Post-Game Talk: Lehtonen stands on his head, Stars end our winning streak in Chicago

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

I expect excellence for a 6 years, $36 million contract extension not the 30th ranked goalie in save percentage:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats....savePercentage&viewName=savePercentageLeaders

So you see the rightful Smythe winner as the thirtieth best goaltender in the league I take it?

 

[HockeySauce]

I expect excellence for a 6 years, $36 million contract extension not the 30th ranked goalie in save percentage:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats....savePercentage&viewName=savePercentageLeaders

.. that hasn't even kicked in yet. Pack your expectations in the closet, and break 'em out next year. Who knows, you could be celebrating another Cup behind the far from excellent play of Corey Crawford.

 

[Blackhawks]

I have been reading these boards for years and I only participate when I am over excited or just angry, I have not missed a game in 7 years. That said Crawford sucks! and not just this game I am talking about, he has sucked or been just barely average this whole season, he has been this ay since his rookie season, he has always been shaky, and yes he was very shaky last year in the playoffs. I just have this nervous feeling whenever a shot goes towards the net. He is playing potentially in front of the best defensive and offensive team in the league and his numbers suck(minus wins which is mainly the product of the team). Rantaa is much better, he looked very calm and collected in net, no flopping and sliding and bobbling his head and body in every which way whenever a puck comes towards him. One of the other things that bother me about Crawford is that he always seems very arrogant when he is talking to the media, which to me is very weird to me because Toews has to do an interview before and after each game and I never sense any arrogance or annoyance from him, just a humble tone. The Hawks might win the cup with him in net again but that does not prove jack because an AHL goalie can do great playing behind this team. He does not deserve 6 million, that contract will haunt this team for a long time.

 

[CS85]

It wasn't Crawford's best game, but I feel like Lehtonen does this to the Hawks fairly often. Blackhawks were pretty sloppy with the puck in the 3rd, which didn't help. Can't win them all.

 

[Chris Hansen]

I have been reading these boards for years and I only participate when I am over excited or just angry, I have not missed a game in 7 years. That said Crawford sucks! and not just this game I am talking about, he has sucked or been just barely average this whole season, he has been this ay since his rookie season, he has always been shaky, and yes he was very shaky last year in the playoffs. I just have this nervous feeling whenever a shot goes towards the net. He is playing potentially in front of the best defensive and offensive team in the league and his numbers suck(minus wins which is mainly the product of the team). Rantaa is much better, he looked very calm and collected in net, no flopping and sliding and bobbling his head and body in every which way whenever a puck comes towards him. One of the other things that bother me about Crawford is that he always seems very arrogant when he is talking to the media, which to me is very weird to me because Toews has to do an interview before and after each game and I never sense any arrogance or annoyance from him, just a humble tone. The Hawks might win the cup with him in net again but that does not prove jack because an AHL goalie can do great playing behind this team. He does not deserve 6 million, that contract will haunt this team for a long time.

If I pointed out everything in this post that is incorrect, I'd be typing all night.

 

[ModryJazyk]

Good thing he's not getting paid 6M then.

well, you are right, so it's even worse, his 6M/y contract will expire in 2020 not 2019...

It wasn't Crawford's best game, but I feel like Lehtonen does this to the Hawks fairly often. Blackhawks were pretty sloppy with the puck in the 3rd, which didn't help. Can't win them all.

True, Lehtonen was great, but still allowed 3 goals, it should have been enough to win 18 shots against game (or at least to take a point)

 

[SLarmer28*]

So you see the rightful Smythe winner as the thirtieth best goaltender in the league I take it?

Last season was last season.

I'm strictly focused on this season and the lack of consistency and lack of excellence of one Corey Crawford, who incidentally signed a 6 year, $36 million contract extension.

You can go ahead and continue to blame the rest of the team, however the Chicago Blackhawks are currently ranked sixth in shots allowed per game:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/teamstats.ht...&sort=avgShotsAgainstPerGame&viewName=summary

 

[Callidusblackhawk]

I have been reading these boards for years and I only participate when I am over excited or just angry, I have not missed a game in 7 years. That said Crawford sucks! and not just this game I am talking about, he has sucked or been just barely average this whole season, he has been this ay since his rookie season, he has always been shaky, and yes he was very shaky last year in the playoffs.

He's only sucked for 1 year here. He was pretty awesome last year. I only remember 1 game all playoffs that he was anywhere near shaky.

 

[IU Hawks fan]

I expect excellence for a 6 years, $36 million contract extension not the 30th ranked goalie in save percentage:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats....savePercentage&viewName=savePercentageLeaders

Dude, cool your jets. If he's still there in April call me.

 

[CS85]

well, you are right, so it's even worse, his 6M/y contract will expire in 2020 not 2019...



True, Lehtonen was great, but still allowed 3 goals, it should have been enough to win 18 shots against game (or at least to take a point)

I don't disagree. I think the SOG number is a bit inflated because I don't think many of those were quality shots. The Hawks were badly trying to work the centering pass late in the game and it just wasn't coming together. They were disorganized entering the zone.

They could've gleaned a point out of this one but you gotta look past the numbers.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

The internet, where one bad game completely erases everything that came before.

 

[hisgirlfriday]

Crow just wanted everybody to stop picking on Zus, Pirri and Brookbank.

 

[Kurtosis]

I'm not gonna lie, I'm laughing my ass off. It's really fascinating at this point with the intransigence and recalcitrance that permeates where we are.

 

[CS85]

I'm not gonna lie, I'm laughing my ass off. It's really fascinating at this point with the intransigence and recalcitrance that permeates where we are.

 

[Bring Back GLR]

Wonder what the score would be if we gave up 50 shots. Based on Craw's Save % tonight that would be 12-3 for Dallas.

 

[massivegoonery]

Have you noticed there are a lot of "standing on their head performances" against this team? As good of an offensive team as we are, we still aren't the best finishing team. That was on display again tonight.

Another thing is that we had fewer, point blank tee off shots than Dallas did on us. Of the shots they had very few were of the low quality, and while many of our came from 'goal scoring' areas, there wasn't a lot of clean wood on the puck or the puck was bouncing. We also threw away some of our best scoring chances by passing too much.

zac lacks perspective, news at 11.

 

[UKBlackhawk]

Out-shoot Dallas by a whopping 50-18 margin and lose?

 

[ChiTownPhilly]

This board. Holy **** this board.

Yes indeed. We are spoiled.

Yeah... Gotta wonder about the perspective. I have hypotheses- but since they involve invidious suppositions, I oughtta keep 'em to myself, for now.

Can only speak for myself- and that's that I'm old enough to carry an AARP-card (doesn't mean I do, though). I've seen this team dickous away the prime of Mikita, Hull, Pilote, and Glenn Hall into one Cup... in a six-team league. I've seen the peak of Roenick and Chelios parlayed into one highly decorative Presidents Trophy. And after that, there have been years of wretchedness- yes, full-on, bonesmoking wretchedness that was so bad, the freakin' Wolves threatened to score with successful predatory advertising (something like "come see real hockey here!")

From those years-in-the-wilderness, we are at this point, when elements of the board go bat-(soil) over a one-goal loss in the Most Meaningless Regular Season In Major Pro Sports. [Except that last year, the actual abbreviation of the season made it not quite so meaningless. Resulted in a better product, no?]

I know that the discontented are more likely to be vocal- and I take that into account. But really- Frankie says relax, already...

 

[HawksFanTim]

This board. Holy **** this board.

I used to think like this but the more I'm around I noticed it's the same 3-4 people with their negative crap anytime we lose or are even trailing in a game. Do they make this board a million times worse? Yes, but if you ignore them there's still some productive discussion on here.

 

[Marotte Marauder]

Crawford will be the "goat" but the mistakes, horrible defensive play by our forwards in the d zone, and the horrific 5 on 3 where Q totally killed us is what lost us this game. The 5 on 3 really has me seething as we have Keith over Leddy (you especially don't want a ****** shot on a 5 on 3), and our pointmen on their shot side to kill the one-timer. Does Q not understand how you score on 5 on 3s? Movement and one-timers. Our pointmen set-up and personnel effectively kills any chance of a properly run 5 on 3.

You mean the Hawks might have lost just this one game because of the coaches' unwillingness to change?

Q doesn't like to coach offense, heard him say it myself.

 

[aloonda*]

I'm a moderator.

I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for what could have been and you curse the Hawks. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Crawford's play, while tragic, probably wins games. And his play, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, wins games. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties you want him in net. You need him in net. He uses words like honor, code, loyalty. He uses these words as the backbone of a life spent playing for something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very wins that he provides, and then questions the manner in which he provides them. I would rather you just say thank you and be on your way.

stars fan here

that was awesome
good luck whenever you don't play us

 

[Gurth]

We'll never win a Cup with Crawford...





Some of you people kill me. We're 6-1 in our last 7 games yet some see us as 0-1 in our last 1.

Stars goalie stole that game, Crow didn't have his best game. So what?

It's December 4th.

Are we going to have to hear about Crow's contract after every loss? Crow's gonna have a few more clunkers this year... just like Toews will and Kane will and Hossa will...

These aren't robots. Move on, do better next time.

 

[Fortyfives]

20-5-4, get a grip people!

 

[ColdSteel2]

Crawford is still fatigued. That's on the coaching staff. Raanta should start the next 2-3 games. He's a regular 55 game goalie, not the workhorse they are trying to make him out to be.

 

[Fortyfives]

Crawford is still fatigued. That's on the coaching staff. Raanta should start the next 2-3 games. He's a regular 55 game goalie, not the workhorse they are trying to make him out to be.

Even if he is a workhorse or not I don't see the reason to play him so much with the level of talent the team has. Keeping him fresh for the playoffs is more important than a few more W's in the season.