Well, The First 57 Were Ok: Morons 2 - Flyers 3

It appeared Kane and Sharp were trying desperately to get Sharp a goal against his former team. He hasn’t been there in, what, five years, so I’m not sure why he’d have such a boner for a team he barely played for. Anyway, this game had all of the earmarks of one of those “can we get this over with so we can start the playoffs” efforts. Not terribly bothered by the outcome, but it’s maddening how it came apart in the last two minutes.

Maybe there is some way we can get Seabs to stop trying to be Keith with his passes and make simple plays again.

I’d much prefer it if we played the way we did through the first half, and get the results we had in the first half … but if it’s not to be, then bring on the lessons and learn them quickly.

I agree 100% with the sky-is-not-falling tone, Sam, but I also think that this team should be smarter by now than their untimely lapses show them to be. I am worried a little by that … right now, though, ya, it’s still only a little.

I’m pissed off because I was at the Red Wings game last weekend, and they should have learned their lesson then, and apparently they didn’t. My friend and I had fucking amazing seats (halfway up at ice level, right behind the goal where the ’Hawks shoot twice) and then that bullshit happened. Whatever, I have a 12-pack of Yuengling waiting for me.

I can’t decide if I want them to get angry and play out of their minds tomorrow, or if they need one last instance of humiliation by the most dangerous offensive team in the league to finally drive the point home. Usually I’d be inclined to say the former, but I’m irrationally mad right now, having seen this three-minute meltdown in person — adfl;skjadsf;kladsfkladsfjadsfjdf fuck it. GO HOME MAD, KILL SOME BITCHES TOMORROW.

Bonus source of pain: They were giving away life-sized Pronger posters at the game. Anyone need a 6’6" dartboard?

Allow me to introduce a point for consideration:

Everybody needs to play better. The team, as a whole, needs to improve.

See, the thing that I’ve seen since the break — and you have too — is the Second Period of Doom. That didn’t happen today. Instead, we get treated to a dreadful end to a (frankly) middling performance. [ADD: Sam thought the first two periods were good. I was less impressed — it wasn’t total tomfoolery, but it wasn’t overwhelming me.]

The goalies need to get better and more consistent. (You saw that today from Cris. May it continue.) The defense? My God — that has to get better. [ADD: Sopel, on the tying goal, was RIGHT THERE. He could have made a play. Hell: he could have tackled the guy, went into the box and leave it to the PK to bail him out. On further review, he has to take that penalty.] The offense has been the best phase of the game, but the power play (apart from the breakthrough today) has been dreadful lately.

[And may I add: Take a look at team stats for a second. Shots allowed per game stands at 24.4. No other team in the league is even close. Devils are second, at 27.4. The D needs to regain that form — not allowing turnovers, playing tight on their men and creating turnovers, etc. etc. etc. We return to that, and things will get right, quickly.

But also: Shots made per game? Again, tops in the league, comfortably (34.3, versus 33.0 for the Caps in second). We had plenty today too, but the D creating turnovers as opposed to forking over the puck will improve that line further.]

Team sport, team effort, team improvement. Let’s not argue about who killed who (/grail) — the point is that this team has to decide what its intentions are and (hopefully) take corrective action. Now.

thanks guys, thanks.

Seabrook wasn’t even pressured into that first giveaway, but somehow he managed to cough it up.

Give Hendry a chance to win the sixth dman spot. I don’t care if Sopel is some cult hero because he blocks shots, that Hartnell goal was inexcusable and it cost us this game. Johnsson was starting to look good with Hendry. It feels like Sopel has Matt Walker syndrome this year; anyone he is paired with plays below their potential, not that johnsson was bad today.

I’m president of the Kane fanclub, but damnit, don’t go for a change there. Remember the play you made on Crosby in the Olympics, how about you make a defensive play like that for your real team when the game is on the line.

Nice game by Huet. The one save he could’ve made was on Hartnell’s goal, but he was probably mesmerized by Sopel’s stupidity.

If Huet played the way he did today – AND managed to pull one of those 3 goals out of his ass and made the big save, that would be real championship level goaltending (i.e. making the routine, no softies and the occasional ‘pull one out of your ass’ save).

All three goals were defensive lapses by the team in front of him, leading to reasonable non-saves.

I spent the afternoon at my son’s end of the year hockey tournament. He’s 7 and in his first year of hockey. (He’s, like, 3 years behind the other kids but he’s got good hockey sense so he’s on the traveling team.) He played goalie for the first time ever—first time he’s ever even had the pads on. He gave up 6 goals. Mostly to one kid on the other team that had 4 goals—he’s the coach’s son and was pretty much skating circles around every one else.

My son was pretty upset about giving up the goals, but I told him to just have fun. And he did make some great saves.

But it made me wonder…are we still having fun watching the Hawks? Are we so “Cup or nothing” that we’re missing out on enjoying watching this amazingly talented team play? I certainly want the Cup and this team has the talent to win it, but it’s getting to be painful watching these games. Even when we win, it’s not good enough.

I don’t know if I can handle this when we’re not even at playoff intensity yet. Somehow, the fun seems to be missing from these games lately.

Keith had zero shots on net but eight (8) shots that were blocked. From the play by play, four were at even strength and four were on the PP.

I still think he needs some help at the point on power plays; I get that Sharp is a right-handed shot, but he rarely stays on the point to take them, and oftentimes Keith looks overwhelmed trying to direct things by himself, leading to a lot of one-and-done chances for the first PP unit.

….all the people freaking out about the loss today will proclaim the Hawks champs after we win tomorrow.

Ditch the damn third sweaters. Can’t tell who is who (stuck watching philly feed in sd) and it seems that every time they use them they play as bad as they look.

Paraphrasing from the opposition broadcast “I am disappointed to say the Blackhawks are wearing the third jerseys, not the good looking regular ones”

A game that is effectively being played at 10:30 tomorrow sucks ass. But hopefully the caps don’t put up a football score.

Our powerplay blows donkey balls. Just keep passing it to the nearest teammate. Now THAT’S how you win games, right Hawks?

Seabrook sucks. He’s sucked for a while now. I don’t know what it is with him, but he’s taken a horrible turn in the opposite direction. Better fix that before the playoffs unless you want to lose your spot to Hendry, who’s played pretty damn well this year.

It sucks because great things have been happening lately and we’re still losing. Ladd getting his trick vs Detroit…we lose. Versteeg getting out of a slump…we lose 2 of 3. Huet playing one of his best games of the season…we lose. Turnovers seem to be our worst enemy in the last few weeks.