Not feeling great about this stretch of games, despite the Hawks having one of the league's better records. It's structured as a pair of three-in-fours, which it seems like the Hawks have had a lot of this year. Meanwhile, the Red Wings are on some strange schedule where they just seem to fit a game in here and there when they can. Ah well, they all even out in the end, I suppose.

Vancouver: Seabrook is out, Bolland might be out, Luongo is out for them. The Canucks are playing good-but-not-great hockey, right there in the Blob Of Mediocrity with the Wild, Predators, Lightning, Maple Leafs, et al. Keep your heads on straight and it could be a win.

Calgary: this team isn't very good, Kiprusoff is just about at the end of his road, and most of the Flames are old and bad. Iginla is old and good, and I hope the Hawks make a play for him after New Year's. Hawks have had Calgary's number home and away for some time now, should be a win.

Edmonton: Hawks torpedoed Khabibulin's theretofore stellar GAA on Sunday. The Oilers aren't as good as they look, but their kid line has been lethal on that super-fast Northlands ice of theirs, something like 6-1-1 on the year.

San Jose: Up to their usual tricks as one of the top 5-7 teams in the league despite a lack of depth. Always a close call between these two, except that time we swept them to win the West, which was rad.

Anaheim: Despite Getzlaf/Perry/Ryan/Selanne, the Ducks boast a limp-dick offense that can barely average 2 goals a game, and their goaltending hasn't been so hot either. While this should be a win, bear in mind it's the annual Day After Thanksgiving Matinee Of Death, wherein everyone looks lethargic, the Anaheim ice sucks, there are too many fights, watching the game feels odd because it's like 3 in the afternoon on a Friday, and you know it's gonna be some suckfest where the only goal is some bullshit Corey Perry tip-in while a Blackhawk screens his own goalie. I hate this game and team.

Los Angeles: Everyone's been talking about the Kings as a Stanley Cup contender, but after a hot start from Jonathan Quick, neither their scoring nor goaltending has particularly distinguished itself as they've gotten closer to the quarter-season mark. Talented team nonetheless.

I have the Hawks down for 2-3-1.

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One thread for six games... I like your style. I'm thinking the offense returns to its lethargic form tonight on the road, no Bolland could mean a big night for the twins... Not feeling the victory vibe.

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Bolland is dressed, but he has to keep his minutes down, so he'll be fourth-lining it with Mayers and Brunette. Kruger at #3C.

Ben Smith is probably en route to Calgary as we speak.

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Taking out your teammate/captain and giving up on a play resulting in a quality chance for Sedin... just a normal shift for Victor Stalberg...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

He might be the most frustrating athlete in Chicago right now. He can look like a real player, and then he has shifts like earlier when he almost gave up a goal arguing with the ref. He is also good for at least one "I am going to hold onto the puck too long, get run over and lost the puck while I pretend I am Patrick Kane eventhough I am not" instance per game. While I was typing this post, Montador made it 5-1. Overall a very solid effort tonight, especially after the last performance againt the Canucks.

On the other hand, I can't imagine how frustrating being a Canucks fan must be.

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"YOU GOTTA BE BLEEPING ME"

The likes of Marcus Kruger and Nick Leddy make me feel real good about the front office of this team.

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Git on back there.

Yeah, he's gotta a little Steeger in him, but much slower and less confident with the puck. But to his credit he has become more physical than when he first joined the squad last year, but my belief that he will be anything more than a 3rd line LW'er has long passed.

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Although Stalberg can be frustrating no one is worse right now that Bickell. Softest big guy on the ice. Go hit someone! I am so sick of watching him skate towards the guy with the puck but not finish. And please stop pretending you are a skill player, put your big body in front of the net! Pretty sure he is going to be watching the rest of this roadtrip from the press box

Ikesouth needs to start creating hockey game threads.

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Reading about the circus trip just made me miss the Bulls even more. I thought hockey would be an escape but it just makes me wish for a 9:30 tip against GSW.

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Seabrook out again, Frolik possibly out as well after that nasty board collision in Vancouver, Ben Smith should make his season debut tonight after a concussion and Olesz-protracted de facto rehab assignment. Too many modifiers at the end of that sentence, ick. Sorry. John Scott is still profiting from Quenneville's post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy and as such will probably keep dressing till the Hawks lose. It's another back-to-back, and the Flames are even more punchless than the Oilers are, so this'll probably be an Emery game.

Calgary's averaging a league-penultimate 2.118 goals coming into tonight, ahead of only the sorry-ass Ducks. The Hawks have traditionally managed Iginla well, so once he's neutralized you're really only worrying about Rene Bourque and Curtis Glencross. Goaltending is middle-of-the-pack, just like ours. This marks the second or third year that I've said Miikka Kiprusoff only has one year left in him, but so far I guess he's done his part. The Flames are an unimposing 3-5-1 at the Saddledome. Calgary's arena being "The Saddledome" is too perfect, really.

Projected lines:

Sharp - Toews - Stalberg
Carcillo - Kane - Hossa
Bickell - Bolland - Smith
Brunette - Kruger - Mayers
Keith - El Montador
Leddy - Hjalmarsson
Lepisto - Scott

Brendan Morrison is hurt for Calgary, they lost Niklas Hagman but not half his hit on re-entry waivers in yet another Calgary Flames dipshit salary cap maneuver, and I dunno most of their players are kinda old and/or bad, but not really old and/or bad, so they're in a neat little tier of purgatory these days. We should trade for Iginla.

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One of the SCH guys said it best comparing playing Scott to the this rock keeps a tiger away theory.

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Team Cutler.

Bickell is a weird case, it's like he's in love with his wicked wrister, so he doesn't like to be in front of the net, but he doesn't shoot enough, or get in his favorite slot position enough to do it, so he just ends up not doing anything on most nights. I'd like to see him play LW on a line with Kane or Hossa, but then he'd be too timid to shoot. Plus he doesn't have enough speed or handling ability to justify that kind of roster spot. He seems to be checking, but none of them ever seem memorable, but I guess that's not always the point...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Damn, has Brunette been playing on the fourth or is this an "Old Man Minutes" type of thing?

This lineup doesn't really inspire a lot of confidence, I'm thinking Calgary catches Chicago looking ahead to Edmonton and wins the trap game... and I seriously kind of believe that... *sigh...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Nice to see the Power Play start heating up. That was a pretty bad run for a while there.
Calgary sucks. This should be the easy game. Tomorow against ED with Emery sounds like the badly played game. They're not terrible. Won 50%. Not quite mediocre.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

He got demoted to the fourth line at even strength, but he's still on the power play and doing well. My offseason fear that he couldn't race with the thoroughbreds has been borne out.


wait'll you see theirs!

I agree that they should win tonight but drop tomorrow's game in Edmonton. I'm thinking Nugent-Hopkins or Eberle hat trick. Fast ice!

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Sucks that Crawford gave up two goals in the first minute of the second frame, but the Hawks have plenty of time to tie and/or lead.

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Looks like tonight is an "L". Not the end of the world, 7 points on this trip would be pretty good.

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"YOU GOTTA BE BLEEPING ME"

Well, hello Shirley.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

This sucks.

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Ugh.

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5 with 4 left in the first? Ouch babe.

How many do the Oilers have to score before I get a free taco?

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8 Oilers
2 Hawks
Hawks are consistent. 1 goal a period so we have that. Q must be pleased.

They're not fucking around, they really want 10...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

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Keith has been stinkin the rink up

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I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

Ray Emery needs to disappear. I realize everyone in front of him sucked ass, but he needs to go.

His GA in the preseason was 5 somethin,what the hell were Bowman and Q thinking?

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I'm going to bounce from the spot for awhile but I will be back at some point to argue with you about this hoops stuff again. Playoffs have been great this season. See ya up the road.

I'm out.

That second goal was pretty fucking awful, but it wasn't his fault entirely, and for the most part he's been pretty solid, well as solid as you need a backup to be... it was all shit from top to bottom. Seeing them that distracted because of a Vegas trip that early in the season is shameful...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants