the very good...

3-0-1
21 G vs 6 GA in regulation
Saad with 5 goals from a total of 15 feet from the crease
Goaltending = outstanding
Towes looking alot better

the not so good.

hard to believe this team is going to be dependent on a 2 year player like smaltz
blueline is one lit match short of a dumpster fire
ADB can not be 3rd line player...what a waste
Anisimov has lost a step he could not afford to lose...
- bogiedoc

Much as I too had brief thoughts of a Duchene centered line#2, the way Sakic has continued to Dangle AND Demand, I see a complete Bowman overpay with a regrettable future return..(see 2015 Sharp trade...wouldn't Johns look great still sporting the Indian Head right about now...if only he could have come back with Sharp)

And now we have needs down the middle and on defense But.....we've always been looking for solid face off guys SO My question is this How is it that last year when Az bought out Vermette and He went unclaimed for some time (I was checking regularly), Stan didn't pull the trigger? HOW did a guy who had proven his FO potential with us in 2015 end up on ANAs roster with a 64%FO last season AND FO% at 71. something so far this season For the Reasonable Price of $1.75mil Am I missing an obvious reason???

btw, Glad to see we have a solid back up goaltender who stole us 1point in Toronto Crow would have stolen 2pts

Don't get me wrong, I don't like Price's contract. I don't think you should give that much money to a goalie, and for that long.

...but if he didn't got it from Montreal, he would have from another team. Maybe him leaving would have been the best thing, as they could really start a full rebuild. That's not going to fly in Montreal though, and I really doubt management and owners want to go through that, even if it's what they need in my opinion.
- stinger67

I still don't think there is a player in the NHL worth 10 million. Not at this point.

Meh...They can always bury salary on LTIR at some point. That's what teams do these days, right?
- stinger67

ummm...there is a new CBA in about 2 years most likely with a "work" stoppage...

my guess this another BS loop hole that gets changed...

Left? Keith/Kempny/Forsling. What about RD with Murphy sucking out of the gate?
- Assman22

Eh, Murphy hasn't been bad at all since the real games started. He's been the 4th most defensively responsible d-man and had less mistakes than both Kempny and Forsling. The main reason I said left is because Forsling is an extreme work in progress at this point, more so than Murphy (who is also still growing as a d-man). Last night's game was Forsling's worst, but he's very young and green with a ton of potential. So if they were to pick up a LD so Forsling could slot down to Rockford more comfortably, that would be pretty good.

There's always hope lol.

Last year's team was a good team, they just met up with a better team in the playoffs who executed the best strategy. It was embarassing but it didn't negate they were good. I still firmly believe they would have gotten to the 2nd round against anyone from the West last year (though Edmonton would have given them fits).

I like the potential of the forward core of this current team but Schmaltz going down shows there's still some center depth issue if any of the main 3 are injured. Defense has been fine, mostly, but there will be growing pains with the younger guys, Forsling especially. Rutta may not be this calm and collected the whole season. I'd still rather pick up another d-man than forward (for the left) if there are trades but I also don't mind seeing where the defense goes. Again, potential is there - just got to see if it'll be realized.
- L_B_R

spot on - it was not a good match-up. Nashville was a step ahead and seemed quicker and more physical, they won the puck battles and got the bounces. The Hawks played with them for the majority of the time, only game 2 was really not so hot for the hawks. But Hawks withered in the latter parts of the game. Can we say that the Toronto game was similar? In some news outlets, Toronto dominated the Hawks. But not so sure as Hawks were winning 3 to 1 late in the 3rd, but failed to hold the lead as Toronto seemed faster and more determined at the end of the game. The big Hawks horses had nothing left at the end and were outplayed. that is not a good sign. But the Hawks game plan and personnel worked against Montreal. (and on a back to back game - where one might think the Hawks should be fresher for the Toronto game, hmmm)

I know I've asked you this before, but where do you get your stats? I'm interested in the Keith and Seabrook pairing advanced stats.
- JRoenick97

NaturalStatTrick and Corsica, mostly. Additionally hockeystats.ca for in-game stuff that NST doesn't quite cover. Puckalytics and all the sites associated with it went dark over the summer, which was a bummer.

NaturalStatTrick and Corsica, mostly. Additionally hockeystats.ca for in-game stuff that NST doesn't quite cover. Puckalytics and all the sites associated with it went dark over the summer, which was a bummer.
- L_B_R

Oh yeah, I forgot Corsica 2.0 launched. Thanks.

One thing is for certain our PK is so much better this year than last year.
- BetweenTheDots

How can that be without the great Marcus Kruger? Oh wait, maybe he was a bit overrated on this board.

Hey, who ever a few pages back in the afternoon (?) was ripping Kero that he can only work his way down, well...


get your freaking eyes examined.
- wiz1901

Agreed. Kero was terrific last night. Perfect 4th line center.

Awesome game by the boys last night. Kind thought that last year's team was gonna show up last night, and in some aspects, they kinda did, but it was the 4th game in 6 nights so they were probably gassed. Crow stole that game.

Anyways, please read this post game analysis from windycitychronicle.com by editor Thomas Gibbons...good read...he and myself share the Blackhawks beat for the website

https://windycitychronicl...tops-41-shots-in-3-1-win/

My guess is Murphy draws back in Thursday with Franson inactive. My other guess is Forsling sits and Oestrle draws in for a game. Schmaltz should be back so the lines should go back to what they were on opening night. Except...I think Wingels plays instead of Bouma.

Crawford was excellent. Cat was good, he is here to stay if he keeps playing like this. Kero was really good. Wingels had nice game too. Saad has just been a beast. I love Panarin like everyone else but it is great to have Saad back. Will be even better come playoff time.

Agreed. Kero was terrific last night. Perfect 4th line center.
- onehundredlevel

I like him for that 4th line. His skating and now with Wingels' improved play gives us a nice 4th line that will be hard to play against.

My guess is Murphy draws back in Thursday with Franson inactive. My other guess is Forsling sits and Oestrle draws in for a game. Schmaltz should be back so the lines should go back to what they were on opening night. Except...I think Wingels plays instead of Bouma.

Crawford was excellent. Cat was good, he is here to stay if he keeps playing like this. Kero was really good. Wingels had nice game too. Saad has just been a beast. I love Panarin like everyone else but it is great to have Saad back. Will be even better come playoff time.
- onehundredlevel

It sure is nice to have real options on D, unlike the past where potential replacements looked scary. Competition will make everyone more motivated and better.

OT but watching free NHL game Canes against Columbus and Darling so far gives Vezna caliber performance with glove saves and stick shaft saves and moves puck like Ben Bishop. Small sample but if it holds this contract could be a big steal for Canes, like Murray contract for Pens or Allen for Blues.
- vshun

Darling was real good last night.

He looks a bit funny out there, but he doesn't give up on anything and the puck seems to stick to him. Canes lose that game 4-1 last night if Ward is in net.

Darling was real good last night.

He looks a bit funny out there, but he doesn't give up on anything and the puck seems to stick to him. Canes lose that game 4-1 last night if Ward is in net.
- BINGO!

Did they lose 3-1? Don't follow that team

My guess is Murphy draws back in Thursday with Franson inactive. My other guess is Forsling sits and Oestrle draws in for a game. Schmaltz should be back so the lines should go back to what they were on opening night. Except...I think Wingels plays instead of Bouma.

Crawford was excellent. Cat was good, he is here to stay if he keeps playing like this. Kero was really good. Wingels had nice game too. Saad has just been a beast. I love Panarin like everyone else but it is great to have Saad back. Will be even better come playoff time.
- onehundredlevel

Wouldn't mind seeing Hayden get some extended PP time. Plant him in front of the net. There is not really room to move him up in the line-up unless Hartman moves down to the 4th line.

Did they lose 3-1? Don't follow that team
- Hawkjet

2-1 in OT, I think

Did they lose 3-1? Don't follow that team
- Hawkjet

2-1 in OT.

He played really well.

I had no idea Kruger was such a pain-in-the-ass to play against. The guy doesn't quit on anything.

Much as I too had brief thoughts of a Duchene centered line#2, the way Sakic has continued to Dangle AND Demand, I see a complete Bowman overpay with a regrettable future return..(see 2015 Sharp trade...wouldn't Johns look great still sporting the Indian Head right about now...if only he could have come back with Sharp)

And now we have needs down the middle and on defense But.....we've always been looking for solid face off guys SO My question is this How is it that last year when Az bought out Vermette and He went unclaimed for some time (I was checking regularly), Stan didn't pull the trigger? HOW did a guy who had proven his FO potential with us in 2015 end up on ANAs roster with a 64%FO last season AND FO% at 71. something so far this season For the Reasonable Price of $1.75mil Am I missing an obvious reason???

btw, Glad to see we have a solid back up goaltender who stole us 1point in Toronto Crow would have stolen 2pts
- moms2sense1puck

Disagree, nobody on the planet stops Matthews last shot. Not nobody never.

Wouldn't mind seeing Hayden get some extended PP time. Plant him in front of the net. There is not really room to move him up in the line-up unless Hartman moves down to the 4th line.
- bhawks2241

Fancy stat wise, Hayden is the 3rd or 4th best possession player on the team. That could be a byproduct of him playing against easier competition, but he's making the most of it.

2-1 in OT.

He played really well.

I had no idea Kruger was such a pain-in-the-ass to play against. The guy doesn't quit on anything.
- BINGO!

With Darling and Freddie (Kruger), Carolina got two gamers, that much is certain.

2-1 in OT.

He played really well.

I had no idea Kruger was such a pain-in-the-ass to play against. The guy doesn't quit on anything.
- BINGO!

Kruger has the heart of a lion. the Hawks fourth line and PK actually looks like it may be better this year without him (I think it will be even better once Bouma is replaced). Not saying that's why, but it shows he was pretty easy to replace for a whole lot less.

Disagree, nobody on the planet stops Matthews last shot. Not nobody never.
- 6628

You got it. Matthews put it exactly where it had to be, right above the shoulder 2 inches under the bar. Crow does NOT make that save. And I think even Crow knows that. Matthews was the best player on the ice Monday night...tip your hat to him and move on.

>From Q's press conference last night
>“Those guys have been really good together,” Quenneville said of DeBrincat and Sharp. “Whether they’re scoring or not, we like the way they’re playing without the puck, and they’re moving around the ice where it seems like things develop almost every single shift. Whether they’re looking for one another, they both have that patience where something can potentially develop and usually does. I thought [Tanner] Kero was better tonight. I think that line had a really good game. And the Cat getting that first goal in a special place like this will be a very good memory in a win.”
>Notice line 6: "Kero was better last night."
>My eyes are just fine, thank you.
>Still have 20/10 vision
>I expect more out of Kero and so did Q
>Glad he woke up

Kruger has the heart of a lion. the Hawks fourth line and PK actually looks like it may be better this year without him (I think it will be even better once Bouma is replaced). Not saying that's why, but it shows he was pretty easy to replace for a whole lot less.
- kwolf68

The possible improvement has to do with the system change and less with personnel, though there's more of an offensive threat now. The Canes PK has been aggressive for a while and Kruger looks great in that system too.