hokkeynutt

Hey Stan, the Hawks need to fill their holes now. They are falling fast in the West after another embarrassing loss in Edmonton. The Crow played one of his worst games of the season, blowing a 2-0 second period lead and getting pulled in the third. The Crow looked like a fish out of water in his crease all night and may now take a seat behind Razor, who is expected to get an opportunity to win the starting job for the stretch run. As ugly as it was, the status of the team is pretty much the same. One of the best in the West, but with holes that need addressing...Now! These holes are starting to get bigger as other teams in the West are passing the Hawks. I know Stan is working the phones, but jeezuz, lets not fall to far down before the deals get done. The Hawks will try to regroup later tonight against the Flames in Calgary in an attempt to break their four game losing streak and their 6 game road losing streak. More to come later on tonight's game. Odds and Ends: - The injury bug hit the Hawks again last night as Bruny left the game with an upper body injury. When Coach Q was interviewed after the game, one got the impression that the injury is serious or at least that was my take. - Bicks spent more time in the penalty box (4 mins) than he had on the ice (3:39) through two periods. And to think Frolik was not dressed to play this worthless piece of dung. - The Oilers' Sam Gagner scored four goals and became the first player with eight points in game in 23 years (since Gretzky and Coffey). - In my opinion the Crow is done, spent, and has lost all confidence. Rumors of the Hawks being interested in Columbus' Curtis Sanford although I think he is to small to be an elite NHL goalie, 5'10", 185lbs. Thanks for reading. Scott

Tonight the Mighty Blackhawks will play game two of their nine game road trip, facing the Edmonton Oilers in their final meeting of the season. The Oilers lead the season series, three games to one. The Hawks will be looking to end many bad streaks tonight; a three game losing streak and trying to keep pace with division leading Detroit Dead Wings, and the Hawks will also try to avoid the longest road losing streak in more than eight years as Tuesday's loss to the Canuckleheads was the Hawks fifth consecutive road loss. The Hawks have not dropped six straight away from home since setting an embarrassing franchise-record 19-game skid from November 10, 2003 til January 29, 2004. Tonight's Expected Hawks Lineup: Stalberg - Toews - Kane Hossa - Kruger - Sharp Frolik - Morrison - Shaw Brunette - Mayers - Scott D-Men: Keith - Seabrook Leddy - Hjalmarsson Montador - O'Donnell Netminder: The Crow... gets a chance to redeem himself Odds and Ends: - Sharpie is going to play the balance of the season with a broken bone in his wrist and wait for surgery till the season's over. - Of the 72 players in the NHL who have reached 15 goals this season, Viktor Stalberg is the only one without a special-teams goal. - Captain Marvel has 11 goals and seven assists in his last 11 games versus the Oilers. - The second half of the NHL season began this past Tuesday night, the NHL teams with the toughest remaining schedule (based on the combined points percentage of its remaining opponents) are Nashville (.596), Chicago (.586), New Jersey (.583), Columbus (.576) and Buffalo (.575). The NHL teams with the easiest remaining schedule are Florida (.532), St. Louis (.541), Colorado (.542), San Jose (.543) and Vancouver (.543). Not only do the Hawks have the second-toughest remaining schedule, they also have 20 road games to play, tying them with Los Angeles and St. Louis for the NHL high. Thanks for reading. GO HAWKS! Scott

Tonight's game against Nashville Predators is the last one before the All-Star break, and for the Hawks, Shooter and Captain Marvel are out. The Hawks lost Saturday 5-2 to the Preds and appeared to have tired legs in that game (they arrived at their hotel at 3am). However, this is hockey and there are no excuses for the lack of effort the Hawks displayed Saturday night. The Preds are one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now after winning their third-straight game Monday night. They've now won 11 of their last 13 games. Rinne has been remarkable of late, giving up just 11 goals in his last eight games. For the Hawks, they will need that Animal Instinct to get at least one point to keep themselves in the fifth spot in the west, a Preds win in regulation... moves them into a tie. It sure would be nice to see Kaner get hot and come out and light up the lamp as he disappeared again in Saturday night's game. This is the last game for Chicago until Jan. 31 when the Hawks begin a nine-game road trip in Vancouver. They don't play another game at the Madhouse until Feb. 19 and have only four home games in February. Momentum is keep before any long road trip so lets get the "W" tonight! Tonight's Expected Hawks Lineup: Stalberg - Bolland - Kane Hossa - Kruger - Shaw Brunette - Pirri- Hayes Frolik - Mayers - Bickell D-Men: Keith - Seabrook Leddy - Hjalmarsson Montador - O'Donnell Netminder: The Crow... gets a chance to redeem himself Odds and Ends: - Earlier today, the Hawks placed Captain Marvel on IR - The Hawks have played 49 games... after Saturday’s loss to the Preds they are now 14-8 in games decided by exactly three goals. - In the last home meeting with the Preds, Kaner had two goals and an assist and Big Hoss added three assists in a 5-4 overtime victory on Oct. 31. Thanks for reading. GO HAWKS! Scott

Hello Blackhawk fans. Tonight, at the Madhouse on Madison the Blackhawks take on the ex-Hawks know as the Florida Panthers. The Panthers, last played on Wednesday night blowing a 3-1 third period lead in Colorado and lost in overtime 4-3 to the Avs. The Panthers are now 11-0-4 when leading after two periods. The Panthers have received a bit of good news as former Blackhawk, Jack Skille will be back in the lineup as he’s been out since December 16th with a shoulder injury. The Panthers have sorely missed his hard forechecking, his speed on the puck and his work in the corners. As the Panthers visit the Blackhawks it will be a reunion of sorts. Many of the current Blackhawks were teammates of five Florida Panthers (Versteeg, Campbell, Kopecky, Madden and Skille), as well as general manager Dale Tallon, who was the architect of the Hawks' Cup winning season. For the Blackhawks, Razor gets the start in net tonight. I expect the lineup to change slightly with Bickell back in the lineup as it is rumored that there will be numerous scouts from various teams at tonight's game. This because of teams are approaching the 50-game mark and trade talks are full-go. Word is, Bowman is eager to enhance his 62-point team. Only three games remain until the All-Star break and every point is valuable to the Blackhawks so picking up two points tonight is important. Tonight's Expected Hawks Lineup: Stalberg - Toews - Kane Hossa - Kruger - Shaw Brunette - Bolland - Hayes Frolik - Mayers - Bickell D-Men: Keith - Seabrook Leddy - Hjalmarsson Montador - O'Donnell Netminder: Razor Odds and Ends: - The Blackhawks have outscored their opponents in their last for home games, 20-9 winning all four. - The Blackhawks are 4-1 on Friday night Home games. - The Panthers are 0-3-4 in their last seven games away from home. - Former Blackahwk, Kris Versteeg leads the Panthers with 17 goals and 39 points. Thanks for reading. GO HAWKS! Scott

The Blackhawks routed the Buffalo Sabres, who are in a complete tailspin, 6-2 last night at the Madhouse on Madison. With a route like that, you would have thought that one Hawks' player would be a lock to be on the score sheet. I am talking about Kaner. Once again, Kaner did not score last night. Kane has just ten goals on the year, and has only found the back of the net three times in the last 29 games. He does however, have 29 assists on the season and is just struggling to score. Kane is going to have to start finding the back of the net soon. Two players that continue to find the back of the net are rookies Andrew Shaw and Jimmy Hayes. These two have done nothing but impress everyone. And their performances last night against the Sabres were no different. Shaw was camped out, unmolested in front of Sabres' goalie Jhonas Enroth eventually knocking in the rebound of a Duncan Keith shot to tie the game early in the first period. For now it appears that the Hawks have a player in Shaw that is not afraid to battle in front of an opponents net. One could argue that's exactly why Captain Marvel was able to score his 25th goal of the season on a first period power play. Shaw once again went to the net and screened goalie Jhonas Enroth, as Captain Marvel tapped in the redirected Seabrook blast on the right side of the goal. Now to the other Rook, Jimmy Hayes... Hayes took a perfect pass from Bruny and buried the puck in the back of the net late in the second period. In the third period, Hayes dropped a sweet pass to set up Bolland's 14th goal of the season. When Sharpie comes back from a wrist injury, it will be interesting to see how the Hawks keep the lineup. My guess is Bickell will be traded and Smith will be sent back down. Stay tuned. Odds and Ends - Hayes' 2nd period goal was his fourth in ten games, while Shaw netted his fourth straight goal and his fifth in just eight games. - The Sabres team that staggered into town Wednesday is in the midst of a nine-game road losing streak and leave with it now at ten games. Credit the ‘Hawks for taking care of business, but Buffalo is pathetic right now. Think they may be ready to make some deals? Derek Roy would look good in a Hawks jersey. - Don’t look now, but the guy they call the Weapon, Dave Bolland has nine points in his last six games. The Weapon has 14 goals in 43 games this season. His career-high in goals is 19, set in 2008-09 when he played in 81 games. - Next up for Chicago are the Panthers, who just lost Ed Jovanovski for a couple of months after he broke his hand in a fight. Thanks for reading. Scott

Tonight the beloved Blackhawks take on the Buffalo Sabres at the Madhouse on Madison. This past weekend the Hawks proved to themselves that they can skate with the Big Boys in the Western Conference (losing to the Hot Wings 3-2 SO and beating the Sharks 4-3) although their power play was 0-6. Tonight's game appears to be a "trap" game for the Hawks as the Sabres have been slumping of late and have lost 11 of their last 14 games. So with that said, it is important tonight for the Hawks not to play down to the Sabres. Recently called up Ben Smith will be in the lineup replacing Bickell on the 4th line as Coach Q has not pleased with Bicks performance of late. 　 Tonight's Expected Hawks Lineup: Stalberg - Toews - Kane Hossa - Kruger - Shaw Brunette - Bolland - Hayes Frolik - Mayers - Smith D-Men: Keith - Seabrook Leddy - Hjalmarsson Montador - O'Donnell Netminder: The Crow 　 Hawks Trade Rumors are Heating Up One rumor has it that the Hawks may be interested in Anaheim's Defensemen Francois Beauchemin. If this happened, he'd be a great fit as he is a physical, stay-at-home defenseman the Hawks need right now. He also would be a positive to the Hawks power play. His contract would not be a concern as he's months away from unrestricted free agency and his cap hit currently would be about $1.9 million for the rest of the season. 　 Odds and Ends: - Rookie Andrew Shaw has four goals in seven NHL games. - Kaner has only three goals in his last 27 games. (UGH!!!) - Yesterday, Daniel Carcillo was officially placed on Injured Reserve, and in fact underwent successful knee surgery on his ACL during the late morning. He is expected to be out 6 months. - Patrick Sharp update, he is on-schedule for a 4-week recovery from his wrist injury. - The Sabres have only 36 goals in twenty road games to date. - Bolland and Stalberg each have five goals a piece in the last five games. Thanks for reading. GO HAWKS! Scott

Thats a question to be answered by the Hawks on Saturday and Sunday. Coming off two 5-2 victories over Columbus and Minnesota, the Hawks now get a chance to test out their new lineup and (possibly) improved defense against two of the NHL's elite teams: at Detroit against the Deadwings on Saturday and Sunday at the Madhouse on Madison versus San Jose Sharks. Just a few comments on last night's game: Blackhawk Rookies, Andrew Shaw and Jimmy Hayes again had very good games each scoring a goal. As I stated yesterday, both might be able to stick and help this club. Time will tell. I have to sing this again, but "Oh where, Oh where has Kaner been, oh where, oh where can he be?" With four goals in his last 26 games, Kane is on pace for a career-low 18. Kane is feeling the pressure and the lack of scoring and admitted so during the in-between period interview with SaraH Kustok of CSN. Hey Kaner, this is your weekend to shine! Kane this weekend's games are the real deal and it would be nice to see you go ape sh!t and score a few goals. How about some praise for the power play! As you know, the Hawks have been terrible on the power play as of late. Last night, the Hawks scored twice with the extra man. They will definitely need to keep this momentum going as this type of production is a must in the second half of the season. Odds and Ends: - Marcus Kruger is cleared to play against the Deadwings and the Hawks have sent Ben Smith back down. - I expect on Monday, that the Hawks will officially place Car Bomb on IR as his season is over and his seven game suspension will have concluded on Sunday evening. - Early word is that Emery will start in goal against Detroit Thanks for Reading! GO Hawks! Scott

Tonight at the Madhouse on Madison the beloved Blackhawks take on the Minnesota Wild. Wow how a few weeks change things in the NHL. In mid December when the two teams met, the Wild were first in the Conference and the Hawks were slumping. When that game was all said and done, Kaner had just completed undressing Wild netminder Niklas Backstrom in the shootout and was leading a victorious Blackhawks team off the ice with a 4-3 win. For tonight, Minnesota is currently seventh in the West and ended a 1-8-3 slump with a 5-4 shootout win over San Jose on Tuesday. Minnesota netminder Josh Harding is likely to get the start. The Hawks enter this game determined to gain two very much needed points before the big Detroit-San Jose back-to-back games this weekend. Hawks' rookies Andrew Shaw and Jimmy Hayes continue to play well and one could argue that should remain on the 23 Man Roster. Tonight's Expected Hawks Lineup: Stalberg - Toews - Kane Hossa - Bolland - Hayes Brunette - Shaw - Frolik Bickell - Mayers - Smith D-Men: Keith - Seabrook Leddy - Hjalmarsson Montador - O'Donnell Netminder: Razor Odds and Ends: - Happy 33rd Birthday Hoss! - Will Kaner score tonight? (He has 3 goals in the last 24 games.) - Carcillo serves game five tonight of a seven game suspension. Yesterday, Q stated after practice that Car Bomb need surgery but hesitated to state exactly what for. - Tazer is currently 3rd in the league in Faceoffs taken (860), and 1st in faceoff win percentage (61.5%), and that win percentage is 3.4% higher than the next closest player with over 600 draws taken. - Nick Leddy is -9 over the last four games. - Marcus Kruger will miss his eighth straight game with a concussion. He is expected to return to the lineup as early as Saturday against the Deadwings. Thanks for reading! Go Hawks! Scott

This was brought to my attention via an email received earlier today and I wanted to share it with all of you. First let me state that, the Mighty Blackhawks do an outstanding job of supporting and honoring our military, and tonight will provide another example of the organization helping a veteran and raising awareness for a great cause. At each home Blackhawks game there is an active-duty member of the Armed Forces as well as a veteran in attendance during the singing of the National Anthem by Jim Cornelison. Tonight, prior to Hawks facing the Minnesota Wild, Evergreen Park resident Lance Corporal Luis Ocasio will be standing on the ice for this special honor. Luis Ocasio has served two tours of duty in Iraq, one in 2004 and another in 2007. During his deployment he suffered a traumatic brain injury and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. His transition back to civilian life, like many veterans, has been challenging and he’s still working to make ends meet financially so he can provide for his wife and children. A few months ago Luis noticed his furnace was no longer functioning properly and with the cold winter quickly approaching he knew he had to swallow his pride and ask for help. With the assistance of the Hines VA Hospital, Luis got in contact with the Helping Our Heroes charitable foundation. Nancy Neimoth, Director of Helping our Heroes, immediately contacted the Heat for Heroes program and within weeks a new furnace was on its way to the Ocasio family. Heat for Heroes is an effort of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Chicago (MCA) and the members of Pipefitters Local 597. Their mission is to donate time and materials to repair home heating and cooling systems for eligible military personnel. "I thought getting a new furnace was such a blessing, but now I’m being honored at a Blackhawks game. The Heat for Heroes program has really gone above and beyond for me and my family." For more information about Heat for Heroes or to find out if you are eligible, please visit www.mca.org.

I agree, but you never know as they have the ties with Dale Tallon. Word is that Tallon is a big Stalberg fan.

Last night, Blackhawks winger Viktor Stalberg recorded a Hat Trick giving him seven goals this season against the Jackets. He only has twelve on the season and was quoted after the game, "I wish it was like that every night!" I am sure he was referring to his goal output and not playing the 82 games against the Jackets. The Hawks PK killed all five of the Jackets power plays including a four minute pp in the first period when Montador was given an additional two minutes for instigating the fight with a face shield against Boll and an additional two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Hawks PK was expected to perform well against the worst team in the League and did so. The Hawks earned two points last night and the Blue Jackets just might have been the Preparation H that this Hawks team needed, we shall see. Kane Watch: Kaner has three goals in 24 games and this should be his time to shine with Sharpie being out. Last night Kane did have an assist on Stalberg's goal but as I stated in my previous post, he is making bad decisions on the ice and is playing Bantam hockey. sh!t, even recently called up Jimmy Hayes is playing better then Kane. Coach Q, you must send Kaner with a cap hit of $6.3MM, a message now and sit him a game! Odds and Ends: - The Blue Jackets out shot the Hawks 34-25 - The Hawks were 0/5 on the power play. (UGH!!!) - Tazer won 11 of 15 face offs to continue his league lead. - The Hawks are now tied for the Central division lead (55 points) as the Blues blanked the Canadiens 3-0 and the Deadwings lost to the Islanders 5-1. - The Hawks next game will be Thursday when they play host to the Minnesota Wild. Thanks for reading. Scott

The Hawks are on a four-game losing streak and have dropped five of their last six overall and tonight they face the Blue Jackets and the debut of interim coach Todd Richards, who took over for the fired Scott Arniel on Monday. Usually, when playing a team that has just changed coaches you worry about that teams players coming out with so much piss and vinegar to try and impress the new guy. Not sure how the Jackets will perform but if you recall when the Blues hired Hitchcock, the Hawks played the Blues the next night and were driven out of St Louis with a 3-0 loss. The Blue Jackets come into tonight's game with the fewest points in the league and are 2-8-1 in their last eleven games. Coach Q has juggled lines quite a bit tonight due to the broken wrist suffered Sunday by Sharpie and the suspension of Carcillo (tonight he serves game four of a seven game suspension). I further expect Q to shuffle the lines around as the game progresses. The Hawks cannot take the Jackets lightly tonight, if they do the Hawks would lose their fifth straight game, something they have not done since March 13-20, 2009. 　 Tonight's Expected Hawks Lineup: Stalberg - Toews - Kane Smith - Frolik - Hossa Bickell - Bolland - Shaw Brunette - Mayers - Hayes D-Men: Keith - Seabrook Leddy - Hjalmarsson Scott - O'Donnell Netminder: The Crow Odds and Ends: - In the last meeting between the two teams the Hawks won 4-1 - Trade Rumors are all over the net. Some Hawks being mentioned are Bolland, Bickel, Stalberg, Leddy, Hjalmarsson, Frolik, prospects Brian Connelly, Shawn Lalonde and Philippe Paradis. One rumor melting the ice is Hawks sending Dave Bolland, Viktor Stalberg and prospect Shawn Lalonde to Florida for Stephen Weiss and a mid-round draft pick. Thanks for reading! Go Hawks! Scott

Wow what a rough weekend for the Blackhawks. On Friday, the Hawks could not escape the Avalanche at the UC and were shutout 4-0 and last night they gave up a two goal lead to the Deadwings and lost 3-2 OT. During last night's game with the Wings, Sharpie absorbed a slash on his left arm as he scored the second Hawks goal. No penalty was called. Moments ago we learned that Sharpie will be out 3-4 weeks. It is believed that he has a broken wrist. The Hawks are now on a four-game losing streak and are watching teams glide past them in the Central Division standings. It is becoming more evident that the Hawks (as I have said before) could use a second line center and they need another top 4 defenseman in the worst way. And now add to the mix a left wing, given the fact that Sharpie is out up to four weeks. Hawk fans these are just some of the issues facing the Hawks. Another issue is the overall team character, although improved over last year, some are still a a bit lazy and undisciplined as compared to other top teams in the league. Example, it is becoming evident is that Patrick Kane needs a firecracker lit under his ass. He has three goals in 23 games and his back-check is terrible and in my opinion, he is making bad decisions and playing poor hockey. Hey Q, send him a message and sit him a game! Hawks' fans, nothing is going to get easier any time soon. After Columbus and Minnesota this week, here’s how it looks, in order: at Detroit, vs San Jose, vs Buffalo, vs Florida, at Nashville, vs Nashville, at Vancouver. Stay tuned tomorrow as the Blue Jackets come into town. Thanks for reading. Scott

Tonight, the Hawks will try to climb out of a 2 game losing skid, going 1-3-0 in their last 4 games. How quickly things change for a team that had a dominant December. The Avs are currently one of the NHL's hottest teams right now and invade the Madhouse on Madison. With an 8-2 record in their last 10 games and a three-game winning streak, it's clear things are clicking for the Mountain Men. Goalie Semyon Varlamov is expected to be the net minder tonight and is 13-13-1 with a 2.96 gaa and .900 save %. The Avs last played Monday night winning in a shoot out in LA 2-1. For the Hawks, the short time home should be enough time to reflect on last night's loss and regroup for tonight's challenge. I expect Andrew Shaw and Dylan Olsen to be again in the lineup tonight. The Hawks did not provide themselves with a PP (ranked 15th in the league) last night so tonight I expect to see how Coach Q's moving Kaner to the second power-play unit works out tonight (the PP is 1-for-21 in the past 6 games). Note, the PK ranks 26th in the league at 78.3%...OUCH. Tonight's Expected Hawks Lineup: Shaw - Toews - Hossa Sharp - Kane - Stalberg Bickell - Bolland - Frolik Brunette - Mayers - Hayes D-Men: Keith - Seabrook Leddy - Hjalmarsson Olsen - O'Donnell Brick Layer: The Crow Odds and Ends: - The Hawks are 4-0 on Friday night Home games - The Avs have won their last 3 road games. - In the last meeting between the two teams at the UC, the Avs escaped with a 5-4 SO victory. - The Crow has stopped 51 of 56 shots while going 1-0-1 against the Avs this season. - Kane finally scored last night (thats 3 goals in his last 21 games). - Car Bomb's knee injury have many believing that he may have played his last game in a Hawks' jersey. I have no opinion on this yet. Just a thought... here's a new drinking game: Every time a Hawks forward shoots a point blank shot wide, take a shot. Bonus: If the wide shot results in an opponents rush the other way, chug your chaser before all Hawk forwards make it back into the defensive zone. If the last player back is Scott or Lepisto drink again. An alternative to this game... Every time the Hawks are scrambling in their defensive zone (with players out of position) take a shot. Bonus: If the Hawks' escape the scrambling and rush up ice on a 2-1 and score chug your chaser. Thanks for reading! Go Hawks! Scott

Hawks vs Flyers Recap: The Negatives: - The Hawks allowed 46 shots (21 in the second period) in an uneven performance defensively that should have general manager Stan Bowman stepping up his efforts to find defensive help. I have been stating this for some time now. Stan are you listening? - Razor was exposed by a team that had the skill and patience to get him to move laterally. All 5 Flyer goals forced Razor to move post to post. - After going 15 games without a regulation loss when scoring first, the Hawks have now lost their last two. - Kane was called for a high sticking penalty with under two minutes left in regulation and vanRiemsdyk scored his second goal of the game with just under 33 seconds left. 　 The Positives: - In a game that saw the Hawks' Andrew Shaw and Dylan Olsen make their NHL debuts Thursday night, it was Shaw that made a big impression. On just his second NHL shift, Shaw was challenged by Flyers tough guy Zac Rinaldo. Unfortuantely for the big hearted Shaw, he needed some repair work after the scrap was broken up (big left cut over his left eye upon receiving a haymaker that cleanly landed from Rinaldo. Shaw exited the rink to the locker room only to returned to the game later. For Shaw made up for losing the fight by fighting hard to get a puck out from behind the Flyers' net and scored his first NHL goal in the second period. The score gave Chicago a 2-1 lead that would last only 17 seconds. - Hayes scored his second NHL goal in his second NHL game - Kane finally scores (3 goals in his last 21 games) 　 Avalanche/Hawks write-up to come later. Thanks for reading. Go Hawks! Scott

The Hawks called up rookie defenseman Dylan Olsen and rumor has it that they maybe showcasing him. Oslen is silimar in playing style of Harjlmisson. If Olsen struggles (which is the more likely scenario), he goes back to Rockford and the Stan will have to pull the trigger on any of a large handful of available veteran blueliners that could help the team. The D is impacted by the loss of Montador being placed on IR. The Hawks have been week on the blue line and the depth of "slow skating" Lepisto is not an asset to the Hawks when facing a physical team sucj as the Flyers. With that said, if Scott and Lepisto were in the lineup, the D would be as slow as turtles.

Tonight,for the first time since the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, the beloved Blackhawks travel to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Philadelphia Flyers (22-11-4). Regarding the Flyers, they skaters in orange are a tough, physical and skilled team that is built for the playoffs. As you know, this is the kind of team that gives the Hawks, as currently composed, a lot of problems. For the Hawks there are some changes to the lineup as they try to regroup from Monday's loss to the Oilers and Car Bomb's 7 game suspension. As I posted yesterday, Coach Q plans to start the Razor (Emery) in net against Flyers and recently signed Andrew Shaw will be in the lineup and likely paired with Toews and Sharp on first line to start the game. Rumor has it that rookie Dylan Olsen will be paired with O'Donnell tonight which would mean that D-man John Scott will be out of the lineup against a very physical Flyers team. In the past 5 games the Hawks are 1-for-21 on the power play which has prompted Coach Q to move Kaner to the second power-play unit in an attempt to get the pp firing again. This game will be physical and will be a tough challenge for the boys wearing the Indian Crest. The Hawks better bring their "A" game tonight as they do not want to be on a 2 game losing streak and then come home to face the Deadwings tomorrow night. Last year the Flyers beat the Hawks at the Madhouse on Madison 4-1. Hawks, lets return the favor tonight! Tonight's Expected Hawks Lineup: Shaw - Toews - Hossa Sharp - Kane - Stalberg Bickell - Bolland - Frolik Brunette - Mayers - Hayes D-Men: Keith - Seabrook Leddy - Hjalmarsson Olsen - O'Donnell Wall: Emery 　 Odds and Ends: - On Wednesday, the Hawks placed both center Marcus Kruger and defenseman Steve Montador on injured reserve. I expect Car Bomb to me moved to IR after completing his 7 game suspension. -This is the only regular season meeting between the two teams. Last year the Flyers won the game at the Madhouse on Madison 4-1. - Oh where, oh where, has Kaner gone, Oh where, Oh where can he be??? Kaner has only two goals in his last 20 games. Thanks for reading! Go Hawks! Scott

Moments ago the NHL handed the Car Bomb (Dan Carcillo ) a seven game suspension for his boarding hit on Edmonton Oilers blueliner Tom Gilbert in Monday night's game.

Coach Q plans to start the Razor (Emery) in net against Flyers on Thursday. Also recently signed Andrew Shaw will be in the lineup and likely paired with Toews and Sharp on first line as that is were he practiced today. The Hawks remain deadly silent on Car Bomb's (Carcillo) knee injury. Rumor has it that the injury is serious and that surgery is a high possibility. Rookie Dylan Olsen was paired with O'Donnell act practice today however it is still to be determined if he will play Thursday against Philadelphia. He has been added to the Hawks 23-Man roster. Thanks for Reading. Scott

The Blackhawks have recalled defenseman Dylan Olsen from the American Hockey League’s Rockford IceHogs, and placed forward Marcus Kruger and defenseman Steve Montador on Injured Reserve. Additionally, forward Andrew Shaw has been added to the active roster. Olsen, 21, was the Blackhawks first selection (28th overall) in the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft. He has tallied one goal, one assist and 38 penalty minutes in 30 regular-season tilts this year with the IceHogs in his first full professional campaign. Over parts of the last two seasons, the Calgary, Alberta, native has registered six points (G, 5A) and 48 penalty minutes in 72 regualr-season AHL contests. Prior to his professional debut, Olsen registered 24 points (2G, 22A) and 71 penalty minutes in 53 tilts over parts of two collegiate seasons (2009-2010) at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Last winter he captured a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2011 World Junior Championships, registering two assists in seven games, and he also posted four points (2G, 2A) and a +4 plus/minus rating in six games with Team Canada at the 2009 Under-18 IIHF World Championships.

The reason he missed the 6 previous games was due to a concussion he received during the Minnesota Wild game.

There was no official word from the Hawks following practice on Tuesday regarding the condition of Dan Carcillo (Car Bomb). Carcillo appeared to have suffer a left knee injury, possibly severe, in Monday's loss to Edmonton on the play that got him in trouble with the NHL. Coach Q said Carcillo was undergoing further medical testing on Tuesday. He also stated that the Hawks likely would recall a player from Rockford for games Thursday at Philadelphia and Friday against Colorado. It just might be gritty forward Andrew Shaw, who was signed to a three-year entry level contract on Tuesday. Q said the timing of Shaw's signing had nothing to do with Carcillo's injury. Other: Marcus Kruger didn't practice again Tuesday and in back has had a setback in his recovery from a concussion.

NHL suspends Carcillo indefinitely pending a hearing for hit on Oilers' Tom Gilbert Monday. It is Carcillo's sixth suspension. More to come.

Hey Q, put this on the white board “9-2”. This is all the motivation the Hawks should need tonight. Welcome to the Madhouse on Madison, Oilers! The last time these two teams met the Hawks were licking their wounds and wondering how the hell a mediocre team like Edmonton had managed to put 9 (yes, NINE) goals. Since that game, the Hawks turned things decidedly for the better following that humiliating 9-2 loss in Alberta. Their record is 12-4-1 since that night, they are 8-2-0 in their last 10 outings, and they’re 14-3-3 at home on the year. The Mighty Blackhawks are in first place in the overall league standings, though it would be foolish to say that this team is dominant, or even consistently good. Tonight’s Expected Hawks’ Lineup: Carcillo-Toews-Hossa Sharp-Kane-Stalberg Bickell-Bolland-Frolik Brunette-Mayers-Hayes D-FENCE! Keith-Seabrook Hjalmarsson-Leddy O’Donnell-Lepisto Bricklayer: Crow Odds and Ends: - Happy New Year Everyone - The Hawks’ Marcus Kruger and Steve Montador are out with injuries. - The Crow, who turned 27 on Saturday, is 3-1-0 with a 1.52 gaa in the last four games. - The Hawks are 1-1 against the Oilers winning 6-3 at Home and losing in Alberta as stated above. GO HAWKS! Thanks for reading. Scott

Last night in Pittsburgh, the Penguins followed the blueprint necessary to beat the team with the NHL's best record, the beloved and Mighty Blackhawks. The Pens set a physical tone early, outworked the Hawks in the corners, got them on their heels, drew penalties and took advantage of the Hawk’s weak PK. Just as St. Louis, Boston, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton did earlier this year, the Pens worked that plan to a 3-0 lead, before the Hawks threw the kitchen sink at them in the 3rd, making it close. If the Hawks played the entire game like they did in the 3rd, there is no question that they win the game. Credit to the Razor for keeping the Hawks in the game early. But you can’t win em all. You must play and learn. Tonight, the Hawks face the Habs a little bit tired after last night's loss and late arrival in Chicago. Crawford gets the start tonight as he's due for one and the Razor could probably use the rest. So tonight is a good test in more ways than one. With Kruger likely out for a little while, the Hawks moved Car Bomb to IR earlier today to make room for Brandon Pirri. Note tonight’s lineup changes below as I expect Kaner to center the #2 line. Tonight's expected lineup: Morin-Toews-Hossa Sharp-Kane-Pirri Brunette-Bolland-Bickell Stalberg-Mayers-Frolik D-Men: Leddy-Keith Hjalmarsson-Montador O‘Donnell-Scott Brick Layer: The Crow (Confirmed) Odds and Ends: - The Hawks are 11-2-3 at home. They've outscored opponents 11-5 during three straight wins at the United Center. - Despite last night’s loss, the Hawks remained atop the league's overall standings with 46 points. - With the Canadien’s Carey Price having started nine straight games, backup tender, Peter Budaj is scheduled to start. Budaj, is 1-4-0 with a 3.83 goals-against average in his last four starts against the Hawks. GO HAWKS! Thanks for reading. Scott