Well, the losing streak in Philadelphia continues! After this afternoon's loss to the Flyers, the Hawks still haven't beaten the Flyers in Philadelphia since 1996. It's now 17 straight regular season games! The last time they beat the Flyers was in the playoffs, more specifically the Stanley Cup clinching game in 2010. This is a game they should have won, the Flyers had no business winning this game. I guess the best remedy for losing slumps is to play the Hawks as many teams probably consider the Hawks in the same regard as the free square on a bingo card. I thought they played good enough to win, so much for the "winning" streak!
Observations:
- Blown lead: Holding a lead has been difficult all season and the Hawks entered the third period with a 3-2 one goal lead. Especially against a team as bad as the Flyers, it's so frustrating! This used to money in the bank back when the Hawks were a winning team, to hold and protect a lead. Contending teams can protect leads, another reason why they are not contenders.
- Bad luck: On the Flyers 2-2 tying goal, Calvin de Hann's clear around the boards hit the referee and deflected in front of the goal, a pass or two later it was in the back of the net. The melee that followed, for whatever reason ended up with the Hawks short handed.
- ABC/ESPN sucks: I'm sure many Blackhawks fans (and most fans in the league!) agree, the American national TV broadcasts suck! I much prefer the regional NBC sports Chicago broadcasts, even without Pat and Eddie, not only are the play-by-play announcers are way better, but the camera work is stellar! The ABC/ESPN camera angles drive me crazy! I can't blame the camera crew, as some of the camera angles during this game were so off, it's whoever is editing and directing this telecast doesn't know anything about hockey. I prefer the standard camera at center that pans across left-to-right and the odd closer in view to capture action along the boards or behind the net. There was way too much extended behind the net views and especially during the power-plays, but not only behind the defending teams net, but a long view from the far end of the ice. I don't want to see views that are similar to my distant season tickets seats from the upper deck, some short short are fine, but to have this view for well over a minute squinting at the screen to see the action in the far end is very questionable. At times, I was wondering, what am I watching? It only occurs during the national broadcasts!
- There were some positives: It was nice to see Dylan Strome score a couple of goals, some much needed production from a player I think is worth hanging onto for the future. He definitely has some chemistry with Kane (and DeBrincat) and the fact he played over 17 minutes means he's gaining trust with the coaching staff. Lankinen played okay, though the winning goal wasn't great, the shot had him looking the wrong way. He's had a lot of bad luck so far securing wins this season.
Up next, the Hawks return home for a Sunday evening game against one of the top teams in the league, Tampa Bay Lightning. Judging how they've been playing this season, it's a good thing they don't have to play them so many times this season, like last year.
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