Yotes dragged it to a shootout like everyone knew they would (they've done it 15 times in 74 games) and lost so they got a point. Ugh. But that's last night, we need to concentrate on TONIGHT, TONIGHT, WE'LL CRUCIFY THE INSINCERE TONIGHT

This is the 35th game the Blackhawks and Canucks have played over the last four years, more than we've played against anyone in that time frame (the Red Wings are next with 28; #29 will be on the last day of the season). We're at 18-16 Hawks, and every regular season quartet so far has been a 2-2 split. I'm not saying this makes tonight's game a foregone conclusion, by any means, but it does bear mentioning that the Canucks are struggling as of late--Luongo allowed 5 to the mediocre Coyotes and Minnesota just shut them out--and the Blackhawks are finally surging with Hjalmarsson and Oduya reinforcing the blue line well.

Because I have to find fault in everything, my only concern with this winning streak is that they might be winning too many games for their own good. With the Dad Wings getting banged up and the Predators showing vulnerability, the Hawks run the risk of "falling up" from their 3/6 cupcake with the Stars and into a 4/5 knockdowndragout with the Wings or Preds. Of course, the Pacific Division Nominal Championship is far from decided, and could just as easily wind up being not the Stars but rather the Coyotrap, or even the Sharks (though they're trying their damnedest to finish 9th), or God forbid the Los Angeles Kings, who have won five straight and just might actually score 200 goals on the year after all (they need 33 in 9 games). So you know what, you might as well just try to win every game you can, play whoever you play, and face the abyss head-on.

Anyway, oh hey, remember Sammy Pahlsson, whom crackerjack talent scout Dale Tallon acquired in 2009 without making sure he wasn't sidelined with mononucleosis (he was)? He's on the Canucks now as their shutdown center! Lines are probably
Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem
Booth-Kesler-Higgins
Raymond-Pahlsson-Hansen
Kassian-Malhotra-Lapierre
Hamhuis-Bieksa
Edler-Gragnani
Rome-Tanev
Schneider and/or Luongo

Brunette-Kane-Hossa
Sharp-Kruger-Stalberg
Bickell-Bolland-Shaw
Bollig-Mayers-Michael Frolik Comin' Straight From The Underground
2-7
Leddy-Oduya
Hjalmarsson-Olsen
Crawford

HEY seeing as we're probably playing a team whose goalie is infamously rattled by big bodies in the crease, wouldn't it be a good idea to dress Jimmy Hayes and have him screen the shit out of Luongo? No that's okay let's dress Brandon Bollig instead so he can have a dipshit staged fight with worthless fuckhead Max Lapierre and provide nothing else of consequence against a team that's actually really good because clearly Joel Quenneville has a new security blanket.

6:30 puck drop to accommodate Canadian broadcast partners...so that it's a 4:30 puck drop for British Columbia? oooookaaayyy

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Is the Pacific winner the best first round match-up for the Hawks? It would be an accomplishment to see this team overtake the Preds and Wings for the 4th spot. But either teams seems to be tougher than the Pacific winner. Plus home-ice likely will be for the first round only.

Only if it's Dallas. The Predators, Red Wings, Kings, and Coyotes are all troublesome in their own ways: Nashville and Phoenix will trap and obstruct the Hawks into oblivion to which this team has no response, the Kings are starting to score and Quick owns the Hawks (though it bears mentioning that Quick notoriously runs out of gas in the playoffs because they ride him so hard all year), and you never want the Red Wings if you can help it. The Stars are kind of trappy but not that good at it, they kinda try to run and gun but don't have the guns for it. They're just a really mediocre team with a goalie who steals games. If I had to rank my preferences highest to lowest, I'd say Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Nashville, Detroit, with 2-5 being more or less tied for lowest.

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The trap teams concern me the most. If the Wings are not healthy, do they get bumped ahead of Nashville and Phoenix?

Are we at least getting Bobby Lou to make fun of tonight? the games aren't half as much fun without seeing that yellow puddle in the Canucks goal mouth.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

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

Luongo is in, yeah.

Mayers is out for us, though! Shitty Brendan Morrison has to fill in. Maybe he knows his former team! Derp!

EDIT: way to give up a goal in the first 35 seconds, assholes!

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Oh for fucks sake not another start like this.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

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

Tracey Myers is such an ugly man!!Yikes.

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They're playing like idiots tonight, wow. Nice dive, Sedin.

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Keith is probably getting suspended for that headshot, even though it looked like a dive to me. You have to budget for gross embellishment with pretty much any hit on a Sedin.

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Swedish cinema at its finest

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

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

Kanerrrrrrrrr!

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Not a mult.

I like this here to the end thread concept. Mojo is working nicely this year. Now if I could just see the game.

Hmmm...don't see this too often anymore.

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Not a mult.

Holy shit I hate this fucking Vancouver douchebag team. Burrows is a fucking pussy kneeing Keith like that while on the ice. That is bush league.

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Kneeing is an upgrade, they usually pull hair.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

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

He did both! Sack of fetid vaginas. I hate them.

And another non scoring PP

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JESUSSSS Christ!

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Not a mult.

I guess they'll just douche it up until the Hawks score one.

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Not a mult.

Unreal.

Well, shit

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Not a mult.

CM Punk shooting the puck.

0-3.

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With as many skilled forwards as they have its hard to believe they look so shitty so often on the power play.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

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

He was at least close. And an Al Iafrede reference

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C.M Punk might hit the GTS on the kid.

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Luongo 22/23 on the night, Crawford 8/9. Interesting disparity. How many of those 23 were at even strength? 22? God, this power play. I don't get it.

Shane Doan just got three games for elbowing Jamie Benn in the mouth and he's a repeat offender. My conspiracy theorist says the league went easy on him because he captains the league-owned team that's bleeding $45 million a year and is trying to be sold to anyone but Quebecor, but three is low. Keith could get away with just one game, if that.

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Talk on Twitter is Keith will get 3 games.

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Looks like you can do a live Twitter feed if you hashtag canucks. You should see what these dumbfucks are saying.

EDIT: heres a gem

Duncan Keith u dirty fuck ur family is scum of BC. should be 10 games premeditation @nhlshanahan #canucks #hawks

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

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

How does he get three games when one of the league's dirtiest players got away with three games for the same hit? Oh, it's because the NHL has the consistency of radioactive diarrhea, that's how. Also helps that you have like half a country howling "OH JESUS GOD HE TRIED TO MURDER HIM OUT THERE OH GOD OH GOD SUSPEND HIM FOR A HUNDRED YEARS"

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Don't disagree. Can you get radioactive squirts?

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