Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks took to the ice at the United Center, before heading back to Detroit for Game 4 Thursday night. First and foremost, the now infamous white jerseys were being worn by Daniel Carcillo, Jamal Mayers, Brandon Bollig and Ben Smith. This means Andrew Shaw will not find a seat for his general douchebaggery in this series thus far. I like Shaw when he plays within himself and actually contributes to the team. Being a pest and getting under the opponents skin while scoring an occasional goal is ideal. I can do without him playing like an out of control jackass like he has the last three games. So the same 12 forwards will dress tomorrow night but the lines might look a bit different. Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa took top line rushes today. Brandon Saad, Dave Bolland and Patrick Kane filled out the 2nd line. The 3rd line remained the with Shaw centering Bryan Bickell and Viktor Stalberg. Michal Handzus skated on left wing of the 4th line with Marcus Kruger at center and Michael Frolik on the right wing. The Hawks spent some time in practice working on exiting their own zone, which sounds like one hell of an idea! Q made some changes to the power play as well. The first unit featured Bickell, Sharp and Saad up front with Duncan Keith and Hossa at the point. The 2nd line had Shaw, Toews and Kane with Michal Rozsival, Brent Seabrook and Nick Leddy all getting time at the point. I like the idea of BIckell on the power play if he can just plant his big ass right in front of Jimmy Howard, good things might happen. When asked about the power play stuggles, Coach Q explained: "It starts with faceoffs. You get the setup. We had one good power play there (in Game 3); offensive zone time was in place. But we still have to keep taking shots, off the rush or in zone. We have to be a threat to score, and traffic is what we're looking for. We had better shots. Hopefully we get one." Marian Hossa added these thoughts about the Hawks power play: "We need the power play to get some goals, that's for sure, to help the series. It felt like the first power play we were moving the puck well, got some good shots. On another few, it was tough to get in. But when we got in, we had some good looks. We have to find a way to put the puck in the net."

Joel Quenneville tried putting all his top guys on one power play unit, and it didn't work. So now he's trying to spread the wealth again. At Wednesday's practice, the Blackhawks' top power play unit had Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith at the points, with Patrick Sharp, Brandon Saad and Bryan Bickell up front. The second unit featured Michal Rozsival and either Brent Seabrook or Nick Leddy at the point, with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Andrew Shaw. "We're just looking for a little more balance on the units," Quenneville said. "Hopefully, we'll get some production." The Hawks are just 3-of-22 on the power play this postseason, including 0-of-6 in losses to Detroit in Games 2 and 3. Even a unit featuring all-stars Keith, Sharp, Hossa, Toews and Kane struggled to get anything past Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard. "The last couple games, it hasn't been very good," Keith said. "So probably expect some changes there." Bickell's addition in front of the net gives the Hawks a big body to both deflect shots and block Howard's vision. "Howard's playing great, he's a hot goaltender right now," Shaw said. "Getting big bodies like Bicks in front of the net and finding those loose pucks and putting them home, I think it's going to be great for us. ... They have big defensemen and they can move you pretty well. We've just got to battle and compete and try to take his eyes away as much as possible." As for 5-on-5 scenarios, Sharp again skated on the top line, to the left of Toews and Hossa. Saad again was with Dave Bolland and Kane on the second line. Quenneville made that move in Game 3, and liked the results. Toews and Saad have combined for no goals and four assists this postseason. "We weren't having a ton of success, so we mixed up the lines a little bit," Saad said. "And I thought we played well last time."

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports The Chicago Blackhawks have their backs up against the wall for the first time throughout this entire season. A loss on the road against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night puts them in a 3-1 hole that this team may not be mentally prepared to climb out of. If the Blackhawks are going to come out and steal one back on the road, while evening up the series, it’s going to start with the captain. This is a series that has brought a lot of criticism on the shoulders of Jonathan Toews, for a lack of postseason production. In the past few seasons, since winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2009-2010, Toews has been a virtual ghost in the postseason. He had four points in seven games in 2010-2011, when the Hawks were eliminated in the first round. He had four in six last year, when the Hawks were eliminated in the first round (though he returned early from an injury and wasn’t entirely healthy). This year, the Hawks are already off to a better start than the past couple of Stanley Cup Playoffs. They won their first series in five games, giving them their first series win since that Cup-winning ’09-’10 campaign. But they’ve done so to this point without much production from the captain. Toews has had a rough go of things during this year’s postseason. He has yet to find the back of the net, and has only three points in eight postseason tilts. Worse yet, he seems to have lost his composure on several occasions, constantly complaining about calls, or lack thereof, on the ice. The Red Wings have done an excellent job getting inside the head of Jonathan Toews. Henrik Zetterberg has done a number on him, with the Wings as a club physically pounding Toews down around the net. But he’s a world class player. It’s time to rise above that. If the Blackhawks are going to turn it around and get the momentum back in this series, it’s going to start with Toews. Not that he has played terribly. In fact, his possession numbers and scoring chances indicate he’s played very well. But his frustrations are clearly taking their toll, as he’s a mental disaster in this series. An early score from Toews in Game 4, or at any point really, could see this Hawks team take off. It would be a gigantic sigh of relief and would take a world of pressure off of him. We’ve seen him take over games this year. It’s time for that to happen in the postseason. If he’s able to do that in this series, the Blackhawks will be just fine. But if he can’t find his game in time, the Hawks are really in serious trouble.

In 2011, knowing they wouldn't be able to keep Ilya Bryzgalov, the Phoenix Coyotes prepared a list of replacements. Mike Smith, then with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was at the top. They loved his size, how he battled and his ability to play the puck. Because of their time together in Dallas, Dave Tippett knew he'd be a great fit. That year, Smith struggled with Tampa during the regular season with an .899 save percentage and 2.90 goals-against average but for the Coyotes, that didn't matter.

Apr 9, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery (30) against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports Go right ahead and immediately chalk this up as another instance of over-speculation, and over-analysis due to the fallout of yet another disappointing and troubling Chicago Blackhawks loss to the Detroit Red Wings.   For the record: I DO NOT think that Ray Emery will, nor should Ray Emery get the start in Game 4 of this series.  This is purely hypothetical, and a way to flush out some of the built up toxins that are ever so present following two consecutive performances from the Hawks, that could be considered of poor enough quality to drive a fan to a life of alcoholism.  Plus, I’m bored, and Game 4 is still another day away(thanks, lockout!) and these fumes of negativity need to be vented now. No question, Corey Crawford has had a fantastic season, as well as a very good first round of the playoffs.  He hasn’t even played poorly in this series either.  The fact of the matter is, the Hawks haven’t played well in the past 2 games, at all!  It is not desperation time…yet, but with one more loss, it will be well beyond the point of desperation.  So let’s examine the idea of Emery placing Crawford, now, before the possibility of Hawks fans descending into a chaotic state of desperation. Emery’s season was on-par and arguably better than Crawford’s season, this year.  In 21 games this season, Ray Emery had a win/loss record of 17-1(amazing!), a Goals Against Average of 1.94(Outstanding!), and .922 Save Percentage(Awesome!) along with 3 Shutouts(nice!).  Ray has done everything that could have possibly been asked of him this season, and then some!  The only reason he isn’t starting, is because Crawford had an equally(if not better) season than Emery, and has done nothing to cough up his starting job, this year. Emery has had plenty of situation success to warrant the starting job, in this series.  Against Detroit, in his career, Ray Emery has a 3-0 record, a 1.85 Goals Against Average of 1.85, and a .943 Save Percentage.  On the road this season, Ray was 7-0 with a 1.64 GAA, a .938 Save%, and 2 shutouts.  In the playoffs, Emery’s numbers aren’t as sparkling, but he has a solid amount of experience in the post-season.  ”Razor”, in 36 career playoff starts has a record of 20-15(not awful), a 2.57 GAA(meh) and a .903 Save%(not good).  Overall though, looking at those split stats, Emery has done enough to have logically earned a start in this series. Corey Crawford, however, also has done exceptionally well, if not spectacular in some of the situations where the Hawks need high-quality hockey.  In his career against the Red Wings, Corey Crawford is an outstanding 11-2, with an excellent 1.82 GAA, as well as a marvelous .943 Save%.  Now, Corey’s career playoff stats tell an interesting story.  Lifetime, in the post-season, Crawford has had 22 starts, with a sub-par record of 10-11, a very good GAA of 2.19, and a wonderful Save% of .919%, as well as one shutout. While Crawford has done nothing to really send himself to bench duty, there is something to be said about the fact that Crawford’s playoff record is below .500% along with some pretty solid playoff statistics(although some of the few goals he has allowed in the playoffs, especially last year against the Phoenix Coyotes, were very soft goals).  This indicates that the Blackhawks haven’t played very good hockey in front of Crawford, during the playoffs.  This has never been more noticeable  than in Game 2 and the second half of Game 3.  It could be a coincidence, but it is an interesting trend. Again, I’m not saying that Emery should start in this series, and if it comes to that, the Hawks will most likely be in big trouble, but Emery has played well enough for the opport

May 21, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Sharks acknowledge fans after the win against the Los Angeles Kings in game four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at HP Pavilion. The San Jose Sharks defeated the Los Angeles Kings 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports Last Night’s Playoff Action Boston Bruins-2 New York Rangers-1 (Bruins lead series 3-0) Taylor Pyatt gave the Ranagers the lead at home going into the third period but it was enough as the Bruins score twice including the Daniel Paille winner to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. (Causeway Crowd) (New York Post) San Jose Sharks-2 Los Angeles Kings-1 (series tied 2-2) Logan Couture power play goal in the second period provides the difference as the Sharks even the series with two straight home wins.  Antti Niemi makes 22 saves to help preserve the victory. (Blades of Teal)(San Jose Mercury News) (LA Times) Tonight’s Action- Only 1 Game! (TV Listings) Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators (Penguins lead series 2-1) The Senators look to tie the series up with a home win while the Penguins are looking to make this a short series with a road victory before the series heads back to Pittsburgh. (Sen Shot) (Ottawa Sun) (Pens Labyrinth) (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Blackhawks make a national footprint (Tribune) Jonathan Toews still looking for first goal (USA Today) Hawks still confident but Game 4 is 'huge" (Detroit Free Press) Hawks D has been haunted by breakdowns (Sun Times) Glen Healy calls Pavel Datsyuk "under-talented." Wait, what? (Backhand Shelf) Slak and Fork weigh in on the state of mind of Hawks fans over at Hockee Night Bruins take a 3-0 death grip on their series with the Rangers. Good thing they've never blown a 3-0 lead before.....oh wait (SCOC/BSB) Sharks even up their series with the Kings after a 2-1 win. (FtF/JftC/BoC) What type of depressed sports fan are you? (Grantland) Puck Daddy has a new batch of jersey fails. If you know the guy in the Hawks jersey, give him a shot to the junk for me!

Toews Is In Disbelief As Another Stupid Penalty Is Called, The Ref Is Just Happy To Be In The Spotlight. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports After watching the Hawks shoot themselves in the foot in the third period of game three, I started to get this feeling of familiarity.  That’s when it hit me.  We are playing like the Canucks.  WOAH! Put down the pitchforks and hear me out.  Think back to the 08-09 and the 09-10 series against Vancouver.  Everyone was talking about how the Hawks had found a way to get the Nucks off their game, how we forced them into dumb penalties.  How the Nucks couldn’t string a set of passes together without trying to hit a Hawk in the process ‘cause the Hawks were driving them insane.  While I don’t think we were driving them that crazy, it can’t be denied we did bring out the worst in them.  In both of those series, we took fewer penalties than our opponent, and when we were on the PP we put a few pucks in the net.  Now back to present day where the Hawks have already taken three more penalties than the Wings (I’m ignoring Shaw’s 10 min misconduct).  Now, you can argue that despite the penalties, the Hawks aren’t really playing a different style of game.  But last time I checked, racing to the penalty box wasn’t the point of Hawks hockey.  We spent seven minutes of the third in the box, and when you are trying to claw your way back, that’s unacceptable.  There are a few other issues the Hawks need to fix, but relying on short-handed goals is not the strategy I would personally take.  On to the bullets! Handzus is O’Donnell slow, and when you’re playing center it shows a lot more.  Anyone thinking of giving Pirri a try for the fourth line center?  Or possibly bringing in Morin/Smith and leaving Kruger in his native center position? The refs have been borderline comical, but no one is really laughing.  This fact doesn’t excuse the complete lack of self-control of the Hawks players *cough*SHAW*cough* Speaking of refs… DROP THE @*#$ PUCK!  From what I’ve heard down in rumorville, the face off asshattery will be a topic of discussion between the NHL and the Ref’s union for next season. Crow has been looking solid since the Clutterbuck goal in game 1 of the Wild series.  Though, I was reading that Q was screaming at him on the bench, anyone catch that? Cuz I didn’t. If Stalberg’s hands were half as good as his feet, he would be one hell of a star!  Oh, but don’t worry Wings fans, they aren’t remotely close.  I like what Stalberg tries to do, because most of the time he creates some great opportunities and teams have to respect him and his speed.  Unfortunately the Hawks haven’t found a consistent use for his speed, and Stalberg doesn’t seem to have any answers either. But my god, can he skate.  When he isn’t launching himself headfirst into the boards, of course. Toews is getting worked over, and he hasn’t snapped yet.  Everyone can agree that the Wings can’t keep Toews in check forever.  Like in the Van series of 10-11, I expect Toews to wow us at a timely moment. Hopefully soon.  Hint hint.  One last thing, I’m already completely sick of Pierre. Please NBC, just stop the madness already! What do you think Hawks fans?  Is it time for some call ups?  Toews going to explode come game four?  Let us know your opinion!

Slak did an excellent job of expressing his thoughts about what we've seen in this series. While I completely understand his feelings of dread with a side order of panic - after all, we're both Cub fans - I represent the Yang to Slak's Yin. I honestly wish I could walk into the Blackhawks' clubhouse right now and kick each and every last one of them square in the ass. After quickly dispatching the Minnesota Wild, then following it up with a curbstomping of the Detroit Red Wings in the first game of this series, it would be very easy sledding all the way through. Unfortunately, the Red Wings didn't get the memo. After the first game, the Hawks clearly didn't have the throttle fully opened for Game 2 on Saturday, and they got absolutely obliterated. Last night, they outplayed the Red Wings for most of the night, only to be undone by a brief, albeit fatal, bed-shitting in the second period.Now that I've listened to all the pissing and moaning that I can tolerate about the interference call that cost the Hawks a goal last night, let me add one thought.Get the fuck over it.Was it a blown call? Yeah. But so was the missed boarding call on Niklas Hjalmarsson. If that call gets made, the puck is whistled dead before Patrick Kane gets it. So two shit calls that cancelled each other out. The fact of the matter is, none of it should have mattered. Jonathan Toews spent his time after Game 2 bitching about officiating in a way that was anything but Toewsian. Anyway, what does it matter what you think about the referees when Andrew Shaw keeps throwing late hits, and everybody seems to be filling a Gorilla Salad-sized hole that doesn't really exist.In short, the last two games have been the antithesis of what the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks are all about. All season long, the Hawks have been cold-blooded and methodical about their business. When goalies stone them, they've never deviated from their game plan. They would simply bide their time until their opponent made a mistake, and they would capitalize on it.At least last night, Jonathan Toews' game began to awaken. I compare it to watching God yawn, right before he wakes up.Now the rest of the team needs to drop their cocks, grab their socks, and get down to brass tacks.They haven't dug themselves a hole so deep that a win Thursday night doesn't fill it in.But the time for screwing around is over. The Blackhawks are the better team, and it's high time they prove it. All content copyright 2013 hockeenight.com. Any reproduction or reuse of this material without the written consent of the authors is prohibited.

If you're here it's because you're probably watching the Chicago Blackhawks play the Detroit Red Wings in a playoff hockey series and, like me, you have lots of feelings. For example, last night I was filled with dread and angst over the way the first period played out. It didn't subside the entire game. At one point, after Patrick Kane had finally broken through and scored following Niklas Hjalmarsson's turning Johan Franzen into a red heap of lingonberry jam, I wanted to make myself say it. I wanted to say, "Relax. This team always comes back from these kinds of deficits. That's what they do. Don't worry." But I never believed it. And yet the Blackhawks weren't without their chances and perhaps some controversy. And that's fine. You won't hear me complain about the officiating. You will hear me mock those that do. Even stoic Jonathan Toews - whose quotes to the press after both losses would be troubling if I wasn't steadfast in my belief that player quotes are so much flotsam and jetsam meant for traditional scribes to build tired narratives around. But you've heard all that before. The last two games are scary for myriad reasons. First, the Hawks and Wings have a history. You might have heard about it. The phrase "you never went through us" has to strike a nerve. The Blackhawks didn't beat Detroit when the won the Cup in 2010. They never had to. Now if you believe that a history of games back when Detroit was a vastly superior hockey club has a dramatic effect on this series that's fine. I don't. The Blackhawks are the better team in almost every capacity. Sane Red Wings fans will reluctantly agree. Second, you're seeing things you're not used to seeing from this iteration of the Blackhawks. You're seeing panic. You're seeing the captain fail to score. You're seeing players who once played on the edge crossover into rabid hysterics costing the squad precious 5-on-5 minutes. That's extra terrifying because it seems like the team can't handle adversity that never really reared its head during the shortened season. It seems like Mike Babcock and the Red Wings have figured out how to push all the right buttons to throw the Blackhawks off of their game, talent gap be damned. Third, you expected better. You saw game one. It was a pasting. We were all riding high. Before this series you wanted the Red Wings in round two. You wanted to stamp out these lifeless things and send their once glorious empire to decay in the desert of the Eastern Conference. That was what you expected and it's not what you're getting. Perhaps we've gotten a little too arrogant as a fan base. Perhaps we expect perfection and when it doesn't happen the shock is a little more intense and cuts deeper than it usually would. So how are you processing these feelings? There are still a couple of days until game four. And so we wait. Some people might feel like it's over. You know how I know it's not over? Because I still feel jittery and awful. There's plenty of hockey left. Part of me wanted to scream into the void about the lack of scoring from the best players on the team. Part of me wanted to ask why Joel Quenneville seemed to be fine with his players acting like heat-seeking missiles as the game clock wound down. Does he have an answer for Mike Babcock's adjustments after game one? Where's the team the Hawks beat 7-1 and who are these rejuvenated Red Wings trying to resurrect the ghosts of Lidstrom, Holmstrom, McCarty, Draper, & c? The Red Wings are a well-coached, skilled team. They aren't going to go out without a fight and they've been their best the past two games. You've seen it. That is their best. While the historical context of this series is mostly fluff and a neat story for the networks and papers to tell, there's something to it from the fans' point of view. I can't pretend like a Blackhawk series victory wouldn't feel like putting the Wings in a lead coffin and burying them under a mile of cement. They've been able to lord it