Chicago Blackhawks Lines:

Sure, occasionally Marcus Kruger was getting some shifts in place of Daniel Carcillo on the second line.  And Victor Stalberg subbed on occasion in the top 6 especially when there were injuries. However, from the start of this season the Chicago Blackhawks’ line combinations have been as stable as any time Q have been the coach.  And in most games it has been the opposing coach switching up his lines to compete with the Hawks.

That is until the Columbus Blue Jacket game.  In this one Q moved Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa up to the top line to play along side Patrick Sharp. Then Q moved Jonathan Toews and Andrew Brunette down to the Hawks second line.  And Stalberg was moved up to play with them since Carcillo is serving his two game suspension.  And if moving Toews to the second “even strength” line wasn’t strange enough, I think most fans would agree with Foley and Edzo’s dismay at seeing Toews on the second unit Power Play.

… [visit site to read more]

Q’s Random Line Generator – The CBJ Game Compared to the Previous Five - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Allen York, you say? Excellent.

Two third period goals from Viktor Stalberg broke a 2-2 tie, and possibly the least meaningful goal of the season, an empty-netter from Michael Frolik with two seconds left, provided the final margin for the Blackhawks, 5-2 over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center Saturday night.

In a related contest, the Blackhawks cruised to a 3-1 triumph in disallowed goals, with Patrick Kane (high swat), Patrick Sharp (penalty), and Dave Bolland (kick) all finding the phantom twine. … [visit site to read more]

Hawks 5, Blue Jackets 2 - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Wafer thin!

Just my luck. Outta town for the past two games, back just in time to put a bow on the egg the Hawks laid tonight in Carolina, a 3-0 whitewashing. It’s never fun getting shut out, but it really sucks when your star-studded team is at full strength. The blame for tonight’s loss can be spread wide and, therefore, mercifully thin. … [visit site to read more]

Canes 3, Pancakes 0 - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Hoping To Push Skinner and The Canes. Source: rrstar.com

Chicago Blackhawks 5-1-2 (12 Pts.) vs. Caroliona Hurricanes 3-3-3 (9Pts.)

Gameday Preview From Blackhawks.com

Opposition Site:  Cardiac Cane

The Chicago Blackhawks are literally streaking into Carolina tonight planning to keep the point per game streak going since their opening night loss to the Dallas Stars in Dallas.  The storyline for this game is the streak that both teams are on.  With the Hawks racking up the points, the Carolina Hurricanes on the other hand are trying to prevent themselves from losing their fourth game in a row.  Before we get ourselves too confident let’s keep something in perspective.  The Hawks haven’t won a game in Carolina since a 4-1 victory in January 1998.  Since then they’ve lost five games and have a tie to show for their efforts.

While that history may have caused concern for last year’s inconsistent squad, however this year’s version would appear to be “smelling” victory with a bit more passion and urgency.  When you look at the TSN Gameday, you’ll see a number of Hawks listed in the “hot” section, with center Patrick Kane (still sounds odd) having scored a point in each of his last eight games.  Mr. Goodlooking himself Patrick Sharp seems to be one of the hottest with 5 points on his last 4 games, as he and Kane lead the Hawks in scoring with 8 points a piece.  What’s even more pleasing about the scoring is that it seems more balanced this year, as Dave Bolland, and Marian Hossa are contributing timely goals, and of course Captain Serious is his usual self both offensively and defensively.

… [visit site to read more]

Blackhawks Streaking Into Carolina - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Hawks fans are split on who should play on the 2nd line: the Meatball or Cheesesteak? And just as confusing, which one is which?

Just some quick graphs and thoughts from the weekend.

Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’…

Keep them lines a-rollin’, Rawhide. Don’t try to understand them…

A stark difference so far this year has been the Chicago Blackhawks’ ability to roll four forward lines – and even more importantly, three defensive pairings. That wasn’t the case last season and it has always been my belief that this was the primary reason for a majority of the collapses we saw during 3rd periods. This year the Hawks lead the league in 3rd period point differential, by both number of goals and by percentage of GF/GA.

The difference is so striking from last season, that I’m extremely confused when I see or hear fans try to equate this season with last year. In 2010-11, the Hawks actually led the entire league in goal differential during the 1st and 2nd periods combined. They even outperformed the 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks in the first two periods. Then, as this chart shows, they apparently ran out of gas in the 3rd.

Statistics show that a player’s performance drops drastically when forced to stay out on the ice beyond a normal shift length. Last year, Quenneville didn’t trust his bottom line forwards or defenders enough to play in 3rd periods of tight games. I understand Quenneville’s thought process here, but two things: 1) maybe he should’ve put more trust in the guys that got him there (led the league in the first 2 periods), and 2) since studies have shown that player performance drops off when overplayed, he probably shot himself in the foot with his strategy of double-shifting and overplaying key players during 3rd periods. I doubt Q will change his mindset, so let’s just hope he continues to feel comfortable with all his lines. … [visit site to read more]

Blackhawks Smörgåsbord - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Easiest save of the night! (source: Michael Martin, NHLI via Getty Images)

Last season, the Colorado Avalanche and the third period were unkind to the Chicago Blackhawks. Last night would be different. Eight minutes into the third period of a 1-1 tie in Denver, the devastatingly handsome Patrick Sharp sniped the biggest goal of the young season, propelling the Hawks to a 3-1 victory. … [visit site to read more]

Hawks 3, Avs 1 - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Look what I found on the clearance rack!

After stumbling in the season opener in Dallas, the Blackhawks have gone 3-0-1, squandering a single point in the third period against the defending champion  Bruins. All things considered, the Blackhawks have successfully launched the 2011-12 campaign. The win last night, a 5-2 mauling of the Phoenix Coyotes, was by far the best performance of the young season. … [visit site to read more]

Righting the ship? - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave in Afghanistan for the past two weeks, you’ve heard complaints about the Hawks defense, specifically about the pairing of Duncan Keith and Nick Leddy. “Keith is straddled with Leddy.” “They’ve got no chemistry.” “Leddy gives up goals.” Personally, I still believe the Blackhawks have one of the best defensive corps in the NHL. And I believe the pairings are working. The problem, in my opinion, has been more with the defensive play of the Hawks forwards.

The truth is, Leddy has been playing more like a veteran defenseman and Keith like a 20 year old in his first full NHL season. The argument of course is that Keith has improved Leddy’s play, and Leddy has conversely hurt Keith’s. But if Keith is playing poorly, how does that benefit Leddy? And if Leddy is playing well, how does that discompose Keith? The argument just doesn’t hold water.

Maybe we’ve hung the “offensive D-man, defensively weak” tag on Leddy unfairly. Leddy’s defensive positioning has been excellent. His decision-making has been very good. Yes, he has trouble along the boards due to his lack of size. But these guys are often facing the oppositions’ weakest lines. If the argument is that Keith hasn’t looked good against weaker competition, how is he going to look paired with Brent Seabrook against the league’s best forwards? If this was a 4th line forward who was struggling, would we argue that he should be playing on the top line instead? No. (unless it was Troy Brouwer)

Keith looked “bad” last year no matter who he was paired with. And he struggled on the PP, on which he wasn’t playing with Leddy. Was Leddy the reason for all of his shots into opposing forwards’ shins? And if we look further back, many of the complaints about Keith this year and last were also complaints about Keith during his Norris Trophy-winning season in 2010. Blame the new guy?

In the playoffs last year, where Duncan finally looked like uber-Keith, he was paired with Leddy. In the preseason this year, where Keith continued to shine, he was paired with Leddy. So far this season while paired, Keith and Leddy have been on the ice for 3 Goals For and 3 Goals Against. So they’re break even while spending much of their time playing with a 2nd forward line where the only constant has been “new to center” Patrick Kane and a 1st line that has been less than stellar.

Maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem? But if there is any truth to the arguments against the 2-8 pairing, it should be obvious on the Goals Against, right? So let’s take a look at those plays. … [visit site to read more]

Someone’s Gonna Have To Pay - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Did I like CarBomb’s energy?
Yes, as I said over the summer, he’s like Adam Burish on crack.

Did he create havoc, cause a couple of turnovers, and even create a couple of scoring chances that resulted in at least one goal?
Yup

Did he have some big hits?
Yup

Were some of those hits awkward, near penalties, or leave him out of position?
Uh huh.

Did he he run into his own teammates a couple of times?
Yep, he sure did.

Was one of those collisions potentially pretty bad and involve Hossa – the same Hossa who got taken out by another minimum wage teammate last year?
That would be him.

Did the Blackhawks play one of the worst team in the league, the Jets?
Can’t take too much away from this when the bar was set so low. It was an excellent game for Carcillo, let see how he does when faced with better competition.

Summary
Consider me on the fence. Daniel Carcillo was enjoyable to watch most of the game and I respect the hell out of the effort he puts out. Unfortunately, it’s sometimes reckless and misplaced. We’ll see how this plays out over a few more games.

On a different note…

I dig all the Leddy-Keith pairing “love” around the Hawks blogosphere. Either everyone gets it and I don’t, or vice versa.

Let’s see, today’s most recent jabs at that pairing can be found here, here, and here. The other usual suspects took the day off.

What pairing was on the ice for ALL THREE of the Hawks even strength goals? Leddy-Keith. But of course it’s not working. Heh. … [visit site to read more]

Photoshop Of The Day: CarBomb, Thoughts On Hawks 4-3 Win Over Jets - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog