Re: Chicago Blackhawks 2013 Playoffs

[cubbyvirus00]

Is it me or is Duncan Keith absolutely brutal running the point on the PP? He'd hold the puck for too long and wait until the last minute to swing it around. I thought he looked awful at various points yesterday.

[UMFan83]

I think we are being a bit revisionist about Buff and Brouwer. Right now, for these playoffs (so not considering ages or contracts), give me those two over Bickell and Saad every day of the week.

 

We also don't have a Ladd.

 

Yes on playoff Buff over Bickell but he's closing the gap in my mind. I'd take Saad over Brouwer in a close one. He hasnt scored in the playoffs but he's making a lot of really good plays out there.

[UMFan83]

Also, the Hawks did have a pretty good PK in 09-10. 85% in the regular season and 83.3% in the playoffs vs. 87% regular season and 97.6% in the playoffs. I just remember Sopel blocking a ton of shots.

[UMFan83]

ESPN's picks have 4 guys picking the Hawks and 6 picking the Kings. Everyone has the series going at least 6 games.

[seanimal]

I don't want to sound as a 'hater', but I think expectations were inflated a bit for the Hawks this postseason based on their regular season. Yes they put up historic numbers, but if you look at it, it was basically the same 'core' of players since the Cup winning team that in previous seasons had disappointing early postseason exits. This year I think was a case of Q, calling on his previous experience, working his magic with the compacted schedule. Where they a very good team, yes? Head and shoulders above the top 3-4 teams this year? I'm not so sure. I would not be surprised if the Kings take this next series.

 

nor should you be. the kings have had a very good year and if they weren't the best, they are certainly in the conversation. this series is a toss-up

 

that being said, the "core" argument you present doesn't really make sense. as others have mentioned, the supporting cast is stronger this season than any other since the post-cup roster changes. also, the core that made early exits the last two years also won the cup three seasons ago

 

about that team, that team was amazingly better than everyone else during the regular season. this years team wasn't as good as that one, by a pretty healthy margin. but that's ok, that team was unsustainable for a number of reasons. every hawk fan should feel blessed to have experienced that. but that shouldn't take away from the mortality of this team, as they have just as much ability and potential to win this cup as anyone still left standing. now is when we see what they're really made of

[apete6]

I'm terrified of this matchup. That being said, even if they lose a competitive series, it's still an "acceptable" season. I would move that to "good" if they win the series and obviously great if they win the Cup. It would have been an underachievement with a loss last night and a complete disaster with a first round loss.

[kujay]

I'm terrified of this matchup. That being said, even if they lose a competitive series, it's still an "acceptable" season. I would move that to "good" if they win the series and obviously great if they win the Cup. It would have been an underachievement with a loss last night and a complete disaster with a first round loss.

 

I agree with this. Anytime you go deep in the conference finals, you've done well. At that point it's almost a roll of the dice.

[UMFan83]

http://1.cdn.nhle.com/nhl/images/upload/2013/05/last-4-champs-lg.jpg

[NewUserName]

I think the one thing that really impressed me the most about the Hawks in this series was Q. In the past when his teams start to get beat by the Wings in a playoff series he has countered with goonery, lack of discipline and whining. He did his fair share of whining early and the Hawks looked like a team losing discipline in game 3. However, they came back in game 4, played well and lost but did not lose discipline. In the long run the better team won because Q had them be the better team, not stupid "physical" play or message sending that has always been his undoing in the past.

 

As a whole this may have been the worst officiated series I can remember. Not because they let them play, but because of the times that they just decided to make calls. It was odd. I said my peace about game 6 and obviously the call last night was terrible. The better team ended up winning, so it probably didn't matter. NHL would do themselves a huge favor and just start having refs be less subjective and more assertive on calling the rules as they are written. It would open the game up more and leave themselves open to much less criticism.

 

Going forward I think the Hawks/Kings series is going to weigh heavily on how the series is officiated. If it is called tightly, I think the Hawks will out skate them and win rather easily. If it is called how the Hawks/Wings series was, it is going to be hard for the Hawks to win.

[UMFan83]

I'm terrified of this matchup. That being said, even if they lose a competitive series, it's still an "acceptable" season. I would move that to "good" if they win the series and obviously great if they win the Cup. It would have been an underachievement with a loss last night and a complete disaster with a first round loss.

 

I agree with this. Anytime you go deep in the conference finals, you've done well. At that point it's almost a roll of the dice.

 

Yup...especially because I feel like these 4 teams are the 4 best teams in hockey. In 2010, I felt the East was a lot weaker and it would have been a disappointment to lose in the Finals. I don't think there is much shame in losing to any of the other 3 remaining teams.

[kujay]

@GinoRedaTSN: Just spoke with Mike Murphy, Sr Vp Hockey Ops, says Walkhom "absolutely made the ballsy correct call...and will definatley work Conf Finals"

 

Unbelievable.

[jersey cubs fan]

@GinoRedaTSN: Just spoke with Mike Murphy, Sr Vp Hockey Ops, says Walkhom "absolutely made the ballsy correct call...and will definatley work Conf Finals"

 

Unbelievable.

 

The ballsy correct call is a minor penalty against Detroit. The wimp out call is offsetting minors, and the typical call is nothing.

[kujay]

@GinoRedaTSN: Just spoke with Mike Murphy, Sr Vp Hockey Ops, says Walkhom "absolutely made the ballsy correct call...and will definatley work Conf Finals"

 

Unbelievable.

 

The ballsy correct call is a minor penalty against Detroit. The wimp out call is offsetting minors, and the typical call is nothing.

 

Exactly. He made the biggest bitch call he could, not to mention that it was wrong.

[UMFan83]

For last night's Chi-Det Gm7, Chicago received 17.21 HH rtg, highest local rating ever in market for an NHL game on NBC Sports Network.

[chuckywang]

For last night's Chi-Det Gm7, Chicago received 17.21 HH rtg, highest local rating ever in market for an NHL game on NBC Sports Network.

 

I hate it when people post breaking news like this on twitter using terms that are not easily searchable.

[jersey cubs fan]

For last night's Chi-Det Gm7, Chicago received 17.21 HH rtg, highest local rating ever in market for an NHL game on NBC Sports Network.

 

I hate it when people post breaking news like this on twitter using terms that are not easily searchable.

Gm7 means game seven

[gflore34]

I think the one thing that really impressed me the most about the Hawks in this series was Q. In the past when his teams start to get beat by the Wings in a playoff series he has countered with goonery, lack of discipline and whining. He did his fair share of whining early and the Hawks looked like a team losing discipline in game 3. However, they came back in game 4, played well and lost but did not lose discipline. In the long run the better team won because Q had them be the better team, not stupid "physical" play or message sending that has always been his undoing in the past.

 

As a whole this may have been the worst officiated series I can remember. Not because they let them play, but because of the times that they just decided to make calls. It was odd. I said my peace about game 6 and obviously the call last night was terrible. The better team ended up winning, so it probably didn't matter. NHL would do themselves a huge favor and just start having refs be less subjective and more assertive on calling the rules as they are written. It would open the game up more and leave themselves open to much less criticism.

 

Going forward I think the Hawks/Kings series is going to weigh heavily on how the series is officiated. If it is called tightly, I think the Hawks will out skate them and win rather easily. If it is called how the Hawks/Wings series was, it is going to be hard for the Hawks to win.

 

 

I agree, very good point, while the Kings are big and physical, they don't have a Datysuk or Zetterberg - far and away two of the best defensive forwards in hockey - to hound Toews all series. I look for him to bounce back and have a better series.

[gflore34]

Don't remember if was posted earlier but, apparently, Toews said something to extent of lets win this game 3-1 between the third and overtime.

[Guest]

I should let this series go at this point, but this one......no penalty called...from Game 6 I think...

 

http://24.media.tumblr.com/b5c173b89d4d516a0ff72cc5fea4a092/tumblr_mni3inroQd1rs8jbdo1_400.gif

 

meh, toews was selling the [expletive] out of that too

[Guest]

I don't want to sound as a 'hater', but I think expectations were inflated a bit for the Hawks this postseason based on their regular season. Yes they put up historic numbers, but if you look at it, it was basically the same 'core' of players since the Cup winning team that in previous seasons had disappointing early postseason exits. This year I think was a case of Q, calling on his previous experience, working his magic with the compacted schedule. Where they a very good team, yes? Head and shoulders above the top 3-4 teams this year? I'm not so sure. I would not be surprised if the Kings take this next series.

 

no, the reason they were significantly better than the last 2 years was the emergence of guys like leddy/saad/shaw/kruger being able to adequetely replace the depth lost in versteeg/ladd/campbell/byfuglian etc

[Banedon]

I should let this series go at this point, but this one......no penalty called...from Game 6 I think...

 

http://24.media.tumblr.com/b5c173b89d4d516a0ff72cc5fea4a092/tumblr_mni3inroQd1rs8jbdo1_400.gif

 

meh, toews was selling the [expletive] out of that too

 

Well sure. But if you don't sell it, NHL refs don't call it.

[biittner77]

I think we are being a bit revisionist about Buff and Brouwer. Right now, for these playoffs (so not considering ages or contracts), give me those two over Bickell and Saad every day of the week.

 

We also don't have a Ladd.

 

Most of Buff's heroics were against the Canucks. I have no real vivd memories of anything Brouwer did during the playoffs. We have the luxury of seeing the complete body of work from those guys while we've yet to see what else Bickell and Saad might do the rest of these playoffs.

 

The current team has no one player as good as Ladd as far as secondary scoring goes. Versteeg was also better than Stalberg's been so far, if that's a fair comparison of players/roles.

[jersey cubs fan]

I don't want to sound as a 'hater', but I think expectations were inflated a bit for the Hawks this postseason based on their regular season. Yes they put up historic numbers, but if you look at it, it was basically the same 'core' of players since the Cup winning team that in previous seasons had disappointing early postseason exits. This year I think was a case of Q, calling on his previous experience, working his magic with the compacted schedule. Where they a very good team, yes? Head and shoulders above the top 3-4 teams this year? I'm not so sure. I would not be surprised if the Kings take this next series.

 

no, the reason they were significantly better than the last 2 years was the emergence of guys like leddy/saad/shaw/kruger being able to adequetely replace the depth lost in versteeg/ladd/campbell/byfuglian etc

 

Campbell wasn't just depth though. He was arguably better than any defenseman on this current roster.

[biittner77]

Campbell wasn't just depth though. He was arguably better than any defenseman on this current roster.

 

Is the gap between Campbell and say Leddy bigger than the gap between Roszival and Jordan Hendry or Oduya and Sopel?

 

Sopel was borderline awful during the season but nails during the playoffs. Oduya is, at times, the opposite.

[kujay]

Nick Boynton was on the ice when Kane scored the winning goal. Our defensive depth is far better now than in 2010.