Jump to content
  • entries
    79
  • comments
    72
  • views
    60,265

Game 4 at Boston… Gut Check!


hokkeynutt

8,602 views

Remember game 5 against the Detroit Scum when I commented, “Game 7 is tonight and a win is necessary to get it to another Game 7 and then another…” Blackhawk fans its “Gut Check” time again and tonight’s game 4 is simply do or die. No other way to put it. So while you digest that, here are a few observations from Monday’s embarrassment:

Where was the net front presence for the Hawks, there was none until Q sent Bicks out after pulling Crow late in the third period?

Where was “look at my cool mullet”, Kane, a $6.3 million player, other than missing a clear shot in the third period? Kaner did Tiki have another father/son talk with you? If not he needs to!

How can a power play be that disorganized, chance after chance, game after game? Didn’t Q bring in “his guy” to solve the power play issues? My gosh I sound like a broken record when I say, “Q, the power play sucks!”

Why are the Hawks getting there azz kicked in the faceoff dot? Stan isn’t the team built to be a puck possession team? (Oh yeah, all you did at the trade deadline was bring in Zus.)

Stan, if players, including your $6.3 million a year Marketing Boy Wonders, aren't playing like with all the piss and vinegar, it's time for this organization to make some hard choices.

One last point, are there too many passengers on this team (Stalberg, Zus, Bolland, to name a few)?

A friend Efren, commented on his FB page, “I can't even listen to the Score Radio or Facebook page who feel the series is over at 2-1.”

I don’t feel that the series is over but the good guys have not scored in over 122 minutes, a lil over two games and look like a clusterflop on the ice, disorganized with no sense of direction and Q I blame you and the players for this. Boston smells blood and heading into Game 4, the boyz in the Indian Crest need to play bigger and better, obviously. What I mean by my comment is that they don't necessarily have to be bigger, but they have to play to their size if they are bigger or play the game and get results like bigger players if they're small. Example of a player playing big: C/W Marcus Kruger, who at 175 pounds, rarely loses a board battle, blocks shots, absorbs checks and always goes to the front of the net. He has desire and the will. An example of a player who plays "small" 6'3", 210 pound winger Viktor “No Hands” Stalberg, who, for all his speed, rarely wins a battle physically or finishes any checks. (I guess he doesn’t want to break a nail.) The Hawks have to stop disappearing in physical games, stop giving up on pucks in the corners and stop wilting under a forecheck. If this does not change and certain players continue to play small, they must realize that they are putting a much larger burden on the rest the Hawks players. If you're not going to go to the front of the net, then your teammate's centering pass goes right to an opposing defenseman and very quickly the other way. If you're not going to win the puck on the wall... well than your linemate has to. If you're not going to take the hit to make a clearing pass, then the whole team has to expend more effort to get the puck out and on and on and on. Ok I vented!

Tonight, I expect Q will use Kane, Tazer and Sharpie together on the same line. With the 'Hawks down 2-1 and struggling to score goals, there is no better time than tonight to see how this line produces against the Bruins. This will leave Big Hoss, to be on line 2 with Zus/Bolland and Bicks. For the 3rd line, I believe it could look like Saad, Shaw, and Stalberg and the 4th line Frolik, Zus and Krugs.

The Blackhawks need to change their game and it better start tonight. They need to play harder, more physically and fearlessly. Can they do it with the roster they have? We’ll definitely find out tonight and for any remaining games in this series. Its Gut Chek time and remember Blackhawks, checking is allowed.

Thanks for reading.

Go Blackhawks!

2 Comments


Recommended Comments

Guest
Add a comment...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...