A GAME THREAD!

Hawks come into Glendale tonight with a 5-2 win at Los Angeles, the Coyotes--having given up two goals to Jaromir Jagr and a third to Ray Whitney--are apparently coming off a 4-3 loss to the Minnesota North Stars. It's Banner Night for the Coyotes as well, but just a division banner. Hopefully they're as taken by their own greatness as the Kings were.

Stats from last season:
Hawks were 45-26-11 (101 pts), adjusted record of 38-30-14 (90 pts), 7-7 in the shootout
Coyotes were 42-27-13 (97 pts), adjusted record of 36-30-16 (88 pts), 6-10 in the shootout
Hawks averaged 2.939 goals scored per game (6th), averaged 2.817 goals allowed per game (22nd)
Coyotes averaged 2.549 goals scored per game (18th), averaged 2.366 goals allowed per game (5th)

Last year's season series:
Oct. 26 @ PHX - Hawks win 5-2
Nov. 29 @ CHI - Coyotes win 4-1
Dec. 5 @ CHI - Coyotes win 4-3 SO
Feb. 11 @ PHX - Coyotes win 3-0 (this was Loss #8 of the nine-game losing streak/road trip from hell)

Playoffs
Coyotes win 3-2 OT
Hawks win 4-3 OT (The Shaw Game)
Coyotes win 3-2 OT (The Torres Game)
Coyotes win 3-2 OT
Hawks win 2-1 OT
Coyotes win 4-0

Injuries, suspensions:
Carcillo out indefinitely with a knee injury
Montador out indefinitely with a concussion
Torres out for seven more games for being a fuckhead

Prospective lineups for tonight:

Sharp - Toews - Hossa
Stalberg - Bolland - Kane
Bickell - Kruger - Shaw
Bollig - Mayers - Frolik
Keith - Seabrook
Rozsival - Leddy (no way does Brookbank get to play again after that stinker of a game he had)
Oduya - Hjalmarsson

Steve Sullivan Yeah Seriously That Steve Sullivan - Antoine Vermette - Shane Doan
Mikkel Boedker - Martin Hanzal - Radim Vrbata
Lauri Korpikoski - Matthew Lombardi - David Moss
can't pay me to care who Phoenix's fourth line is
Keith Yandle - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
David Morris - Zybnek Michalek
this team has like nine NHL defensemen, pick two

Mike Smith 7-2 against the Hawks last year; our only regular-season win was against Jason LolBarbera. Smith got clowned by old people last night in Dallas, so he could either get the night off or play tonight to get his confidence back, who the fuck knows. Probably Crawford for us.

We know the Coyotes' system too well by now: get a lead, sit back, do as much tripping/hooking/holding/interference as you can get away with. If the refs are as rigorous tonight as they were yesterday afternoon, they're going to be on the kill a lot. Radim Vrbata is a scoring threat but can be neutralized fairly easily by anyone but the Blackhawks.

Between the unpleasantness of the playoffs last year and the gong show that's STILL going on there (no owner yet), this is a win you want to get.

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This game comes down to the interference and IF they get those, the play by the PP. The 1 for 5 PP last night with the only PPG coming on a 3 on 5... let's just say I'm not convinced they're any better than last year.
I still think teams think it's ok to play edgy against the Hawks because if it's not their night with the refs then they're still not worried about going on the kill... I don't think any team right now respects they PP. It's going to take a great year on PP to make teams afraid to take penalties.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Pretty much this. It's the most baffling thing, too. With all our weapons, how can we spend power plays just dithering the whole time? Yesterday, the early power play was as bumbling and indecisive as usual until Kaner was finally like "fuck it I'm goin' for it" and he scored. Let's see these guys make someone pay for once.

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Theyve only been on the ice together for about two weeks. No training csmp no preseason--it will be ugly before it gets better. Gonna be a few weeks before the gears mesh.

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You cannot make me care about the WNBA.

Good job, CH.

I watched the Phoenix vs Dallas game last night and it's the same Coyotes we know and hate. They sat back all game and put a wall in front of Smith. They waited for Dallas to make a mistake and that's when they struck and got their goals. Dallas literally did nothing all game and if it weren't for Jagr's impressive performance, it would of been a 3-0 Phoenix win.

The Coyotes pride themselves on not ever taking a shift off. The Hawks have to be prepared for this because they're going to come at the Hawks hard. This isn't an LA Kings team that was playing on a championship hangover; this is the Yotes team that manhandled the Hawks all of last season. The Hawks are clearly the more talented team on paper as the Yotes only have one player who can really create his own chances in Vrbata. However, they're far more physical than the Hawks.

Tonight is a good early test to see if the Hawks learned anything at all from last year's playoffs. Watch for Hanzal to make Crawford or Emery's life miserable on their PP. Someone is going to have to actually muscle this guy out of the way.

Should be a good game.

Almost literally couldn't have a smaller sample size, I know... but I liked how the PP looked against LA. Faster, crisper and better shot selection. I hope that was real.

Bad goal allowed by Emery

Nice break by Kaner.

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Not a mult.

No penalty shot?

Kane got beat across the blue line. No penalty shot.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Kane made two bonehead plays on that powerplay. Not good. The first allowed a 2 on 1 going back.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Holy shit. Fucking beauty.

Tracy who? I don't think there could be a less interesting reporter. Monotone, bad hair... Woosh

And a ppg. Nize, muffer.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

They have to dump it high around the boards or Smith is going to pick it off all game.

Bolland!

Kane involved in another nice goal. But trade him. He drinks!

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That is why you put up with the bone headed plays by Kane. Only a select few guys in the league could have made that play. Beautiful.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Well there's your Frolik swingannamiss whiff on an empty net for the day. Nice to get that out of the way.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

I'm good for about 15, 20 more before I just start going "Hawks v. X, fuck 'em GO HAWKS WOOOO." I'll try to pace myself.

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So bad.

He makes me so crazy. I used to think he was really good but unlucky but now I see he's just always so damn derpalerp when he's got a solid scoring chance. Head case I think.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

If this was 2 years ago I would of mumbled something out loud to myself in frustration. Now I'm just completely numb towards his fuck ups.

Bowman had to replace Brouwer's stone hands. He doubled down with Stalberg and Frolik.

Just kick both of these useless fucks out of the game.

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Someone tell Emery to stay in the net. He's bad.

Kane fingerfucked himself out of two shots on that last shift. Just put it on fuckin net man.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Emery doesn't soak up any shots. Way too many rebounds. That one ultimately was on kane but emery had no idea where that puck was after it hit him. He must shut his eyes as a shot comes his way.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Yeah, bad faceoff loss, but Emery has now let in two easy ones.

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Not a mult.

Same as the first, there is other blame to go around, but Emery made it way worse than he had to. Just awful GK play. He has no control of the rebounds right now. And that turnover was killer.

Nice snipe!

What a snipe.

I love Dave Bolland.

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