Gettin' It Done Is Job One: Hawks 3 - Wild 1

These days, with the injuries and roster turnover and hectic schedule, I'm going to take wins wherever I can get them.  So while the passing from the defensive zone on out is still dodgy at best, and the Hawks are still struggling at times with faceoffs, and a couple other warts, tonight's a win, and that's what really matters.  To the points...

-I guess I'm being hypocritical when I say everyone should be patient while this team shakes out over the next  month or so, and then flip my lid when line changes and or scratches and or tactical decisions don't meet my liking.  After all, Coach Q is probably figuring it all out with us.  And he's not being helped by all the injuries.  (Best Stephen A. Smith voice) HOWEVAH', Ben Smith had once decent game last night against Edmonton, and that might have been enhanced in relativity to the utter horsecock his teammates were displaying.  Why is that a call to move to the top line?  On the flip side, Troy Brouwer had one bad game last night, after a string of being one of the Hawks best forwards (though the numbers might not bare that out).  Why is that a call to be demoted to the 4th line to start?  Thankfully, that got sorted by the 2nd period, and guess where the first two Hawks goals came from?  Brouwer-Toews-Kane.

-Secondly, a second power play unit of Seabrook, Hendry, Potulny, Pisani, and Brouwer kind of defies explanation.  Yes, there are injuries and yes, thankfully not another forward on the point.  But why can't Skille and Stalberg slot in ahead of that joke?  Stalberg can even create his own shot.  Whatever, I'm just going to drive myself nuts, and I'll worry about this when everyone's healthy.

-Right, something positive....Boynton was not awful. 

-Did you know Patrick Sharp leads the league in shots?

-While the passing was still woeful at times, at other times it was good enough to allow Duncan Keith to join the rush, a sight we've seen around these parts about as often as a functional brain running for any political office these days (attention: that's not a right wing or left wing joke.  I think all of us will agree that there are simply a bunch of boobs running for everything).  Both Hawks goals were created this way.

-CORSI.  Brouwer and Keith stand out, and generally when Keith stands out, the Hawks win.

-It kind of hurt me to watch Martin Havlat tonight.  For his three years here, especially the last two, I think I was one of his bigger defenders when the message board crowd called him "soft" and "greedy".  I claimed it was just injuries, not a mental block to playing hard.  I thought I was vindicated in his last year here, and batted away claims he was just playing for a contract.  I feel like now I very well may have been wrong.  Maybe it's just the frustration of playing for a losing team, but I doubt it.  Havlat floated around the ice tonight with all the interest of barely awakened sloth (though sloths are in a perpetual barely awakened state, if awakened at all, but I'm sticking with the metaphor) and avoided contact like an STD.  Marty, some of us remember what you could be, and you owe it to the Minnesota fans to show them, instead of having your agent bitch for you.

-Yes, the Wild lone goal came from a Skille mistake, but I was glad to see Q didn't bench him after for it.  He's not going to totally shred his confidence yet.  That said, Skille needs to find some finish soon.

-This seems like a bevy of negative points for a win, so let me say that the Hawks defensively were good.  Turco only had a few big time saves to make, and rarely was a rebound lying around to be put home.  So that's a step forward.

That's it for now.  Enjoy your Bears-less Sunday.  Broncos +2, Jets and Pats -6 is where my interest lies tomorrow, after Liverpool bore me to tears.

Player of The Game

I've lost the photoshop, but Troy Brouwer with a goal and an assist.