A Chicago Blackhawks Site
2011-12 Game Recaps
Powerless: Boxing with Blackhawks and Canucks
Nov 7th
Credit: Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune
This was one of those games that just didn’t have a good feel to it from the get-go. Very, very little went right, and the Blackhawks’ powerless play once again left massive logs of poop on the ice.
The ‘Hawks spent roughly the first three minutes of the game in their own zone, and it may have taken even longer for them to make consecutive tape-to-tape passes. Was it fatigue from three games in four nights? The travel from Florida? Spending time with pops?
Whatever it was, Sunday night was a shit-filled performance in the first meeting since the playoffs as the ‘Hawks fell 6-2 to the Canucks.
♦ So much for the theory of, “When the ‘Hawks power play finally scores one, the goals will come in bunches.” The Blackhawks went a putrid 0 for 5 with the man advantage while looking as if they should have just started declining penalties. Five guys standing around, blinding throwing passes and playing as if they’ve never practiced the power play before won’t get anyone anywhere. It’s becoming borderline humorous. I can’t even get excited anymore when the opposition takes a penalty.
Oh, and if Steve Montador gets another second of power-play time, I’m going to strangle myself with dental floss.
♦ Your argument for that may be something like, “Lighten up. Vancouver came in with the sixth-ranked penalty kill and they have one of the better killing units in the league.” Well, the Blackhawks came in with the fourth-ranked kill and allowed the Canucks to go 5 for 6 with the man advantage as the ‘Hawks stood there with their jaws dropped as if they were watching Victoria’s Secret models undress.
The ‘Hawks struggled with their power plays mainly due to the Canucks’ active kill. They attack the puck while the other three play a solid zone to be able challenge the next pass. Too many times the Blackhawks were flat footed on their kill, watching and gazing at what a power play should actually look like. Vancouver enters the zone hard or places a solid dump-in where a teammate can get it while the others get into position.
♦ I think the saddest part of the evening was watching the Canucks get into the heads of the Blackhawks by playing smart and physical to disrupt the ‘Hawks attack. While the amount of flopping done by the Sedins makes me want to petition Brendan Shanahan to institute the death penalty for diving, Vancouver drew penalties and then converted. It seems simple, but it’s a simplistic part of hockey the Blackhawks have been overlooking all season.
Here’s Boxing …
Now Leaving Del Boca Vista: Boxing with Blackhawks and Panthers
Nov 4th
Credit: Joel Auerbach, Getty Images
Much like the Boston game Oct. 15, the Blackhawks seemed to shift into neutral while sitting on a one-goal lead in the third period they hoped to close out.
And much like that contest, the opposition was able to tie it up and bring it to a shootout. At least they got two points out of this one, beating Florida 3-2 following the game of Candyland
I’m going to try something new and get even deeper into the Boxing theme here. Let me know if it works:
Jabs (Quick hits)
♦ Duncan Keith missing tonight didn’t have much affect against a mediocre team like Florida, and hopefully it won’t matter much against Tampa Bay, either. The Lightning have totaled three goals in their last two games. Sean O’Donnell and Nick Leddy seem a capable pair to be able to make up for Keith’s absence.
♦ Corey Crawford played a fantastic game tonight and kept the ‘Hawks ahead for as long as he could once they knocked back the throttle a bit. Allowing 43 shots obviously isn’t good, but the Panthers totaled 42 against Winnipeg four nights before. They fire the puck, so no need to panic, really.
Haymakers (Solid plays from the ‘Hawks)
♦ Jonathan Toews made a hell of a play to step in front of the pass and go hard to the net to score his goal. Vintage Captain.
♦ Patrick Kane once again showed just how well he can read a play to make the correct pass, firing it across the ice through the defense to set up Marian Hossa. Anyone shocked it was Tomas Kopecky who came into the play late to leave the slot wide open to allow that pass?
♦ Crawford was solid all night. Tough to pinpoint a single moment, but he was turning away a relentless amount of shots from the Panthers’ firing squad.
Counter-punches (The opposition)
♦ Both goals were tough on Crawford, who didn’t have much of a chance on either. Weiss’ goal took a tough bounce away from Crow, and Jovo’s goal was simply a great play by him.
Low Blows (Not-so-good stuff)
♦ The Blackhawks looked absolutely awful on their lone power play opportunity, once again making an otherwise talented team look silly. The ‘Hawks have scored 31 of their 38 goals at even strength, and they have one less short-handed goal (3) than they do with the man advantage. Just strange for a team with so much offensive talent.
The Decision
♦ Kaner really has that move down, saving a point for the ‘Hawks after they put it in cruise control once again. The Blackhawks need to learn how to finish these games out rather than riding a one-goal lead and hoping to hold on with conservative play. Nonetheless, Crawford stoned both shots in the shootout to pick up the win.
Onto Boxing…
Haunted Madhouse: Boxing with Blackhawks and Predators
Nov 1st
(Credit: Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune)
When Nashville scored in the first minute off a fluky goal, I couldn’t help but think Halloween had something to do with it. But the Blackhawks turned the “holiday” into Hawk-o-ween with 5-4 overtime victory over the Predators and the Barry Trotz’s non-existent neck.
A couple quick things before Boxing …
♦ While Pekka Rinne made a few great saves which kept this game from possibly getting out of hand, the Blackhawks found his weakness between his arm and above the pad. He made some great saves on Marian Hossa when the puck never left the ice, but Patrick Kane beat him past the hip on his goals, including his second when Rinne was caught too far toward his net and didn’t take away the angle. Overall great game from him, but the Blackhawks exposed a weaker part of his game.
♦ It’s gotta be noted the powerless play went 0 for 7 tonight, including a missed opportunity on a third-period 5-on-3 which could’ve resulted in doom had the ‘Hawks not come away with two points. The ‘Hawks are 0 for 18 over their last four games, and they’re converting on an 8.9 percent clip – 29th in the league, one spot above St. Louis’ 8.3 percent.
Yes, there was some good puck movement out there, and Rinne had plenty to do with the 0-fer tonight, but if we’re going to crunch stats and talk about every other statistic under the sun, we can’t ignore the results. With a 7-2-2 record, there’s not much to complain about except for the PP, but I don’t think I’m out of line saying the ‘Hawks need to start converting rather than looking pretty and not scoring, because it will come back to bite them down the line.
♦ Duncan Keith’s injury may damning if anything is broken on that hand.
♦ A great game from Kaner, giving him 11 points on the season – which may be surprising considering the stat I give you in Boxing.
♦ Three goals in two games for Viktor Stalberg, who completely fooled Rinne and stuck it under the arm on the short side for the winner.
♦ Two breakaway saves from Corey Crawford – who got away with an iffy performance tonight – and Jonathan Toews went 20 for 25 on faceoffs. Neato.
♦ Two quick site notes: As I posted earlier, Jim Nakis, AKA “HjammerTime” on the SCH comment boards, is our newest writer on CtA. Please give him a warm welcome.
Secondly, I keep receiving plenty of emails about an iPhone app. Here’s what you do. Pull up Safari and type in cheertheanthem.noticeorange.com. Bookmark that page and it works just like an app. That should solve it until we get our own app built, which may take some time with Apple being assholes.
And Boxing …
“Kruger! My son tells me your company stinks!” : Hawks win in both goals and no goals
Oct 30th
( Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune / October 29, 2011 )
So life and work got in the way of me seeing any of the game last night. Praise Jeebus for DVR! The Blackhawks faced off against a miserable Columbus Blue Jackets team just a night after laying an egg in Carolina. They got back in the win column, having the good fortune of facing some guy named Allen York (an R.P.I. teammate of Brandon Pirri) in the Columbus net. The Hawks were able to come away with a 5-2 victory. Time is short so just a quick recap today:
Hawks fall 3-0 in the land of Kenny Powers
Oct 28th
Photo: Karl B DeBlaker / AP
Hi folks. Bartl is gone for the weekend so this was a perfect chance to break in the new guy-me. I’m Jim, the newest and least worthy writer here at Cheer the Anthem. Boxing will return next week so in the meantime you’re stuck with me. Lets get right to it:
After dominating the opening shift, the Hawks spent the rest of the next 7 minutes getting schooled by the Hurricanes in their own zone. A little over 3 minutes in, Marcus Kruger lost a draw and then failed to tie up Tim Brent, which led to a fluky goal by Tim Gleason. Gleason ripped a low shot past Corey Crawford which was redirected off the skate of Nick Leddy. Immediately following the next faceoff, Sean O’Donnell committed an inexcusable giveaway which very easily could have ended with the Hawks trailing by 2, but the Hurricanes couldn’t convert on the chances. With five and a half minutes remaining in the opening frame, Daniel Carcillo’s stick came up and clipped Jordan Staal’s face, which led to a high sticking double minor – mistakenly assessed to Patrick Kane. The Hawks penalty kill did not disappoint and successfully killed off the Carolina power play which was short its best player in Staal. Corey Crawford was solid all period and was the only reason the Hawks escaped down only one.
Wild, Wild West Side: Victorious Shootout Boxing with Blackhawks and Ducks
Oct 26th
(Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune)
As a season-ticket holder, I thank the Blackhawks for the extra hockey the past three home games. As a fan, I’m wondering what the hell is wrong with earning the two points without having to deal with the frustration of the goddamn shootout.
I don’t think I’m alone in thinking the ‘Hawks were lucky to come away with two points after a 3-2 shootout win at the UC on Tuesday night. Patrick Kane saved the night with two gorgeous assists and the shootout winner, though he didn’t make things easy with a bad giveaway which led to Teemu Selanne’s goal.
Dave Bolland took a bad penalty at the end of the first period, then Sean O’Donnell mixed in a delay-of-game before Marian Hossa was given an iffy penalty with 2:10 left in regulation. Fortunately, the Ducks converted on only one of these power plays, leaving the door open for the Blackhawks to earn the pair.
And before Jonathan Toews and Kaner netter goals in the shootout, Hossa ripped one off the post as the horn sounded off a great faceoff win by Toews. How he was able to win it perfectly while putting just the right touch on it so the 2.4 seconds didn’t run off, allowing Hossa to get a missile off is truly amazing to me.
Let’s talk about the rest in Boxing…
Boxing Returns Tuesday: Bad Bounces Beat Blackhawks
Oct 23rd
Photo: AP
On Saturday evening, Jeff was having his weekly psychotic episode. These almost always include (but are not limited to) alcohol, friends, and the Michigan State Spartans football game. This one was particularly bad, as the Spartans went down 14 – 0 in the first 7 minutes of the game, rallied to a 31 – 14 lead — which they then blew in the fourth quarter, only to win against #6 Wisconsin on the already-legendary Hail Mary pass with no time left on the clock.
I’ve spoken to the doctors, and Jeff may be well enough to take visitors as early as tomorrow afternoon. But in the mean time, your fix of “Boxing” will be delayed until after the Ducks game on Tuesday.
I know, you’re disappointed, for the second time. As the Blackhawks were not able to pull together the same fate as MSU: they also came from behind, they also blew a late-game lead, but lost 5 – 4 in a shootout to Colorado. This defeat was much the same as Thursday’s victory, but the bounces went against the Blackhawks this time.
Calmer Than You Are, Dude: Boxing with Blackhawks and Avalanche
Oct 21st
(Ron Chenoy/US PRESSWIRE)
Whew, now that was fast-paced hockey.
The Blackhawks were able to calm themselves after the Avs’ initial first-period rush, get into the flow of the game and come away with a 3-1 victory in Colorado, going 2 for 2 on the brief road trip.
I’m tired, so just a few quick observations before Boxing …
♦ With the entire game going pretty much back and forth at warp speed, both Corey Crawford and Semyon Varlamov saw nearly everything thrown at them, neither giving up a bad goal on the night. The Blackhawks put two difficult shots past Varlamov, while Crawford wasn’t able to get in front of an unfortunate bounce. Varlamov should be spending the night in jail after his ridiculous save on Marcus Kruger.
♦ “Bick-Bo-Fro … douchebag”: A bit of a left turn from the “quid pro quo” comment from The Hangover, but this line has been something special thus far. Poor, poor Michael Frolik. Varlamov robbed him of his first goal on a beautiful chance right in front. Bickell has played his ass off and Bolland, well, …. please for the love of holy Christ stay healthy.
♦ Dan Carcillo’s fantastic pass set up Jonathan Toews’ goal, marking yet another solid feed from Carcillo. He got rewarded with his 2nd point as a ‘Hawk, though it’s not for the shortage of some great opportunities he’s set up which simply haven’t gone in the net.
♦ Duncan Keith disrupted a play in the neutral zone, which ended up leading to Patrick Sharp’s handsome goal. After Keith forced the turnover, the ‘Hawks were able to get into transition, pepper Varlamov with a couple of in-tight chances before Sharp sniped the short side to beat him. It was the second straight solid game for Keith, who has been taking plenty of heat lately.
OK, time for Boxing. Two images, click to enlarge …
Cruising While Not in Control: Boxing with Blackhawks and Bruins
Oct 16th
(Nuccio DiNuzzo, Chicago Tribune )
“It’s tough to give up a goal, especially when you’re up 2-1. It seemed like we were playing back a bit and not really pushing the pace. When you get that one-goal lead you don’t want to cheat and push too much but at the same time it would have been nice to make it 3-1.” — Patrick Kane
My best friend flies airplanes for a living. We don’t need to trade jobs for me to know you don’t turn the autopilot on until you’re completely in control.
The Blackhawks did just that in Saturday’s 3-2 shootout loss to Boston, burning a point and crashing before being stonewalled by Tim Thomas in the pissing contest.
The up-and-down effort let Boston tie it on a Nathan Horton goal in the third period while Chicago went the final 17-plus minutes without a goal which could have sealed a nice win over the defending Stanley Cup champs.
Marian Hossa missed the game with an upper-body injury, and I’m becoming increasingly pissed by the fact it never seems certain he will ever play.
Anyway, I’m not in the mood to go over this play by play, so let’s just get to Boxing. Click the two images to enlarge…
Leavin’ on a Jet Plane: Boxing with Blackhawks and High-Speed Aluminum Tubing
Oct 14th
"Center" of attention. (Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune)
It’s not like me to be so happy about a victory over a team that would probably finish second in a suburban men’s league, but there was a lot of good going on tonight. The fact I’m building up this solid effort (from the eight-minute mark on, anyway) is because it’s the third game of the season, and things seem to be clicking in places we may not have expected.
Thursday night’s 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets wasn’t perfect by any means, though what transpired for the better part of the contest was the Blackhawks simply flattening an outmatched team and ruining the return of Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien.
Ray Emery wasn’t fantastic, and he looked, well, like a guy who is just getting over the flu at times. Both first-period goals were re-directed by Jim Slater, and they likely would’ve gotten past most goaltenders. The third? Well, that’s where he slipped up a bit, but as I’ve stated before, there’s a reason a backup is a backup.
The one time he came out of the net and tried to pass the puck up ice to get he play started, he gave Byfuglien a gift which he nearly buried. This prompted my fellow season-ticket holder Neil to say of Emery, “He was just tryin’ to help a brotha out.” Wait, help a brotha … Ohhhh, I get it. They’re both African-Americans. I understand now. I’ll laugh.
Jonathan Toews committed a hometown turnover which led the first goal, and the amount of in-zone turnovers where beyond counting, though Winnipeg luckily had its share of those issues as well.
I’ll get more into what I felt was impressive in Boxing, but I have to say I came away very happy with the play of Dan Carcillo. CarBomb was all over the ice tonight, and in no way did I feel he was out of control. He made solid passes which nearly led to goals, and I think his all-out play and style fit well with the finesse of Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa on that line.
Carcillo’s assist game came on a play where he won the puck off the board and fed it to Hossa, who bulldozed through a check to find an open Kaner, who fired it in on a one-timer. If that line continues scoring goals in that style, Carcillo is going to end up being a great pick up and a great match with those two.
Onto Boxing we go. Click the separate images to enlarge…
Loading ...