Justin Lowe: Running Out of Gas as the Finish Line Nears
The Blackhawks appear to be out of gas but that's not going to stop them from going full throttle until the buzzer goes in Game #82.

Sure, they won in OT last night, but with that in mind, over their last 4 games, it's been a big miss. They had an amazing chance to take the Avs down twice (in regulation) as Colorado is short-handed with some key injuries. Instead, they handed COL 3 points in 2 games.

First!

both teams looked pretty worn out yesterday, which isn’t shocking. the hawks certainly looked like the more desperate team and i honestly don’t think the avs deserved to even make it into overtime; their sloppy af play throughout the entire third period should’ve cost them more than a point (thanks for stealing one, grubauer!).

agreed on this weekend having sealed chicago’s fate. it’s a shame cuz i’d much rather see them in it over minnesota or dallas, but i think there’s still enough to be excited about for next season and beyond.

everyone has pretty tough matchups remaining on their schedule(s) so anything is possible i suppose. best of luck going forward!

Justin Lowe: Running Out of Gas as the Finish Line Nears

The Blackhawks appear to be out of gas but that's not going to stop them from going full throttle until the buzzer goes in Game #82.

Sure, they won in OT last night, but with that in mind, over their last 4 games, it's been a big miss. They had an amazing chance to take the Avs down twice (in regulation) as Colorado is short-handed with some key injuries. Instead, they handed COL 3 points in 2 games.
- Justin Lowe

Great piece, TC, and I agree with your analyses. Crow being awesome in net does provide some life for the guys. Toews and Kane have both been worked hard this season and gave their all ++. Sikura looks out of place on the top line at times, but he plays with a lot of heart, disrupts plays, knows how to find the open man, but also not afraid to shoot.

Not so good to hear on the Rockford front. Good to hear on the prospect front (mostly). Great to hear about most of their success. Even if it means their seasons are over, I hope more kids sign with us soon.

Great piece, TC, and I agree with your analyses. Crow being awesome in net does provide some life for the guys. Toews and Kane have both been worked hard this season and gave their all ++. Sikura looks out of place on the top line at times, but he plays with a lot of heart, disrupts plays, knows how to find the open man, but also not afraid to shoot.

Not so good to hear on the Rockford front. Good to hear on the prospect front (mostly). Great to hear about most of their success. Even if it means their seasons are over, I hope more kids sign with us soon.
- I Am The Breadman

Agree.

AFA Sikura goes...still finding his way, but I don't think he's looked out of place at all since being recalled. Just needs to get his first one.

I think Kampf is likely their 4C going forward but liked the element he added to the line when put with Strome and Perlini...even though I've read claims that Kampf can't win a board battle.

Any more word on Caggiula?

Agree.

AFA Sikura goes...still finding his way, but I don't think he's looked out of place at all since being recalled. Just needs to get his first one.

I think Kampf is likely their 4C going forward but liked the element he added to the line when put with Strome and Perlini...even though I've read claims that Kampf can't win a board battle.

Any more word on Caggiula?
- HawkintheD

Mentioned last night they thought Caggiula would be taking his (hopefully) last concussion-clearing test today.

Great piece, TC, and I agree with your analyses. Crow being awesome in net does provide some life for the guys. Toews and Kane have both been worked hard this season and gave their all ++. Sikura looks out of place on the top line at times, but he plays with a lot of heart, disrupts plays, knows how to find the open man, but also not afraid to shoot.

Not so good to hear on the Rockford front. Good to hear on the prospect front (mostly). Great to hear about most of their success. Even if it means their seasons are over, I hope more kids sign with us soon.
- I Am The Breadman

Bread, there's a narative on this board about Sikura, If you wish to continue posting please stick with said narrative!

both teams looked pretty worn out yesterday, which isn’t shocking. the hawks certainly looked like the more desperate team and i honestly don’t think the avs deserved to even make it into overtime; their sloppy af play throughout the entire third period should’ve cost them more than a point (thanks for stealing one, grubauer!).

agreed on this weekend having sealed chicago’s fate. it’s a shame cuz i’d much rather see them in it over minnesota or dallas, but i think there’s still enough to be excited about for next season and beyond.

everyone has pretty tough matchups remaining on their schedule(s) so anything is possible i suppose. best of luck going forward!
- avsgrinder

How amazing that of all players on the roster, Keith scores the winning goal. Especially neat how he scored. Desperate teams but also in some matches one or both teams are very tired. Now when you consider the riverboat style we play and the lack of proper rest through the final game, it would be a fair asessment to expect the throttle on wide open Blackhawk hockey is not going to be at full blast.

Maybe it needs to be that way. We should never expect to win each time as seen in the high scoring nfl football scoreboard.

Actually we did see some clamp down defensive effort by the team.

I am sort of expecting tired players like Kane performing less than stellar and poor play from a DeBrincat to continue. But in a mad scramble or in an opportunistic moment those two might still make a decisive play or score the winning goal.

So expect more of the unexpected. You saw Keith do the unexpected. Whose turn next?

Crawford is going to need some rest.. The team might put together a winning record the rest of the way. But handing Colorado three points whereas we really needed four points, that is going to be the beginning of the avalanche for us. Each game we will experience mounting pressure. It is just too much to overcome

The Avalanche beat us once over the weekend and by doing so the pressure of an avalanche is mounting. To reach the playoffs would be unexpected and nearly impossible

Agree.

AFA Sikura goes...still finding his way, but I don't think he's looked out of place at all since being recalled. Just needs to get his first one.

I think Kampf is likely their 4C going forward but liked the element he added to the line when put with Strome and Perlini...even though I've read claims that Kampf can't win a board battle.

Any more word on Caggiula?
- HawkintheD

Not out of place as far as being a hawk, more like not being used properly out of place. He did a great job shutting down Mack. A lower line is better suited for him. What he does on the top line (the qualities I mentioned) he can do on the third line and get a better match-up and could possibly score.

Agree on Kampf, no clue on Caggiula. 7 games left ... I say let him rest and have them off.

Bread, there's a narative on this board about Sikura, If you wish to continue posting please stick with said narrative!
- paulr

Well you won't like my most recent post then. Hahaha!

From Powers today in the Athletic:

Even if Sunday’s win is for naught when it’s all said and done, it seemed important to see Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford play as they did. They all left everything out on the ice to get that win. Those five players are still the backbone of that team, and they all stepped up in a game they believed was vital. It’s fair to question whether some of them have lost a step a two as age and wear and tear have added up, but there’s no doubt they still care a whole lot about winning and losing. They proved that Sunday.

I think all the teams that have been scratching and clawing for the 2 WC spots are wearing out. Arizona was red hot for awhile, and now have lost 5 in a row. The Hawks can basically knock them out if they win tomorrow. The rest of Arizona's schedule is pretty tough. I've been predicting for 2 months that they Hawks are going to finish 4 points out of the WC2. My prediction is still looking pretty accurate.

Your last line in your blog about ice hogs being in 5th place and one spot out of the playoff race.

"They have to work hard over the last 15 games to make playoffs"

This is not the NHL it is the AHL ..... which has a 76 game season not an 82 game season. So....... your last line in your article should be "they have to work hard over their final 9 games of the season".

I thought I would correct you for any readers that managed to make it to the end of your article.

From Powers today in the Athletic:

Even if Sunday’s win is for naught when it’s all said and done, it seemed important to see Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford play as they did. They all left everything out on the ice to get that win. Those five players are still the backbone of that team, and they all stepped up in a game they believed was vital. It’s fair to question whether some of them have lost a step a two as age and wear and tear have added up, but there’s no doubt they still care a whole lot about winning and losing. They proved that Sunday.
- scottak

Trade them all, they're of no value in the future.

Your last line in your blog about ice hogs being in 5th place and one spot out of the playoff race.

"They have to work hard over the last 15 games to make playoffs"

This is not the NHL it is the AHL ..... which has a 76 game season not an 82 game season. So....... your last line in your article should be "they have to work hard over their final 9 games of the season".

I thought I would correct you for any readers that managed to make it to the end of your article.
- Deanyoungblood7

Get out.

Since really the next games are really a try out for next season, I would like to see ADB back with Strome, and try Perlini on the top line. I was very impressed gain with his play yesterday, at both ends of the rink, and his drive to the net (although he didn't score) was Saad-like, showing his speed and power,

Perlini-Toews-Kane
ADB-Strome-Kahun
Saad-AA-Sikura
whatever else.

Hat tip to assistant coach Elbows for putting AA and Seabs out on the PP for the goal

Since really the next games are really a try out for next season, I would like to see ADB back with Strome, and try Perlini on the top line. I was very impressed gain with his play yesterday, at both ends of the rink, and his drive to the net (although he didn't score) was Saad-like, showing his speed and power,

Perlini-Toews-Kane
ADB-Strome-Kahun
Saad-AA-Sikura
whatever else.

Hat tip to assistant coach Elbows for putting AA and Seabs out on the PP for the goal
- LAHawk

Did Kahun get hurt yesterday? Or was he benched for the third? I never saw him at all in the third period

From Powers today in the Athletic:

Even if Sunday’s win is for naught when it’s all said and done, it seemed important to see Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford play as they did. They all left everything out on the ice to get that win. Those five players are still the backbone of that team, and they all stepped up in a game they believed was vital. It’s fair to question whether some of them have lost a step a two as age and wear and tear have added up, but there’s no doubt they still care a whole lot about winning and losing. They proved that Sunday.
- scottak

After working hard to get themselves in a position to even think about making the playoffs, you can see that the heavy workload to the core, as well as Debrincat and a few others has brought them to the point where they have "hit the wall". Open shots and chances that were finding the back of the net, are now being shanked, mis-handled or just missing the net. The physical and mental toll to play at the same intensity for extended stretches is catching up with all of them. After a blistering Feb. Kane has returned to being a "mortal", DeBrincat has missed chances he buried previously, Toews also. These are all signs of fatigue and the extra minutes they have all logged.

Since the turn of the year the Hawks have been a pretty good team, at least one that would be solidly in a playoff spot if they had played the same way all season. One HUGE caveat to that statement, is that a healthy Crawford is absolutely essential to the success of this team, especially as the D is currently constructed. While Ward and Delia had their moments, neither is capable of backstopping a porous D like Crawford has. A healthy Crawford all season means this club would probably be solidly in the playoffs, I would speculate that he would have been good for 7-10 more points (3-5 wins) at the minimum.

Did Kahun get hurt yesterday? Or was he benched for the third? I never saw him at all in the third period
- GPHawksfan

I think JC was basically going with 2 lines in the 3rd. Kahun had 1 shift, though he still finished with 5 minutes more total ice time than Kruger.

After working hard to get themselves in a position to even think about making the playoffs, you can see that the heavy workload to the core, as well as Debrincat and a few others has brought them to the point where they have "hit the wall". Open shots and chances that were finding the back of the net, are now being shanked, mis-handled or just missing the net. The physical and mental toll to play at the same intensity for extended stretches is catching up with all of them. After a blistering Feb. Kane has returned to being a "mortal", DeBrincat has missed chances he buried previously, Toews also. These are all signs of fatigue and the extra minutes they have all logged.

Since the turn of the year the Hawks have been a pretty good team, at least one that would be solidly in a playoff spot if they had played the same way all season. One HUGE caveat to that statement, is that a healthy Crawford is absolutely essential to the success of this team, especially as the D is currently constructed. While Ward and Delia had their moments, neither is capable of backstopping a porous D like Crawford has. A healthy Crawford all season means this club would probably be solidly in the playoffs, I would speculate that he would have been good for 7-10 more points (3-5 wins) at the minimum.
- TheTrob

Good post, Trobber. Perhaps lack of depth has contributed a bit to the fatigue of the big boys? Couple solid additions in the summer could help a ton, imo.

I've heard Patrick Kane is a little dinged up (I mean who isn't these days) and I can see it. He's on pace to play 1:00+ more TOI / game than he has in any other season in his career. He's been worn down over the year and not even a line of Toews and DeBrincat can bring him back to life.<<<

that explains alot...he has been off with his shot and passing the last 7-8 games...i mean he wiffed on a one timer...patrick kane?? whiffing...

several us mentioned a few months ago the double shifting and playing the whole 2 min pp was going to have negative consequences at some point...they rode him and he produced at almost 2 points a clip to rally them off the bottom...

From Powers today in the Athletic:

Even if Sunday’s win is for naught when it’s all said and done, it seemed important to see Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford play as they did. They all left everything out on the ice to get that win. Those five players are still the backbone of that team, and they all stepped up in a game they believed was vital. It’s fair to question whether some of them have lost a step a two as age and wear and tear have added up, but there’s no doubt they still care a whole lot about winning and losing. They proved that Sunday.
- scottak

elbows and others have pointed this out...yes they have stepped up the compete and defensive play...but they got "goalied" in 3 games and couldn't catch a bounce...

so it goes in the nhl...

elbows and others have pointed this out...yes they have stepped up the compete and defensive play...but they got "goalied" in 3 games and couldn't catch a bounce...

so it goes in the nhl...
- bogiedoc

They may have gotten "Goalied" but to the same extent Crow has won a few games they were totally outplayed (MTL, DAL, etc.)

Your last line in your blog about ice hogs being in 5th place and one spot out of the playoff race.

"They have to work hard over the last 15 games to make playoffs"

This is not the NHL it is the AHL ..... which has a 76 game season not an 82 game season. So....... your last line in your article should be "they have to work hard over their final 9 games of the season".

I thought I would correct you for any readers that managed to make it to the end of your article.
- Deanyoungblood7

Thanks for your back-handed help.

Thanks for your back-handed help.
- Justin Lowe

Total Richard play by that poster.