 10. They were the only Blackhawks in positive double digits.
• Brian Campbell had the lowest Corsi, -9, but spent a lot of his game in the defensive zone. Also, -9 was the lowest? Impressive, considering how outplayed the Blackhawks were tonight.
• Blackhawks won 31/58 faceoffs, but it doesn’t matter when those wins don’t translate to better possessions.

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Blackhawks at Flyers3-1 Loss Recap

"Field Of Pain Is Where I Graze"

 
by Patrick Stankus
Tweet to #Fatrick

The Blackhawks made a quick trip to Philadelphia on Saturday for a matinee against the Flyrers, thanks to the stupidity of the NHL schedule makers. The trip was made worse for the Hawks as the news came out that Corey Crawford would be unavailable for the game, and then it snowballed that he was undergoing an emergency appendectomy. Lovely news isn't it? Upon hearing that, the Hawks scrambled to sign an emergency backup goalie to Scott Darling. In comes local kid Eric Semborski, who got to live every amateur goalie's dream by suiting up, taking warm ups, and sitting on the bench for an NHL game. Enjoy the moment kid.

The start for the Hawks was less than ideal as the Flyers had a quality chance, just twenty seconds in. Nice way for the defense to welcome Scott Darling to the game isn't it? They did somehow manage to get on the scoreboard first, thanks to an #AK72Line goal by Artemi Panarin. From then on for the Hawks, it was as ugly and messy as me devouring a plate full of McRibs. The Hawks yielded a whopping 16 shots to the Flyers, but thankfully Scott Darling was the one player who gave a rat's ass, and the Hawks skated to the locker room with a 1-0 lead after twenty minutes.

The middle frame for the Blackhawks was a complete disaster. The turnovers led to so many chances for the Flyers, you would think Jay Cutler or Tony Romo suited up for the Hawks today. Both Hinostroza and Kane had costly turnovers that wound up in the back the Hawks net thirty-one seconds apart to put the Hawks in a 2-1 hole. The period didn't get much better as TVR over committed on a three on two chance for the Flyers, and before you knew it, it was 3-1 Flyers. The Hawks peppered Steve Mason with 13 shots, but none of them amounted to anything, and the Hawks trailed by two, after two.

In the final twenty minutes, both teams looked less than interested playing. It was the textbook "mail it in" period. The Hawks took two penalties, but managed to kill off both of the Flyers power plays. Gotta do anything to raise that PK%. Midway through the period, the Hawks did have a power play of their own, but nothing came of it, and the Hawks still trailed by two. It was a pretty uneventful period to say the least. I'm pretty sure the camera showed us more of Eric Semborksi on the bench than actual play. Thankfully the third period didn't take too long, and we could get on with our Saturday afternoon. In the end the Flyers defeated the Hawks by that 3-1 score. Up next for the Hawks is a quick turnaround, as they host Wiiiiiinnnnnnipeg tomorrow night at The UC.


The Good

• Despite the ugly loss, its hard not to smile at seeing the pure joy in Eric Semborski's face. Hell, even Q thought it was a great moment, judging by his post game remarks. That's three and a half hours that kid will never forget in his life. Not to mention he has a sweet custom made authentic jersey to go with it. Oh, and I should point out he did a much better job manning the bench door than that asshole assistant coach Gate ever did when I played.
• The #AK72Line made an appearance in the first period, with Artemi Panarin's goal. Yeah, its going to be fun to see how Bowman can pull off this signing. Tick, tick, tick, tick.....
• I'm not going to blame Darling for anything today. You try pulling off what he did today.
• The penalty kill does deserve a nod for killing off all three of the Flyers power plays.
• While the Hawks haven't won a regular season game in Philadelphia since 1996, remember back in the day they didn't play in Philadelphia every season. Its cool though Philly. You can have that streak. I'll always enjoy this moment, when it mattered most in Philadelphia.
  
  
  
  

The Bad

• Anytime Nick Schmaltz wants to do something, would be fine by me. This is why we don't get the anointing oil out for prospects, because aside from a few shifts with Kane and Toews, Schmaltz has been awful.
• Wasn't it nice to see Patrick Kane turn the puck over at the center line and then half ass it back on defense? I can only imagine the outcry if Rozsival or the other scapegoat TVR did that.
• Speaking of nice, its always nice to see a guy who has one goal on the season, score two against you.
• Late in the second period, #DickPanik had a potential goal erased after a video review. The call on the ice was no goal, but the war room in Toronto buzzed down, and the play went under review. While looking at the "overhead" angle, it looked like Provorov gloved the puck from behind the goal line. The problem with that is, the camera IS NOT directly over the goal line, therefore an optical illusion of the puck being completely over the line occurs. That makes this camera angle inconclusive, and the war room doesn't take this look into consideration. Oh and did mention Toronto is looking at ten more angles than us? I have no issue with the call being no goal. Its not 100% conclusive the puck COMPLETELY crossed the line. And if you think there should have been a penalty shot for Provorov gloving the puck (because I saw people saying that on twitter), its not. You have to close your hand on the puck, Provorov swiped at it. For the record, this isn't college football, we don't review plays for potential penalties in professional leagues.
• I know what Quenneville was trying to do by putting Panarin and Kane out there on the final penalty kill, but that was just dumb. It was quite obvious the Hawks were ready to board the plane back to Chicago, and leave their starting goalie in a Philadelphia hospital.

The Ugly

• I hate the 11:30am Sunday morning starts like there's no tomorrow, but this noon start on a Saturday is not much better. Afternoon hockey sucks. Period. I'd rather have those 9:30pm starts.
• This morning news broke that Corey Crawford had to have an emergency appendectomy, so Scott Darling was thrown in net. 1pm local time start + being thrown into a start, normally means the game will be an adventure.
• The Flyers gold numbered jerseys are atrocious. Its a shame they couldn't get a little more creative like the Kings did with their fabulous silver 50th anniversary jersey.
• Just when you think the duo of Lauren Magiera and Steve Konroyd can't get any worse, they somehow find a way to do. I'm pretty confident Magiera had never watched a Blackhawks game before this season, and its showing badly. All the more reason the Hawks need to do whatever it takes to bring back Jim Blaney.
• The first period. The second period. The third period. No need to elaborate.
• I'm not as harsh on TVR like others are, but today he was to say it politely, wasn't good.

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Blackhawks vs. Devils4-3 OT Win Recap

"Fight Fire with Fire"

by Patrick Norton

@pdnorton3

Pregame

Jonathan Toews missed his fourth consecutive game with an upper-body injury, previously disclosed by the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc as a non serious back injury. The offense had seemingly gone #IceCold, but the Blackhawks are still 2-0-1 without their captain. With the New Jersey Devils in town, the Blackhawks look to make it 3-0-1.

Game Time

We’ve seen some horrific beginnings to games this season, but none that resulted in the United Center crowd booing their own team. Horrific doesn’t even begin to explain it, so let’s break out the thesaurus: frightful, atrocious, unspeakable, nightmarish, sickening. All fit the description of that first period for the Blackhawks; except for Corey Crawford. Once again, the goaltender kept it close through one. Travis Zajac tallied the only goal of the first period on a mad scrum in front of Crawford in which Kyle Palmieri and Zajac each took whacks at the puck and Crawford until the puck crossed the line. At the end of one, it was the Devils 1, Blackhawks 0.

The second period came and the winds shifted. Marcus Kruger, yes #ScorelessMarcusKruger tied it up a minute into the period with a beautiful snipe shot from the slot. Then, in true Blackhawks fashion, Niklas Hjalmarsson turned the puck over in the defensive zone on the powerplay and Travis Zajac had just Crawford standing between the forward and the back of the net. Zajac did not miss and it just seemed like it would become one of those goals that would suck the life out of the Blackhawks. Instead, the exact opposite. Artem Anisimov crashed to the net and pocketed his tenth goal of the season just a minute and a half after Zajac had given his team the lead. After a failed powerplay, the Blackhawks didn’t let the missed opportunity haunt them and Nik Hjalmarsson made up for his previous turnover with a goal coming off of a Devil misplay. In the period, Brent Seabrook left for examination after hitting his head on the end boards due to an illegal check from John Quenneville.

The third period started with a bang. A drive to the net by Richard Panik that ended in a Brian Campbell goal was initially signaled a good goal, but some blatant goaltender interference had it waved off fairly quickly. The Blackhawks kept up the pressure after the fact. Marian Hossa found Ryan Hartman with a laser pass, but Schneider sent it aside. Then, a few pushes from the Devils eventually set up the equalizer, the finishing touch on a hat trick for Travis Zajac. At the ten minute mark, the game become heavily defensive and not who would score first, rather who would give up a goal first. A lot more dump and chases than aggressive charges from the forwards with defenseman jumping into the play. After Zajac’s third goal, the game went quickly. “No whistles for ten minutes” quickly. Anyways, Pat Foley sent this one into OT with a classic “tree-tree after tree” call. Third game in a row heading into OT for Chicago.

There were three moments when I doubted this Blackhawks team in the overtime period; when the puck dropped, when the Devils had an odd man rush, and when Mike Cammalleri drew iron. Marian Hossa quickly made me laugh at myself for believing the Devils had a fighting chance in OT with the Hawks. I held my breath for Schneider to let in a weak goal? My loss...but also, my win? Hmm… anyway, Blackhawks recover from the first and win in OT again, 4-3.

The Good

• Corey Schneider was excellent in the first period.
• The Devils forecheck was unsolvable in the first ten minutes of the game. The Blackhawks couldn’t even muster up a shot on goal until then.
• Corey Crawford’s first period play was the only reason the score wasn’t an eight goal lead in favor of New Jersey after the first period.
• Joel Quenneville’s first intermission locker room pep talk. Boy, I would’ve loved to have been a fly on the wall for that one.
• The centers for the Blackhawks really performed well with Kruger and Anisimov scoring in the absence of Toews. But it’s not like Toews has been some offensive magician this season, or any season for that matter.
• The pressure the Blackhawks were able to sustain through periods two and three gave little possession opportunities to the Devils.
• I didn’t notice too many puck possession issues after the first period from the Hawks. Monstrous improvement from the abysmal first frame.
• Travis Zajac had one hell of a game.
• Marian Hossa’s OT GWG had me smiling ear-to-ear. He perfected the whole skate left, shoot right move and he snuck it right by Schneider.

The Bad

• Corey Schneider was NOT excellent in the second period.
• The powerplay didn’t produce much more than a few wild attempts. Other than that, it was pretty rough. 0/4 is never good. This would be in “The Ugly”, but it’s a bit crowded down there.
• John Quenneville’s boarding call on Brent Seabrook looked painful to say the least. Seabrook was vulnerable and had his head slammed into the plexiglass. I hit my head on the top of a train car standing up too fast and had to fight to hold back tears, so I can’t imagine being hit by another human at near full speed.
• Vinny Hinostroza and Nick Schmaltz haven’t provided much in recent memory and it’s time they start to produce. Sure it’s not a switch you can flip, but they need to start seeing some consequences for their lack of assistance.

The Ugly

• I don’t even want to talk about it, but it’s my duty. The Blackhawks couldn’t even touch the puck for minutes at a time. The Devils were toying with the Blackhawks. I don’t know when the last time the Blackhawks faithful jeered their own team, but it was really f****** weird to hear.
• Steve Konroyd’s intermission report paired with his post game interview with Marian Hossa had me longing for Mr. Stt...t...uu...tt….ttt….er Jamal Mayers to be asking the post game questions to #81.
• Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers. No, not apple turnovers, Fatrick. Turnovers, especially in the first period plagued the Blackhawks ability to go on the attack. When the Blackhawks were scoring, they were playing well on all facets of the game. When the Devils were scoring, the mistakes seemed to be highlighted. It didn’t help that Edzo actually highlighted them on the telestrator.
• The New Jersey Devils players. All of them. Hideous. I’m quoting my mom here. Oh yeah, did I tell you I live with my mom? My God, I am #FatrickJr. Kill me.
• The Devils offense was nonexistent after the first period besides Travis Zajac. The window for scoring was open in the first and after letting the opportunities slip away, the window slammed shut on their fingers.
• The penalty kill had it’s moments and performed well enough to make “The Bad” on most nights, but god dammit, I’m putting it here because of how gruesome the second period PK performed that resulted in Zajac’s second goal of the night.
• Here’s the thing. That first period was the worst period of hockey I’ve seen in a LOOOONG time. After that, the Hawks weren’t over the top trash again. The majority of Blackhawks errors came in those first twenty minutes, but once they passed, it was game on.
• You may throw stones at me for this, but it kind of seemed like Kane was half-assing everything tonight. I was the least bit impressed with his performance.

The Lineblender

Left Wing - Center - Right Wing

Panarin - Anisimov - Kane

Hartman - Hinostroza - Hossa

Rasmussen - Kruger - Panik

Desjardins - Schmaltz - Motte

Keith - Hjalmarsson

Campbell - Seabrook

Kempny - Rozsival

#Fatrick Stankus Fatsy Stats

• Patrick Kane finished with an astounding +15 corsi, even though I wasn’t impressed with his play.
• Meanwhile, Tyler Motte fell on the opposite side of the spectrum with a -15 corsi.
• The Blackhawks and Devils drew even in the shots department with thirty three apiece.
• The Blackhawks won 22/49 draws, good enough for a 44.9%.

I’m tired. Sorry if I missed something, but I’d love to know what you think I didn’t touch on enough.

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