Hawks Gameday: Catching Their First Tube
Whether we like it or not, this pig gets kicked tonight, so let's set it up and all the other stuff dripping out my ear.
Sector 1901 - Hawks Gameday: Catching Their First Tube
Whatever this motley crew (not Crue) decked in red and black is headed for, it begins tonight at the Delta Center. First off, it's amazing that it's still the Delta Center, given how often these building swap out sponsors and naming rights. It was the Delta Center when M Jeff put the Jazz to sword, for fuck's sake. But I guess it's still the United Center as well. Whatever. The point is that the players on Utah will roll out in front of a full, NHL arena cheering them on for the first time since...well, ever for this roster.
But that's not why you called! The Utah Hockey Club, soon to be The Yeti as the smart money says (don't make it the Yetis, you mormon dipshits), starts its existence against the Hawks, which means that said Delta Center should be quite the zoo when the puck drops. What are the Hawks in for? This is how we'll start previewing games, and we'll see what works and what doesn't.
Info
Gametime - 9pm Central
TV: ESPN (you're not on the hook yet, CHSN!)
Probable Utah Lineup
Keller-Hayton-Schmaltz
McBain-Cooley-Guenther
Crouse-Doan-Maccelli
Carcone-Stenlund-O'Brien
Sergachev-Durzi
Valimaki-Bortuzzo
Cole-Kolachonok
Ingram
Player To Watch - Logan Cooley
Some cool kids last year wanted to go all hipster and suggest Cooley was going to crash the party and take the Calder away from Bedard. Not quite. Cooley ended the season scoring about a point every other game, way behind Bedard's point-per pace. Unlike Bedard though, the Yotes-now-UHC didn't shelter Cooley all that heavily, splitting his shift starts between the offensive zone and elsewhere pretty much down the middle. Cooley didn't dominate possession that way but he also hardly got run over in the ways the Hawks' star did at times. What Cooley does do is carry the puck into the offensive zone a ton. The percentage of his entries that were carry-ins was only bested by Brayden Point and Jack Hughes. As proven time and time again, more offense is sprung from gaining the offensive zone with possession instead of dump-ins. Should Cooley and his linemates make any sort of leap this year, it'll spring from Cooley's ability to gain the line with the puck.
What To Watch For
It probably hinges on the Hawks getting out of the first 10 minutes alive. The vibes and juice are obviously going to be off the charts to start the game, and though UHC wasn't a great forechecking team when they were the Coyotes, they'll be salivating to make hits and force turnovers from the jump in their first game ever to send the Salt Lake faithful into hysterics. At least the ones who can see what's going on, given all the weird sightlines in their new home. Connor Ingram's .907 last year isn't impressive on the surface, but beneath it is an 8.3 goals saved above expected. If the Hawks are looking for a scab to pick it's probably Valimaki, who got danced around at his line a ton last year and could get turnover happy deeper in his zone. The arrival of Sergachev pushes him down the lineup, so this would matter more if the Hawks had as much depth as they'd like to think they do. But hey, Ian Cole and Robert Bortuzzo are also here, and you've seen that movie. Keep an eye out of Dylan Guenther, who has a nose for getting open in the offensive zone and firing away. He'd probably be better off playing with Keller's superior passing-eye, but they seem to want him and Cooley to strike up a long-term relationship. This isn't the softest gateway into the new season given the circumstances. Good thing the Hawks have all those veterans who are ready to play at a sprint, huh?
This Is A Simple Game - Going Down On Your Second-Best
As borked as the MLB playoff system may be now, we fans can't really complain about the last two days of action. Both the Phillies and Mets and then the Tigers and Guardians provided classics, and the Dodgers and Yankees were kind enough to lose.
During the 8th inning yesterday, I texted the podcast boys that Emanuel Clase had blown three saves this year, and how I couldn't conceive how that could happen to a pitcher firing 99 MPH cutters. And technically, he didn't blow a save yesterday! So the Fels Motherfuck wasn't in full effect.
However, it was curious that given Clase's best pitch being nearly untouchable, he went down throwing three straight sliders to Kerry Carpenter, who then deposited the third one somewhere near Buffalo. Maybe he was spooked that the previous two batters has singled off that cutter. While Clase was facing all new batters from Game 1 to Game 2, was there any effect from Clase throwing a pointless 9th inning on Saturday when Cleveland was up seven already? While we've become accustomed to starters not getting a third trip through a lineup, the new thing is not overexposing relievers during a series. Even one like Clase can get familiar to an opposing lineup, so why push it so soon? We shall see how it goes in Detroit.
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