Coming into the second game of a back-to-back and facing a team that had two fulls days of rest, there was a significant worry the Blackhawks were walking into an ambush.  That’s without taking into account they were playing in Joe Louis Arena, a place where they’ve had some serious problems throughout the years. 

At the end of a scoreless first period, the Red Wings got called for too many men on the ice.  The Hawks top power play unit couldn’t generate much pressure in the final minute and five seconds and the teams went into the locker room the same way they started.

With the full intermission break, the Hawks were able to throw their number one power play unit at the start of the second.  After cycling the puck deep in Detroit’s zone, Patrick Kane found himself alone at the top of the blue line.  He spun around to his forehand, took two steps and rifled a slap shot towards the top corner.  With Troy Brouwer blocking Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard, the puck popped right off the netting for a beautiful looking first Hawk goal.

Detroit’s top line of Todd Bertuzzi, Pavel Datsyuk, and Tomas Holmstrom put together a few nice shifts in a row and the Hawks compromised by taking a couple of penalties.  Antti Niemi was able to withstand the barrage of shots Detroit’s number one line threw at him and kept Detroit off the board while he waited for his team to catch their second wind.

His best sequence of saves came when Holmstrom blasted a slap shot from a tight angle.  The puck laid in front of Niemi and Holmstrom threw the loose puck toward the slot.  Datsyuk had a couple of point-blank opportunities but tried to beat Niemi down low.  That’s not going to work very often.

After handling Detroit’s assault, the Hawks started to mount an attack of their own including a stretch at the end of the period where they had 8 consecutive shots without Detroit getting one.  Howard stood tall to keep the game a one-goal margin.

Three minutes into the third, Dustin Byfuglien and Kirk Maltby went off for coincidental penalties.  In what’s becoming a trend, getting the Hawks in a 4-on-4 situation is just as dangerous as giving them a man advantage.  Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Marian Hossa, and Patrick Sharp played keep away from the Red Wings for a little bit, then Hossa and Keith had a give-and-go that gave Keith a ton of space.  

He walked in and fired a low shot on net.  Howard kicked the rebound out and Sharp got three whacks at the loose puck.  His third attempt went in and the Hawks had all those cushion they’d need.  

Detroit had a chance to get back in the game a minute later when Jonathan Toews went off for interference but less than a minute later, Todd Bertuzzi two-handed John Madden in the hand and that was the end of the Red Wing’s man advantage and any chance they had of making a comeback.

Perhaps one of the more impressive feats for the Hawks was how they prevented the Wings from ever pulling their goalie.  In the final three minutes, the Hawks, once again, played keep-away from Detroit by constantly cycling deep in the offensive zone.  The sequence ended with Toews sneaking his 11th goal past Howard.

Quickies

–I’m not really sure what to make of Antti Niemi but I will enjoy the ride while it lasts.  Since we’re on the topic, though, it’s time to address his real problem: his leg pads.  It took me a while to finally notice but Niemi’s leg pads are simply hideous.  There’s no bend at the knee-cap; they’re plain white; they basically look like Franklin Street Hockey goalie pads.  And that’s all without taking into account how his pants hang off his ass.  As President Obama says, “Brothers gotta pull their pants up.”  This is the NHL, not the Finnish Elite League. 

–Speaking of goalie equipment, kudos to Jimmy Howard’s choice of leg pads.  They resemble Felix Potvin’s Cat pads from his Toronto days.  If you’re going to have an inspiration for leg pads, that’s almost the best you can do.  Trevor Kidd’s checkerboard pads from Calgary being number one on the list, of course.

–Here was Steve Konroyd’s advice for the Hawks going into the third period–”Just keep skating.”  Whew….for a second there, I was worried the Hawks were going to come out in broom ball shoes for the final frame.

For those who may have missed it, Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald is reporting that Ben Eager has said his current injury woes are not related to his past concussion issues, though Eager apparently didn’t speculate as to when he may return to the line-up.

You can draw your own conclusion as to whether you’ll believe him or not, but I’ll take him at his word for now.

Of course, that’s fantastic news for a player who has a history of head injuries and for a team that relies on rolling four lines.

Every now and again the old, helpless lady beats up the tall, grizzled would-be purse snatcher.  On Tuesday night at the United Center, the San Jose Sharks did just that, somehow escaping a violent assault at the hands of the dominant Blackhawks.

And, they did so using their top guns, as both Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley had a goal and an assist in a game the Sharks were only able to muster 14 shots – and only four and three in the first and second periods, respectively.

Most importantly, they were able to score early.  Immediately following a productive – though not fruitful – Hawk power play just a few minutes into the game, a neat Dan Boyle play in the Hawk zone gave Heatley an opportunity for a quick one-on-one against Huet deep.  Huet made the first move, and Heatley made him pay, beating him upstairs.

The Sharks were able to weather the Hawks’ 26 shots during the first two periods and got a break when Kris Versteeg made a fatal – and unfortunately familiar – mistake on the power play, floating a no-look pass to the middle of the ice at the Shark blue line.  Joe Pavelski stole the puck and made a nice pass to Thornton on the ensuing 2-on-2.  Jumbo Joe got a free shot down low on Huet, who again made the first move before Thornton beat him up high with a backhand.  It gave the Sharks two goals on no more than seven shots and a two-goal lead headed to the third period.

The Hawks big chance in the frame came when Toews found himself staring at an empty net from the Shark goal line.  His hurried attempt to stuff it home hit both posts before bouncing out of the crease.

They weren’t out of it, though, as evinced by their 21 shots in the third.  They finally hit paydirt when Joel Quenneville decided to reunite Marian Hossa with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.  Just four minutes into the final frame, Hossa won a battle behind the net and slid it in front to Patrick Kane, who snuck it behind Evgeyni Nabokov. 

After a Sharks’ icing infraction off the ensuing face-off, however, Quenneville rolled the dice, again calling on Toews, Hossa and Kane for the draw in the Shark zone.  The Sharks won it, and immediately came back the other way, where a nifty Heatley pass found Jason Demers in the high slot.  Demers threw a shot on Huet, who apparently lost himself in the net.  The shot beat Huet far side and gave the Sharks a two-goal lead only 20 seconds after they’d relinquished it.

The Hawks wouldn’t be held down, though.  Numerous chances were stopped before Hossa walked the goal line on a 4-on-4 and beat Nabokov up high with less than two minutes left.

A mad scramble late wasn’t enough to take the Hawks to overtime, and the Sharks left the Windy City with two points despite a 14-shot stink bomb.

Are You Not Entertained?

- Pressure, pressure, pressure.  It sums up the Hawks’ efforts on Tuesday night.  It just wasn’t enough, as – surprise, surprise – the Shark goaltender made a handful of difficult stops and the defense kept the Hawks to the outside other times. 

- Yes, it’s tough to lose on home ice, but if you’re looking for signs the Hawks are among the league’s best teams, look no further.  The Hawks dominated the Sharks nearly every minute of the affair they just weren’t able to win.  And, for those with a burning urge to talk about messages being sent from one team to another, consider Tuesday evening a singing telgram to the Sharks.  Message delivered.

- About the only good thing San Jose can say following the game: their best offensive players made the best out of a scarce few opportunities.  Each of their goals came in transition and involved a side-to-side pass that isolated a Shark with Huet.  Each featured great players making great plays.

- Sticking with the Sharks, a season-and-a-half ago, the team lost its offensive defenseman, Brian Campbell, who signed with the Hawks.  Just three days after the signing, the Sharks sent Matt Carle, Ty Wishart, a first and a fouth to the Lightning for another play starter – Dan Boyle.  Not so bad.

- Huet’s night wasn’t exactly stellar.  How could it be with a save percentage on the wrong side of 80%?  But, two of the three were of the one-on-one variety against all world players – Heatley and Thornton.  On a better night, Huet stops Demers in the third and gives the Hawks a chance to tie it late.

- Two shifts into the game, I noticed an extra hop in Marian Hossa’s step.  Fifty-six minutes later, Hossa had racked up a goal and an assist in the losing effort.  Hossa has 12 points in 13 games, and hasn’t been at his best yet.  The good news: if you’re ready for the Marian Hossa experience, I’d tune in for the next week or two.  It’s coming.

- What the hell was Pat Foley doing in the penalty box?  A second period shot (on Versus) of the box showed Foley there in all his glory.  Must be nice.

- Scott Nichol is overrated – and he’s a fourth liner.  His year as a Hawk six seasons ago serves as one of the organization’s screaming lowlights.  Only in America (and occassionally in Canada).

- Next up, the Red Wings tomorrow night in Detroit.  If the Hawks play like they did Tuesday, it should be a beating.  As we’ve said so many times this season, though, the Wings will be heard from come spring time.

- The obvious extra step in Dustin Byfuglien’s early step was explained when it was revealed Team USA GM Brian Burke was in attendance.  I still expect Buff to be on the team – just not on its power play point.

- Can we go back to Campbell and Seabrook on the first unit power play points now?  Please?

The last nine days of the 2009 year look to be quite the challenge for the Hawks.  While the month of December has once again seen the Hawks playing their best hockey of the season, the last six games appear to be quite a daunting task.

• First up is the San Jose Sharks.  So far, the Hawks have faced them twice, winning at home in overtime and then sticking the gag ball in their mouth at the Shark Tank the day before Thanksgiving.  I don’t really subscribe to the theory that San Jose will come out extra motivated because of their last meeting.  That also doesn’t mean they won’t give the Hawks all they can handle. 
• Wednesday, they’ll take on Detroit.  The word is Jimmy Howard will get the start in net and there are rumblings Valtteri Filppula will be making his return to the lineup after missing the last two months with a broken wrist.  If the Hawks beat the Sharks and the Wings, they’ll move 12 points ahead of Detroit with a game at hand.
• Saturday and Sunday, they have a home and home with the Nashville Predators.  Prepare to be annoyed this weekend.  The Hawks won their first two meetings and Nashville won the next two.  This will be the last time these teams play each other in the regular season.  The Predators refuse to believe that their roster (on paper) blows and are nipping at the Hawks heels.  At some point, you’d have to believe they’ll level out.  Right?  Um, right?
• Next Tuesday, they make their first trip into Dallas to take on the Stars.  One bad decision by Brett Hull and the Stars went from being a Western Conference contender to being a fringe playoff team.  Simply amazing.  Dallas beat the Hawks in the United Center earlier this year when Cristobal Huet needed President Obama’s security staff to exit the arena after letting in one soft goal and a one-in-a-million bounce off the glass bounced off his leg and went in.  Either way, the Stars are still fairly tough and Marty Turco once owned the Hawks when they sported a top line of Lapointe-Hamilton-Arkhipov.  Or was it Barnaby-Brown-Arnason.  Ah, I still long for those days. 
• Then on New Year’s Eve, the Eastern Conference leading New Jersey Devils will come into town.  You thought you didn’t have to hear about the trap until the next time the Hawks see Vancouver?  Guess again.  Neutral-zone trap Godfather Jacques Lemaire is back at the helm for New Jersey and that means plenty of muddled space.  No need to fear, Joel Quenneville is internationally known as “The Trap Buster”.

So there ya go.  After the Hawks play through this stretch, we probably won’t learn anything new about them, but it  should still be a entertaining segment of their schedule. 

–Sunday night’s game against the Red Wings brought WGN their highest Blackhawk ratings in over 20 years.  The game brought in an incredible 4.1 household rating.  The Hawks highest television ratings are still below that of the Bears, Cubs, and White Sox, but the gap is closing very quickly.

–If you hadn’t seen it already, the Eddie ‘O’ Talking Doll is back!  I can’t get enough of the look on the Foley Doll’s face.

Sunday night’s Original Six tilt between the Red Wings and Blackhawks was a classic “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation for the the Hawks.  If they won, the response would be “Big deal, Detroit has a ton of injuries.  They should win.”  If they didn’t, hell fire would reign from every orifice of the Earth because the Hawks lost to Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, and the Grand Rapids Griffins. 

The Hawks chose the former rather than the latter.

Save for the final two minutes of the period, the Blackhawks completely dominated the Red Wings in the opening frame.  It took Detroit nearly 13 minutes to get their first shot on goal.  The bad news was the Hawks only had a 1-0 lead. 

The Hawks cashed in on their second power play of the game when Duncan Keith walked the blue line after receiving a pass from Jonathan Toews.  Keith wired a shot that appeared to be tipped but after further review beat Chris Osgood to the far side from 60 feet out.

The second period wasn’t much different, save for much less time spent in the Hawks zone and a couple more goals.  Brian Campbell jumped into a 2-on-2 rush; Patrick Sharp pulled up and hit him with a pass.  With a full head of steam, Campbell faked a shot and then slid a wrist shot between Osgood’s legs. 

Three and a half minutes later, Dustin Byfuglien put a one-footed wrist shot from 55 feet out on net and it was good enough to sneak under Osgood’s left leg.  That was all the cushion the Hawks would need.

In the third, the Hawks basically pulled the football equivalent of holding on to the ball for the final 8 minutes of the game and never let the Wings establish any kind of rhythm because they never had the puck.  If it wasn’t for Osgood having a much better period, the game could’ve gotten a whole lot sillier.

Quickies

–There’s probably going to be an immediate rush to annoint the Hawks as the Wings’ superior after tonight, but much like Jason always used to get up off the mat after being electrocuted, stabbed, shot, hung, and dismembered, do not proclaim the Wings dead.  Maybe it’s old scar tissue or maybe it’s silly superstition, I really can’t explain it.  If/when the Wings get back to full health, they’re still going to have a say in who wins the West.  

–What a difference a year makes.  Last year’s Wings team was so impressive that it was sometimes impossible to figure out who their fourth line was.  This year, thanks to approximately 1,242 injuries, it’s hard to figure out who their fourth line is because past their first line of Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi, it’s pretty dang ugly.

–I’m a little too young to fondly recall Paul Coffey’s days in Edmonton, but I have to believe it looked a lot like Brian Campbell’s last two games.  Campbell has been a defensive dynamo.  Every time he takes control of the puck he’s a threat to create a scoring opportunity for the Hawks.  Not to mention, he puts the opposition immediately on their heels once he gains possession.  He’s a lot of fun to watch.  Don’t worry though, he’ll get booed again soon enough.

–We usually leave bitching about the refs to the amateurs, but referees Paul Devorski and Kyle Rehman had a particularly brutal game.  In the first period, Jonathan Toews should’ve been awarded a penalty shot.  In the second, Detroit’s Justin Abelkader tried to bury Patrick Sharp into the boards a good three seconds after Sharp passed the puck.  Sharp saw him at the last second and braced himself for the hit.  Somehow, Sharp was the only player to get a penalty out of the skirmish.  For good measure, the Wings had six players on the ice for that sequence. 

–Dustin Byfuglien is a lock for Team USA.  You heard it here first.  At the same time, here’s reason #148 why having Byfuglien on the point for a power play is a bad idea: Pay particular attention to how penalty killers attack Byfuglien when he’s on the point.  As opposed to when any other defensemen has the puck on the point, the PK’ers will immediately pressure Byfuglien knowing full well he doesn’t have the hands to hang on to the puck with someone breathing down his neck.  This could get ugly soon. 

–I’m pretty sure the Harris Bank commercials wishing you a “Happy Hullidays“ starring Bobby Hull were created with the sole intention of giving Sam and the Committed Indian staff enough comedic material to last them until 2012.

*Farm Weekend Update*

–On Friday night, the IceHogs welcomed in the Chicago Wolves.  Matt Keith got Rockford on the board seven minutes in with assists from Ryan Flinn and Richard Petiot.  The Wolves scored the next two goals to grab a 2-1 lead, but Jack Skille had other ideas.

With under five minutes in the second period, Skille scored on the power play with help from Bracken Kearns and Kyle Greentree.  Three minutes later, Skille started a scoring play when he assisted on Bracken Kearns’ goal.  Richard Petiot notched his second assist of the game on the play.  It was all the IceHogs would need in a 3-2 win.

Joseph Fallon was the number one star of the game with 36 saves.

Saturday, things didn’t turn out so well.  The IceHogs dropped the evening tilt to the San Antonio Rampage 2-1.  They trailed 2-0 late in the third before Kyle Greentree prevented the shutout when he scored his 8th goal of the season with assists from Bracken Kearns and Mark Cullen.

Fallon got the start in goal for the second straight night and stopped 24 of 26 shots in the loss.

–Kyle Beach sat out Spokane’s Friday night loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds because of a minor concussion.

–Byron Froese didn’t do a whole bunch in Everett’s 3-0 loss to the Tri-City Americans on Friday night.  Saturday, he scored the game-winning goal in the shootout to give the Silvertips a 4-3 win over the Chiliwack Bruins.

The WHL is now on Christmas break.  They’ll resume action on December 27th.

–Shawn Lalonde and the Belleville Bulls don’t play another game until December 29th.

–The NCAA is now on their winter break as well.  Brandon Pirri and RPI are participating in the Great Lakes Invitational starting December 29th.  Billy Sweatt and Colorado College will be playing in the Florida College Classic.  League play picks up again after the new year.

In a game that featured more back-and-forth than a tennis match, the Blackhawks captured the coveted second point on Friday evening against the visiting Boston Bruins.

It wasn’t easy.  Right off the bat, the Bruins got chances, including a few from their fourth line, but Antti Niemi stood tall early.  For Niemi, it was his second start in three games.

About halfway through the first frame, though, David Krejci got the game’s first off a nice play from Blake Wheeler, who ended up putting a no-look pass in front to Krejci.  It was Krejci’s sixth of the year.

It took over a full period, but the Hawks finally got to Tim Thomas, last season’s Vezina winner, when a Hawk dump-in bounced off a Bruin stick in the corner and deflected right to a naked Kris Versteeg in front.  It was his 10th.

From there, the teams then took to trading goals until the end of regulation, with the Hawks scoring first in each instance.  Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Andrew Ladd each potted one for the home team; they left Sharp and Toews with 10 and Ladd with five.

Sharp’s tally came on a rush by Brent Seabrook, who threw one low at the net.  The rebound bounced right to Sharp, who fought it off and into the net.

Toews’ goal came in the final second of the second when Toews went to the front of the net while Troy Brouwer won a battle in the corner.  Brouwer found Toews and Toews tapped in his own rebound to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead.

Finally, a Brian Campbell point shot was deflected in front by Ladd past Thomas.

The Hawk lead wouldn’t last, though, as Krejci struck again with less than three minutes left in regulation to tie it.

After an active overtime, Joel Quenneville made the Bruins shoot first in the shootout.  Niemi stopped Patrice Bergeron, and nearly killed both of them in the process.  It gave Toews a chance to do his thing in the shootout, and he didn’t disappoint.  Toews went low to the blocker side, and beat Thomas to make it 1-0.  After another Niemi stop, Patrick Kane’s shot and momentum carried Thomas and the the puck into the net for the Hawk victory.

Are You Not Entertained?

- Ben Eager and Ham Sandwich were scratched.  Eager’s absence was a bit of a surprise, and here’s hoping he’s not having more concussion issues – especially on the day news of Reggie Flemming’s head trauma spread.

- Jordan Hendry filled in for Sandwich, and Brian Bickell stepped in for Eager.  Both were solid.  Bickell was reassigned following the game.  Obviously, given the Hawks’ practice of calling up and reassigning prospects this season, we can’t read into the reassignment that Eager will play tomorrow.

- Byron Bitz was on the ice for each of the Hawks’ four goals.

- Patrick Kane now has points in his last six games, though his play hasn’t been quite as jaw-dropping since he fell on his own stick Sunday against Tampa Bay.  He now has 34 points in 33 games.

Now that the Blackhawks are 32 games into the season, we have an ample enough sample size to take a look at a key issue: Average time on ice.  Specifically, Duncan Keith’s average time on ice.

For whatever reason, fans have been somewhat worried with the heavy workload Duncan Keith is shouldering this year.  Keith, so far, is averaging 26:46 minutes of ice time, good for third in the league behind Dan Boyle and Jay Bouwmeester.  Last year, Keith averaged 25:34 minutes of ice time which put him at 8th in the league.  So my 6 year-old cousin could tell of us he’s averaging a full minute higher so far this year.  Not really a huge difference.

 The argument is that Keith wore out last year because of his heavy workload and his play subsequently suffered.  I’m just not sure what number would appease people.  22 minutes?  20 minutes?  This isn’t exactly like keeping pitchers below 100 pitches to save their arm strength. 

Duncan Keith has become the number one defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks.  He’s also been the only defenseman on the Hawks to see a regular shift on the power play, which would tell you he’s an elite number one defenseman.  Elite number one defensemen average well over 25 minutes a night.  Take a look at some of the other names on the average time on ice leaders: Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Mark Streit, Sergei Gonchar, Niklas Lidstrom.  Those guys play in ALL situations.

If he can’t make it through a season while averaging upwards of 25 minutes a night, then maybe the Hawks shouldn’t have signed him to a lifetime contract. 

That’s not to say the Hawks made a mistake in signing him to that deal.  Quite the opposite actually.  Bob and I are both of the mindset that if you’re good enough to be a top-4 defensemen on Team Canada, then you’re probably pretty good at hockey.

As for Keith needing more rest.  Sure, it would be good to see his minutes cut back in games where the Hawks are winning comfortably.  Unfortunately, Joel Quenneville and Assistant Coach Mike Haviland haven’t exactly had the chance to.  The last two games, the Hawks were up big late (And in the Blues game, they actually lost Barker to an injury in the third.  The Hawks’ coaches would’ve had needed a DUI test after the game if they decided to give Jordan Hendry heavy minutes in a three goal game.), but before that the Hawks haven’t exactly been stepping on throats.   Let’s take a closer look:

• December 1st: Shootout win against Columbus.  Your number one defenseman doesn’t miss a shift in a game like this.
• December 4th: 4-1 loss to Nashville.  This was a one goal game with two minutes left.  Even if they wanted to rest him, they didn’t have enough time to.
• December 5th: Overtime win in Pittsburgh.  See Columbus win.
• December 9th: Overtime win against the Rangers.  See Columbus and Pittsburgh wins.
• December 11th: 2-1 loss to Buffalo.  He’s not going to sit in a one-goal game.

This isn’t a recent trend either.  You can go back to the beginning of the season and you’ll find that the Hawks are playing a ton of close games.  Not to mention, they’re playing in a division with two teams (Nashville and Detroit) breathing right down their necks.  Quenneville isn’t going to play Russian Roulette with two points at the sake of shaving a couple minutes off Duncan Keith’s ice time.

Maybe if there was some magic number like a pitch count where there was statistical evidence that players aren’t the same if they cross a certain threshold, I would buy more into this theory.  For instance, if someone could prove that if players average over 25 minutes a night, they are more prone to breakdown at the end of the season and/or more suspectible to career-threatening injuries later in their career, then I would be leading the ‘Rest Keith’ bandwagon. 

Otherwise, I’m going to stick to my theory that a 26 year-old elite number one defenseman should be able to handle the workload Duncan Keith is getting.

It took a little while for the Blackhawks to get their bearings but while they waited, Cristobal Huet kept them in the game early.  He made a couple of tough saves in the first five minutes that helped keep the score at 0.  Then, the Hawks started to get a little pressure on the Blues.  Then, a little became a lot.  Soon, the Blues were having trouble getting the puck into the neutral zone.

The Hawks’ pressure finally culminated in a goal after a Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane cycle found its way to Troy Brouwer’s stick.  Brouwer fired a shot from the top of the circles and the puck squirted through Ty Conklin’s legs.  It was a historic goal as it was the first time Conklin ever let in a soft goal against the Blackhawks. 

Three minutes later and with the Hawks on the power play, Kane fed Kris Versteeg behind the net.  Versteeg turned and passed it to a wide open Brian Campbell.  Campbell collected the puck, took one step and wired a shot into the top corner and just like that, the Hawks opened up a 2-0 lead.

The Hawks ended up outshooting the Blues 21-9 in the opening frame.

The second started much like the first; St. Louis got some decent pressure, Huet made the necessary saves, and then the Hawks tried putting the game away.  Unfortunately, Conklin wouldn’t make it that easy.  He stopped Versteeg on a full blown 2-on-0 and then got a blocker on John Madden’s point blank shot from 25 feet out. 

After the Hawks killed off a penalty late in the period, Toews, Kane, and Hossa found themselves back together.  Kane found Toews behind the net who made a nifty move to spin off a check and then slid a back-hand pass to a wide open Marian Hossa.  The puck was on Hossa’s stick for a quarter of a second and then it was in the back of the net.

Both teams traded chances in the third but neither team found the back of the net with both goalies making solid saves.  Fortunately for the Hawks, they already had a 3-0 lead and it was more than enough for the two points. 

Quickies

–Something weird was going on with Gene Honda tonight.  For the first two periods, during power plays, he was announcing how much time was left.  For instance, on a Blues power play in the second, he announced when there was a minute and a half left, a minute left, thirty seconds left, and ten seconds.  Even Pat Foley got thrown off after hearing Honda’s announcement when he said Huet’s big save came in the last minute of the period.  The only problem was there was still five and a half minutes left.  In the third, Honda wasn’t updating the penalty time.

–I wonder if someone told Dustin Byfuglien that he was one of the six finalists for the last three spots on Team USA.  Byfuglien was probably the Hawks best forward tonight.  He was all over the rink, hitting anything that moved, and creating turnovers.  For the second game in a row, he smoked an opposing player, who was taking liberties with the Hawks better players, with a clean check on the boards.  This time, Barrett Jackman caught the brunt of Big Buff.  Jackman did the heroic thing, though, by getting in Byfuglien’s face and then backing away as soon as his teammates surrounded him.

–Cam Janssen, next year’s leading candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. 

–If John McDonough had a problem with how Brent Seabrook’s head was positioned in a post-game interview, I can’t imagine he was too pleased after hearing Patrick Kane’s post-game interview with Sarah Kustok.  Kane started off by making sure to give a shout-out to his ‘boys’ in the audience and then spent another five minutes rambling like he just chased a box of ‘No-Doze’ pills with a six-pack of Red Bull.

–This was probably Cristobal Huet’s best game of the season.  Save for a shot that trickled through his legs in the final few minutes of the game, Huet controlled every shot that was thrown his way.  By my completely unscientific count, I only recall one sequence where he gave out a juicy rebound.  Every thing else, he either soaked up or kicked out to the corner. 

*On the Farm* 

–Shawn Lalonde went from being cut by Team Canada’s World Junior Team in the morning to Belleville in the evening for his team’s game.  He had an assist and was a +3 in the Bulls 4-1 win over the Brampton Battalion.

–Byron Froese didn’t have a point in Everett’s 3-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos.

–Kyle Beach had an assist in Spokane’s 3-2 loss to the Portland Winterhawks.  With the score tied 2-2 late in the third, Beach was sent off for goaltender interference.  Portland scored the winning goal on the ensuing power play.  Then, in the waning seconds of the game, Beach was sent off for a 10 minute misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct.

With the Blackhawks and Blues set to face-off for the first time this season and our first look at 2006 1st overall pick Erik Johnson in almost two years thanks to a golf-carting mishap, there’s no better time than now to take a look back at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.  In just three seasons, the draft has already produced more quality players than many other drafts can boast.  Other than the 2003 Draft, this may go down as the most loaded draft of the decade.

With all this being said, allow us to re-write history and present to you the first ever “Fifth Feather Mock Draft” of what the 2006 draft would look like if it were to take place tomorrow.  Because we’re still only three years removed from the draft, a lot of the later round picks have yet to develop (We’re waiting on you, Igor Makarov and Simon Danis-Pepin).  Therefore, there’s only enough to fill out the first 15 spots.  Come back in another two years and maybe we’ll have the first three rounds filled out. 

Please note that these are just our opinions.  This is not the Gospel According to John and Bob.  In fact, in two weeks, this whole mock draft may be completely turned upside down by Jonathan Bernier going on a 9-game winning streak for the L.A. Kings.  Feel free to air your disagreements.

And the first overall pick is…..

1.  Jonathan Toews (Original 2006 Draft Spot- 3rd Pick, 1st Round, CHI)–There have been players out of this draft who have scored more points than Jonathan Toews so far, but none have the total game Toews can boast about.  He’s a captain of an Original Six franchise, he’s an elite two-way player at 21 years old, he’s become one of the best face-off men in the league.  You know the rest.

2. Nicklas Backstrom (4th Pick, 1st Round, WSH)–Sure, it helps to play with Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, but there’s no denying the play-making abilities of Backstrom.  In his first two seasons, he’s racked up 55 and 66 assists, respectively.  This year, he’s well on his way to passing those numbers with already 27 assists in 33 games.  Backstrom was just one big piece of Washington’s puzzle from this draft that has helped turn them into a true Cup contender (Foreshadowing alert!!!)

3.  Semyon Varlamov (23rd pick, 1st Round, WSH)–When Washington signed Jose Theodore to a two-year deal two summers ago, it was done with the idea that Varlamov would be ready to handle the reins when his deal expired.  Consider him early.  After arriving in time for the playoffs last year, Varlamov helped the Capitals get past an upstart Rangers squad and took the eventual champion Penguins to Game 7 before laying an egg.  Varlamov has come back this year as an early Vezina candidate by winning 12 of his first 16 starts with a 92% save percentage.  

4. Erik Johnson (1st pick, 1st Round, STL)–Ace defensemen don’t grow on trees and that’s why even though he missed all of last year with a freak knee injury, Erik Johnson would still be a top-5 pick in this draft class.  Johnson has responded with four goals and seventeen assists in 30 games so far this year.  The lone defenseman in our mock draft has more than enough time to justify his first overall selection.  There’s a very good chance that when we take a look back after all these players are retired that Johnson may be the best player from this class. 

5. Phil Kessel (5th pick, 1st Round, BOS)–The fifth overall pick of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft would still be the fifth overall pick of our mock draft.  After a well-documented contract squabble with the Boston Bruins this summer, Kessel is playing the best hockey of his career.  So far, he’s a point-per-game player with 12 goals in just 21 games.  This all coming off a season when he potted over 30 goals for the first time in his career with 36 for Boston. 

6. Steve Mason (69th pick, 3rd Round, CLB)–Last year’s Calder Trophy winner is a perfect example of why teams should never waste a top-10 pick on a goalie in a “real” draft.  Taken in the third round, Mason had all the looks of being a franchise goalie for Columbus last year when he led the league in shutouts with 10.  This year is another story, but you’d be hard pressed to see a team wait three rounds to draft him again. 

7. Jordan Staal (2nd pick, 1st Round, PIT)–It’s scary to think the Penguins could be trotting out a lineup with three centers of Crosby, Malkin, and Toews.  Instead, they chose Jordan Staal with the second pick, who has fit in nicely as their third line checking center.  In four seasons, Staal has already scored 20 goals twice and is on pace to cross the threshold again.  Unfortunately, the aforementioned six players are simply more skilled than Staal to justify making him a top-5 pick again. 

8. Kyle Okposo (7th pick, 1st Round, NYI)–Okposo was one of the lone bright spots on a dreadful Islanders team last year.  In 65 games, he scored 18 goals and had 21 assists.  Playing on a much more talented squad this year, Okposo is playing some of the best hockey of his young career.  He’s scored 5 goals this year to go along with 17 assists in 32 games played.  At this point of the season, he’s got a really strong chance to represent Team USA in February.

9. Bryan Little (12th pick, 1st Round, ATL)–Last year, Bryan Little had the most fortunate opportunity of centering a line for Ilya Kovalchuk.  What resulted was 31 goals in his first full season.  This year, Little isn’t playing the pivot on Kovalchuck’s line so his numbers have taken a bit of a dive; he has 3 goals and 9 assists thus far.  Nevertheless, centers who can pot 30 goals don’t grow on trees and Little is definitely worthy of being a top-10 pick in our mock draft.

10. Michael Frolik (10th pick, 1st Round, FLA)–Frolik burst on the scene last year by scoring 21 goals with 24 assists.  He’s followed up his rookie campaign by giving the Panthers some solid play on the wing this year with 9 goals and 9 assists in 34 games.  At just 21 years old, Frolik’s stock may continue to rise in this class as the years pass on.

11. Derick Brassard (6th pick, 1st Round, CLB)–This pick is made more out of potential than perhaps any other pick in this mock draft.  Brassard was well on his way to winning the Calder last year when he decided to partake in a fight, which resulted in him seperating his shoulder and ending his season.  Brassard isn’t scoring at the same pace as he was last year, but he’s still such an intriguing talent that it’d be really hard to pass up on him at this point. 

12. Chris Stewart (18th pick, 1st Round, COL)–With teammates Paul Stastny, Ryan O’Reilly, and Matt Duchene occupying most of the opposition’s attention, Stewart has been able to be a key contributor for the upstart Avalanche this year.  He’s already set a career-high in points with 21 and is on pace to crack the 20 goal mark in his first full NHL campaign.

13. Claude Giroux (22nd pick, 1st Round, PHI)–Giroux received the call-up to the Flyers last year after being a point-per-game player for their AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms.  After having some mild success in the regular season, Giroux proved he belonged when put together a solid post-season by scoring 2 goals with 3 assists in his team’s 6 games.  This year, he’s been logging top-6 minutes for the Flyers and is part of a young nucleus that should make them an intriguing team for years to come.

14. Milan Lucic (50th pick, 2nd Round, BOS)–Lucic is a perfect example of the hybrid hockey player the 21st century calls for: he can score, he can hit, he can drop the mitts, and he’s skilled enough to play on special teams.  Unfortunately, Lucic’s rough and tumble style doesn’t lend itself to longevity.  In his three seasons, he’s yet to play in 80 games.

15. Peter Mueller (8th pick, 1st Round, PHX)–After a rookie season where he scored 22 goals and 32 assists, Mueller looked like he was going to be the Coyotes’ number one center for years to come.  Not to mention, he looked like he was going to be Team USA’s next Mike Modano.  What followed was a disappointing second season and now, a horrific third season where he’s scored just one goal in 28 games.  Maybe if Mueller ever gets out of Phoenix, we’ll get a better understanding of what kind of player he is.  For now, he’s still intriguing enough to be the last pick of our mock draft, but consider this his final notice.

*On the Farm*

–Kyle Beach scored his 24th goal of the year and had an assist in Spokane’s 3-1 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds.

–Though by all accounts, they had solid tryouts, Shawn Lalonde and Dylan Olsen were both cut from Team Canada’s World Juniors squad on Wednesday morning.  It was an uphill battle for them to make it with three returning defensemen off last year’s gold medal squad.

- We talked about it last season and yesterday morning, but something has to be done about the ice girls and their entrances onto the ice during television time-outs. I mean, who trained these chicks, Pavlov? Every time the red light between the penalty boxes comes on – whether it should have or not – the bimbos flood the ice, the 12-man conflict notwithstanding.

Every time the light flips, on cue, these scantily-clad women and their wheelbarrow-carrying friends come rushing into the rink like they’re Samuel L. Jackson’s only hope to get snakes off a plane. It doesn’t seem to concern them that all they’re really doing is introducing 10 shovels into an ongoing hockey melee.

Someone is going to get hurt. And, while that would be awesomely entertaining – and terrifically gratifying considering our long-time warnings – I’d prefer not to have to watch what happens when Steve Downie, a group of hot women, bubbling testosterone and shovels mix.

- After the physical hi jinks of Todd Fedoruk, Steve Downie and Matt Smaby on Sunday night, the obligatory discussion involving the acquisition of a truer enforcer came up on Monday.

Our stance remains unchanged: There is absolutely room in the NHL for an “eye-for-an-eye-tooth-for-a-tooth” physical game, but not at the cost of a capable fourth line. In the Hawks’ case, its fourth line has been a staple of its success for the past two seasons, consistently racking up significant minutes on a nightly basis since then. Adding an enforcer would likely change that – not to mention destroy the delicate salary cap situation.

Moreover, I’m reminded of Ben Frankin’s definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. In Todd Fedoruk’s case, the man has steel plates in his face – compliments of plastic surgeon extraordinaire Dr. Derek Boogaard himself – and other assorted gruesome reminders of injuries past. Those haven’t stopped him from running his mouth and goaltenders during games that have slipped away; after all, it’s his job, and the man is apparently insane. Combating insanity is a job for doctors – not enforcers.

Finally, watch any game from 25 years ago, and you’ll see why having one player who could barely stand – much less contribute for eight to ten minutes a night – wasn’t a real problem.

- While all reports indicate he suffered only a facial laceration and will be available for tomorrow’s divisional game against the Blues, it’s a damn shame Patrick Kane left Sunday’s game so prematurely. Kane has been absolutely masterful the past week, looking like a (boyish) man against boys, seemingly moving wherever he’d like on the ice.

His goal on Sunday may well serve as the point of reference for his transformation from “rising star” to “superstar.” Coming down the ice on his backhand side, Kane did what only an elite few NHL snipers – read: Ovechkin, Kessel, Cammalleri (last night) – can do: he turned his body, lifted a leg and blasted a quick snap shot far side past the goaltender.

Thank you, Sir, may I have another?

While Kane’s passing is the stuff of legend and his skating is much improved, his vastly underrated shot may well be what separates him from other top-end NHL talent.

- With all the 5-on-3 problems the Hawks have experienced this season, you think they’d try the obvious: keeping the same personnel and philosophy as on the 5-on-4. Yes, the 5-on-3 includes one less man for the opposition and generally a more closed and sedentary defensive set-up, but why the drastic change when compared to the more typical power play?

It seems the Hawks are victims of their own ineptitude on the two-man advantage, willing to try most anything but the obvious. Teams seem more inclined to take away the cross-ice pass against the Hawks in these situations – surprise, surprise – and that puts a lot of pressure on the point men to make solid decisions and handle the puck.

Enter stage left – for an as-yet unknown reason – Dustin Byfuglien. Now, while I spent most of last season defending Byfuglien, I’ll freely admit the last place he belongs is up top on a 5-on-3 power play. His big shot is certainly appealing from the point, but his puck-carrying, passing, pass-catching and decision-making skills are suspect at best; why he’s the centerpiece of the two-man advantage is anyone’s guess.

Put Keith, Barker, Campbell or Seabrook up there and move on.