In goal for Dave Hakstol was Chris Driedger, who has had a rough time keeping healthy, despite boasting the better numbers of the two Kraken netminders. His return from the injured reserve list would prove to be pivotal for the visitors.

The fact that both the Sharks and Kraken had a hard time scoring in this contest should come as no surprise. Both teams are in the bottom half of the league in scoring, and San Jose has gotten some quality results in net from the unlikely duo of James Reimer and Adin Hill. Head Coach Bob Boughner’s goaltender of the day was Reimer against the Kraken.

The division rivals battled evenly for the first and second periods, but neither could break the ice and score the opening goal of the game. Seattle led the first period in shots 11–8, while the Sharks took the second period tally 12–7.

Unfortunately for anyone not watching on the west coast, almost all of the action was in the third period when the east coast clocks were already reading “Wednesday morning.”

The former Shark line of Ryan Donato, Joonas Donskoi and Alexander True opened the scoring 6:23 into the third period. Donskoi threw a shot toward Donato, who was right at Reimer’s doorstep waiting for a rebound or deflection. Donato tried to pull the puck to his forehand after failing to tip Donskoi’s shot past the goaltender, and the puck went off defenseman Radim Simek’s skate and into the net.

The 1–0 lead was increased to 2–0 when Brandon Tanev took a Morgan Geekie pass on a rare 2-on-3 rush and beat Reimer. This would prove to be the game-winning goal, with Calle Jarnkrok adding an empty-net insurance goal in the final seconds of the game.

San Jose broke the Driedger shutout with Reimer on the bench for the extra attacker with 2:07 to play, but that was all the Sharks could muster. The Kraken left San Jose with their 10th win of the season, but gained little ground in the standings.

Anchor points

Chris Driedger, folks. If he could stay off injured reserve and on the ice, he might be making Philipp Grubauer sweat a little. Driedger deserved a shutout, period. He earned the first star of the game and saved 31 of 32 shots.

In a pretty strange game, there was only one penalty the entire night, which was Vince Dunn’s holding penalty at 14:59 of the second period.

“Turbo” Tanev’s ninth goal of the season is his third-most in his least amount of games (28). He had gone scoreless in his previous five games before his huge goal in this game. What is not to love about this guy?

You would not know it by the box score but Donato, Donskoi, Geekie, Jarnkrok, Tanev and True were all crushed in scoring chance percentage, ranging from 33% to 28%. That is two entire forward lines that were caved in, which just goes to show how well Driedger played.

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

The Kraken are right back in action tonight against the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.

The post RECAP: Kraken fight out much-needed goalie win in San Jose appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman’s trade deadline balance sheet looks like the following:

IN
RW Vinnie Hinostroza
RW Brett Connolly
D Riley Stillman
C/W Henrik Borgstrom
C/W Adam Gaudette
F Ryder Rolston
F Josh Dickinson
2021 second-round pick
2022 third-round pick
2021 fourth-round pick
2021 seventh-round pick

OUT
F Brad Morrison
F Lucas Wallmark
D Lucas Carlsson
F Matthew Highmore
C Carl Soderberg
C/W Mattias Janmark
D Madison Bowey
2021 fifth-round pick
2022 fifth-round pick

Net result: Positive, since the Hawks gave up absolutely nothing that is part of their long-term plan or even close to it, and acquired some projectable assets.

Caveat: While the same folks are doing the same “Big StanBo Victory Dance-a-thon” on Twitter this afternoon, if we are really being honest, the actual return here is, ahem, pretty conditional. Put another way, we know that all the “guys” than Bowman unloaded are nothing more than “guys.” But, we also know that:

• Hinostroza has historically been, well, a “guy”
• Connolly has been a disappointment much of his career and will very plausibly be wearing a Kraken sweater this summer
• No one has ever seen Stillman and Carlsson in the same room at the same time
• Vancouver thought Gaudette was worth losing for Highmore
• Rolston has been described in scouting reports as being defensively weak, a perimeter player and lacking high-level hockey sense. But, he is a Notre Dame guy, so, go Stan!

How this will play out: Fifth- and seventh-round draft picks are only slightly more statistically likely to play in the NHL than I am. But, Borgstrom (a 2016 first-round pick), and the second- and third-round picks Bowman acquired could each turn into something of value down the line. Similarly, statistically, many second- and third-rounders do not make it in the NHL (look no further than the Hawks’ own history in those rounds).

But, let’s say Borgstrom and one of those picks matriculate as solid contributors for the Hawks in say, middle- or bottom-six roles? Meh, okay, because in the larger perspective, Bowman gave up nothing he wanted to keep.

So, this trade deadline was overall a “win” for Bowman and the Hawks, but also not necessarily a big win—unless some combination of the picks and prospects Bowman acquired beat the odds, and exceed expectations and current projections.

All we have for now.

The post ANALYSIS: Blackhawks have a no-lose/maybe-win trade deadline appeared first on The Rink.

Cam Ward started in net, in the second game of a back-to-back after Corey Crawford still struggled to shake some rust off versus the Kings the night before in LA. Slater Koekkoek had the night off after drawing into the lineup in Saturday’s game and struggling. Evander Kane and Erik Karlsson were out of the game for the Sharks, leaving them down a couple of key players in a game in which they would like to get some points. Head Coach Jeremy Colliton hoped to reinvigorate this team by mixing up the lineup, which saw multiple players moving up and down the lineup.

The starting lines were as follows:
Chris Kunitz – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Strome – Brendan Perlini
Brandon Saad – Artem Anisimov – Dominik Kahun
John Hayden – Marcus Kruger – Dylan Sikura

Duncan Keith – Erik Gustafsson
Gustav Forsling – Brent Seabrook
Carl Dahlstrom – Connor Murphy

1st Period:

At the 8:16 mark of the first period, the Blackhawks drew a penalty when Forsling was tripped in the defensive zone. The Chicago power play got some good chances, as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews tried to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead, but nothing materialized.

A few minutes later, at the 12:16 mark of the period, Tomas Hertl managed to slide through the changing Blackhawks defense and lift the puck over a sprawled out Ward and into the back of the net. The Blackhawks managed to get a few more chances as the period went on, with the Brendan Perlini line getting some good pressure in front of Martin Jones but, again, nothing became of it.

In the final minute of the period, Dylan Strome led a 2-on-1 down the ice with Alex DeBrincat but held onto the puck.  Strome fired it past Jones at the 19:33 mark of the period to send the teams to the dressing room knotted in a 1-1 tie.

Strome and DeBrincat team up to tie it up at the end of the 1st period!

: https://t.co/JQ4FxNzkle pic.twitter.com/gpkuf3UCWl

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 4, 2019

2nd Period:

Gustav Nyquist started off the period with an area pass to Logan Couture, whose tip was saved nicely by Ward.

A minute later, Tim Heed put a slap pass toward the front of the net that directed off of Joonas Donskoi and Timo Meier before finding the twine. 2-1, San Jose.

The Sharks had a couple more good chances with Michael Haley in front of the net and Barclay Goodrow getting a rebound chance, but Ward stood tall and stopped both shots.

Later, Erik Gustafsson managed to put the puck past Jones after a nice give and go with Jonathan Toews and a nice wrist shot through traffic, knotting the game up at two each. 2-2.

Oh, you say you have some high-scoring defensemen?

Meet GUS! : https://t.co/JQ4FxNzkle pic.twitter.com/MqaXI08YDP

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 4, 2019

With just over 14 minutes gone by in the period, the Sharks got some really good pressure on in front of Ward, peppering the defense with pressure and shots on goal, all of which were stopped.

With 17:37 left in the period, though, the Hawks got a chance on the power play. Alex DeBrincat missed the net with the best chance of the man advantage when he hoisted a Toews feed over the net and hit the glass, and the period ended with a 2-2 tie.

3rd Period:

After a back and forth couple of minutes to begin the final period, the Sharks gained possession, with Joe Thornton outmuscling Artem Anisimov to feed the puck out in front for a top shelf goal by Marcus Sorensen, making it a 3-2 Sharks lead.

Later, the Sharks then went on the power play, after a tripping call on Brendan Perlini, which gave the Sharks a prime opportunity to increase their lead. While the Blackhawks killed off the initial penalty, the Sharks had a delayed penalty coming when Patrick Kane slashed Michael Haley, who persevered to take the puck behind the net and then fed it out in front to a waiting Brent Burns who ripped a shot that went off of the Sharks’ Melker Karlsson to give the Sharks a 4-2 lead.

The Hawks kept bringing the puck into the Sharks’ zone, but the Sharks played stonewall defense, blocking passes and shots to stymie the chances Chicago generated. The Blackhawks looked like they had nothing left, as shot after shot was being blocked by a player or stopped by Jones.

Melker Karlsson scored again on an empty net goal late in the period to put things away for good. The Blackhawks have dropped 4 of their last 5 games, and the last 2 in a row.

The Blackhawks’ next game is at home versus the Buffalo Sabres, starting at 7:30 CT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Fall to The Sharks to Wrap West Coast Trip appeared first on The Rink.

This was your Blackhawks starting lineup:
Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Dominik Kahun
Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Strome – Patrick Kane
Dylan Sikura – David Kampf – Brendan Perlini
John Hayden – Marcus Kruger – Andreas Martinsen

Duncan Keith – Henri Jokiharju
Erik Gustafsson – Brent Seabrook
Carl Dahlstrom – Connor Murphy

Chris Kunitz and Brandon Manning spent a quiet night watching from the Jeremy Colliton Chicken Finger and Popcorn Buffet in the press box, probably deservedly so.

The first period was a total shootout from the drop of the puck.  Just two and a half minutes into play, Alex DeBrincat gave the Blackhawks a very rare 1-0 lead.  He took a neutral zone pass from Erik Gustafsson, skated over the Shark’s blue line, took a half step to the middle of the ice and snapped a wrist shot that squirted through Martin Jones and dribbled into the net.

Less than a minute after the DeBrincat goal, Dylan Strome gave the Blackhawks an even more rare 2-0 lead.  A Connor Murphy shot from the high slot deflected off a Sharks stick, and then Strome redirected it past a surprised Martin Jones.

The Blackhawks held that 2-0 lead for just over seven minutes, until they blew their lead. The Sharks fought back to get goals from Melker Karlsson and Marcus Sorensen in a matter of 42 seconds.

The good news was that the Blackhawks actually responded and took that lead back. Dylan Sikura showed some nice power up the middle of the ice and managed a shot that Jones made a toe save on. Brendan Perlini followed up the original shot and chipped it past Jones. Out went Jones and in came Aaron Dell.

Sikura powers through the defense and Perlini finishes off his effort! #Teammates #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/WMJEYKEK0d

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 17, 2018

Thirteen minutes into the game and five goals were on the board already.  Five more were scored the rest of the way, and none were from the Blackhawks.

With 1:30 left in the opening period, while chasing down Logan Couture, Dylan Strome was pushed into his own goaltender by Evander Kane and Corey Crawford went down hard.  In fact, Crawford’s head bounced off the goal post and he stayed on the ice.  He eventually made it off the ice under his own power but that was the end of the night for the Blackhawks goaltender.

More concerning for the Blackhawks was that arguably their most important player was laid out with a hit to the head which kept him out for nine months.  It was confirmed later that Crawford has a concussion.

Corey Crawford leaves the game after this nasty collision. pic.twitter.com/WCKD7Mgczh

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) December 17, 2018

The first period ended with the Blackhawks up 3-2 but the Sharks leading in shots 8-5.  Now without their veteran goalie, the real Blackhawks showed up…

The start to the second period was filled with sloppy infractions. The Blackhawks started the period on the power play, but were then assessed a terrible penalty when David Kampf’s stick broke and he was given a penalty. Eventually, the Sharks tied the game back up on the resulting power play, with Evander Kane found a loose puck in the slot area and hitting a gaping net.

Three minutes after the Sharks tied the game, they took their first lead of the night. Barclay Goodrow redirected a long Justin Braun shot past Cam Ward making it seem a lot like the Blackhawks could not catch a break.

The Sharks expanded their lead to 5-3 at the 17:17 mark of the second period. Logan Couture posted up in the front of Cam Ward and redirected a long, knuckling Brenden Dillon shot past the helpless Hawks netminder. The concerning part of the play was that the Blackhawks were not able to get the puck out of the zone, more than once, preceding the goal.

This is how the second period ended, as the Blackhawks had only 13 shots in 40 minutes while the Sharks had 22 shots on net.

In the third period, the play slowed down considerably, especially for the Blackhawks.  With seven minutes remaining in regulation the Sharks added a cushion goal on the power play, which was a result of David Kampf taking a chance and trying to intercept a pass for a shorthanded break-a-way.  Kampf missed the pass and the Sharks ended up with a 3-on-2.  Kevin Lebanc snapped a pretty impressive shot over Ward’s glove and put the game far out of the Blackhawks’ reach.

San Jose added a seventh insurance goal, but that was just a formality.  When the final horn sounded the Blackhawks had given up five straight goals to finish the game and lost 7-3.  They finished with a mere 20 shots on net.

Pluses

• Jumping out to a 2-0 lead is a really welcomed sight.  The problem was giving up 2 in less than a minute to blow said lead.
• Finally, Brendan Perlini got his name on the scoresheet in the goal column.

Minuses

• It doesn’t go much further than the Corey Crawford play that led to him leaving the game. The last thing this organization wanted to see was Corey Crawford absorb another hit to the head.  This is extremely concerning because they can’t even use him as a trade piece with another concussion.  Colliton confirmed after the game that Crawford does, indeed, have another concussion.  This could get even more ugly, fast, if Crawford is out for an extended period of time.
• Edzo and Pat correctly pointed out a terrible penalty call on David Kampf then proceeded to be absolutely befuddled by the referees not calling a penalty on Marcus Kruger when his follow through caught Kevin Lebanc high under the shield.
• Speaking of power plays, the Sharks were 2/2 and the Blackhawks were 0/4.
• When you are out-chanced in the high danger category 14-7, you’re not winning many hockey games.
• The Blackhawks overall possession numbers were absolutely brutal.  Their Corsi and Fenwick were 37.1% and 30.6% respectively.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Lose Game And Crawford vs Sharks appeared first on The Rink.

With a very strong outing against the Islanders over the weekend, goalie Anton Forsberg made his second straight start in net for the Blackhawks.

In a carousel of the walking wounded, John Hayden took the night off with an “injury” so that Victor Ejdsell could be recalled.

Speaking of Ejdsell, This game was going to be a memorable one for the big Swedish rookie. He made his Blackhawks, NHL and home debut.

Brandon Saad – Victor Ejdsell – Patrick Kane
Vinnie Hinostroza – Nick Schmaltz – Matthew Highmore
Patrick Sharp – David Kampf – Alex DeBrincat
Tomas Jurco – Artem Anisimov – Andreas Martinsen

Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Erik Gustafsson – Connor Murphy
Jordan Oesterle – Jan Rutta

The Blackhawks came out in the first period and surrendered a plethora of shots on net thanks to a little assistance from an early Sharks powerplay.

However, the Sharks opened the scoring half way through the first period.

The aforementioned Victor Ejdsell had a front row seat for the goal, because his guy was the player that gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead. Jannik Hansen dumped off a subtle little pass to Marcus Sorensen just before Hansen made a move to go behind the net, which left Sorensen enough room to beat the startled Blackhawks goaltender.

Five minutes after the Sharks took the lead, an eventful Alex DeBrincat shift resulted in the game tying goal for the Blackhawks. DeBrincat had started the play by initially turning the puck over in the San Jose zone, but hustled back to cause a turnover and then sent Brandon Saad back the other way. Saad dropped the puck to Vinnie Hinostroza, who send a snapshot towards Sharks goalie Martin Jones. Jones made the first save, but the rebound fell to his left and the trailing Alex DeBrincat swatted it into the net for his 26th goal of the year.

The Hawks were not done there, though.

Just a minute and eighteen seconds after DeBrincat tied the game Connor Murphy put them up 2-1. Murphy just let a long point shot go from the right half-boards. The puck took a funny bounce off what looked to be Brenden Dillon and went high over Jones’ glove.

This would be how the first period ended, as the Blackhawks fought back to take a 11-10 first period shot lead.

As the second period began, the home team was a little slow coming out of the gates once again, surrendering an early 4-1 shot advantage. Luckily, they were able to battle back and break even.

It took until just past the 16 minute mark for either team to score. Evander Kane got in behind Brent Seabrook and was off to the races on Anton Forsberg. Forsberg made the initial save, but the puck squirted out behind him and into the net to tie the game.

Bad set of circumstances after making a good save for Forsberg.

The second intermission followed shortly after with the teams deadlocked at two goals a piece, and the Sharks leading in shots on net, 15-10.

The third period started out the complete opposite of the first and second periods. The Blackhawks actually came out with some purpose, jumping out to a 7-2 shot advantage.

With just over four minutes remaining in regulation play, Tomas Hertl stole a loose puck from Erik Gustafsson along the Blackhawks half boards, and raced in on Anton Forsberg all alone. Hertl beat Forsberg high to give the Sharks a 3-2 lead.

One might have thought the game was over, there, but Patrick Sharp was not subscribing to that narrative. Alex DeBrincat was also involved in the play, feeding Patrick Sharp for a one timer in a prime scoring position, and getting his second point of the night. Martin Jones got a piece of the shot but the puck squirted behind him and slowly into the net.

Then came the overtime; and what an overtime it was.

Nick Schmaltz had a great 2-on-1 chance that turned into a clean breakaway but Martin Jones made the save, while Anton Forsberg made a couple of nice saves at his end. Both goalies were exceptional in the extra time.

With no winner after the extra five minutes, it was on to the shootout.

Logan Couture and Patrick Sharp both scored early on to let the game be decided in sudden death. Peter Lebanc (WHO?) was, apparently, just the guy to end said sudden death. He beat Forsberg with a Kane-esque slow down move which earned the Sharks the extra point in the standings.

Pluses

• Anton Forsberg has looked pretty good for two straight games. This is certainly good news, but he is going to need a thorough brainwashing this summer to exorcise the demons that Joel Quenneville has infected his brain with.
• Victor Ejdsell was not dominant or anything, but he held his own. I cannot gripe with his performance, especially after playing only his 3rd game on North American ice. The -3 on the score sheet will look bad, but he was only really involved in the first Sharks goal. I am going to stand by my initial statement that Ejdsell will be the younger, cheaper replacement for Artem Anisimov next season.
• Alex DeBrincat had another good game. Two points, a plus three, and he was a threat to score a couple more times. If the Blackhawks can find him an Artemi Panarin/Patrick Kane type partnership, he may score 40 goal in the next couple of years.

Minuses

• It is always strange to see the Blackhawks beat another team in hits, but this was one of those rare games. Even if it was by the slimmest of margins, 26-25.
• Getting out shot 38-31 at home is something that needs to be fixed.  I’m still not convinced that the members of this defensive corp can improve enough in the off-season to fix this problem.

The post Chicago Blackhawks vs San Jose Sharks Game Recap appeared first on The Rink.

TIME: 7:30PM Central/8:30PM Eastern
RADIO: WGN 720
TV: NBCSCH, NSCA

PROJECTED GOALIES:

Chicago:
Anton Forsberg (10-16-3 W-L | 2.98 GAA | 0.907 SV% | 0 SO)

San Jose:
Martin Jones (28-18-6 W-L | 2.44 GAA | 0.918 SV% | 4 SO)

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:

Chicago:
Brandon Saad – Victor Ejdsell – Patrick Kane
Vinnie Hinostroza – Nick Schmaltz – Alex DeBrincat
Tomas Jurco – Artem Anisimov – Andreas Martinsen
Patrick Sharp – David Kampf – John Hayden

Duncan Keith – Jan Rutta
Erik Gustafsson – Brent Seabrook
Jordan Oesterle – Connor Murphy

San Jose:
Evander Kane – Joe Pavelski – Melker Karlsson
Tomas Hertl – Logan Couture – Mikkel Boedker
Timo Meier – Chris Tierney – Kevin Labanc
Barclay Goodrow – Eric Fehr – Jannik Hansen

Paul Martin – Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon – Dylan DeMelo

STATISTICAL COMPARISONS:

Power Play:
Chicago 16.1% (28th)
San Jose 20.9% (12th)

Penalty Kill:
Chicago 79.6% (20th)
San Jose 84.7%(2nd)

Corsi FOR % (5-on-5):
Chicago 52.96% (4th)
San Jose 50.86% (13th)

Faceoffs:
Chicago 49.7% (17th)
San Jose 51.1%(9th)

SUMMARY:

The Blackhawks will give fans a brand new look at the potential future of the franchise, tonight, with the NHL debut of prospect Victor Ejdsell.  Not only will he be making his NHL debut, but he’ll be doing so with Brandon Saad and Patrick Kane on his flank.  Not a bad deal for the kid.  Matthew Highmore looks to be the odd man out.

Pending visa issues, super hyped prospect and future savior of the franchise Dylan Sikura is scheduled to make his NHL debut on Thursday night and will probably move into second in franchise history with 600 goals in his first game (read sarcasm).

As sad as it might be, these latest moves actually give the Hawks fans something to pay attention to, rather than a team that is just simply terrible at this point in the season.

Join our discussion below and look out for a recap following the game or tomorrow.

Follow me on Twitter @PuckinHostile

The post Chicago Blackhawks vs San Jose Sharks Preview & Game Thread appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks were without Jan Rutta, once again, as they announced he would be out day-to-day with a lower body injury earlier in the day.

In somewhat brighter news, rookie Matthew Highmore made his NHL debut on the third line with fellow youngsters Alex DeBrincat and Nick Schmaltz. Not only did Highmore make his debut, but he was in the starting lineup. Great night for the kid. That was about the only redeeming quality of this game

Joel Quenneville announced, on Wednesday, that “hot goalie of the moment” Jean-Francois Berube would be starting two of the three road trip game, which makes you wonder what effect they expect this to have on the psyche of their “official” starting goalie, Anton Forsberg. Do they even care at this point?

Blackhawks starting lines were as follows:
Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Vinnie Hinostroza
Tomas Jurco – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat – Nick Schmaltz – Matthew Highmore
Patrick Sharp – David Kampf – Anthony Duclair

Duncan Keith – Jordan Oesterle
Connor Murphy – Brent Seabrook
Erik Gustafsson – Carl Dahlstrom

Just a couple of minutes into the first period, Artem Anisimov gave the road team a 1-0 lead.

Duncan Keith set up the play by drawing a defender on the half wall, then dishing to Anisimov. The Blackhawks center quickly released a shot, using a Sharks defender as a screen and beating Martin Jones. This is where the Hawks good fortunes went up in flames.

Halfway through the opening period, Joe Pavelski and the Sharks put on a Globetrotters type clinic with the Blackhawks third pair making a bad pinch, then running around a bit, and eventually leaving poor Matthew Highmore to try and defend against three Sharks players. Needless to say, the play ended poorly for the Blackhawks. Welcome to the NHL, kid, how do you like the smell of tire fires?

This is how the first period ended, with the Sharks narrowly out shooting the Blackhawks 9-8 but morally crushing the fragile ego of this team.

Just over two minutes into the second period, the Blackhawks found themselves digging the puck out of their net once again. They had a couple of chances to clear their own end but clearly failed. The defense also had the opportunity to clear a fat JF Berube rebound and failed at that, as well. Eventually, Kevin Lebanc was staring at a gaping net with the puck on his stick and did not miss.

About three minutes after the Lebanc goal, Timo Meier redirected a long point shot past Berube to give the Sharks a 4-1 lead. The wheels were not only falling off the cart, but they were stuck in a firey pile of excrement.

The Shark-a-lanche kept rolling downhill with over seven minutes still remaining in the middle period, as Joe Pavelski scored the fifth unanswered goal of the night, after an awful Jordan Oesterle pinch led to another odd man break, and another goal Berube had absolutely no chance on.

I cannot say I have seen a pro game where the goalie had less of a chance to succeed than JF Berube did on the first five goals of this one.

That said, the sixth Sharks goal of the night was pretty awful, but did not matter. With less than five seconds remaining in the period, Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic threw the puck from behind the Blackhawks goal line, toward Berube. The shot banked perfectly off the back of Berube’s right leg and dribbled into the net with two seconds remaining on the clock.

In hindsight, Berube should have held onto the initial shot, but he tried to run out the remaining few seconds on the clock and toss the puck back behind his net. Brent Seabrook and Carl Dahlstrom looked like they had never seen a loose puck and had already quit on the play. This goal was a perfect encapsulation of the Blackhawks effort in this game.

Needless to say, this was the end of JF Berube’s sour night in San Jose. When the Blackhawks came out for the third period, Anton Forsberg was in net.

It only took the Sharks two and a half minutes to christen Forsberg, as the Blackhawks just allowed Barclay Goodrow and Melker Karlsson to waltz into their zone and crash the net. Goodrow actually scored by throwing the puck towards Karlsson, but it rattled around and ended in the net without ever making it to Karlsson’s stick.

The Blackhawks had a couple of meaningless late chances with a failed Anthony Duclair penalty shot and, finally, a Nick Schmaltz goal with 32 seconds remaining in the game.

Not the way the Blackhawks would have liked to start this road trip.

Pluses

• Pat Foley was clearly elated to have his good buddy Eddie Olczyk back in the booth. The two were like a couple of giggly elementary school girls for the first minute and a half of the game. Those two were the only elated ones from the Blackhawks perspective.

Minuses

• Erik Gustafsson and Carl Dahlstrom had about as rough of a first period as you can imagine. It seemed like every time the Sharks scored, 56 and 63 were standing around looking befuddled.
• Speaking of bad lines, the kid line of DeBrincat-Schmaltz-Highmore were each -3 on the night.
• I want to like Jordan Oesterle, but Joel Quenneville needs to put a shock collar on this kid. He is beginning to look like a puppy chasing a ball around in the park. No focus, and zero attention span. He cannot be your number two defenseman. CAN NOT. Both Oesterle and Keith were -3 and seemed -5. I am all for trying new things and experimentation, but this experiment is finished.
• At this point, I declare Anthony Duclair is the new Viktor Stalberg. A bunch of flash and speed but no finish. His penalty shot attempt was laughable.

The post Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks Game Recap appeared first on The Rink.

9:00PM Central

RADIO: WGN 720

PROJECTED GOALIES:

Chicago:
Jean-Francois Berube (1-0-0, 1.71 GAA, .947 Save%)

San Jose:
Martin Jones (20-16-6, 2.51 GAA, .917 Save%)

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:

Chicago:
Saad-Toews-Hinostroza
Jurco-Anisimov -Kane
DeBrincat-Schmaltz-HIghmore
Sharp-Kampf-Duclair

Keith-Oesterle
Murphy-Seabrook
Gustafsson-Rutta

San Jose:

Meier-Pavelski-Donskoi
Hertl-Couture-Labanc
Boedker-Tierney-Hansen
Goodrow-Fehr-Karlsson

Ryan-Burns
Vlasic-Braun
Dillon-Demelo

STATISTICAL COMPARISIONS:

Power Play:
Chicago 15.5% (29^th)
San Jose 21.3% (T-6^th)

Penalty Kill:
Chicago 82.3% (12^th)
San Jose 84.4% (1^st)

Corsi FOR % (5-on-5):
Chicago 53.41% (3^rd)
San Jose 51.17% (13^th)

Faceoffs:
Chicago 49.4% (T-18^th)
San Jose 51.3% (8^th)

SUMMARY:

Now starts the future for the Blackhawks. After trading Ryan Hartman and Tommy Wingels at Monday’s trade deadline, the Blackhawks are officially looking ahead to next season and beyond. But where does that leaves this year’s team?

I’m not sure “tanking” is a thing in hockey, but that’s hopefully that’s the route the Hawks take the rest of this season. Bettering their draft position would be the best thing to do for the overall health of the franchise. What that means for this season is playing young players, finding out what you have throughout your system, both AHL and NHL, and maybe even resting some of your “core” players. Maybe Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane or Duncan Keith sit in a random road game here or there. That is completely speculative of course, but it allows room for the young players to get minutes, rests the older guys, and helps the cause for a better draft pick.

Speaking of young players, Matthew Highmore will make his NHL debut tonight on the third line with Nick Schmaltz and Alex DeBrincat. It will be a good opportunity for the youngster to make a good first impression.

The Sharks on the other hand, have been OK lately. They are battling for a playoff spot, and will come out ready to play. In the previous matchup between these two opponents on February 23, the Blackhawks won 3-1.

We’ll recap tonight or tomorrow AM. Join the conversation below!

Follow: @CoachMajewski

The post Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks Preview & Game Thread appeared first on The Rink.

Joel Quenneville kept the same lineup that the Blackhawks won with on Wednesday, with the exception of Jan Rutta, who was activated from injured reserve, Friday. Patrick Sharp, Lance Bouma, and Carl Dahlstrom all took their seats for the night in the Joel Quenneville Shrimp Cocktail Suite.

Jean-Francois Berube made his first start in a Blackhawks uniform, after recently returning from injured reserve and being called up from Rockford. Anton Forsberg is expected to start against his former team on Saturday night.

The Blackhawks lines for this game were:
Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Tommy Wingels
Tomas Jurco – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat – Nick Schmaltz – Anthony Ducliar
Vincent Hinostroza – David Kampf – Ryan Hartman

Duncan Keith – Jordan Oesterle
Connor Murphy – Brent Seabrook
Erik Gustafsson – Jan Rutta

The Blackhawks jumped out to a big 9-3 shot lead in the top half of the first period, and had several nice chances against the Sharks goaltender. The Sharks, on the other hand, fought back in the bottom half of the period to test Berube, and he was also up to the task. The period ended scoreless, even though the two teams combined for 26 shots (15-11).

Just over five minutes into the second period, Blackhawks defenseman Jan Rutta celebrated his return to the lineup by giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Nick Schmaltz and Anthony Duclair drove the puck deep into the Sharks zone and Rutta joined the play as the trailing defender. Duclair fed him with a pass that he tried to one time. San Jose blocked the shot, but Martin Jones had committed to the original shot, which gave Rutta the opportunity to beat the Sharks netminder.

Following the Rutta goal, Even with the Blackhawks getting the first power play of the game with two minutes remaining, the goaltenders once again locked down their nets. The high shot totals continued, but this time the Blackhawks led the period 13-10.

Just two minutes into the third period, birthday boy Nick Schmaltz gave the Blackhawks a two goal lead. Anthony Duclair set up the play by making a steal just inside the Sharks’ blue line. Duclair and Schmaltz spread out and worked a 2-on-1, with Duclair feeding Schmaltz on the back door for a one timer.

With just under eight minutes left in regulation, San Jose broke the shutout. A lost defensive zone faceoff eventually turned into a Timo Meier shot through a rare triple screen past the Blackhawks goaltender.

Despite a late San Jose flurry of shots, the Blackhawks were able to hold on long enough to ice the game with an Artem Anisimov empty net goal to win their second game in a row.

Pluses

• JF Berube was really good in his first game but, then again, so was Jeff Glass. One step at a time, but this was the kind of play that led me to think that he might give Anton Forsberg a tight race for backup in the preseason.
• I fully came into this game planning on roasting Anthony Duclair for his mediocre play, but he came out and had primary assists on the first two Blackhawks goals.

Minuses

• Forty three shots against cannot keep happening, if they want to finish out this season on a high note.
• The Hawks only had 2 power plays, and looked terrible on both.
• I still have no use for Tomas Jurco on this club. He is invisible. How can Stan Bowman bold faced lie to us about his supposed intentions of acquiring Jurco, last spring, for six weeks?

The post Recap: Blackhawks vs Sharks 3-1 Win appeared first on The Rink.

I will also tell you when it’s been quiet. And today, the last full workday before the Monday 3PM trade deadline, my inbox is empty. At least as of this posting.

So what follows is a roundup—arranged chronologically from most recent to oldest—of rumors I’ve heard over the last week (with some commentary):

Newer:

Columbus

Apparently made another run at Artem Anisimov in the last 24 hours or so. Columbus and Montreal I was told had made offers on Anisimov previously, that the Hawks rejected.

Corey Crawford injury

I received confirmation from a reliable team source that his injury is, in fact, concussion related. It had nothing to do with 12-ounce curls or snowmobiles.

My comment: let’s move on.

As reported here first:

Philadelphia

Some time in the last few days, the Hawks talked to Philadelphia about a deal that would send Ryan Hartman and Anisimov (and possibly Cody Franson, probably just for contract space) to the Flyers for Val Fillipula, Michael Raffl and either Travis Sanheim or Samuel Morin. And the Hawks might have to retain salary on Anisimov.

My comment: a lot of fans thought this would be a bad trade for Chicago. I disagree. Although he’s older, Fillipula is a much better faceoff guy (something the Hawks desperately need), who plays with more speed than AA. Nick Schmaltz is your 2C, Fillipula fits the 3C profile better—as long as the Hawks retain him. But the jewel of this deal for Chicago would be Sanheim or Morin, each a recent first round pick with size and skating ability—and the kind of D prospect the Hawks simply don’t have.

Hartman

A source told me he’s “as good as gone.” Might be extreme and premature. But I do hear the Hawks are listening on offers for him and along with Connor Murphy, he is a high possibility to move.

Washington and/or Tampa Bay

The Hawks had two scouts at a game between these two teams the other night. Both are rumored to be looking for defensemen. Murphy? Dunno, no names were mentioned.

Brandon Saad

The Hawks received offers from Pittsburgh (which in light of the Derrick Brassard deal today now makes more sense) and Montreal. Both offers were rejected.

My comment: no surprise teams are offering, nor that the Hawks are rejecting. It’s the smart move on everyone’s part. I doubt Saad moves unless there is an exceptional offer on the table.

Ottawa

The Hawks have been talking to the Sens off and on for several weeks about various players—mostly Chicago defensemen. Two players mentioned to me (among several apparently discussed) were Connor Murphy and Zack Smith. These teams may revisit these discussions after the season’s end.

Tommy Wingels

Very possible Tommy rejoins the Sharks for a playoff run (or the Wild) then returns home this summer as a free agent.

All I have for now. Follow me @jaeckel for real-time updates on rumors as I hear them, 24/7. Between now and the deadline.

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