Re: 2009 Chicago Blackhawks

[bukie]

That's a new franchise record for points. They're assured of finishing with a better record than anyone other than Washington and San Jose.

[NewUserName]

The Hawks are the team that I would least like to face in the first round. I think I would prefer in this order...Coyotes/Sharks/Canucks/Hawks. I think most reasonable thinking Wings fans feel this way. The meatball crowd wants the Hawks.

 

Damn 95% of your fans want to face the Hawks? :lol:

 

Only 31% on this scientifically accurate online poll. One of the reasons that I never thought of was early round travel.

[Soul]

That's a new franchise record for points. They're assured of finishing with a better record than anyone other than Washington and San Jose.

 

Somehow that adds a tinge more anxiety for me heading into the playoffs. I don't want to crash out such an incredible overall season.

 

If there wasn't such a history of high seeds being upset in the first round, I wouldn't feel the same.

 

Get it done Hawks.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Hockey playoffs aren't at baseball's level for coinflippery, but they aren't really a place where you can sure of your edge if you are the better team. There's definitely a chance that the Hawks could flame out in the first round, despite their recent hot streak. Stupid playoffs :(

[Soul]

Just have to have faith they'll get it done and we will feel silly for having doubted them :)

[NewUserName]

Hockey playoffs aren't at baseball's level for coinflippery, but they aren't really a place where you can sure of your edge if you are the better team. There's definitely a chance that the Hawks could flame out in the first round, despite their recent hot streak. Stupid playoffs :(

 

Lets be honest, how often do you think an 8th seed would beat a 1 seed in a 7 game series in baseball? A lot of baseballs coinflippery is that they basically are 2nd round matchups already. I think there are 2 aspects of Hockey that make the playoffs very different than the regular season. 1st is they allow more physical play and the players know it. NHL will defend its officiating by claiming that there are just as many penalties in the playoffs as the regular season. I think you would be hard pressed to find 2 hockey fans who believe the game is called the same in the playoffs as the regular season, its just that the players have learned that they can press the envelope more in the playoffs so they do so. This of course will favor teams that really understand how far to push. 2nd, I think in hockey the "grit" factor is real. In the playoffs certain players are just better players when they have to play with the "sense of urgency"

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'd expect the inferior team to win a 1 v. 8 matchup in baseball at least 35% of the time, maybe more.

[Magnetic Curses]

I'd expect the inferior team to win a 1 v. 8 matchup in baseball at least 35% of the time, maybe more.

 

agree. baseball is way more of a crapshoot. a baseball season gives twice as long as a hockey season for the luck to be balanced.

 

hockey is closer to basketball than baseball, but there's still room for a hot goalie to ruin everybody's time.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I think in hockey there's a lot of "shoot toward the net and hope it just happens to pick a corner or hit someone on the way and deflect in," and a lot of hot goalies are really just teams whose opponents aren't getting much shooting luck.

[SpongeWorthy]

Isn't being able to put traffic in front of the net consistently something skilled teams do?

 

I've watched enough hockey recently to realize that those deflections are at least partly skill. Since I've started following (a bit) I've come to appreciate the ability to deliberately direct a puck in the air with a stick. It's impressive.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Isn't being able to put traffic in front of the net consistently something skilled teams do?

 

I've watched enough hockey recently to realize that those deflections are at least partly skill. Since I've started following (a bit) I've come to appreciate the ability to deliberately direct a puck in the air with a stick. It's impressive.

 

It's definitely a skill. But even with it being a skill, you won't get it every time. If you get four or five chances a game, even if you can get it on net and past the keeper 50% of the time (which seems way too high to me), you'll have long stretches where you don't get any and it will seem like the other team's goalie is unstoppable.

[NewUserName]

I'd expect the inferior team to win a 1 v. 8 matchup in baseball at least 35% of the time, maybe more.

 

Really? How often does the "1" seed lose now?

 

I think another factor that leads to early round upsets in hockey is that for a round a team may be able to get away with shortening their team. Often 4th liners and the 6th d-man get limited time in an attempt to pull off an upset. Probably will only work against team as playoffs progress though.

[UMFan83]

SJ is up 4-0 on Vancouver in the 2nd period tonight. I would have hoped that Vancouver could have given them a much more competitive game. I'm not sure who SJ plays to finish the season, but it's gonna be hard to get that 1 seed if we need to beat both Detroit and Colorado to get it.

[17 Seconds]

I'd expect the inferior team to win a 1 v. 8 matchup in baseball at least 35% of the time, maybe more.

 

Really? How often does the "1" seed lose now?

 

 

over the last 5 years, they're 7-3 in the first round

[17 Seconds]

if the blackhawks and red wings both win tonight, we would be guaranteed to play someone other than detroit in the first round.

[Soul]

Hopefully we are catching the Avs at a good time, as they have struggled recently.

[Magnetic Curses]

I think in hockey there's a lot of "shoot toward the net and hope it just happens to pick a corner or hit someone on the way and deflect in," and a lot of hot goalies are really just teams whose opponents aren't getting much shooting luck.

 

i know this is anecdotal, but i watched cujo stop something like over 100 shots in a row while the blues swept the hawks in the first round after the hawks won the president's trophy back in the early 90's. he nearly took a barely average team to the stanley cup finals that year. dude was hot.

[Soul]

Maybe this whole baseball thing can wait.

 

Go Hawks!!

[kujay]

F the Cubs.

 

This is absolute domination. And Hossa is a magician.

[Butterscup1679666578]

I don't want to jump the gun, but maybe the Hawks are back. Good timing too.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I don't want to jump the gun, but maybe the Hawks are back. Good timing too.

 

Tonight could be six in a row. I'd say they are back.

[Butterscup1679666578]

I don't want to jump the gun, but maybe the Hawks are back. Good timing too.

 

Tonight could be six in a row. I'd say they are back.

 

Wow has it really been six? I haven't been able to actually watch for a week or so. Crazy.

[kujay]

How many times is that goon Tucker going to be allowed to drop his gloves without getting a penalty? This is ridiculous.

[kujay]

Finally. What a [expletive].

[17 Seconds]

assuming we don't blow this lead, we are guaranteed to play someone other than detroit in the first round.

 

i want the 1 seed.... badly. vancouver still scares me the most, and the 1 seed would assure that we wouldn't have to face them until the WCF, and would also guarantee that we'd only have to go through one of vancouver/sj.