I agree Johnny. Chain him to the net.

Let’s get something out of the way first. Yes, I am about to subscribe to your Fire Coach Q newsletter but I haven’t quite put my credit card number in yet.

Here are your shift charts, CORSI and I tried to get the line combinations however LwL doesn’t have them available yet so I’ll be going from memory on those. At first glance, the CORSI makes it look like a game that a puck possession team should have won. Vlasic and the tank known as Dougie Murray were out leading their team in keeping pucks away from Antti Niemi which helped San Jose’s cause. We outshot the Sharks by five but once again that doesn’t matter when the Hawks defense looks like it did last night.

The first two goals I’m hesitant to place the blame on Corey Crawford. How many times did we have to see Eddie Olczyk diagram that first powerplay goal and put the blame on Marian Hossa though? As can be taken by my handle here, I’m a pretty big Hossa fan. I think Hossa covered his assignment and was heading for the shooting lane to block the shot. Crawford came out to challenge on Burns’ shot from the point and as we’ll discover later, a common theme arose from that. The puck went wide, Leddy got worked physically in front and Corey never regained his spot in the crease. The second goal I will just consider a wash because the fact the Hawks were shorthanded after Joe Thornton punched Jonathan Toews in the face and removed his helmet is something not even Ed Hochuli could explain clear enough for me.

Still, the Hawks were able to scramble back and get two goals from an unlikely source in Marcus Kruger. Both were nice net crashing plays by Umlaut, especially the 2nd where he went backhand on a rebound. That goodwill was soon spoiled by, no NOT Viktor Stalberg, but Duncan Keith’s inability to not only retain Vik’s pass at the blue line but coming back on the break and never getting into position. He seemed to give up and assume that the 2 on 1 break would result in a goal. Dylan Olsen got back, Keith never did. By the time he got back he never got in proper position and Thornton was able to bank one in off of Crawford.

We wouldn’t see Stalberg on the ice after that incident and I’ll be addressing that in the bullets.

The final period was marred two goals where Corey Crawford once again left his crease only to not return in time as hockey puck, party of two, had taken his reservation there. Someone please chain him to the net because the book is out and I’m tired of reading it. You get Crawford down, away from the net and he can’t scramble to get back in time. Now, let’s get some bullets in here.

  • First, I need to address Viktor Stalberg’s benching. Joel, we’re on a losing streak. Now is not the time to make a point to one of your players (who wasn’t the scapegoat here) about making turnovers inside the opponent’s blue line. You know how many times I’ve seen Patrick Kane make that same sweeping move and pass to the point, but have the puck retained? Even if he turns it over there, he’s not stapled to the bench. We need to win a game. Don’t bench one of your top 6 talents, on the road, with one period left and in a 1 goal game. That was absurd and it only put your team in a hole.
  • Corey? Buddy? Please stay in your crease. You don’t have the recovery skills to get back in the net and Brent Seabrook can only make so many saves. Stay. In. The. Net.
  • Duncan Keith: 30:35 TOI on the first night of a back-to-back. OK.
  • Dylan Olsen skated more than Sean O’Donnell and Sami Lepisto. He also took a cross country flight right before the game. I guess the other two must really be that untrustworthy. Whatever.
  • Nick Leddy 4:06 TOI on the PK. Can we reduce that by about 4:06?
  • Offensively, I thought I was going to hate the lines. Kane eventually made his way up with Toews as the night progressed but that Kane, Sharp and Kruger line was actually making some hay last night. I expected them to get pushed around by a bigger Sharks team but they used their speed effectively. There’s a pigeon feather for your cap, Q.
  • GET THE FORWARD OFF THE POINT ON THE POWERPLAY. I will say it until it is done. If that requires a coaching change, so be it.
  • The officiating was pretty terrible on both sides last night. The previously discussed Toews penalty that made no sense, the make-up calls that the Hawks got when the puck should have been whistled frozen (doesn’t matter, we didn’t capitalize anyway) and Joe Thornton not getting ejected, or at least a major penalty for roughing. Also, Andrew Shaw probably could have received a major for that boarding hit too.

We’re in Phoenix tonight. My credit card is in my hand. If the Hawks drop their fifth straight and go 0-7-1 in their last 8, then I’m buying your newsletter. Quenneville has refused to change his strategy and adjustments are not being made. After spending how many of the last few days with the whiteboard out and stressing defense, we’re still making the same mistakes. If there’s a regulation loss in the desert tonight, then Stan needs to sack up and say goodbye to Joel Quenneville.