Because it didn't happen a couple of times a year ago?

I'm saying it's by no means an easy task for the Hawks, but the pressure is not only on the Kings now, but even moreso because a new line put up 9 total points and was +10 last night.

For all of NBC's man love for Pearson/Carter/Toffoli, THAT was dominant. And Kane and Saad on the Wings with Shaw in the middle now Will slow down and back off anyone Sutter throws out against them. You want to slow Saad down the way he's fluting right now, you almost have to have Dougthy out there against him, which opens up Toews and Hossa. Q is now a leg up on moves, Sutter has to answer, if he can. Otherwise, the Kings will definitely have their hands full. Because here's the other thing, i don't think Crawford was very good last night. Few nice saves here and there, but also he let in a couple of softies, as he had in the previous two games. If he tightens it up, and he can, the Kings, not the Hawks, need to be worried.
- John Jaeckel

as much as Crawford let in a couple softies last night, Quick still let in more and I would argue Quick was the one swimming more in his net all night than Crawford was

Saad and Bickell probably missed out on an additional 2 goals each last night, as well as Kane and Toews on golden opportunities squandered by rolling or bouncing pucks

The kings have had good puck fortune, they are getting to loose pucks, but junk pucks off legs/sticks last night bounced right to a wide open kings player and led to two of the goals

Just gotta put your nose over those puck if youre the hawks and hope for the same

And I'll just reiterate something I've said here in the past:

If Marcus Kruger can avoid getting a serious concussion in the next couple of years, and his body matures more physically, he has a great future in the NHL. That kid has a gigantic heart and he is tough as nails. There's some skill there, too.
- John Jaeckel

Agreed!

Moving to another youngster...

What Brandon Saad did last night, and for the majority of these playoffs, has been... remarkable. People forget.. Saad is only 21, and won't turn 22 till after next season has already started.

He was the best player on the ice last night.

Oh! JJ I'll give yo some Hossa love. Multiple times last night up in the stands, I turned to my brother and say, "Look at Hossa, being Hossa"... what a beast!

…and that to find fault with the team’s return to the final four and be engaging in hours of finger pointer BEFORE the series is over displays an ignorance and spoiled lack of support for a team full of players who will continue to challenge for more than a few more post seasons.

- wiz1901

This is inherent with living in Chicago, especially if you're a Cubs fan!

And I'll just reiterate something I've said here in the past:

If Marcus Kruger can avoid getting a serious concussion in the next couple of years, and his body matures more physically, he has a great future in the NHL. That kid has a gigantic heart and he is tough as nails. There's some skill there, too.
- John Jaeckel

Agreed, but most important to me this morning....is the Shaw knee injury that probably KO'd from the Minnesota series back again. He doesn't have the same jump he had early, as good as that line was, he can't play with Kane skating at Handzus speed. He's got 2 days to get a lot of treatment and what not....but.....that injury can't be overlooked.

As far as Kruger goes....yeah, but he has no sense of how to avoid a hit. The guy gets smoked every game, and if Rock'em Sock'em video tapes were still being made, he'd be in every highlight of every big check. Big heart or not, somebody has to tell him how to avoid these hits.

Agreed!

Moving to another youngster...

What Brandon Saad did last night, and for the majority of these playoffs, has been... remarkable. People forget.. Saad is only 21, and won't turn 22 till after next season has already started.

He was the best player on the ice last night.

Oh! JJ I'll give yo some Hossa love. Multiple times last night up in the stands, I turned to my brother and say, "Look at Hossa, being Hossa"... what a beast!
- CaptainBlackhawk

Agreed on Saad, but we need THIS Saad in Los Angeles. Not the timid Saad that comes out a few times on the road and shyed away from contact.

1 win is great...but the Hawks still have to play a lot better, and that includes Crawford, if they want to be playing on Sunday.

Before I get called a Crawford hater, the national media was rightfully roasting him up until OT last night on twitter.

And I'll just reiterate something I've said here in the past:

If Marcus Kruger can avoid getting a serious concussion in the next couple of years, and his body matures more physically, he has a great future in the NHL. That kid has a gigantic heart and he is tough as nails. There's some skill there, too.
- John Jaeckel

I love what Freddy does...does so many of the little things right & competes hard

I just wanted to go on record that I thought the Hawks would have tough sledding each round and expected possible early exit based on the length, emotion & physical wear, along with the extended Olympic season.

Any and every win was an added boon.

I thankfully have avoided the hockey buzz “Hawk loyalists” the last couple days for my own personal welfare, and my incessant inability to NOT answer the whining and negativity.

Yesterday afternoon, I returned to an answering machine message from Steve Kohn, the former editor with his cousin Mark Weinberg of the BlueLine, sold outside the UC, and a clear critic of all that has ever been wrong in the organization (as I was).

His words were:

Can you please get on the hawk board @ HockeyBuzz, where the “fans” have traded almost every player for a bag of pucks to be happy that they have a team that will be challenging for years?
That the team and it’s miscues are similar to those that all good teams must fight through?

…and that to find fault with the team’s return to the final four and be engaging in hours of finger pointer BEFORE the series is over displays an ignorance and spoiled lack of support for a team full of players who will continue to challenge for more than a few more post seasons.

Yes, I am using his words to hide behind.

I know I went into watching last night with the idea it might be my last Hawk game and was determined to enjoy it IF they came out and brought it. They did and after the first…the season could have ended and I would have not felt cheated.

Yes, this entire team will never see the ice as a unit next season. It is clear there is a SOLID group, and the means to improve it both inside and out.



Please don’t take this TOO personal; I actually turned the audio on and now realized what easily influences you.
After any good hockey play, instead of continued description of the action who has the puck etc. you are bombarded with NBC superlatives for whomever on either team that did something good, or you are subjected to the repeated finger pointing at individuals inside a team game. (Yes YOU DO KNOW the game, FOLLOW the sport fanatically, but the talking heads are beating the drums so loudly that you can’t help but internalize both the important and not so important banter of their expert analysis of the bad.)

We may have ONE more game; or TWO.
Or Six.
Or NINE.

I can’t control your written words but I know I am going out like Andrew Shaw…maybe I really don’t know where I am and have only one leg to stand on, but I am not going out….whining...
the way so many of you are.

Oh, and trust Q to make guys who make mistakes ride the bench...that doesn't mean he won't go back to them. Messages get recvd, and the coach not the fans determine who they play and have to know maybe a bit more than we do...

Later, fellas.
- wiz1901

>>>Can you please get on the hawk board @ HockeyBuzz, where the “fans” have traded almost every player for a bag of pucks to be happy that they have a team that will be challenging for years? That the team and it’s miscues are similar to those that all good teams must fight through?…and that to find fault with the team’s return to the final four and be engaging in hours of finger pointer BEFORE the series is over displays an ignorance and spoiled lack of support for a team full of players who will continue to challenge for more than a few more post seasons.<<<

I would say 95% of the posters here are in complete agreement with this and realize what is happening with this team now is generational experience.

Yet in the end most of us are just a bunch of nut case fans who react to what we see play to play and moment to moment. We are in the moment...that's what it means to be a fanatic. A high analytical hockey IQ may not always be on full display here....but so what...this is intended to be a outlet from reality for a few hours.

Incidently what other hockey buzz blog has over anywhere close to 2000 posts every blog post....none! Some are lucky to attract 15-20. Hell I visited the wild blog a few times and half the posters were hawk fans.

So yeah I agree we at times say very ignorant and over-the-top stuff...but we are just a bunch of very passionate crazy iceholes who do recognize and enjoy what they do have in this team.

I have always appreciated your comments!

Agreed on Saad, but we need THIS Saad in Los Angeles. Not the timid Saad that comes out a few times on the road and shyed away from contact.

1 win is great...but the Hawks still have to play a lot better, and that includes Crawford, if they want to be playing on Sunday.

Before I get called a Crawford hater, the national media was rightfully roasting him up until OT last night on twitter.
- SteveRain

Agreed. And agreed.

LA will try to stand Saad up a the blue line and knock him down to get him to quit in their building. He has to keep flying.

Agreed, but most important to me this morning....is the Shaw knee injury that probably KO'd from the Minnesota series back again. He doesn't have the same jump he had early, as good as that line was, he can't play with Kane skating at Handzus speed. He's got 2 days to get a lot of treatment and what not....but.....that injury can't be overlooked.

As far as Kruger goes....yeah, but he has no sense of how to avoid a hit. The guy gets smoked every game, and if Rock'em Sock'em video tapes were still being made, he'd be in every highlight of every big check. Big heart or not, somebody has to tell him how to avoid these hits.
- SteveRain

Hammer used to eat hard hit after hard hit in the corners his first few years. Thought his brains would be scrambled in short order. Hopefully Kruger learns his lesson too.

Freddy does seem to get targeted a lot, no doubt because he's in the middle of everything and drives guys a little crazy with his persistence

Anyone have a video clip of the hit on Kreugs in OT last night?
- powerenforcer

Hopefully the league. That was a total head shot and screw the people that say he was leaning or bent over. They suspend hawks for the playoffs, this should be a game, too

Magic number again will be 3. Score 3 in LA, and I love their chances.

The Kings will treat Friday as their game 7. They know what Chicago is, and the thought of fly cross country for the 3rd time in 2 weeks and rolling the dice in a game 7 for the 3rd time these playoffs....no way that veteran team wants any part of it.

Now the pressure IS ON the Kings. Score early, get on the Kings, and start to plant the seed of doubt.

we haven't seen the best from either of these goaltenders, and I'm thinking game 6 could be the game we saw in 2011 in Vancouver where Crawford and Luongo stood on their head in game 7.

Agreed. And agreed.

LA will try to stand Saad up a the blue line and knock him down to get him to quit in their building. He has to keep flying.
- John Jaeckel

Agreed. He has to fight through it and engage. Once I see that consistent play in Saad's game, home/away, then I will shower him with rose pedals.

Agreed. And agreed.

LA will try to stand Saad up a the blue line and knock him down to get him to quit in their building. He has to keep flying.
- John Jaeckel

Let the Kings focus on Saad, that takes the attention away from Kane, Toews and Hossa.

The one positive is now LAK has to start playing to not lose

Hawks need to continue taking the team bus to the staples center without a brake pedal

Hammer used to eat hard hit after hard hit in the corners his first few years. Thought his brains would be scrambled in short order. Hopefully Kruger learns his lesson too.

Freddy does seem to get targeted a lot, no doubt because he's in the middle of everything and drives guys a little crazy with his persistence
- grinder10

I like his grit, but he can't keep getting smoked.

Last night was big boy hockey at it's finest, these two teams are basically showing the other 28 NHL teams what a championship team is supposed to look like and play like. The discouraging thing for the rest of the WC is that neither of these teams are going anywhere for a while.

I think the Hawks have a shot to steal one tomorrow but will have to play much tighter defensively and Crawford needs to up his game. Aside from that, great effort by the Hawks last night. Saad was an absolute beast, more of that please.

Agreed, but most important to me this morning....is the Shaw knee injury that probably KO'd from the Minnesota series back again. He doesn't have the same jump he had early, as good as that line was, he can't play with Kane skating at Handzus speed. He's got 2 days to get a lot of treatment and what not....but.....that injury can't be overlooked.
- SteveRain

FWIW, Shaw was back on the ice for the 2OT's. Even if he did aggravate it, I'd have to think that it probably isn't that bad and he should play Friday.

And for everyone calling for Joel Quenneville's head....does he get praise this morning? Perfect line shake ups, and fresh D pairings. A coach coached. Imagine that.

Happy for Handzus...if that's his last career NHL goal, god bless him. Keep him down in the bottom 6.

FWIW, Shaw was back on the ice for the 2OT's. Even if he did aggravate it, I'd have to think that it probably isn't that bad and he should play Friday.
- EKolb13

Good...I left to go to my mens league playoff game. Listening to the radio is torture. Missed both OTs.

Hopefully the league. That was a total head shot and screw the people that say he was leaning or bent over. They suspend hawks for the playoffs, this should be a game, too
- tomcat24

There were a few head shots last night. Shaw caught one (high stick, crosscheck) from Mitchell in front of the net. Saw another along the boards just behind the play. If no one stays on the ice, the idiots won't call anything. Apparently it's ok in 'playoff hockey'. Did not like the officiating crew at all.

When the Hawks opened it up and gambled with 5-man attacks, LA did two things to counter. Kept a guy a little high looking for odd man rushes and obstructed/interfered more to help create breakout opportunities. Smart on the Kings part since the officials won't call it in the post-season.

Good...I left to go to my mens league playoff game. Listening to the radio is torture. Missed both OTs.
- SteveRain

You and I were in the same predicament last night. My game was rescheduled and I was dumb enough to agree to it.

Last night was big boy hockey at it's finest, these two teams are basically showing the other 28 NHL teams what a championship team is supposed to look like and play like. The discouraging thing for the rest of the WC is that neither of these teams are going anywhere for a while.

I think the Hawks have a shot to steal one tomorrow but will have to play much tighter defensively and Crawford needs to up his game. Aside from that, great effort by the Hawks last night. Saad was an absolute beast, more of that please.
- dan9189

well at least one positive trend developed: that that was the first game that the kings did not score for 2 strt periods. They had some grade A chances in the 3rd and OT but did not find the net.

And for everyone calling for Joel Quenneville's head....does he get praise this morning? Perfect line shake ups, and fresh D pairings. A coach coached. Imagine that.

Happy for Handzus...if that's his last career NHL goal, god bless him. Keep him down in the bottom 6.
- SteveRain

People calling for Q's head, ripping on him etc. simply have no clue what they are talking about. And never have.

People calling for Q's head, ripping on him etc. simply have no clue what they are talking about. And never have.
- CaptainBlackhawk

Agreed. He deserves to be questioned for some stubbornness and not playing some kids....but......I can't name a coach outside of Babcock I'd want coaching this team.

Agreed. He deserves to be questioned for some stubbornness and not playing some kids....but......I can't name a coach outside of Babcock I'd want coaching this team.
- SteveRain

not me...i long for the daze of Alpo....