Is this a good team that doesnt try hard enough on certain nights...or a team with a few great players that make some great plays, but not a great team????

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

A great team that is having an average 6 week stretch. And we haven't seen average in a few years so we're overreacting to it.

I am unhappy with recent results, but I haven't gone into panic mode. The team has stepped up when required before - especially the goaltending.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

A great team that is going through a stretch of not caring. They'll reel off a 6-7 game winning streak before the end of the season and make the conference finals again.

Agreed.

See Los Angeles Kings 2013-2014 edition in January last year.


They have the big gun when it's needed (see Ducks, Jets, Blues games).


My biggest and only worry are the defensive issues. Any given night they have at most 3 1/2 guys (2, 4, 7) who are playing well, 27 is inconsisent as all hell, 32 is done and 5 is meh.

CH made a great point in another thread the other day about how good a veteran's minimum deal for Brookband would be looking if only to sit 32 down.

_________________
Team Cutler.

Make that "good team that doesn't try hard enough on most nights." Their depth is actually better than most teams', so they're more than just a few great players, but this is the third year in the last four where they tore up the league until New Year's Day and said "well, that's enough giving a shit for now." The year where they didn't pack it in halfway through was the one where the season didn't start until late January.

I get that it's a marathon and not a sprint, but all we can judge the team on during the season is what they actually do in games that actually happen. I don't feel comfortable saying "oh, they'll flip the switch when the playoffs come around" every year, because what if they don't? We said that in 2012 when they were playing shitty defense for three months and couldn't stop letting terrible shots go in. Then they got to the playoffs and played more shitty defense and let more terrible shots go in. Sometimes a team that sucks keeps sucking.

Conversely, I think it's too easy to say "trolololol the Blues will choke because they're the Blues" with no context. Not only is this a markedly better roster for St. Louis with better supporting players and an ever-improving Tarasenko, there's also no guarantee they come into the playoffs as battered and bruised as they did last year, where they held the division lead until Colorado surged past while something like half their regulars were out. There are some fundamental issues with Oduya and Rozsival's defense -- like how they can't do almost anything right anymore -- that I don't expect to magically resolve themselves by being in the playoffs.

I think they can still win the Stanley Cup with a big move at the deadline and getting Versteeg and TVR back at close to 100%, and they had better win it, because after this year, this wonderful era of the Blackhawks will be finished: if you think Toews doesn't give a fuck half the year now, wait until he makes eight figures. They just need to shake up the roster, and we just need to be patient with them through the rest of this deathmarch.

_________________

That's not true. They did the exact same thing last year, only worse. 7-12 in January and February. They've had other second half swoons in the past few years as well. Even the year they won it in 2010 they were 6-9 in March.

_________________

On the depth thing, as good as our bottom players usually are, Andrew Shaw has been a dumbass and Ben Smith has basically become a ghost. Too bad, because I really liked both.

_________________

Everyone but Kane is underperforming offensively this year. Sharp, Hossa, Toews ( gasp!), haven't been very good offensively the whole year. Brad Richards is back to being the suck, their 3rd and 4th lines have been anemic.

_________________
Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

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

First of all, 7 of those 12 losses you reference were shootout or overtime losses. I think points awarded should be talked about over W/L. Especially because; The Hawks had a positive goal differential in both January and February of last season. They have an even goal differential in January and February of this season.

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

Hossa seems to have been pretty good...no?
Sharp injured
Toews....was thinking he wasnt up to par last night as I finally heard his name, almost forgot about him...

The guy I think isnt really good....Brad Richards....feel like he is the guy always fanning, misses passes, etc....I thought he was suppossed to be somewhat good?

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Hossa has been on fire the last two games but for months we were worried that he had lost his offense for good. Maybe it was just a lot of bad luck.

Brad Richards has indeed stopped being good just like Rags fans warned us. Of course, on the power play, he was never good. We need Antoine Vermette here. He really took that game over in overtime/shootout last night. Killed a 4 on 3, scored in the shootout.

_________________

Hossa's been terrible offensively for most of the season until the last 2 games.

Toews was the best player on the ice last night by far. What game were you watching? He was a man against boys out there in terms of puck pursuit and possesion. Did you see what he did to OEL (all star #1 defenseman) on the game tying goal?

_________________

Still waiting for this switch to be turned on???

Went to the Uc last night. Seemed to spend 75% of time in CO end....again...and nothing from it.

Seems to be that way for the last 10 games or so. Hawks control the puck, get the shots and just dont get it done.

The control of the puck creates some Defensive stat that says they are good, when it is really that other teams spend less time with the puck?

Still not trying hard???

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

The Hawks are fine. They are no different than any other good NHL team. They all have ups and downs. No team is on every night in a sport like Hockey that plays a lot of games.

_________________
CSFMB 2014 Nascar Pick 'em Champion

We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan

_________________
Rick Hahn is the best GM in baseball.

All year, the Predators and Blues always seem to have won seven of their last ten.

_________________

4-3-3 L 10

Is this good? in 4th place in Conf with LA making a charge, Winnipeg 4 pts behind them?

I assume its bad to be in the bottom 4 for the playoffs as you never have home ice and you play the top 4 teams?

Like i said, I watch them control games, just like Toes, Toews, Towes, controls game sometimes, but a goal shortage. As if everyone is sucking back against them and it works?

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

I think the key is to stay in the top 3. The top 3 in each division make the playoffs regardless and then the next 2 teams with the most points over both divisions get in. Unless they completely go in the tank they are getting the 2 or 3 seed along with the Blues and that is your playoff matchup. They might be better off getting the "wild card". If they keep playing like they are it doesn't matter. TVR skated this week so I guess everyone can get their hopes up that a guy who has played 7 NHL games will save the day.

_________________
That's my purse! I don't know you!

The only saving grace is that Winnipeg is shitting up the joint even more than the Hawks are, which all but assures third place at worst. I don't think Minnesota is jumping the Jets and the Blackhawks. Maybe the Jets, probably the Jets, not both.

The Hawks might, might be better off taking their chances with the first wild card and a first-round match with Anaheim, who have looked unconvincing more often than not. I think we could take Nashville, too, but that necessitates finishing in eighth place, and let's not. I suspect the Blues, our most likely opponent, will annihilate the Hawks this time around with competent goaltending, a much-improved Tarasenko, and no rash of injuries, and so will end our golden age of Chicago hockey as we begin the new era of Toews getting paid eight figures for 50 points and pouty faces.

The team needs a big trade. I don't know how they'll swing it, but tthey need a jolt. Maybe Patrick Sharp will have to go put his dick where it doesn't belong out in Ottawa or something.

Gotta beat Boston today. They're really struggling. After that, it's a home-and-home with the Panthers, who are trying their hearts out while the Bruins are fading and might actually put up a fight (they still suck, though), then the Lightning, who could hang six on Trip And Fall Against in one period without breaking a sweat. Gotta get at least six points in the next eight.

_________________

_________________
Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

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

Kings have won 7 straight too. Everyone panic!!

_________________
Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

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

HAve watched 2 Kings game during that span, and even with a new 70's line, that rush looks like something the Hawks dont have.

And if I am not mistaken without Hossa over past 10 games, the hawks are kinda shitty?

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”