vs. St. Louis SOW 4-3
@ Dallas RW 4-1
vs. Washington RW 5-2
@ THE BEEJ RW 5-1
vs. Vancouver OTW 2-1
vs. Nashville RL 6-1
@ New Jersey SOL 2-1
vs. St. Louis again SOW 4-3
@ Nashville 5-4 RW
vs. Minnesota
@ Minnesota
@ Detroit

6 home, 6 away, two against a moribund Wild team, one against the worst team in the league, and nine games against probable playoff teams. The Hawks are at 82 points. My hope is that they can pick up at least 10 of a possible 24, but I'm not sure if that's enough for the playoffs. I'd look for three wins against MINx2 and Columbus, so 6 there, a win against an improving but mediocre Caps team, there's 8, and loser points from two of Vancouver, Detroit, and Jersey. They won't beat St. Louis or Nashville either time; they're just not built for that. Not budgeting for a win against a trapping Stars team on bad ice, but it's not impossible. Hard to feel good when it's all laid out there.

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This team is bad.

They don't make it.

You used moribund properly in a sentence. That is no easy task. Its one of those words that is so rarely heard or seen - nice work!

Back on topic, Hawks make it in. Captain comes back next week and gives them a lift for the final push.

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Toews should sit out.

As of yesterday he wasn't cleared for contact, if he plays tomorrow it would be beyond irresponsible especially against a team like the Blues

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Team Cutler.

I'd sit Toews out against the Blues and Stars. Too many headhunting goons on both teams. We get Backes or Ott chasing him down in his first shift back and we have our very own Sidney Crosby. I'll cede the loss to the Blues and take my chances scrapping out a win without him against a pretty talent-deficient Dallas team.

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You're wrong about them being bad. They show streaks and periods where they are terrific, and then others where they suck. That last 7 minutes against the Rangers needs to happen more often. After a crappy 1st period, they played well last night.

It drives me crazy because they show flashes of being really good, but overall they are decidedly average.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

The leaguewide regression to unpenalized obstruction and the trap has exposed the Blackhawks as a bunch of passive flyweights. They have no answer to being constantly dominated and fouled because when they can draw increasingly rare hooking/holding/interference penalties, they're too easily frustrated to do anything with them, so they just putz around on the perimeter and pray that they can squeak one in. They never do. I guess they just weren't made for these times.

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Funny CH because I think you'd like or be willing to give Carcillo a little bit more of a chance.

But if this is the way the league is going to be again, then we need guys who color just outside the lines. Carcillo is drawing on the desk.

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I like that analogy.

If only they had some big, strong, guy with a long reach who would be hard to move in front of the net to get his stick on some rebounds, / screen the goalie on those infrequent power plays

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Two wins I didn't expect! 86 points, 20 more possible. Ten more should clinch the playoffs.

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Oh hey! Hawks play the Caps tonight. Just like the Dallas Stars, Washington comes in on the heels of a loss to the Jets in Winnipeg, which apparently destroys your morale for like a week. They chanted "Crosby's better!" at Ovechkin. I loled.

Nicklas Backstrom is out for the Caps, so that's good. Tomas Vokoun is probably in net for them. Vokoun was supposed to be their last piece of the puzzle after the Caps spent years with spotty goaltending and Vokoun spent years singlehandedly keeping the shitty Panthers from losing 70 games a year, but the switch from zero pressure in Miami to medium pressure in Washington hasn't helped, nor has the fact that he's another year older with a lot of hard miles logged. He can be had. So can Neuvirth if they change it up.

Hawks actual record 39-25-8, 86 pts.; adjusted record 34-29-9, 77 pts.; expected points total 74.26
Caps actual record 36-29-6, 78 pts.; adjusted record 34-32-5; 73 pts.; expected points total 67.79

Hawks 7th in scoring at 2.944, Capitals 12th at 2.662
Hawks 23rd in goals allowed at 2.861, Capitals 22nd at 2.775

Plenty of implications for tonight's game: a Hawks win will go a long way in separating them from the Kings/Sharks/Stars/Yotes/Avs/Flames muck, and a regulation win will put the Capitals on the ropes for 8th place, what with the Sabres and Jets sneaking up on them.

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Hawks playing well tonight , would've been nice if Keith would've taken the fucking body on Ovechkin instead of letting him come in from the blue line like that and just doing a pussy little stick check attempt.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Meh, you have to budget for Ovechkin doing extraordinary things. In a league where elite offensive talent is no longer rewarded, you have to treasure moments like that, even if they're against your team.

Hoping for a Shaw hatty in the third. Kid deserves it.

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I know it's petty but I really wish Oduya (and Morn and Pelletier before him) would make a different choice as to uniform number.

Roenick doesn't have the service time for a number retirement, honestly. Seabrook's No. 7 is a bigger numerical imposition than anything else.

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I agree that Cheli's needs to go up there. I wonder how much the Red Wing years are gonna hinder that (outside of it being Seabs current number) Ya gotta think though at some point JR will get his retired too.

There probably shouldn't be a retired number till Toews, honestly. Which they might get to do next year, if the guy is out indefinitely with his at-least-fourth concussion.

Oh, and the Caps gotta stop wearing their 1974-1995 throwbacks. They look like an AHL team from the '60s. Star-spangled shit.

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LMAO! New Sig line. Thank you

Hawks win, 88 points. Nashville down 1 to Anaheim. That's good. Phoenix down 2 to the Oil. That's even better! Jets tied with the Hurricanes after one frame; this helps them immensely. Go Jets Go.

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Since when did the Hawks adopt the rainbow flag?

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Since when am I gay?

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

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So the Hawks won, and Curious Hair is... curious...

good thread, good thread

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

oh for fuck's sake the Coyotes won in a shootout after they tied it with under three minutes. Fuckin' Oilers have no defense. God, I wanted that team dead and buried by now.

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A rarity: I was at the game tonight.

Shaw is a keeper. That kid is a good two-way player, and has the potential to be very good.

The Stalberg goal was a thing of beauty.

Other than his highlight-reel goal (which really did nothing to affect the outcome), Ovechkin was a non-factor. Really did not seem to be much of a presence tonight.

The biggest thing the Hawks still need to work on are the dumbass turnovers in their own end. Knuble doesn't get that goal if Hammer doesn't basically hand the puck to him instead of launching it out of the zone, and early in the game Keith (again) had a couple as well. Another continuing boil on my ass is their reluctance to shootthedamnpuck, especially when they are bearing in one-on-one with the goaltender, opting instead for that last damned fancypants pass...Kaner was guilty of this twice, Hossa once.

Dan Schacte got a standing O during the second period after Gene Honda announced that Schacte was retiring after this season. After the game, both teams went up to Schacte and shook his hand. Another ovation from the crowd. Classy all around.

Overall, was a great game to watch, and hopefully these guys are on an upswing and catching fire at the right time.

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Not a mult.

The Yotes potentially could take the third spot in the conference if Dallas shits the bed and the Sharks or Kings don't overtake them all. I would rather see a Hawks/Stars first-rounder than Hawks/Yotes or Kings; the Sharks don't bother me as much.

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Not a mult.