John Jaeckel: Power Surge

Would like to see Hutton.......and I think first!

John Jaeckel: Power Surge
- John Jaeckel

FOYST....again...oh doy...beaten to the punch


Agree JJ on the pp...movement and spacing has been good. Still don't like Keith as the go to qb on the first unit, but nice to see him bury off the sweets Stals feed.

Speaking of Keith...if you watch the controversial 2nd goal against...Duncs was standing right there with his stick on the goal line and let up for a second and the next...the light was on. TERRIBLE OFFICIATING though. Whistle should have been blown way sooner.

Toews as his usual incredible self. His puck pursuit and tenacity set the tone for the entire bench. Hoss was a beast and Saad had another good game. That line is really fun to watch.

Zeus' steal and snipe was a thing of beauty as was Kaner's fake leg kick and tally.

Said it last thread, but Crow still makes me NERVVVVVVVVOUS

Wonder what made the coaching staff realize Keith was more effective on the powerplay on his off point and using his speed to open lanes and move deeper into the slot instead of playing a static root game on the left point? Just like he used to do in 2010. Funny what can happen when you review tape from when a guy had success! Don't cha think JJ???

Wonder what made the coaching staff realize Keith was more effective on the powerplay on his off point and using his speed to open lanes and move deeper into the slot instead of playing a static root game on the left point? Just like he used to do in 2010. Funny what can happen when you review tape from when a guy had success! Don't cha think JJ???
- paulr

What took them so long?

FOYST....again...oh doy...beaten to the punch


Agree JJ on the pp...movement and spacing has been good. Still don't like Keith as the go to qb on the first unit, but nice to see him bury off the sweets Stals feed.

Speaking of Keith...if you watch the controversial 2nd goal against...Duncs was standing right there with his stick on the goal line and let up for a second and the next...the light was on. TERRIBLE OFFICIATING though. Whistle should have been blown way sooner.

Toews as his usual incredible self. His puck pursuit and tenacity set the tone for the entire bench. Hoss was a beast and Saad had another good game. That line is really fun to watch.

Zeus' steal and snipe was a thing of beauty as was Kaner's fake leg kick and tally.

Said it last thread, but Crow still makes me NERVVVVVVVVOUS
- philco28

Crawford used to be better when he combined athleticism with positioning. Last year became a position only shot blocker. Earlier this year he went back to the hybrid style he was more successful. After his injury this season he again reverted back to being a mindless shot blocker relying on positioning and nothing else. Maybe the coaching staff will do what they did with Keith and review old tape of Crawford when he was more successful

As for Keith, if he plays as he did last night, being more dynamic, fast, creative and playing his off point I think he can be a reasonably good point guy on the Power play. The quarterbacking of the power play can be left to Kane, Hossa or Toews so long as Keith gets pucks through and makes defenders have to key on him.

FOYST....again...oh doy...beaten to the punch


Agree JJ on the pp...movement and spacing has been good. Still don't like Keith as the go to qb on the first unit, but nice to see him bury off the sweets Stals feed.

Speaking of Keith...if you watch the controversial 2nd goal against...Duncs was standing right there with his stick on the goal line and let up for a second and the next...the light was on. TERRIBLE OFFICIATING though. Whistle should have been blown way sooner.

Toews as his usual incredible self. His puck pursuit and tenacity set the tone for the entire bench. Hoss was a beast and Saad had another good game. That line is really fun to watch.

Zeus' steal and snipe was a thing of beauty as was Kaner's fake leg kick and tally.

Said it last thread, but Crow still makes me NERVVVVVVVVOUS
- philco28

I wonder if the Hawks would be better off using both Crawford and Emery in the playoffs. I know teams like to have one goalie carry the load in the playoffs but playing both has worked out well so far why change what is working. Crawford makes me nervous too and things can go south pretty quick if he gets off to a bad start.

I don't know what Brookbank was thinking by putting that puck at the skates of Crawford. I was at the game sitting on the goal line and was screaming 3 seconds before it went in.

I also would have liked to have seen Leddy out on the PP to start OT instead if Keith. It worked out, but I felt that he would gel better 4-3.

CROW was terrible last night...nice to see the pp click...tough match up tonight GO HAWKS! In other news....We had Lou Malnati's pizza last night that our Illinois friends brought me when they visited Canada for the 1st time last weekend....oh and some Garretts popcorn as well

Sloppy game last night for sure and not one of Craw's better outings. And completely agree where the heck was the whistle on that second goal as Philco points out?

Nice to see the PP get going, but I'm not really counting the 4 on 3 goal as much. You should be able to score on a 4 on 3 with the talent on this team - its the 5 on 4s that they've got to continue to work the kinks out.

No question Stalberg made a beauty of a pass on that play to Keith in the slot. Hope he gets more time on the PP down the stretch here.

On to tonight's menu the NHL Yotes...let's help end their season - payback's a b-tch isn't it...conveniently Torres isn't here tonight having gone to the Sharks...but I'm sure that Oscar winner Mike Smith (best actor in a playoff series) will hear it every time he touches the puck.

Sloppy game last night by a lot of the players. I thought Crawford played like he did a year ago. He looked down and frustrated after the first goal, which was in his head the rest of the night. He did not play aggressively at all, as he was sitting way back in his net most of the night. How many times did the Hawks fumble the puck around in the neutral zone in trying to make plays? A lot, but they found a way to get a win, which seems to be a common thread this year. They are not going to be perfect every night, but I am hoping that everything is fine tuned by May 1st. Tonight will be a real similar opponent in Phoenix, who still has an outside chance of making the playoffs. The Hawks need to be ready because this team will bang the body at every opportunity.

No goalie in the universe would have stopped that Hossa one timer in OT..... playoffs are soon boys...... So soon......

There has been a lack of urgency on the power play this year because there's been a lack of urgency on the team. In a good way.

In other words, they've been winning a ton of games without a legitimate powerplay and they haven't really played a meaningful game in a long time.

When it comes down to it in the post season and they need to score with a man advantage, I imagine they will.

There has been a lack of urgency on the power play this year because there's been a lack of urgency on the team. In a good way.

In other words, they've been winning a ton of games without a legitimate powerplay and they haven't really played a meaningful game in a long time.

When it comes down to it in the post season and they need to score with a man advantage, I imagine they will.
- AceRatbang

And last year? Three OT losses, and 1/19 on the PP. Two more PP goals, and nobody's talking about Crawford's OT ineptitude.

The PP sucked all year, and when they desperately needed a PP goal in the playoffs, they couldn't do it.

If they can't do it with no pressure, how the hell can they expect to do it under playoff pressure? It's not just a switch thy can flip on at any time.

CROW was terrible last night...nice to see the pp click...tough match up tonight GO HAWKS! In other news....We had Lou Malnati's pizza last night that our Illinois friends brought me when they visited Canada for the 1st time last weekend....oh and some Garretts popcorn as well
- RIDELIKEHELL

If you watched the game, Crawford wasn't terrible. Two goals were bullpoop and another one he had no chance on. Scoreboard doesn't always tell the tale. Lou Malnati's rocks!

Sloppy game last night for sure and not one of Craw's better outings. And completely agree where the heck was the whistle on that second goal as Philco points out?

Nice to see the PP get going, but I'm not really counting the 4 on 3 goal as much. You should be able to score on a 4 on 3 with the talent on this team - its the 5 on 4s that they've got to continue to work the kinks out.

No question Stalberg made a beauty of a pass on that play to Keith in the slot. Hope he gets more time on the PP down the stretch here.

On to tonight's menu the NHL Yotes...let's help end their season - payback's a b-tch isn't it...conveniently Torres isn't here tonight having gone to the Sharks...but I'm sure that Oscar winner Mike Smith (best actor in a playoff series) will hear it every time he touches the puck.
- DK002

PP got going because they actually shot the puck instead of non-stop passing. Brookbank did a Keith impersonation last night, firing into shin pads. Awful game by the Brook

FOYST....again...oh doy...beaten to the punch


Agree JJ on the pp...movement and spacing has been good. Still don't like Keith as the go to qb on the first unit, but nice to see him bury off the sweets Stals feed.

Speaking of Keith...if you watch the controversial 2nd goal against...Duncs was standing right there with his stick on the goal line and let up for a second and the next...the light was on. TERRIBLE OFFICIATING though. Whistle should have been blown way sooner.

Toews as his usual incredible self. His puck pursuit and tenacity set the tone for the entire bench. Hoss was a beast and Saad had another good game. That line is really fun to watch.

Zeus' steal and snipe was a thing of beauty as was Kaner's fake leg kick and tally.

Said it last thread, but Crow still makes me NERVVVVVVVVOUS
- philco28

On the second goal, note the ref coming in from his right behind the net as the play is made and then calling good goal on opposite side. From the overhead it looked like the puck was under Craw with 5 players there don't know how he still "saw" the puck. I have seen whistels blow alot earlier than that and cost the hawks where the puck clearly was not frozen. Its a tough call for the ref...my guess they most likely want to error on the side keeping the play alive.

And last year? Three OT losses, and 1/19 on the PP. Two more PP goals, and nobody's talking about Crawford's OT ineptitude.

The PP sucked all year, and when they desperately needed a PP goal in the playoffs, they couldn't do it.

If they can't do it with no pressure, how the hell can they expect to do it under playoff pressure? It's not just a switch thy can flip on at any time.
- Ogilthorpe2

Last years team wasn't as good as this years team. Like, its not even close.

Also, the playoffs featured an unhealthy Toews, a dead Hossa, a suspended Shaw and a goalie having a career year in the other net.

Last year's team was a complete mess in many ways.

If you watched the game, Crawford wasn't terrible. Two goals were bullpoop and another one he had no chance on. Scoreboard doesn't always tell the tale. Lou Malnati's rocks!
- Assman22

He was fighting it a bit...but I agree with your observations. A goal off a deflected high stick, a scrum where the ref swallowed his whistle, a break away off of a Leddy heading for a change (which looked offside to me), and top shelf short side.

But once again its adventureland in the 3rd period at home. Home ice in the playoffs is no advantage with the way they play at home. They need to bring that road gme dynamo to the UC.

On the second goal, note the ref coming in from his right behind the net as the play is made and then calling good goal on opposite side. From the overhead it looked like the puck was under Craw with 5 players there don't know how he still "saw" the puck. I have seen whistels blow alot earlier than that and cost the hawks where the puck clearly was not frozen. Its a tough call for the ref...my guess they most likely want to error on the side keeping the play alive.
- bogiedoc

That's how it should be IMO, but the inconsistency is maddening. Seems like 9/10 times that goal last night is whistled dead long before it squirts in.

the pickup of handzus at the trade deadline is looking better and better.

When are we gonna see the boy Leblanc?

the pickup of handzus at the trade deadline is looking better and better.
- jvanda

He was fighting it a bit...but I agree with your observations. A goal off a deflected high stick, a scrum where the ref swallowed his whistle, a break away off of a Leddy heading for a change (which looked offside to me), and top shelf short side.

But once again its adventureland in the 3rd period at home. Home ice in the playoffs is no advantage with the way they play at home. They need to bring that road gme dynamo to the UC.
- bogiedoc

I thought they played down to the Preds level last night, as they have against other crappy teams. It really pisses me off. With all the lazy passes and careless turnovers Nashvegas had in just the first period alone, the Hawks should've scored 6 -7 goals.

Simply put, when the Hawks play their own aggressive game, they cannot be stopped. They're a well-oiled machine. When they get taken off their game or let the foot off the gas, like we've seen at times, they are their own worst enemy. It's all mental.

I thought they played down to the Preds level last night, as they have against other crappy teams. It really pisses me off. With all the lazy passes and careless turnovers Nashvegas had in just the first period alone, the Hawks should've scored 6 -7 goals.

Simply put, when the Hawks play their own aggressive game, they cannot be stopped. They're a well-oiled machine. When they get taken off their game or let the foot off the gas, like we've seen at times, they are their own worst enemy. It's all mental.
- Assman22

Right.

They have zero to play for and were playing against an awful team last night.

No need to have the pedal to the metal last night. That's just a waste of gas.