Timely Goal from Bickell Gives Blackhawks Life

photo from blackhawkup.com

Another sloppy start for the Blackhawks left them with another 3-0 deficit to overcome, this time on Vezina-worthy Pekka Rinne, who before this game had a GAA of 1.81. No easy feat. Seven minutes and ten seconds later, it was tied at 3-3, before a badly timed Too Much Man call gave the Predators the go-ahead goal with about a minute and a half left in the second period. Bryan Bickell's tying goal in Game Six in Boston two years ago came with seventy six seconds left on the clock. This one? With seventy three.

Goals from Kane, Seabrook lead Blackhawks past Avs

photo from espn.go.com

The way Chicago started this game doubtless worried a lot of people. It looked worryingly similar to the way they started the game against Winnipeg, a scrambling, rushed affair where they just barely had the shot advantage, but this time, they went into the second period tied with Colorado, instead of down 3-0, and what a difference it made.

Grieving Blackhawks Fall Flat Before Christmas

photo from cbc.ca

The Blackhawks rallied for Clint Reif on Sunday night, but the emotions of the last few days look to have caught up with them, as a slow and painful first period resulted in three goals for Winnipeg, and a new goaltender for Chicago.

With Heavy Hearts, Blackhawks Win It For Clint

photo from usatoday.com

Early yesterday morning, the Blackhawks lost one of their own. Assistant equipment manager Clint Reif passed away unexpectedly, and the Blackhawks dedicated their 4-0 shutout against the Maple Leafs to him.

Blackhawks Fall Short in Shootout Loss to Blue Jackets

photo from zimbio.com

Near the start of the season, the Blackhawks felt they had been robbed of a second point by the Calgary goalie, Jonas Hiller. Quenneville said the same thing last night of Sergei Bobrovsky, who made over forty saves in regulation and overtime, and then made eight saves in the shootout to secure a win for the Blue Jackets (their first win against Chicago since 2011, fourteen games ago).

Late Rally Sends Blackhawks Past Wild

photo from bleacherreport.com

The Blackhawks had a 3-1 lead going into the third period, statistically their strongest period this season, but they ended up having to push late after giving up another two goals, the Wild tying the game ten minutes into the third period.

Hawks Take the Season Series with a Win Against Struggling Flames

photo from dawindycity.com

The Blackhawks rebounded well from Saturday night's loss to the Islanders to retake first place in the Central Division, handing the Flames their fifth straight loss to win the season series 2-1, and take five of a possible six points.

Morin traded to Columbus

photo from zimbio.com

Earlier today, Jeremy Morin was traded to Columbus in return for defenceman Tim Erixon.

Jeremy Morin had no points in fifteen games with the Blackhawks this season. Erixon has six points in nineteen with Columbus. He will report directly to Chicago

Chicago's third defensive pairing has been shuffled around half a dozen times since the injury to Trevor van Riemsdyk. It seems like Quenneville can't decide on which pairing works best, calling up a couple of Rockford players to fill in before settling on Klas Dahlbeck and Michal Rozsival for the last few games. With Erixon reporting directly to the Blackhawks, it's likely that that will change, with Dahlbeck or David Rundblad being sent to Rockford, and Erixon slotting in as the sixth or seventh defenceman.

As for Morin, this is a good trade for him. He was never going to get the playing time he needed to fully develop into a good player in Chicago; they're too deep at the wing, and he's just not a fourth line player. He's a scorer, not a checker or a possession guy, and short of another huge injury to one of the top six wingers, he was never going to get that opportunity with the Blackhawks. He's going to go on and be a ten to fifteen goal scorer for another team, like Brandon Pirri, or Jimmy Hayes, or potentially Kevin Hayes. The Blackhawks organisation is deep, and this is just another case of that being a problem for developing their young players, but I think Morin could easily have a hugely successful season with the Blue Jackets. He probably deserves it, after five seasons of bouncing up and down from Rockford to Chicago.

Islanders Snap Blackhawks Streak

photo from islanders.nhl.com

The Islanders gave the Blackhawks their first loss since November 23rd last night in a fast paced back and forth that really could have gone either way, and looked like it was going to right up until midway through the third period.

'Hawks Win Eight Straight, Lose Toews

photo from zimbio.com

The Blackhawks were in an excellent position to win this game, and win it easily. With two minutes left in the second period, the Blackhawks were up 3-0 and were looking like the stronger team everywhere on the ice. But halfway through the second period, Jonathan Toews was hit head first into the boards, and was incredibly slow to get up. He stayed in the game to complete the power play from the boarding call, but left for the locker room shortly after, and didn't return to the game. He's had concussion problems at least three times in his career.

Lukewarm Blackhawks Somehow Pull Out a Win

photo from newyork.cbslocal.com

The Blackhawks didn't look anything like their usual self this game. Despite being the struggling team and the tireder one, the Devils kept them pinned in their own end for long stretches, beat them to the puck countless times, and had little to no trouble shutting down our top two lines for the majority of the game.

Morin: Play Him or Trade Him

photo from bleacherreport.com

Earlier today, Jeremy Morin was sent to Rockford for a conditioning assignment. It's a two week reassignment, maximum, and is a way of getting Morin some playing time without having to put him through waivers.

Morin has reportedly told the Blackhawks that if they aren't going to play him, he wants to be traded. It's the same story as Brandon Pirri last season, or Kevin Hayes during the offseason. The Blackhawks roster is just so deep, that they really only have room for one or two additions each season. This season, it looks like Daniel Carcillo is getting a second chance with the organisation he won a Stanley Cup with.

That has to sting if you're Jeremy Morin, who's played parts of the last five seasons with the Blackhawks, and whose play late last season, after injuries to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, was good enough for a two year contract extension during the offseason. He's done everything he can this season to earn his spot on the roster, especially after an injury to Carcillo left a gap in the fourth line for Morin to slot into. However, he's been held pointless so far this season, despite playing fifteen of the twenty seven games, and Quenneville seems to be reluctant to play him in place of Carcillo, who has five points in seventeen games.

Earlier on twitter, Chris Kuc reported that five or six teams have been in contact with the Blackhawks, asking about a possible trade, which sounds like sneaking Morin through waivers just isn't going to work.

I like Morin. I like him on the roster, and I especially like him on a line with Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith. But if the Blackhawks won't play him, then he deserves to play for someone who will. Pirri has played twelve games so far in Florida, and has four points, and Hayes is having a great rookie season in New York (ten points in twenty three games with the Rangers). Morin would be a great pick up for a team struggling with their depth on the wing. There are no shortage of teams out there who are interested in that.

Other news

• Patrick Sharp returns to the lineup tonight, after missing twelve straight games with a lower body injury. 
• Corey Crawford will miss his third straight game with a lower body injury. Scott Darling will make his second consecutive start after allowing only one goal against Nashville on Saturday.

"Elite" play from Saad Gives Blackhawks the Win

photo from blackhawkup.com

The Blackhawks moved into first place in the Central Division after last night's win over the Predators. They've won six in a row, and nine of their last ten, and they show no signs of slowing down.

Timely Goal from Saad Sends Canadiens Home Empty Handed

photo from o.canada.com

Last night's game was a lot of fun. Certainly a lot more interesting than the 5-0 rout the Blackhawks gave the Canadiens in their own building last month. The Canadiens were a much better team than they were last time around, and they almost gave the Blackhawks a run for their money.

Three Third Period Goals Put The Blues Away

photo from bleacherreport.com

The Blackhawks were riding a three game win streak going into this game, and were fresh off a successful six game, five win road trip. They were also without Corey Crawford, one of their best players so far this season, for the first of at least seven games, and were just coming out of a hardfought weekend against Anaheim and LA. The game could honestly have gone either way.

Crawford's Injury a Chance for Raanta to Prove Himself

photo from zimbio.com

Today it was announced that Corey Crawford will miss a handful of games for the second time this season, after suffering an off ice lower body injury. Crawford will miss two to three weeks, per Joel Quenneville.

The Blackhawks' goaltending depth is still as strong as it was at the start of the season, with Scott Darling being called up from Rockford to serve as Antti Raanta's backup for the duration of Crawford's injury. This duo went 3-3-0 during Crawford's injury earlier this season, including a shutout for Raanta. Raanta has a save percentage of .933 and a 2.03 GAA, Darling has a save percentage of .933 and a 1.98 GAA.

It's a tough stretch of games to be missing Crawford, who's been one of the best Blackhawks so far this season, sixth in the league in save percentage and fourth in GAA. Their next ten opponents (the games that Crawford is projected to miss) include Montreal, Nashville, St Louis, Boston, New York and Calgary, all teams at or close to the top of their division, so Raanta and Darling will have to step their game up against these teams in particular.

Other news

• Patrick Sharp will not play tonight, but possibly will return some time this weekend. He has missed the past eleven games with a knee injury suffered against Montreal November 4th.

Blackhawks Finish Strong On Circus Trip

photo from bleacherreport.com

With this win over LA, the Blackhawks collect ten of a possible twelve points on their six game Circus trip, the only loss a frustrating one to the Canucks on the second half of a back to back.

Richards Line Topples Ducks

photo from nhl.com

The last time the Blackhawks faced Anaheim, they were shut out at home early in the season. This time, the Blackhawks are riding high, with seven wins in their last ten, and a red hot Patrick Kane, with twenty one points in twenty two games, and it was like watching two completely different teams.

Kane leads Blackhawks past Avalanche

photo from milehighsticking.com

Last night, the Blackhawks played an unfamiliarly loose and easy style of hockey, matching the Avalanche's speed and play. It was fast paced, and exciting, and technically probably not that good, but it was a lot of fun regardless, especially after a lucky goal from Bryan Bickell gave Chicago the lead late in the third period.

Frustrating Loss to Canucks Ends Streak

photo from cbc.ca

Last night's game felt a lot like the Detroit game last week. Everyone was just a couple of steps off, and a late Vancouver goal in the third period pretty much put the game out of reach, forcing an empty net with over two minutes left, and what felt like the inevitable empty netter.

Four Point Night For Hossa Helps Put Away Oilers

photo from blackhawkup.com

Last night, Chicago won their game by the biggest margin so far this season, with six different goal scorers and fourteen different Blackhawks collecting at least one point leading to the Oilers' sixth loss in a row, while the Blackhawks have won five of six in that time.

Kane Helps Chicago Edge Past Flames

photo from blackhawkup.com

Last time Chicago played Calgary, they outshot them 50-18, and lost 2-1 in overtime when they probably should have won. This time, they were outshot 27-22 and won 4-3 when they probably should have lost.

Kane, Versteeg, Richards lead Blackhawks past Stars

photo from nhl.com

Six different Blackhawks had a multipoint game last night, and every guy on the top two forward lines, and the top defensive pairing recorded at least one point. At the risk of jinxing the team as a whole, I think this marks the official end of the Blackhawks' struggling offence.

Raanta Reassigned to Rockford

photo from calgaryherald.com

Late last night, Stan Bowman reassigned back up goaltender Antti Raanta to the Rockford Icehogs, and recalled Scott Darling.

Last season, Raanta played parts of twenty five games for the Blackhawks and had a record of 13-5-4. He started fifteen straight games when Corey Crawford was injured last season, and won eleven of them (including his first career NHL shutout). When Raanta gets a chance to play, he's excellent.

However, when Crawford was healthy, Raanta started just seven games that season, and only won two of them. It's understandable, when you have a young, inexperienced back up like Raanta (last season was his first North American season, not just his first NHL season). What he needs is to be playing games, not sitting on the bench, if you want him to develop.

This season is Scott Darling's first NHL season, and it's starting out well. Called up when Crawford suffered an upper body injury early in the season, he started three straight games, and won two of them. He impressed everyone in training camp, and has played outstandingly so far this season in Rockford (a record of 5-1-0, with a .939 save percentage and 1.79 GAA).

This move makes a lot of sense. Chicago wants Raanta on the ice, and they're not going to be able to do that with Crawford healthy and playing as well as he is. Darling also has a slightly better record this season than Raanta, and that might make Quenneville happier to play him. Raanta hasn't played since October 25th, against the Blues. Crawford has started every game since returning from his injury (seven straight starts, including both games in a back to back). That can't continue for the entire season. Chicago needs to have a backup goalie they can trust to win games, but they also need to think about the development of their younger goalies. Having Raanta in Rockford starting the bulk of the games down there can only be a good thing in terms of his development.

Other News

• Yesterday the Blackhawks reassigned Peter Regin to Rockford, and then called up Joakim Nordstrom. Regin had one point in four games so far this season. Last season, Nordstrom had three points in sixteen regular season games for Chicago. This season with Rockford he has eight points in thirteen games.
• Daniel Carcillo looks set to make his return to the roster for tonight's game against Dallas. He has missed ten games with a lower body injury suffered in the October 25th loss to St. Louis.

Costly Turnovers Lead to Blackhawks' Defeat

photo from rantsports.com

The Red Wings opened the scoring last night on a costly turnover by Kris Versteeg, and that set the tone for scoring for the rest of the game. Three of the four wings goals were from turnovers, and two of those turnovers happened in Chicago's defensive zone.

Shootout Success Beats Lightning

photo from lightning.nhl.com

Last season, the Blackhawks won four of their twelve shootouts of the year, and notoriously struggled with overtime. So far this year, they're three for three, and have only lost once in overtime.

Blackhawks Blue Line Rises to the Occasion

photo from blackhawkup.com

The Blackhawks picked up their first home win in four games last night in a decisive 5-2 victory over San Jose, and something happened that hasn't happened since 1992; three Blackhawks defencemen scored in the same period (van Riemsdyk, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson in the first period).

Late Second Period Collapse Hurts Blackhawks

photo from blackhawkup.com

For the first thirty five minutes of last night's game, the Blackhawks played a "perfect" game of hockey, going 2-0 up against a struggling Washington team until a bad defensive breakdown led to a 2-on-1 and then the Capitals' first of three goals in the last six minutes of the period.

Blackhawks Offence Ignites, Shuts Out Canadiens

photo from blackhawkup.com

Coming straight off the back of two tough shut outs on home ice, the Blackhawks came into Montreal looking for a win, and this one was decisive, with Corey Crawford's first shut out of the season, goals for four different Blackhawks, and assists for another eight.

Blackhawks Shut Out Second Straight Home Game

photo from cbc.ca

Last night, the Blackhawks did a lot of things right. They mostly stayed out of the box, they generated a lot of shots, passing was good and on target, but they still lost 1-0 to the Jets, leading to their second straight 1-0 loss at home.

Reimer Stands Tall in Blackhawks' Loss to Maple Leafs

photo from cp24.com

Last night's game was a perfect example of how a goalie can steal two points for your team, as back up goaltender James Reimer made forty five saves on forty seven shots (twenty three saves in the third period alone, point blank shots from Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in the last four minutes) to give the Blackhawks their fourth regulation loss in six games.

Hossa's 1000th Leads Blackhawks Past Senators

photo from ottawasun.com

Chicago sweeps the season series with Ottawa with that win last night, but they were lucky to do so. Goals from Toews, Versteeg and Hossa showed the kind of offence we're used to from the Blackhawks, but shoddy defence meant the game had to be decided in a shootout.

Gibson, Ducks Shut Out Blackhawks at Home

photo from suntimes.com

After a strong game against the Senators on Sunday, the Blackhawks seem right back where they started, their inability to score goals leading to a 1-0 shutout for Anaheim.

Blackhawks Solve Second Period Problem, Defeat Senators

photo from ottawacitizen.com

Yesterday, I recorded an episode of my podcast, Two For Slashing. In it, me and my cohost Aaron talked about how if the Blackhawks can't start putting in a full sixty minutes of hockey and scoring in the second period, they're going to run into problems. They appear to have heard us, scoring not only a second period goal against Ottawa, but two (and one of those was on the power play, another area the Blackhawks have been struggling in, going 7 for 35 in the past eight games)

Carcillo Out For Four Weeks After Collision With Oshie

photo from nhl.com

Last night, Daniel Carcillo took a hip check to the knee, and left the game. Joel Quennville has just announced he'll be out for four weeks. They have yet to call anyone up from Rockford, Chicago's AHL affliate.

Slow Second Period starting to be an Issue for the Blackhawks

photo from bleacherreport.com

As of last night, Chicago have scored nineteen goals against other teams; nine in the first period, nine in the third period, and one in overtime. Seven games in, they have yet to score a second period goal, and St. Louis took advantage of this to score two second period goals, and put the game out of reach for the Blackhawks.

Neal and Rinne shine in Blackhawks' First Regulation Loss

photo from ontheforecheck.com

The first twenty minutes of last night's game looked set to play out almost exactly like the last time Chicago played Nashville (a 2-1 OT win). It was a fast paced game at both ends, however, in a rare lapse for the Blackhawks, they came into the second period being outshot 14-6. They eventually evened the shots up near the end of the game (outshooting the Predators 17-6 in the third), but it seemed too little too late, as they couldn't score a third goal and force overtime.

Return to Form for Blackhawks

from blackhawkup.com

Antti Raanta started his season strong last night, with a 4-0 shutout against an admittedly struggling Philadelphia team. His performance seemed to light somewhat of a fire underneath the rest of the Blackhawks, who have been struggling as of late with the offensive side of the game, being held to one goal in regular in three of their four games prior to this one.

Crawford Injury Not the End of the World

photo from sports-kings.com

Twitter announced today that Chicago goalie Corey Crawford is out with a day-to-day upper body injury, confirmed by Coach Joel Quennville after teammate Patrick Sharp said he was just 'sick'.

A year ago, this would have been a problem.

Ugly Power Play Almost Topples Blackhawks

photo from sportsmockery.com

Last night, the Blackhawks were 0-for-5 in their power play. They spent most of the game outplaying and outshooting the other team (37-20 in favour of Chicago), and they had one regulation goal to show for it.

Sound familiar?