08-09' Blackhawks (46-24-12) 104 PTS - 4th Seed In The West!

[kujay]

Glad I avoided the game thread last night. What else can be said? Most aggravating game of the year.

 

They lost this game because their finishers didn't finish. Simple as that. They should've cruised to a 4-2 win. Yes, Harding was great, but our shooters missed their spots too many times and missed open nets as well.

 

As for the "no goal" business, I thought it was inconclusive. Given that, I'm not surprised they didn't overturn it. From the main angle it definitely looked like a good goal. I don't trust that camera they had behind the net because it was higher than the goal, looking slightly downward.

[Cynosure]

Usually I wake up the morning and have something positive to say about a loss after I have time to think about it. NOT THIS ONE... I did go back and watch that goal again for Minnesota and I see how they called it a goal, the call on the ice was goal and there was only one camera that showed it being knocked in with a high stick.

 

The officials weren't THAT bad, but the NHL rules are. How can Koivu have Havlat in a chokehold at the end of the game and we only get 30 seconds of PP?

 

There needs to be a rule put in that if you commit a penalty with under a minute left you get a penalty shot or at least you get the full PP time.

Edited February 23, 2009 by Cynosure

[Soul]

We just came up against a hot young goalie that the league really doesn't know yet, that's all. I liken it to facing a hot young pitching prospect who MLB hitters haven't seen yet.

 

We put a ton of shots on net last night. Next time we'll have some good film on this guy.

 

I'll let this one slide.

 

There were also at least 2 places where the only reason we didn't get a goal was a lucky bounce of the puck, or something like that. I'll bet if we played that same game 10 times we win 7 of them.

[Cynosure]

LOL @ Versteeg and Q:

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/chi-23-blackhawks-wild-chicagofeb23,0,1867439.story

 

"It's boring to play against, and it's boring to watch," Versteeg said. "They really put you to sleep out there. They have five guys that basically just stand in front and just block shots.

 

"Playing against a team like that makes it pretty tough to really get any life in the building."

 

"I disagree 100 percent with the call," said Quenneville, who showed his displeasure by standing on the bench and yelling at the referee. "It was a big goal. It gets them in the game."

[NewUserName]

Usually I wake up the morning and have something positive to say about a loss after I have time to think about it. NOT THIS ONE... I did go back and watch that goal again for Minnesota and I see how they called it a goal, the call on the ice was goal and there was only one camera that showed it being knocked in with a high stick.

 

The officials weren't THAT bad, but the NHL rules are. How can Koivu have Havlat in a chokehold at the end of the game and we only get 30 seconds of PP?

 

There needs to be a rule put in that if you commit a penalty with under a minute left you get a penalty shot or at least you get the full PP time.

 

I think about 10 yrs ago there was an idea that all penalties in the last minute would result in a penalty shot.

[UMFan83]

So I was thinking a lot about the Hawks playoff chances this year. I am a semi-serious Hawks fan, I watch at least a chunk of 90% of the games, follow the team in the media, etc, but when it comes to the NHL in general I am more of a novice. So I wonder, what are the Hawks odds of making a run in the playoffs?

 

There are times this year where the Hawks have looked unbeatable. In fact, there are a lot of times. Losses like yesterday make people so angry because they aren't expected. But there have also been times this year where the Hawks haven't looked as sharp (pun not intended). Their offense can be streaky, their defense has lapses here and there, there are depth issues here and there but nothing major. I am assuming most people's expectations would at least be to beat Vancouver in the first round. The Hawks have outplayed them a majority of their 3 games.

 

But what about rounds 2 and 3 against most likely San Jose and Detroit. Are you hockey experts basically conceding there is no chance, or do you think if the Hawks can get over the psychological playoff experience hump by beating Vancouver, a group of young talented players with nothing to lose and their whole careers ahead of them can play with the big boys? Again, there have been times when the Hawks have looked just as good as SJ and Detroit, but when push comes to shove, they both have clearly distanced themselves from Chicago in the standings.

 

So my questions are:

 

1) Assuming the Hawks are the 4 seed and draw Vancouver in the first round with SJ and Detroit 1-2, what are your reasonable expectations for the playoffs. (for example, mine would be win round 1, lose to SJ 4-2 is what I'd expect)

2) How likely is it that the Blackhawks can make a competitive series/win against SJ and/or Detroit? Or do you expect a veteran team like SJ or Detroit to roll over the Hawks

3) How likely is it that the Hawks can come out of the West and enter the Stanley Cup finals?

 

Just hypothetical questions to discuss on the off day...

 

Also, assume no major trades are made.

[Cynosure]

So I was thinking a lot about the Hawks playoff chances this year. I am a semi-serious Hawks fan, I watch at least a chunk of 90% of the games, follow the team in the media, etc, but when it comes to the NHL in general I am more of a novice. So I wonder, what are the Hawks odds of making a run in the playoffs?

 

There are times this year where the Hawks have looked unbeatable. In fact, there are a lot of times. Losses like yesterday make people so angry because they aren't expected. But there have also been times this year where the Hawks haven't looked as sharp (pun not intended). Their offense can be streaky, their defense has lapses here and there, there are depth issues here and there but nothing major. I am assuming most people's expectations would at least be to beat Vancouver in the first round. The Hawks have outplayed them a majority of their 3 games.

 

But what about rounds 2 and 3 against most likely San Jose and Detroit. Are you hockey experts basically conceding there is no chance, or do you think if the Hawks can get over the psychological playoff experience hump by beating Vancouver, a group of young talented players with nothing to lose and their whole careers ahead of them can play with the big boys? Again, there have been times when the Hawks have looked just as good as SJ and Detroit, but when push comes to shove, they both have clearly distanced themselves from Chicago in the standings.

 

So my questions are:

 

1) Assuming the Hawks are the 4 seed and draw Vancouver in the first round with SJ and Detroit 1-2, what are your reasonable expectations for the playoffs. (for example, mine would be win round 1, lose to SJ 4-2 is what I'd expect)

2) How likely is it that the Blackhawks can make a competitive series/win against SJ and/or Detroit? Or do you expect a veteran team like SJ or Detroit to roll over the Hawks

3) How likely is it that the Hawks can come out of the West and enter the Stanley Cup finals?

 

Just hypothetical questions to discuss on the off day...

 

Also, assume no major trades are made.

 

I honestly think we can beat the Sharks in a 7 game series. The Sharks are just one of those teams... they always make the playoffs but never the Finals. In the last 4 seasons they have lost in the Conference semi-finals every year except '03 when they lost in the Conference finals. Every series was a 4-2 loss. The Hawks can beat that team, they can't beat Detroit.

 

And even if we somehow got to the Finals, we can't beat Boston or NJ in a 7 game series. I think we'd have a good shot against Washington/Philadelphia, though.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm no hockey expert, or even knowledgeable novice (what I know about hockey I learned from sega, frozen ponds and the occasional backyard rink). But my expectation is they win round one and struggle to win more than 1 game in round 2. It's up to the goalie though. It's possible they could make more noise than that. I wouldn't be surprised if they won round 2. That sort of thing happens in hockey all the time. I highly highly doubt they manage to beat both big dogs, but a conference championship matchup isn't out of the question.

 

That being said, from a strictly hockey standpoint, I think it would be really smart to trade Khabi. Get what you can and build for the future. But for this organization, it's absolutely a must that they win a series this year, and for that, they might need to keep Khabi. A first round flameout could really hurt the progress they've made.

[kujay]

I agree that a first-round exit would be disastrous. Here's how I look at these playoffs. The playoffs are so different from the regular season, and many of these guys aren't going to be ready for it. Even with that, I think they win the first-round series on talent alone. After that, it'll be a battle and we'll learn a lot about some of these guys. But looking beyond this year, every playoff minute each of these guys plays will make them a better team in the future.

 

We'll need exceptional goaltending to beat San Jose. They are so strong. Oddly, I'm not as afraid of Detroit.

[UMFan83]

A first round flameout could really hurt the progress they've made.

 

Do you really think so? I am not sure if I believe that. The team is young and talented, and quite a few of their key pieces are locked up. My thinking goes back to the Penguins two seasons ago. They broke through and made the playoffs as a 5 seed in 06-07, but lost to the 4 seed Ottawa 4-1 in the first round. The next year, the finished 3rd (or 2nd?) and made it to the Stanley Cup finals. I think it really depends on how they take to the playoffs. If they press and get a case of Cub-itis, I can see them losing in the first round quickly. But if they come in with a fearless, nothing-to-lose mentality, they could become giant killers and advance a few rounds.

[kujay]

A first round flameout could really hurt the progress they've made.

 

Do you really think so? I am not sure if I believe that. The team is young and talented, and quite a few of their key pieces are locked up. My thinking goes back to the Penguins two seasons ago. They broke through and made the playoffs as a 5 seed in 06-07, but lost to the 4 seed Ottawa 4-1 in the first round. The next year, the finished 3rd (or 2nd?) and made it to the Stanley Cup finals. I think it really depends on how they take to the playoffs. If they press and get a case of Cub-itis, I can see them losing in the first round quickly. But if they come in with a fearless, nothing-to-lose mentality, they could become giant killers and advance a few rounds.

 

I think if the team loses in five, they just might not get the experience they need to prepare them for the future. Pittsburgh was more of a veteran team than the Hawks.

[jersey cubs fan]

A first round flameout could really hurt the progress they've made.

 

Do you really think so? I am not sure if I believe that. The team is young and talented, and quite a few of their key pieces are locked up. My thinking goes back to the Penguins two seasons ago. They broke through and made the playoffs as a 5 seed in 06-07, but lost to the 4 seed Ottawa 4-1 in the first round. The next year, the finished 3rd (or 2nd?) and made it to the Stanley Cup finals. I think it really depends on how they take to the playoffs. If they press and get a case of Cub-itis, I can see them losing in the first round quickly. But if they come in with a fearless, nothing-to-lose mentality, they could become giant killers and advance a few rounds.

 

Yes, I do believe it could hurt the progress. Chicago fans have seen teams emerge from the depths and contend, then bust out in the playoffs (Hawks earlier this decade, Cubs, Bulls a few years ago). If they come right back next year and have a great regular season and succeed in the playoffs, they should be fine. But next year is not guaranteed. Winning in the playoffs this year will build more goodwill. Losing early could be a problem though. With the economy in the state that it's in, and no guarantee that it will be much better by October, they might lose some of the fans they gained. The novelty of seeing the team on TV is going to wear off some time. It's going to have to be about winning playoff games.

[kujay]

Yes, I do believe it could hurt the progress. Chicago fans have seen teams emerge from the depths and contend, then bust out in the playoffs (Hawks earlier this decade, Cubs, Bulls a few years ago). If they come right back next year and have a great regular season and succeed in the playoffs, they should be fine. But next year is not guaranteed. Winning in the playoffs this year will build more goodwill. Losing early could be a problem though. With the economy in the state that it's in, and no guarantee that it will be much better by October, they might lose some of the fans they gained. The novelty of seeing the team on TV is going to wear off some time. It's going to have to be about winning playoff games.

 

The other thing is that a lot of people bought season tickets for the Winter Classic tickets. Without that draw, and given the economy, I think there will be a lot of non-renewals. Whether there are enough new folks on the waiting list remains to be seen.

[Cynosure]

Kujay, you really think we have a better shot against Detroit than the Sharks? Sharks are a proven bust in the playoffs while the Wings are a juggernaut. Just curious as to your reasoning.

[bcl412]

I think we can beat both Detroit and the Sharks. We have played the Sharks really well in all of the games this year. We lost on a late goal, lost in overtime and beat them in their building in game the Hawks pretty much controlled. I think the Hawks match up really well vs the Sharks.

 

They've played Detroit well in some games and got beat handily in other games. Last year though, the Hawks owned them. I think the struggles against Detroit are more of a mental thing. I think they can beat them but probably won't.

[UMFan83]

I think we can beat both Detroit and the Sharks. We have played the Sharks really well in all of the games this year. We lost on a late goal, lost in overtime and beat them in their building in game the Hawks pretty much controlled. I think the Hawks match up really well vs the Sharks.

 

They've played Detroit well in some games and got beat handily in other games. Last year though, the Hawks owned them. I think the struggles against Detroit are more of a mental thing. I think they can beat them but probably won't.

 

Yeah but the playoffs in any sport, especially hockey, are a whole different animal. The last time I pointed to regular season success against one team translating to a playoff series against them, the Cubs got swept by the Dodgers. The time before, the Bulls got handled easily by the Pistons. In the Cubs case, they didn't play great against the Dodgers in winning the season series, but the Bulls looked like they really matched up well vs. Detroit in the 06-07 regular season and then got dominated in the first 3 games of their playoff series.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

80% chance of getting through the first round, 20% of getting through the second.

 

They can play a competitive series against SJ or Detroit, but it will have to involve an insanely hot goalie and a string of our best performances.

[Cynosure]

Sarah Spain is going to be interviewing Brian Campbell on Wednesday. Post questions here and I will forward them to her.

 

I will post her interview after she does it so you can see the answers to your questions!

[Cynosure]

Again, hate the Tuesday games... gonna miss this one live.

 

This is a good division game, should be lots of fireworks. If the Hawks play like they did against the Wild, Hawks win in a high scoring affair 5-3.

 

Forwards got to stay hot... I bet Havlat gets 2-3 points tonight!

[kujay]

I definitely expect Eager to get into the action tonight. Hopefully he get on the scoresheet too.

 

Just another division game they should win. Maybe they just need to get back on the road to get on another winning streak.

[Cynosure]

I definitely expect Eager to get into the action tonight. Hopefully he get on the scoresheet too.

 

Just another division game they should win. Maybe they just need to get back on the road to get on another winning streak.

 

We are going against Pekka Rinne. Another "no name"... he's 6'5" and extremely flexible. He covers a lot of the net and has an incredibly quick stick. This kind of goalie is the bane for the way the Hawks play... you really only have top left and right shelf...

[kujay]

I definitely expect Eager to get into the action tonight. Hopefully he get on the scoresheet too.

 

Just another division game they should win. Maybe they just need to get back on the road to get on another winning streak.

 

We are going against Pekka Rinne. Another "no name"... he's 6'5" and extremely flexible. He covers a lot of the net and has an incredibly quick stick. This kind of goalie is the bane for the way the Hawks play... you really only have top left and right shelf...

 

Just get Kane or Havlat open in the slot and let them fire away. His height might take away the high options though.

[kujay]

*snore*

 

Not much doing in the 1st.

[Drew Doughty]

go hawks plz

[kujay]

go hawks plz

 

:)

 

We'll do what we can.