Videos

Chicago Blackhawks: Would it be better to lose to Edmonton?Vincent Pariseon May 30, 2020 at 11:00 am

EDMONTON, AB - FEBRUARY 11: Goaltender Mike Smith #41 of the Edmonton Oilers stops Jonathan Toews #19 of the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Place on February 11, 2020, in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB – FEBRUARY 11: Goaltender Mike Smith #41 of the Edmonton Oilers stops Jonathan Toews #19 of the Chicago Blackhawks at Rogers Place on February 11, 2020, in Edmonton, Canada. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)

Would the Chicago Blackhawks be better off losing to the Edmonton Oilers?

As you know by now, the Chicago Blackhawks are going to play in the 24 teams “Return to Play” format if they are able to. The format put out the Hawks as the 12th seed in the Western Conference based on their regular-season points percentage and they are matched up against the 5th seeded Edmonton Oilers. It will certainly be a tough series for every team involved but the Blackhawks and Oilers will certainly be a doozy.

The question remains, would the Blackhawks be better off if they were to lose in the first round and be inserted into the Draft Lottery. All eight teams that lose in the play-in series will have a chance at the lottery if the top three spots aren’t won by the non-playoff teams. Either way, having a top-ten pick in this year’s draft is really going to help a lot of teams because it is perceived as one of the deepest drafts in many years.

At the top, there is a kid named Alexis Lafreniere who plays for the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL and he is awesome. He will step into the NHL as soon as next season and be an impact player. Picks two and three are agued over two kids named Tim Stutzle and Quinton Byfield. They are both very good in their own ways but each will make some NHL team very happy.

Having a chance at players like that might be more worth it than having teams like the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, or Dallas Stars stomp them in the first round of the playoffs. The Hawks obviously may have a small chance with players like Patrick Kane and Corey Crawford but let’s be honest, they were the last Western Conference team in for a reason.

Hot: 2020 Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Odds

Even if they were to get bounced by Edmonton but not win one of the three lotteries, they would still have a chance at a very good player in the 8-15 range. This is a deep draft with lots of great players who would benefit the future of this organization as it looks to move forward after some pretty lackluster years. Nobody is going to actively root against their favorite team but if they do lose to Edmonton, there is certainly a silver lining.

Load Comments

Read More

Chicago Blackhawks: Would it be better to lose to Edmonton?Vincent Pariseon May 30, 2020 at 11:00 am Read More »

As Sports Move Closer to Return, Labor Issues Take Center StagePaul M. Bankson May 30, 2020 at 4:04 am

The Patriotic Dissenter

As Sports Move Closer to Return, Labor Issues Take Center Stage

Read More

As Sports Move Closer to Return, Labor Issues Take Center StagePaul M. Bankson May 30, 2020 at 4:04 am Read More »

Steve Earle examines a mining tragedy to engage listeners across the political spectrum on Ghosts of West VirginiaMonica Kendrickon May 29, 2020 at 5:17 pm

On April 5, 2010, a coal-dust explosion at Massey Energy’s Upper Big Branch Mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia, killed 29 miners. Though subsequent investigations found that a pervasive pattern of negligence and safety violations had led to the entirely preventable tragedy, in 2015 Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship got off with a slap on the wrist: a single misdemeanor conviction for conspiring to violate mine safety and health standards and a one-year prison sentence. In 2018 he unsuccessfully ran for Senate as a Republican and–lest anyone think he’s the least bit repentant for his role in such a massive loss of life–he’s currently running for president with the far-right-wing Constitution Party. The Upper Big Branch Mine disaster briefly cast a bright national light on Appalachia, including the big-business exploitation of local workers and natural resources, the bitter class divides among its communities, and the love-hate relationship its residents have with a fading industry that’s shaped so much of the region’s economy and cultural life. All of these conversations coalesce on Steve Earle’s 20th studio album, Ghosts of West Virginia. He wrote seven of the ten songs on Ghosts for Coal Country, a play by “documentary theater” playwrights Erik Jensen and Jessica Blank that premiered at New York’s Public Theater in early March. Earle adapted gospel, country, bluegrass, and blues to a narrative-song style, and while he played the material solo onstage during the play’s run, on the album he’s backed by his band, the Dukes. While some of his compositions, including “Heaven Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” and “If I Could See Your Face Again,” sound ancient, he makes the traditional “John Henry” his own (John Henry is also the name of one of Earle’s sons, so I bet he’s wanted to put his spin on that tune for a long time). Earle, who is well-known for his leftist leanings, has said that he wants to engage with people who aren’t on his side of the political spectrum, and in West Virginia, left-right divisions also play out in a decades-long struggle between those devoted to coal as a traditional way of life and those who have turned toward environmental activism and a postcoal economy. “Union, God and Country” is Earle’s stab at opening the conversation by finding shared ground in West Virginia’s history of fierce labor battles, which is a source of pride for many locals. “Devil Put the Coal in the Ground” is a country-blues stomper that puts a dead-on folkloric spin on the contradiction of loving coal and hating it. The album’s heart is probably the brooding, furious “It’s About Blood,” which ends with a spoken-word vigil: a recitation of the names of all 29 men who perished in the mine explosion. But Earle prevents the record from wallowing in despair–and helps protect it from accusations that it’s the sort of poverty porn rightly criticized in the region–by lightening the mood with “Fastest Man Alive,” which celebrates one of West Virginia’s favorite sons, ace pilot Chuck Yeager. v

Read More

Steve Earle examines a mining tragedy to engage listeners across the political spectrum on Ghosts of West VirginiaMonica Kendrickon May 29, 2020 at 5:17 pm Read More »

Indigo Girls see the past clearly on Look LongSalem Collo-Julinon May 29, 2020 at 5:20 pm

Singer-songwriters Amy Ray and Emily Saliers have been playing folk-rock guitar and singing harmonies together since the early 80s, when they were high school students in Decatur, Georgia. In 1985, they began performing as the Indigo Girls, and their earnest lyrics and dual guitars earned them a loyal and dedicated fan base that grew exponentially after the 1988 release of their self-titled second album (which was also their major-label debut). An Indigo Girls concert can feel like a fun night at summer camp: nearly everyone sings along. Their new 15th studio album, Look Long, doesn’t stray far from the template that the duo has established, but why mess with a formula that’s worked for so long? Most of the songs on Look Long highlight the perspectives of middle-aged people reviewing their pasts with wistful affection: “When We Were Writers,” for instance, is a heavy-handed, nostalgic ode to being young, creative, and “pulling all-nighters.” I’m especially taken with the bittersweet ballad “Country Radio,” where Saliers draws on her experience growing up gay in 1970s Georgia. The protagonist (whose gender is carefully unspecified) says that every night after a shift at the mall food court, they listen to country songs about idyllic boy-girl romances and get swept away in the stories–even though the songs are selling a heterosexual fantasy that isn’t for them. “I want to know what it’s like to fall in love / Like most of the rest of the world,” Saliers sings. “I’m just a gay kid in a small town / Who loves country radio.” Look Long is filled with the sort of didactic lyrics that folk rockers with their hearts on their sleeves can’t resist (and for which they’re often derided). But I’m grateful that the Indigo Girls are still laying it all out there–there’s always a small-town kid who needs to hear it. v

Read More

Indigo Girls see the past clearly on Look LongSalem Collo-Julinon May 29, 2020 at 5:20 pm Read More »

Singer-songwriter Gia Margaret shifts focus to instrumental ambient for Mia GargaretIzzy Yellenon May 29, 2020 at 5:24 pm

Chicago singer-songwriter Gia Margaret makes what she calls “sleep rock.” Its mellow vibes make it well-suited for early-morning or late-night listening, while its catchy melodies and driving beats can get heads nodding–albeit gently. Margaret’s 2018 debut full-length, There’s Always Glimmer, creates inviting atmospheres with crisp production and varied instrumentation: Margaret’s double-tracked vocals glow amid a calming mix of electronic drums, piano, and guitar. She builds upon that foundation on her new second album, Mia Gargaret (Orindal), though unlike its predecessor, it’s largely an instrumental record–she sings only on the closing track, “Lesson,” and occasionally samples voices, including a lecture by British philosopher Alan Watts. Margaret made it while recovering from an illness that robbed her of her singing voice for about half of 2019; rather than put music aside, she adapted in order to move forward. Opening track “Apathy,” released as an early single, channels Mort Garson’s Plantasia, with a hypnotic looped arpeggio of synth and piano that evokes stillness as well as growth. Near the end, Margaret introduces a sample from one of her vocal-therapy sessions, where she’s dealing with the loss of her primary instrument but staying determined and optimistic. Elsewhere she translates her compositional voice to other instruments: on “Lakes,” a field recording of waves ushers in acoustic and effected guitars. No matter the tools she uses, these songs convey patience and a thoughtful way of developing ideas. Margaret’s choice to conclude the album with “Lesson” suggests that she’ll eventually return to the singer-songwriter style of There’s Always Glimmer, but I hope she also continues to explore the approaches here. Necessity is the mother of invention, and Mia Gargaret makes it clear that it’s necessary for her to make music any way she can. v

Read More

Singer-songwriter Gia Margaret shifts focus to instrumental ambient for Mia GargaretIzzy Yellenon May 29, 2020 at 5:24 pm Read More »

Chicago rap duo Mother Nature evoke deferred summertime joy with PortalzLeor Galilon May 29, 2020 at 6:03 pm

Over the past few years, Chicago hip-hop duo Mother Nature have become so thoroughly embedded in several overlapping scenes that it could feel like they were always playing a show. And when the weather heated up, they sometimes got gigs bigger than any one scene: Subterranean booked them for Wicker Park Fest twice in a row, they won a spot on North Coast Music Festival’s 2018 lineup, and last year they played an unofficial Pitchfork afterparty organized by multimedia outlet AMFM. This season, of course, nearly every musical gathering that helps flavor Chicago’s summers has been postponed or canceled, but Mother Nature have nonetheless found a way to remind us that they’re part of what makes bearing the city’s tundra-like conditions for the other nine months so rewarding. On the new Portalz EP (their debut for Closed Sessions), rappers Shasta Matthews (aka Klevah Knox) and Tierney Reed (aka T.R.U.T.H.) navigate languid melodies in tracks built from sweltering synths, swaggering percussion, and nimble but understated bass lines. The record has an easygoing vibe, and Matthews and Reed frequently lean into it, unfurling half-sung vocals that stretch on like a summer day. They sound perfectly laid-back, but they rap with such precision that you can easily imagine them pivoting instantly into aggressive, fired-up verses. And even when they stick to a relaxed lilt, their voices can transform the feel of a lackadaisical instrumental: they enliven the indolent melody of “Antidote” with a few blustery bars that burst like fireworks. v

Read More

Chicago rap duo Mother Nature evoke deferred summertime joy with PortalzLeor Galilon May 29, 2020 at 6:03 pm Read More »

On Introduction, Presence Nation of Language make earnest synth-pop for the modern conditionShannon Nico Shreibakon May 29, 2020 at 6:09 pm

When the present is a slog at best and the future seems aimed off the edge of a cliff, a pair of rose-colored glasses turned toward the past can be irresistible–at any rate, that’s how Brooklyn trio Nation of Language approached their debut album, Introduction, Presence. Powered by chockablock synths, hypnotic bass grooves, and the shadowy croon of bandleader Ian Devaney (imagine Frank Sinatra at golden-era Neo), the record exhumes all the 80s new-wave hallmarks worth reviving. The group cobbled the album together over two years, popping in and out of the studio with no clear agenda besides quelling their nostalgia; they tinkered with unfamiliar instruments until melodies emerged in revelatory flares. While Nation of Language’s glossy synth patches and splintered drumbeats bow to postpunk progenitors, their lyrical subject matter is timeless: city streets peppered with emotional landmines (“On Division St.”), the lifelong tug-of-war between self-improvement and self-sabotage (“Indignities”), and love so sweet it can melt your teeth away (“Rush & Fever”). In a March interview with Boston-based online magazine Vanyaland, Devaney said, “I hoped in making this album to create the space to openly ache for something.” The space where Nation of Language have staked their claim is like a world unto itself, one that sparkles like silver and where a night’s mistakes can be washed away with a torrent of rain–and that’s exactly the type of utopia any dance-floor disciple would ache for. v

Read More

On Introduction, Presence Nation of Language make earnest synth-pop for the modern conditionShannon Nico Shreibakon May 29, 2020 at 6:09 pm Read More »

Goons be Gone is the most fleshed-out and lush No Age release yetLuca Cimarustion May 29, 2020 at 7:46 pm

No Age have always been great at making very little sound like a whole lot. Since they began blending influences from hardcore punk and noise rock with indie-rock catchiness 15 years ago, the Los Angeles-based duo have been on the cutting edge of cool–they’ve always seemed a step ahead of their peers in the guitar-rock world. On the brand-new Goons Be Gone, No Age’s second full-length for Drag City, guitarist and singer Randy Randall and drummer and singer Dean Spunt have created their most lush and thoughtful music yet, proving that their well of greatness isn’t going to dry up anytime soon. This time around the band dive into psychedelic rock, layering dreamy guitars to create spacey textures and soundscapes; meanwhile their vocal melodies lean into mod textures, with equal parts attitude and smooth hooks. No Age have always fleshed out the two-member dynamic so well, and they’ve upped their game even further on Goons Be Gone–sometimes they break away from their minimalism, and they sound like a six-piece band cutting loose. When they pair their new sense of pop grandeur with the inventive guitar leads, pushy drums, and unstoppable energy of their signature sound, No Age are bigger and better than ever. v

Read More

Goons be Gone is the most fleshed-out and lush No Age release yetLuca Cimarustion May 29, 2020 at 7:46 pm Read More »

Seth Engel makes melancholy sound sweet with his power-pop project, OptionsLeor Galilon May 29, 2020 at 7:49 pm

Chicago punk multi-instrumentalist Seth Engel can deliver a sweet, melancholy riff so gracefully that you’d think he lives inside the guitar chords from Jawbreaker’s Dear You. Engel, who records solo material under the name Options, is a busy young man about town. He drums with mathy progressive trio Pyramid Scheme as well as heavy indie-rockers Great Deceivers, and he’s a member of several groups that are on pause, including Lifted Bells and Anthony Fremont’s Garden Solutions. He also gets called up to play auxiliary roles on album sessions by local emo and punk acts; his recent credits include Retirement Party and Nature’s Neighbor. On the other side of the board, he’s a studio wiz who engineers, mixes, and masters music for a laundry list of Chicago DIY artists at his Bridgeport headquarters, Pallet Sound. Since debuting Options with 2014’s What You Want, Engel has been cranking out emo-laden rock songs whose clean power-pop hooks bind together joy and woe, and he pulls it off with surgical precision. Options’ sixth album, Wind’s Gonna Blow, continues this strange, intoxicating balance of blissful euphoria and vague gloom. On “Blue,” Engel transforms mundane sadness into an existential wound, oozing with fuzzy riffs and sullen singing, and cauterizes it with sharp guitar stabs and drum bursts–the music makes it feel possible to heal even when everyday grief won’t stop. v

Read More

Seth Engel makes melancholy sound sweet with his power-pop project, OptionsLeor Galilon May 29, 2020 at 7:49 pm Read More »

Chicago rap star Polo G stands firm on his peak with The GoatLeor Galilon May 29, 2020 at 7:51 pm

Chicago rapper Taurus Bartlett, better known as Polo G, rose to national prominence so quickly that new listeners could be forgiven for assuming he’s been a star for at least a few years. He broke out in January 2019 with “Pop Out,” a collaboration with New York MC Lil Tjay, where Bartlett mixes irrepressible joy and gut-wrenching sorrow in prismatic pop. Bartlett maintained that single’s narrative gravitas and melodic sweetness for the entirety of his debut album, June 2019’s Die a Legend. In early May, he announced his follow-up, The Goat (Columbia), on which he displays more flexibility as a rapper. On “Go Stupid,” producer Mike Will Made-It concocts an antagonistic vibe with metallic drums and austere keys, a mood that jibes better with the guests on the track, Stunna 4 Vegas and NLE Choppa, than it does with Barlett himself. He sprays compact, burly lines tinged with a bit of his old melodic bliss, performing with the vigor of an artist already hungry for the next challenge. v

Read More

Chicago rap star Polo G stands firm on his peak with The GoatLeor Galilon May 29, 2020 at 7:51 pm Read More »