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The Hawks were in a giving mood as they gift-wrapped 1 point to the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.

Up 3-1 with 3 minutes left, the Oil scored 2 goals, both with their goalie pulled, to send it to OT. If it wasn't for Patrick Kane's nifty move around a 6'2 German, the vibe would have been completely different.

Instead, it wasn't the blown lead that everyone focused on, it was the 1st ever NHL win from a 32-year old, and those nifty mitts of Kaner.

Q really shook up the lines before Friday's contest:

38-8-88
20-19-14
12-64-48
BANGER Line

It wasn't the prettiest of games but the Hawks did take the 2 points. They had issues with Edmonton's speed players (who doesn't have issues with McDavid) but the lines above should be left alone for now (sorry Sharpie).

What I liked

* Hartman has that jump he had at the start of the year. He lost his way and has been put in tough positions (like playing centre) to find his way out. However, you can tell he knows playing with 8 & 88 is the best chance he has to succeed and add some more coin into his bank account as he's an RFA looking will be looking for a solid increase this summer.

* The Debrincat line, yes the Debrincat line, composed with Kampf and Hinostroza looked strong. They had a spark and were consistently a threat offensively and didn't hurt defensively either.

* Kampf was 46% at the dot, let's see if he can keep that up / improve on it. He hasn't looked out of place in the NHL after playing in the Czech league for the majority of his career. I'm pleasantly surprised.


On the backend, do we see the Forsling-Rutta pairing back in tonight?

In my last blog, I wrote: "Gustav Forsling, everyone's darling this year, started hot and showed a lot of promise but is really looking lost these days. I thought he would have had a strong showing last night against his former team, but that didn't happen. He was -3 and played 15+ mins (which would have been lowest on the team if Murphy didn't leave for a bit to attend the quiet room).

Don't be surprised to see #42 take a seat in the next few weeks if this play continues."

I didn't think Q had it in him to scratch that pairing together, but it was for the best. I think it may be helpful for these 2 youngsters to watch the game with Don Granato once and while when they're struggling.

Don't be surprised if Kempny-Franson plays again in favour of 42-44. Franson saw a little time on the PP, so Dineen may want him in for that.

Speaking of the Power Play, goals in 2 straight games from the Hawks PP units. Nice! Shocking really that's it's taking so long, but they are looking much better with some more creative plays and units.

I tweeted last game:

@JustinLoweHB: Best PP movement in a loooong time (maybe ever) for Hawks: Franson-Oesterle-Hartman-Hinostroza-Saad.

Who would have thunk it?


I know for a fact that it's real tricky to be in-and-out of the lineup, going from practices to regular shifts in-game, but look at that PP2 unit; Franson (injured – hadn't play a game in weeks), Hartman (in-and-out & all over the lineup) and Hinostroza (amazing AHL start, called up, then in-and-out of the lineup).

I know they're pros, but I give them credit – that's not an easy thing mentally and/or physically to handle.

The Hawks head into tonight's game with a strong record of late vs. the Flames in CowTown. The tending of goal will be in the hands of Jeff Glass again. Glass is from Calgary, so another emotional game for him as he looks to play the role of "hometown hero" now.

I know you're sick of hearing all the good-guy, good-win stories that everyone and their cat have covered on Jeff Glass, but I will say this; I've been talking all year about "character" and how the Hawks are looking for more of it. Well, Jeff Glass is pure character. He's a great guy and battled to get himself to the NHL. Much like the emotional past Scott Darling carried with him when he showed up here, the Hawks were able to ride that and build off wins for streaks with Darling in the past. May we see that in Jeff Glass?

If so, does that make the Panarin trade look even worse now that a 32-year old journeyman is playing in the place of Anton Forsberg?

Let's wait to evaluate that in the off-season, let's just see if the Hawks can get this road trip back on track. They sit 1-3 and have tonight and their Jan 3rd game vs. the Rangers to see if they can escape at .500.

Tommy Wingels thinks the Jeff Glass win will be their turning point. It better be, because they are running out of time:

"It was huge," center Tommy Wingels said. "Sometimes you need something like that to spark your team. That can be that one game that kind of turns things around. I really feel that way. Guys were really excited after that win. … Let's use that as a rallying point and get a winning streak going here."

See ya out there.
JL


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Who we got tonight: Calgary Flames

Season Matchup: 1st of the season

18-16-4 = 40 points
5th in Pacific Division
Last game: LOSS vs. Anaheim (2-1) December 29th
GF: 102 / GA: 108
PP% = 17.4% (20th in NHL)
PK% = 77.6% (26th in NHL)
Sniper: Sean Monahan – 17 goals
Producer: Jonny Gaudreau – 41 points
Tough Guys: – Troy Brouwer – 44 PIMs & Michael Ferland - 71 hits
Expected Starter: Mike Smith



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