John Jaeckel: On The Money

Uno!

yeaaaaa boyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

man two "soft" goals by the russian....he kicked in the toews rebound and poor positioning going down early leaving his 5 hole exposed on the saad goal...

very lucky the hawks his 3 posts last night and sharp can't finish any more or that was a blow out....

Everything feels icky.

And amazing all at the same time !

Feels like losses in every game.

Its 2-2 and Kane hasnt even scored a goal ! ! ! !
Is that good or bad ?

I feel like whichever superstar gets going in game 5 , Kane or Stamkos will win the series for his team.

The Blackhawks have had so much succuess that it sometimes takes a unique situation for them to wake up and be themselves . ...

That situation is now upon us , for the 1st time in this core's history they have a chance to win the Cup on home ice. I am hoping this is the new conquest in that locker room , play a solid victorious game 5 on the road so that they have the chance to win the tournament at home.

Either way the Cup will be in the building for game 6 people !

Great read. Last night it seemed the Lightning completely changed their approach with a young goaltender in net. Wonder how they will handle game 5 if he's still in the pipes. Hopefully the rest will do some good for the Hawks. Seabs' turnovers last night were many and to your point, getting our D to jump back in the play frequently is a must. You really think a Hawks win in game 5 is "unlikely?" If they play like they did last night yes, but I think they'll ramp it up a bit. Crow will need to be brilliant and they'll need to weather a storm early.

Hardest game to watch! Hawks looked REALLY tired and outta sync. BUT....the way this team finds a way to win, when they aren't really playing well is just incredible.

2 outta 3 now. Hawks are back in it!

Go Hawks.....

Note: Versteeg was WAYYYY bettter than Bickel in his limited minutes.

Timonen was bad....but no worse than I thought, and no worse than Cuminsky or Rinbland....there is just no "Right" answer....just which is the least "Wrong" one....

Wasn't Oduya a gritty battler....20+ minutes of battle

Hossa....20+ minutes at 58 yrs old...guy is a monster

Saad.....the younger, next Hossa!!!

The Captain......watta Captain

I thought Seabs had an off game last night. The 4D all look exhausted. Keith is playing well but he hasn't taken control of a game or even a period the way he took over Game 6 vs. Anaheim. Oduya is a warrior well hell, they all are.

Hardest game to watch! Hawks looked REALLY tired and outta sync. BUT....the way this team finds a way to win, when they aren't really playing well is just incredible.

2 outta 3 now. Hawks are back in it!

Go Hawks.....

Note: Versteeg was WAYYYY bettter than Bickel in his limited minutes.

Timonen was bad....but no worse than I thought, and no worse than Cuminsky or Rinbland....there is just no "Right" answer....just which is the least "Wrong" one....

Wasn't Oduya a gritty battler....20+ minutes of battle

Hossa....20+ minutes at 58 yrs old...guy is a monster

Saad.....the younger, next Hossa!!!

The Captain......watta Captain
- hawk35

THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Going just like the 2013 SCF vs the B's, except for the two OT games.

120 more minutes guys. 14 down, 2 to go. Do it. LETS GO HAWKS!

Kane like Stamkos needs space moreso than time to operate and neither is or will get it. In Chicago's case it's unlikely Kane is going to break the game open unless it's on the powerplay or in a 4 on 4 situation. The guys who will get it done are the guys who can play in and through traffic, Toews, Hossa, Saad, Vermette, Kruger, Desjardins, Shaw, and Sharp. To me these are the guys Q has to run with for all the tougher shifts. With only a maximum of 3 games left I expect to see Q shorten the bench and I hope to see Kane used only in certain situations. Last night's terrible third period cross ice giveaway by Kane leading to an odd man break has to concern the coaching staff who need players to avoid mental mistakes at all costs. By holding Kane's ice time back Q will also be able to sneak him out against favorable line matchups.

You have noticed in the past when Kane has been on a no goals streak he then will change his game and get to the front a tad more and finish rebounds. Hopefully he does. Bish and Vish have been giving up a lot of rebounds with no one there to finish them

Happy to see Sharp playing again. He was dying down on the lower lines. Loved seeing that old trio back together. And I was posting yesterday that I believe in Kimmo! He did not look bad yesterday and man oh man did I want that shot to go in for him. Would've been so sweet. Lastly with Saad.... PAY THAT MAN!!!

Happy to see Sharp playing again. He was dying down on the lower lines. Loved seeing that old trio back together. And I was posting yesterday that I believe in Kimmo! He did not look bad yesterday and man oh man did I want that shot to go in for him. Would've been so sweet. Lastly with Saad.... PAY THAT MAN!!!
- BURDA13

Me too. When he shot it I thought for sure it was in. Damn

Happy to see Sharp playing again. He was dying down on the lower lines. Loved seeing that old trio back together. And I was posting yesterday that I believe in Kimmo! He did not look bad yesterday and man oh man did I want that shot to go in for him. Would've been so sweet. Lastly with Saad.... PAY THAT MAN!!!
- BURDA13

Sharp saved a sure goal with a great stick lift on Stamkos as the puck was on it's way. Seabrook's deflection of Stamko's open net chance was more lucky than good but it sure was timely.

First, I called the Crawford bounce back yesterday. Yay me.

Second, shows you how incomplete of a player Sharp has become. Drags his ass like dog with the runs across the carpet and all of a sudden finds a second gear with Hoss and Toews. What a piece of crap. I can't wait for this team to be rid of him.

Also, awful game to watch. This series has really done nothing to advance or sell hockey to the masses. It has been brutal, especially this last game. Absolutely nothing positive to say about that watching experience except for the Hawks won and there was a lot of eye candy at the bar. Completely different from any of the other series where there was some urgency and intensity. Yawn fest.

Tampa started out with a 9-2 shots advantage, was it because Q's lines were in flux? Honestly the Hawks look worn out,and I don't blame Hawks fans if they aren't optimistic,it has been quite a ride...

I think game 5 will be decided by a few things like any game,but the big thing will probably be the Toews,Sharp,Hossa line out there vs Hedman..whoever wins that matchup will push their team to victory imo...and Crow has to be dialed in...the 2 days rest helps,so at least the Hawks have that going for them

Maybe it’s just me, but I think all the line changes hurt the hawks more than helped. Yes, Patrick Sharp played better and Brandon Saad helped Kane’s line, but it was a really rough start. The first period was horrible, everything looked out of sync. I’m hoping that Q realizes that changing all four lines wasn’t necessary.

Praying to my Pat Foley bobblehead by providing a shot of whiskey and candles for 27 to survive the rest of the series.

Same old story Coach Q is a idiot , Crow is garbage our GM is terrible that is the stale old line from the naysayer . I can't get how they come up with this stuff do they just forget what this team has accomplished .This is by far the greatest time ever to be a HAWKS fan , and I have been one since I was 5 and told my Dad I did not want number 9 I wanted 21 Stan the man Mikita . 45 plus years later I am just so happy to be watching these KIDS battling like Champions, it great. This is the time to sit back take in the moments good or bad and Cheer the boy's on ..GO HAWKS !!!!!!

First, I called the Crawford bounce back yesterday. Yay me.

Second, shows you how incomplete of a player Sharp has become. Drags his ass like dog with the runs across the carpet and all of a sudden finds a second gear with Hoss and Toews. What a piece of crap. I can't wait for this team to be rid of him.

Also, awful game to watch. This series has really done nothing to advance or sell hockey to the masses. It has been brutal, especially this last game. Absolutely nothing positive to say about that watching experience except for the Hawks won and there was a lot of eye candy at the bar. Completely different from any of the other series where there was some urgency and intensity. Yawn fest.
- fattybeef

Other than you're first sentence, Are you joking?

Of course Sharp's game picks up when he's on a line with Toews and Hossa. And he hasn't dragged his ass at all, he has played a role he isn't suited for and played it quite well. He was outstanding in the Anaheim series.

As for bad hockey??? This is the best hockey I have seen in years, two equally matched teams ,youth against veteran savvy, fast, tight checking, great defense, great goaltending and it's high level competition at it's finest. Maybe you're like Bettman and prefers the 14 - 11 All Star game scores?

It may have been the HNIC guys that mentioned it, but the Hawk defenseman did not activate at all in the offensive zone in the 1st period. Probably saving energy, but they are a big part of the offense, and their hanging back lead to easy TB exits and 2 1st period SOG.

From my viewpoint, the team that has played better has lost every game. To my eye, TB was better overall in 1 & 4, and the Hawks were better in 2 & 3.

Good news is the Blackhawks still have the ability to shut things down. At one point there was a 15 minute stretch that the Hawks outshot TB 10-0

Damn, that shot by 44 goes in instead of off the cross bar, would have been classic.

Good news is 3 days rest. Expect Bishop back in G5.

Same old story Coach Q is a idiot , Crow is garbage our GM is terrible that is the stale old line from the naysayer . I can't get how they come up with this stuff do they just forget what this team has accomplished .This is by far the greatest time ever to be a HAWKS fan , and I have been one since I was 5 and told my Dad I did not want number 9 I wanted 21 Stan the man Mikita . 45 plus years later I am just so happy to be watching these KIDS battling like Champions, it great. This is the time to sit back take in the moments good or bad and Cheer the boy's on ..GO HAWKS !!!!!!
- oldduffman

Great post and spot on!!! In 1967 I had #9 on my jersey.

Maybe it’s just me, but I think all the line changes hurt the hawks more than helped. Yes, Patrick Sharp played better and Brandon Saad helped Kane’s line, but it was a really rough start. The first period was horrible, everything looked out of sync. I’m hoping that Q realizes that changing all four lines wasn’t necessary.

Praying to my Pat Foley bobblehead by providing a shot of whiskey and candles for 27 to survive the rest of the series.
- Crawford

Agree. Was at the game last night and they just weren't clicking at all in the first. (They were lucky TBL weren't at their best that period either) I was thinking it might have had something to do with them not even practicing together. That said they got more in synch as the game progressed. Liked where the lines ended up. Crow was awesome. Hoping that some rest helps the D. Oduya was a total stud to play like he did and he got visibly better as the night went on.

Crawford/Saad: A+. More ice time for Vermette/Versteeg ?? Even getting penalty embarassing for Bowman's great pick-up. There is a reason why are top D so tired...Great win though team didn't look great overall..Go Hawks

There were some sad penalty calls on both teams in the first and then in the third a player could remove the opposition player''s spleen and there'd be no call. Last night's refereeing was awful for both teams and for all hockey fans.