Apr 9, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery (30) against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Go right ahead and immediately chalk this up as another instance of over-speculation, and over-analysis due to the fallout of yet another disappointing and troubling Chicago Blackhawks loss to the Detroit Red Wings.  

For the record: I DO NOT think that Ray Emery will, nor should Ray Emery get the start in Game 4 of this series.  This is purely hypothetical, and a way to flush out some of the built up toxins that are ever so present following two consecutive performances from the Hawks, that could be considered of poor enough quality to drive a fan to a life of alcoholism.  Plus, I’m bored, and Game 4 is still another day away(thanks, lockout!) and these fumes of negativity need to be vented now.

No question, Corey Crawford has had a fantastic season, as well as a very good first round of the playoffs.  He hasn’t even played poorly in this series either.  The fact of the matter is, the Hawks haven’t played well in the past 2 games, at all!  It is not desperation time…yet, but with one more loss, it will be well beyond the point of desperation.  So let’s examine the idea of Emery placing Crawford, now, before the possibility of Hawks fans descending into a chaotic state of desperation.

Emery’s season was on-par and arguably better than Crawford’s season, this year.  In 21 games this season, Ray Emery had a win/loss record of 17-1(amazing!), a Goals Against Average of 1.94(Outstanding!), and .922 Save Percentage(Awesome!) along with 3 Shutouts(nice!).  Ray has done everything that could have possibly been asked of him this season, and then some!  The only reason he isn’t starting, is because Crawford had an equally(if not better) season than Emery, and has done nothing to cough up his starting job, this year.

Emery has had plenty of situation success to warrant the starting job, in this series.  Against Detroit, in his career, Ray Emery has a 3-0 record, a 1.85 Goals Against Average of 1.85, and a .943 Save Percentage.  On the road this season, Ray was 7-0 with a 1.64 GAA, a .938 Save%, and 2 shutouts.  In the playoffs, Emery’s numbers aren’t as sparkling, but he has a solid amount of experience in the post-season.  ”Razor”, in 36 career playoff starts has a record of 20-15(not awful), a 2.57 GAA(meh) and a .903 Save%(not good).  Overall though, looking at those split stats, Emery has done enough to have logically earned a start in this series.

Corey Crawford, however, also has done exceptionally well, if not spectacular in some of the situations where the Hawks need high-quality hockey.  In his career against the Red Wings, Corey Crawford is an outstanding 11-2, with an excellent 1.82 GAA, as well as a marvelous .943 Save%.  Now, Corey’s career playoff stats tell an interesting story.  Lifetime, in the post-season, Crawford has had 22 starts, with a sub-par record of 10-11, a very good GAA of 2.19, and a wonderful Save% of .919%, as well as one shutout.

While Crawford has done nothing to really send himself to bench duty, there is something to be said about the fact that Crawford’s playoff record is below .500% along with some pretty solid playoff statistics(although some of the few goals he has allowed in the playoffs, especially last year against the Phoenix Coyotes, were very soft goals).  This indicates that the Blackhawks haven’t played very good hockey in front of Crawford, during the playoffs.  This has never been more noticeable  than in Game 2 and the second half of Game 3.  It could be a coincidence, but it is an interesting trend.

Again, I’m not saying that Emery should start in this series, and if it comes to that, the Hawks will most likely be in big trouble, but Emery has played well enough for the opportunity to start in this series.

Mar 26, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Dave Bolland (36) is defended by Calgary Flames right wing Lee Stempniak (22) during the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Blackhawks practiced today and the news was better than expected when it was announced that Dave Bolland and Ray Emery should be ready to dress and be in the lineup for Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Dave Bolland has been out since injuring his groin at the end of the season.  The updates have been close for Bolland since the season ending loss to the St Louis Blues.  Bolland has always been a playoff gamer from the 2011 playoffs the Hawks came so close from overcoming a 3-0 hole, to his most annoying self in the Blackhawks run to the Stanley Cup in 2010 when he helped shut down every opponents top lines from Sedin twins to Joe Thornton. Bolland sometimes gets lost during the regular season or hurt which he was this year missing 13 of the 48 games in this shortened season.  Getting  Bolland back will force Joel Quenneville to shuffle lines but even though he was in full shuffle mode today at practice there is no telling where everyone will end up when Game 1 gets started.

Ray Emery tweaked an earlier injury and was not able to suit up for the first round of the playoffs. This made Coach Q’s decision for #1 goalie elementary.  Corey Crawford responded going 4-1 in the first round with a 1.32 Goals Against Average and a .950 save percentage.  Crawford has cemented the top goalie spot, but I’m sure Hawks fans will feel better with Ray Emery in the back-up role as the playoff get deeper than Henrik Karlsson wearing the baseball cap on the end of the bench.

All hands on deck for the Hawks leading toward the Conference Semi-finals! Where do you think Bolland should end up when Game 1 begins?

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May 7, 2013; Saint Paul, MN, USA; The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate against the Minnesota Wild following game four of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at Xcel Energy Center. The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight the Chicago Blackhawks have a chance to officially eliminate the Minnesota Wild from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and advance to the next round.  A win tonight, would obviously been in the Blackhawks best interests, but there is a great advantage to winning a playoff series in such a quick fashion.

1.  Injured players get extra time for their wounds to heal.

Dave Bolland and Ray Emery have been unable to suit-up and play for the Hawks thus far in the playoffs.  While it doesn’t seem like Emery would have played anyways, due to the exceptional play from Corey Crawford, coach Quenneville would definitely feel more comfortable having the experienced Emery, who had a fantastic season backing up Crawford, instead of Henrik Karlsson, who only has 26 games of NHL experience.  

As for Bolland, the fact that he has missed all of the first round of the series thus far, is eerily similar to the 2011 playoffs, when he missed the first 3 games of the series against the Vancouver Canucks. All eerie similarities stop there, however.  In that series, the Hawks were down 3 games to none, and Bolland’s return sparked a remarkable, yet ill-fated come-back, where the Hawks lost in overtime of game 7.  This time, the Hawks are very distant from the desperation they felt in that series.  Bolland is one of those players that seemingly comes alive in the post-season, no matter how his regular season was.

The Hawks would very much welcome both players returns, but there is no rush at the moment, and a a few extra days off rather than playing more games against the Wild, would be perfect for the Hawks and both players recoveries.

2. A breather for the players logging huge minutes, every night.

You could almost call this the Duncan Keith factor.  Players like Keith, who are often on the ice for nearly 30 minutes per game, would welcome any extra rest to catch their breath for the next series.  This also includes any player that has a bruise or any light injury(that we are unaware of) that could be a hindrance, or turn into something worse.  These such injurys would have a little extra time to heal, and that could go a long ways for the Blackhawks playoff success.

3.  A little extra rest gives the Blackhawks a possible jump on their next opponent.

Along with a chance for the Hawks to catch their breath, a little extra time dealing with putting the Wild away, means a little extra time to practice and prepare.  We won’t know who the Hawks next opponent will be until the rest of the Western Conference playoff series wrap-up and the tournament has re-seeded.  The only team that has already advanced to the next round is the San Jose Sharks, who swept the Vancouver Canucks.  The Sharks are doing what the Hawks would like to start doing very soon, which is rest and work out internal kinks.  Until the Hawks know for sure who their next opponent will be, game planning will have to wait, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work on some internal game planning, like the Sharks are doing.  While the Sharks are no doubt catching a breather, they are also practicing, staying game-ready, and working on improving themselves as much as they can in this time of luxury.  We can all agree that the Hawks Powerplay unit is full of kinks.  If the Hawks can defeat the Wild tonight, they will be able to catch that breather, as well as practice and work on their lackluster Powerplay.  Say, the Hawks do in fact defeat the Wild tonight, and use the extra time off to work on fixing their hibernating Powerplay, and let’s say they actually do fix it.  Then, they would have productively used their earned time off to gain an edge over their next opponent.

This is no way, shape or form meant as a way to jinx the Blackhawks and their still on-going series against the Wild.  Nor is this disrespecting the Wild’s slim, but real chances of coming back in this series.  This article is meant to point out the possible huge, hidden opportunity gained with a Hawks win/series victory, tonight.

November 4, 2011; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Brett Connolly (14) gets the puck past Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery (30) and center Dave Bolland (36) for a goal at St. Pete Times Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Griffith-USA TODAY Sports

Another day between playoff games and another injury update that Ray Emery and Dave Bolland are both doubtful for Thursday night’s Game #5 Stanley Cup playoff game between the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild.

As stated a couple of days ago,  Bolland and Emery are either hurt way more than the coaching staff are leading on to or since the Hawks lead the series 3-1 with a possible series clincher in their own arena, the Hawks are giving them both another day off in the chance that they can get 100% before the next series.  It just seems strange though that every time you hear an update it’s that they are close to returning then on the day before the next game they are already ruled out for the contest.

Bolland has been injury prone for 2 out of the last three seasons and somehow he managed to play 35 games this season even though it feels like he missed almost the entire shortened season. Bolland may not have been needed so far in the Wild series, but with each passing series Bolland’s defensive annoying nature will be needed more and more.  In 2010 he shut down the Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski line which is now a possible 2nd round matchup.

Emery has overcome a possible career ending injury but has been injury free for the most part during his tenure wearing a Hawks sweater.  Luckily for the Hawks Corey Crawford has been solid for the entire series with the exception of one overtime shot.

I have the feeling the series lead is giving the Hawks the ability to continue to heal/rest these guys, How do you feel?  Is this just extra rest when it is possible or do you feel these two are injured worse than the Hawks staff and reporters are telling us?

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Apr 9, 2013; St. Paul, MN, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery (30) makes a save on Minnesota Wild forward Jason Pominville (29) and forward Kyle Brodziak (21) during the third period at the Xcel Energy Center. The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

In most exciting game of the season so far, two pieces to the Chicago Blackhawks puzzle will be out of place against the Minnesota Wild. Dave Bolland and Ray Emery will both be out with lower body injuries as the first game of the Wild/Blackhawks series gets underway. Bolland has missed the last several games with a lower body injury and has played in 35 of 48 games this season. He’s listed as “day to day” but will hopefully rest and drink plenty of rat juice (that’s what I’m calling it) to amp himself up as the great agitator in playoffs.

Emery left midway through the first period of Wednesday’s game in Edmonton and has not been back since. He’s listed as “day to day”, and Blackhawks fans could use him warming the bench for his team soon just for added peace of mind. Henrik Karlsson will backup Corey Crawford in net for the time being, so all of that “goalie controversy” talk was fun while it lasted, but, c’mon, Crawford’s the man. Joel Quenneville didn’t really have to make a choice after all.

Do you think these injuries will make much of an impact in the first game? What about in the series?

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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 a gigantic looming decision to make by the time the Blackhawks have wrapped up their regular season on April 27th.  Who will be his starting goaltender during the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

Is there a wrong choice?  Not really.  Both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery have had fantastic seasons, this year.  Crawford, is ranked 4th in the NHL with his 1.92 Goals Against Average.  Ranked just ahead of him in 3rd place, is Emery, with a 1.91 Goals Against Average.  Crawford is ranked 5th in the NHL with a .926% Save Percentage, while Emery isn’t far behind ranked 9th in the NHL with a .923% Save Percentage.

Take a second to think about how incredible of a luxury the Blackhawks are blessed with this season.  It’s a remarkable accomplishment for a team to have one goaltender be ranked in the top 10 in either of these categories.  The Blackhawks have two goaltenders that are ranked in the top ten of BOTH categories.

Typical goaltender controversies happen when a team’s number one goaltender struggles, and the team considers making their backup goaltender the new number one man, as a sort of desperate act.  The Hawks are in an incredibly rare situation, where both of their goaltenders are playing at elite levels, and the unfortunate reality is that they will eventually have to choose one or the other.  The wonderful thing for the Hawks is that there is no wrong choice.

If this writer was to choose one of the goalies, he would choose Corey Crawford.  My choice takes nothing away from the phenomenal season that Ray Emery has had, because I would be completely comfortable with Emery being the choice also.  My choice comes from the line of thinking that considers how Crawford has done nothing to lose his job as number one goaltender this season.  Ray Emery has had a season worthy of usurping just about every goaltender in the league, so once again there is no wrong choice in this controversy.

Who would you like to see as the Blackhawks number one goaltender, come playoff time?

Crawford is keenly aware of his situation. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

With all the trade talks going on today, it makes you take a step back and look at the Blackhawks options. While the Hawks weren’t buyers today, it could be different come summer.  Looking at a players performance is always a good thing; you can break down mistakes and praise good decision making.  I’m sure they went over the Nashville game with Corey Crawford, and he would probably like to have the both goals back.  With one mishandled cover up, he brought horrible OT playoff memories surging back.  In general, Crow has been making the big saves, but some of the easier ones have eluded him.  Right now Crawford is sporting a solid 1.97 goals against average, and a .925 save percentage, which puts him above the .910 league average.  He is currently being backed up by Ray Emery who is on the last season of his contract.  Emery is sporting a 2.09 GAA and a .919 Sv% which again puts our goalies above league average.  The Blackhawks have fully supported their goalies and Q still stands behind Crawford, and rightfully so, he still is overall playing well. Crawford has another season with the team, and while the Blackhawks brass say that he’s the number one guy, their actions over the summer showed doubt.

Before the lockout, Bowman was talking with the LA Kings about their backup, Jonathan Bernier, who is on his final year of his contract.  Bernier has a 1.95 GAA and a .919 Sv% which puts him right up there statistically, but keep in mind the kings struggled a lot early on this season.  Currently, Bernier’s cap hit is 1.2 million and is due for a raise next signing.  This still puts him within range of the Hawks, depending on moves they make over the summer.  Bernier is a legitimate option, but he comes with a price; he wants to be the #1 goalie.  Bernier has been vocal about his displeasure with the way his career has been handled and is more than willing to get out of the shadow of Jonathan Quick, even if the money isn’t the huge paycheck he might want.  This may not even need to be considered if Crow can prevent the massive mental lapses that he displayed last year in the postseason.  Another viable option would be Tampa Bay’s newly acquired net minder, Ben Bishop, who is also on the last year of his contract.  His cap hit is currently 625k, and again, is due for a raise.  Bishop is a 6’7” monster of a goalie who has been stuck backing up star goalies like Halak and Anderson.  As of this writing, Bishop hasn’t signed an extension with his new team, and with the cap going down next season, his new contract could be modest and short term with room to improve in his next signing.  Bishop has always seemed to have our number, he is fairly quick for a big guy, and his size and speed are great assets for a goalie.  As we saw today with the trade deadline coming to a close, Bowman doesn’t like to trade his prospects or break up the current roster, so we may need to look in our own system.

Right now we have 3 goalies worth noting. When Carter Hutton was first acquired by Rockford, he had back-to-back shutouts, which really sparked some hope for our in the net depth.  Currently, Hutton’s stats are decent at best, 2.79 GAA and .907 Sv%.  The hogs went on a slide and didn’t help their goalies out in that losing streak.  Earlier this year, the Hawks traded for goalie Henrik Karlsson, another 6’7” monster of a man.  Karlsson played for Calgary but his stats throughout his professional career have been average at best; maybe his size alone raises expectations.  This season with the Hogs he has sported a 2.79 GAA and a .907 Sv%.  While I think he could be a suitable back up, especially at 615k, he still isn’t going to steal the job from Crow. The other prospect is currently with the Portland Winterhawks.  Mac Carruth is signed with us for a few more years and is developing nicely. His career stats have gotten better each year and finished up his season with a 30-7-0 record, though there is no reason to jump the gun and risk his development.

The season is winding down, and with a variety of options available, Crow and Emery are in control of their futures. While we are all upset with Crow’s Nashville performance, we tend to forget that he still made some big saves when all the momentum was with the Preds.  Crow was given the nod earlier today for the start against the Blues where we can expect a bounce back performance. What do you think of the Blackhawks options? Will Emery be back next season? Will there be a trade to come next summer?

Feb 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ray Emery (30) during a break in the third period against the San Jose Sharks at the United Center. Chicago won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Congratulations to Ray Emery who was named #3 star of the Month of February by the NHL.  Ray Emery posted a spotless record of 7-0-0 with a .941 save percentage, and allowed 2 or few goals in 7 of the 8 appearances in February.  Emery also finished off the last two periods of the Blackhawks shut out Thursday night against the St Louis Blues even though Crawford gets credited with the win.  With eight total wins, Emery as a backup goalie has as many wins or more wins than 8 NHL teams have for the entire season.  Emery is currently ranked in the top 10 of every major goalie statistic and is by far the biggest fantasy goalie sleeper of the season!

Emery will be starting tonight in Chicago against the Blue Jackets after starter Corey Crawford was re-injured in the first period last night.

Good job Emery and please keep up the great work!!

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Feb 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Andrew Shaw (65) celebrates scoring a goal during the second period against the San Jose Sharks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

It was more of the same and then there somethings you won’t see again for a couple of years all in one game in Chicago Friday night.   The Blackhawks on the first shift looked a lot faster and more skilled than the San Jose Sharks and that thought didn’t change until the final horn sounded. The Sharks after a hot start are struggling to score goals so when the Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a strange looking bad bounce goal by Marcus Kruger you would have to think the writing was on the wall for the Sharks on this Friday night in the WindyCity.

The thing most people will remember about this game is that Jonathan Toews dropped the gloves against Joe Thornton which was Toews first fight since 2010. Toews was already going to the penalty box for cross checking Thornton, but Toews decided to  fight Thornton.  The Hawks fought off the 4 minute power play and when it was four on four Dave Bolland put in his own rebound to open up the scoring at the very end of the first period.

After a Sharks goal Andrew Shaw hacked in a rebound on a rare power play goal and a 3-1 lead heading into the 3rd period. The third period was pretty listless as the Sharks offense is not very good right now because the stars are not producing and the lower lines are not as talented as the Hawks bottom lines. 

The win gives extends the Hawks record to 11-0-3 and they are closing in on the all-time record held by the 2006-2007 Anaheim Ducks and their 12-0-4 start (which ended up with the Ducks holding the Cup).

Ray Emery stepped in for the injured Corey Crawford and played very good giving up one goal and making a couple big saves but generally had an uneventful night and collecting the win and improving his record to 4-0 early on this season. 

Patrick Kane extended his point streak to 8 games by getting an assist on the Dave Bolland goal.

Marcus Kruger scored his 3rd goal in 5 games.

Next Up-LA Kings Sunday.

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Feb 9, 2012; Hyannis, Massachusetts, USA; Fishing boats stand in Hyannis Harbor at high tide during winter storm Nemo. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Game #14 San Jose Sharks (4-3-3) vs Chicago Blackhawks (10-0-3)

 Game Time- 7:30pm Central Time TV-NHL Network CSN-Chicago CSN-California

 Radio-WGN Radio

 Season Series- Blackhawks beat the Sharks in San Jose on February 5th 5-3.

 Preview- The Sharks have hit the skids since the Blackhawks last saw the Sharks 10 days ago.  The biggest reason for the slide has been the lack of a power play (yes other teams struggle in this area too)  The Sharks went from one of the best offenses to one struggling to find goals with only 11 goals in their last 8 games. Patrick Marleau has really struggled finding the back of the net with only one goal during the Sharks scoring draught.  The last game between these two teams was an exciting game and usually these two teams put on an offensive show so it will be imperative for the Hawks not to give the Sharks big guns including Joe Thornton easy chances and to keep themselves out of the penalty box so that their slumping offense doesn’t get jump started.

 The one player that hasn’t struggled for the Sharks has been Antti Niemi.  The Stanley Cup Champion is still only giving up 1.74 GAA and a .934 save%. No matter how hot Niemi is the Hawks always seem to find a way to get pucks behind him. 

The Hawks are playing their 2nd of 7 consecutive home games including their first of two consecutive home Friday night games against the Sharks.  The Hawks will be starting Ray Emery in place of the injured Corey Crawford. Emery has looked solid in his last two starts and should get tested a lot tonight at the United Center.  There isn’t too much to complain about after a 10-0-3 start but the power play still isn’t very effective which was extremely evident in the OT during the Ducks when the Hawks spent most of the 5 minute extra time on the power play and couldn’t muster a goal. 

  The Hawks are still in the running of best start without a regulation loss with the 84-85 Oilers at 12-0-3 and the 2006-2007 Ducks at 12-0-4.  Both teams fast starts were cashed in with a Stanley Cup championship so this wouldn’t be a bad record to chase after.

 Predicition- It seems like the Hawks usually have the Sharks number and if Emery gives a solid effort tonight the Hawks will take this one down 4-1. 

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 LET’S GO HAWKS!!!!