Crawford let in a couple schiff goals if you ask me based on the highlights. it was on too late for me to watch. how was he actually the rest of the match.

could the Hawks have won if they'd had switched goalers?
- MisterBrown

He was meh. Lol, what other goaltender?

This round will be extended only if Crow goes off for a few games. Otherwise Vegas is more organized, disciplined and much better coached.

The garbage system the Hawks play + the difference in talent is going to be difficult to overcome barring a complete meltdown on the Vegas side.

Agreed. Current day, playoff, he's a better option.

2020-21 and beyond....they can find somebody cheaper.

I try to ignore him on shifts when I watch because it's just crazy how slow he is. Thought him scoring in period 1, game 1 vs Edmonton would get him going.....no such luck.
- SteveRain

It actually looks like sometimes he knows/predetermines he won't get to a lose puck or win a battle so he doesn't really try.

He doesn't show the ability to think ahead to where he needs to be defensively or offensively if he want win the puck.

He just doesn't have the foot speed to keep up. He has to be one of the slowest forwards in the league. He doesn't score on the PP.

You need to leave him with Dcat the rest of this series and see if they can find some magic.

Sidenote on Cagguila. I haven't seen much of anything from him, physical or otherwise. The Hawks are going to need those middle 6 prospects they have to mature very quickly.

Wouldn't mind

Nylander Toews Kubalik
Dcat Strome Kane
Saad Dach xxx
4th line

You could double shift Kane when needed. Use Dach and Saad as the shutdown line and get some favorable matchups for the Toews line.

the hawks played defensive pack it game to keep the knights to the outside and limit high quality chances...but could not get anything going on the counter attack...

kanes line got throttled both ways last

vegas is top of league in 5v5 play...and it showed

hawks may have to open it up and try to out score them and win and try to win 4-3 and 5-4 type games...

strom, nylander, and adb have been useless for 5 games...this is where your secondary scoring has to come from and it aint...a team depending on kampf and highmore for secondary scoring ain't going very far...
- bogiedoc

They didn't pack it in at all. Vegas just shoved it down their throats with out looking like they were trying especially hard to do so.

If they were packing it in, Keith wouldn't be chasing guys from behind the goal to the top of the circles leaving Strome and Bovquist alone to defend the goal. That is all system \ organization on the ice problems that led to them being the worst team defensively in the league.

It is kind of embarrassing to watch them skate around like 7 or 8 year olds. At least if they had some shape and organization and were getting beat purely with talent rather than talent + severely out coached it wouldn't be so bad.

Spot on analysis. Also Crawford has to step up his game the 2 goals he allowed that he shouldn't have allowed doesn't help a team that is already struggling to find chemistry, consistency, confidence.

I'm not expecting kampf or the 4th line to score but chipping in here and their is always a good sign.

Without strome , nylander, kane , and cat producing this team isn't going anywhere or gaining anything from being allowed to think it's ok to not step up and contribute.

JC needs to light a fire under this team and we need to see a huge turnaround
- Taylorst1

JC needs to learn how to coach. By Thursday.

Except Rutherford will do it right and not make a mess of the team like Stan.
- DarthKane

Hmmmm, this is the feller who went after Jack Johnson on purpose...

They didn't pack it in at all. Vegas just shoved it down their throats with out looking like they were trying especially hard to do so.

If they were packing it in, Keith wouldn't be chasing guys from behind the goal to the top of the circles leaving Strome and Bovquist alone to defend the goal. That is all system \ organization on the ice problems that led to them being the worst team defensively in the league.

It is kind of embarrassing to watch them skate around like 7 or 8 year olds. At least if they had some shape and organization and were getting beat purely with talent rather than talent + severely out coached it wouldn't be so bad.
- fattybeef

I believe he was saying that they defensively packed in the middle of the ice to keep Vegas to the outside, not that they did not give the effort. It worked pretty well for the first half of the game and they got away from it (or couldn't sustain it) as the game wore on.

Edit: Then again, my reading comprehension isn't the best right now, so I think I missed your point.

Colliton stated this in his presser on Monday. They are going to have to stay patient. They cannot expect to get in a track meet with Vegas. They are going to have to continually defend and support each other.

I thought they did this very well in the first period and a good portion of the second. They need to find a way to do this consistently through the game (oh yeah, and score a bit more too).
- Chunk

They can't win that style of game. Vegas is deeper and will eventually wear down the Hawks.

I've seen some people compared Mark Stone to Hossa. Please stop! Stone is a nice 2 way player but he is not Hossa. When did Reilly Smith become an all world sniper? Also a nice player but he look world class last night.

Vegas plays with a lot of confidence and swagger. It clearly elevates the teams play and compete level. They didn't seem worried about the Hawks counterattack or offensive fowards. Vegas started the game with very active D.

He was meh. Lol, what other goaltender?

This round will be extended only if Crow goes off for a few games. Otherwise Vegas is more organized, disciplined and much better coached.

The garbage system the Hawks play + the difference in talent is going to be difficult to overcome barring a complete meltdown on the Vegas side.
- fattybeef

THought the PP had some decent looks.....but they do way too much perimeter crap and very stagnant at times. I would like to see Dach take it from the goal and crash the net alla Toews as that will keep D men honest and open up more space.

No question an uphill battle. They need a LOT to go right to make it competitive and then some love from the hockey gods.


Vegas reminds me of a Preds team circa 2010ish.

They didn't pack it in at all. Vegas just shoved it down their throats with out looking like they were trying especially hard to do so.

If they were packing it in, Keith wouldn't be chasing guys from behind the goal to the top of the circles leaving Strome and Bovquist alone to defend the goal. That is all system \ organization on the ice problems that led to them being the worst team defensively in the league.

It is kind of embarrassing to watch them skate around like 7 or 8 year olds. At least if they had some shape and organization and were getting beat purely with talent rather than talent + severely out coached it wouldn't be so bad.
- fattybeef

Not surprisingly, in the Oilers series we saw Keith just take it upon himself to make winning plays on D. Covering guys or areas he is not supposed to in Colliton's system. Still can't get offer the fact I see our D chasing guys all the way up to the blue line. Then stopping and trying to scurry back. Leaving ice uncovered and plenty of lanes to drive the net.

If the forward is not in position for the dman to hand the puck carrier of to then does the system dictate the dman just keep following the puck carrier?

They can't win that style of game. Vegas is deeper and will eventually wear down the Hawks.

I've seen some people compared Mark Stone to Hossa. Please stop! Stone is a nice 2 way player but he is not Hossa. When did Reilly Smith become an all world sniper? Also a nice player but he look world class last night.

Vegas plays with a lot of confidence and swagger. It clearly elevates the teams play and compete level. They didn't seem worried about the Hawks counterattack or offensive fowards. Vegas started the game with very active D.
- bhawks2241

If this is the case (and it is) it doesn't matter what system the Hawks play.

Vegas is the better overall team.

The Hawks CAN win, if they get stellar goaltending and they find some new ways to score.

The problem (as has been repeated here ad nauseum) is that the Hawks, as constructed, are not consistent/disciplined enough to do so.

I would love to be proven wrong, but right now, they are not good enough.

You can make excuses for him, but he has dealt with this same his whole career. Everyone has slumps and he just isn't looking like he is on top of his game at the moment. Dach needs to shoot more, but he is playing decent for his age. DeBrincat is always a threat to score, if he can get into those dangerous areas, but ultimately, I think the Hawks need more from the guy who is supposed to lead the offense. It's pretty much his one job. Nothing against him, but he can play better IMO.
- breadbag

Yes, he has dealt with this his entire career

And what would Q do when he would see that?

Adjust. The. Lines.

Whether he would put Saad and Shaw with Kane or Kane with Bickell and Toews...

He would move Kane as a series would dictate to put him in the best position. When the checking was tight - he would put someone like Shaw/Bickell with him to help create space

Who - between Dach and ADB - is going to be able to create space for him? Which one of those 2 is strong enough to drive the net/consistently win board battles?

It actually looks like sometimes he knows/predetermines he won't get to a lose puck or win a battle so he doesn't really try.

He doesn't show the ability to think ahead to where he needs to be defensively or offensively if he want win the puck.

He just doesn't have the foot speed to keep up. He has to be one of the slowest forwards in the league. He doesn't score on the PP.

You need to leave him with Dcat the rest of this series and see if they can find some magic.

Sidenote on Cagguila. I haven't seen much of anything from him, physical or otherwise. The Hawks are going to need those middle 6 prospects they have to mature very quickly.

Wouldn't mind

Nylander Toews Kubalik
Dcat Strome Kane
Saad Dach xxx
4th line

You could double shift Kane when needed. Use Dach and Saad as the shutdown line and get some favorable matchups for the Toews line.
- bhawks2241

Nylander has been MIA....I was really hoping he'd turn into a poor man's Kris Versteeg and add some needed depth punch but so far nothing. Again, young.....but at times he just floats.

It's hard to factor in lines.......the two most impressive plays these "playoffs" for me have been Toews man handling that D man to set up Kubalik for the winner, and then Saad outworking that D man last night.

If you look at what JC has to work with I just don't know if he can pivot that much. Too many anchors or inexperience and then risk a chance of a line being a complete $hit show each and every time out there.....

IE...

IMO. I would strongly look at 19/88...from there who goes with them? I would say keep the hot stick in Kubalik who can finish the 1 timers Kane will likely give him, but I also get the pining for 12 and keeping 8 and 20 together.

So if you go 12/19/88

You likely have 20/77/8 which I think can work. Essentially flipping the set of wings with Toews and Dach

92/17/91 needs more......That line has to figure it out. I think 36/64/22 can be a shut down line as needed but again.......all sits with how g damn slow Strome is....if he can't keep up or compete it's essentially 91 running around trying to create havoc and 92 finding soft spots to create chances.

Defensively....I think you roll as you have them. Those 6, IMO, give you the best chance to win. 2 can continue to help 27 progress.

I giggle each time 5 is out there as he is just hell bent on annihilating somebody every shift.

Bang on. Crawford missed one with his glove that he normally stops, but every goalie gets beat on the glove once in a while. The other fluky one off of him over and in was dumb luck. The bottom line is there was no way to win that game with the effort in front of him.

No disrespect but it would help if the guy who is paid 10.5 mil per year strictly for his offense would play like he gave more of a damn. Remember when he used to put d-men on his heels when he had the puck on his stick.
- breadbag

Tough for him to do it himself.

They do this stupid freaking breakout that takes 9 passes to advance the puck forward. In all of Patrick Kane's history he thrives in a fast transition with the puck on his blade shooting through the neutral zone with speed.

His ability to skate laterally, find the player on the back side, or rip a shot from between the circles at speed are what makes him one of the most exciting players in the league. The way the Hawks have decided to play pretty much neuters that. Toews and Saad can play a half court game because they have some lead in their ass and they've been 'grindy' all their careers.

Some of it is talent. Some of it is probably players not caring because their coach is a moron. As a team, they defend like children, have no organization or shape and little urgency on the break out.

And this is a nice segway for Bovquist. You have a player who is an outstanding skater with a high technical ability making 8 or 9 passes before advancing the puck out of the zone. With his skills shouldn't he be pushing hte play forward with either a long stretch pass or his feet to break down the defense in fast, ruthless transition? Instead the poor kid is deferring to Keith for every little thing, not using any of his talents and looking pretty terrible.

Now he could be a complete bust as well but at least let the kid play to his strengths and see what he can do. Why play him if you're not going to use his talents? OR if he is not meeting expectations and they are telling him to drive play why is he still on the ice?

JC needs to learn how to coach. By Thursday.
- fattybeef

I don't know.....I know Fels and McClure well and I saw them female doging last night about the system and how D men are out of position.

I would assume, never have played goalie, but a goalie would prefer shots be challenged then have 2 extra bodies (your D) to peer around if you go back to shot block system. Lots of bad things happen....hell Maata scored two goals vs edmonton for that EXACT reason.

Plus what D men on this team are shot blockers/ Maybe Maata? Maybe? Not like the hammer is back there or Sopel or oduya getting blasted every shift.


I'm not a huge JC fan.....but I dno't know that he has a LOT to work with right now. Very young team. Coming off a future HOF coach where veterans weren't buying what he was selling early on.

The challenge.....questionable. The 1 look, had Reaves skate in the air, teh other from behind, looked like it was dragging so it was arguably way too close to say it was clear it should be overturned.

Outside of that....they beat a team in a best 5 I thought they should, and outside of outside the norm performances from veterans last night, they easily could have won game 1.

hard to fully blame JC right now.

I believe he was saying that they defensively packed in the middle of the ice to keep Vegas to the outside, not that they did not give the effort. It worked pretty well for the first half of the game and they got away from it (or couldn't sustain it) as the game wore on.

Edit: Then again, my reading comprehension isn't the best right now, so I think I missed your point.
- Chunk

That happened to be where Vegas was shooting from and settling for. They made an adjustment and really opened the Hawks up in the second period. The stupid man to man system they play has them chasing guys around, disorganized and lacking shape to break out and flip the ice.

I feel like they win one or two flukey ones because Toews and Crawford will say so.

Not surprisingly, in the Oilers series we saw Keith just take it upon himself to make winning plays on D. Covering guys or areas he is not supposed to in Colliton's system. Still can't get offer the fact I see our D chasing guys all the way up to the blue line. Then stopping and trying to scurry back. Leaving ice uncovered and plenty of lanes to drive the net.

If the forward is not in position for the dman to hand the puck carrier of to then does the system dictate the dman just keep following the puck carrier?
- bhawks2241

Yes, they chase like kids. When in every other professional sport some type of zonal marking with handoffs (or a trap + playing a box and a chaser like Columbus does but you really need a competent coach and a lot of buy in for that to work).

Yes, he has dealt with this his entire career

And what would Q do when he would see that?

Adjust. The. Lines.

Whether he would put Saad and Shaw with Kane or Kane with Bickell and Toews...

He would move Kane as a series would dictate to put him in the best position. When the checking was tight - he would put someone like Shaw/Bickell with him to help create space

Who - between Dach and ADB - is going to be able to create space for him? Which one of those 2 is strong enough to drive the net/consistently win board battles?
- PatShart

Great point and as I read this I heard Eddie O from last commenting on how Kane had to retrieve his own dump in because Dach and DeBrincat didn't engage.

Hell at this point just load up the way the Ducks used to with Perry/Getzlaf/Ryan and let the cards fall where they may. Kane is likely the easiest person on the team to play with. You know if you are open he will find you, so trying to gel him with Dach for next year....right now.....doesn't do much for me.

I think you flip the wing sets with 19 and 77....if you kept 20 with 19/88 you'd have problems with retrieval on Dach's line.....and IMO...waste of time slotting Saad down that hunk of garbage that is the 3rd line right now.

Strome will kill anything that goes near him. Saad is playing his best hockey....he deserves to be kept up high.

It's possible, but agree to disagree. I think the ingredients are there with a couple of them and I think they still need time is more my point.

This was Nylander's first full season in the NHL. Up til now, his season's have been cut short by injuries so him playing a full season is a win in my book.

Where he develops from here is up to him.

Strome could still be a 2C on this team but as long as the Capt. keeps drinking from the Fountain of Youth and Dach continues on his trajectory, he's a 3C on this team...which may create a square peg round hole scenario.

Is Kurashev or another guy the 3C. No idea as he's even younger but guys like him and Barratt sound a better fir for that role. Theo could answer that question better than I.

Dinky? Probably not a perennial 40 goal guy but 30? Possibly. His salary isn't bad for a scorer but like I said in a Cap decision I'd rather keep Saad.
- HawkintheD

Nothing unreasonable in your post. Debrincat scores 71 whatervgoals. In his first two years. He's still an effective tough and smart player but how does he go from a world class sniper to a guy who cannot score? Inalwayscthought he hurt his wrist. Surely teams know to watch his shot, but he's been dealingbwithbfefenses before.its too bad we dont havevthe 35 goal sniper anymore. I don't feel like editing anything in memory of wiz.

*NEW* blog up: https://bit.ly/3kykoXD

My thoughts from game 1 and where they can improve for the next one.

Hmmmm, this is the feller who went after Jack Johnson on purpose...
- fattybeef

He's Crosby's buddy

Crawford needed to make those saves.

If the forwards needed to play "big boy hockey" - so does 50 and make those stops. Especially when the team is out classes. Hes one of the few with experience and I'm sure he knows he needed to be much better
- PatShart

Actually, not sure how you (not you) can say Crawford wasn't the problem when nobody scores 5 goals against Vegas and Crow let two bad ones in?

I see Chicago being harder to snuff out. I can see them advancing, but I'm happy with their performance either way.

How have you been? Staying healthy & sane, I hope.
- I Am The Breadman

Doing as well as can be expected. Enjoying the respite of hockey, as opposed to the bizarro world we are now witnessing. The league, along with Bettman, has done a bang up job. Nice hearing about what you're thinking about this Vegas series. What have you heard about your teaching status in the fall? Read somewhere a few weeks ago about you considering knocking out your masters degree. I wish you well. Always enjoy your optimism. It plays well against my glass half empty.

Doing as well as can be expected. Enjoying the respite of hockey, as opposed to the bizarro world we are now witnessing. The league, along with Bettman, has done a bang up job. Nice hearing about what you're thinking about this Vegas series. What have you heard about your teaching status in the fall? Read somewhere a few weeks ago about you considering knocking out your masters degree. I wish you well. Always enjoy your optimism. It plays well against my glass half empty.
- gabriel

Yikes - Losing UGLY