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Raskolnikov

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So, I'm irked by a few things. With Stan safe it feels like JC is way too safe and coaching for the future with his decisions and not for right now. That should never happen. Dach is looking great but I just disagree he is more dangerous on the PP than El Gato. He is going to be a fantastic passer, his strength will come, and he was possibly the best pick-up in his draft. Certainly for the best fit to Hawks.

Anyway...if I was coaching for now instead of next year with Stan whispering into my pillow at night like an insatiable Thai hooker...

Kuba-Lasers-Sad
Cat-Dach/Strome-Kane (I know, its the lesser of evils)
Sikura-Dach/Strome-Entwhistle (Murphy-DeHaan compliment, we really need two more power forwards that can play)
Jewels-Carp-Kampf

Keith-Caarlson
Murphy-DeHaan
Boqvist-Maata

1st PP
Cat-Kuba-Kane-Toews-Boqvist (Toews plays back as second D)
2nd PP
Dach-Saad-Keith-Strome-Sikura


This should be a good hockey team next year if they can trade away some future picks with some overpriced D men, re-sign Kubalik, and move on from Nylander. I'd prefer they moved on from JC but I'm not getting that sense. His lines still make little sense to be unless this is a development club, and I don't believe in that in professional sports. This isn't where you develop, you play to win every game, you fight for every inch, you strategize every advantage. There is no silver lining, you live and die each night even in regular season. Thats how you push guys to develop themselves and fight to be the best with every decision they make on the ice and at home.
 

Granada

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We can throw line combos out there all day long, but at the end of the day, this team just isn't deep enough. I don't really think Sikura and/or Entwistle would have made things better last night -- I feel like their inexperience would have been all the more detrimental.

I would like to see Debrincat with Kane, with either Dach or Strome. But inserting players like Carlsson, Entwistle, and Sikura (all at once) would be disastrous. At this point, if the objective is to advance, you need to work with the best and most-experienced players at your disposal; especially when you already have a plethora of rookies in the lineup as is.
 

LordKOTL

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We can throw line combos out there all day long, but at the end of the day, this team just isn't deep enough. I don't really think Sikura and/or Entwistle would have made things better last night -- I feel like their inexperience would have been all the more detrimental.

I would like to see Debrincat with Kane, with either Dach or Strome. But inserting players like Carlsson, Entwistle, and Sikura (all at once) would be disastrous. At this point, if the objective is to advance, you need to work with the best and most-experienced players at your disposal; especially when you already have a plethora of rookies in the lineup as is.
I agree with this: I think you gotta stick with Saad/Toews/Koob and Debrincat/Dach/Kane for the top 2 lines--both have proven this series to at least have some bang to their buck. Strome was fake tits on a zombie worthless last game and I think both he and Nylander have to be in the situation where if they want top-6 time, they gotta earn it back.

I also think you have to split up Keith & Boqvist. Their games seem far too similar and easy to exploit like Keith/Leddy years ago. Give one of them Murph and the other either Maata or DeHaan--I know Maata and DeHaan are Seabrook/Cullimore slow but who else do we have aside from them and Murph who's more D-1st? I don't think KK would solve the Boqvist/Keith issues we saw last night.

You're right in that depth is an issue. On the other hand though it was pretty much the McJesus show for the first 2 periods last game until the 'hawks shot themselves in the 3rd (another issue that neds to be addressed). Edmonton isn't that deep, either...which can (emphasis there) be exploited by the 'hawks if they show up to play.
 

Granada

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I agree with this: I think you gotta stick with Saad/Toews/Koob and Debrincat/Dach/Kane for the top 2 lines--both have proven this series to at least have some bang to their buck. Strome was fake tits on a zombie worthless last game and I think both he and Nylander have to be in the situation where if they want top-6 time, they gotta earn it back.

I also think you have to split up Keith & Boqvist. Their games seem far too similar and easy to exploit like Keith/Leddy years ago. Give one of them Murph and the other either Maata or DeHaan--I know Maata and DeHaan are Seabrook/Cullimore slow but who else do we have aside from them and Murph who's more D-1st? I don't think KK would solve the Boqvist/Keith issues we saw last night.

You're right in that depth is an issue. On the other hand though it was pretty much the McJesus show for the first 2 periods last game until the 'hawks shot themselves in the 3rd (another issue that neds to be addressed). Edmonton isn't that deep, either...which can (emphasis there) be exploited by the 'hawks if they show up to play.

Yeah, I agree with most of this, but I don't think you can pair Boqvist with de Haan. De Haan is shit if I'm being honest -- I know it's a small sample size and the guy probably isn't 100%, but he has never impressed me, even before he went down for the year.

At this point, I'm almost tempted to limit Boqvist's minutes and put him on the third tandem with Maatta, while loading up the top two tandems:

Keith/Murphy
de Haan/Koekkoek
Maatta/Boqvist

It's like you say: it was pretty much the McDavid show last night -- that's why you have to load up the top two tandems, because having a rookie D-man up against McDavid on a regular basis the rest of the way simply isn't going to cut it. If you can neutralize McDavid and Draisitl, you can win the series -- I think you have a better shot of doing that if you load up the top two tandems. I guess the counter-argument would be that you would be hurting Boqvist's confidence if you do that, but his confidence isn't being helped by being dominated by McDavid all the same.
 

LordKOTL

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Yeah, I agree with most of this, but I don't think you can pair Boqvist with de Haan. De Haan is shit if I'm being honest -- I know it's a small sample size and the guy probably isn't 100%, but he has never impressed me, even before he went down for the year.

At this point, I'm almost tempted to limit Boqvist's minutes and put him on the third tandem with Maatta, while loading up the top two tandems:

Keith/Murphy
de Haan/Koekkoek
Maatta/Boqvist

It's like you say: it was pretty much the McDavid show last night -- that's why you have to load up the top two tandems, because having a rookie D-man up against McDavid on a regular basis the rest of the way simply isn't going to cut it. If you can neutralize McDavid and Draisitl, you can win the series -- I think you have a better shot of doing that if you load up the top two tandems. I guess the counter-argument would be that you would be hurting Boqvist's confidence if you do that, but his confidence isn't being helped by being dominated by McDavid all the same.
I would be perfectly fine with your pairings and I don't think at this point we need to worry about "hurting Boqvist's confidence". Unless the real goal is to throw every rookie into the fire, the 'hawks have to try to win, and right now Boqvist, Strome, and Nylander aren't cutting it from the youth movement. I think they, like everyone who comes through the ranks, have to at some point be held to merit.

On the plus side, Keith & Murph at times have looked good so I think that's what you have to run with to try and contain McDavid a bit.
 

anotheridiot

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They just need to find someone to win some faceoffs. If Kane is on the ice for a faceoff, he should skate off and jump on when the puck is in play, or let him take the faceoff.
Dach was good in game 1 in play, he was getting shoved around last game and Kane and Cat were just awesome when they were together. They didnt need to double shift Kane on the dach nylander line, just should have moved cat up for nylander first, before moving Strome up too.
I cannot believe we have nobody better than Nylander for the second PP unit and still want to see Kurashev here next year. I just cannot see them matching if someone offers for Strome since he is so bad on faceoffs. That 4 whatever million has to go to someone who can win 40% of his draws. We have too many guys who can just play wing.

Other rockford choices are Nillson and the Hakkakarien dude, so I doubt either make it here. But having a game plan on how to run plays on faceoffs to get to a lost faceoff is not a good plan.
 

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Folks, the Hawks have what we percieved as the best goalie in this series....multiple Cup winner, playoff savy....he's not been that guy. He hasn't been helped much by his defenders but he in turn hasn't helped them either. Changing lines does what exactly? You try and win a 6-5 game? LOL, please. Crawford, who has always been a favorite of mine, has morphed into Huet since the end of the regular season. The guy we know needs to be back in the net tonight, not the guy we've seen for the last two games.
 

Raskolnikov

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Yes Crow is vital to any playoff run without Lehnar here...he's it. The buck stops there, he has to be great to give this team a chance to win. That could happen anytime, he tends to look like this when he hasn't played alot. Thats the lesser of evils to worrying about lingering covid effects, but we know what sharp Crow looks like dialed in, and this is slow and sloppy Crow.

The technician is in there...will it come out?

I don't want to bag too hard on Strome when we are asking him to carry tiny Mini-me's. He isn't really that type of center which is why Cat-Strome-Kane isn't perfect. Strome would be better paired in our future with some power fwds or Kane and a power fwd. We don't have that guy because Stan had to get Jewels/Shaw/Sikura/Cat+Kane locked up long term.

I guess I will concede Strome to line 3, but I want him to get somebody like Kampf that can move people and get to spots.

Maybe Nylander-Strome-Kampf could do some things, and Jewel-Carp could hold down the 4th with HIghtower or Q.

Kuba-Taser-Sad
Cat-Dach-Kane
Nylander-Strome-Kampf
Hightower-Carp-Jewels

I think its too much to ask of Dach, but against this opponent and with our roster jam, lets see if the kid can keep us in a series. Strome does better when you support him physically...

the other extreme thing we could do for that is go Cat-Toews-Kane and see if Strome fairs better with the two skill guys who can work and move.

Strome is a young skinny kid too and we have consider what they actually are, not what we want them to be.
 
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Raskolnikov

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Cat-Toews-Kane
Sad-Strome-Kuba
Nylander-Dach-Jewels
Hightower-Carp-Kampf

or

Sad-Toews-Kuba
Cat-Dach-Kane

are probably the best two solutions, but I look fwd to JC and the youth push, maybe just maybe they can all step up.


I think its fair to curse the name Saarella about now. For one thing, Q got the start he might have. So his loss. I don't think the staff chose correctly but he should have stuck it out and overtaken Nylander months ago. Or in some ways that dicklicker up in Detroit...had to look up his name...Perlini...the other cunt dripper with a nice frame who bitched his way out of here when there were spots to be won.
 
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JimAKABlkhwks918

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Do what you want with the forwards, but there's no combination that's going to average 6 a game, and with the D and G the Hawks have that's what it's going to take.

Crawford is a long way from his 2013/15 self, and the defense is a 2/3 ( Keith) and a basket of 5/6/7's...no pair juggling can cover that up.
 

anotheridiot

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Folks, the Hawks have what we percieved as the best goalie in this series....multiple Cup winner, playoff savy....he's not been that guy. He hasn't been helped much by his defenders but he in turn hasn't helped them either. Changing lines does what exactly? You try and win a 6-5 game? LOL, please. Crawford, who has always been a favorite of mine, has morphed into Huet since the end of the regular season. The guy we know needs to be back in the net tonight, not the guy we've seen for the last two games.
II will settle for just staying in the net tonight since it will be that same choppy ice.
 

Bigfoot

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Right now our Top 6 is set with

Saad Toews, Kubes

Cat, Dach, Kaner

Bottom 6 still needs work, but with a flat cap going into next year have to think it could look like

Nylander, Strome, Suter

Caggulia, Carpy, Shaw

Kurashev has to figure in somewhere maybe as Strome replacement. Wonder if we will have the money to bring back Strome as it is obvious Kubes holds more value and is more important. Plus not sure if Shaw and Seabs get LTIR due to them both wanting to play 21 season
 

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