GDT: Chicago vs Dallas - 11/30/17 - Goaltending Is Still Their Problem

[ChiHawks10]

He had all the makings of a great goalie when he was drafted.

He did have a couple decent years mixed in with Dallas early on where he was putting up solid numbers IIRC. Hasn't in years though. Not a good career for a guy drafted 2nd overall. That's for sure.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

He's got every physical gift you'd want in a goalie. Injuries and his own head are the only thing that held him back.

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

Purely using shots against is a bad strategy imo. Too many variables to consider. A team could have 40 shots and 6 of them are from high danger areas. All you see is 40 shots. Which is why I won't put a ton of weight on that particular number.
Hawkaholic touched on the stats for me to back up my eye test. Like I said, the last 7-10 games, at least, have been good.

The Hawks are certainly playing better the last 10 games or so. They are improving in important areas. Even the PP has been good during that stretch. Now how sustainable some of these things are is a fair question, but I don't know why some people can't see reason for optimism at the moment.

 

[LDF]

The Hawks are certainly playing better the last 10 games or so. They are improving in important areas. Even the PP has been good during that stretch. Now how sustainable some of these things are is a fair question, but I don't know why some people can't see reason for optimism at the moment.

well some was making the same excuses last yr and look at what happen.

i am fan enuf to wait and see, b/c fans do not have the power to do anything. it is all up to the Bhawks FO.

 

[oconnor9sean]

1st off...was Lehtonen ever good?

The shot suppression as it stands now is some of the worst in the past 50 years: like only 69, 79, 86, 77, and 88 were worse...The season is young and it can get better but right now we're like 4th worst in the league.

Further, the last 8 games were like 31, 29, 38, 38, 36, 28, 38, 38 SA. Last 2 games were good...and another good one in there. The rest were bad. Be it possession, turnovers, being hemmed in, failure to hem the opposition in., failure to force turnovers, and/or just be it one-and-done, the shots against has to start going down because expecting a .930 or better clip from out goalies just to keep the GAA down is untenable.

Lehtonen was the team’s best player - and one of the best goalies in the league - his first 3-4 years with the team. Those early 2010’s Stars rosters were HORRIBLE, but Lehtonen was the only reason they never finished at the very bottom of the standings. For the most part, he’s stayed healthy since coming from Atalanta, but he had a nasty concussion late in the 13-14 season and hasn’t looked the same ever since. IDK if it’s PCS or timidness or whatever, but until that, he was a really solid goalie.

Don’t mean to call out the OP, but anyone that has watched the games has seen that Bishop has drastically improved the team and has played quite well. He’s had a stinker or two, but all goalies have those games.

 

[hawksfan50]

Bishop probably looks like a Verona winner against us. If Line #1 is a no show like last game..4 shots on goal combined out of a 39 shot barrage and of course zero goals generated by them...Line #1 ,are you gonna show but tonight or is it another 2 points in the standings lost cause you stunk?
OK maybe Kane is on again and finishes chances this time and bails us out. .but we cannot rely on line 3 orv4 to do the heavy lifting to bail us out for wins..at some point line #1 has to be a productive line or we are DOOMED.
Wake up line #1!!!!

 

[ChiHawks10]

Lehtonen was the team’s best player - and one of the best goalies in the league - his first 3-4 years with the team. Those early 2010’s Stars rosters were HORRIBLE, but Lehtonen was the only reason they never finished at the very bottom of the standings. For the most part, he’s stayed healthy since coming from Atalanta, but he had a nasty concussion late in the 13-14 season and hasn’t looked the same ever since. IDK if it’s PCS or timidness or whatever, but until that, he was a really solid goalie.

Don’t mean to call out the OP, but anyone that has watched the games has seen that Bishop has drastically improved the team and has played quite well. He’s had a stinker or two, but all goalies have those games.

No offense taken, no worries. And if I'm being honest with you, Bishop has posted a .912 and 2.62? That's far from playing quite well. Those numbers put him in the bottom 1/3 of NHL starters. He may be better than the goaltending the Stars have had in the past handful of years, but goaltending is still very much an issue for you guys, IMO. Your backup is putting up an .897 and 2.89? Yeah, that's not good, either. Bishop will wear down playing 65 games because you can't trust the backup to play more than 10-15. I mean, Bishop is already 4:1 in games played over Lehtonen.

I don't like the Hawks situation for that same reason as of now. Crow is 4:1 in games played over Forsberg. Crow normally starts 55-60 games per season. He's already got 20... I expect Q will figure out that he has to play Forsberg a little more, but Forsberg has to build trust with Q to get more games. Same way Darling had to.

I don't want Crow to wear down and/or end up hurt during a Vezina caliber year just because the backup can't be trusted. So far, Forsberg has played ok for the most part, so hopefully Q starts to trust him more. He still doesn't have the numbers I'd like to see from the backup. Doesn't help he played a few games where the entire Hawks team was playing like garbage and left him hanging out to dry, either.

The thread was mainly being funny just to be funny, but the fact remains that goaltending isn't the Stars strong point this year, when that was the sole purpose for bringing in Bishop. Due to the terrible goaltending issues of the past years.

 

[b1e9a8r5s]

well some was making the same excuses last yr and look at what happen.

i am fan enuf to wait and see, b/c fans do not have the power to do anything. it is all up to the Bhawks FO.

Ultimately the Hawks will be judged by what they do in the playoffs (assuming they get there). You can't win a playoff series in November. But what you can do is look at how the team is playing and if they are improving and right now they are.

Just looking at the simple numbers

1st 12 games
5-5-2
38 GF 34 GA
32.75 SF 34.5 SA
12.75% PP 82.69% PK

Last 12
7-4-1
38 GF 29 GA
37.36 SF 33.27 SA
23.26% PP 86.11% PK

That's improvement in every area (GF tied, but 1st 12 obviously had the 10 goal game). That's reason for optimism in my world. I'm not planing any parades though and there are certainly areas/players that need improvement still.

 

[LDF]

Ultimately the Hawks will be judged by what they do in the playoffs (assuming they get there). You can't win a playoff series in November. But what you can do is look at how the team is playing and if they are improving and right now they are.

Just looking at the simple numbers

1st 12 games
5-5-2
38 GF 34 GA
32.75 SF 34.5 SA
12.75% PP 82.69% PK

Last 12
7-4-1
38 GF 29 GA
37.36 SF 33.27 SA
23.26% PP 86.11% PK

That's improvement in every area (GF tied, but 1st 12 obviously had the 10 goal game). That's reason for optimism in my world. I'm not planing any parades though and there are certainly areas/players that need improvement still.

i really do not have any more counters than the ones i have posted. so i will end this here.

i am just a fan ranting.

 

[Salvaged Ship]

Bishop is better than his numbers this year and could certainly stone us these next 2 games if we don’t bring it. Hawks need to play very well to beat this team.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Bishop is better than his numbers this year and could certainly stone us these next 2 games if we don’t bring it. Hawks need to play very well to beat this team.

Well yeah. He is. But he hasn't played to his normal level this season.

Any goalie can stone the Hawks at any time. Or any team for that matter. But we've seen it from backups and guys getting their first NHL start against the Hawks consistently throughout the years.

 

[Putt Pirate]

With 19 back to backs this year I think Forsberg will get in quite a few games.

 

[ChiHawks10]

With 19 back to backs this year I think Forsberg will get in quite a few games.

I would hope so, yes.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I once thought Lehtonen was going to be an absolute star. He was Patrick Roy on the Wolves.

Thought the Thrashers had franchise goalie to carry them going forward at time

A classic case of someone having all the talent of world but never really putting it together and also having issues with injuries didn't help him at times

He belongs in group with goalies like Trevor Kidd and Jocelyn Thibault. Highly praised young goalies who could never build a strong/year to year NHL career

Showed flashes of potential but could never find consistency. Kidd and Thibault eventually ended careers as backups once teams gave up on the promise and hope of finding it. Kari continued to start despite being one of the worst if not the worst #1 in NHL these past 4 years

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Thibault was a really solid goalie for a long time. This team rode him into the ground.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Tootoo cleared waivers and is heading for Rockford.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Tootoo cleared waivers and is heading for Rockford.

Hopefully Q keeps him there. Like someone else said the other day, though. Odds are that in the event of injury he gets called up instead of Hino.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Thibault was a really solid goalie for a long time. This team rode him into the ground.

Solid but mostly inconsistent both in Mtl and Chicago

He never lived up to what he should have been outside of one season overall and stretches of other seasons

 

[Hawkaholic]

Hopefully Q keeps him there. Like someone else said the other day, though. Odds are that in the event of injury he gets called up instead of Hino.

Just like how Q was going to have a line of Bouma Wingels Tootoo. I don't see it. He was signed for the expansion draft and that's it.

 

[piteus]

Bishop is better than his numbers this year and could certainly stone us these next 2 games if we don’t bring it. Hawks need to play very well to beat this team.

The Hawks are very good at hitting goalies. The fact that Bishop is a giant will make it easier.

 

[jls24]

Just like how Q was going to have a line of Bouma Wingels Tootoo. I don't see it. He was signed for the expansion draft and that's it.

Stan probably sent him down to make sure Q didn't have that option haha.

 

[ClydeLee]

Speaking of pulling for optimism. If the Hawks lose this game then you can be optimistic for some potential line changes. I mean for the better, I wasn't bothered by Cat on the 3rd line before nor changing anything during the 5 Game point streak n Nash game til now.

But if 2 losses pile up its time to finally do that twist, Q has expressed grief with Panik. If he doesn't score or they don't win having Cat with Toews needs to happen... and having kepmny play again would be nice. But I get keeping the D together with good play as of late

 

[hawksfan50]

Wait a minute...Saad was supposed to be the one getting Toews going with Consistent Production...did m9t hapoen..Do gee..you cannot blame $10.5 #1 ...cannot blame his $6.0 sidekick Saad..no..the fault has to be Panik ...Just replace hom with D-Cat and watch Toews and Saad explode...sure they will..sure..

Get Real..the problem is not Panik as much as a combined $17.5 sputtering sporadically ... (I coukd have typed stinking) ...case there has been No consistency..no clicking. .no dominant force from the "steljar" duo ...Panik at just $2.8...what can you expect...Not that he should lead the 2 stars..but rather they should be doing so well that he benefits in their wake .. But there us no wake. .They have not woken ..I blame most them bot Panik ascot why line #1 has not produced enough.If wr got $16.5 worth of production from thise 2 amogos on line #2 then Nobody would complain of Panik does not score
BUT since 20 and 29 have way underperformed. ..Instead you gotta scapegoat Panik for their Fails...sure you do ..because tge Chicago hype mavens will never allow you to criticize the gods Toews and Saad ...no...I stead heap all the abuse onto poor Richard Panik as the cause of the stink.

 

[Enyaw]

You have to love this talk ....

50: "...did m9t hapoen..Do gee.."

Stop blaming Panik ... just move DCat to the top line for God sake

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Fiddy was way more fun when he wanted to trade Kane