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GAME TIME: 9:00 CST
OPPOSITION BLOG: Battle of California
DON’T FORGET: YOUR SPG PICKS (Only 1 more person needed to catch the Leafs!)
What an odd perdicament the Hawks have put us in. Their play was so uninspired leading into the break that I think all of us were ready for some time apart. It was a nice break for all of us. I personally was able to actually pay attention to work, studies, my apartment, my dog and my friends. But now I’m dying to see the Hawks in action again. No more breaks til the season is over..
Unfortunately – things aren’t going to be easy right off the bat. Who are the ad wizards that decided the Hawks should have to come out of the break with an almost all-time record 8 game road trip that lasts nearly 3 full weeks. And why the hell does it have to start out with a trip through California!? Don’t they know what those teams do to the Hawks? Haven’t they ever seen Earl Sleek’s cartoons!?
One of the only positives is this trip begins with the California team that the Hawks have actually beaten this year. The Ducks are inconsistent this year and the Hawks are more than capable of beating them. They haven’t been playing great lately (4-6-0 in the last 10) but they did just have a great game where they demolished the Coyotes 7-3 last night. They also could be getting power play giant Teemu Selanne back for this game. Those things don’t bode well..
Here’s what does bode well.. That game was last night at Phoenix. So the Ducks should be tired while the Hawks will hopefully be rested (though you have to wonder if they’ll be rusty while the Ducks have found their legs after the break… conundrum.) The Ducks also scored a season high 7 goals.. but their season average is only 2.8 goals per game. Since you have to suspect the Ducks to return to their average over these two games… I predict that the Ducks will score -1.4 goals tonight. (count it!)
Oh yeah, Duncan Keith is coming back tonight too. That oughta help provided he keeps his head away from Pronger’s elbows.
As Sam mentioned earlier – there could be a lot of line juggling in tonight’s game and if it doesn’t go well soon then we’ll probably see a lot of in game adjustments so keep an eye out for those.
This road trip is going to be hell – But if the Hawks can start it off with a win that’ll be a huge boost to a struggling team. See you all in the comments..
Lets Go Hawks