Just a few loose ends to talk about today.
-Rosenbloom, we’ve been talking up Brouwer for weeks. Catch up.
-Sassone is banging the Matt Cullen drum. Cullen’s a nice player, but that’s just about it. While I’m not enthralled with Cam Barker either, losing him now wouldn’t help the team much. It also invites the question on what the Hawks would do when Dave Bolland comes back. Shift Cullen to wing? In place of who? Put Bolland on the wing? The answer is in-house. Sharp was in the middle for the 3rd period last night, and it was probably Q’s way of telling him, “Get used to this.” And the way Sharp was skating last night, he’s come to terms with it.
-The Hawks beat the league leaders with basically one line last night, and it’s because Jonathan Toews is a gift from God. Had he not mauled Joe Pavelski at times, the Hawks probably would have sat at 1 all night. Here are your Corsi’s from last night, with Seabrook and Keith sticking out the most. Puck Daddy was sounding the now-tired Cap-ocalypse air-raid siren again. Read nothing into Toews and Kane being the first to be locked up. There’s no debate the Toews is the most important one, and he has the same agent as Kane, so it’s just sense that they would get done at the same time. We’ll go more into this when we get the final numbers, if there are any.
Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead, and Dustin Byfuglien still sucks.
-This trip looks a nightmare. Not only are the Hawks facing four teams who are playing pretty well right now, but two of them have vested interest. After getting bounced in May and then embarrassed in October, blowing a 5-goal lead (and I’m still not sure that really happened), is there any doubt the Flames will be out for blood Thursday? We know the story with Vancouver. San Jose hasn’t lost in regulation at home yet, and the Hawks always make a fustercluck of any night at Staples Center. I would take 3-3 on this and run for the exit.