The True Road Warriors

For these Blackhawks, there truly is no place like the road.  With last night's 4-2 win in San Jose, they not only took a commanding 2-0 lead going back to Chicago, they tied the NHL record for consecutive road wins in a single playoffs with seven straight.  Tellingly, of the four teams to do it previously, three won the Stanley Cup.  I like those odds very, very much.  It's been quite a road trip (the Hawks haven't played at home since May 10), definitely the most successful of the season - we closed out Vancouver in British Columbia, then headed down south to take the first two in the Shark Tank, widely regarded as one of the toughest arenas in the league.  In this seven-game streak, we've outscored our opponents (NASH, VAN, SJ) by a ridiculous 31-13 margin.  Could it be that, after early struggles against the Preds, the Hawks are peaking at the exact right time? I think so - the franchise is 18-2 all-time when leading 2-0, so while they probably won't sweep, they'll at least head back to SJ up 3-1, with a great chance to advance to the final round of the tournament.  On to the bullets...

• Jonathan Toews has established himself as the clear frontrunner for the Conn Smythe, awarded for the MVP of the entire playoffs.  Jaroslav Halak has made an incredible run, but it seems like he and the Canadiens may have run out of gas against the Flyers.  Toews had a goal and a helper last night, running his career-high points streak (talk about getting hot when it counts) to eleven games, and adding to his league-leading playoff points total, which now stands at 23 in only 14 games.  If this guy continues to improve, we're going to be scary-good for a long time to come
• The entire top line, Toews included, had an absolutely monster night.  Toews had 2 points, Kane had 2 assists, and Big Buff had a goal and an assist.  Ever since Coach Q paired Byfuglien up with the Wonder Twins, that line has been nigh unstoppable.  Toews has been a monster, Buff has made life a living hell for the Sharks in their crease, and Kane is just making plays left and right even though he hasn't found the back of the net all that often since the Nashville series.  Imagine how much trouble the Sharks would be in if all of a sudden, he got red-hot as well.  
• The first twelve minutes really were a mirror image of the same time period in Game 1, with the Sharks coming out fast and loose and having many golden opportunities to pot a goal or three.  Just like Sunday, however, Antti Niemi was more than up to the task.  He wasn't as spectacular as Game 1, but he was solid as a rock.  He only faced 27 shots, perhaps a consequence of the Sharks admitting after the first loss that they were going to try and go top shelf on the Hawks netminder.  Regardless, he still came up with several great stops, and seems to be gaining confidence as the postseason carries on, and his elevated play in these first two games  bodes well for continued success.  
• Marian Hossa, even though he didn't score, still had a great influence on the game.  On Brouwer's goal, he picked the pocket of some poor Shark behind their net ("I'll be taking that, thank you very much") and fed it to Nic Hjalmarsson, who promptly fired on net and scored off of Troy Brouwer.  It's plays like this that show Hossa's true value to this team; even though his scoring has left a lot to be desired (only 2 G in 14 games), he's made his presence felt on both sides of the ice.  Whether it's forcing a turnover, drawing a penalty, or doggedly pursuing the puck in the defensive zone, he's really showing how good of an all-around hockey player he is.  Also, the pressure to score can't be weighing on him too much, what with the plethora of offensive weapons the Hawks are blessed with.  I still stand by my prediction that he'll break out soon...just nice to know it's not completely necessary for the Hawks to advance.
• Brian Campbell looks more and more comfortable each time out since returning from his broken collarbone late in the first round series.  He was a +3 last night, and his return has really strengthened our defensive corps, and his pairing with Hjalmarsson is turning into a great second banana to the top pairing of Keith and Seabrook.  May their great play continue.
• Some leader Joe Thornton is, huh?  Your team is down 2 goals in the third period of a crucial game, and you blatantly slash the opposing center, who's completely gotten into your head, before the linesman even drops the puck? Real smart, there, pal.  Real smart.  He's shown absolutely nothing in this series so far; I'm sure Sharks fans are so pleased with the -10 rating their asisstant captain now has accumulated in the playoffs. What a joke.
•  Speaking of Dave Bolland, his checking line was phe-nomenal again last night.  Besides pestering the top Marleau/Thornton/Heatley line, they also contributed on the score sheet.  Andrew Ladd opened the scoring with a 30-foot wrister to beat Nabokov glove side on a nice rush with Kris Versteeg, a big blow to the Sharks and their fans.  

Well, after a long West Coast trip, the Hawks are finally coming home again.  The series continues Friday night at the United Center, with the Hawks looking to grab a stranglehold on the series.  We have to be better at home, there's no doubt about it, especially because if we hold home ice from here on out, we will win the Stanley Cup.  It's as simple as that.  Ten down, six to go.

On a related note, former Hawks GM Dale Tallon was hired by the Florida Panthers to the same post.  I'm frankly surprised at how long it took for another team to snap him up.  He did a great job building this team, whether it was selecting Kane and Toews in the 06/07 drafts, trading for Sharp and Versteeg, signing Campbell and Hossa, etc etc.  Sure, he made some missteps (Huet and the qualifying offers fiasco come to mind), but it cannot be denied that he built a team that has a fantastic chance to win the Cup.  He has the third pick in this year's draft for Florida, the same pick he used on Jonathan Toews four years ago.  If he gets anyone close to what the Captain has become, Florida will be headed in the right direction.  Best of luck to Dale, who served the Hawks well in his 33-year tenure with the team.

As for the Cubs, they're on a modest 3-game win streak.  The starting pitching continues to be solid, and the bullpen has been better lately.  In another twist in the Carlos Zambrano saga, Lou said yesterday they're going to stretch him out over a few outings in preparation for inserting him back into the rotation, basically admitting at the same time that the move of Big Z to the bullpen was a failure.  I liked the move at the time, as the thought of the two Carloses at the end of the game was very tantalizing.  But he never adjusted to the short work needed in the bullpen, and the emergence of Sean Marshall in the 8th inning set-up role has negated the need for Z there.  But who goes out when he comes back to the rotation? Dempster, Lilly, Gorzelanny, Wells, and especially Carlos Silva have all pitched decently-to-great this year.  I truly don't see who you demote here.  I guess Lou will cross that bridge when they get there.  A positive from Monday night's game was Aramis Ramirez finally coming through in the clutch again.  Mired in a monthlong slump, he (hopefully) busted out with a walkoff homer in the 11th inning to send the paying customers (what was left of them, anyways) home happy.  The Cubs need him, and Derrek Lee, to start hitting the way they're capable if they want to have any chance of competing in the Central this year.  Here's hoping that this little streak is the beginning of better baseball on the North Side this summer.  

Blast from the Past: Mark Prior, the star-crossed ace of the next decade multiple Cy Young winner savior of the Cubs franchise top draft pick and former "employee" of the Cubs, was hit in his pitching shoulder AGAIN by a batted ball while tossing batting practice to a local team in another aborted comeback attempt.  This guy literally cannot buy a break.  I really wonder what might have been if the injury bug hadn't bit him so hard.  Memories of towel drills and simulated games are still all to vivid in my mind.  If you're a veteran of 2003-2006, you'll know exactly what I mean.  I recall watching him shut down the Braves completely in Game 3 of the 2003 NLDS at Wrigley Field, tossing a complete game 2-hitter.  At that time, it seemed like he was untouchable in more ways than one, but it was clearly not meant to be.  In no way, shape, or form would I have ever believed that he'd be totally out of baseball less than a decade later.  What a shame.

Jay Cutler appeared on the Waddle and Silvy show on ESPN-1000 in Chicago yesterday, and by his account, the relationship between him and new O-coordinator Mike Martz is getting stronger by the day.  If Martz can build dangerous passing attacks with the likes of Jon Kitna in Detroit and whatever QB was playing for San Francisco a couple years ago, I'm really excited to see what he can do with a guy as talented as Cutler.  Mini-camp opens Friday for the Bears, and it's then that we'll really see what kind of progress they've made.  In an offense as complex as Martz purportedly runs, it all comes down to the guy under center.  The 2010 season for the Bears hinges on this relationship; if they click, the playoffs are a definite possiblity.  If they don't, pink slips are gonna be in vogue at Halas Hall in early 2011.  It all starts Friday.

42 days, 8 hours, and 30 minutes until NBA free agency opens

72 days until Bourbonnais

Go 'Hawks on Friday