L.A. Kings defeat Blackhawks, 5-2

We were out played, out hustled and outworked at both ends of the ice, other then for a short span in the third period the Kings owned us. Their fourth goal 32 seconds after we got our first really hurt. Huet wasn't as sharp as I have seen him play but in fairness he was hung out to dry by his own team. Giving up a two on one when on a PP which O'Sullivan scored on was deadly. Whenever the Kings had control in our end a Kings player moved to the front of our goal to act as a screen. When we were in their end no screen set up and Quick will stop clear shots from the outside all day long. WE scored on Kane's wrap around last night so we tried the same move about a half dozen times by Kane and Toews, guys they read those tea leaves early move on to something else. A disappointing effort and a bad note to be going into the Shark Tank on. However they are still our guys so lets GO HAWKS GO!!!!!!!!!!

"Slow Start" ? For the first 10 minutes the Hawks looked like a NHL team; after that they all played like PUDS. they might have well have given the Kings a tent to sleep in they way the hawks allowed them to camp in fron of huet. Huet played a terrible game. The Hawks were powderpuffs in front of the kings net and Quick. Regression Night. I was looking behind the bench to see if Alpo was back there coaching. After all, the hawks played like daggie dirt.

Not a good game to have before heading to the Shark Tank. Actually there would never be a good time to have this sort of game. Special teams need to tidy things up. Huet wasn't strong by any means but I'm hardpressed to imagine a way for any single guy to have helped the Hawks win this game. They were outplayed everywhere on the ice. Saturday's game will be very interesting.

The TV was off about 3 seconds after the shortie. That's not my usual M.O. but the writing was on the wall. The Hawks inconsistancy is dissapointing and alarming. While it's better to have a stretch like this now than at the end of March leading into April they can't have such a miserable February that they give back everything they gained early in the year. A few more games like that and there'll be some extra leg room on the bandwagon.

LA is a team that's surprising people, but they should not run over the Hawks like this.

Until the Hawks decide to go to the net, these nights will be frequent.

Saturday is a new month, and lets hope the Hawks get back their December mojo.

I don't know why it is that the Kings and Ducks seem to be able to dominate the Hawks when they're only .500 teams.

The Hawks better pick up their game a notch against San Jose or they will be easy prey for the Sharks.

Two short-handed goals against in 2 games is nothing to write home about either. The powerplay has to be more productive.

Somebody made the mistake of telling the Hawks they were among the NHL'S elite, and I think it's gone to their heads.

The Hawks won't advance in the play-offs ( providing they make it ) unless they play a lot better than the first two games of this road trip. Don't forget the Hawks would be 0-2 if it wasn't for Nikolai Khabibulin.

I hope JQ don't become one of those coaches who constantly
makes excuses for poor performances, and accepts it. The Hawks have seen too much of that since 1961.

Hawks were doing well until losing two to Detroit, getting beat by one of the best teams in the league seems to have taken them down a peg or two. Last night they didn't look good at all, and Huet wasn't the sharpest either.

Now it's onto the Sharktank, GO HAWKS!

At least the Wolves won last night.

how do you write a recap and not mention who was in net for the hawks

As a pure amateur analyst, I say this one is easy to disect: The Kings wanted the game more than the Hawks. There are no "easy" games in the NHL. I get so tired of the "this is a game we should win..." stuff. Man, they are all professional players and the differences are obviously very small between individuals and teams. Sometimes good or bad luck makes the difference in the outcome of a game. I personally think it is the old fashioned "how much do you want it ?" that makes the difference. Hard to maintain that fire every game at all levels of hockey, especially the NHL, in my opinion. Move on and really keep the feet moving boys! Go Hawks!

mike from Minneapolis: Do you mean Kuc's article?(recap) He mentions Cristabol Huet being the Hawk's goalie.

The Hawks struggles of late can be directly linked to their poor performance on special teams. At times, their power play has been simply awful. Not only do they not get any quality scoring chances, but they barely are able to get in the opponents zone and set things up. Just before the all-star break against the Rangers they had a 5 on 3 power play five times in that game which I have NEVER seen before and they only scored on one of them. Now the last two nights, they have given up two-shorthanded goals and the one last night sealed the deal on that game. Their penalty killing of late, has also been off from its early season level. Oh, and can we find someone - anyone - who can win a critical face off. Sharp and Frasier, among others, are horrible at trying to win a draw. I believe at one point, and Pat Foley even brought it up, that they lost 12 out of 13 faceoffs. Hard to keep the puck out of your zone when you can't get control of it. I'm not panicking by any means, but I'm seeing some troubling signs that I hope they can turn around soon. This is a competitive conference and a 4 or 5 game losing streak can drop you from 4th place to 8th place in a hurry. Let's hope they can stem the tide and get a point or two in San Jose.

We lost and that puts us back in the headlines? AAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!

They pounded on our goal producers and then gang-camped in front of both nets. They plugged every goal scoring lane in front of theirs and set screens in front of ours.

The kids are still not showing team confidence and it shows. Kaner - relax and do your thing. They can't hurt what they can't catch up to. If you're too hurt to outskate them, maybe you should sit a game or two.

I'm still on board and the kids still have it, maybe not consistently enough, but it didn't disappear. Sharks are vulnerable when beached. Beach 'em!

"They're OUR kids, damnit!"

They didn't seem like they wanted to win. I was very disappointed, especially since LA is not that good of a team. They started off pretty good but after the first goal, it was all down hill. I personlly was not paying attention to the game after the 3rd goal which is not my style at all but it was too fustrating to watch. They need to have a better outing at the Tank.

RE: earlier post
Yes, special teams are killing the Hawks. Why no btiching about Q the way people crucified Savard?
Chico, I agree the difference between the best team in the league and the worst team is very small and often comes down to who wants it more on a consistant basis. This Jeckyl and Hyde crap has got to stop. If it doesn't, it's going to be a gut wrenching 2nd half.
I know last night wasn't Huet's fault, but I'm getting anxiety attacks when I think of next year. No Khabi and Huet for 50 to 55 games? Argh!

Horrible mistake by Wis on the delay of game. That puck did not kick up on edge and he didn't have to shoot it over anybody. Really careless penalty that tilted the ice toward the Hawks from that point on.

Toward the Hawks end of the ice, I meant.

BFM: I agree with you on the Huet situation. Probably everybody does. I also agree that last night's loss was not Huet's fault. However, the thought of not having Khabby next season does bother me a lot. Tim and I were talking on the phone and agreed that Khabby is the better on a consistent basis of the two. In fact, he is in my opinion, as good as anyone in the league (oh, maybe Thomas is better) at this time. He really is outstanding. I mean, he just doesn't make many mistakes at all in a game. I'll be honest, I wondered about him in the past, but not now. To think he will be definately gone seems rediculous. What can the Hawks do to keep him? Can they somehow keep them both? Or unload Huet and go young next season as a backup to Khabby? Or will Khabby even want to stay? Sometimes I wish a young guy would emerge like a Price and simply become a star for years to come and our goalie situation could settle down for the future. Playoffs are won from the crease out.. sorry for the rambling, but now I am really beginning to see the seiousness of the huge mistake management made with the FINANCIAL part of this goalie thing. I'll stop.

Chico: I agree with you. It is pretty scary. Huet has it in him to be a great goalie, but he has been too inconsistent. In fairness, he has been playing well with the exception of last night and the Winter Classic,(and as mentioned, he was not sharp, but the loss wasn't his fault) but he just isn't at the same level Khabby has been at. Hmm...now that I think about it, he kind of reminds me of the Khabibulin of the past several years. A couple of unreal games, then a stinker or two, and repeat. I would love to see Khabby back, but really all the possible goalie situations for next year worry me. Even if Bulin somehow stays (not at all likely), will we see the same guy we are seeing now? When Khabby is gone, will Huet step up or continue to be inconsistent and raise the blood pressure of Hawks fans? Sheesh! Something has to give. I think that most of us would agree that the straight goalie rotation has to stop (as is was supposed to after the 1st month of the season!). Bulin #1, Huet #2.

Chico,
We all applauded the Huet signing at the time because Khabi had not shown us what he's showing us this year. Is he playing for a contract or is he just finally healthy? I don't want them to resign him then see the Khabi we've seen the last 2 years return. I know I am one of the more demanding and unforgiving of the regulars who post here and I wonder if our recent free agent signings, while they certainly have raised us to a higher level, are the guys who can us to the ultimate goal we all desire. Kane and Toews are solid and must remain our nucleus for many years, but I sense we're saddled with a couple of contracts that will tie our hands in the future and we may regret.

BFM wrote:

Chico,
We all applauded the Huet signing at the time because Khabi had not shown us what he's showing us this year. Is he playing for a contract or is he just finally healthy? I don't want them to resign him then see the Khabi we've seen the last 2 years return. I know I am one of the more demanding and unforgiving of the regulars who post here and I wonder if our recent free agent signings, while they certainly have raised us to a higher level, are the guys who can us to the ultimate goal we all desire. Kane and Toews are solid and must remain our nucleus for many years, but I sense we're saddled with a couple of contracts that will tie our hands in the future and we may regret.

I suspect you may be refering to Campbell. Last year we all thought it would be great if we could sign him and it would give us a d-man to QB the power play, move the puck up the ice to start offensive rushes and a guy that can move the puck if an opposing team uses a 2-1-2 forecheck. He is one of the leading D-Men in scoring stats and maybe we were expecting too much. We still need an imposing power forward and goaltending isn't solved with Huit. We are so close to the cap that you are right in saying our ability to go after players to keeep improving is comprimised.