GDT: Hawks @ Habs: 6:30PM Central on NBCSN--Let's Reflect On Painful Loss

[CallMeShaft]

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[CallMeShaft]

Hopefully this game doesn't mirror the Leafs game...

 

[Rooh]

 

[Styles]

Get the Toews line against the Drouin line as much as possible and we should get the win. Crow is lights out in Montreal and Price hasn’t started very well. I think this will be a big game for Debrincat getting some easier matchups.

 

[MJ65]

You guys should win this one - The only threat that I see is Carey Price and I hope he has a off day

How about price less habs are worthless

 

[ColdSteel2]

Like DHF was saying in the other thread, get Keith off the PP. It's not even just that he doesn't help us there, he helps us so much in other areas. Playing him exclusively 5 on 5 with some PK, especially with the new rules, would definitely increase his positive impact on the team. Of course, we'll wait another 30-40 games before we actually try something like that, lol. Still think with 4th line being weak right now, you go 11 forwards, dress Franson as your PP QB and let Kane run wild.

 

[migi]

Still think with 4th line being weak right now, you go 11 forwards, dress Franson as your PP QB and let Kane run wild.

4th line was great yesterday?

But yeah take Keith out and soon please. Put Brinksy there, Seabrook or Franson, Saad in front of the net and Toews and Kane obviously.

 

[deytookerjaabs]

The Power Play's problem last night was lack of adjustment IMO, which might be because of the number of new faces or a lack of coaching, or both!

Toronto has that very aggressive puck attack thing going on and it's the Hawks job to recognize that before the players hit the ice. Watching 1 or 2 Hawks getting out numbered by 2 to 3 and sometimes all 4 penalty killers around the puck is ridiculous. It's basic hockey strategy though and we really should be adjusting, no reason to have the point guys and some guy in the slot twiddling their thumbs hoping for a miracle when the other team has the upper hand at gaining the puck. To a lesser extent this has been an issue 5v5 where we're not recognizing over aggressive puck pursuit by numbers.

Add to that, back to the power play, everyone needs to be a puck carrier when gaining the zone and the strategy of doing so needs to be less predictable. The generic entry they have now would be better if we found the most open man right before gaining the zone, whether it's a D or Forward. And, if they're gonna dump for heaven's sake the other skaters need to know that so they're timing full speed entries.

Once we are set up, I think the passing, puck movement and playmaking has been better than last year by a good margin, not sure if that is coaching or just new faces or just motivation.

 

[Giacomo]

Habs lost two games strait. Don't take this game too lightly.

 

[ColdSteel2]

4th line was great yesterday?

But yeah take Keith out and soon please. Put Brinksy there, Seabrook or Franson, Saad in front of the net and Toews and Kane obviously.

Fair point. I'm conflicted on Franson. I LOVE him on the PP but that's really it. I worry for him with the speed of some of these games.

 

[hawksfan50]

The PP would be helped if somebody won a faceoff early in the pp ...it seems we lose possession early.
they ice it or force us back to retrieve...we waste the first 35'-50 seconds taking too much time off and not getting it back in their zone with urgency...we get off a shot which gets tipped over the boards.We then lose a faceoff and the puck exits back tp our zone again where Seabrook again takes ages to.movenit back up into their zone..We far around some more...lose another faceoff and then the 2nd pp unit gets the last 30 seconds..They do nothing too. And do we waste 2 minutes lucky to get 1 shot off on goal.No way Seabrook should be on pp..takes to long to retrieve pucks sent back to our zone and no urgency getting it back on. .plus he does not keep pucks in well and if he fumbles it they go off on a break-away or 2 on 1 cause he is to slow to get back after fumbling
.he is more a negative danger and useless point that we should tolerate...

 

[ChiHawks10]

The PP would be helped if somebody won a faceoff early in the pp ...it seems we lose possession early.
they ice it or force us back to retrieve...we waste the first 35'-50 seconds taking too much time off and not getting it back in their zone with urgency...we get off a shot which gets tipped over the boards.We then lose a faceoff and the puck exits back tp our zone again where Seabrook again takes ages to.movenit back up into their zone..We far around some more...lose another faceoff and then the 2nd pp unit gets the last 30 seconds..They do nothing too. And do we waste 2 minutes lucky to get 1 shot off on goal.No way Seabrook should be on pp..takes to long to retrieve pucks sent back to our zone and no urgency getting it back on. .plus he does not keep pucks in well and if he fumbles it they go off on a break-away or 2 on 1 cause he is to slow to get back after fumbling
.he is more a negative danger and useless point that we should tolerate...

You're wrong about Seabs. He was probably the Hawks 2nd or 3rd best Dman yesterday. He looks much faster so far this season. Seabs wasn't the problem yesterday. On the PP, or otherwise. And he's on the 2nd unit, btw, which usually sees about 30 seconds of time, and was also the unit that scored yesterday. But you keep pushing that narrative...

 

[hawksfan50]

I hope we play a 45-15 against NTLinstead of a 15-45 like last night (minutes of engagement...ie. hard relentless effort in minutes)...of course we ain't gonna give a full 60...Cause Q tolerates some level of slack play ...Leafs on the other hand showed no slack play against us..a few mistakes and some unlucky (for them) bounces and deflection
.but they played hard for 60..we gave 15 minutes then quit.Against Montreal I expect at minimum a 45 minute effort of hard compete with ALL hands on deck ..Kane better not go MIA on us again like last night. WHEN we do not indicate we want the puck..we are bad just running around our zone hoping to defend ..and we certainly ly cannot play like that for 45 minutes a game and expect good results.So At least a 45 -15 type effort required..If we get closer to a full 60...even better.but another 15'45 and I start getting the plank out for Q who would tolerate such lack of compete.

 

[LordKOTL]

Just win.

 

[hawksfan50]

You're wrong about Seabs. He was probably the Hawks 2nd or 3rd best Dman yesterday. He looks much faster so far this season. Seabs wasn't the problem yesterday. On the PP, or otherwise. And he's on the 2nd unit, btw, which usually sees about 30 seconds of time, and was also the unit that scored yesterday. But you keep pushing that narrative...

Well for $6.8 million we got 1 shot on goal from him (and he played the most shifts of anyone) ..he had 1 hit..so hardly physical...he had 3 count them 3 give aways...I thought he got progressively slower as the game progressed ...Maybe at his age and alk then playoff miles on hom ,35 shifts is too much..In the first 15 minutes he wss moving ..but by the 3rd period he cess gassed and ineffective. .If you think a CF% of 32 is not a problem
..especially for $6.8 million then I do not know what is a problem..Of course just because he was better in possession than Keith (only 30% CF%) I guess you think Keith isvthe bigger problem. ..Who drags down who?I think off last night
.it was Seabrook ..BTW he still stinks on clearing a tempts but their is no NHL stat on that...I just know what my eyeball sees. $6.8 million amd the guy keeps failing on so so many opportunities to clear a puck from our zone ..At minimum execute that aspect if you ate not going to contribute scoring nor if you give away 3 pucks in a game ..Sorry but he was a big problem last night..He needs a lit of support from the forwards ..last night they did not help him out much amd he was unable to function competently for his pay level and thevtrust Q gives hom with such a workload.It may be that 35 shifts is now beyond his capability ..perhaps his minutes need a reduction..when you get slower as games progress and you tire out ..welk he needs his forwards checking better to help him out or he gets sloppy and exposed.

 

[ChiHawks10]

Well for $6.8 million we got 1 shot on goal from him (and he played the most shifts of anyone) ..he had 1 hit..so hardly physical...he had 3 count them 3 give aways...I thought he got progressively slower as the game progressed ...Maybe at his age and alk then playoff miles on hom ,35 shifts is too much..In the first 15 minutes he wss moving ..but by the 3rd period he cess gassed and ineffective. .If you think a CF% of 32 is not a problem
..especially for $6.8 million then I do not know what is a problem..Of course just because he was better in possession than Keith (only 30% CF%) I guess you think Keith isvthe bigger problem. ..Who drags down who?I think off last night
.it was Seabrook ..BTW he still stinks on clearing a tempts but their is no NHL stat on that...I just know what my eyeball sees. $6.8 million amd the guy keeps failing on so so many opportunities to clear a puck from our zone ..At minimum execute that aspect if you ate not going to contribute scoring nor if you give away 3 pucks in a game ..Sorry but he was a big problem last night..He needs a lit of support from the forwards ..last night they did not help him out much amd he was unable to function competently for his pay level and thevtrust Q gives hom with such a workload.It may be that 35 shifts is now beyond his capability ..perhaps his minutes need a reduction..when you get slower as games progress and you tire out ..welk he needs his forwards checking better to help him out or he gets sloppy and exposed.

It is a problem. But the entire team sucked in the 2nd and 3rd period yesterday, basically. All of them. Not just Seabs. You can't just single guys out when 99% of the roster looked like trash after the first period. The only guy who remotely seemed to give a shit was Saad.

 

[Putt Pirate]

I have already flushed yesterday down the crapper. both teams are overvaluing the game (Toronto fans) and undervaluing (Hawks fans....myself included). Hopefully there is a more consummate effort.....though I know #2 will still undeservedly be on the #1 PP unit. That will make me throw up in my mouth a bit.

 

[Enyaw]

Lets Go Hawks

 

[BobbyJet]

Which Blackhawk team will we see tonight? The slow plodding (one-line) team of last season, and last night or the high possession, dynamic group we saw in game 1 and 2? How will they handle the frustration that Carey Price usually injects into ops shooters?

 

[hawksfan50]

Which Blackhawk team will we see tonight? The slow plodding (one-line) team of last season, and last night or the high possession, dynamic group we saw in game 1 and 2? How will they handle the frustration that Carey Price usually injects into ops shooters?

Well ..it depends if Kane shows up and cares to effort ..when he does he males a real positive influence on the game..when he goes AOL like last night,it gets ugly fast ..Not singling out only him...but when he and his line sick ..it does really effect our success rate..

And obviously we need a better game from Keith and Seabrook. ..cannot have your top pair go at 30% and 32% CF% and expect to win.You highly Paid stars gotta pkay like stats not chumps.

And you cannot have a ..well it's Johnny's turn and I will take the night off from the other $10.5 guy..and so it takes all hands on deck not just a few ..The NHL is too good for anyone to slack and expect a win..So which team will we see tonight..I think (or at least hope) Q indicated to his players that he is not pleased with a 15/60 effort and some no shows for the whole 60....I hope that makes for a return to playing less sloppy and more intensely than we gave last night.If we fail to respond to Q's challenge to play better then again ...somebody gonna take the chopper for a failure of leadership .But Whike you deserve to lose if the opposition plays better,you simply cannot mail it in after tge 15 minute mark and expect to hold your lead ..you gotta at least try to compete ...not outright retreat back to Country Club ways.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Hope they slept off yesterday's loss and turkey. Habs really aren't that good a team.

 

[JaegerDice]

Hopefully there's some changes to the bottom 9 forward combinations.

Personally, I'd swap Hartman and Debrincat so that the Kane line has 2 playmakers again, let Hartman play cannon-ball on the third line with Kero and Sharp. Or they could swap Hartman and Saad for one game (I know, I know... just this one time for balance then put Saad right back).

It's a back to back with some funky lines. Montreal is a bad team though and Crow is in net, so we SHOULD be able to pull this out.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Let that top line hammer away.

 

[Robsker]

Reading posts on message boards are certainly amusing. people so over react to simple-most things and blow things out of proportion.

Th Hawks in Toronto did well to leave with a point. Winning on the road in the NHL is generally difficult. Winning on the road against a good team, in a wild building against a hot team with your back-up goalie who is in his first ever game for you (and like his #6 or 7 game overall) --- well one does not expect to win. hope to win... sure. Expect to. No.

to read so many of the posters asserting that players are "not giving effort" or that there is doom b/c of the Toronto game is laughable (in a sad way). It again is as if people assert that the only variable in a Hawk win or loss is the effort exerted by the Hawks --- as if the Hawks are the only ones who matter and the opponent has little say in the outcome --- well such is crazy.

The Hawks did well to get a point last night. Now, to get another point in Montreal would be great.

To play Pittsburgh, Columbus, then Toronto and Montreal on the road and come out with 6 (or even 5) of an available 8 points is good (if it is 5 pts) and great if it is 6. A win tonight (a difficult thing to be sure) and we have 7 points which is awesome.

Hawks look much better thus far than I thought they would. We should all be quite encouraged thus far.

 

[hawksfan50]

It is true that with Schmaltz at C we probably would be harder to get dominated on that 2nd line by the Mathews line and that alk the lines would have their proper components

But it points out that we really need another dangerous threat at C..If we had a third C who could be a "star" level player we woukd not only be even harder to.match lines for opposing coaches but also it would provide insurance should the #1 ir #2 C go down with injury ...The ano Hawks Need to add another potential star C
..but top talent C's are hard to acquire...gotta draft them especially in our Cap position. I think our next draft we should try adding more C depth to develop a kid C to potential infusion a year or two after he bus drafted.We need if not the next Toews ...at least another Schmaltz ..The dilemma is if we draft late (usual last 5 or 6 in round one ,the cream of the C talent is probably long gone ...If we can draft late teens born early 20s maybe in a year with a deep amount of Center talent ,them maybe we luck out with another Schmaltz level talent ..Tge 2019 /20/21 drafts are supoised to be exceptional and Deep so possibly we add C's with great talent there.But even 2018 is deeper in potential first round C's than 2017 was ..I think if we can move up (if necessary) to a late teen/early 20s slot,we might get a chance at a pretty good C talent ...If we draft late 20s to 31st ,we probably do not get a project able star C ...If any case we probably should try to move up to get one and in 2019 and 2020 add 2 more first round C's ...You cannot be too deep in C talent ...they also are valuable trade assets...If not is hard to win without 1 top C (just look at the Montreal lamentations over not having a real #1 " star C ...EDM has 2 (if Draisaitl plays C) and we have Toews and Schmaltz (who looks to be becoming a star) But if you have 3 ..that would be the deluxe situation..So I think we need to start in 2018 to draft Cs if goid ones available in round one ...and we would keep puking but C Cs in round one in the 2019 abd 2029 drafts ...fill the system with top notch C again ..
I know Montreal will probably prioritize C's to fix their longstanding needs at the position..

Really good ones are hard to get ...but perhaps the 2018//19/20/21 drafts have a lot of talent at C worthy of first round selection..Leafs sure had more C depth last night (albeit we did not have Schmaltz) and we shall see which team's Cs play well tonoght ...and which team uses their first rounders to add top C depth of talent for the pipeline (MTL or CHI) over the next 4 drafts ...