Skip to main content

Frustrated Hawks Need A Good Win

NASHVILLE, TN -- So, I'm sure you've noticed I was absent for Games 2 and 3 on here.

I will be 100% honest with you. I started watching Game 2, but by the time the Predators scored the third goal, I couldn't figure out what I could even write about that game aside from just distant screaming.

And Game 3 started so late (I'm on the East Cost, NHL, help me out) that I only caught the first two periods. And, sadly, I'm glad I missed the third and overtime.

So, where does this leave the Blackhawks? Your guess is as good as mine.

If they lose tonight, they're out. Done.

If they win, they live on to see at least another game.

And I know a lot of Hawks fans don't want to hear this, but hopefully this series has been eye-opening for the team. This is not good.

Say they come back and win the last four games (which is sadly very, very unlikely--even with the team at peak performance, I'm not sure they could, but they should definitely try). They'll still have to get past likely St. Louis, who will almost certainly give them a run for their money. Again.

I think this is a good time, win or lose tonight, for the organization to figure out what the hell is going on and what the hell they're going to do to fix it. Do I buy the idea that the Hawks suddenly suck? Nope. There's something else here.

Again, your guess is as good as mine. I don't think Coach Q needs to be fired, I don't think they should trade away any of the core. I think everyone just needs to tighten up their game. That's certainly easier said than done, and I went into this postseason thinking "Wow, the Hawks could actually do it." And, no, I don't think I was naive for thinking that.

If the Hawks are going to win tonight at least, they need to buckle down and simplify their game. If they let their frustration and emotions get the best of them, we'll see the end of the season tonight.

And, no, I don't think this is the end of an era, either. I don't think Toews, Kane, Keith, Seabrook, Crawford, or Hossa are "getting too old." I think the Hawks got complacent at the end of the regular season, and once you let go of the determination, it is very, very hard to get it back.

So, here's to tonight, no matter what happens. Win or lose, they'll still be my team. A fantastically awful series won't change that.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Checking In - Breaking Down the Blackhawks' Play Over a Month

CHICAGO, IL — I’m going to be absolutely real with you—I had no idea what to write about for the blog this week. I’ve written about the Blackhawks being good, bad, and everything in between, I’ve written about Patrick Kane a couple times now (#Kane4Hart), and I’ve even written about the best goal celebrations from the Hawks this season. The idea tank is running dry, my friends. So, I thought we could throw it back to a post I made a while back about what the Hawks really needed to do to make the playoffs, and grade them on how well they're meeting all three of those items a couple of weeks later. Let's just get right on into it, shall we? 1) With 27 games left, you have to go 18-9 to get to the 88-90-point range that would potentially get them into the playoffs. So, the Hawks currently sit at 71 points through 70 games, and since the date of this article (February 8th), the Hawks have gone 9-6, which is not terrible, but also only gives them a b...

Another Hat Trick for Patrick Kane Sends Hawks Into Fifth Straight Win

CHICAGO, IL -- The Hawks are certainly on a hot streak. In the past week and a half, they've beaten some of the top teams in the league--and have made it look way too easy. Tonight was no different. I was a bit worried about this game, only because the Pittsburgh Penguins are a team to reckon with. But, with guys like Kris Letang, Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary out due to injury, and the fact that they're coming off a loss to the Dallas Stars last night... The Hawks did have the upper hand to begin with, I think. But, the Penguins came out strong and tough, as usual, and the Hawks certainly rose to the challenge. The first period was basically a bust. I thought the Hawks had some great shots on goal, but Marc-Andre Fleury played incredibly well that first period and prevented anything from going through--even back-to-back Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook wristers. I was a little frustrated with the refs blatantly ignoring calls on both sides. The Hawks did manage to draw...

Break-Up Day - Blackhawks End of Season Locker Room Clean Out

CHICAGO, IL — After a nice finish on the season with wins over the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars (and a loss to the Nashville Predators that we're going to ignore), the Blackhawks are officially in the off-season. The team held their annual locker room clean out, and I thought there were a lot of great takeaways from the clean out day. Obviously, the Hawks didn’t finish where they wanted to, but I think that was made up for when they moved from the 12th overall pick to the 3rd pick in the 2019 NHL Draft Lottery that took place on Tuesday. I’ll probably do a quick piece on who the Hawks should be looking at and what their options are for the draft in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for that. But, in the meantime, lets go over some of the topics that came up in the clean out presser. IIHF World Championship The past couple of years, a handful of Blackhawks players have participated in the IIHF World Championship, which takes place in early May. A coup...