Canadiens 4, Blackhawks 1

Here’s something that should keep Blackhawk fans awake at night:

Duncan Keith has played mostly mediocre hockey for the past month.

It’s no secret that the ‘Hawks have struggled for about the last month and the more it continues, the more it seems as Duncan Keith goes, so goes the Blackhawks.  (Even though Versus Studio Analyst Brian Engblom tried to blame the ‘Hawk struggles on the dealing of Hall-of-Fame defenseman James Wisniewski at the trade deadline.  Here’s a tip for the Versus’ crew: Order the NHL Centre Ice Package so you don’t seem ignorant on every topic you’re discussing.) 

It was no different tonight as just 25 seconds into the game, Keith had a horrible giveaway right to the Canadiens’ Alexei Kovalev who happily deposited the gift into the net.  Just like that, the ‘Hawks were chasing a goal from the get-go.  Things only got worse from there.  The Canadiens had several quality opportunities only to be denied by former teammate Cristobal Huet.   

The rest of the first period saw some heavy hits with the heaviest being Aaron Johnson lambasting Sergei Kostitsyn.  Kostitsyn would not return to the game and for the most part, neither did Aaron Johnson as he saw limited shifts for the remainder of the game.  With Matt Walker set to return from injury, it looks as though we haven’t seen the last of him yet.

The ‘Hawks turned up the pressure in the second thanks to some overdue line shuffling.  Patrick Kane was finally put back on a line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp.  The result was some excellent chances the ‘Hawks just missed capitalizing on and some sustained pressure in the Canadien zone.

It was all for naught. 

Just past the six minute mark of the period, Guillaume Latendresse chopped a loose puck that bounced off Cristobal Huet and fluttered up into the net to give Montreal all the lead they would need.  For good measure, the Canadiens notched a power play tally with four minutes left in the period when Dave Bolland watched Andrei Markov sneak from the blue line all the way to the top of the crease.  Shockingly, the puck went right on his stick and into the back of the net. 

Twelve minutes into the third period, the Blackhawks scored their first goal in seven regulation periods when Patrick Sharp blasted a one-timer past Carey Price.  Sammy Pahlsson picked up his first point as a ‘Hawk when he notched an assist.  Another amazing turn of events, the ‘Hawks had two guys parked right in front of the net and Price couldn’t see the puck before it was too late.  Funny how that works, huh?

Any thoughts of a comeback were put to bed quickly as four minutes later Mathieu Schneider put a one-timer past Huet with Chris Higgins providing a screen and Brent Seabrook lovingly looking on.

The Day After

After the Blackhawks suffered one of their most embarrassing losses of the season, there are plenty of ideas about what exactly went wrong.

–Chris Kuc says Not enough FIRE, No PASSION!!!

–Tim Sassone says it’s a match-up problem.

What was it really?

Vancouver obviously had scouted the ‘Hawks very strongly.  There was nowhere for Chicago to go once they gained entry into the zone.  Passing lanes disappeared and whatever worked in the past was not going to work on Sunday evening.  Not to mention, when you get a penalty shot and can’t even register a shot on goal, it’s probably not going to be your night.

Does this mean Vancouver is far superior to Chicago and a resulting a playoff series would be lopsided?

Not really.  I’ve had a chance to catch a few Canucks games in the past couple weeks and I must say, they’ve never looked as good as they did last night.  Vancouver was obviously at the top of their game, specifically their three best players, and the ‘Hawks weren’t.  End of story.  The result of this game doesn’t mean that Vancouver is now the ‘88-89 Calgary Flames re-incarnate. 

Speaking of Calgary, there’s been talk about how they might be a more favorable match-up for the ‘Hawks. 

The Canucks can be a physical, nasty team with a more complete defense than Calgary, a more intimidating goalie in Roberto Luongo and a more dangerous top line with the Sedins and Alex Burrows.

I’m having a hard time imagining that a line of Sedin-Sedin-Burrows is more dangerous than Iginla-Jokinen-Cammalleri.  I would much rather take my chances with the line known for it’s playoff disappearances than the line with a guy who came within one win of being the Conn Smythe winner. 

Will this game mean anything if they meet in the first round of the playoffs?

Save for some extra trash-talking, probably not.  If anything, it gave both teams an idea of what they could (in Vancouver’s case) and could not (in the ‘Hawks case) do against each other.  The Canucks obviously have the upper hand in line matching assuming the ‘Hawks don’t make adjustments to what happened.  As I stated in last night’s recap, the Sedins and Burrows dominated the HavBolLadd line.  Considering that Quenneville seems to be more of a “traditional” type coach, he’s probably scheming to get a “traditional” checking line in order.

While the beating the ‘Hawks took was bruising, you shouldn’t automatically assume they’re destined for first round doom.  Vancouver is a solid team but just because they played a nearly flawless game last night does not mean they are capable of doing it four times come the playoffs.  So while you pray for Calgary to drop into the ‘Hawks lap, be careful what you wish for, because any team that can throw Jarome Iginla at you every third shift is not one to take lightly. 

–Duncan Keith is still shocked at what happened during his scrap with Alex Burrows last night.  The NHL rulebook calls for any hair-pulling to be a match penalty so it’s safe to assume Burrows may get a call from the league’s office soon.  Of course, Adam Burish had to have his voice heard as well:

“I think it’s silly,” Hawks forward Adam Burish said. ”There’s no spot for that. I think that’s stupid the way he was pulling [Keith's] hair. Especially a nice haircut like Duncan has. I didn’t see it at the time [but] I’m sure I would have been more mad than I was already.”

So what’s sillier, pulling someone’s hair or inciting a riot by taking three unprovoked shots to a Sedin brother’s face?  On the television broadcast, they were showing replays of Dustin Byfuglien taking out Roberto Luongo so we didn’t get to see anything until Ben Eager had already gotten to second base with Kevin Bieksa.  According to several people at the game, Burish played lead dog by escalating the situation.  Pot meet kettle.

–Troy Brouwer looks to be out for the next couple games.  There was some hope he wouldn’t miss any time as he was seen walking around after the game with no limp.  No one has been harder on Brouwer this year than me.  That being said, he will be missed.  He provides a solid defensive presence and can dig the puck out from the boards as well as anyone on the team. 

–Cristobal Huet will get the start tomorrow night.  It would be so 2008-09 Chicago Blackhawks (and for that matter, 2008-09 Montreal Canadiens) if Huet has a stellar start.  After running a strict goalie rotation through most of the year, the wheels of the Blackhawks bus have started to fall off since the rotation stopped (due to Khabibulin’s injury).  A strong start by Huet may get the rotation whispers going again. 

fifthfeather@gmail.com

Canucks 4, Blackhawks 0

In the three periods on Sunday night, the Blackhawks became progressively worse with each intermission.   The culmination came in the third period when ‘Hawk players littered the penalty box and tried to win in the only category they could at that point, trash-talking.  Considering they were done 4-0 at that point, they didn’t really stand much of a chance in that department either. 

Basically, you could sum up this game in one simple equation: The line of Sedin-Sedin-Burrows >>>>>>>>> HavBolLadd line.  The Sedins and Burrows dictated the tempo the entire time they were out on the ice.  Daniel Sedin (the uglier of the two) notched a goal three and a half minutes into the game on a scramble in front where he out-positioned Duncan Keith and deposited the puck into the net. 

Alex Burrows joined the party nine minutes into the second period when Henrik Sedin crossed the ‘Hawks blue line, found Daniel on the opposite side, Burrows broke to the net, beat Brian Campbell, and then Daniel put the puck right on his stick, and he re-directed it past Khabibulin.

In the third, the line put the ‘Hawks away for good four minutes into the period when Daniel Sedin notched his second from the goal line off a tic-tac-toe play from Burrows and Henrik.  Burrows found Henrik breaking down the slot, Henrik saw Daniel wide open on the goal line and just like that, it was in the back of the net.   

Meanwhile, HavBolLadd were a collective -7 with only 5 shots on net.  If these two teams meet in the post-season, this match-up probably has to be addressed.  

Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo collected the shut-out but he probably only made about one big-time save when about half-way through the second, he denied Martin Havlat on the door step.  Give credit to the Canucks defensive play.  They gave no room for the ‘Hawks to breath, let alone get open.  Many times (read: EVERY TIME) the ‘Hawks attempts to cycle within the offensive zone were denied by Canucks stepping into the passing lanes and gaining possesion.  Maybe it was because the ‘Hawks were being too predictable, maybe Vancouver saw something in the film room, or maybe it was because Vancouver ”wanted” it more, but either way, Vancouver’s defensive zone coverage was superb.  

The ugliest part of the game came in the third period when Dustin Byfuglien decided if he couldn’t score on Luongo, he would shove his elbow in his mouth.  What followed was a fisticuff from yester-year.  Several players squared off exchanging blows. 

• Ben Eager ripped apart big-time heavyweight Kevin Bieksa like a lion mangling a gazelle carcass.  Bieksa left the ice with his mouth bleeding, shoulder and elbow pads missing, and his undershirt looking like it came under attack from a Great White Shark (At this point of the game, I may or may not have been switching back and forth between the Planet Earth Sunday Marathon.)   
• Duncan Keith had his hair torn out by Alex Burrows and for good measure, had his forehead driven to the ice.  Burrows, realizing he almost killed Keith, seemed to stop and make sure he was ok, then proceeded to rip out some more hair. 
• Adam Burish somehow received 6 minutes in roughing penalties even though he never got out of the linemen’s grasp.  Meanwhile, Edzo was practically foaming at the mouth for Burish to get away so he could pummel the aforementioned Burrows.

It was quite an eventful proceeding, that in the end turned out to mean absolutely nothing, as Vancouver had already built up an insurmontable 3-0 lead to that point.  Well, as long as Duncan Keith doesn’t die of a brain bleed.

If anything, the ‘Hawks should have put up that kind of response after Darcy Hordichuk went knee to knee with not one, but two ‘Hawk players on the same shift in the first period.  Hordichuk got a piece of Ham Sandwich’s knee behind the net.  With the delayed penalty being called and a loose puck in his vicinity, Hordichuk then took a chunk out of Troy Brouwer when he dove at him feet first and then stuck his leg up to clip Brouwer’s leg.  Brouwer was hurt on the play and would not return.

UPDATE: Note from Bob: The most frustrating part of Sunday evening’s uneven tilt was the ‘Hawks’ inability to hit the net on opportunities.  On one end, the Canucks capitalized on their few opportunities, while Byfuglien, Havlat and Kane all missed the net on the Blackhawks’ best chances during the first 30 minutes, with the Havlat and Kane chances coming on partial breakaways. 

The other maddening piece was the positioning of Cam Barker and Brent Seabrook on the 5-on-3 power play, where the left-handed shooting Barker played the left point and the right-handed shooting Seabrook played the right point.  This alleviated entirely any opporunities for partner-to-partner or cross-ice one-timers, as each defenseman was forced to catch and turn before attempting to shoot each time he collected a pass from his partner on the other side of the ice, and ultimately, it meant the ‘Hawks point men wouldn’t get any great opportunities from outside.  While I suppose the idea is for the one-timers to be set up from the winger along the boards, even a one-timer in that situation would remove Luongo’s need to slide from side-to-side on a one-time shot attempt.

For as good as Lunongo is, the ‘Hawks can’t make his job easier by banging pucks off the boards behind him.

As for the fight, I knew something was awry when Adam Burish took the body three times on the same shift for the first time since the Geogre W. Bush administration.  While it was a nice attempt to generate momentum – and one I don’t necessarily mind – it would have been nicer an hour earlier.  If nothing else, it was entertainment enough to keep me in my seat for 15 minutes longer.

Finally, my guess is Sunday’s game is what Q needed to break up the marriage that is the three-way between Bolland, Havlat and Ladd.  Assuming Brouwer is still alive, I’d like to see him with Pahlsson and Ladd tomorrow evening in Montreal.  Matching up with the Sedin boys or the Jokinen-Cammalleri-Iginla fright fest could become the key to any first round playoff series for these ‘Hawks, especially considering their recent issues in the defensive zone.

Canucks @ Blackhawks, 6:00 pm CST

We all know the Canucks by now.  They’re led by the Sedin brothers – who are both averaging just under a point per game this season – and Roberto Luongo in net.  Since the Mats Sundin signing, Ryan Kesler has moved to wing to play with Sundin and Pavol Demitra on the second line, which gives the Canucks a rather deep attack.

Tonight will be the Canucks’ third game in four nights, with the team splitting the previous two, including a loss in St. Louis and a win in Colorado.  Following tonight’s bash, the ‘Nucks end their current five-game road trip on Tuesday in Minnesota.

For the ‘Hawks, I think we’ll see the same defensive set-up, including Khabibulin in net, and Colin Fraser in between Ben Eager and Dustin Byfuglien on the fourth line.  And, if Friday night’s intense national anthem was any indicator, I think this evening’s game will be a fun one.

Otherwise…

Tim Sassone and the Daily Herald should consider disabling comments on Sassone’s blog, Between the Circles.  Tim’s army has recently pegged 20 year-old Patrick Kane as an “underachiever.”

And, while Kane surely has a lot of maturing to do – including pretending to care in the defensive zone – I would prescribe deep breaths for all ‘Hawk fans for treatment of this ailment.  At 20, Kane has already won the NHL’s Calder Trophy and will likely score at least 70 points for the second straight season.  At the same time, he’s the youngest ‘Hawk and already one of the league’s most feared players on the power play.

Forklift once crapped himself in a Denny’s at 20.

Anyway, the talk reminds me a lot of the Jonathan Toews talk during the beginning portion of the season when one post-game caller into WGN Radio even recommended a trip to Rockford for the ‘Hawk captain.  A few months later, Toews has re-established himself as one of the ‘Hawks’ best players and could have 35 goals by the time all is said and done.

Bottom line: just like the ‘Hawks themselves, individual players have their ups and their downs during a season.  It’s not wise to judge a player by either, though, so resist the urge to call it a career for this right winger who shaves once a month.

Blackhawks 3, Devils 2 (OT)

Nikolai Khabibulin and the Blackhawks overcame a 1-for-5 power play performance during the first twenty minutes and a 2-1 deficit following the first period to beat the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in overtime on Friday evening at the United Center.  Even a surely drunken Dan Akroyd in aviator sunglasses couldn’t slow the ‘Hawks, who have now won each their last three games.

The win is revenge for the ‘Hawks, who lost last week to the Devils by the same score in New Jersey, though the ‘Hawks didn’t get an overtime point in that match.  This time around, though, the ‘Hawks started the scoring. 

As the Devils were doing their best to rack up as many Delay of Game penalty minutes during the first frame, the ‘Hawks saw 10 minutes of power play time.  Kris Versteeg gave the ‘Hawks their only regulation lead of the evening when, about six minutes into the first period, he was inexplicably allowed to walk from the corner to the front of the net unmolested on the power play.  Versteeg backed into the low slot and roofed a nice wrist shot over Martin Brodeur to tally his 21st of the season.

The happiness faded quickly, however, as the Zach Parise responded for the Devils about a minute-and-a-half later on a wrist shot at the top of the circle.  Parise’s wrister deflected off the stick of Aaron Johnson and hit the twine behind Khabibulin to tie it.  Then, with just 17 seconds left to play in the period, defensman Paul Martin smacked in a rebound amidst a scrum in front of the ‘Hawk net to give the Devils the lead.  Though Khabibulin was shaky early, allowing yummy rebounds on long shots, neither Devil tally was soft. Parise’s goal took an unnatural bounce off Johnson’s stick, and the second goal rests on the shoulders of the ’Hawk defense.  

The ’Hawks ouplayed the Devils during the second, but it didn’t pay until Martin Havlat found himself with room at the top of the offensive zone.  Havlat walked in unbothered and snuck a quick wrister past the blocker of Brodeur to tie the game.  More on Havlat later.

Khabibulin shined in the third, and the ‘Hawks got all three shots in the overtime period, including the Brent Seabrook slap shot winner from the point with about 90 seconds left in the extra frame. 

Unfortunately for the ‘Hawks, though, the Canucks also won, beating the Avalanche in Colorado 4-1.  That leaves the ‘Hawks two points up with a game in-hand entering tomorrow’s clash in Chicago. 

The Scraps…

Martin Halvlat is the Blackhawks’ best player.  Jonathan Toews is the undisputed captain; Duncan Keith is a prototypical new age defenseman; and, Patrick Kane is one of the league’s most dangerous power play players.

But, Martin Havlat is the team’s best player.  Dale Tallon was absolutely right not to move Havlat at the deadline, and he’d be right to re-sign Havlat as soon as possible and deal with any consequences later, including moving other members of the current nucleus to make room under the salary cap.  Havlat seems to have solved his injury issues, and he’s made a habit of being the best player on the ice since the games have taken a playoff flavor.  He’s capable of dominating shifts and games like no other ‘Hawk can, and I’m not sure I want to think of the Blackhawks without him.

Nik Khabibulin is apparently the guy in the ‘Hawk net from here on out, and he played like it yesterday evening.  He’ll be in the net tomorrow, and a confident Khabibulin could be the difference come playoff time.

But, he won’t be back next year – no matter what your buddy tells you.

Ben Eager returns from suspension tomorrow evening, which leaves Joel Quenneville with 13 forwards.  He’ll play, and Dustin Byfuglien won’t sit.  That leaves Adam Burish or Colin Fraser to center Eager and Byfuglien, your new fourth line wingers.  Rather than picking one, perhaps Q will rotate Burish and Fraser to keep them both involved.

Devil of a Friday

Through some exclusive inside sources, the Fifth Feather has acquired video footage of the Barry Rozner/John McDonough interview.

In all fairness to Rozner, he is hardly the only member of the Chicago media who can barely contain themselves when in the presence of McDonough.   But he may be the most guilty of it. 

–It looks like the wing combo of Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg between Sammy Pahlsson is here to stay for a while.  While I certainly see why Quenneville would do it, (off-setting Kane’s sometimes sloppy defensive play with Pahlsson) I still am not convinced this is the best way to go about it.  By trying to offset Kane’s defensive shortcomings, they’re in fact, crippling his offensive skills by playing him with Pahlsson. 

There has been talk recently the ‘Hawks feel Pahlsson is a better offensive player than his career numbers say.  This would make sense for them to partner him up with Kane and Versteeg, two of the more offensively skilled players on the team.  However, there hasn’t been much evidence to the contrary since Patrick Sharp’s return.  If they don’t see at least a glimmer of hope in the upcoming games, hopefully they don’t wait too long to pull the plug on this experiment.

The best checking line the ‘Hawks can throw out there would be Sammy Pahlsson (also one of the main reasons they acquired him, ya know, to center a checking line) between Troy Brouwer and Andrew Ladd.  Only recently has there been any evidence of the ‘Hawks using that combo.

Patrick Kane has moved to Pahlsson’s line for now with Kris Versteeg, but it’s possible a checking line of Pahlsson and perhaps Andrew Ladd and Troy Brouwer could happen at some point down the stretch.

–Speaking of BROUWER POWER, Chris Kuc gets credit for being the first beat writer to take notice of Brouwer’s inability to capitalize on golden opportunities.  Amazingly, I have been saying this since the end of February.  Brouwer is a terrific checking winger but the coaching staff’s insistence to try and make him a top line scoring winger is flat out wrong.  Maybe in the next couple years he’ll become that guy, but this year, it’s just not happening.

Anyone who has played with the talent he has this year should be putting up better numbers than he has.

–With a goal last night, Dustin Byfuglien is just a torrid scoring pace off matching his output from last year.  Last year, Buff had 19 goals to go with 17 assists in 67 games.  In 67 games this year, he has 13 goals and 13 assists.  He has been nothing short of a disappointment this year, but I have to wonder if he were playing on a smaller contract, would ‘Hawk fans hate him as much as they do?  Because essentially, he has put up Troy Brouwer numbers but with a bigger cap hit and less talented linemates. 

–I had the opportunity to read “Career Misconduct” by Mark Weinberg recently.  Weinberg was the creator of ‘The Blue Line’, a satirical game-day program that used to be sold outside the Chicago Stadium and United Center, basically the grandfather to ‘The Committed Indian’. 

His book goes into extreme detail about all the evils Bill Wirtz perpetrated as owner of the Blackhawks (and really God bless him, if this blog had to worry about the team on the ice AND the ownership off it, we probably wouldn’t have got past the first month before I wanted to poke my eyes out with toothpicks).  Most of the information in the book I had already known about, but something dawned on me as I was finishing it.

In about ten years, all these ‘new’ fans will know nothing about what we went through.  They won’t know what it feels like not to watch a home game on TV, nor will they know how truly silent the United Center can be (hopefully).  They won’t know Bobby Hull destroyed all ties with the franchise because of how poorly he was treated by Wirtz nor will they remember how Roenick was told he’d be a ‘Blackhawk for life’ only to be shipped off six months later. 

Basically, you should buy it, read it (it’s only like a 110 pages) and then keep it on the shelf for that one day in the future when you’re bouncing your grandkids (hopefully they’re your grandkids) on your lap telling them how truly awful it used to be to be a Blackhawks fan.

Blackhawks 6, Sharks 5 (SOW)

Due to a scheduling hiccup, I only caught about four minutes of this game and Bobby only saw the third period.  I’d recommend checking out Second City and Hockee Night for a solid recap.  Also, by God, let us know what you thought of the game.  We didn’t see much, so fill us in on the details.  The box score looks like it was a frustrating, yet fulfilling win.  The rest is up to you to describe…

Do You Know The Way To….Chicago

Thankfully, Patrick Marleau doesn’t.  Marleau will not be in town with the Sharks when they invade the United Center.  He is staying to be with his pregnant wife in San Jose.  This is a huge break for the ‘Hawks. 

Marleau leads the Sharks with 37 goals to go with his 33 assists.  He and Joe Thornton are as lethal of a line combination that you’ll find in the Western Conference.  Have I mentioned this is great news for the ‘Hawks?  Also, missing on the trip is defenseman Rob Blake, out with the infamous lower body injury. 

One man who will be making his return is Jeremy Roenick.  Roenick has been out since the end of February with his second shoulder injury of the season.  It’s always a welcome sight to see JR back in the building he helped build, regardless of what uniform he’s wearing. 

–In the land of the ‘Hawks, we were welcomed with this great news from Chris Kuc today:

Dustin Byfuglien has felt right at home playing defense during Blackhawks practices the last couple of days.

The winger-turned-defenseman has been filling in on the blue line while Cam Barker and Matt Walker nurse injuries and could find himself back at his old position during games as the regular season winds down.

Come again?  The ‘Hawks finally removed the stench of Matt Walker from the blue line and now they want to replace him with a younger, slightly faster version.  Albeit, it was one game, but Aaron Johnson and Jordan Hendry did exactly what a 5th and 6th defensemen are supposed to: shut down the opposing team, clear the defensive zone quickly and efficiently by making quick and easy breakout passes, and keeping the puck in the offensive zone. 

I don’t see why there is even a need for Byfuglien to be taking practice reps at defense.  Anyone who watched Byfuglien play back last year saw a big guy with mediocre hands, slow feet, and someone suspectible to being pantsed anytime a skill player was matched up opposite of him.  Hmmm, sounds like someone we are all too familiar with.  

Quenneville was quick to point out he would use Byfuglien on defense in an emergency but was hesitant to force anything.  Hopefully, smarter minds will prevail. 

–Meanwhile, Tim Sassone ponders who will be the odd man out on the fourth line when Ben Eager returns from suspension.  My esteemed colleague, Bobby, has been saying for weeks it will be Adam Burish.  I tend to agree. 

As much as I’ve grown to enjoy Burish, he isn’t the same player as last year when he would run around the ice for 30 to 35 seconds looking to rip off someone’s head and drink their blood.  If you pay close attention to him during a game, he’ll never go out of his way to hit anyone, nor will he drop the gloves anymore.  So what you’re stuck with is a fourth line player who thinks he’s a first or second line player with the skills of a fourth line player.  You follow? 

–chicagokill gives you some ideas on what to do when the ‘Hawks aren’t playing: More hockey, eh.  

–Chris takes a look at the ‘Hawks newest acquistion (who I’ve never heard of) and compares the move to a former acquisition (who I’ve also never heard of) along with some other fun ‘Hawk facts.

The Soupy Effect

The following post ran in Sunday’s issue of ‘The Committed Indian’.  If you haven’t already, be sure to grab an issue before the next home game you attend.  Sam (he writes, edits, and sells the thing) does an excellent job of being satirical, logical, and is a photoshop wizard.  As I promised last week, here is our more in-depth look at Brian Campbell.

When the Blackhawks signed Brian Campbell to an eight-year, $56 million contract on July 1^st, fans from all over rejoiced.  For arguably the first time in franchise history, the ‘Hawks signed a free agent in the prime of his career rather than someone entering his twilight.  (See Gilmour, Doug; Clark, Wendel; Orr, Bobby; Nicholls, Bernie; Coffey, Paul; Housley, Phil; seriously, if you want us to keep going, we’ll be here all day.)  Following last season’s breakout campaign, the ‘Hawks had their sights set on making a public relations splash in the free agent pool. 

After perhaps a year of scouting, the ‘Hawks identified Campbell as the best available player in the lot and paid him like it.  The ‘Hawks even made sure no team outbid them for his services instead of putting up a sympathy bid that had no chance of being accepted.  (See Roenick, Jeremy; Tkachuk, Keith; Amonte, Tony; ok, that’s enough, we’re breaking out into hives again!)  With Campbell came the promise of someone who could quarterback the power play, lead the defense in scoring, and rush the puck up with his explosive speed.  While past seasons saw the Blackhawks’ power play run the halfback triple option just to gain entry into the offensive zone, Campbell’s arrival instantly meant the young ‘Hawk stars could shine, as Campbell could single-handedly do the job for the ‘Hawks power play. 

But, what no one should have expected was a shut-down defensive player.  If you did, you obviously didn’t see much of the NHL playoffs last year.

So now, just five months into an eight-year deal, Blackhawk fans are suddenly OUTRAGED that Brian Campbell is a shaky defensive player.  What part of his career +2 +/- rating made you believe he was Niklas Lidstrom?  To paraphrase the NFL’s Denny Green, “He is who we thought he was.”  If Campbell had only two goals and five assists this year, then by all means, the signing could be viewed as a disaster.  But, so far, he has seven goals with 39 assists, good for fifth on the team in scoring and eighth among all NHL defensemen; the ‘Hawks power play unit has been in the top-ten the entire year; and his speed routinely forces teams to give up their blue line.  And, if you really want to get into specific stats, check out his CORSI rating, as his is only one of the best on the team.

If Brian Campbell were a movie character, he would be Rain Man.  He does some things that make him look like an absolute genius.  The first 93 times he did a spin-o-rama, there was a buzz in the crowd, and his speed, at times, can be breathtaking.  Then, other times, he can look like a 51 year-old autistic man – specifically anytime he’s in the defensive zone.  Again, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.  He was acquired with the warning label: Do not leave alone unsupervised.

So, where does all the hatred stem from?

No doubt, the majority comes from the enormous contract he was handed.  Is that really his fault, though?  Did he hold a gun to the collective head of ‘Hawk management and demand the obscene contract?  No, the ‘Hawks paid handsomely for him and when they did, the fan base celebrated.  Bells rang, doves flew, the stars aligned, and for once, everything seemed right in the universe.  Now, they’re either vomiting or contemplating suicide with message board acquaintances.  But, why?

On the whole, he’s scoring for the ‘Hawks and quarterbacking a power play unit ranked in the NHL’s top-ten nearly all season.  After 69 games, the ‘Hawk power play ranked sixth in the NHL; last year, it finished sixth from the bottom.  Yes, his defensive play, at times, can be downright offensive, but that is as advertised.  It certainly doesn’t help that his defensive partner, Matt Walker, is, at best, a fringe-NHL player.  We’re reminded of it on a nightly basis when Pat Foley says, “Amazing, this is Matt Walker’s 43^rd straight game – a guy who was on the scrap heap in the off-season.”  Memo to Pat: we realize you’ve been calling AHL games the last few years, but there’s a reason Walker’s agent was handing his resume around the league over the summer and why Walker started the year in Rockford: *whispers* He’s not very good at hockey.

Though, admittedly, Matt Walker has surpassed even the wildest of preseason expectations with his play this season, he is not the ideal defensive partner for Campbell.  Yes, he’s a stay-at-home defenseman, but that’s out of necessity; he can’t go anywhere else.  Walker is not nearly talented enough to help Campbell after a mistake or, alternatively, Campbell is trying to compensate for the fact that his partner isn’t very good and, thus, makes his own mental mistakes. 

Alas, we still have seven years left on Brian Campbell’s contract.  Due to the size of the deal and the current economic difficulties, there’s approximately a 99.2% chance he’ll be here for at least the next four or five, so you might as well accept him for what he is and hope Coach Joel Quenneville uses “Soupy” appropriately.  If you can’t stand the way he plays now, you’re going to drown in a puddle of misery come 2013 – and that’s if you didn’t jump off your parents’ roof with SavvysMyDaddy18 after Campbell’s performance against the Islanders last weekend. 

But, before you take the plunge, realize it could be worse: you could be wading in the six-year, $39 million cesspool that is the New York Rangers-Wade Redden pact inked this past summer.  Worse yet, imagine the public outcry had the ‘Hawks let the summer go by without adding a key free agent signing to the mix.  Your nausea, heartburn, upset stomach and diarrhea would have been hastened by nine months.

Ultimately, it may best for your health and the health of your families if you just enjoy the fact that the Blackhawks finally have an offensive presence on the blue line and a solid power play quarterback. 

Those are two things you haven’t been able to say since Doug Wilson’s beautiful Saget-like perm graced the cigarette smog that was the Chicago Stadium air space.  

Happy now?  Yeah, didn’t think so.

fifthfeather@gmail.com

Blackhawks 4, Kings 1

Do you believe in miracles?!?  Yes!  Yes!

What seemed impossible this morning became reality this afternoon at the United Center when the Blackhawks took two points in a single game.  And, for the most part, this one was all ‘Hawks, as they never trailed en route to a victory – only the team’s second in its last nine games.

For the first time since 1989, the ‘Hawks scored first.  The goal came following a five minute stretch when the Kings took eight minutes worth of penalties.  While the ‘Hawks pressured the Kings, they were unable to notch a goal until the last minute of the man advantage when Patrick Sharp welcomed himself back to the line-up.  Sharp and Patrick Kane found themselves in on a two-on-one with Sharp as the puck carrier.  Sharp looked off the defenseman and the late-coming forward to buy time to blow one by Kings’ goaltender Jonathon Quick’s glove hand.  Sharp celebrated with the home crowd by jumping into the near side glass after his 24th of the year.

Next, just following a Blackhawks’ penalty kill early in the second, Sharp and Martin Havlat worked a give-and-goal beautifully down low.  It resulted in a Havlat one-time tally from the low slot and the ‘Hawks’ first two-goal lead since the late ’70s. 

From there, the ‘Hawks strangled the Kings, surrendering only five shots in each of the three periods for a total of 15.  The Kings could only muster one tally, and that came late in the third on the power play.  With just over three minutes left in the game, Kings’ defenseman Drew Doughty put a snap shot through Nikolai Khabibulin’s five-hole off the first faceoff of the power play.  When Quick was pulled for the extra attacker, though, Patrick Sharp’s dump-in attempt from his own blue line somehow found both posts and the back of the net positioned at the other end of the ice.  Havlat put his second of the game into the empty net just less than a minute later. 

Sharp’s goal could be viewed as a “break” for the ‘Hawks – perhaps the one they’ve needed.  Sharp’s clear-in was originally ticketed for the corner at the King’s end and would have resulted in an icing and a Blackhawks’ zone faceoff.  The dump-in took four magical bounces – boards, ice, post, post - however, and the puck found its way into the net.  It sealed a two-point afternoon for the ‘Hawks and a two-goal effort for Sharp, who also had an assist in his first game back since Valentine’s Day.

Getting Defensive

Cam Barker and Matt Walker were scratched with injuries on Sunday afternoon.  While Barker should be back in the line-up when healthy, Friday evening at the UC may have been Walker’s swan song as a ‘Hawk. 

For the playoffs, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell, Cam Barker and Ham Sandwich seem to be line-up locks.  That leaves Brent Sopel, Aaron Johnson, Jordan Hendry and Walker as competitors for the sixth spot.  Johnson and Hendry both played well on Sunday in place of the injured d-men.

Blackhawks Looking Sharp

Chicagoland sports anchors broke the record for most used lead-in headline on Sunday evening, as all major networks decided to say the ‘Hawks were/looked “Sharp” following Sharp’s effort in the 4-1 win.  Well played, Sirs.

Sharp looked to be the difference maker the ‘Hawks have been missing for weeks.  He’s the best pure offensive shooter on the team, and don’t be surprised if he gets seriously hot during the next couple weeks.

His presence – and Ben Eager’s suspension - also forced Dustin Byfuglien to the fourth line, where I think he’ll settle in when everyone is available.  The extra time and space he has against fourth line forwards and third pairing defensemen will do him very well, and the extra incentive to use his size should make him more valuable, too.

Next Up

…is San Jose, New Jersey, Vancouver, Montreal and St. Louis in the next five.  Suffice it to say Sunday’s two points were large.