Finally!  Some hockey with some real meaning and with something seriously at stake!  Fans of the Chicago Blackhawks have been spoiled worse than a little kid visiting their grandparents for a weekend.  The Hawks have lead the league from the first game of the season all the way to the last.  In the playoffs however, anything can happen, and for the first time in a while, a legitimate sense of urgency has returned.

That sense of urgency is felt all around Blackhawks nation, and is significantly amplified while in attendance of a playoff game!

It must be said that watching a hockey game at on television is completely different than watching one in live-action at the stadium.  On television, you have the luxury of commentators analysis and a viewpoint that’s always zeroed in on the action.  That’s cute and all, but there is a gigantic abstract, unquantifiable element that hockey seen on television cannot capture.  This element completely overtakes you, when you’re in attendance, and it completely absorbs you in a playoff game.   Live-action hockey is felt, as well as seen.

The Hawks anthem singer, Jim Cornielison, is well-known for his stirring rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner, before the puck-drop of Hawks home games.  The crowd goes crazy, and you know the story.  This night, game one of the first playoff series of the tournament for Lord Stanley’s Cup, was different.  The noise from the crowd was absolutely deafening.  There was enough energy flowing through the United Center to power the rest of Chicago.  The urgency of something at stake for the Blackhawks was back, and combined with the nearing possibility of the return of the Stanley Cup to the Windy City was enough to send the crowd into pandemonium.

During the game, the feeling of frustration from every bad pass, every missed opportunity, every stupid penalty from the Hawks, and the lone Minnesota Wild goal was transferred directly to the crowd, as every groan was in total unison.   During the first intermission, as the Hawks trailed the Wild 1-0, there was an eerie silence around the United Center.  It was almost hard to believe that this was the same place where the Star-Spangled Banner of epic proportions took place, less than an hour earlier.  I suppose sustaining that much energy through the whole night ma have eventually caused the ice to melt, so the intermissions work as a time to exhale and recharge for the next period.

As the second period was underway, the energy was building it’s way back up t where it was, when Marian Hossa, evened the game at 1-1, resulting in the crowd eruption and the blaring of Chelsea Dagger, the radioactive pulse of the crowd had returned, as well as some optimism.

The energy for the rest of the game caused every fan in attendance to plant themselves at the very edge of their seat, as the tension of knowing the just how big the ramifications of the next goal would be.  As the tensions pulsated through the crowd, it was reaching it’s breaking point as the game was headed to nearing it’s second overtime.  In retrospect this tension was a wonderful way for me to forget about the horrors of me having to wake up and prepare for school in matter of hours.  This throbbing tension amongst the collective 22,000+ people in attendance was relieved in the form of an explosion of positive endorphins, as Bryan Bickell  gave the Hawks the win and a 1-0 series lead over the Wild.  It wouldn’t have surprised me if every collection of glass in the U.C shattered at that very moment.

While it’s easy to say how great live playoff hockey is, it will always be an ill-fated attempt to convey precisely what it’s like to be there. The only way to actually understand this article, would be to attend a playoff game personally, and only then will you get what I’m talking about.  It’s an unsharable, yet unbelievable experience.

Let’s Go Hawks!!!

Mar 28, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues right wing Chris Stewart (25) knocks the puck away from Los Angeles Kings center Trevor Lewis (22) during the first period at the Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

#4 St. Louis Blues Vs. #5 Los Angeles Kings

Season Series: Kings Swept the Blues (3-0-0)

Series Schedule

Game-1 Los Angeles at St. Louis, Tuesday April 30th 7:00 PM CT

Game-2 Los Angeles at St. Louis, Thursday May 2nd 8:30 PM CT

Game-3 St. Louis at Los Angeles, Saturday May 4th 9:00 PM CT

Game-4 St. Louis at Los Angeles, Monday May 6th 9:00 PM CT

Game-5 Los Angeles at St. Louis, Wednesday May 8th(If necessary)

Game-6 St. Louis at Los Angeles, Friday May 10th(If necessary)

Game-7 Los Angeles at St. Louis, Monday May 13th(If necessary)

Blues

The St. Louis Blues will have to win by playing their game: Tight defense, superb goaltending, and enough scoring.  All 3 of those factors are required for the Blues to go anywhere in the postseason, when one of those compnents is missing, the Blues will struggle mightily to win hockey games.  The Blues boast size up front, with the likes of captain David Backes, Chris Stewart, and Patrik Berglund.  The Blues will rely heavily on these 3 forwards to light the lamp for them, throughout this series.  The Blue’s defensive core is lead by Alex Pitrengelo, Barret Jackman, and Roman Polak.  The Blues will look for Brian Elliot to continue his phenomenal close to the season in the crease.

Leading Scorer- Chris Stewart 18G 18A 36PTS

Goaltender- Brian Elliot 14-8 2.28 .907%

X-Factor- Brian Elliot, can he continue his dominant play into the post-seaon?

Kings

The defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Los Angeles Kings, have the tools to repeat, but are the tools too dull?  The Kings are deep at the center position with the likes of Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, and Dustin Brown.  All play fantastic two-way hockey. The Kings are also stacked on the blueline with superstar Drew Doughty who can score as easily as any forward.  Reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Jonathan Quick has had a forgettable season, overall, following off-season surgery.

Leading Scorer- Anze Kopitar 10G 32A 42PTS

Goaltender- Jonathan Quick 18-13 2.45 .902%

X-Factort- Can Jonahthan Quick regain his Conn Smyth winning form?

Prediction- Blues will advance in 7 games.  The Kings will be close to form, and put up a mighty fight, but the improved/improving Blues will prove to be too much for the defending champs. 

Apr 7, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Brandon Saad (20) is congratulated by right wing Patrick Kane (88) and defenseman Duncan Keith (2) after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators during the third period at the United Center. The Blackhawks beat the Predators 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday, April 7th 2013, the Chicago Blackhawks became the first team in the NHL to clinch a post-season birth in 2013.  Not only do the Hawks have the mighty luxury of a guranteed spot in the Western Conference Playoffs, but they also have a large stockpile of points, that currently has them 5 points in front of their closest competition, the Anaheim Ducks, who have also played two more games than the Blackhawks.  As long as the Blackhawks keep a decent pace for the little remainder of the season, they are all but assured the top seed in the Western Conference(although we learned last year, that playoff seeding actually means very little in the grand scheme of things).  With that luxurious cushion of comfort, and the fact that the Hawks are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs, why risk injuring star players?

I understand wanting to keep your players in game shape, and getting on a roll right as the playoffs start, and those are both great reasons for keeping the pedal to the metal from here on out, but there is definitely some risk involved with that.  It can’t be like baseball, where you can have your entire bench fill in for everyday players more easily, to give them days off for rest.  In the NHL the roster limits leaves teams with less wiggle room to where you can only give player or two a night off at a time.  This rarely happens in the NHL, but now wouldn’t be a bad time to try it out, if you’re Blackhawks head coach, Joel Quenneville.

With the maximum roster for an NHL team set at 23 players, 18 of those players are will be playing as either forwards or defenseman(skaters) to fill up the roster.  One would be the starting goaltender, and another would be the backup goaltender, and that puts us at 20 players, leaving 3 players to be left out as healthy scratches that do not play in the game.  For the Blackhawks, those 3 players tend to usually be a cycle between Daniel Carcillo, Brandon Bolig, and Jamal Mayers for forwards.  All 3 of these forwards have found decent playing time this season due to injuries to other players.  For defenseman, there is usually a rotation between Michal Rozsival and Sheldon Brookbank for the role of 6th defenseman and healthy scratch.

It would be wise to play these players regularly for the remainder of the season, for the sole purpose of giving everyday players a mini-breather before the playoffs start.  Wouldn’t it be great to give players who have small lingering injuries a little more time to heal, and a little less time to risk turning that injury into something worse?  Wouldn’t it be great to give players like Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews who are arguably over-used, but most definitely heavily leaned on by coach Q, a quality breath of fresh air before they are needed more than ever?  This could ALL happen without sacrificing chemistry, familiarity, and momentum as long as only one ore two of these players are given a night off at a time.  This idea makes even more sense now, with the condensed shortened season coming to a close.  Even if the Hawks drop a spot in the Western Conference standings, we all learned last year with the Los Angeles Kings, just how little playoff seeding actually means.

The reward of trying this rest rotation idea is far greater than the risk.

What do you think?

Mar 9, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery (30) is congratulated by goalie Corey Crawford (50) for a victory against the New York Rangers at the United Center. The Blackhawks beat the Rangers 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Blackhawks’ Head coach, Joel Quenneville has been one of the most successful head coach in NHL history.  While his career has been remarkably successful, he doesn’t quite have a flawless resume(but then again, who does?).  Coach Q has always had inconsistent goaltending throughout his NHL coaching career.   Talk of Quennevilles ability to handle goaltenders reached fever-pitch last season, a midst Corey Crawford’s sophomore struggles.  Hawks nation, and twitter were quick to point out that Q has had goalie controversies in every city he has coached.

I never took much stock into these complaints, because while perhaps Coach Q maybe isn’t the best at handling goaltenders, and even makes me scratch my head sometimes.  My point is that most coaches have the same goaltending headaches that Quenneville has consistently had throughout his career.  Yes, there are the few exceptions for coaches who have the luxury of having players like Martin Brodeur, Jonathan Quick, Pekka Rinne, or Henrik Lundqvist on their roster.  Those net-minders of freaks of nature with their consistency, they are the exception, not the norm.

Then, there is the rest of the bunch.  The slightly more human goaltenders in comparison to the super-human goaltenders that I previously mentioned.  These goaltenders have the ability to stand on their head and earn shutouts and victories for their teams, just like the super-human elite goaltenders.  What’s different about these goaltenders, is that they can also struggle mightily at times, and look absolutely lost, and look so bad, that it appears they are in the wrong line of work.  Corey Crawford falls comfortably into this category.  At times, Hawks fans want Crawford to walk the plank, and get as far away from the United Center crease as possible, much like 2012.  Other times, Hawks fans want Corey starting every game, and are upset when he isn’t starting, much like 2013.

This epidemic of great puck stopping one night, and unable to stop a beach ball the next night is not exclusive to Chicago or Joel Quenneville.  It is a plague that has affected every team in the NHL, with the exception to the elite goaltenders that appear to be immune to this plague.  Look at the Vancouver Canucks, the Philadelphia Flyers, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the New York Islanders, and many more.  These teams have horribly consistent goaltending migraines that make Coach Q look like he’s on vacation.

It should be obvious that goaltending is one of the most finicky, psychological, and nerve wracking positions in all professional sports.  It’s pure isolation.  Say, a d-man might get burned by an opposing player, and goalie gives up a goal.  While the d-man get’s a minus for the goal, and get’s pointed out as being mostly at fault for the goal, the goaltender receives all the side-effects.  His Goals Against Average goes up, his save percentage goes down, he may have lost a shutout.  It’s much easier for the blame to be laid on the goaltender, because he sticks out like a sore thumb.  A skaters mistake, can appear much more embedded, due to the speed of the game, but every goal against has to go through the goaltender, which makes him a very easy target.  They face a unique form of pressure, that can’t be compared to anything else in sports.

The Chicago Blackhawks have been blessed this season, due to the fact that both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery have been on top fo their game all season.  When Crawford went down with injury, Emery stepped in and helped find his way to a 10-0-0 start to the season.  Crawford has been among the league leaders in goaltending statistics all season.  Make no mistake this is Crawford’s job to lose.  It’s just an insane luxury for the Hawks, that their backup goaltender is also playing at an elite level for the time being.

However, the last couple of games, the Hawks have had sub-par goaltending, and Coach Q made a mildly controversial decision to start Emery Sunday against Edmonton, and he didn’t even make it through the first period.  This is the first little hiccup in a what has been as good of a season that Hawks fans could ask for.  Please, be calm Hawks fans.  These masked men on ice have to deal with unparalleled amounts of pressure.  They are going to have their dry-spells of poor play, it just comes with the job.  Please, be careful not to give in to knee-jerk reactions of “trade Crawford” or anything like that, unless his struggles get astronomically out of hand, he won’t be going anywhere.

So here’s to the goaltenders!  May the their save percentages remain low enough for us all to get a good nights sleep!

Feb 5, 2013; San Jose, CA, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) celebrates with center Jonathan Toews (19) after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period at HP Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

In a match-up between the top two teams in the NHL Western Conference, The Chicago Blackhawks were victorious over the San Jose Sharks by a score of 5-3.

San Jose got off to a scorching-hot start, as they scored two quick goals from Joe Pavelski and Tommy Wingels.  The Sharks held a 2-0 lead very early until Brandon Saad added his first career NHL goal to bring the Blackhawks within one.  Less than a minute after Saad’s goal, the Sharks regained their 2 goal advantage on the Hawks with former Hawk, Michal Handzus adding a goal for San Jose.  The wacky first period continued as just eight seconds later, Andrew Shaw brought the Hawks back within one goal of the lead!  The first period wasn’t over yet, as Marcus Kruger added an unassisted tally to tie the game 3-3, and that’s how it would stay until the buzzer at the end…of the first period!

The second period settled down(offensively anyways) as both teams looked to break the tie.  Things got dicey, when Sharks’ forward Andrew Desjardins executed a questionable hit on a defenseless Jamal Mayers.  In Mayers’ defense, Hawks defenseman/alternate captain, Duncan Keith jumped Desjardins, earning himself a 5-minute fighting major + a two-minute instigator penalty + two minutes for instigating while wearing a visor + a ten minute game misconduct.  Desjardins on the other hand received a 5 minute fighting major + a ten-minute match penalty.

This resulted in extended four-on-four hockey, where the Hawks took advantage.  Jonathan Toews robbed the puck from Sharks’ defenseman, Douglas Murray to beautifully set-up Patrick Kane to bury the puck past Sharks goalie, Antti Niemi to give the Hawks a 4-3 lead, which would last through the end of the period.

After two uniquely explosive periods of hockey, the game settled down a bit.  There was some increased chirping and after the play conversations between the two teams, but in comparison to the first two periods, the third was quite tame.  Nick Leddy was called for holding, giving the Sharks a Power Play, and a golden opportunity to tie the game.  The opportunity and the Power Play were short-lived as Sharks’ goaltender, Antti Niemi was called for delay of game, just eleven seconds into the Sharks’ crucial Power Play, resulting in more 4 on 4 hockey, which seemed to be favoring the Blackhawks.

Later in the third period, the Sharks pulled Niemi for an extra-attacker, and the Hawks took advantage.  Patrick Kane added his second goal of the night, giving the Hawks a 5-3 lead, and eventually a victory over the Sharks.

Notes-

Corey Crawford got off to a very rocky start to the game, but overall settled down and made the saves that the Hawks needed him to make, although he has looked much more comfortable in the net this season.

Brandon Saad finally scored his first goal of his NHL career, although it should have come much sooner.  He has played great on the top line with Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa all season, and tonight was no exception.

Jonathan Toews won 17 of 26 faceoffs in the game.

It’s nice to see Bryan Bickell show flashes of a physical side to his game with some big hits.  If Bickell were to use his size more often, combined with his excellent wrist-shot, he would be an incredibly unique player, and would help the Hawks tremendously.

The Blackhawks are still the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss, and hold an outstanding record of  8-0-2, good for 18 points on the season.

The Hawks are currently 2-0-2(6 points) on their current 6-game road trip.

Next up for the Blackhawks, is their second meeting of the season with the Phoenix Coyotes, as they look to continue their succesful road trip.  Puck drop is set for 8:00 PM Central Time.

Apr 5, 2012; St. Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding (37) makes a save on Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane (88)during the shootout at the Xcel Energy Center. The Wild defeated the Blackhawks 2-1 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Game #7- Chicago Blackhawks(6-0-0, 12pts) Vs.  Minnesota Wild(3-2-1, 7pts)

Game time- 7:00 PM CT

TV- NBCSN

Radio: WGN 720AM

Preview- The Chicago Blackhawks open their 6-game road trip tonight, at Xcel Energy Center against the new and improved Minnesota Wild.  This road trip will serve as a great test for the still unbeaten Blackhawks, who at 6-0, have set a new franchise record for best start to a season.  This game will also serve as a great test for the Wild, as they are trying to gain some footing, and a win over the Western Conference’s hottest team would do them wonders.

The Minnesota Wild are off to a bit of a modest start to the 2013 season, especially considering all their blockbuster moves they made during the off-season.  This past off-season, the Wild signed free-agent left winger, Zach Parise and free-agent defensemen, Ryan Suter to big-time contracts.  Parise and Suter were considered by many to be the top free-agents in the off-season, and Minnesota got not only one, but both of them!  Along with returning veterans Mikko Koivu, Dany Heatly, Devin Setoguchi, and Jared Spurgeon, the Wild looked ready to be a playoff contender, and make some noise in the highly competitive Western Conference.

However, the Wild are not off to a fast start by any means(especially compared to the Blackhawks).  It is still very early though, and this team will likely be in contention for a playoff spot come April.  If not, there will be a lot of disappointed people in the lad of a thousand lakes.  Last night, the Wild defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, even though they squandered a 2-goal lead.  The victory helped the Wild to avoid losing their fourth straight game, leaves them with a 3-2-1 record and 7 points.  With the Hawks coming into town, and having played a tight;ly contested game, just last night, tonights game will be no easy task for the Wild.   Parise is off to a hot start with 9 points in 6 games, while Suter is still adjusting to life without former blueline partner with the Nasheville Predators, Shea Weber.  Expect him to turn it around as the Wild should make the playoffs this season.

The Blackhawks got much needed and much deserved rest with no game action on Monday and Tuesday.  The Hawks are begining a 6-game road trip in Minnesota tonight, and look to take advantage of the fact that this will be the Wild’s second game in two nights.  The red-hot Blackhawks will have NHL second-star of the week, Corey Crawford in net against Minnesota.  Crawford deserves a lot of credit for the Hawks ridiculous winning ways so far this season, with his 1.78 Goals Against Average, and his .933% Save Percentage.

The Blackhawks have been equally potent on the offensive side of the ice as well, with Marian Hossa continuing to light the lamp with absurd consistency with 5 goals in 6 games.  Patrick Kane leads the team in points with 9, in six games played.  Where the Hawks are most dangerous is on special teams.  The power-play is producing at a 26.9% rate, and the penalty-kill is stopping opposing teams power-plays at an outstanding 95.6% rate.  If the Hawks continue their excellence on special teams, look for them to make a lot of noise come playoff time.

This game will be an interesting test for both teams, as a win for the Blackhawks will keep their record setting pace on track, and a win for the Wild might mean that they are on track and ready to make their move towards the post season.

Jan 26, 2013; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) skates witht the puck against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks continued their “perfect so-far” season by outlasting the Columbus Blue Jackets in a tight game with a 3-2 victory in Columbus.  The Blackhawks improved to 5-0-0, good for 10 points on the season.  This is the Hawks best start to a season since the 1971-1972 season.  The Blue Jackets fell to 1-3-1, with 3 points on the season.

The Hawks got off to a slow, awfully flat start to the game.  It was almost the reverse of what happened in Dallas, where the Hawks got off to a fast start and were piling up the shots.  The Blue Jackets were the team piling up the shots and chances  in the first half of the first period.  After a Sheldon Brookbank holding penalty, Columbus kept up the offensive pressure, against the Hawks.  This eventually lead to a goal from Blue Jackets’ center, Mark Letestu, just seconds after the Chicago penalty expired.

Throughout the entire first period, the Blue Jackets were physically out-muscling the Blackhawks, and controlling the game.  A late period boarding call for Columbus defenseman, Jack Johnson would have given the Hawks an opportunity through a power-play if it wasn’t for an ill-timed slash from Dave Bolland coincided with the boarding call on Johnson.  Regardless the mini-scrap seemed to lead to some inspired hockey from the Blackhawks , as Patrick Kane burned by Columbus defenseman, Adrian Aucoin to make his way to a shot that was stopped by Blue Jackets’ goaltender, Steve Mason.  However, Dave Bolland was there to turn a rebound into a goal and a tie-game at the end of the first period.  A tie-game that the Hawks were lucky to have.

In the second period, the Blackhawks got off to another slow, flat start as they couldn’t get anything going offensively against the physical style of play, put on by the Blue Jackets.  Mid-way through the period, the Hawks took the lead as Bryan Bickell deflected a shot from Niklas Hjalmarsson past Steve Mason, giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead.

The Blue Jackets appeared to have tied the game up on a shot on a power-play beat Blackhawks goaltender, Corey Crawford.  However, as it the officials ruled that Crawford was interfered with by a Columbus forward, on what in hind-sight looks to be a blown call.  Although, Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville disagrees.  So, the Hawks were lucky at the end of the second period, as they were at the end of the first period.  The only difference was that this time they were lucky to have a lead over, rather than lucky share a tie with the Blue Jackets.

Another flat start for the Hawks in the third period made it seem like it was only a matter of time before Columbus tied the game and eventually re-took the lead.  A solid penalty-kill in the third, especially from more solid play from Michael Frolik, appeared to spark a more higher-quality game of hockey from the Blackhawks.  Jonathan Toews added a nifty insurance goal that would end up being the game-winner, in the third period.  An Artem Anisimov goal, late in the third, proved to be too little, too late for the Blue Jackets as the Blackhawks survived to claim a 3-2 victory, as their undefeated season lives on.

Notes-

More strong play from the Hawks usual suspects in the 3-2 victory.

Niklas Hjalmarsson continues to play like the he’s the man the Hawks ultimately chose to keep over Antti Niemi, back in 2010.  ”Hammer” provided 4 blocked shots along with an assist(which initially looked like his goal) en route to a +3 night.

Patrick Kane continues his mission to show everyone that he is back to being an elite scorer at the NHL level, as he added 2 assists to his stat sheet.

Corey Crawford made several clutch saves for the Blackhawks, and had another very good night in net.  His Save Percentage on the season thus far is a hefty .923%.

Former Calder Trophy winning goaltender for the Blue Jackets, Steve Mason, who lost his starting job this season after repeated seasons of seemingly constant struggles combined with Columbus’ acquisition of Sergei Bobrovsky, had an overall solid night in net for the Jackets as he stopped 21 shots.

Although Brandon Saad never seems to have the statistics to show for it, he is making a positive impact on the Hawks top-line.  If he keeps up this play, he will start putting up points.  It might be interesting to see what happens when Dan Carcillo returns from his injury.

In a very not newsworthy news, Jonathan Toews is off to a hot start this season as expected.  Toews put up a goal and a 68% face-off winning percentage against Columbus.  Just because he always plays great, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth mentioning.

Duncan Keith lead the Hawks in ice-time with 25:35, as Coach Quenneville used his 3rd d-pairing of Nick Leddy and Sheldon Brookbank very sparingly.   This might be something to keep an eye on soon.

The Blackhawks (5-0-0, 10pts) come home to face the hated Detroit Red Wings (2-2-0, 4pts)  tomorrow at 6:00 PM at the United Center.

November 10, 2011; Columbus, OH, USA; Chicago Blackhawks fans celebrate after the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. Chicago defeated Columbus 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports

It’s very easy to get caught up in the excitement of early season standings placement, especially if you’re a fan of the Chicago Blackhawks.  Right now, the Hawks are a perfect 4-0-0 equaling out to 8 points.  That’s outstanding, no doubt about it, but how much stock and comfort should Hawks fans take in the fact that their favorite team is sitting in first place at this point in the season?

Some fans will brag and boast about their favorite team perched in first place, while 91.7% of the season has yet to be played, but while being in first place is certainly something to feel good about, to get too excited this early would be setting yourself up for a let down.  Since it is the start of a new season, everything will be crazily over-analyzed, because that’s all we have to go on.  For example, Patrick Kane is having a great season.  While it is true that Patrick Kane is having a great season, this season is only 4 games old.  If these last 4 games had happened around then middle of the season, the excitement would be much more subtle, and Patrick Kane’s great season would be modestly known as a 4-game hot streak.

This early in the season, a team can go from first to last or last to first in a matter of a couple of days.  So, it’s best not to get too comfortable if your favorite team is in first place, and there’s no reason to panic if your team is in last place.  Right now, we could be looking at a completely upside down portrait of the final standings after 48 games.   If your favorite team is in last place, there is no need to be on the ledge, and there is no need to be begging the General Manager for a blockbuster trade.  Again, if the last 4 games for any team in the NHL would have happened in the middle of the season, those games would be look at as what they are, a tiny blip on a huge map.

I realize that this season is much shorter than a normal NHL regular season. and I realize that urgency must set in sooner than ever before.  In an 82-game regular season, I would normally never even bother to look at the standings until about month or more into the season.  Even that is a little soon in the grand scheme of things, but at that time, I would pay exclusive attention to division standings only.  At that point in the season, most teams have separated enough and still have a chance to win their respective divisions.  Around February, division standings start to take a more permanent shape for the rest of the season, and then I start paying attention to the conference standings.

For this year’s 48-game schedule, I probably won’t look at the standings until about 20 games or so into the season.  I feel that a little before the half-way point in the season is about the right time to be aware of your team’s standing.

I’m not saying that a fan shouldn’t feel good if their favorite team is playing great this early in the season, becasue I am feeling great about how the Blackhawks are playing so far.  I’m just saying it’s best to be realistic.  Hold off on “drinking the Kool-Aid” for a little while.  Remain calm, because every team has hot streaks and cold streaks, just hang with them to the end and hopefully you are rewarded for your loyalty.

Mar 29, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya (27) checks St. Louis Blues center Patrik Berglund (21) during the overtime period at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks beat the St. Louis Blues 4-3 in the shootout. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Game # 3 (Home opener)  St. Louis Blues (2-0-0, 4 pts) at Chicago Blackhawks (2-0-0, 4 pts)

TV- CSN

Radio- WGN 720 AM

Time- 7:30 PM Central Time

Preview- This will be the home opener at the United Center for the Blackhawks, as they hope to continue their winning ways as they host their also undefeated division-rivals, the St. Louis Blues.  Last season, the Blackhawks won four out of six games against the Central-Division champion Blues.

The St. Louis Blues, are off to a scorching-hot start to the 2013 season.  In their home opener, they dismantled the Detroit Red Wings by blowing them out to a score of 6-0.

Last night, the Blues hit the road to take on the Nashville Predators, where they won a much tighter contest, a 4-3 come-from-behind shootout victory.   The Blues, known as a stingy defensive team, under head coach Ken Hitchcock’s guidance, managed an impressive 39 shots on goal agaisnt the similarly defensive-minded Predators.  The Blues might have a little bit more of an offensive spark this season, with rookie Right Winger, Vladimir Tarasenko.  Tarasenko might be the coveted sniper that the Blues  so desperately need.  So far this season he has 3 goals and 2 assists(5pts).  Don’t expect him to keep up his amazing shot percentage of 37.5% all season, but Tarasenko along with returning veterans from last season: David Backes, T.J Oshie, Alex Pietrangelo, and several others should make a run for another Central-Division title this season.

Also in last night’s game, coach Hitchcock pulled starting goaltender Jaroslav Halak in the second period for “backup” Brian Elliot.  Last season, the Blues alternated their starting goaltenders with incredible success.  Jaroslav Halak(46 starts last season) and Brian Elliot(36 starts last season) had outstanding GAAs(Goals Against Average) of 1.97 and 1.56, respectively.  The dynamic-duo known as “The Two Headed Monster” had one of the best seasons for a duo of goaltenders that the NHL has seen in a long time.   The Hawks will have to figure out Brian Elliot tonight.  It will be interesting to see the duo fares this season.

The Blackhawks are off to an equally hot start this season, after spoiling the Los Angeles Kings‘ Stanley Cup banner raising ceremony with a 5-2 victory.  The following night, the Hawks came out on top, 6-4,  in a back-and-forth revenge-fest against the Phoenix Coyotes.

The Hawks appear to be firing on all cylinders coming out of the gate with their big stars putting up explosive production thus far.  Marian Hossa appears to be fully recovered(knock-on-wood) from a nasty concussion received in last years post-season.  Hossa, with 4 goals and 1 assist (5pts) is leading the way for the Hawks, along with Patrick Kane (1G, 3A, 4pts), who looks to be in tip-top-shape after a brief stint in Switzerland, during the lockout.  Dave Bolland is also off to a great start as the 2nd line center with 2 goals and an assist(3pts).  You can always count on Jonathan Toews to produce(1G, 1A, 2pts), but his biggest contribution thus far to the 2013 campaign(other than his leadership), has got to be his incredible 61.2% in the Face-Off circle.  Look for Michal Roszival to get the start as the 6th defenseman tonight after a 2 point night against Phoenix.

Corey Crawford will be in the crease for the Hawks tonight.  He played pretty solid against Los Angeles on Saturday, which is really saying something if you look at the overall quality of goaltending across the NHL so far this season.  Crawford will look to continue his bounce-back campaign tonight, and the Blues will be a great test for him.  No better way to build confidence than to shutdown a division rival and division favorite all in the same night!

Prediction- It will be a packed house at the U.C. tonight, the Hawks will have to keep their emotions in check and focus in order to beat a very good St. Louis team.  Hopefully the Hawks can take advantage of the fact that Brian Elliot is unexpectedly playing back-to-back nights; this might be a common occurrence with this season’s schedule.   It should be a good, tightly contested game.  Hawks win 4-3.

picture taken by Jonean Ford

There is no question Kane is a world class hockey player and entertainer. His love of the game is apparent no matter what continent he plays on. Switzerland is perfect for Kane as their ice rinks are larger. What this means is Kane has more space and room to move which is usually lethal for the opposition.

His stick handling skills are extraordinary in the NHL so you can image how these skills will translate to the Swiss league. Couple Kane’s soft hands with playing along another young world class hockey player like Tyler Seguin and who knows how many back of the nets these two can dent.

Switzerland is getting a rare glimpse of what NHL hockey talent is and from the looks of it they are thrilled to have both Kane and Sequin fill the Eisstadion Biel arena which seats 7000 – 8,200. The players are getting a chance to keep up their skating and hockey skills.

Kane joined the Biel Bienne team of the Swiss League and played his first game this past Tuesday. He joins Boston Bruins young star Tyler Seguin. In his debut Kane scored a goal and had an assist.  His second game on Friday saw Kane playing a familiar role of quarterback or set up man as he had three assists.

On Kane’ goal his speed was on display as he outpaced the opposition and got to the opposing net almost uncontested.  Kane now has 15’ more ice width to work with so these type of goals could be as regular a sight in Switzerland as the Alps.

Currently Kane’s team – Biel Bienne is positioned in sixth place in a twelve team league. They have a ways to go to get their team to challenging the EHC league leading team Geneve Servette HC. The next game Kane and Seguin will play is today vs HC Davos.

Kane told Chicago media that the reason he choose Switzerland was because he had played there before with the Blackhawks during exhibition games. The season he played in Switzerland before, saw him have the best year ever in the NHL and of his career as the Blackhawks went on to win the Stanley Cup. Let’s hope history repeats itself and Kane’s European excursion is just a tune up for another championship run in Chicago.

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