I hate predictions
I didn't make a prediction of the Hawks-Canucks series in the paper today. I made my predictions before the playoffs and had the Hawks losing in the second round to San Jose.
Well, that can't happen now thanks to another choke job by Joe Thornton and the Sharks.
You can't win predicting. Get things right, like having Carolina to upset New Jersey, and no one remembers. Get it wrong and the flood of e-mails starts.
While I think the Hawks have what it takes to beat the Canucks, I don't think it will happen. The games will be tight and it will be a long series, but Vancouver has more weapons offensively than Calgary, a big and physical defense that might wear on the Hawks, and the best goalie in the world in Robrto Luongo.
If I must go on record, I'll say Vancouver in seven tough games, but if there's one thing I've learned this season it's to never count out the Hawks. Maybe they'll find a way to win this thing. I hope so.
The Hawks are still in it. I think the Hawks were nervous especially after all the penalties that took them out of their swagger.
Two areas need improvement both involving the net.
1) We need Buff and Eagar to plant their arse in front of Lugi
2) No Canuk should be allowed within 3 feet of the blue paint in our end
Look for a shoot out on Saturday. Final 6-4 Hawks
this ending was a nightmare!
Over confidence, with tongues wagging at forward, unable to get back.
Don't scold the move by Barker.
Don't blame the Campbell corner drift.
Both unnecessary, because they know it.
Lessons might have been learned.
The important part is WE CAN SCORE.
Canucks know it. They are thinking heavy on what happened.
Stay out of PK.
Get smarter, keep scoring.
Do you think anyone thought the kids were going to do what they did?
Let's hope that their lineup is a little respectful of the kiddies, but I just think that if you don't take the first one, the second is farther out of reach, and then the time starts running out.
We fought back in the last series, but Calgary LOST the first two.
They are certainly not as weak as the Flames.
It was so freakin close, that overtime.
Anything happens in overtime, but in game two, there will be a whole lot more control by the canuckleheads, because they ARE in the driver's seat, and Sharp's knee, Tazer's back, and Seabrook's leg are not healing overnight.
having played, as many here have, I can somewhat handle the pinch. IT's wrong, but he's being aggressive. however the loafing back is BS!!!! He should have taken out the trailer and at least given his team a chance. Instead he dives head long and is exposed for the mental moron he is. This is why he may/may not be rewarded this offseason. As somebody noted, Bowman verbally ripped Tallon....Hmmm....think that was because of what? Stupid, unforced plays. That will kill a team, and Barker has made 2 in 7 playoff games.......
The more I see it, Versteeg can't go unscathed. You HAVE to put that on goal. You have Havlat and Barker crashing, why are you drop passing it with 1:15 left? Why?
Ridiculous.
Toews looked very slow and tired. I think it's the flu more so then a back. Campbell has to come up with that puck with 30 seconds to go. 7 million yr a guys throw the bodies in the boards and MAKE sure it stays in....not half @ss throw a stick it there.
This game was given to Vanouver. I can handle losing, but not gift wrapping games.
How many free f-ing goals is Cam Barker going to give the opposition this postseason? Why are you PINCHING IN A TIE GAME ON THE ROAD WITH 2 MINUTES LEFT? WHY? Why is Matt Walker throwing pucks cross zone when the play should be behind the net on that play? Why are those two morons even on the ice?
Bulin makes the first key save. Unreal. Barker has to dive and take out the trailor and take the pentaly. You can't just loaf back. YOU PILE!!!!!!!
I assume Toews has the flu as their is NO other reason for him to be sitting on the bench with 40 seconds left after calling a time out. That or he's hurting. His 3rd period ice team was dramatically reduced.
Another great road comeback from a 3 goal deficit is for not. However, you can't blame Khabibulin for this one. All 4 goals he was left out to dry. Back door plays, guys not tying up their man, etc.
Make no mistake, Roberto was there for the taking. He was fighting off rebounds all 3rd period and the Hawks had him on the ropes. He has never been past the 2nd round and looked VERY shakey that 3rd period.
This is on you, Cam. Your stupidity didn't even get the Hawks to OT.
Steve Rain....ditto everything you said. Another awesome comeback WASTED. A 4 on 1 in the last 90 seconds of a great comeback? .....and then Campbell can't even keep the puck deep with the empty net. CBC showed a shot of an irate Scotty Bowman screaming at Dale Tallon in the press box. Wow...i haven't seen that much intensity from a Hawks standpoint since the late and great Keith Magnusson patrolled the blue line for the Tomahawk.
Great comeback for the lads....we can still get a split.....it's just tougher now...but at least we punctured (for the time being) the great mystique of Roberta Luongo.
I doubt he was screaming AT Dale Tallon. He may have been irate, he may have been facing Dale Tallon, and he may have been screaming something TO him but I doubt it was AT him.
What would he have been screaming at him?
"Dale, I can't believe you went down that deep with 1:20 left in the game and then Kris Versteeg sent the puck back towards the blue line instead of in deep because he didn't recognize you were so deep"?
What I thought was worse than getting caught so deep was his lack of effort when he back checked. Then again, it's possible he was gassed at that point.
And, what else has he done that was so awful before tonight. If you're referring to the play in Calgary where Jokkinen "stole" the puck and scored. That wasn't Barker's doing. The puck flipped up at the VERY last second. I'm sure if you play or have played hockey you've had the puck jump at an inopportune time at some point. And, if not, you will.
If they don't get outplayed for 2 periods perhaps they're up by one at the end and protecting a lead?
for paying campbell so much for so long, after #51 went to the corner, instead of to the slot, for a pass, and then ended up letting kane's pass get by him...(at least that is what the HNIC/CBC guys were speculating - that he was pissed at campbell, that is...)
Hawks had a great year but it is obvious the ride is over. Vancouver is going to beat Detroit in the next round and we had the bad luck of facing a team and goalie playing at top form. I would not be surprised if the Hawks don't score a goal in the remaining 3 games. If we didn't have to face Luongo it might go to 7 games. Nice to see Ben Eager going balls out on every shift.
Not even one game and you're already conceding?
Come on.......Lets not just give up and get ultra pessimistic......We are better then that.
Luongo looked far from unbeatable tonight. I saw the deer in the headlights that has haunted him his previous postseasons. He can cheers Cam Barker for this one, as he would be hammered for horrible rebound control on 2 of the Hawks goals.
Blackhawks can play better but honestly this series is representative of tough as nails hockey. Chicago would be hanging on for their life against most of the eight teams remaining in the playoffs...at least until we can play as tough like them. This is not to say that we have played soft or that we haven't played smart. But have you seen how Boston beat us in the regular season...BIG TOUGH, TALENTED, PLAYS THAT WAY ALL THE TIME, IN ALL AREAS OF THE ICE.
Remember Chara was like a man against boys physically, particularly when Chara was defending? Well, they have Mitchell, and he can be like a healthy Phanuef or a Pronger. And Ohlund, Salo and the other blueline crew are good...no, not oh, they're good, eh...no they are one of the better defense units in the league and they have Luongo behind them.
In this 2nd round we don't know that we will receive the same physical compete effort from all our guys as often as those eight teams get it from their guys. Kane is among our top forwards and sometimes he is a joke with his offensive attack. Weak attempt, and weak on battling for the puck too. I am not going to say we can't upset Vancouver, but their defense also has more experience from their top guys. Next, would you rather have Khabby or Luongo? Don't say we are better in the forward ranks, more like it's basically even. The Canucks are deep up front and they know how to play a certain brand of playoff hockey. They have more playoff experience than us throughout their roster.
Let's address this topic of playing smart and not running around like kamikazee pilots (aka Calgary Flame players) looking to make a hit. Vancouver will pound us, but not as senseless as Keenan had his team doing it. This will wear us down and gives them an edge, unless we retaliate with hits more often than not. This does not mean matching hit for hit. It does mean, let them know they, too, will get a pounding. If we don't hit them back often enough, then they will use that against us as a we're tougher, bigger, stronger and better than you. If you think we can turn the other cheeck sometimes and get a powerplay goal, you're dreaming. That will be the exception, not the common thing happening. Especially considering how this team has never had a good powerplay going for years...although Campbell could bust out if he is smart about his performance. And Hjalmarsson, if given an opportunity, is smart and could be effective.
While some of our unheralded players may play even better in this series (like Brouwer), if you've watched a period or two of the other playoff games, go ahead and tell me Chicago has regularly played as tough and been as present in the paint (in front of the goaltender), has blocked as many shots, and doesn't have a patsy on a top line.
We haven't seen on a regular basis how hard it is to score when the other team blocks so so so so many shots and takes away but precious few good look angles on shots against Luongo.
And the Sedin's aren't the sisters we like to say they are. At times they are less of a threat during the long haul of the regualr season, but in most games with Burrows and with other scoring lines, those Sedin's aren't patsies. Wastch enough center ice and you know that when the Vanvouver post person said so, he was right.
Of course I'm rooting for Chicago, but I will not get carried away thinking we are the up and coming "Rocky" poised for an upset. We are good, no mistake about that ...we're even getting better individual play and as a team in the playoffs...but this is a formidable task to dispatch with Vancouver.
But we finished with more points in a tougher division. Don't forget, we also yielded fewer goals.
I know, playoffs is playoffs. But if experience and goaltending are everything, how do you explain the Rangers and Devils?
I wish you could predict after game 2 on series. The team that wins game 2 has an extremely high percentage of winning the series.
Isn't it just great to have a team in the playoffs. The Hawks have had a marvrlous year and it could continue yet.
Sooo, let's all cut the crap...sit back and enjoy the series.
Win or Lose...They are still the best.
Pierre McGuire and at least one of the analyst on the NHl network said that the Hawks couldn't win in Calgary. Maybe Burish can say something to Pierre about that. I hope that the Hawks can get off to a quick start by not having a break during the series. Maybe the canucks timing will be off from the wait between the series.
the good news is the monkey was 2 for 8 in the first round, the bad news is over the long term he should be closer to 50/50, so he is likely to get more right than wrong this round.
not much to add to what has already been said re: vancouver - if i'm the hawks, i'd try to get luongo moving side to side with cross ice/crease passes, since he sometimes overextends & gets himself out of position & i'd also do it to test how healed his groin is...tho that is much easier said than done.
i think the hawks have a decent chance to steal game 1 - they are loose, having gone further than most expected, but at the same time, not content with how far they have come - they have momentum with a big clinching win on the road after a great home performance, and they appear to have great camaraderie, playing hard for each other.
meanwhile, the canucks have had a long layoff and now face the pressure of raised expectations from their home fans after a 4 game sweep of the team that had the best record in the 2nd half of the season.
if Khabi struggles, I expect Q will be less hesitant to give Huet a look, as he got both W's against the canucks this year, while Khabi's recent record vs. vancouver is virtually the opposite of his record vs. calgary.
should be fun to watch - no predictions, no expectations, other than for a hard fought series with the young hawks giving it their best while gaining invaluable experience...
as Tim said, they have surprised to the upside all year and i don't think they feel overmatched against the canucks by any means.
Even Nostrodomis had an off day or two.....trying to handicap this series is a waste of time....just watch it and enjoy....We should all just be glad Rocky has turned around this franchise.We can look forward to many great years of Chicago Hockey.ROCKY WIRTZ FOR MVP!!!!!!!
A lot of pre-series chirpin coming from the Canucks locker room. Biased yes, but forgive me for saying that Buff's hit on Roberto was blown out of proportion. Buff should never have touched him, but I think Luongo did a fine job of embellishing the contact. Funny how the Vancouver Sun makes it sound a little Keenanish by calling the hit vicious...HA! This series is going to be very tough. Patrick Kane better keep his head up otherwise he may be watching from the sidelines once again. Marty Havlat will be a marked man the entire series. Not one player on the Hawks team (Habby close second) can make as big as impact as Marty. Yes he can score. But more importantly, he creates room in the nuetral zone, is an effective passer, and terrific at retaining possession of the puck. When that man is on a roll, the Hawks win. When his presence is MIA, well, we know the result. I think the Hawks will continue their momentum and capture a victory tonight. Again, it's all about the first five-ten minutes. Get a lead, stay out of the box, and do not surrender any softies. Hopefully they come out with more of an edge considering they are entering Vancouver even, oppose to Calgary where they held a two game advantage. Nice that we will have the Canadian anthem again, gets the UC going even more b/f the frezy begins. I'm thinking Eager will be hitting the back of the net a few times this series. That man has been far better than Burish when it comes to our "checking" lines.
Let it go Dan. Nobody except you was/is whining about any fishhook by Keith. You took a beating in this blog back then for the accusation, so let's drop it and stick to the present. Enjoy the series.
Listen Tim, all season long the Hawks proved to be the better team than the Canucks. And the Hawks keep learning and getting better. When the Canucks beat us in those 2 games they were really flying high and we were sort of playing stagnant. Vancouver swept the Blues but that was deceiving. The Hawks are a better team than St. Louis and have way more weapons.
Vancouver is a good team, but after you shut down the twins, which we will for the most part, it's all Hawks.
Prediction: Hawks in 5
Although the teams may look evenly matched, there is one team with six or seven guys with good face off guys.
There is one with a little more savvy.
There is one who is inexperienced, and one a little more experienced.
That they're capable of anything. Right from the start of the season they've shown that they're capable of winning any game on any given night. I've said all along that the great thing about having a young, hungry team is that they all they have to ever worry about is hockey. That's it. Playing hockey and sticking together!
I'm with ya boys!!!!
BELIEVE!!!!
GO HAWKS!!!
I obviously haven't read all of the NHL writers out there but thus far from what I have read 100% of the predictors pick the Canucks to win the series, usually in five or six games. Maybe they're all right......but maybe not. There are so many intangibles in this series that there is no chance to hazard an accurate guess at what will happen. Here is a short list of what we don't know that will affect the final outcome:
1) At what level will Bulin play in this series? His history against the Canucks isn't good.
2) At what level will Luongo play? He is only 9-7 lifetime in the playoffs, though his goals against is excellent.
3) Will the Hawks be able to score enough and get some balanced scoring?
4) Will Keith and Seabrook push around the Sedin kids and keep a lid on them or will they be a pain in the Hawks backside?
5) The Hawks PP and PK units have been good. Will that continue?
6) Will Versteeg continue to be the Hawks top point producer or will someone else grab the scoring baton?
7) Can Vancouver handle the pressure of being a country's hope for hoisting the Cup?
8) Can the Hawks win TWO games in Vancouver? They may need to do it to win the series.
9) Will the youth of the Hawks be a plus or a minus factor in this round?
10) What will the Hawks get from Hjalmarsson and Campbell? Or Barker and Walker?
A guy could go on and on.....that's what makes this series, even if you aren't hometown fans of the Canucks or Blackhawks, the one that should be the most fun to watch in this round.
Either way, no matter what happens we in Chicago and have been treated to a great year. I'd go into why it is well deserved but I don't want to bring bad charma to the team this close to zero hour.
Seems that Luongo's failure to move past the second round in his career hinges more so on the fact that the Canucks forwards disappear and give him little support.
This is going to be a LOW scoring series. Unlike the Calgary series where even if the Hawks got down you felt somewhat comfortable, you can't allow Vancouver to get ahead and then just clog up the middle and play the umbrella defense in front of Luongo and keep shots from the outside. You also have to make sure that the guys who score are LEGIT players, and you don't give up any momentum changing goals to a 4th line player, or gift wrap one offf a horrendous turnover.
It's going to come down to special teams and injuries. Whoever wins those 2 battles, will move on.
With the mediocrity that is the baseball season in Chicago so far, thank god the Hawks are still alive.
Hawks win tonight - the old geezers from VAN will have a hard time getting the train from the station after sweeping STL. Let's worry about Saturday on Saturday.
as for predictions: ANA and DET go 7 games with ANA winning because:
detroit sucks!
The Canucks may be rusty so tonight might be a good time to steal one. I think the pressure will be on them as they seem to be the favorite in this series as mentioned in some of the other posts. As far as predictions go I think Hawks in 6.
I am rooting fo Detroit to win their series so we can have the pleasure of beating them ourselves.
Go Hawks
Let's face it, Habby stole game 7 in Calgary with a 43 save performance. Hawks had just 15 shots. The Canucks are much tougher defensively and are healthy, unlike the Flames. If you add that up it looks like Canucks in four or five. However an early Hawk lead and a hot Khabby could do wonders for the Hawks very similar to what Lundquist did to the Caps in the first four games. Should be a fun series to watch as it will be a very physical series because both teams hate each other big time.
I respect the Nucks a lot...but there seems to a notion that we have to be worried about this and that with Vancouver. I think they have a lot to worry about with us too. Let's get that straight !!! Our youth, speed and tenacity will be on full display this time unlike the 4-0 drubbing we took the last time we played this team.
The third game the Hawks fell asleep and the Canucks just lit up Huet at will. The fourth game the Hawks were in a swoon and gave up WAY too many good scoring chances.
If 39 shines...we'll be fine. If not...we'll have to hope for a Bobby Lu meltdown...which IS possible. The Nucks tender is a good but not great goalie. And he's been battling a nagging groin injury all year. If there is a recurrence...our chances of outlasting them increases big time. But Khabby has to be a difference maker.....absozutely has to be.
Let's go Lads.
If this series goes 7 I'll be thrilled, because that will mean that the Hawks really battled and got some tough wins against the team that has been the best/hottest team in the west for a while now. Most of us didn't think that the Hawks would actually win the cup this year, we were just hoping to get some valuable playoff experience, so next year they could make a serious push for the cup. Well, if we go 6 or 7 with the Canucks, that would give the youngsters 2 long, physical series to build on for the future. If it does get to game 7, anything can happen, but don't forget that this round, game 7 would be on the road. A game 7 road win would be just about the most impressive feat these kids could possibly pull off, but I'm not drinking enough Kool-Aid to expect that to happen. Therefore, while my heart wants to say Hawks in 7, my head says Canucks in 6. I hope my head is wrong, my friends and family will tell you that's not much of a stretch. Go Hawks.
Dwebert4 - A Nihilist
The betting markets right now have the Hawks at roughly 43% to win the series. I think that is probably correct. Against Calgary they were about 60% at the start.
GO HAWKS!!!
What's the percentage for even the best prognosticators? I'd have to agree though with Tim's assessment. I think there are intangibles that no one can really predict. Which Hawks team will show up? Which Khabby will show up? How incredible with Luongo be? Will the Sedin's break a nail? As Wandsteadt would say...Sundin... he's got a groin- and he knows that. Will someone PLEASE bury Burrows into the 5th row for the hair pulling nonsense. PLEASE!!!!!!! HAWKS in 6. LET'S GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!