Giving Corey Crawford + defense some love!

Corey Crawford

I posted the following commentary in the Chicago Blackhawks community on Google+ recently:

I've argued that the Hawks team defense + goaltending have been an underrated bright spot in an up and down season. Here is how the GA/G numbers stack up over their Cup run:

2010: 2.48 (5th)
2011: 2.68 (12th)
2012: 2.82 (22nd)
2013: 2.02 (1st)
2014: 2.59 (12th)
2015: 2.26 (3rd)

Carey Price and the Canadiens defense have been rather beastly on preventing goals, but over their seven games in March, their GA/G is a positively porous 2.43. Overall they're at 2.17 (1st), but if Corey Crawford keeps standing on his head just to stop pucks and our defense remains stout the rest of the season, the Hawks can be the toughest team to score on in the NHL. This is crucial of course at weathering any scoring droughts in the playoffs. Moreover, among the top 10 goalies, Price has played the 3rd most games at 56; because of injuries, Crawford has played just 47 games. I anticipate this will be an issue (i.e. stamina and energy) for a possible Hawks-Canadiens SCF.

The reasons I posted this article - Islanders GM Snow's shrewd moves earning him respect around the NHL - are: (a) Islanders GM Garth Snow is commended for grabbing Nick Leddy. Leddy languished as a 3rd pair defenseman under the often unforgiving scrutiny of Joel Quenneville. I don't follow the Islanders, but clearly he's found his stride and value with a new team. So congratulations to him! But while losing Leddy created a turmoil in our defensive corps, it appears to have improved our overall GA/G from last year. Go figure.

(b) Also, Crawford may never earn the approbation that, in my humble opinion, he roundly deserves. But I challenge the view that he is a weak link or a dispensable part of a championship team. Right now, his GAA is 2.20 (tied for 7th). But because team defense must be factored into GAA, SVPCT is actually a better indicator of a goalie's performance: Crawford at .924 (tied for 9th). However, what separates him from Price (.936 for 1st) is a mere 12/1000. Yes, there are a lot of goaltenders between the two of them, but this is one evidence of how much Crawford belongs among the stellar in the NHL. Stan Bowman knows this perfectly well, and that's why he nailed him to a 6-year, $36 million contract after the 2013 Cup. Hardly a weak link, is he.

Finally, what must worry opposing GMs and coaches is the fact that Crawford has two stellar backups: Antti Raanta at 1.89 and .936 over 14 games, and Scott Darling at 2.18 and .930 in 9 games. Their netminding contributes significantly to the Hawks' terrific GA/G this season. Methinks there is a Jimmy Waite Factor at play here.

Let's go Hawks!
 

Blackhawks Father-Son Road Trip

Father-Son Road Trip: Days 1 and 2

Blackhawks players' Dads joined them on their recent trip to Arizona for a pow wow with the Coyotes, against which they eked out a 2-1 win.  About which I commented:

Great photos! I played only little league hockey - at ages 13 and 14 - and usually it's the older boys who'd get the best ice times. So we'd be stuck with 5 AM and 9 PM practices. But without fail my Dad would wake up early (and stay up late) to drive me to-and-from practices, and he'd always watch from the stands. These photos reminded of those sweet old days :)
 

Jonathan Toews and Blackhawks Golden Age (1)

Jonathan Toews

Henry posted the article Respect for Toews remains great at North Dakota and added the following note on the Chicago Blackhawks community in Google+:

Nice article from ESPN Chicago about our Captain and his time in North Dakota and another Blackhawks prospect, Nick Schmaltz.

I chimed in lyrically:

Nothing in this article is a surprise, but it was a pleasure to read nonetheless. Not only has Jonathan Toews' legacy lived on from his North Dakota days to the present, but also will live on for many years to come beyond his career. We fans are living a golden age of Blackhawks hockey!
 

Glass Half-Full, Glass Half-Empty for Blackhawks

Duncan Keith, sailing headfirst into the net, behind Corey Crawford

Scott Thornton posted the article Offensively inept Blackhawks get a point, but fall to Rangers and the following query on the Chicago Blackhawks community in Google+:

I'd really like to know how such a talent-stacked team can actually get worse on the power play over the course of three seasons. For the record, the Hawks are on a 0-19 power play streak now. Please explain this.

A few friends launched into the Hawks positively Powerless Play, but I took a different tact:

In their Stanley Cup era, the Hawks' PP has been up and down and there's actually no clear downward trend:

2010: 17.7% (16th)
2011: 23.1% (4th)
2012: 15.2% (26th)
2013: 16.6% (19th)
2014: 19.5% (10th)
2015: 17.6% (21st)

Their difficulty scoring on the PP is part of a more concerning, season-long trend of difficulty scoring in general. Right now the red-and-black are 16th at 2.74 GF/G, whereas they were always in the top 5 in the NHL through the same stretch above (e.g. 2nd at 3.18 GF/G last year). Obviously losing Kane is a big blow on goal scoring, but Kane and the rest of the top 2 lines could not prop up the general lack of production from the 3rd and 4th lines. But we know what Bowman and Quenneville have done to these lines.

That's the glass half-empty view.

Here's the glass half-full view: Despite the occasional blueline bobbles in the offensive zone and the glaring turnovers in the defensive zone, the Hawks have consistently been one of the toughest teams to score on: 2nd at 2.29 GA/G (overall) and 3rd at 86.6% (PK). So despite losing TVR, Rozsival and Oduya struggling, Quenneville's lack of confidence in the young guys, fans criticism of Rundblad etc., team defense + goaltending have been an underrated bright spot in a pretty up and down season.

The Hawks are 3-1-1 without Kane, mainly because of this bright spot, and that's pretty damn good! Moreover, they've secured points in 7 of the last 10 games, including winning 5 games. It's not much, and obviously it's still a big struggle, but the trend for the Hawks of late is actually upward.

I see the addition of Vermette and Timonen this month, as like the addition of Richards and TVR at the beginning of the season, when they struggled just to keep puck possession (October). The Hawks rely on knowing and trusting each other; getting into a fast, finesse game; and playing well on both ends of the ice. Barring another serious injury, the Hawks should settle into a good team rhythm, just as they did in November and December. I think they have enough time to do this, before the playoffs, while securing that 3rd place in the Central (although the 1st place Predators are now within striking distance).

The analytics alone deserve about 10 +1s in my opinion. Perhaps it's time to look at this from a more half-full perspective.

Something tells me that the Vermette, Saad and Teuvo line is going to develop into something quite formidable in the coming weeks.

But in the meantime, it sure would be nice to see this bad streak put to bed. 

Thanks, Scott. Same here, I wish the Hawks can just put a string of wins together, but I think it's going to be struggle through the Cup run. If team defense and goaltending can hold up, and if they can just score 3 goals a game (that's the magic number), then it should be an exciting finish and playoffs.

BTW: I think Quenneville said that if the Hawks' overall offense gets back on track, he won't worry about the lackluster PP (that's where they miss Kane the most). I agree with him.
 

Thunder Russell Westbrook is Beast Mode

I love these analyses from Coach Nick, as they help me get a better grasp of the inner game of basketball.  Let's take trust and confidence in your teammates.  A mid-season overhaul of role players have clearly unleashed Russell Westbrook on the NBA.  The fact that they can finish the play with a score, after he has done the heavy lifting, for example, ball handling and dribble-penetrating, has jacked up his assist stat.  In turn, because defenders must now account for his passing and for teammates' scoring, they cannot cover him as well as they have before.  Ergo: His own scoring has also jacked up.  Moreover, players already know Westbrook is a gifted athlete, but now in the midst of a revamped team, plus much greater trust and confidence overall, he is Marshawn Lynch all over the NBA with that athleticism.

JR Smith and Cavaliers are a Great Fit

Perhaps basketball insiders can tell which player will do better in what new situation, but I bet that the majority of them have a tough go at such predictions.  They're not alone, as top leaders and organizational pundits alike struggle to make the right decisions on whom to bring onboard.  The key issue is fit.  

• Take all that go into a player, such as capability, knowledge and skills, education and experience, plus motivation and personality.  
• Then take all that are part and parcel of an organization, such as leadership and staff, culture and climate, facility and operations, product lines and marketplace, and so many more things.
• Those basketball insiders must therefore account for a volume of complex, dynamic aspects and somehow make it all converge in the ways they have for JR Smith and the Cavaliers.  

Clearly this team is much better suited for him, than was the Knicks, because more talented teammates afford him better spacing for shots and because his teammates take advantage of his particular talents - spot ups and catch and shoots.  Not only has Smith found his perfect role and stride, but also he helps position the team better for a title run. 

Heat Hassan Whiteside like a Cheetah

I think the most impressive thing about Hassan Whiteside is his timing on the defensive end.  It's almost as if he lulls shooters into a false sense of security about scoring, then after waiting waiting, he leaps like a cheetah to block it or grab the rebound.  Of course it helps to have tremendous athleticism and wingspan.