Chicago Blackhawks 2012 Playoffs

[Soul]

We're tanking.

 

Geez. It started off so promising. What the hell is going on with these guys?

[UMFan83]

How bad has Corey Crawford been lately?

 

Last 13 games including tonight (Since Oct 31):

.884 SV%

3.32 GAA

 

To put those numbers in context, if that was his whole season performance, his goals against would rank 33rd of 35 qualified goalies, and his save percentage would rank 34th of 35 (thanks Steve Mason)

[Flames24Rulz]

This team has been a tough watch lately. Just boring hockey, besides that third period in Anaheim.

[Smack]

I picked a bad game to go to when the highlight was the national anthem.

[Soul]

Yeah, it's kind of dragging me down. Not like there's been much to watch with these basketball-less weekday evenings. Then the Blackhawks come on and stink up the joint.

 

Whatever. Sports are sports. But I feel like this team shouldn't be tanking to hell like this. We had a nice start, now it's just nothing.

[bcl412]

They were 3-3 on the west coast trip and then lost their last game. They aren't playing the best but it could be worse. I'm not following the tanking logic.

[biittner77]

How bad has Corey Crawford been lately?

 

Last 13 games including tonight (Since Oct 31):

.884 SV%

3.32 GAA

 

To put those numbers in context, if that was his whole season performance, his goals against would rank 33rd of 35 qualified goalies, and his save percentage would rank 34th of 35 (thanks Steve Mason)

 

It seems like Crawford is suffering the same thing that plagued Hjalmerson last year: after signing the big contract he started trying to do too much and got away from what he does well that got him the big contract in the first place.

 

At what point should we start worrying that Crawford was a flash in the pan? Not yet but a couple more weeks of erractic play and the panic button will start glowing red.

[jersey cubs fan]

How bad has Corey Crawford been lately?

 

Last 13 games including tonight (Since Oct 31):

.884 SV%

3.32 GAA

 

To put those numbers in context, if that was his whole season performance, his goals against would rank 33rd of 35 qualified goalies, and his save percentage would rank 34th of 35 (thanks Steve Mason)

 

It seems like Crawford is suffering the same thing that plagued Hjalmerson last year: after signing the big contract he started trying to do too much and got away from what he does well that got him the big contract in the first place.

 

At what point should we start worrying that Crawford was a flash in the pan? Not yet but a couple more weeks of erractic play and the panic button will start glowing red.

 

The goalie position is overrated in hockey. They just need a stable guy back there. The rest of the teams' struggles are much more concerning to me. If they start playing better, he will start looking better.

[NewUserName]

 

The goalie position is overrated in hockey. They just need a stable guy back there. The rest of the teams' struggles are much more concerning to me. If they start playing better, he will start looking better.

 

I kind of disagree with your statement. When a team is a good puck possession team like the Hawks have been, then you can get by with a (game managing, inning eating) steady goaltender. I think one of the bigger differences between Cup winning Hawks and the current Hawks is their puck possession is not as good, which exposes the goalie more. I do not think any team can get by with a steady goaltender. Philadelphia has shown that though they have skilled offensive players, they are not really good at puck control, so they need a better goaltender to win. So to agree with your statement, yes the Hawks need to be better at puck possession in front of Crawford. Their skill level on the 3rd line is not as good as the Cup team and trading Campbell is going to hurt also. Plus I am not sure that Q is really a puck possession coach.

[jersey cubs fan]

 

The goalie position is overrated in hockey. They just need a stable guy back there. The rest of the teams' struggles are much more concerning to me. If they start playing better, he will start looking better.

 

I kind of disagree with your statement. When a team is a good puck possession team like the Hawks have been, then you can get by with a (game managing, inning eating) steady goaltender. I think one of the bigger differences between Cup winning Hawks and the current Hawks is their puck possession is not as good, which exposes the goalie more. I do not think any team can get by with a steady goaltender. Philadelphia has shown that though they have skilled offensive players, they are not really good at puck control, so they need a better goaltender to win. So to agree with your statement, yes the Hawks need to be better at puck possession in front of Crawford. Their skill level on the 3rd line is not as good as the Cup team and trading Campbell is going to hurt also. Plus I am not sure that Q is really a puck possession coach.

 

Others have disagreed with my stance on goalies as well. Sure, some teams can't do anything without their goalie, like New Jersey or Buffalo. But having a franchise goalie isn't the same thing has having a franchise QB in football. They just aren't that necessary. They can help a mediocre team stay in contention, but for one thing they come and go. There's very little consistency with the top line goalies. Ryan Miller can go from all world to just another guy in a year. Chicago and Detroit can win cups with nobodies. Khabi and Luongo can go from stopping everything to absolute garbage at times. And Philly struggles from having garbage goalies, not the lack of an elite one.

[jersey cubs fan]

I started writing a post yesterday about Q and the high turnover rate of NHL coaches but erased it because I felt a little too reactionary with the recent slump.

 

But I do wonder when Q will start feeling some heat. The team is still in fine shape standings wise and should be able to have a successful season. They are only 1+ seasons removed from a Stanley Cup and Q's winning percentage is higher than all 5 coaches left on the tenure list ahead of him (although McLellen is right there with him in tenure and has a higher %). The success can't be questioned. But I do think the direction is somewhat in doubt. NHL coaches tend to turnover quickly, and sometimes almost out of nowhere. Well over half the coaches in the league took over in 2009 or later, and only 5 took their jobs before 2008. Obviously this is in my mind because of a couple of recent firings, both following prolonged losing streaks. I doubt Q goes with a 7 or 8 game losing streak. But if this team fails to get out of the first round of the playoffs this year, the talk may begin. And if they fall out of playoff contention, my guess is any slump next year will be trouble. Of course, this also raises the question about when Bowman will feel heat, as in my opinion, he's yet to do anything to actually improve the team since taking over, with most of his moves being salary cap related and cutting back on skill.

Edited December 1, 2011 by jersey cubs fan

[biittner77]

If the Blackhawks don't make the playoffs this year, Q will most certainly be fired. Q is a meddler that's constantly trying to shake things up. That makes him very easy for even a casual fan to second guess his effectiveness/ ability/ knowledge. Sooner or later, even dumb people will realize that playing Scott in a non emergency situation is a terrible idea, so he'll have that working against him as well.

[NewUserName]

If the Blackhawks don't make the playoffs this year, Q will most certainly be fired. Q is a meddler that's constantly trying to shake things up. That makes him very easy for even a casual fan to second guess his effectiveness/ ability/ knowledge. Sooner or later, even dumb people will realize that playing Scott in a non emergency situation is a terrible idea, so he'll have that working against him as well.

 

I think Scotty Bowman made the meddler who likes to shake things up style of coaching quite common.

[biittner77]

If the Blackhawks don't make the playoffs this year, Q will most certainly be fired. Q is a meddler that's constantly trying to shake things up. That makes him very easy for even a casual fan to second guess his effectiveness/ ability/ knowledge. Sooner or later, even dumb people will realize that playing Scott in a non emergency situation is a terrible idea, so he'll have that working against him as well.

 

I think Scotty Bowman made the meddler who likes to shake things up style of coaching quite common.

 

Fair enough. But the perception that most people have is that everybody makes the playoffs in Hockey. With all the talent the Blackhawks have, for them to miss the playoffs they'd have to have seriously underachieved and that usually falls on the coach.

[jersey cubs fan]

http://nhl-red-light.si.com/2011/12/01/its-the-time-of-the-season-for-nhl-coaching-upheaval/?sct=hp_wr_a4&eref=sihp

 

Scotty Bowman talks to SI about firing coaches.

 

Firing coaches has gone viral in the NHL. Why? “It’s about the time,” says Scotty Bowman, the legendary Hall of Famer who won nine Stanley Cups as a coach. “The first quarter of the season is gone. You’re coming up to the one-third mark now. The end of this month you’re halfway. These teams, if they don’t make a move now, it’s going to be a long season and they’re not going to catch up.”

 

 

When Bowman looks at the standings, he sees that the league’s recent parity bunches teams together and if one falls too far behind the main group, it will be in danger. “If you’re not in the pack, it shows up real bad now,” he says, looking at teams like the Ducks who, even with their win over Montreal on Wednesday night in Carlyle’s final game, are still 10 points out of a playoff spot with six teams to climb over. “If you’re in the mix, maybe there’s some teams who aren’t doing as well as they thought they would, but they’re in the mix. If you get behind six teams, it’s hard to catch up. The teams ahead of you all play each other. Those three-point games, especially, can kill you.”

[Butterscup1679666578]

The #Blackhawks have acquired a 7th-round 2013 draft pick from Ottawa in exchange for F Rob Klinkhammer.

[kujay]

That was a pretty goal.

[17 Seconds]

crawford is brutal

[17 Seconds]

the way they're playing reminds me of the way they played in front of huet when he was tanking.

[UMFan83]

Now we're losing at home to the [expletive] Islanders? Geez, get your [expletive] together guys.

 

Kane is back at RW...interesting

[17 Seconds]

we got a point

[kujay]

Toews is really good. 15-2 shots. That's how you treat shitty teams.

[17 Seconds]

nice toe drag for the shorty

[Butterscup1679666578]

islanders demolishing us in this 3rd

[17 Seconds]

being outshot 19-3 in the 3rd period. holy [expletive]