Blackhawks Earn Two Big Points In Detroit
The Red Wings might have been without a few of their better players, including Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom. And they may have been forced to pull Jimmy Howard because of a lower-body injury after the first period. And the Blackhawks were, after all, without Jonathan Toews.
But when the final horn sounds on the regular season, nobody cares who was healthy when teams played. What matters is how many points a team has accumulated, and the Blackhawks picked up a couple big points in Detroit on Sunday afternoon.
Ray Emery played another strong game, stopping 23 of 24 shots in the victory. The defensive effort was strong once again, killing all four Detroit power play opportunities and blocking 13 shots as a team.
Patrick Kane was good once again, scoring his 16th goal of the season late in the second period. His tally held up as the game-winner, as the Hawks held the Red Wings off the scoreboard in a frenetic third period.
Patrick Sharp scored an early power-play goal to give the Hawks the lead, but the Red Wings answered quickly. In total, the Blackhawks kept the Wings from scoring for almost 54 minutes to end the game.
Bryan Bickell and Brent Seabrook led the Hawks with four hits each, while Seabrook, Johnny Oduya and Jamal Mayers led the way with three blocked shots each. Dave Bolland won 11 of 17 faceoffs in the game.
Nick Leddy, Marian Hossa and Sharp were credited with assists in the game.
Great team win tonight. Leddy and Oduya seem to be developing some chemistry. Oduya palyed over 25 minutes so it looks like we ight have found our number 4 defenseman. Emery was solid. Kane was showing so much speed. The special teams seem to be trending in the right direction. Maybe most important is it was a win at the Joe.
Great defensive effort from the team and great goaltending from Emery. This was a fun game to watch, I was impressed with the composure the team showed throughout, what a difference from the recent losing streak teams, it looks like the boys have at least one most important C back in place- Confidence. If the other important C returns from his concussion this team can be a scary opponent in the playoffs, regardless of who the opponent is.
Really the hawks will go as far as Emery will take them. Should be a fun finish to the end.
Positive overall direction continued today; some good signs are there and we have to maintain now. It looks like Kaner has found some hunger and intensity over the past 8-10 games and seems determined to pick up some slack with JT missing.
I thought Hossa was big on the lead goal winning the pick behind the net which eventually got to Sharpie for the feed and assist on Kane’s goal. I really like Kruger’s overall game; he continues to play solid in my opinion.
I was as disgusted as anyone about our play after the break; it was nothing short of unbelievably frustrating; but I have to ask all who were so quick to call for Kane & Q to be launched…what do you say now?
I say 20 games is not even close to calling for that degree of (over)reaction; not in my book. I’ve stated it before on another of Tab’s posts several weeks back; last year NYR faithful were ready to launch Gaborik as his season last year was far sub-par. I’m sure they’re happy with him this year as he’s over 30 goals. Sometimes the best moves are the one’s not made.
GO HAWKS!
Tab,I’m about to make a statement that may raise some
Zebra- I was one of those that has called Kane out several times… “what do I say now”?
Well I say where has this type of play and skating been all year? This is the exact case against the guy… Every goal scorer can go thru slumps, I completely understand that. But IMO the guy’s effort and attitude needs work… Toews, Hossa, Sharp may not score for games at a time, but they compete almost every nite and do alot of other positive things on the ice. More evidence of his lack of compete is the fact that in the last 4-5 games he has taken the body along the boards (and been hit making a play) and had less of his shots blocked against him than any other time period this year. Those two things are indicitive of effort and “compete”… they are not simply “goal scorer’s bad luck” or “the guy has hit a tough patch”!
Never said the guy doesn’t have skill- Just think he is far from a complete player and needs to spend more time practicing and less time on camera!
Great effort!
Who is this new guy we added that wears # 20? Lepisto is making a strong claim for ice time if and when Hammer returns. Sami looked like # 2 at times skating the puck, completely different player now which is a good thing. Love the depth now on D.
Overall these guys are beginning to take their games to another level and it is certainly helping the collective effort. Keep it up and when we add JT back in the mix we should be even better. Plus when Hammer comes back Sami is making case that we will have to decide between Sami and Dylan which is a good thing.
Wall…I won’t disagree with you for calling Kane out, he’s made me crazy at times this year as well….what I’ve disagreed with is the talk of moving him. He’s, by any stretch of the imagination; the most creative and pure offensively skilled player they have. No one is anywhere near the passer he is. He has vision, anticipation and a finesse game that’s at a different level. How many other players can you name in the league that are as purely skilled offensively as he is? He’s definitely in the ‘team picture’ of the few that come to mind.
Agreed, I’d like to see more consistent effort, and admittedly, he’s not having a year like he’s had in his previous three. But I still wouldn’t move him based on the off year and the teams troubles. My reference to Gaborik is telling; he took unrelenting heat in NY last year when he struggled but he’s strong again this year. I’m sure the Rangers fan base is happy he wasn’t moved as they were crying for last year.
I also believe that if the Hawks support/role players were producing anywhere close to what was expected, Kane’s struggles & defensive limitations wouldn’t be so noticeable.
Athletes will have streaks, good and bad; he’s having the latter. I’ll predict he’ll be back to the form as we’ve seen.
Debating about how much or how hard he practices and trains is pointless; neither one of us knows that.
I’m just glad there’s little to no talk of after-hours prowling.
Let’s also not ignore that Kane would have 15-20 more assists if Brunette/Stalberg could finish… Add those to his total & not as many people are complaining about his production. In fact, when he’s at the center position I would imagine his number would be closer to Henrik Sedin & Joe Thornton (25-30 goals, 65-70 assists) if he’s healthy for a full season & has a couple guys next to him that can finish.
Ditto Tab’s point; he went further on my point about teammates producing while playing along side him. Well said and I definitely agree.
I think Emery was huge tonight. He played great. I like Oduya as well. That was a good acquisition, he is a solid pro and still in his prime. Seabrook was doing a lot of things I noticed where he was standing up for his teamates. I continue to be a huge Kane fan. I think he is a very rare talent. I wouldn’t trade him for any one player. I realize there are arguments against that but thats how I feel. He is only 23 and that needs to be factored in to the equation. Datsyuk is better than him but he is 33.
What if, what if with Kane…the fact of the matter is, playing with superstars all season long, he has the point total he has, because of HIS PLAY and HIS EFFORT…the last few games are nice to see, but they don’t make a season…Kane has a lot more to do to even begin to makeup for some of the pathetic efforts he gave, even just weeks ago…
Long time reader, first comment… It has been good seeing Kane play better recently. Does anyone think that his effort increase is related to JT’s absence? If so how do you keep that urgency in play when he returns?
Kaner has been playing better lately because he has been playing in the middle. At center he has the puck on his stick more often and has a lot more room to work with. Kane, when playing center, is able to start with the puck in the defensive zone instead of at the blue line or the neutral zone and that extra 20-30 feet gives him the space/time he needs to get through the neutral zone. It seems like Kane doesn’t like playing wing and as a result plays a lazier game.
Let’s all please not ignore the importance of anyone, especially Kane, skating with a healthy Hossa. I think we can look back through this entire season and see how Hossa has raised the game (read: increased production) for anyone he’s skated with, whether it’s Toews, Kane, Sharp or even Stalberg & Kruger.
I like Kane & Hossa on the same line, and have to wonder if Sharp sticks w/ Toews when 19 comes back. Can’t wait for that decision/problem to happen.
Couple things about Kane.
a) I think the league, having watched him win the Cup, figured out a little better how to stunt his game at least to some degree. He’s been slow to adjust accordingly but you can attribute that to him being a young player.
b) Kane really, really wanted to take his game to the next level this year; he said so, and backed it up with the excellent shape he got in over the summer. The problem with this is that when a player makes a conscious decision to take their game to another level, it risks changing their mental process; instead of just going out and playing their game, they attempt to play _better_ than themselves. When a player tries to stretch themselves past what they are actually capable of, they end up over thinking and become overly selective about taking risks. So when they see a shooting chance, or a potential play forming up, instead of just going for it, they might think “I can get a _better_ scoring chance/play lined up.” They’ll also frequently attempt to be “cute with the puck,” trying to be too fancy, doing things that just don’t work at the NHL level; of course Kane has always exhibited a predisposition to this kind of behavior. Their confidence is also more likely to take a hit when their attempt to “reach another level” doesn’t pan out as planned.
I think this kind of psychological issue has been evident in Kanes game this year. If you go back and watch the Cup winning goal, or the assist to Zach Parise for the game tying goal in the gold medal game against Canada, if Kane were to be in those exact same situations for most of this year, he WOULDN’T have taken those shots. They were pure instinct, no thinking plays, and low percentage chances at that. For most of this year, he’s been trying to be too perfect, to play at some magical level that really probably no one at the league actually plays at on a daily basis. I think his improved play of late is not because of an increased amount of compete but instead has been because he’s no longer focused on trying to will himself to be a top tier player.
So that’s my take on it anyway. It’s largely attributable to youth and inexperience. I expect him to work through it and return to being the Kane we all miss; even if he relapses at some point from his current streak of strong play, age and experience are bound wisen him up for good eventually.
I agree with Tab
Khane is a play maker so if Brunette could finish he would have more points then he has. Hossa is the only finisher (sniper) on that line. And for all the people that wanted Khane to be traided thank god it didn’t happen. Players like Khane are hard to find. I say that cuzz some of the teams dont have anything like Khane. Just throwing 1 team out there I live in Montreal they dont have a Khane.
Tab, I can give in to the point that Kane could easily have 10-15 more assists if guys could finish… but how many times this year has Kane whiffed or not finished a shot?
Too many!
Also, you should concede that he has taken more hits in last week than all season “to make a play”— that is pure effort and compete or lack of for the 1st 55 games.
Completely agree w/ Hossa w Kane at center has looked good… the problem early in year is Toews was easily frustrated busting his ass, taking a beating to make a play, only to throw it to the open spot on ice and have slow ass Bruno 3 strides behind the play still. Kane-Hoss-Bruno appears to be working because Kane and Hoss can hold the puck long enough for the “sloth” to get into the play. I think Q was afraid to use this line earlier for the obvious reason that Kane might not be the best Defensive center and pairing w/ Bruno on D end is potentially scary.
Did anyone notice the play against Detroit when Kane-Hoss-Bruno had 3 on 2 over blueline… Kane skated in and, faked and twisted left then spun pass to wide open right wing… Bruno was 3-4 strides behind!!!!
Bruno was at least three strides behind the pass. Sadly, Bruno is probably best paired w/ those two but really does slow them down- that is why Hoss is the Boss… can play w/ anyone and in any style of game, in all situations!
Wall, I agree on Bruno. Last year when you looked at the lineup there were a couple of players where the thought was always we need to replace them. Last year it was Cullimore, Boynton and Pisani. This year its Bruno and O’Donnell. With Oduya and Olsen I think O’Donnell is finally gone. But Bruno is still hanging around slowing down the team and working against our whole team concept. I think that he does have some decent skill around the offensive goal but I think its too costly in terms of overall team speed. So I would be looking to replace him in the playoffs with a young and fast player coming up. Perhaps Bruno would be of value in the playoffs for spot use but thats it. Anyone agree or disagree.
I don’t know what to think about Bruno.. He has had a good career. Which counts for something IMO I think, He’s got to have value add somehow right? He does fill an infront of the net spot that the hawks dont really have with out him. The real question is, Who would you sit when JT comes back? Hayes, Shaw, Bruno or Bollig?
I agree 100% with you Pete. Bruno is simply too slow at this point in his career and his finishing skills have tailed off. While he brings a wealth of experience and has good instincts around the net, I would agree that a faster younger player should fill his spot on the roster as we head down the stretch. However he is a coach Q guy and that probably means we are stuck with number 15 this year. While Ben Smith shoots right we could use a few more in a lineup that has too many lefties. Why has Morin been left out this year? I very much liked what I have seen of him the past two years, however I can’t say from having watched how he has done this year in Rockford. I would not mind seeing either of those guys up and giving #15 a few games off down the stretch. Give Fro another game and see what he can do even though his numbers this year have been brutal.
Would like to add that I loved the grit we showed yesterday against Detroit. Huge win. Let’s keep it going tomorrow in St. Louis. We need to be ready out of the gate against those guys and be committed to playing smart hockey for 60 minutes. Other wise, it was a fantastic weekend for the Hawks.
Refering to the hit Kane took from the same guy that gave ben smith a concussion in the preseason, When watching it in slow mo you will notice that it was a helmet to helmet hit . it was only luck that kaner wasnt seriously hurt , in football its called spearing, this guy seems to target the head a lot. the league should start watching this goof ,you watch i predict he will be getting multiple game suspensions. also has anybody heard when johnny t. started getting concussion symptoms , was it after jumbo jerk sucker punched him in san jose , to bad john scott didnt get a chance to nail him before he was traded . has thornton ever fought anyone his own size in a straight up fair fight or does he like to sucker punch as a modus operandi dk
If you watch, Kaner gets hooked pretty good ( which throws him off balance) right before the hit.
Dave, to me it seems like the NHL only goes after people for suspensions if the person that gets hit is injured. I agree with you on the guy that hit Kane as it seemed to be to the head and they should look at it regardless of whether Kane was hurt. Another guy who pushes the envelope on Detroit is Justin Abdelkader. He cheap shotted Seabrook at the end of the regular season last year with a forearm to the head. The league did not suspend him for that(probably because Seabrook wasn’t hurt) and I thought he (Abdelkader) should have been. Seabrook hit Abdelkader hard in the beginning of yesterdays game and I wonder if that was payaback for last year. To me the league is not serious about head injuries until they go after the conduct regardless of whether someone is injured. We all want clean hard hits. But the headshots need to stop.
@ Nate
Spot on take on Kaner mang! In fact I think that could be said about most of our stars this yr, trying to do too much. The Between the legs layoff Kane gave Oduya for a shot in 1st period was wicked. But moreover came completely naturally in fact I think Oduya was so stunned he waited to fire the shot that darn near went in. If Kane continues this fluid/ natural play I think very good things will happen the rest of the way.
Pete The only way to stop head shots is to make the penalty fit the crime, in all sports , if a player is hurt from a deliberate intent to injure , the perpetrator must sit out with loss of pay for the length of time the injured is out. Of course this wont happen because there wouldnt be any players left to play ,Even the mouse Hjalmarstrom was suspended last year on a questionable hit.
is that how you spell Hjalmarstrom?