Darling with the dusty night. That shows you how much Crawf keeps us in those games slow out of the gate.
- TheCore

I saw this stat (point shares) which basically is an estimate of how many points an individual player contributes to wins, and it shows just how important Kane and Crawford have been all year.

Point Shares (leaders)

1. Patrick Kane-CHI 12.9
2. Corey Crawford-CHI 11.7
3. Henrik Lundqvist-NYR 10.6
4. Cory Schneider-NJD 10.5
5. Alex Ovechkin-WSH 10.1
6. Craig Anderson-OTT 10.1
7. Roberto Luongo-FLA 10.1
8. Braden Holtby-WSH 9.7
9. Jamie Benn-DAL 9.6
10. Erik Karlsson-OTT 9.5
11. Drew Doughty-LAK 9.1
12. Joe Pavelski-SJS 9.1
13. Tuukka Rask-BOS 9.1
14. Tyler Seguin-DAL 9.1
15. Marc-Andre Fleury-PIT 9.1
16. Evgeny Kuznetsov-WSH 9.0
17. Brent Burns-SJS 9.0
18. Ben Bishop-TBL 9.0
19. Jonathan Quick-LAK 8.8
20. Petr Mrazek-DET 8.7

U of I basketball has become such a disgrace....

Hawks kept punching, but chasing the game seldom ends well.

Goal tending was the difference. NHL'r vs. AHL'r unfortunately...

The Darling bubble may be about to burst...

...at least this year.

Well their 3rd goal was a nice screen, nice PP set up(again our PK isn't quite right without Kruger or Hossa in the lineup).

4th goal was a very nice transition counterattack as our PP ended, finished and set up very nicely, though all started because of sloppy play at the point by Keith.

I wont put either of those on Darling, those are well earned goals by Boston who played well.

But for him to leave upstairs wide open like that and give up one in the opening minutes, and then another softy in the final minute of the 1st was VERY detrimental to our chances at winning the game.

Again, i can't WAIT to see our lineup with Hossa playing along side Ladd-Toews, and that WTF 3rd line getting more time together. Also a possible Desi-Shaw combo with Moose as a 4th line.

(frank) the Bruins

17 Seconds is all i gotta say
- SimpleJack

Oh you mean the fake high stick. That BS should be a fine. Ladd's stick goes past his visor no contact...

(frank) the Bruins

Hawks kept punching, but chasing the game seldom ends well.

Goal tending was the difference. NHL'r vs. AHL'r unfortunately...

The Darling bubble may be about to burst...

...at least this year.
- ArlingtonRob

maybe its just the freshness of this loss...but it seems the hawks having slow to meh starts are the norm this year....they need crawford to bail and hold the fort in the 1st..i seem to remember more than a handful of games where they have given up 2, 3 and 4 goals in the first and thats it...game over...

mirror image of last night...and so it goes...

3-18-1 when trailing after 2...

i don't think they have come back in any game to win when trailing by 2 at any time.

they are a front running team
- bogiedoc

We're on the same page Bogie...

Not exactly sure how the additions will alter things, but the Hawks this season are deadly when getting a lead...

...not so much when they're chasing the score. Just not an explosive club offensively.

One reason it could be argued that CC is the Hawks MVP. Goal tending is huge for all clubs, but it's been particularly important for this years Hawks.

I saw this stat (point shares) which basically is an estimate of how many points an individual player contributes to wins, and it shows just how important Kane and Crawford have been all year.

Point Shares (leaders)

1. Patrick Kane-CHI 12.9
2. Corey Crawford-CHI 11.7
3. Henrik Lundqvist-NYR 10.6
4. Cory Schneider-NJD 10.5
5. Alex Ovechkin-WSH 10.1
6. Craig Anderson-OTT 10.1
7. Roberto Luongo-FLA 10.1
8. Braden Holtby-WSH 9.7
9. Jamie Benn-DAL 9.6
10. Erik Karlsson-OTT 9.5
11. Drew Doughty-LAK 9.1
12. Joe Pavelski-SJS 9.1
13. Tuukka Rask-BOS 9.1
14. Tyler Seguin-DAL 9.1
15. Marc-Andre Fleury-PIT 9.1
16. Evgeny Kuznetsov-WSH 9.0
17. Brent Burns-SJS 9.0
18. Ben Bishop-TBL 9.0
19. Jonathan Quick-LAK 8.8
20. Petr Mrazek-DET 8.7
- jmarducci

never seen that stat before but it sure supports the eye test and other stats...hawks are where they are as direct result of craw and kane....

maybe its just the freshness of this loss...but it seems the hawks having slow to meh starts are the norm this year....they need crawford to bail and hold the fort in the 1st..i seem to remember more than a handful of games where they have given up 2, 3 and 4 goals in the first and thats it...game over...
- bogiedoc

You could say that exact thing about every team in the league, only most of them its a lot more than a handful. I can think of a few, @NJ, @FLA, @CAR, mainly road games against lesser teams that the Hawks simply aren't up for and play like a shell of their usual selves. Not even worth worrying about. Those games are a complete fluke.

Oh you mean the fake high stick. That BS should be a fine. Ladd's stick goes past his visor no contact...

(frank) the Bruins
- TheCore

Screw it - kill the penalty.

They given up PP goals in 10 of the last 12 games - 14 of them.

No Hossa, no Kruger - ok, an excuse, I guess....

Screw it - kill the penalty.

They given up PP goals in 10 of the last 12 games - 14 of them.

No Hossa, no Kruger - ok, an excuse, I guess....
- StLBravesFan

And Ladd botched that play anyways by failing to get the puck on net and whiffing at the point.

But, i agree that it probably wasn't a high stick.

U of I basketball has become such a disgrace....
- SimpleJack

Groce has to go

Groce has to go
- philco28

Its far deeper than just the HC position.

Its the entire aura and culture surrounding the program these days

Its like they have just settled for being a losing program, when their history says otherwise. The Flyin' Illini were amazing, and then that brief run to the title game 10-15 years ago was probably their last taste of any form of success.

They SHOULD be one of the faces of the Big10, instead they've become a bottom feeder. And its just accepted and lived with. Its a tragedy, really.

Bingo. You sound like you actually played the game.
- Return of the Roar

Was thinking the same thing.....

I must admit I had some fun when I sprained my MCL and a few skaters took a try in goal. Let's just say it wasn't pretty and most of the female dogging pretty much ended. Looks way easier than it is.

Is Darling a men's league tendy?
- EnzoD

Wondering if the feel good story for a Chicago kid has just about run its course. There were those that were ready to send Corey packing last summer and give this kid the full time job. Hence the reason Stan Bowman is the GM and we are not!
If he can't right the ship , I bet Bowman goes into the next season with a true NHL veteran ex starting goalie as his back up, some like a Jimmy Howard type. Darlings next gig will be a starting goalie job for 1of the teams in Johnny's Sunday morning elite league. Expect Corey to carry the majority of the mail from here on out!

Its far deeper than just the HC position.

Its the entire aura and culture surrounding the program these days

Its like they have just settled for being a losing program, when their history says otherwise. The Flyin' Illini were amazing, and then that brief run to the title game 10-15 years ago was probably their last taste of any form of success.

They SHOULD be one of the faces of the Big10, instead they've become a bottom feeder. And its just accepted and lived with. Its a tragedy, really.
- SimpleJack

U of I just hired a new Athletic Director/Alum in Whitman. Hopefully, he can restore the pride.

Was thinking the same thing.....

I must admit I had some fun when I sprained my MCL and a few skaters took a try in goal. Let's just say it wasn't pretty and most of the female dogging pretty much ended. Looks way easier than it is.
- Jason Millen

Sure does. When I coached youts I would have each forward put the pads on for a practice in the early part of the year. Made getting the point about back checking a little easier.

Is Darling a concern? Q: "He's had some real good games for us. It’s one game. I can’t remember the last one he had where he was [bad]."

JAN 22 '16 CHI @ FLA....gave up 3 in the 1st....game over lose 4-0
DEC 10 '15 CHI @ NSH...again gave up 3 in the 1st but he got bombed in that period...could have been 6 in the 1st...hawks with their worst start of the year
OCT 30 '15 CHI @ MIN...gave up 3 in the 1st and the opening goal 18 sec in...hawks scored 2 but lost 5-4
OCT 15 '15 CHI @ WSH...fell behind 2-0 by the 2nd then 3-0 and lost 4-1; hawks were never in this game

with tonight's lost that is 5 road losses of giving up 4 or more, giving up 1st goal in all 5, with no response from the hawks to get back into it other than the Min game; 3x giving up 3 in the 1st

Wondering if the feel good story for a Chicago kid has just about run its course. There were those that were ready to send Corey packing last summer and give this kid the full time job. Hence the reason Stan Bowman is the GM and we are not!
If he can't right the ship , I bet Bowman goes into the next season with a true NHL veteran ex starting goalie as his back up, some like a Jimmy Howard type. Darlings next gig will be a starting goalie job for 1of the teams in Johnny's Sunday morning elite league. Expect Corey to carry the majority of the mail from here on out!
- wonthecup10

If anything he should start more games. A net fool get's rusty sitting there for so long at a time. Hell, every goal was deflected, screened, and the one snipe where the shooter had all day. I point the finger at the whole team, not just Darling. Rough crowd here.

Sure does. When I coached youts I would have each forward put the pads on for a practice in the early part of the year. Made getting the point about back checking a little easier.
- 6628

For us it seemed changed the psyche too....seeing some of the "better players" give up "bad goals" that were worse than any of the "bad goals" they see the normal tender give up gave them perspective. Instead of the heads hanging and the perception of c'mon goalie, they were more prone to skate over and say something like don't worry about it, we'll get it back, shut the door for us the rest of the way...

Not sure that makes any sense......but the team's reaction to a "bad goal" almost seemed to change some. Same thing with a big save, more stick banging, etc. Made it a tighter group overall.

Tough night for Darling...but the team in front of him didn't really seem engaged until late....

And as Rob mentioned a few pages back - how does the kid get in any kind of groove when he's not going to get a few starts. No question Corey is on a tear, but it'd be nice to get the kid some work in before April. Yet saying that and with first place out there you know Q will ride Craw here for the home ice.

Ladd taking the body tonight and another assist...
really surprised they sat Panik instead of Mash.

If anything he should start more games. A net fool get's rusty sitting there for so long at a time. Hell, every goal was deflected, screened, and the one snipe where the shooter had all day. I point the finger at the whole team, not just Darling. Rough crowd here.
- 6628

his angles and positioning have been off all year and with maybe 4 or 5 exceptions the hawks have played poorly in front of him...yet he can make some mind boggling head standing saves...

crow has played 53 games his season high is 59...looks to me he will end up with 66 games; with 16 games left i think he plays 13 of those; i think the hawks want the division this year; crow with 66 or more is not a good thing

Groce has to go
- philco28

That'd be a good start Phil...did you see that on the day the new AD took over I believe one of the basketball players was arrested...great way to start...

If anything he should start more games. A net fool get's rusty sitting there for so long at a time. Hell, every goal was deflected, screened, and the one snipe where the shooter had all day. I point the finger at the whole team, not just Darling. Rough crowd here.
- 6628

There are those that think he is what he is "a 15 game a year back up goalie". I may be in that camp, in the salary cap world his salary fits what the Hawks need. If Darling loses Q's trust, then SB will look for a true NHL vet back up .

U of I basketball has become such a disgrace....
- SimpleJack

Bulls basketball too

Is Darling a concern? Q: "He's had some real good games for us. It’s one game. I can’t remember the last one he had where he was
- bogiedoc[bad]."

JAN 22 '16 CHI @ FLA....gave up 3 in the 1st....game over lose 4-0
DEC 10 '15 CHI @ NSH...again gave up 3 in the 1st but he got bombed in that period...could have been 6 in the 1st...hawks with their worst start of the year
OCT 30 '15 CHI @ MIN...gave up 3 in the 1st and the opening goal 18 sec in...hawks scored 2 but lost 5-4
OCT 15 '15 CHI @ WSH...fell behind 2-0 by the 2nd then 3-0 and lost 4-1; hawks were never in this game

with tonight's lost that is 5 road losses of giving up 4 or more, giving up 1st goal in all 5, with no response from the hawks to get back into it other than the Min game; 3x giving up 3 in the 1st

To me, the giving up so many goals in period 1 and then clamping down (relatively) in the 2nd and 3rd speaks to the "rust" issue. Darling has said in several interviews that he is not used to sitting out so many games and that it's hard for him. Question is, do the Hawks risk their home ice advantage to try and get him back in a physical and mental groove before the playoffs in the event we have another Nashville series?