Well I knew the WAHHHHHH-mbulance would be out in full force tonight.

I was disheartened by this game, but I'm not totally discouraged. Game 4 is still there to be won. The hawks are definitely have to step up their game, as they haven't faced a team like this in the Western Conference this year. But this team has risen to the challenge all year.... Including a couple of other times this year when JJ has come on this board, declared the Hawks dead, and said that serious questions have to be asked.

This series isn't over. not by a long shot.
- yahoodi

Pens fans felt the same haha. Its been very similar apart from game 1. Need the PP to score, not sure how though, B's have been good at disorganising powerplays.

you're pretty harsh on a team thats been to the cup final twice in 3 years. I can only imagine the bi polar turn when/if chicago wins.
- Cheeseballin

Believe me, it will come.

Send Stalberg packing; get rid of that useless pile of dung.. Put either Smith, Bollig or Carlcillo back in.. And I never want to see that man in a Hawks Sweater ever again..

Boston is deeper and just better at most every position, this thing is done!

This team has been very resilient all year and right when im about to pack it in they show life. Game 4 is the biggest game they have played in since 2010. Cant wait!!!!

It's not the end of the world but that was a bad game. But give credit to the Bruins, they're playing stronger and smarter. Tonight they were always where the puck was.

Boston is a beatable team, but not if we play like this. We need better entry into the offense zone and some results on the power play.

Toews and Kane need to step up big time, we'll win or lose by their play.
- DarthKane

The title of JJ's post is accurate - the better TEAM won the game tonight. Team always beats a collection of individuals.

And there is no fix for this PP without a complete replacement of the guys that get put out there.

Pens fans felt the same haha. Its been very similar apart from game 1. Need the PP to score, not sure how though, B's have been good at disorganising powerplays.
- cygnus41

The Hawks have no PP for the B's to disorganize. It's been an embarrassment all year long, the B's get no credit for shutting down the PP.

Great game by Stalberg.....almost had 2 goals if he had any skill.

Even better by Bolland...2 god awful penalties and a very nice play being dominated on goal 1.......

All this team does is.....talk, talk, talk.....
- SteveRain

How do you figure? A team playing in the Stanley Cup? A team down 3 -1 against the Wings? Talk...talk...talk?

How much of a factor was the Hawks' secret weapon, the great Viktor Stalberg?

Uh oh .....Fla gonna get grumpy now
- PuckkmeNOpuckU

Let me get out some chalk and side walk and do this real slow for you. Victor Stalberg simply is not your problem. He created chances and was a net positive. To suggest otherwise is dishonest.

If anyone is going to sweat what 25 does, and does not realize the guy is a compliment piece to your core, and you do not fairly assess or analyze your core...then you have no clue what the real problem is with the team.

The power play, like last year, is the weakness of the team. By 10 furlongs. This game had a 4 or 5 hit difference, irrelevant.

All those cliches don't matter, Snoop Dog said it best back in the day. Want some , get some ,bad enough, take some. This is what this series is about. It is what the cup is about. All the style points and BS is just that. Lost 2 - 0 I goal in last 5 periods. Figure that out and things should get better.

Anyone who does not think the Horsepoop pp does not drain energy from everyone on the team is kidding themselves.

Series is far from over.

Spot on Z....but they still gotz to win 4...hopefully Q's line blender gets crushed by a bus and he institutes simple lines and tells the boys to play dump and chase and CRASH THE PHUCKING NET.
- philco28

As disappointing as some players have been there have been others that have surpassed expectations these playoffs - Crawford, Bickell, Shaw and Keith have been great.

Handzus has completely blown a tire, it's time to get him off the 2nd line. If he's not winning face offs then why is he there. Kruger or Shaw would be much better options to centre the 2nd line:

Bickell - Toews - Kane
Sharp - Shaw - Hossa (assuming he plays)
Saad - Kruger - Frolik
Handzus - Bolland - Stalberg

The Hawks have no PP for the B's to disorganize. It's been an embarrassment all year long, the B's get no credit for shutting down the PP.
- Ogilthorpe2

Boston is deeper and just better at most every position, this thing is done!
- LeftCoaster

No sh!t Sherlock. Now beat it pissant.

give me a good reason why Smith who has not played in the NHL this year plays instead of a physical player like Carcillo
Q has gone brain dead
- Maggie

Smith was far more effective tonight than Bolland, Stalberg, Leddy, Bickell and probably a few others.

Well I knew the WAHHHHHH-mbulance would be out in full force tonight.

I was disheartened by this game, but I'm not totally discouraged. Game 4 is still there to be won. The hawks are definitely have to step up their game, as they haven't faced a team like this in the Western Conference this year. But this team has risen to the challenge all year.... Including a couple of other times this year when JJ has come on this board, declared the Hawks dead, and said that serious questions have to be asked.

This series isn't over. not by a long shot.
- yahoodi

This. But Hossa needs to play. If he can't, I'm not optimistic.

As disappointing as some players have been there have been others that have surpassed expectations these playoffs - Crawford, Bickell, Shaw and Keith have been great.

Handzus has completely blown a tire, it's time to get him off the 2nd line. If he's not winning face offs then why is he there. Kruger or Shaw would be much better options to centre the 2nd line:

Bickell - Toews - Kane
Sharp - Shaw - Hossa (assuming he plays)
Saad - Kruger - Frolik
Handzus - Bolland - Stalberg
- DarthKane

NO,NO,NO and FA-KING NO.. at no point can the Hawks win with him in the playoffs.. PERIOD>

What bugs me is no physical response at all. No going to the front of the net. The more I look at boston, they aren't the broad street bullies. They have 4 or 5 juice heads and the rest are about the size of most Hawks. If they can play phyical and relentless so Can the Hawks. We know Kane never hits but the others can and should

Toews is either hurt, or he forgot how to play even faster than Bolland did. He was bad tonight, really bad. I see no reason to expect him to step up anytime soon.
- Ogilthorpe2

He has to be playing with some sort of upper body. I also don't see a reason to expect any offense for the rest of this series. He's always going to show up and battle hard, but the scoring is done for this season. Shame.

How do you figure? A team playing in the Stanley Cup? A team down 3 -1 against the Wings? Talk...talk...talk?
- UnnamedSource

They are winning in spit of their BIG players....

Kane? Toews? Seabrook?

All god awful.....

Sharp, Hossa, and Keith...all backed it up.

If Toews isn't hurt, how does he stay as captain? Captains lead, and are counted on....Outside of a fluke BS PP goal against Detroit...Toews has nothing. But hey, Jesse Rogers reminded us all of all the little things he does...Thank god!!!!

Your brain needs a rebuild.
- AceRatbang

No, we all want to hear you gloat some more about how this team was more than physical enough to win a Stanley Cup. All done with that? Thought so. Carcillo might have helped this team tonight, "Ace." Couldn't have been worse than 2-3 Hawk forwards. What a joke, thanks for the laughs!

Over react much? Yeah trade toews, Kane. What the hell have they ever done?

It's hard to win the cup. Stop acting like a spoiled brat
- Just5

I think you have a point. Hockey is a game of ebbs and flows....and it doesn't always flow your way. Game 4 may well be a change of momentum. Every time the Hawks lose its time to trade #88. Remember this team as constructed (88,19 included) is in the FINALS right now and won the Cup just 3 years ago. Wholesale changes after this season would be absurd.

What bugs me is no physical response at all. No going to the front of the net. The more I look at boston, they aren't the broad street bullies. They have 4 or 5 juice heads and the rest are about the size of most Hawks. If they can play phyical and relentless so Can the Hawks. We know Kane never hits but the others can and should
- tomcat24

They can do it too, I saw it in person period 1 of last game. They were all over the phucking Bruins and just dominated it.

It's not impossible for Hawks to turn it around if they can put in 60 minutes of what we saw in beginning of Game 2.

NO,NO,NO and FA-KING NO.. at no point can the Hawks win with him in the playoffs.. PERIOD>
- victorymc98

Really..not saying he has been playing great and isn't the end all be all in post season but you may want to check the hawks record in post season with him in the lineup.

Great game by Stalberg.....almost had 2 goals if he had any skill.

Even better by Bolland...2 god awful penalties and a very nice play being dominated on goal 1.......

All this team does is.....talk, talk, talk.....
- SteveRain

Wow, two comments about Stalberg. I mean if Carcillo or Bollig were in, they likely score 4 goals right. Here is something hard for you to follow, you don't get those chances without him playing, but go ahead and let that put your mind into the endless hourglass.

Maybe, if he had been playing the last few games he would have been sharper. To pick and isolate 25 for any issue, other than peoples hate for me and logic, is simply comedy. Chicago Sports fan syndrome. Stumble on some group think and beat it to death. And when faced with facts, shout it louder.

Kane, Keith Seabrook missed net in third, right in slot. Damn Victor.

As disappointing as some players have been there have been others that have surpassed expectations these playoffs - Crawford, Bickell, Shaw and Keith have been great.

Handzus has completely blown a tire, it's time to get him off the 2nd line. If he's not winning face offs then why is he there. Kruger or Shaw would be much better options to centre the 2nd line:

Bickell - Toews - Kane
Sharp - Shaw - Hossa (assuming he plays)
Saad - Kruger - Frolik
Handzus - Bolland - Stalberg
- DarthKane

I'd like to hear the convo when Q and his bumboyz are strategizing for Game 4...hopefully Scotty can interject some sense of purpose into the game plan.....because even though we've overcome 3-1 deficits before...Game 4 IMO is a MUST WIN GAME.

Hope Q, Scotty and Jr treat it as such and revolutionize and SIMPLIFY the lines and the game plan.

I don't want to speculate too far into the future because this series is far from over, but what can the team possibly do this off-season? The team currently has just over $2 million in cap space. Presuming Dave Bolland gets dealt, and Steve Montador gets bought out, the team would have a tad over $7 million in cap space. Now, you MUST re-sign the RFA's Nick Leddy and Marcus Kruger. In regards to UFA's, it's safe to presume that all but Bickell, and perhaps Rozsival are for sure not coming back next season. Let's assume the team re-signs Bickell due to his playoff performance to a $3.5 million dollar annual contract. That would put the team pretty close to the salary cap. Realistically, who could the team possibly trade? Toews is untouchable, as is Keith. Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa are invaluable to the organization. I really can't see a situation where they AREN'T going to be back next season. Patrick Kane and Brent Seabrook? I'd say that Patrick Kane is likely staying put, and Brent Seabrook could perhaps be dealt in the right deal, though it wouldn't make sense at this point given how the team lacks size from the blue line.

Going forward, regardless of what happens in this series, I don't expect much change, if at all. Maybe a Brookbank-type signing like JJ suggested, but for those clamoring for a PP QB and 2L C, I wouldn't expect it barring trade - which for as long as Stan and co. are in charge, won't happen. "They'll be happy with what they have."
- TommyHawk

Byfuglien for Seabrook straight up!