Chicago Rinkcast staff members Andy Campbell, Sean Fitzgerald, Eric Andrews, Andrew Bard and Jimmy O’Malley discuss the Chicago Blackhawks’ latest happenings:

Honest recaps of this miserable season.

Thoughts on Frank Nazar.

Ethan Del Mastro makes his NHL debut as well.

A special segment where we welcome Ford Hatchett from ABC15-Phoenix to discuss the sale of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah.

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook live right here:

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Watch the entire replay of the X right here:

#Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 8, Episode 17 – Hawks in Review and The Sale of the Coyotes https://t.co/1WO6BJswFS

— Hockey Rinkcast Channel (@TheRinkcast) April 19, 2024

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 7, Episode 17 – The Blackhawks (and Coyotes) Bitter End appeared first on The Rink.

The Kraken definitely had more energy to open the contest, peppering Arizona goaltender Karel Vejmelka with 15 shots on net, while only surrendering eight Coyotes shots. However, as has been the case many times this season, the Coyotes opened the scoring just over four minutes into play. Veteran Phil Kessel found the puck on his stick with only Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer to beat after a poor turnover on the half wall by Seattle defenseman Adam Larsson. This turned out to be all the first period scoring as the teams headed into the first intermission.

Arizona bounced back in the second period to outshoot the Kraken 10–9 and were able to pad their lead with five minutes remaining in the period. Nick Schmaltz raced up the left wing by himself on a breakout and beat Grubauer over the glove for a 2–0 Coyotes lead. The Kraken were getting shots, but could not solve the 25-year-old Arizona netminder, which set up a tense third period for all involved.

As the third period commenced, Seattle finally got on the scoreboard despite killing a Vince Dunn slashing penalty that carried over from the previous period. Colin Blackwell carried the puck up the right half wall with, what seemed like, little opportunity for scoring. Blackwell snapped a long wrist shot from the top of the circle and beat a seemingly surprised Vejmelka to cut the Arizona lead to 2–1, just 16 seconds into the third.

Jarny nets his eighth goal of the season. pic.twitter.com/w3cAqpEPum

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) February 10, 2022

Arizona came right back and expanded their lead to two goals, once again, just 1:36 later. Veteran defenseman Anton Stralman surprised everyone by sneaking into the play and scooping a loose puck past Grubauer. This was how the score remained heading into the final five minutes of regulation.

While the Kraken have had many disappointing results this season, they cannot be accused of quitting very often, which was also the case in this game. With 4:08 remaining in regulation, potential trade deadline trade target Calle Jarnkrok took a cross-ice backdoor pass from Yanni Gourde for a tap-in goal that cut the Coyotes’ lead in half once again.

Unfortunately, this would be as far as the Kraken could come back, with Arizona scoring empty-net goals from Alex Galchenyuk and Schmaltz to secure a 5–2 win.

Anchor points

The rule of thumb is that if you outshoot your opponent at home, you should win said game. The Kraken did so and lost. They cannot keep allowing these unforced errors to cost them wins. Larsson’s strange, blind, between-the-legs turnover in his own end is an avoidable mistake. Just chip it up the wall. Keep things simple, make the smart play and win the game.

Converting on the power play, in addition to the shorthanded Blackwell tally, would have had the Kraken tied heading into the final minutes of regulation rather than pulling their goaltender and eventually surrendering two more goals. Little things.

Grubauer was “just okay” in this one. The Schmaltz goal seemed to surprise him and was definitely a low percentage opportunity. The Kessel and Stralman goals can be chalked up to poor defensive coverage.

As mentioned earlier, Larsson had a rough night and his underlying numbers strongly support that. He was on the ice for 22 5-on-5 chances against and only 12 for. Dave Hakstol might want to consider breaking up that pair of Giordano and Larsson. He may be forced to if Giordano gets moved at the deadline, which should be a very real possibility.

I have been really hard on Jeremy Lauzon all year, but the Dunn–Lauzon pair was analytically really good with 63% Corsi at even strength.

It is strange to see a team lead in shots by a considerable margin but get beat in possession metrics in almost all categories, but the Kraken are an enigma.

5-on-5 Corsi (total shot attempts) 51%–49%
5-on-5 Fenwick (Unblocked shot attempts) 52%–48%
5-on-5 High-danger chances for 56%–44%
5-on-5 Expected goals for 56%–44%
Face-off percentage 53%–47%

The Kraken are off today but travel to Southern California to face the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.

The post RECAP: Kraken drop first game back from break, fall 5–2 to Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

If one only watched the first period, you might have figured the Kraken ran away with this game. Seattle got goals by Jordan Eberle and Yanni Gourde in the first minute of play to put the Kraken out ahead against rookie goalie Karel Vejmelka, which ended his night early.

Enter fresh waiver acquisition from the New Jersey Devils, Scott Wedgewood.

Arizona forward Antoine Roussel cut the Kraken lead in half at the 1:33 mark on a bad neutral zone turnover by Kraken forward Morgan Geekie. Nathan Bastian scored his first of the season just past the midway point of the period to give Seattle back a two-goal lead. Seattle carried that lead into the first intermission. The score read 3–1 and the shot totals read 11–8, both in favor of the visiting team.

The second period was relatively tame compared to the first (and eventually the third). Arizona’s Travis Boyd cut the Kraken lead down to 3–2 with his goal just over three minutes into the middle period following a lazy backhand clearing attempt by defenseman Haydn Fleury. Shots were low, as well, with the Coyotes holding a slight 8–7 edge. All the action would be in the third period, though.

Seattle outshot the Coyotes 13–6 in the third period, yet yielded three third period goals on those six shots faced. A long strike by Lawson Crouse and a power play goal by Amanda Kessel’s brother, Phil Kessel, left the Coyotes up by one goal heading into the final minutes of regulation play. With the goalie pulled and the extra attacking on the ice, Kraken captain Mark Giordano scored his third goal of the season to tie the game for the visitors with just 1:18 remaining in the game. But, just 13 seconds later, Crouse scored his second goal of the game following an awful Adam Larsson turnover. Crouse’s goal ended up being the back-breaking game-winner for the Coyotes.

Anchor points

Goaltending and the power play. The Kraken are either going to live or die with these two areas. They failed on two power plays while giving up a goal on their only shorthanded chance. Philipp Grubauer was less than mediocre on the evening. Five goals on 22 shots is flat-out bad no matter who you are facing. He was out-dueled by a career backup that was picked off waiver just hours before. This would have been a perfect game to get Chris Driedger some action, but Head Coach Dave Hakstol thought otherwise.

That said, Wedgewood played an incredible game, especially coming in cold in a 2–0 hole.

When you outshoot a team 31–22 and score four goals, that is a game you should win. The Coyotes did, however, play a much more physical game and beat the Kraken handily at the faceoff dots 57% to 43%. If Gourde is going to be their first-line center, he needs to win more than 27% of his faceoffs. Eberle and Jaden Schwartz led the way in shots with five each.

Analytically, the Kraken looked on par for a win with their 5-on-5 play. They led in Corsi 59% to 41% (shot attempts), Fenwick 57% to 43% (unblocked shots), high danger chances 57% to 43% and expected goals 63% to 37%. The fourth line of Bastian, Max McCormick and Riley Sheahan was eaten alive at even strength with sub-40% possession metrics.

Kraken forward Ryan Donato played only 3:39 and left the game with an apparent upper-body injury.

The Kraken are off Sunday and Monday. They will travel to Las Vegas Tuesday, where they will return to the same place the regular season began. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.

The post RECAP: Kraken hand Arizona first win of the season appeared first on The Rink.

Play those games 100 times and the Avs win them both in regulation 98 times out of 100. The two they do not both happened this weekend.

Arizona tallied a total of four goals across the two games. Those came from the stick of Samuel Girard, the stick of Devon Toews, the pants of Toews and the skate of Tyson Jost.

Jared Bednar’s team is in desperate need of puck luck right now, while the Coyotes seemingly have it in abundance.

How the Avs dominated the stat sheet

If you want an impression of these two games, the best place to find that from is the stat sheet. Ignore the score line and take a look at these.

• Across two full games, plus overtime in the second, Arizona put a total of 28 shots on goal
• Colorado registered 81 shots on goal over the same time period
• The Avs had 67 total shot attempts (including misses and blocks) on Monday night
• If you thought that was a lot, they had 84 on Wednesday!
• Nathan MacKinnon was on the ice for 43 of those 84; they have certainly missed his presence
• Specifically 5-on-5 on Wednesday, Arizona had just nine shots on goal

That paints the picture of what happened over these two games, and as already mentioned, if you play those games back, Colorado scores more than four total goals, and they win both games in regulation.

The @Avalanche held ARI to 14 shots for 2nd straight game

28 combined shots is 2nd fewest allowed by COL/QUE in consecutive games (25, Nov. 24-27, 2001 vs EDM/FLA)

Was 14th consecutive game that COL has allowed fewer than 30 shots, tying the franchise record set in 2000-01

— Brendan McNicholas (@bmcnich) March 11, 2021

Game one takeaways

The first game came on Monday night and resulted in a 3–2 success for the Coyotes.

The first point of note here is that the team missed MacKinnon and Cale Makar. It was one of those games where the team was frustrated, and needed a spark or bit of quality to bring them to life. Others can do this, but in terms of the most likely to do this, MacKinnon and Makar rank No. 1 and 2 on this team.

The team needed a push right at the end of the game to get back into things, and the feeling I got was that they were a little too tired to do it. Those playing more minutes than usual, Girard and Toews on the back end alongside Nazem Kadri, Valeri Nichushkin and others in attack, seemed to have little left to give.

This is not a complaint about these players at all; they can only do so much, and while MacKinnon can carry this team on his back when needed, these players cannot. Injuries have forced the Avs to play a number of individuals far more than they should, and that means they have nothing left in the tank when a final push is required.

I did not think the Avalanche lacked anything on Monday night, but felt they looked like a very tired team at the end of the game, a slight worry considering we are not even halfway through the season yet.

NHL Video Highlight – Derick Brassard scores a power-play goal against the Colorado Avalanche to make it 1-0. pic.twitter.com/0pC61IvTRg

— Coyotes Game Bot (@CoyotesGameBot) March 9, 2021

Game two takeaways

The second game on Wednesday resulted in a 2–1 overtime win for Colorado.

As far as the stats go, this was an even more dominating performance by the Avs and one they eventually took two points from. It was great to see No. 29 back on the ice, and he put up a dominating performance, driving a lot of the offensive play and double shifting at times, leading all forwards with 24:44 of ice time and 10 shots.

MacKinnon’s shot total of 10 was only four less than the entire Arizona team, which tells its own story.

One area of concern right now has to be the power play. On Wednesday, Bednar’s team had 9:55 of power play time, putting 17 pucks to the net, but just six of those got through to register as shots. They failed to get a goal, and from almost 10 minutes of power play time for a team with this many weapons (even minus Makar), that is simply not good enough.

GABE LANDESKOG IN OT!!!#GOAVSGO pic.twitter.com/fv14NeybzP

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 11, 2021

Shooting in general has been a problem for the past few games, and reared its ugly head again here. Of the 84 pucks on net by the Avalanche, 20 were blocked, meaning that 64 of those got through. 46 of these hit the net, so the Avs missed the net a total of 18 times from 64 attempts.

However, the big area of concern will no doubt involve the figure of 46 shots on target. If you are getting this many pucks on goal and only scoring two goals from them, you have a problem, albeit a short-term one.

It is worth pointing out here that multiple players in Colorado have 30-goal seasons behind them. MacKinnon and Andre Burakovsky are known for having incredible shots, Brandon Saad and Gabriel Landeskog are known for picking up tips, rebounds and generally dirty goals. That is without mentioning Kadri and Mikko Rantanen. This is a temporary blip, not a shooting issue with the team.

Girard is the best defenseman this team has right now, and ended the game logging 29:33 of ice time. He is being pushed to the limit during this period by Bednar.

A special mention for Jacob MacDonald

There has been a lot of praise for Jacob MacDonald during his step up to the NHL. He is seen as a risk and reward guy, who will make mistakes and be found out defensively from time to time, but also has the ability to make offensive plays.

He is deserving of a special mention here because over the past two games, his underlying numbers have been outstanding.

Jacob MacDonald finished that period with 7 minutes of ice time. He's on pace for his biggest game this season.#Avs

— Scott MacDonald (@0ffScottFree) March 11, 2021

Monday night, the Avs gave up just two shots on goal when MacDonald was on the ice; on Wednesday it was even better, as they gave up just one when MacDonald was out there. To top things off on Wednesday, the team had 14 shots on goal while he was on the ice, four of those coming from MacDonald himself.

With each game played, it seems MacDonald is moving his game forward and working hard on his defensive play to limit the number of shots he gives up.

The post RECAP: Avs dominate Yotes in homestand but only take two points appeared first on The Rink.

Game 2

Hunter Miska gave Philipp Grubauer some much needed rest Friday night, but the Avs went right back to their number one goaltender Saturday night.  We also learned that defenseman Cale Makar is day-to-day with an upper body injury so he would be replaced with Dan Reneouf.  Matt Calvert was out again but this time Logan O’Connor would crack the lineup, along with Jacob MacDonald.

It was clear in the first period that the Coyotes had made some adjustments.  They were getting pucks deep and creating a lot more chances early on.  Nick Schmaltz seemed to pick up where he left off yesterday, trying to take pucks to the net and get in the grill of Avs’ defensemen.  Bowen Byram also continued playing a physical game, laying a big hit on Clayton Keller.

But it was Nathan MacKinnon who broke the ice.  The Avs centerman slipped through a check along the left boards and shot a laser past Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta top-shelf.

https://twitter.com/Emily_Wade/status/1365852998711209984?s=20

The Coyotes kept it interesting when forward Clayton Keller redirected a shot from the point past Philipp Grubauer with a handful of minutes left in the second period.  Although it seemed like momentum was going towards the Yotes, the Avs answered right back with a nice wrap-around goal from Jacob MacDonald who scored his first NHL goal with Colorado.

After the game, MacDonald said, “You have to savor these moments.  For me proving myself isn’t going to happen in six games, or twenty games, or whatever.  It’s going to be on consistency on a day-in, day-out basis. As long as I can do that, there’s ‘no proving myself in one game.’ It’s about proving myself on a nightly basis for me.”

"Old MacDonald had a goal- E I E I O"@ConorMcGahey with the great goal call on Jacob MacDonald's 1st goal in an @Avalanche sweater!!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/dwXFueTXxz

— 92.5 FM – Denver's Altitude Sports Radio (@AltitudeSR) February 28, 2021

MacDonald’s go-ahead goal proved to be the first of many Avalanche goals in a much needed blowout game.  Gabe Landeskog got things going in the third period with a net-front powerplay goal.  The Avs seemed to not be able to get set up or move the puck around successfully in previous powerplays.  It was also uncharacteristic for them to get a blue-collar, greasy goal like that.

The Avs would later add third period goals by Donskoi, Jost, and Bellemare which is great for Colorado’s scoring depth.  If they can get production and start rolling all four lines, the Avs could hit their stride this season in March.  The final score Saturday night was 6-2, giving Philipp Grubauer his 10th win of the season.

It’s also noteworthy, head coach Jared Bednar ruled out defenseman Cale Makar for the rest of the road trip as the Avs wait for more information from the medical staff on his day-to-day status.

What’s next?

The Avalanche wrap up the month of February with a record of 5-3 and will continue their short road trip on Monday & Wednesday in San Jose against the Sharks.  Following that series, the Avs play 13 of 15 games at home at Ball Arena in Denver.  If there’s any time to get on a hot streak, March is their time.

The post Avalanche defeat Coyotes 6-2 Saturday for series sweep appeared first on The Rink.

Samuel Girard, Nikita Zadorov, and J.T. Compher also contributed goals. The Avalanche scored three of their seven goals on the power play, capitalizing swiftly on Arizona’s mistakes, and killed the only two penalties they took in the game. Goalie Philipp Grubauer saved 23 of 24 shots on goal.

First Period

The Avalanche took advantage of Arizona’s early mistakes, with Kadri scoring a powerplay goal at 15:21 in the first period on assists from Gabriel Landeskog and MacKinnon. The goal placed Kadri second only to Joe Sakic in powerplay goals scored by an Avalanche player in a single season’s playoffs. The Avs’ powerplay passes also looked sharper than usual this period, and at one point they rearranged their regular positioning so that both MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen set themselves up behind the net, with Landeskog hovering on MacKinnon’s usual left blue circle.

It proved successful, as only four minutes later Girard scored the Avalanche’s second powerplay goal of the game on a quick slap shot from the blue line. Arizona was penalized a third time in the first period for having too many men on the ice, and although the Coyotes killed the penalty, a successive turnover resulted in a breakaway goal for Kadri with only 1:32 left in the period. The Avalanche ended the second period up 3-0 and ahead in shots on goal 12-6.

Naz on a breakaway?

Beautiful. Inspiring. Perfect. Flawless.#GoAvsGo https://t.co/4Yv7iJcOHi

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 19, 2020

Second Period

The second period started off more slowly than the first, but the lack of action did not last long. The Avalanche demonstrated their depth in period two, with good shot attempts taken by Matt Calvert, Matt Nieto, and Compher. While Arizona’s Darcy Kuemper continued to make great saves, the Coyotes’ defense looked haphazard and the Avalanche never stopped putting pucks on net. Halfway through the second period, MacKinnon fired a one-timer into the back of the net, extending the Avalanche’s lead to 4-0. He was assisted by Rantanen, who passed the puck cleanly through four Coyote players onto MacKinnon’s tape.

This was the goal that Nate scored, right before the other one.#GoAvsGo https://t.co/dNjUrGOpWt

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 19, 2020

Less than a minute later, the Coyotes were called for a hooking penalty, and MacKinnon scored again on a second one-timer after receiving a quick touch pass by Rantanen. MacKinnon wasn’t finished accumulating points, however, and with 1:44 left in the second, he fired a wrist shot toward the net which was tipped in by Zadorov after a good cut across the slot. The Avalanche ended the period up 6-0, having scored three goals in both periods.

Third Period

Just as in game four, the third period of game five resulted in a single Arizona goal (scored this time by Clayton Keller) to deprive Grubauer of a shutout, as well as a change in net for the Coyotes, who replaced Kuemper with Antti Raanta. The Avalanche took two penalties in the third—one on Tyson Jost for holding and the second on Andre Burakovsky for the same—but killed both of them and continued to dominate the Coyotes both defensively and offensively. The Avalanche also continued to demonstrate their depth when, with 4:41 left in the period, Compher scored on a pass from Nieto from behind the net. Game Five finished similarly to Game Four, with Colorado beating the Coyotes 7-1 and eliminating Arizona from the playoffs.

Nathan MacKinnon:

"Things have changed a lot since (my rookie year)…the message from training camp a year ago now was to just win. Our time has arrived."#Avs

— Scott MacDonald (@0ffScottFree) August 20, 2020

What’s Next

It’s on to round two for the Colorado Avalanche! Colorado’s next playoff opponent will be either the Dallas Stars or the winner of the series between the Vancouver Canucks and the St. Louis Blues. Playing against Dallas or St. Louis would see the Avalanche face off with a division rival, and playing against Vancouver would see the Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes matchup many fans have been discussing. Game time is currently TBD, but fans should be looking to the middle of next week in anticipation for game one of round two.

The post Recap: Avalanche beat the Arizona Coyotes 7-1, advance to second round of Stanley Cup Playoffs appeared first on The Rink.

The Kuemper fortress has been broken.

After falling to the Arizona Coyotes in Game 3 by a final score of 4-2, the Colorado Avalanche came out swinging in the first period, tallying 3 goals in the first period and limiting the Coyotes to three shots in the opening frame.

In what could only be described as a complete team performance, the Avalanche blitzed the Coyotes en route to a 7-1 victory. While multiple Avs players put up multi-point performances, one of the main players who stood out from the rest was Avs forward Nazem Kadri, who tallied 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) in the victory.

Cale Makar, Matt Calvert, and Mikko Rantanen each had a goal and an assist, and Philipp Grubauer made 14 saves.

First period

It didn’t take long for the Avalanche to gain control of the game, as they took a 1-0 lead at 14:07 of the opening frame as Avs forward Matt Nieto deflected a pass from Calvert on a 2-on-1 to give the Avalanche the lead.

A couple of minutes later, Kadri tallied his first goal of the game at 16:07 on the power play when he jumped on a loose puck in front of Darcy Kuemper. He wouldn’t be done there, however, as Kadri increased the lead to 3-0 at 19:39 of the first period with another powerplay goal, converting on a rebound in front of the net that came from a Nathan MacKinnon shot.

Second Period

A famous phrase in hockey is that a three goal lead is the worst lead in hockey. However, this would not apply to the Avalanche as they continue to put pressure on the Coyotes, as Joonas Donskoi would convert on a 2-on-1 rush with Andre Burakovsky to extend the Avs lead.

The Coyotes would ruin Grubauer’s shutout bid at the 13:31 mark of the second period as Coyotes defenseman Jacob Chychrun found the back of the net. That goal would close out the period and the Avalanche held the 4-1 lead heading into the final frame.

Third Period

Scoring the last goal of the second period, the Coyotes were probably thinking they would carry the momentum to attempt a comeback. The Coyotes would replace Kuemper in net for backup goaltender Antti Raanta to begin the third period.

However a comeback would not be in the cards for the Coyotes, as Makar had other plans. Only 19 seconds into the final frame, Makar would pick up a pass from the side board and go coast-to-coast for a highlight reel goal to give the Avs the 5-1 lead and squash any momentum the Coyotes may have built from their powerplay goal in the second period.

Calvert converted on MacKinnon’s pass at 2:57 for the 6-1 lead and Rantanen tipped Erik Johnson’s slapshot from the point at 16:24 to give the Avalanche the 7-1 lead, putting this game to bed.

Things would get chippy towards the end of the game, as Coyotes forward Lawson Crouse checked Makar into the boards from behind, drawing attention from everyone on the ice. Out from the pile, MacKinnon ended up ragdolling Coyotes forward Christian Fischer shortly after Fischer cross-checked MacKinnon to the face — a mistake he should never forget.

While we do not know the extent of the injury, Arizona lost Conor Garland in the middle of the second period. Both sides have had some “unfit to play” players heading into this game, as Colorado forward Vladislav Namestnikov and Arizona forward Nick Schmaltz were ruled unfit to play before the game.

Player of the Game

Nazem Kadri

With two goals and an assist in the Avs 7-1 victory over the Coyotes, Kadri continues to be one of the best players for the Avalanche. After being suspended in his last two postseason appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kadri has had 0 penalty minutes through his first six games — all while tallying six points (2 goals, 4 assists).

I asked Kadri about this postgame:

"We exchanged some words and I felt like he gave me a couple extra shots that were unnecessary and I had to let him know about it.

"I get under people's skin—I've figured that out the last few years. The important part is staying composed"#Avs https://t.co/zPToYtGSAQ

— Scott MacDonald (@0ffScottFree) August 18, 2020

What’s next?

The Avalanche will be looking to advance to the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs when they face the Coyotes on Wednesday, August 19 at 3:30 p.m. MDT.

The post Recap: Avs take commanding 3-1 series lead with 7-1 victory appeared first on The Rink.

With a couple of players listed as gametime decisions for Game Three, the Avalanche had some choices to make as far as the forward group, but they also made a change in net.  Making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut was Pavel Francouz, who played well in the qualifying round.  Joonas Donskoi returned to the lineup, while Vlad Namestnikov was sidelined for concussion protocol after a collision with Nathan MacKinnon in game two.

First period

Similarly to game two, it looked like the Coyotes wanted to come out strong and try to skate with the Avs.  Just three minutes into the game, the Avs were sent to the penalty kill on a Tyson Jost high-sticking minor.  Colorado killed it off after allowing just one shot to the Coyotes, making them 0/7 on the powerplay in the series.  A few minutes later, in the Avs zone, Nazem Kadri turned the puck over to Arizona and Clayton Keller fed Derek Stepan in the slot for the game’s first goal, beating Francouz who appeared to not have his stick.  It was the first time in the series that the Coyotes have led.

Great setup, great goal. pic.twitter.com/9BpZ20r7Fh

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) August 15, 2020

Later in the period, the Avs went to the powerplay on a Carl Soderberg goaltender interference minor.  Colorado was moving the puck really well and getting great chances, but Kuemper stopped them all.  The period ended with the Avs leading the Yotes 20-12 in shots, and there was a little skirmish after the horn sounded.  In the middle of it all was Matt Calvert.

Second period

The first ten minutes of the second period weren’t as exciting as the last ten minutes, but there were some highlights.  MacKinnon took a hooking minor.  It was his second penalty of the game, which is uncharacteristic for the Avalanche.  The Coyotes didn’t convert and, after two periods, each team was 0/3 on the powerplay.  Just after the Avs third powerplay that was awarded following an Oliver Ekman-Larsson tripping call, Andre Burakovsky finally found the back of the net on a deflected puck past Kuemper that tied the game at one.

It took 30 shots for the Avalanche to beat Darcy Kuemper.

Andre Burakovsky ties the game #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/AlC8nNnSzc

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 15, 2020

Another story was the play of Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson.  He has been great in the NHL bubble so far making great plays but today he made two big blocks and stayed in the game.

Erik Johnson with a Superman shift.

Gets in front of Hjalmarsson and Kessel's shot #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/phJskTkDFg

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 15, 2020

And with just 34 seconds left in the second period, the Coyotes’ Conor Garland found Brad Richardson in the left circle who fired a wrist shot that beat Francouz, giving the Yotes a 2-1 lead going in to the third period.  Arizona had just four shots that period compared to Colorado’s 16.  The story continued to be the play of Coyotes goaltender Kuemper, who didn’t give up many second-chance opportunities.

Third period

The Avalanche had the Coyotes under siege in the third period, firing shot after shot at Kuemper and the Arizona defense.  The Avs defenseman were very active, jumping into rushes and into deep into the offensive zone to keep pucks in.  But the Coyotes were committed to holding onto their 2-1 lead.  They got big shot blocks from Lawson Crouse, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Stepan, trying to keep as many pucks away from Kuemper as possible.

In the final minutes, the Avs kept the pressure up, but it wasn’t enough.  With the Colorado goalie pulled, Taylor Hall scored an empty net goal to make the score 3-1.  The Avs pulled the goalie again and this time scored on a Mikko Rantanen shot that got redirected.  But, with under a minute left, the Coyotes’ Crouse scored their second empty-net goal of the period, icing the game at 4-2. Kuemper stopped 49 of 51 shots and helped carry Arizona to their first win of the series.

What’s next?

The Avalanche and Coyotes meet again on Monday at 3:30 MT on NBCSN.  It’s very possible that head coach Jared Bednar goes back to goaltender Philipp Grubauer, but the story is really the Avs running into a hot goaltender.  If they want to beat Kuemper, they’ll have to keep pucks low and get traffic in front of the net.  Like the Columbus Blue Jackets, this Coyotes team is committed to team defense and they don’t need much of a lead to win the game.  The Avs have shown they can beat Kuemper, it’s just going to have to come in a grittier way than they’re used to.

The post Coyotes steal game 3 from the Avalanche after 49-save effort from Kuemper appeared first on The Rink.

Ready for some more playoff hockey?

Good.

Only 24 hours after the Colorado Avalanche came away with an exciting 3-2 victory in a tightly contested Game Two, the Avalanche have an opportunity to increase their series lead over the Coyotes on Saturday. A win on Saturday would help the Avs claim a 3-0 series lead, and create a situation where the Coyotes could be facing elimination in Game Four on Monday, August 17 at 3:30 p.m. MDT.

However, if Game Two taught us anything, the Coyotes will more than likely be ready to give it their all to possibly avoid this situation. So far in this series, we have seen two completely different Coyote teams — one who allowed the Avalanche to completely establish their style of play and dominate all aspects fo the game, and one gritty and in your face style. We suspect that the Avs will see more of the same from the Coyotes, so don’t be surprised if this game ends up being a close one again.

Joonas Donskoi and Vladislav Namestnikov are considered day-to-day by Avs head coach Jared Bednar, so it will be interesting to see what the lineup will look like for Game Three. If one of these players are not able to return to the lineup tomorrow, one of the main players who could make an appearance would be former DU Pioneer and Colorado Eagles standpoint Logan O’Connor — however, time will tell.

Starting in goal the past two games, it will be interesting to see if the Avs continue with the hot hand and keep Philipp Grubauer in net, or if we may see Avs goaltender Pavel Francouz make his official postseason debut (minus round-robin) in Game Three against the Coyotes. Francouz last played in the Avs round-robin series when the Avs shutout the Dallas Stars 4-0.

Players to watch

Nazem Kadri

With one game-winning goal and assist, Avs forward Nazem Kadri continues to be a difference-maker for the Avalanche in the playoffs. Kadri tallied four points (One goal, three assists) in the round-robin series and has continued to prove that he can be a difference-maker in the playoffs for the Avalanche. After being suspended the past two playoffs with the Toronto Maple Leafs, questions were circling about how he would perform with the Avs in the playoffs. So far, he continues to be one of the best Avalanche forwards. It truly seems like he is playing with a chip on his shoulder and is on a mission to prove critics wrong — which is good for the Avalanche.

Michael Grabner

While I felt like I could pick a few Coyotes who could be a difference-maker in Game Three, I eventually kept circling back to speed Coyotes forward and penalty-killing specialist Michael Grabner. While there was some controversy in regards to his goal in Game Two, Grabner was able to help the Coyotes tally their first real goal against the Avalanche — since the first goal was an unfortunate own goal. If Keller and Phil Kessel are unable to get things going right away for the Coyotes, keep an eye on Grabner.

The post Preview: Avs Seek to Extend Series Lead Over Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

Solving Kuemper

Darcy Kuemper is an excellent goalie. He finished off the abbreviated 2019–20 season with a .928 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average. He also consistently proves to be difficult for the Avalanche to score on. Game One between these teams saw Kuemper make 37 saves against an aggressive Colorado team, some of which were absolute robberies, including this left pad save:

"No." – Darcy Kuemper pic.twitter.com/MGIKucccMp

— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) August 12, 2020

If the Avalanche can figure Kuemper out, that should theoretically guarantee them the series. Having had one game to feel things out, we may see an adjustment on how the team approaches the net, hopefully resulting in sustained offensive pressure rather than a series of quick goals late in the game.

The key to beating Arizona is going to be patience, which the Avs displayed in Game One. They need to sustain that patience going into this game to ensure that they do not get frustrated and allow Arizona to capitalize on any mistakes.

Goalies for the back-to-back

These teams meet on Friday at 12:30 p.m. MDT and again on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. MDT. With how both goalies have been performing lately, seeing a split here would not be surprising. Pavel Francouz shut out the Stars in his first NHL postseason game last week and Philipp Grubauer shut out the Coyotes in Game One. While Grubauer is likely going to be the main starter for the Avs in the playoffs, switching goalies for the back-to-back would allow him a reprieve.

If the Avs keep up the whole-team defense we saw in Game One, the choice of goalie should matter even less. Grubauer faced only 14 shots on goal, a product of the Avs being able to keep the puck in Arizona’s end for almost the entire game.

Players to watch

The Avalanche top line is going to get firing at some point during the playoffs. We saw a glimpse of their capabilities at the end of Game One, with Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen combining for a pretty goal to close out scoring in the third:

MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog are pretty good at hockey pic.twitter.com/JVOFCcPLVg

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) August 13, 2020

While the storyline of this season has been about the depth that the Avalanche have, it would be ideal to combine that depth with production from the Avs’ most skilled line.

If the Coyotes do get their offense firing, it will likely come at the hands of Clayton Keller or Oliver Ekman-Larsson, both of whom have had a consistent presence in the postseason for their team. Being shut out in the first game will see the Coyotes come into Game Two with a higher degree of competitiveness, which should make this next matchup all the more exciting to watch.

Game schedule

Game Two: Friday, 12 p.m. MDT

Game Three: Saturday, 1 p.m. MDT

Game Four: Monday, Aug. 17, 3:30 p.m. MDT

Game Five*: Wednesday, Aug. 19, TBD

Game Six*: Friday, Aug. 21, TBD

Game Seven*: Sunday, Aug. 23, TBD

The post Preview: Avalanche vs. Coyotes Game Two appeared first on The Rink.

Make sure to check out our in-depth preview of this series against the Coyotes on The-Rink.com.

Playoff hockey. Is. Here.#GoAvsGo https://t.co/sfZN2vvstK

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 12, 2020

I absolutely love the intensity and physicality the @Avalanche are playing with right now.

— Orlando Franklin (@OFranklin74) August 12, 2020

First period

Now that the games truly count, it was pretty obvious that the Colorado Avalanche flipped a switch and started playing playoff hockey.  They were forechecking hard and finishing all their checks on the Coyotes players.  Even skill players like Mikko Rantanen were laying the body.  The result of the physical play was that it was almost all Avs in the first period.  Arizona had the puck in their zone almost the entire period.  One player who stood out was centerman Nazem Kadri who got some quality shots on goal.  The Avs did get one powerplay from a holding minor on Jason Demers, but it was killed off by the Yotes despite several good looks by the Avs.  The period ended with no score but a lopsided shot total with the Avs leading 13-3.

The moose is LOOSE!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/XNg0CV3BSB

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 12, 2020

Second Period

The pace picked up a little bit in the second period as both teams began to really feel each other out.  The Yotes clearly wanted more than just three shots on goal in the next period so they were noticeably more aggressive, but the story continued to be Arizona goaltender Darcy Kuemper.  Adding 15 more saves to his total, Kuemper made it look pretty easy on his side of the ice, making saves without much traffic in front of the net.  Arizona was again outshot heavily in the second and couldn’t really get their possession game going, however, Avs goaltender Philip Grubauer made a few good saves of his own. The Avs defense then locked down in the final ten minutes of the period where they didn’t allow a single shot on goal.

Here are the second period highlights!

Keep firing those shots @Avalanche! #GoAvsGo https://t.co/pCMUdnh8zB

— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) August 12, 2020

Third Period

Noticeably frustrated with not scoring through the first 40 minutes of play, the Avs turned it on late in the third period and broke the ice.  With seven minutes left in the game and the score still tied, Kadri cleaned up a rebound and finally got the Avalanche on the board.  The adrenaline was running through the Avs lineup as it took just 15 seconds for the Avs to score again.  This time it was forward J.T. Compher who found a loose puck again in front of Kuemper and scored on a nice backhand shot.  But the Avs weren’t even done yet!  They generated a three-on-two rush that resulted in a really nice tic-tac-toe goal scored by Rantanen.  All three goals were scored in just 1:23, putting the game out of reach for Arizona.  Grubauer got the 14-save shutout as the Avs take a 1-0 lead on the Coyotes in the series.

The @Avalanche just scored three goals in 1:23.

Here's the opener from @43_Kadri!#NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/kheV7eLprs

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 12, 2020

JT Compher
2-0 #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/i4U59yiIDE

— Fuck Dave Portnoy (@TheReplayGuy) August 12, 2020

MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Landeskog are pretty good at hockey pic.twitter.com/JVOFCcPLVg

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) August 13, 2020

What’s next?

The Avs and Yotes will meet again on Friday for game two and will drop the puck at 12:00 PM MST.  Colorado will most likely see some adjustments from Arizona and will have to be prepared, but, in the meantime, it looks like Grubauer will stay in net.  Backup Pavel Francouz has been very good this season and beyond, which is great insurance in case Grubauer falters.  The game did have some physicality, especially with the star players, but it’s unclear how Arizona will find an edge against this Avs team.  With the Avalanche limiting their opponent to just 14 shots in a playoff game and exploding for three goals in under two minutes, they have to feel good going into game two.

The post Avalanche solve Kuemper late, take Game 1 from the Coyotes 3-0 appeared first on The Rink.

Following a fairly successful round-robin series to obtain the second seed, the Colorado Avalanche will begin their quest for the franchise’s third Stanley Cup when they take on the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

This will be the first time that the two teams will face off against each other since the 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where the Avs defeated the Coyotes in 5 games in the first round to advance to the next round. That season the Avalanche made it to the Western Conference Finals where they eventually fell in seven games to the Dallas Stars.

While the Avalanche are among some of the favorites to lift the Stanley Cup this season, they will have to focus on the task at hand against a tenacious Coyotes squad, who is fresh off an impressive performance by eliminating the Nashville Predators in four games. Coming into the playoffs as a favorite, the Avalanche are in a similar role that the Calgary Flames were in last year — when the Avalance eventually shocked the Flames in five games. Expect the Avs to not overlook the Coyotes.

X-Factors

Nathan MacKinnon (COL)

Finishing the regular season with a team-leading 93 points, MacKinnon will continue to be an important part for the Avalanche if they hope to claim the Stanley Cup. While MacKinnon has not found the back of the net yet following the round-robin games, we can expect him to take his game to the next level for the first round of the playoffs against the Coyotes. The clear goal for the Coyotes will be looking to shut down MacKinnon, but this year the Avalanche reap the benefits of four lines who can score — something that they did not have in last year’s playoffs.

Clayton Keller (ARI)

One of the Arizona Coyotes superstars that the Avalanche will want to keep in check is Clayton Keller. Although not having the same attributes as MacKinnon, Keller is more than capable of taking over a game. Leading the coyotes with 4 points through the play in series against the Nashville Predators, Keller is likely feeling optimistic about his play heading into the first round against the Avalanche.

Game Schedule

Game 1: Wednesday, August 12th 3:30pm MDT

Game 2: Friday, August 14th 12pm MDT

Game 3: Saturday, August 15th, 1pm MDT

Game 4: Monday, August 17th, 3:30pm MDT

Game 5*: Wednesday, August 19th, TBD

Game 6*: Friday, August 21st, TBD

Game 7*: Sunday, August 23rd, TBD

The post Series Preview: Colorado Avalanche vs Arizona Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

The contest did not start pretty for the Blackhawks. By the end of the opening frame, the Blackhawks were down 3–0 with tallies from Michael Grabner, Clayton Keller, and Brad Richardson.

Grabner’s tally was an excellent display of speed, he dipped his shoulder and released a backhand shot that had eyes, finding it’s way past Robin Lehner’s blocker side. Keller’s was a result of a defensive breakdown, as he had a semi-breakaway after an excellent pass from Jordan Oesterle. The third goal was a result of excellent net-front presence from Richardson, as he was able to tip a nice Jacob Chychrun shot through Lehner’s five hole.

There was hope in the second, as the captain, Jonathan Toews, tallied his seventh goal of the season to cut the Coyotes’ lead down to just two. The goal was a result of a well-placed shot from Dominik Kubalik that resulted in a perfect rebound for Toews to hammer home.

Finders keepers#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/bTzxEOuQfU

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 13, 2019

However, the lead would be extended for the hometown team, this time by a familiar face. After a Coyotes’ face-off win, Nick Schmaltz walked to the slot and sniped a shot over Lehner’s left shoulder to give Arizona the 4–1 lead. 

The Blackhawks opened the scoring in the third period, however, it was too late. With right around seven minutes remaining, Dylan Strome tapped home an Alex DeBrincat shot to cut back into Arizona’s lead. The power play tally was Strome’s seventh of the season. 

Dylly Dylly!

Strome strikes on the power play. #CHIvsARI pic.twitter.com/F8L9pLcKPS

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 13, 2019

With two minutes remaining, the Coyotes added insult to injury. After a puck was dumped in, Christian Dvorak, the Chicagoland native, retrieved the puck behind Lehner. Erik Gustafsson was caught down low, leaving Keller wide open in the slot and he tucked a roof shot past Lehner to give the Coyotes the three-goal lead and the final score, 5–2. 

Three points

The Hawks looked terrible: There is no nice way to say it. The Hawks were badly outplayed. They just have not looked good recently. This team, earlier in the season, showed moments of brilliance. Now, this team is relying on Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford to keep them in games. They’ve done a great job doing that, but it hasn’t been enough to yield wins.

Injuries suck: You can tell that the Blackhawks miss Duncan Keith and Calvin de Haan. I’d even argue they miss the likes of Andrew Shaw. They need good players. In years’ past, circa 2015, this team had the depth to accommodate injuries. Now, this team is S.O.L without one or two players in the lineup. Did someone say tank?

Give me the top three: What does this mean? Well, it means if you’re going to change the franchise for the better, you need top 3 picks in the draft. Although no guarantees, these players are what it takes to change a franchise. I think Kirby Dach is a part of the long-term solution, as is Adam Boqvist, but the Hawks need a continuing influx of talent in order to fill the holes. With big contracts against their cap, that’s the only way to improve, young, cheap talent. 

The Blackhawks return to action on Saturday, paying a visit to the defending Stanley Cup champions. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall on their face, lose to Coyotes 5–2 appeared first on The Rink.

6 p.m. CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

Projected starting goaltenders

Chicago — Robin Lehner (6–5–3, .929 save percentage, 2.71 goals against average,)
Arizona — Darcy Kuemper (12–6–2, .937 save percentage, 1.92 goals against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (14.9%, 26th)
Arizona (19.6%, 11th)

Penalty kill
Chicago (80.4%, 17th)
Arizona (81.8%, 14th)

Shots for/against
Chicago (31.2, 17th; 35.7, 29th)
Arizona (29.6, 20th; 32.4, 22nd)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (8.7%,)
Arizona (8.8%, )

Face off percentage
Chicago (48.9%, 23rd)
Arizona (48.5%, 25th)

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Alexander Nylander
Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane
Dominik Kubalik — David Kampf — Kirby Dach
Dylan Sikura — Ryan Carpenter — Zack Smith

Slater Koekkoek — Erik Gustafsson
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Olli Maatta — Connor Murphy

Arizona Coyotes

Clayton Keller— Derek Stepan — Vinnie Hinostroza
Christian Dvorak — Nick Schmaltz — Christian Fischer
Lawson Crouse — Carl Soderberg — Phil Kessel
Michael Grabner — Brad Richardson — Conor Garland

Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Jason Demers
Jakob Chychrun —Alex Goligoski
Jordan Oesterle— Ilya Lyubushkin

Analysis

The roller coaster that is the Blackhawks season continues. After defeating the New Jersey Devils in a shootout, the Blackhawks are now ascending on a two-game winning streak. If the roller coaster ride continues how is high this hill for the team? Is another huge lift hill with a huge drop or is it a bunny hill with a small drop? We shall wait and see.

In their last contest, Corey Crawford made 29 of 30 saves and notched his 250th career win. Crawford joins only Glen Hall and Tony Esposito as the only goalies in franchise history with 250 wins. He was not the only player to reach a milestone in their last contest: Kirby Dach created history. He scored his first professional shootout goal in his first shootout opportunity against the Devils. Dach has continued to impress this season.

In addition to being busy on the ice, the Blackhawks were busy off the ice. The team has recalled Dylan Sikura for the first time this season. Sikura has been shining down in Rockford, with nine goals and 16 points with the IceHogs before his recall. He replaces Anton Wedin, who appeared in four games and had no points.

Sikura will make his NHL debut this season against the Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes are coming into the United Center following a loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in which they were shutout. The Yotes offense hopes to get going against Robin Lehner tonight. If Arizona wants to have any success against the Blackhawks, they need to continue to get points from their points leader Nick Schmaltz. He has five goals and 15 assists on the season. Schmaltz, along with many others, need to generate offensively for Arizona.

In the net for the Coyotes is Darcy Kuemper and not former Blackhawks goalie Annti Raanta. Kuemper gets the nod despite impressive numbers from Raanta at the United Center (16-0-3, .968 save percentage). Kuemper will be looking to build his last start, which was an impressive 3-1 win against Philadelphia.

With Chicago ties all over the ice, this game should be an energy-filled contest. Can the Blackhawks continue their ascent or will the Arizona Coyotes carve their way to a victory?

The post Preview/Game Thread: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Arizona Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

First Period

The game started slow as both teams were feeling each other out. The Blackhawks had a decent opportunity but the Alex DeBrincat short-side shot was put into the corner by Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Corey Crawford made a nice save on a Lawson Crouse redirect and the shots were even 4–4 a little over seven minutes into the game.

The Coyotes took the shot advantage as the period went on but both goaltenders were doing a fine job of thwarting the shot attempts. It was a game with not much pace despite there not being many stoppages, a far cry from the Blackhawks games we have become accustomed to over the last few months.

Shots were 12–10 in favor of the Blackhawks to end the scoreless first period.

Second Period

It was more of the same game in the second period. Arizona had the edge in shots in this frame as they evened them for the game halfway through.

The first power play of the game came at 11:55 in favor of the Blackhawks as Clayton Keller was called for interference on Connor Murphy. DeBrincat had a good look early but could not get all of the shot as the puck jumped on him a bit. He registered another shot with a good screen, but the Blackhawks were unable to capitalize on the man advantage.

The contest remained scoreless throughout the period and that’s where it ended. The shots were 17 apiece as the Coyotes were lulling the Blackhawks into their type of low-scoring game. Kane and Toews only had one shot each in five-on-five play.

Third Period

Each team registered some shots early and then Brent Seabrook was called for tripping Crouse at 4:35. A minute into the Coyotes power play, Nick Cousins was able to dangle around Duncan Keith and get a shot off. Crawford made the initial save, but Cousins was able to get his own rebound and put it past Crawford. The Coyotes took the lead at 1–0 with 5:40 remaining.

The game continued on as it did through the first two periods with each team registering shots but not having any luck as a result of good goaltending. Keith was called for tripping Crouse at 18:13 after Crawford had already been pulled. Chicago kept him out of the net for a fifth forward, but it did not matter either way.

The Blackhawks were unable to register a goal to tie the game and the Blackhawks were shut out 1–0. What little hopes they had of making the playoffs have become even more slim.

Notes

Do not be fooled that the Blackhawks played a good defensive game. The Coyotes are 28th in the NHL in goals for. They played to their strengths defensively by stymieing the Blackhawks’ shooters and relying on the solid goaltending of Kuemper.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks and general hockey musings.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks shut out by Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

9:00pm CST
Gila River Arena
TV/Radio: WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (13–17–3, SV%: .908, GAA: 2.97)
Arizona – Darcy Kuemper (24–19–7, SV%: .921, GAA: 2.45)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.6%, 11th)
Arizona (16.7%, 23rd)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.3%, 31st)
Arizona (85.5%, 1st)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.6, 11th; 34.7, 30th)
Arizona (30.4, 22nd; 30.7, 12th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.1%, 8th)
Arizona (8.4%, 26th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.5%, T19th)
Arizona (47.4%, T29th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Arizona 6’1” 194lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Alex DeBrincat–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Brendan Perlini–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dylan Sikura

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

Arizona Coyotes

Richard Panik–Christian Dvorak–Clayton Keller

Lawson Crouse–Derek Stepan–Josh Archibald

Michael Grabner–Brad Richardson–Vinnie Hinostroza

Alex Galchenyuk–Nick Cousins–Conor Garland

Oliver Ekman-Larsson–Niklas Hjalmarsson

Alex Goligoski–Jason Demers

Jakob Chychrun–Jordan Oesterle

Analysis

The Blackhawks will pay a visit to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night, giving rise to yet another playoff-like match-up for the Blackhawks. After taking two valuable points on Sunday against the Avalanche, the Blackhawks are setting up for a chance, although very slim, at the playoffs.

The Blackhawks perfect scenario over the weekend would have been to take all four points from the Avalanche. Instead, the Blackhawks only took two points, while the Avalanche took three of a possible four and maintained a nice gap between themselves and the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have dug themselves a pretty deep hole.

A wing and two points are critical against the Coyotes on Tuesday night. Otherwise, this team is as good as dead in the playoff race and can start focusing on a hopeful draft lottery surprise.

The Coyotes value this game just as much as the Blackhawks do. Sitting two points back of Colorado, the Coyotes need a win to keep pace with the Avalanche. Minnesota is nipping at the Coyotes’ heels, as are the Blackhawks, so the Coyotes need all the cushion they can get while trying to catch Colorado.

Darcy Kuemper, although very good this season, was lit up the last time the Coyotes played the Blackhawks. It will be intriguing to see which version of Kuemper shows up. If it’s the version who showed up in Chicago two weeks ago, the Blackhawks could be looking at another victory to keep their playoff dreams alive.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game tomorrow morning on the-rink.com.

The post Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks at Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks are still trying out numerous players who’s futures are uncertain with the club going into next year. Notable players in the lineup that fit that bill include Brendan Perlini, Dylan Sikura, Dominik Kahun and Gustav Forsling. The lineup for the game was as follows:

Saad – Toews – Sikura

DeBrincat – Strome – Perlini

Kahun – Anisimov – Kane

Kunitz – Kampf – Kruger

Keith – Gustafsson

Forsling – Seabrook

Dahlstrom – Murphy

Crawford

First Period:

The first period began with the home team falling behind quickly to the boys from the desert. Under five minutes into the game, a ring-around attempt from Carl Dahlstrom hit the referee and was picked up by the Coyotes. Richard Panik found the puck in front, held on just long enough to get Corey Crawford out of position, and buried his 12th goal of the season to make it 1-0 early.

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/1105269217870393344

Under three minutes later, Alex DeBrincat outletted a pass to Brent Seabrook on the right wing boards near the red line. Seabrook quickly found Brendan Perlini at the blue line going in with a solid pass. The pass was slightly tipped, but Perlini still found himself on a breakaway and he beat Darcy Kuemper to tie the game.

Brendan Perlini scores against his former team … pic.twitter.com/9Jbm77vWb0

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) March 12, 2019

Less than two minutes after Perlini’s tally, the Blackhawks struck again. Jonathan Toews made a sweet move on the right wing side of the ice to shake his defender. Upon creating space for himself, he put a perfect pass on the tape of Brandon Saad standing right outside the blue paint. Saad tipped the puck past Kuemper to give the Blackhawks the 2-1 lead.

Brandon Saad gives the #Blackhawks a 2-1 lead … great play by Toews to set him up. pic.twitter.com/sAhYGin7aI

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) March 12, 2019

Despite the Blackhawks controlling play for the rest of the period, the Blackhawks could not generate anymore offense and took their 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Second Period:

The Blackhawks would not stop the scoring in the middle frame. Just over three minutes into the second, Brendan Perlini added his second tally of the game. Dominik Kahun dug a puck out of the corner and found Dylan Strome on the right side of the slot. Strome quickly found an oncoming Perlini who snapped the puck glove side on Kuemper to put the Blackhawks up 3-1.

Strome and Perlini team up to give the #Blackhawks a 2-Goal lead https://t.co/ZMMV2kzZdC

— Four Feathers Podcast (@FourFeathersPod) March 12, 2019

With the “second line” clicking, it was time for other lines to step up and continue the scoring. About three minutes after taking a 3-1 lead, the Blackhawks fourth line got involved on offense. After a scrum out in front of Darcy Kuemper, David Kampf picked up the loose puck and sent a backhand pass from the right wing side of the crease to the low slot. The puck ended up perfectly on Chris Kunitz’s stick and he had an easy tap-in for the 4-1 lead.

Chris Kunitz has a wide-open net thanks to Kampf's pass … 4-1 #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/KoxvHv7C6u

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) March 12, 2019

The goal would be the last puck Kuemper saw for the night, as he was pulled in favor of Calvin Pickard.

The Blackhawks were able to take advantage of turnovers by the Coyotes. After almost nine minutes passed in the period, Dominik Kahun forced a turnover in front of the Coyotes’ net and dropped the puck back to Patrick Kane. Kane quickly found Artem Anisimov on the other side of the slot, and without hesitation, Anisimov sent the puck back to Kane for an easy goal giving Patrick Kane 41 goals on the year and the Blackhawks a 5-1 lead.

That. Was. Dirty.

Showtime makes it 5-1 #Blackhawks on #AuthenticFan Night!

STREAM: https://t.co/gkAxyp6eDc pic.twitter.com/OdoEHFGgEu

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 12, 2019

The play was perfectly set up by the “third line”. It is certainly encouraging when all lines are clicking the way they were tonight.

Before the period ended, the Blackhawks added yet another tally on the board. This time, Jonathan Toews was hooked by young defenseman Jakob Chychrun when going in on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. On the attempt, Toews went five hole on Pickard and scored his 30th of the season to make it 6-1 heading into the second intermission.

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/1105288393561395200

Third Period:

The third period was quiet in comparison to the first two frames. Fans thought they’d be able to see a hat trick as Brendan Perlini had yet another breakaway in the third, only for the puck to squeak through Pickard and sit on the goal line. The goal would have been Perlini’s 11th of the year and 3rd of the night. However, fans would have to wait.

Brendan Perlini's hat trick bid sits still on the goal line … wow. pic.twitter.com/5OAlxO1zVz

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) March 12, 2019

As time was winding down, the Blackhawks took one last rush up the ice. Alex DeBrincat gained possession of a high toss into the zone from Connor Murphy. Despite DeBrincat easily being able to shoot, DeBrincat found Perlini for his third goal of the night with only three seconds remaining to give Perlini his first career hat trick against his old team.

#AuthenticFan hats on the ice!

Brendan Perlini scores his 3rd of the night with 3.6 seconds left. pic.twitter.com/qIi7hOdvAa

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 12, 2019

The Blackhawks take the 7-1 victory against a good team full of familiar faces. The Coyotes still sit one point out of the playoffs and the Blackhawks sit five points out of a playoff spot.

Quick Hits:

• Former Coyotes: Brendan Perlini and Dylan Strome certainly had something to prove Monday night against their former team. Perlini registered his first career hat trick, nearly tallying four goals, and Strome tallied one assist in the Blackhawks’ win. Strome found his game quickly after the trade to Chicago, but it is nice seeing Perlini get hot down the stretch as he is playing for a new contract after this season. It’s safe to say the Blackhawks will be interested in returning the big winger after his late season performance.
• The Return of Kampf: David Kampf has been excellent since he returned from injury. The fourth line has been noticeable both on the score-sheet and all over the ice. It is clear that Kampf, Kruger and Kunitz have good chemistry and they delivered with a big goal from Kunitz tonight.
• Playoffs?: The Blackhawks are mathematically still in the playoff race. They would need a lot of help, but these last three games have shown the Blackhawks can be a good team. They have only given up a combined three goals over those three games and Corey Crawford looks like a starting goaltender once again. It will be intriguing to see what happens with the Blackhawks down the stretch.  

The Blackhawks travel to Canada on Wednesday, March 13th, to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Puck drop is at 6:00pm CST.  

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Crush Coyotes 7-1 appeared first on The Rink.

7:30pm CST

United Center

TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (9–15–2, SV%: .899, GAA: 3.31)

Arizona – Darcy Kuemper (22–15–5, SV%: .920, GAA: 2.48)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play

Chicago (21.0%, 11th)

Arizona (17.0%, 24th)

Penalty Kill

Chicago (73.1%, 31st)

Arizona (85.1%, 2nd)

Shorts for/against

Chicago (32.4, 11th; 34.9, 30th)

Arizona (30.8, 20th; 30.8, 12th)

Shooting %

Chicago (10.2%, 8th)

Arizona (8.6%, 28th)

Faceoff %

Chicago (49.4%, 20th)

Arizona (47.0%, 30th)

Avg. height/weight

Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs

Arizona 6’1” 194lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–John Hayden

Dominik Kahun–Artem Anisimov–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson

Arizona Coyotes

Alex Galchenyuk–Nick Cousins–Christian Fischer

Richard Panik–Christian Dvorak–Clayton Keller

Michael Grabner–Brad Richardson–Vinnie Hinostroza

Lawson Crouse–Mario Kempe–Josh Archibald

Oliver Ekman-Larsson–Niklas Hjalmarsson

Jakob Chychrun–Alex Goligoski

Jason Demers–Jordan Oesterle

Analysis

After it was made clear that tryout time had begun in Chicago, the Blackhawks traveled to Dallas and won a tight 2-1 game against the playoff sitting Dallas Stars. The win featured Alex DeBrincat scoring his 37th goal of the year and David Kampf scoring his first goal since returning from injury.

Key players to keep an eye on for Chicago continue to be Dylan Sikura, John Hayden and Brendan Perlini. These three players have some questionmarks as to where they fit in the organization, and certainly need an opportunity to prove themselves to the front office for next season. It is safe to expect similar lines to last game; the only difference may be Sikura riding the bench again when Hayden gets a shot with Jonathan Toews.

The Coyotes have been an interesting team all season long. As a group, they have lost numerous critical players throughout the year. Notable names that have missed a lot of time include Jason Demers, Christian Dvorak, Nick Schmaltz and Derek Stepan, who was recently sidelined. Despite the injuries, the Coyotes are still winning games and keeping themselves in the playoff discussion.

This game is very important for Arizona. The Coyotes are only one point out of the final wildcard spot with a game in hand over the Minnesota Wild. A win over the Blackhawks in Chicago puts the former-Blackhawk heavy roster in a playoff spot. The Coyotes have been carried by great defense all season long, especially considering their leading point scorer hasn’t broken the 50 point mark (Keller) and their leading goal scorer has 16 goals (Richardson). The Coyotes prove that you can win with great defense, even if lacking the scoring ability.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game tomorrow morning on the-rink.com.

The post Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks vs Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

Kubalík is a 23-year-old former 7th round Kings draft pick (191st overall) in the 2013 NHL draft. The same draft that the Blackhawks drafted Anthony Louis ten picks earlier (181st overall) and Robin Press later in the seventh round (211th overall).

The 6’2″ 180 lbs left wing has been playing for HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss National League. Coming into Thursday evening, he is leading the league in scoring with 43 points (18G-25A). The native of Plzen, Czech Republic, represented his country at the 2018 Olympic Games and World Championships as well as the 2015 World Junior Championship.

He is currently under contract with his Swiss team and cannot sign a contract with the Blackhawks until his deal with HC Ambrì-Piotta has expired. The Kings tried to pry Kubalík out of Europe in 2017 but, without player compensation, Ambrì-Piotta blocked the deal from happening.

Kubalik 2017-18 Season Highlights from HC-Ambri Piotta https://t.co/tb35J5ri2z#Blackhawks #NHL

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) January 24, 2019

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks Make Trade With Kings appeared first on The Rink.

Believe in The Crow#BelieveInOneGoal pic.twitter.com/0kB27ncAEK

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 18, 2018

The Arizona Coyotes came into the game last night in Chicago having scored zero 5-on-5 goals in five games this season. In fact, they had only scored three goals total.  They would more than double that total before the night was over.

Being Corey Crawford’s first game action since last December 23, the hope was that this struggling Arizona team would be a good opponent for him to shake off the rust and settle into the game.

This would not be the case.

FIRST PERIOD

Corey Crawford did see some easy, long range shots early on as the Coyotes tested him.  As a casual observer, you could make an argument that we were just happy to see him on the ice in game shape. Naturally, as a competitor, it was great to see him look game ready from the get go.

End-to-end action early on did not result in many high scoring chances until, with 11:19 left in the first, Patrick Kane found Alexandre Fortin all alone in front of the net. Fortin gathered in the pass and rifled a shot wide blocker side. Three Coyotes players flocked to Kane, leaving Fortin wide open with only Coyotes netminder Antti Raanta in front of him.  The Blackhawks rookie wing could not take advantage of the situation, though.

At the 11:43 mark of the period, Henri Jokiharju was caught at the Coyote’s blue line by a nice stretch pass from defenseman Jordan Oesterle to forward Clayton Keller along the boards. Keller skated in 2-on-1 from center ice with Lawson Crouse and made a nice dish over Brandon Manning’s stick. Crouse was left with an open net to bury the first goal of the game passed Crawford.

Not only did Jokiharju allow a stretch pass that should have been broken up, Manning was caught between taking the puck and/or taking the pass away and left Crawford out to dry.

There was minimal action the rest of the period and Coyotes entered the locker room up 1-0, with the Hawks leading in shots on net 13-12.

SECOND PERIOD

Within the first two minutes of the period, Crawford was put to the test. Forward Michael Grabner corralled a rebound from a point shot in the slot but could not bury it past a sliding left pad of Crawford.

Stop it right there, Grabner!#crOwMG pic.twitter.com/q1Eh7APwRR

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 19, 2018

Five and a half minutes into the period, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and John Hayden were both sent off to their respective penalty boxes to open up the ice for some 4-on-4 play.

Erik Gustafsson did an excellent job of controlling the puck deep in his own zone until he found a lane for an outlet pass to a streaking Alex DeBrincat. Debrincat made the blue line with ease and found Jonathan Toews coming down the left wing. Gustafsson jumped back into the play on the right side where Toews found him all alone and he buried the puck past Antti Raanta.

Zig zag cross the floor#CHIvsARI pic.twitter.com/WYXRnLCRT0

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 19, 2018

As far as perfect plays are concerned, the Hawks executed a beauty from end-to-end. They gained the blue line, found the open man and hit the trailer on the backdoor. It could not have been drawn up much better.

This goal, however, would be the last thing Blackhawks fans would have to cheer about.

Just a few minutes after Gustafsson tied the game, Former Blackhawk Vinnie Hinostroza took a pass from Ekman-Larsson and buried it past Crawford. The cross-ice pass left Hinostroza alone with time to pick apart a moving Crawford, glove side. This goal gave the Coyotes the lead for good, at 2-1.

Raanta, on the other hand, was not challenged much in the period. Most shots were from low percentage areas with no traffic in front. The Coyotes’ defensive scheme of making the Hawks shoot from the perimeter was working.

As far as uninspiring goes, this period fit the bill. The Coyotes out shot the home team 10-9 in the period and held on to their 2-1 lead.

THIRD PERIOD

Action was very limited in the first three-quarters of the third period.  By this time, the crowd had started to dissipate, already. You could have heard a pin drop across the ice for most of the period.

With 5:43 left in regulation, Chris Kunitz found himself with the puck along boards in front of his own bench. He telegraphed a horribly irresponsible pass attempt through the middle of the ice which was picked off by Clayton Keller at the blue line.  Keller walked in all alone on Crawford and buried it five-hole.

The turnover, and resulting goal, sucked the air right out of the building. This was one of the types of simple mistakes that could be avoided.

Joel Quenneville, who seemingly had no answers, pulled Crawford with 5:11 left for the extra attacker. Just like the power play, the extra man did not generate enough pressure to matter. Making matters worse, most zone entries were sloppy and the Hawks spent most of the time attempting to retrieve the puck. One could almost make the argument it looked similar to the 5-on-5 play, if you ignore the empty net on the other side of the rink.

With just under three minutes remaining, Vinnie Hinostroza buried his second of the night into the gaping net to seal the win. This goal combined with little pressure left Blackhawks fans with little option but to head for the exits early.

The Hawks outshot the Coyotes 34-31 for the game, and Arizona left with a satisfying 4-1 win.

THE GOOD

• The return of Corey Crawford. His presence in net is needed. The last time we saw him, he was putting up Vezina Trophy type numbers. He did not get much help from the guys in front of him tonight but kept the team in the game for the most part.
• Jonathan Toews and Alex Debrincat have kept the offense afloat. The pair each recorded points again tonight. The chemistry between the two continues to grow.
• A real nice salute to Niklas Hjalmarsson on the video board during a timeout. Hjalmarsson was a huge piece on the backend during the cup runs. He is still the shutdown type defenseman this Hawks team is sorely missing.

THE BAD

• Another goose egg on the power play. Zone entry and puck possession continue to haunt the power play. Even when set up, too much standing around and low percentage shots from the point with no one in front makes for easy saves.
• High scoring chances for the Coyotes. This is becoming a common theme with these Hawks.
• Turnovers (see above).

SUMMARY

The Hawks looked uninspired. Four days off between games is not an excuse. This effort might get them a point in the cup era but not with this hole filled roster. I could not pick out a player of the game even if I had was forced. It should be interesting to see how they respond from this effort.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Lose to Coyotes in Crawford’s Return appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago sent the remaining three years of Marian Hossa‘s contract, forward Vinnie Hinostroza, and defenseman Jordan Oesterle and a 2019 3rd round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for Marcus Kruger, MacKenzie Entwistle, Jordan Maletta, defenseman Andrew Campbell and a fifth-round pick in 2019.

Hossa has been all but retired since it was announced that he was suffering for years from a painful skin condition.  The Blackhawks were able to use his $5.25 million cap hit against long term injured reserved last season.  The team only paid Hossa $1 million in actual dollars.

Vinnie Hinostroza was drafted the Blackhawks in the 6th round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and signed with the team after finishing his 2014-15 season for Notre Dame.  He finally came into his own last season amassing 25 points (7G, 18A) with the Blackhawks, after leading the Rockford Icehogs in scoring early on.

Jordan Oesterle was signed as a free agent last summer after playing in the Edmonton system.  In a bit of a breakout year, Oesterle put up 15 points (5G, 10A) in 55 games for the Blackhawks.  He became expendable with the flurry of young defensemen in the system signed to entry level deals this spring.

Coming back to the Blackhawks is a familiar face, in Marcus Kruger.  Kruger was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights last summer for future considerations and then flipped to the Carolina Hurricanes shortly after.  The Hurricanes traded Kruger to the Coyotes in may after a very disappointing season that led Kruger to play in the AHL towards the end of the season.

Also, coming to the Blackhawks are prospects MacKenzie Entwistle, Jordan Maletta, and Andrew Campbell.

Entwistle is an 18 year-old 6’3″ 175 lbs right wing drafted in 2017 by Arizona in the 3rd round of the NHL Entry Draft. This last season he put up 38 points in 49 games for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL.

Jordan Meletta is a 23 year-old 6’3″ 216 lbs center that played all of his pro career with the Cleveland Monsters and Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. He will probaby be assigned to the Rockford Icehogs.

Andrew Campbell is a 30 year-old 6’4” 205 lbs AHL veteran defenseman that will likely take the spot of the departed Cody Franson, Adam Clendening and Viktor Svedberg.

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks Trade Hossa/Hinostroza/Oesterle to Arizona appeared first on The Rink.

As the dust settles on a fairly eventful day yesterday, let’s unpack what Stan Bowman did at this deadline, some of the back story, as well as what it all means going forward for a franchise in transition:

OUT

Michal Kempny

Ryan Hartman

Tommy Wingels*

A 2018 5th round pick

IN

2018 1st round pick (Nashville)

2018 3rd round pick (the higher of Washington’s 2 picks)

2018 4th round pick (Nashville)

2019 5th round pick (conditionally moves up to a 4th if Wingels re-signs with Boston or if Boston wins one playoff series)

C Viktor Ejdsell (HV 71 Sweden)

*- Wingels will likely re-sign in Chicago this summer

Trades are always hard to absorb at first, especially when you look at your current roster and the pieces don’t seem to fit. But there can be zero doubt, Stan Bowman’s eyes are now firmly on the 2018-19 season and beyond.

The big loss for Chicago is Hartman: a versatile lower line winger who can play all three forward positions, is physical and has some skill, plays an agitating style.

i would urge anyone who has not read our post of two days ago regarding the dilemma the Hawks were in regarding whether to keep or deal Hartman, I would suggest you do so now, here:

https://www.the-rink.com/2018/02/25/analysis-ryan-hartman/

In the end, Bowman had to move Hartman. Just after the deal yesterday, i heard from a team source that Hartman “wanted out.” Some may dispute that. But I think anyone who’s ever had a contentious relationship with a boss knows it can reach a point where at least some days, you’d really rather be somewhere else. The Hartman-Quenneville issues had reached  a low point, likely, with Hartman being benched early in Saturday’s game in Columbus. The writing was on the wall, for all concerned—including any team interested in acquiring Hartman.

This trade deadline, as so many are, was a seller’s market. But when a GM’s hand is forced on a player, it can undercut return. Bowman pulled the trigger on a deal to a bitter division foe—I heard, again, just after the deal yesterday—because Nashville, unlike other late suitors Winnipeg and Arizona, was willing to include a first round pick in the offer.

This will surely be a late first round pick, where the prospect of grabbing a surefire NHL player, much less impact player, is far from guaranteed. But this is a deep draft. And the pick gives Bowman a chip he can package with the Hawks’ much higher pick to possibly move up and pluck a true impact player in this draft. Bowman now also has extra mid round picks to work with as well.

The other key to this deal is Ejdsell, a fairly prolific scorer in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s #2 league, last season, and a player the Hawks pursued last summer, before he signed with the Preds. You can go look at his “youtubes” and see a guy making  a lot of nice plays on wide open European ice, which doesn’t always translate to the smaller, highly contested ice of North American pro hockey. But—a nice quick shot, good hands around the net, decent speed and size are evident.

The Hawks need another productive NHL center. But we don’t know enough about Ejdsell this morning to say he can be that. How is he on faceoffs. I heard/read two widely varying reports yesterday. How will he adapt to the tighter checking of North America? The-Rink.com’s Martin Thörnqvist, who lives in Sweden and watches a lot of hockey there, told me late yesterday he believes Ejdsell will end up at wing in the NHL.

Overall it was a good deal for Bowman, how good pretty much rests on what he does with Nashville’s first rounder and what Ejdsell becomes.

The next big day for the Hawk franchise, possibly a huge day, will be the NHL draft lottery. At the top of this draft are a handful of potentially elite players, followed by anther handful of potentially very good NHL players. The Hawks presently look like a good bet to pick somewhere between 7th and 9th. But in the lottery, they could pick as high as first—if they get very lucky.

Personally, I think Hawk fans can celebrate if Bowman gets into the top 5—either through the lottery or a trade up. You want to get an impact player in this draft to help build the next ten years of this franchise—preferably a defenseman—along with the Debrincats and Schmaltzes.

All for now, please comment below.

The post Analysis: Blackhawk Trade Deadline Grade B+ appeared first on The Rink.

Before he was traded to Arizona I thought he might be worth taking a shot on but, silently, thought to myself, “Meh, just another low risk/high reward project that the Hawks won’t want to bother cultivating.” He showed a lot of promise in the 2014-15 World Juniors, and has some blazing speed with a scoring touch. My initial impression is that his delay in development has been between his ears, though. This is the second organization to give up on him, and he is only 22. Lets be completely honest, the Coyotes are not exactly blessed with a plethora of disposable raw talent.

Maybe a more strictly structured organization is what he needs to become a top six NHL regular. I have an open mind, and really hope the Blackhawks can develop him, because he could be an absolute Patrick Sharp-for-Matt Ellison style steal and I’ll be the first to grab that Duclair player shirt.

Do not confuse my open mind with blind optimism, though. Joel Quenneville can absolutely crush young egos into a pile of smoldering ashes so, if he gets off on the wrong foot, he could end up being the next Marko Dano.

Here are Duclair’s career stats:

• Joel Quenneville decided to start Anton Forsberg on the bottom half of this back-to-back which was a bit surprising, based on the love affair of Jeff Glass. I guess he was tired of feeding the meatball beast.
• The “controversy” of the Brent Seabrook goal, was an absolute joke. The NHL should be thoroughly embarrassed at what an absolute circus this whole nonsense has turned into. The fact that a coach can roll back a play over 30 seconds, 43 to be exact, to possibly negate a goal is ludicrous. I have said it before, for a league that prides itself on attempting to increase scoring “for the fans“, they are sure pulling a lot of goals off the board for off-sides calls that have no bearing on the goal. The night before, the Oilers were robbed of a game tying goal the same way, and it is flat out criminal.
• Patrick Kane is playing at another level. He was double shifting all night and dominated puck control most of his shifts, at least early. He might have suffered some fatigue later on, but that will happen to a forward playing
• It might be said that Corey Crawford (or Jeff Glass for that matter) would have definitely resulted in a Blackhawks win, because neither Wild goal was all that good. I beg to question, though, how many break-a-ways and high danger chances did Forsberg face, and stop? I would say they are a wash, or maybe come out in Forsberg’s favor. Quenneville likes to use 5-on-3 power plays to gauge critical moments. His theory being that the result of the 5-on-3 leads heavily into the result of the final score. I am a firm believer that the team that giving up the most break-a-ways (scored or not) loses the game, most nights. This is a indication, albeit primitive, of the quality of defense for a team. It was not even close in this one.
• As I said the previous night, don’t let the power play goals against the lifeless Sens fool you. The power play is far from fixed. The Blackhawks went right back to their normal selves and botched all of their man advantages, Wednesday night. All they needed to do was convert on one, and they get the crucial divisional point.
• The staggering stat from last night’s game was that the Wild “officially” blocked 21 shots in first period alone. I do not see how that can be even remotely possible.
• Marcus Foligno took a penalty for a high hit on Jan Rutta that looked to have rung Rutta’s bell. As a result, the Blackhawks defenseman had to take a trip to the quiet room for a few minutes. Rutta was back shortly thereafter but, after missing time with a concussion recently, we all held our breath for a few moments. I am sure the Department of Player Safety has taken a look at the play, because it was dangerous. Speaking of the Department of Player Safety, if podcasts are your thing, go listen to the episode of the Craig Custance Podcast “The Full 60” with Patrick Burke. You may think twice before tweeting, “You need to take a look at this play” to them.
• I stated this last night, but the NHL website is an embarrassment to pro sports. It constantly locks up, and is extremely buggy. If you were following along last night, this is what the live shift tracker looked like at the start of the second period, and continued until you actually closed the window and started over.
  

  Great job with the website @NHL. Perfect pic.twitter.com/ymhez2Y2FU

  — Gatekeeper (@PuckinHostile) January 11, 2018

   

   

  
  What kind of professional organization allows their website to perform like this night after night? This example is not just a rare occurrence, either. It happens almost every game I have followed. I will not even get into the mess that the stats portion of the site has turned into. Just goes to show how out of completely ignorant and touch this league is to innovation and technology.

The post Blackhawks Post Loss and Post Trade Thoughts appeared first on The Rink.