How do you get 15 points in 5 games? One team can only get 2 per game.
- mohel

But the other team could conceivably get all 5 loser points making those particular 10 games worth a total of 15 points in the standings...

I watched the game on the Canadian Sportsnet channel and learned something I did not know before. They had the camera on Kane's parents and noted that they drive up for every game (something like an 8 hour drive) because the senior Patrick Kane does not like to fly.
- 67hawks

Could be sweet, could be creepy stage parenting, depending on how you look at it. Seems like an important thing to Hawks PR (or maybe Kane Sr. has hired his own PR team) to keep promoting this idea. Not sure they see that it flies in the face of the "look at how much he has grown up" narrative they are also trying to sell. Kid is almost 31 and his parents, who live a long distance away, are always in town? I can see it for the big games - playoffs, pending big stats milestones, against Buffalo, etc., but EVERY home game? Does it interfere with his being able to socialize with his teammates?

(I'm obviously in the "it's a bit creepy" camp)

The Hawks suddenly can play defence. Surely they must finally have learned Colliton’s defensive “system”. This is not what has happened. In fact the Hawks’ defensive improvement can be completely linked to the abandonment of Colliton’s defensive “system”.

Coach Crawford has implemented a defence first system characterized by protecting the front of the net, no over-playing, no chasing, no wild pinching.

Gus of course continues to be Gus. Crazy pinching continues to lead to odd-man breaks. Also chased a Shark player around net leading to the tying goal in that game. Any D-Man playing with Gus should get danger pay.

Reporters said that Hawks were practicing dump and chase. However, the real proof can be seen in the games. There is a defensive structure now. There seems to be a new defensive Sheriff in town and his name is Marc Crawford, who ran the time-out late in the game last night as the Hawks tried to protect a 2-1 lead.
- Z3Hawk

You could have saved a lot of keystrokes by simply stating - if they played bad it's because the players listened to Colliton, if they played good it's because the players didn't listen to Colliton.

You could have saved a lot of keystrokes by simply stating - if they played bad it's because the players listened to Colliton, if they played good it's because the players didn't listen to Colliton.
- EbonyRaptor

That is true then for most NHL coaches then, because when I see a team has taken a time out, it is the assistant coaches in charge of offense or defense that have the white board out, not the head coach.

It’s five out of 15 points: .333.
- Spec41971

Only if one team can get 3 points.

Was it just me or did the Hawks have a guy glued to McDavid for most of the night. Looked like they were shadowing him. He wasn't able to break out and use his speed except on a few occasions.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Dcat hounding him in the middle of the 3rd on a few shifts.

I actually don't mind Nylander on the 4th line for now. He can dominate the puck and try and create. 4th line was solid last night.
- bhawks2241

Mostly, Kampf. Not only did they shadow him, they forced him to play defense whenever Kampf's line was matched against McDavid's line.

The Kampf trio dominated that line all night.

I actually was encouraged by Nylander's play last night. Thought he skated hard on both sides of the ice. Accepted his role and went to work. He made a couple of nice defensive plays by moving his feet and not giving up on the back-check. Exactly what you want to see out of kid sat the previous game.

So we like David Kampf now????
- Rota's Rooter

This board is like Chicago weather, wait a minute, it will change.

back in the day, didnt Toews always start out the season slowly if i recall?

To play devil's advocate: 5 points out of a possible 10 = .500
- tvetter

This is correct.

Traditionally, in regular season games, teams received 2 points for a win, 1 point for a regulation tie, and 0 points for a loss.

This is still the way points are awarded at the end of regulation play. Somehow, with overtime, the point that a team has EARNED for a regulation tie has been twisted into being referred to as a "loser's" point, implying that the point is a "gift" for losing in overtime.

The actual "gift" point is the extra point given to the overtime winner as a result of the three-skater overtime gimmick. This is the point that throws the percentages out of whack.

The extra point for an overtime win should therefore not be counted in figuring winning percentages.

Non-playoff overtime was instituted in the Bettman era in an effort to win new fans to the game, as it was deemed that these new fans would demand a clear winner in every game. Exciting as it may be to some people, I doubt that it has actually been responsible for significantly increasing the number of hockey fans.

The great game of hockey does not need this gimmick, which, in my opinion, should be terminated. It gives an unfair advantage to the teams with individual scoring stars. If a less talented team has managed to stay even with a more talented team through three periods of hockey, that team should be rewarded for its performance equally with the other team.

What if we skipped overtime, and just gave the extra point the team that managed to tie the game? That way the team that lost the lead would effectively “lose” one point.

What if we skipped overtime, and just gave the extra point the team that managed to tie the game? That way the team that lost the lead would effectively “lose” one point.


- Ogilthorpe2

Oh, boy....

This board is like Chicago weather, wait a minute, it will change.
- riozzo

You know, when I was young and dumb (insert wise ass comments here), I used to think that saying was fun and clever. Then as I started to see the world, I realized that they say that just about everywhere. It’s one of the more disappointing things tha you learn as you age: Everywhere/everything/everyone is a little different but mostly the same, and almost no one has an original thought. It’s all been done before.

You know, when I was young and dumb (insert wise ass comments here), I used to think that saying was fun and clever. Then as I started to see the world, I realized that they say that just about everywhere. It’s one of the more disappointing things tha you learn as you age: Everywhere/everything/everyone is a little different but mostly the same, and almost no one has an original thought. It’s all been done before.
- Ogilthorpe2

Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine

Mostly, Kampf. Not only did they shadow him, they forced him to play defense whenever Kampf's line was matched against McDavid's line.

The Kampf trio dominated that line all night.

I actually was encouraged by Nylander's play last night. Thought he skated hard on both sides of the ice. Accepted his role and went to work. He made a couple of nice defensive plays by moving his feet and not giving up on the back-check. Exactly what you want to see out of kid sat the previous game.
- Elbows15

He also had several really bad turnovers...but at least he didn’t disappear afterwards.

Well aren't you just a ray of sunshine
- Elbows15

But the other team could conceivably get all 5 loser points making those particular 10 games worth a total of 15 points in the standings...
- Davewn

That’s why a lot of hockey people qualify the term “.500” with the adjective “NHL” right in front of it.

If the Hawks win their next game, they will be NHL .500

For $10.5M the Captain needs to be a playmaker or he will end up "Captain Buyout."
- rpeters01

But he's never been. He's finished in close, on breakaways and played high level D.

Never ever in his career has he been a play maker. It is utterly preposterous to think he will be at this stage.

Only those who by into Bettman’s plan to have 32 teams finish above .500. With enough 3-point games he could succeed.

Three acceptable ways to look at it (and there may be more ways)

2-2-1 = 2 wins 3 losses = below .500.
- StLBravesFan

Another way to look at it is that if you get 50% of the possible points you are at .500. So 5 games 10 possible points. If you go 2-2-1 you get 5 points and you are at .500.

Or if you are a purist ..... only count wins in regulation and losses in regulation. Throw out the ties. Hawks have 1 win and 2 losses in regulation.

At the end of the year Bettman's way of counting points decides if you are in or out of the playoffs.

6 in one half dozen in the other.

Can’t get to .500 Friday. Can get over .500 with victories in the next two games.
- Spec41971

gimmick games i dont really count or figure in as ties. winning in regulation for my evaluation purposes is all that really matters.

2-2-1 would be .500

He also had several really bad turnovers...but at least he didn’t disappear afterwards.
- Ogilthorpe2

He did. Inexperience at this level. He played hard, tho. He kept working. TO happen to all of the players. His effort level remained constant. He does that and he has the talent to be a useful NHL player.

What if we skipped overtime, and just gave the extra point the team that managed to tie the game? That way the team that lost the lead would effectively “lose” one point.


- Ogilthorpe2

where have I heard that one before - smarta$$?

BTW- brilliant idea!

where have I heard that one before - smarta$$?

BTW- brilliant idea!
- powerenforcer

From the tribune:

Since the start of last season, Gustafsson has played 25 minutes or more 16 times. The Hawks are 1-12-4 in those games. They’re 8-3 when Gustafsson plays 20 minutes or fewer, including Monday’s win.

Yikes.

Some posters still think we will get a first round pick for Gus. Others think he should play left wing. The Gus tenure will turn out badly.

From the tribune:

Since the start of last season, Gustafsson has played 25 minutes or more 16 times. The Hawks are 1-12-4 in those games. They’re 8-3 when Gustafsson plays 20 minutes or fewer, including Monday’s win.

Yikes.

Some posters still think we will get a first round pick for Gus. Others think he should play left wing. The Gus tenure will turn out badly.
- -Doh-

IMO, He’s an ideal 6th D if the other 5 are rock solid. Unfortunately, the Hawks are not quite deep enough anymore to afford the luxury of a purely offensive 6th D man.

Also from the trib.

The Seabrook-Maatta pairing has been on the ice for 25 Hawks shots and 57 opponents shots. That 30.49 percentage is the second-worst of any pairing in the league with 20 minutes or more of ice time.

Opponents have scored only one goal while the Seabrook-Maatta pairing has been on the ice. Whether that’s sustainable remains to be seen, but the numbers suggest it’s a matter of time until the disparity in shots catches up.