mjd1001

Evidence? What evidence though? I will agree 100% that he is not playing well compared to what he expect from him. But if one watched the game with a blind eye to the jersey numbers and names on the back, I don't think the 'eye test' would show him to be any worse than those other guys. Yeah, he is SUPPOSED to be a lot BETTER and he's not, but I can't point out anything he does in the same situations as the other guys where he is consistently and obviously worse. If it was an injury I'd be all for sitting him for a few games, a few weeks even, rather than dealing with this version of him for the next few months. But if he is hurting the team, I think it is because he isn't 'himself', not because he is worse than anyone and everyone else.

If he has an injury, it may be BECAUSE this is a 'playoffs or bust' season that they keep playing him those minutes: 1.) They may think Dahlin at 85% is still better than most other guys who are playing at 95%-100% 2.) The injury he has may not heal any better with less minutes, maybe its one of those things that the only way to get him back to 100% is to not play him at all. He would need to rest for 2-3 weeks (no play, no practice) to not re-aggravate what he has (as many of us know with many strains and pulls, that is how it works) 3.) if #2 above IS true, then it takes you back to #1.

I haven't watched his style of skating, but I still think its injury related: 1.) He got an injury in camp. That happened. Those thing can get 'better' but 'linger' for some time. 2.) He simply isn't moving that well. And I don't mean...he had a bad game he must not be moving that well. I mean when you watch him, he LITERALLY is not moving side to side as much, he's not shifting his stick as much when he is carrying the puck. All of that is true compared to last year. I don't think that just happens when you are named Captain and can't handle the stress. Stats back this up. 2 His 'hardest shot' (which would be impacted by a back or abdominal or groin injury for sure), 2 years ago it was 98.2mph. Last year it was 100.7. This year only 85.2. that is a big difference.

On the other hand, Quinn, Benson, and Cozens are near the bottom of that list, making it look even worse for them.

Krebs with only about 10 minutes of ice time. I think he deserved more. He had a couple hits, mixed things up...didn't have any bad giveaways or bad positioning without the puck, and I even think he won a few faceoffs...and an assist. Dahlin led the team with just under 24 minutes of ice time. I GUESS he is still their best overall D-man.....but at his best he is so smooth with the puck and controls the game. I haven't seen that yet all year. First line is clicking now. Thompson looks almost as dangerous as he was 2 years ago. No need to add anything about Peterka, and Tuch is just doing everything well (I still think he is the best forchecker on the team, he is killing penalties well and just always doing something in a good way in the offensive zone) McLeod is scoring. Still don't know much about his game but his production is good recently. You really could use Mitts on this team now, but Bryum is playing well. Some games he is your best D-man, and he never is your worst. UPL should have made the save on the first shot, but other than that very 'solid'. That was last year's UPL we saw tonight.

4th line winger even better. Let him just fight along the boards, that is what he loves to do.

we know McLeod has the speed, I think he has 'enough' skill to fill in at #2 Center for a few games. Krebs isn't steller, but he's putting the effort in enough to get #3 center minutes.

UPL not playing his best game ever, but seems to really be 'seeing' the puck well in scrums and is tracking it well (facing the shooters). This is the definition of a game by a goalie where he plays good enough to get you the win.

face off in the Buffalo zone with just over 2 min remaining, surprised Chicago didn't have the goalie pulled there.

Ottawa is 8 for 21 on the PP. Colorado has 7 goals in 17 chances Winnipeg has 7 goals on only 14 chances. Can you imagine having a PP that good?

That was ****. It was a perfectly fine hit. To start a fight over a hit like that is B.S. Your guy got hit and it looked perfectly legal, don't go after the guy that hit him...make fun of your teammate in the dressing room after the game for being lit up like that. Maybe i'm missing something, I need to see the replay again, but it looked like the l hit was 100% legal..nothing even close not to. And honestly, it was a good hit but he wasn't even 'lit up', why the reaction to that?

Aube Kubel, when is he coming back? I seem to remember for not being a huge guy and being pretty fast..he is one that liked to drop the gloves with when needed. I think I read in the past he had fights in games vs both Sam Lafferty and one against Connor Clifton too.

I need him to score. Can Cozens get an empty netter so he has one at least? Seriously though, he hasn't made a bad play without the puck today, but he's been taken off his feet a few times tonight by Chicago, and still isn't producing at all. If McLeod and Krebs were your #2 and #3 centers (in either order) for a few games and Cozens was benched or allowed to bang away on the 4th line wing, I don't think this team would be worse for it, not a single bit.

I still like the Blackhawks uniforms a lot, like top 10 in the league for me, but I don't like them as much as I used to. As a kid and even a teenage, I thought they were the best in all of sports. The colors, the colors of the feathers, when I looked at that logo there was something about it that was...almost 'magical' (as much as it can be for a logo). I still like them, but I just don't have the same 'feeling' for them as I did in the past.

I don't now if he was tired or it was a long shift...it just looked somewhat like Samuelsson was tired. Even flipping the puck along the boards wasn't a great play but it wasn't terrible...just...he got caught from behind, didn't put anything on the flip around the boards, got knocked off his feet by a smaller guy...didn't skate hard to the front of the net. Its like he didn't make a mistake, and wasn't even super lazy...it just looked like everything he did was done with 80% effort when it called for 85-90% effort.

Through 2 periods, Peterka now leading forward in ice time (13:31) Dahlin now way up on everyone else on D (15:54) Jokiharju led all D in time on ice in the first, but only had about 5 minutes total in the 2nd. Dahlin with almost 9 minutes of Ice time just in the 2nd (8:47)

Other than not being able to do anything on the Powerplay, that Tuch, Thompson, and Peterka line are producing like a legit top line. 10 goals between them in 6 2/3 games.

Just watched the replay of the last Chicago goal.... Biggest problem was Samuelsson with the puck behind the net, he has time but just throws it around the boards into a 'gaggle' of players, including 2 blackhawsks. He was chased from behind and hit, and the guy that hit him took Samuelsson out of the play and then beat him up back to the boards. So, the problem there was he made a lazy pass, and then got hit, and the smaller guy hit him, knocked him down, and then beat him to the skates to continue the play. None of that would have mattered if Clifton controlled the puck, it looked like it came right to his stick but jumped over his stick...kinda bad luck. Finally, Krebs kinda had the goal scorer tied up, but let him go for 1/2 second when Samuelsson got back into the play. Krebs released him 1/2 second before Samuelsson could pick him up, and he had just enough time to get the rebound. To me that goal is 60% on Sameulsson, 20% on bad luck, 20% on UPL (for the rebound) and Krebs/Samuelsson again (for not deciding who should tie up the scorer) Its really a hard goal to diagnose, even from 2 different angles and going frame by frame.

out of town, Washington and Jersey playing an exciting game. 10 goal so far, shifts of momentum, lead changes, even a fight.

Just go back to the PP set up where all you do is feed Thompson on the side to take one timers over, and over, and over. Can it be much worse? Of course, that would require the gain the zone and control the puck long enough to even try that....

and now a PP opportunity just minutes after allowing a goal? When it rains.... I mean, at some point if this PP drought goes on long enough, can it become a momentum killer? I think if the team is having a good period 5-on-5, and they get a PP and fail miserably at it again, does it have any kind of negative impact on their psyche/confidence?

UPL needs to make that save. Levi had 3 that were on him against Columbus...1st one I think goes on UPL.

Nice contrast between the Sabres and Blackhawks uniforms. Makes the game easy to watch. Krebs right now IS playing, overall, better than Cozens. Complete game.

I saw on ahl.com that not only is Rochester 0% on their PP, but they have had 21 opporutunities? They are 0-for-21, can that be true? That would mean combined the 'organization' (apologies to Jacksonville) is 0-for-39 on the powerplay. It seems almost impossible.

Samuelsson with only just a bit over 4 minutes, and 7 shifts. A little less ice time due to 'accountability'? Or random chance?