Post-Game Talk: Hawks fall to the Ducks in the shootout, 3-2

[Blackhawks]

..Are you saying Q acknowledging the PK as bad isn't important?

Changes are coming. They may not fix the problem, but at least he's going to try to.

A mouse could have acknowledged that weeks ago...

 

[Nothingman*]

So......everyone flaming Raanta yet giving Odoodoo a pass though he was responsible for both goals with the penalty and the Chinese fire drill picking up hid stick in the corner while the Duck player gets to deflect in unopposed? You guys are off the reservation. ****ing totally.

 

[salsa man]

Entertaining game to say the least. Sorry about your backup situation, but at least your defense is pretty amazing to make up for it.

Hopefully we'll be able to help you guys out against the Blues tomorrow.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

Man, Raanta, clean up that five hole. Should've been a regulation loss, if not for that one hitting the post that snuck by.

 

[JohnnyOduyasGirl27]

Why doesn't Q use Handzus in the shootout? He's like a career 47%

Ah yeah that what I've been saying to myself why would Coach Q put in Handzus, he is really good, but Kaner wow stuggling in the shootout this yr.

 

[Arto Kilponen]

Raanta needs to just calm down. He plays fine but just does not handle these pressure situations well yet.

I'll begin by saying that I follow Blackhawks only because of Raanta.

Now that that one is out of the way, I find this really surprising. The thing that has made Raanta as good as he is (see for example last season) is that he keeps his cool. That is absolutely without any question his best weapon. I'm not saying you are wrong with what you wrote, but I'm saying that if Raanta needs to learn how to calm down, he could just as well come back to Finland. You just can't lose your best part in NHL.

 

[hisgirlfriday]

So......everyone flaming Raanta yet giving Odoodoo a pass though he was responsible for both goals with the penalty and the Chinese fire drill picking up hid stick in the corner while the Duck player gets to deflect in unopposed? You guys are off the reservation. ****ing totally.

That reminds me... I had to listen to part of the game on the radio, so I couldn't see what happened with Oduya's penalty before the Ducks went up 2-1.

The announcers made it sound like it was a bad call and that Oduya was slashed and they had missed that right before they called the penalty on Oduya. Was that just homerism or what?

 

[MTP]

I'll begin by saying that I follow Blackhawks only because of Raanta.

Now that that one is out of the way, I find this really surprising. The thing that has made Raanta as good as he is (see for example last season) is that he keeps his cool. That is absolutely without any question his best weapon. I'm not saying you are wrong with what you wrote, but I'm saying that if Raanta needs to learn how to calm down, he could just as well come back to Finland. You just can't lose your best part in NHL.

I'm sure it's a combination of still getting used to NA ice and especially the speed of the NHL game. That being said, he's put up pretty solid numbers so far despite looking somewhat shaky. Calling it either way at this point though is quite premature. You're looking at a sample size of three starts.

 

[Arto Kilponen]

I'm sure it's a combination of still getting used to NA ice and especially the speed of the NHL game. That being said, he's put up pretty solid numbers so far despite looking somewhat shaky. Calling it either way at this point though is quite premature. You're looking at a sample size of three starts.

I can agree with that but (excluding the size of ice) Raanta has adapted to higher levels previously this year just great. He had never been to SM-Liiga finals (and believe me, there is quite a lot of pressure) and he got up to the speed immediately. He had never been to World Championships let alone at home ice and he got up to the speed immediately. I'm not sure how he did in AHL (which of course is lower level than World Championships), but if he has been nervous in NHL, something is not right at all. I'm not saying he has to be great from the beginning, but I'm saying that he shouldn't be nervous.

 

[CPHawksFan]

That reminds me... I had to listen to part of the game on the radio, so I couldn't see what happened with Oduya's penalty before the Ducks went up 2-1.

The announcers made it sound like it was a bad call and that Oduya was slashed and they had missed that right before they called the penalty on Oduya. Was that just homerism or what?

Oduya was trying to pokecheck the puck away from a ducks forward (Getzlaf I believe). Oduya was holding on to his stick with one hand and Getzlaf slashed it out of Oduya's hand. So a penalty probably should have been called for slashing Oduya's stick.

However, it wasn't the most blatant slash I've ever seen, so I can see how the refs missed it.

 

[BobbyJet]

Whuuuuu? Other than the shootout he was quite good. Maybe a bit nervous handling the puck but....he rocked it dude

No he wasn't. Looks to me like Raanta is a goalie that has relied on his athleticism and reflexes all of his life. The NHL exposes netminders that don't have the fundamentals perfected.
I was watching the Ducks feed and the commentators were salivating with him between the pipes, asking for lots of shots and dump-ins against him.... and the SO pretty much warranted most of what they were saying all game about Raanta.

 

[EmeticDonut]

Only highlight was the shoot-the-puck lady. Forgettable game.

 

[BobbyJet]

Perimeter hockey again last night. It looked like we had 10 Versteegs out there, not just one.... and Q is overplaying our core forwards, which doesn't help matters. Toews and Kane were just short of 25 minutes each.

Ops with any kind of goaltending, love to play against teams playing shinny and not willing to go to the greasy areas. Bickel and Shaws absence is quite noticeable in that regard.

 

[deytookerjaabs]

No he wasn't. Looks to me like Raanta is a goalie that has relied on his athleticism and reflexes all of his life.

Yeah, that really didn't work out for Tim Thomas.

 

[ColdSteel2]

No he wasn't. Looks to me like Raanta is a goalie that has relied on his athleticism and reflexes all of his life. The NHL exposes netminders that don't have the fundamentals perfected.
I was watching the Ducks feed and the commentators were salivating with him between the pipes, asking for lots of shots and dump-ins against him.... and the SO pretty much warranted most of what they were saying all game about Raanta.

Fleury is one of the worst fundemental goalies in the league. Raanta isn't going to be as consistent as Crawford, at least in the near future. It's ok, Raanta is 2-0-1 with good stats. Good start to his career.

 

[BobbyJet]

Yeah, that really didn't work out for Tim Thomas.

Interesting comparison. We wish.

He just isn't ready (whether that should be, ready yet?. remains to be seen. We'll see). As in any goalie to just get acquainted to the NHL, it takes some time. And don't get me wrong: give me an athletic goalie that can play any day. I haven't given up on him by any stretch.

 

[ColdSteel2]

How can you tell he's not ready. Emery sucked ass for a year and you kept complaining about him not getting enough PT. Why no patience with 2-0-1 and .918 for a rookie?

 

[BobbyJet]

How can you tell he's not ready. Emery sucked ass for a year and you kept complaining about him not getting enough PT. Why no patience with 2-0-1 and .918 for a rookie?

Emery is an NHL established goalie and a very good backup. You can't compare the two even 1 second. Raanta has some poor habits, loses his net, has no stick contributing to his gaping 5 hole, can't handle the puck (and usually won't, putting additional pressure in our end). Let him develop in RFD ... we can't afford to apprentice him here. Not in our conference. If Khabi can't return to form, we need to do something before CC gets burned out, or hurt.

 

[Chris Hansen]

I was watching the Ducks feed and the commentators were salivating with him between the pipes, asking for lots of shots and dump-ins against him.... and the SO pretty much warranted most of what they were saying all game about Raanta.

These are the same announcers that said Seabrook was faking injury after that cheap Wisniewski hit from a few years ago. They're idiots, nothing new.

Raanta's a young goalie who will improve, and is a much better option than anything else the Hawks have to use as a backup. He'll be fine.