Seabs in the box & Toews on the draw- ironic
- Colbyboy

meh, the draw was a 50-50 puck and Sabres got help in there to win the draw and the Hawks didn't. Tough to blame Toews on that one.

go oil, habs and rangers...

blues, aves, nucks up next at home...maybe 2 of those 6 pts...

80 pts in serious jeopardy...wow

nothing much worth talking about...another winnable game gets biffed..

Germans?????

Forget it, he's on a roll.
- BobP.

You’ve never seen Animal House? It’s a joke.

You’ve never seen Animal House? It’s a joke.
- BDT36

And where do you think

"forget it,

he's rolling"

came from???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8lT1o0sDwI

Toews on a nice stretch producing points now that he has 88 on his line. Good 2nd effort and skill play to tap that rebound out of mid air. 11 straight seasons with 20 goals for Johnny. Nice to see him playing better and finishing. Good thing Quennevill waited until the Hawks bottomed out and the season was over to load up the top line of 20-19-88.....
- EnzoD

Yeah, it's nice to see 19 playing better and he and 88 reunited. Maybe whatever has been ailing him is healing. (Maybe!) Maybe he has a good offseason and comes back strong next year. (MAYBE!!!) I sure hope so. I miss the Toews of old.

Overall, this looks like a team trying out a number of guys who could make the team as a 12th or 13th forward or a 6th or 7th defensemen. But who are the other 5 or 6 forwards and 3 or 4 defensemen?

I know Kane said they weren't that far away. But even with comeback seasons from 2, 7, 19, 20, and 50 next year, 8, 12, 15, and 88 aren't enough with the crew of youngsters to win much more than this season. The team needs more NHL level players.

Yeah, it's nice to see 19 playing better and he and 88 reunited. Maybe whatever has been ailing him is healing. (Maybe!) Maybe he has a good offseason and comes back strong next year. (MAYBE!!!) I sure hope so. I miss the Toews of old.

Overall, this looks like a team trying out a number of guys who could make the team as a 12th or 13th forward or a 6th or 7th defensemen. But who are the other 5 or 6 forwards and 3 or 4 defensemen?

I know Kane said they weren't that far away. But even with comeback seasons from 2, 7, 19, 20, and 50 next year, 8, 12, 15, and 88 aren't enough with the crew of youngsters to win much more than this season. The team needs more NHL level players.
- matt_ahrens

Maybe, just maybe, it's having a true offensive threat and skilled playmaker on Toews' line that has perked him up.

Perfect post game analysis by Burish.
Basically if you want to risk standing in front of the net, be prepared for cross checks in the back, teeth knocked out, etc. The Hawks allow opposing players to stand there unmolested tipping pucks into our net. As he stated, these are not lucky goals for the opposition but preventable ones by not having net-front presence.

Maybe, just maybe, it's having a true offensive threat and skilled playmaker on Toews' line that has perked him up.
- pdx2ord

Having one of the best RWs in the league and the best LW on the team has certainly not hurt 19's production.

Someone please help me out. Foley yelled "Look at Saad, that's how a 17th seed beats a #1 seed"
What was he talking about? Looked to me like Saad won the draw and the Hawks cleared the puck?
- Mrwirtz

Thanks, I got the Bball reference, guess I was looking for a typically negative Foley comment about Saad.

Thanks, I got the Bball reference, guess I was looking for a typically negative Foley comment about Saad.
- Mrwirtz

16th seed - just happened for first time in history in NCAA Tourney. When crazy things happen.

Maybe, just maybe, it's having a true offensive threat and skilled playmaker on Toews' line that has perked him up.
- pdx2ord

The Hawks aren’t far off. This season has been one of those seasons where the team just seemed to get on a negative track that they just couldn’t get out of. Coaching was awful which crushed the team. Perhaps the dumbest move or non-move of the year was being indecisive regarding Crawford. The team should have made a decision to place him on long term injury immediately. The team should have then traded for an NHL goalie. So many games were just thrown away with poor goaltending.

The season could not have gone worse. Ulf’s Reckless Aggression D System was laughable - made the team look like clowns fighting to get in a clown car. Personnel juggling and personnel benchings were insane. The sad thing is your core lose another year - that’s 3 straight wasted years. 2 years ago - First Round exit 7 games; 1 year ago - First Round exit 4 games; this year - miss play-offs.

Time for changes. Q’s recent Reign of Error must end. The stubbornness was simply unbearable this year. The team needs a change. Ulf and his clown shoes must also be shown the door immediately.

Some players need to be moved as they are not the future. Make the draft even more powerful. If StanBo is StanPat the team us in huge trouble.

Considering the World Championships occur during the NHL Playoffs, I don't think that means a whole lot. Murphy is a freaking slug, brings no offense, and is a 3rd pair NHL defender IMO.
- EnzoD

It doesn’t Enzo? So you are saying no quality players who miss the play-offs or exit early ever represent that USA team at the World Championships? So Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin and Nick Schmaltz are nobodies? Many, many other high quality players last year. Your opinion would obviously extend to Canada too. Also other countries. Say like Panarin’s Russia. Your reading of the World Championships and of Murphy’s value both are completely wrong.

It doesn’t Enzo? So you are saying no quality players who miss the play-offs or exit early ever represent that USA team at the World Championships? So Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Dylan Larkin and Nick Schmaltz are nobodies? Many, many other high quality players last year. Your opinion would obviously extend to Canada too. Also other countries. Say like Panarin’s Russia. Your reading of the World Championships and of Murphy’s value both are completely wrong.
- Z3Hawk

Regardless of that international ice tournament, what I've seen from Murphy this year is a 5/6D on a good NHL team.

go oil, habs and rangers...

blues, aves, nucks up next at home...maybe 2 of those 6 pts...

80 pts in serious jeopardy...wow

nothing much worth talking about...another winnable game gets biffed..
- bogiedoc

The win by the Oilers put the icing on the cake for the afternoon. One point is the smallest lead we have had on them. Hopefully they use their game in hand to pass us.

Toews on a nice stretch producing points now that he has 88 on his line. Good 2nd effort and skill play to tap that rebound out of mid air. 11 straight seasons with 20 goals for Johnny. Nice to see him playing better and finishing. Good thing Quennevill waited until the Hawks bottomed out and the season was over to load up the top line of 20-19-88.....
- EnzoD

A surprisingly insightful article from nbcsports chicago on the cost of putting 19 and 88 together; scoring droughts for everyone else basically.

I didn't realize only Toews, Kane, and Ovechkin have 11 seasons in a row of 20+ seasons among active players. Quite an accomplishment.

http://www.nbcsports.com/...toews-blackhawks-top-line

A surprisingly insightful article from nbcsports chicago on the cost of putting 19 and 88 together; scoring droughts for everyone else basically.

I didn't realize only Toews, Kane, and Ovechkin have 11 seasons in a row of 20+ seasons among active players. Quite an accomplishment.

http://www.nbcsports.com/...toews-blackhawks-top-line
- matt_ahrens

Seems to point to Kane being the only true difference-maker on the team:

(A) whoever plays with him improves their game, including a Toews and Saad; without him even Toews and Saad drop off

(B) when Kane is up on the top line, the likes of Schmaltz, deBrincat, Hinostroza have to move up in terms of QOC - without a (the) leader able to help them overcome it.

The win by the Oilers put the icing on the cake for the afternoon. One point is the smallest lead we have had on them. Hopefully they use their game in hand to pass us.
- 67hawks

habs, wings and sens start winning the end of the season gets real interesting...

Seems to point to Kane being the only true difference-maker on the team:

(A) whoever plays with him improves their game, including a Toews and Saad; without him even Toews and Saad drop off

(B) when Kane is up on the top line, the likes of Schmaltz, deBrincat, Hinostroza have to move up in terms of QOC - without a (the) leader able to help them overcome it.
- StLBravesFan

they have needed another big time difference maker in the top 6 for 3 years now...with hossa loss the hole has grown bigger...don't know where such a player will come from: ADB or Smaltz will have to take big steps forward if it is to be one of them...

this team has so many huge ??? going into the post season...two #1 picks are not going to solve them all....

they have needed another big time difference maker in the top 6 for 3 years now...with hossa loss the hole has grown bigger...don't know where such a player will come from: ADB or Smaltz will have to take big steps forward if it is to be one of them...

this team has so many huge ??? going into the post season...two #1 picks are not going to solve them all....
- bogiedoc

Seems to point to Kane being the only true difference-maker on the team:

(A) whoever plays with him improves their game, including a Toews and Saad; without him even Toews and Saad drop off

(B) when Kane is up on the top line, the likes of Schmaltz, deBrincat, Hinostroza have to move up in terms of QOC - without a (the) leader able to help them overcome it.
- StLBravesFan

- EnzoD

Would love #27 in Chicago. Trying to recall who wore #27 for us long ago. Roenick? Dar Sutter? JR i think. Last time there was excitement about our #1 outside of the Kane and Toews picks.....was Roenick.

A while back (this blog from Justin) i asked if anyone cared to guess the former Hobey Baker finalist who dressed but did not play one NHL game for Winnipeg Jets . A Canadien, he was a RW/C who played U of Vermont end of 1970's + early 1980's ALSO AN ACCOMPLISHED MLB PITCHER for White Sox and Angels. Drafted 4th round in each sport.

RH starting pitcher in break out year mid '80"s had ten victories that year. Finished career with a 106 - 108 W/L

I will post answer later tonight. Someone ought to be cuious and challenged. Here is a big clue: he surrendered HR to both Griffey's dad and son in 1990 in the same game. Back to back in lineup.....first time iin mlb history a father and son hit hr back to back in the lineup. The pitcher and former hockey player who gave up the historic hr was......

Would love #27 in Chicago. Trying to recall who wore #27 for us long ago. Roenick? Dar Sutter? JR i think. Last time there was excitement about our #1 outside of the Kane and Toews picks.....was Roenick.

A while back (this blog from Justin) i asked if anyone cared to guess the former Hobey Baker finalist who dressed but did not play one NHL game for Winnipeg Jets . A Canadien, he was a RW/C who played U of Vermont end of 1970's + early 1980's ALSO AN ACCOMPLISHED MLB PITCHER for White Sox and Angels. Drafted 4th round in each sport.

RH starting pitcher in break out year mid '80"s had ten victories that year. Finished career with a 106 - 108 W/L

I will post answer later tonight. Someone ought to be cuious and challenged. Here is a big clue: he surrendered HR to both Griffey's dad and son in 1990 in the same game. Back to back in lineup.....first time iin mlb history a father and son hit hr back to back in the lineup. The pitcher and former hockey player who gave up the historic hr was......
- jhawk59

That's before my time and a Google search wouldn't be quite fair. Regarding Tzchuck, we are in complete agreement. Right now most mock Drafts have Tzchuck going #3. If Hawks end up with #7-9 I would not hesitate to trade both 1st round picks to grab a perennial All-Star Power Forward like Brady Tzchuck will be. For those with NHL.TV, Boston in Tampa Bay just started and has a playoff atmosphere early....1-0 Boston on a slick play by "Pasta" AKA David Pastrnak. Talk about night and day when comparing the gameplay/pace between this BOS vs TB game and CHI vs BUF earlier today.....

hawks have allowed 2 or less in 13 of 37 games since craw went down; they don't have the scoring punch to overcome there defensive and back up goalie issues: 13-21-3

final hawk record: 34-39-9....77 pts 6th from the bottom

hey all look at least one plausible positive: hawks have 3 games left with the blues and could provide knock out blows to their diminishing playoff hopes...

hey all look at least one plausible positive: hawks have 3 games left with the blues and could provide knock out blows to their diminishing playoff hopes...
- bogiedoc

Would rather have the Hawks lose every game, Fire Bowman + Q, and draft in the Top 3