brinoch

Same crap from them last year. They really have no composure.

Why this one and not the next one? Before the game, I'd agree. But having a two goal lead on the road in Vancouver and ultimately blowing it would be detrimental to our chances of pulling out Game 4 in Vancouver. At least that's what I'd think. Just make it easy and outplay them for the final 20. The Canucks came out in that period with fire. Give them due credit. The Hawks just need to keep their intensity up and they'll be fine.

Kane and Buff got caught out there tired. Toews got off early and smartly -- Kane or Buff needed to play the puck into the corner and stall so they both could change.

All four of the remaining Western Conference teams are certainly good enough to make the Finals. I think Detroit is a tough match-up for anyone, but then again, so are the Blackhawks. And the Canucks. And maybe even the Sharks. Right now, the West is so much better than the East, from top to bottom, that any of these teams would be favored (by me) to defeat the East's champion.

Gooch is back in training with Milan.

Go Yotes! Take it to Game 7.

No it was Kane. He beat Ward to the puck. Watch the replay again: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=35&id=67512. The close-in replay is at the very end of the video and it's absolutely clear that Kane put it in.

You can carry 3 goalies on your roster during the playoffs. They did the same thing last year.

Still 50 days to the first game -- just over 7 weeks. That's a lot of time for training, but not a lot for match fitness -- which is different. My guess (out of thin air) is that CD9 will probably make the roster and be used as a late-game sub.

Campbell didn't play all that much. He was out there maybe 15 minutes, but he was very steady and solid. Very few mistakes, if any, and even a little slow and rusty he was a huge upgrade over Hendry. It was clear that Nashville respected his speed and puck-carrying ability. He had space and was able to clear the zone effectively. Q-stache rotated the defense pairings to keep Buff off the ice, too. Where's Johnnson? I hope he gets better or is at least not dead. The Hawks played very, very well and dominated the game. Excellent hustle, won the board battles, and had bodies on net. They had several very, very good opportunities that Rinne denied, but he wasn't spectacular (a couple of breaks and this game was 5-0 with goals by Burish and Sopel). Niemi was great and picked the defense up when mistake or lapse was made (including a breakaway by Sullivan). Nashville outshot the Hawks, but they didn't really have too many scoring chances. The defense forced most shots from the perimeter and kept the sightlines open. Our forecheck was solid. Hossa was a beast on the backcheck, and our play in clogging the neutral zone was more than solid. Plus, the Hawks PK was, again, incredible -- including killing off a 5-3 for 1:30. Keith made a boner play from behind the net, turning it over right in front of Niemi, but somehow blocked the shot and won the puck back. Sharp on the PP scored a scrum goal. Toews scored on a rebound from Hossa (hello playing in front of the net). Sharp scored a beauty. The Preds played their best for about 7 or 8 minutes at the start of the 2nd period and made some noise then. Otherwise, the Hawks owned the game. The 3rd period was total shut-down hockey by the Hawks. They out-trapped the trapping team. It was boringly fun.

Canucks were probably robbed of a goal right there. On review, it was overturned for kicking. Didn't look like it to me, but whatever. I really dislike the Canucks, so it's not like I'm biased on this. (It's now 4-3 on another goal... should be 4-4.)

Yeah, I was getting ready to post something similar.

It was not a well-officiated game. By any stretch of the imagination.

To those who think flukey things can't happen... Dan Boyle just scored on Nabokov for Colorado. Only he's a Shark.

Were they ever?

No doubt. I'm watching LA-Vancouver right now, and it looks like the Canucks are up to their typical douchy tricks already.

I'd say in terms of injuries, the delay helps both teams. We all know that players are beat up by this time of the year and we have Olympians who have played extra games. A couple days off is going to help everyone. As for the preparation argument, more time practicing against the trap and working on the PP is going to help the Hawks more than the Preds. In my opinion, anyway. The Preds do what they do, and you can't really practice or prepare for the speed and athleticism of the Hawks. The Hawks' puck possession game can be defended and what the Preds can do is practice their system and commit to the discipline needed to slow our attack. I suppose they might work in a more aggressive forechecking game to pressure the D-men, but that would probably hurt them more than it would help them. I think if the Hawks commit to rushing the net over too much "perfect passing", they'll do very well in this series. (And they did last year.) I think the PP's problem has been letting the PK get the box set up and being unable to shoot through it. They aren't entering the zone well and the lateral passing has been bad. Toews at the base moving to the net with the puck is a solid recipe for success. He'll draw defenders opening Kane at the circle or a cross-ice pass. It also creates scrums in front of the net, and that's a good thing.

It'd be better if San Jose just lost tomorrow so we could take it easy on Sunday.

Suck it, Blues.

Uh, remember that we play Detroit the last game of the season. Given how tight things are from 5-7, that game is key. If the Hawks can't win the Conference and take the 1 seed, then I have no doubt that they will lose that game to give Detroit two points and avoid them in the first round.

my guess is someone will offer him a contract 3 mill+...I think that the Hawks would have a tough decision matching that. They would receive 1,2 and 3rd round picks though. That's probably more than another team will offer, I'd guess. There are a lot of good defensemen who can be had for $3M or less without losing draft picks. You never know in free agency, but that's a very, very high price to pay. Looking at the numbers, finding a way to jettison Huet (even if you have to pay $1.9M) and Sopel saves this team a ton of money. Likewise, I expect to see Madden gone as well. The only way he stays is if he takes a steep pay cut. With Madden, Huet and Sopel gone they can pretty much keep the rest of the team.

Hammer is an RFA (as is Niemi), but they'll be making a lot more money. There's been general speculation that some other team might make a run at Hammer, but that's just speculation.

There's been some speculation that the Hawks will buy out Huet, but it's mostly been from within the blogging community (which is really quite good). The other possibilities are sending Huet down to Rockford next year and/or trading him. The problem will be the tagging issue. If the cap does indeed go up, that'll help significantly. I think the Hawks will be fine. With Bickell, Skille, Dowell, Aliu, Beach and Danis-Pepin knocking on the door (and with other prospects like Olsen and Leddy on the horizon), I think the concern over next year and the capocalyspe are probably premature. The Hawks will need to shed salary, sure, but there are decent replacements coming. The 1st and 2nd lines are under contract (Toews, Hossa, Sharp, Kane, Bolland and Brouwer). I suspect, for example, that you'll see at least half of the 3rd/4th lines replaced with youngsters/cheap options. The 1st and 2nd pairs are locked down (and Hendry will be on the roster): Keith/Seabrook, Hjalmarsson/Campbell plus Hendry. Sopel and Johnnson are gone. Buff is intriguing with his versatility and they might keep him for his defense rather than as a forward. The question will be what to do with Huet. If they buy him out and manage to keep Hammer and Niemi plus the buyout price at a total of Huet's contract, that's a huge win. There are decisions ahead, but I think they'll make them wisely.

The defense has been much better, all around. The forwards are covering better, the forechecking and backchecking is looking very good (creating notable chances again), the defensemen are clearing the slot and cutting down the passing lanes, the shotblocking looks good, and the goaltending has been excellent. Yesterday, there were a few moments of duh!, but all in all, a very good effort against a motivated, hungry opponent. The team looks much more like the confident team from earlier in the season: solid defense, puck possession and no stupid penalties. The PK was excellent, as usual, and the PP looked like it not only had a clue, but was dangerous. I attribute most of the "struggles" to the end of season doldrums as the players and staff get ready for the playoffs. It wasn't just the Hawks that were having a tough team -- there have been a series of articles about the "elite" teams all struggling at the end of the season. For a team that's clinched, it can be tough to stay as focused as a team that's trying to get in the playoffs or players auditioning for 2010-2011. Niemi's play has been very good as well, and I think his play has improved the defensive play all-around, both from the obvious lack of goals against, but also in re-assuring the rest of the defense that the goalie can and will pick them up when they make a mistake. Still, make no bones about it, losing Campbell has been a blow. He's a great puck-carrying defenseman, and that's something the Hawks rely on. Buff, to his credit, has been a huge asset in overcoming this loss.

Defense was very poor tonight. I don't blame Niemi at all. He's been very good.