Kane, Ward Lead Blackhawks To Big Win In Dallas
When Corey Crawford went down against San Jose on Sunday, Cam Ward stood up in the dressing room and told his teammates to get their collective crap together and play like professionals.
In the two games since then, Ward has led by example.
And the offense has followed.
Alex DeBrincat scored the first goal of the game, his 15th of the season, just 72 seconds into the game to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
Dylan Sikura and David Kampf picked up assists on the DeBrincat goal.
The Hawks got a power play 16 minutes later and Erik Gustafsson stayed hot, scoring his eighth of the year to extend the lead to two.
Dallas out-shot the Hawks 14-12 in the first period but Ward was playing well again. Chicago carried a lead into the second period.
Most shocking: the Blackhawks didn’t allow a goal in the first period.
At 1:56 into the second, Patrick Kane joined the scoring parade and pushed the lead to three.
The lead would stay at three for six minutes until Tyler Seguin got Dallas on the board.
Later in the second period Carl Dahlstrom lost an edge and was driven into the boards by Radek Faksa. What looked scary immediately didn’t end up costing the young Hawks defenseman a single shift.
Let's hope Dahlstrom is alright after this … #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/e4fQ2kNdJf
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) December 21, 2018
Down big at home, the Stars really poured it on in the second period and Ward was exceptional. Dallas out-shot the Hawks 10-6 in the second but carried most of the action, especially in the second half of the period. If not for Ward the game could have easily been tied.
Six minutes into the third period Ward had a rare miss. He dove to cover a puck and Jamie Benn was able to tap the puck across the crease to Taylor Fedun, who was all alone on the doorstep. He tapped in the goal and suddenly the lead was down to one.
The Hawks didn’t soil themselves and watch the Stars mow them down as they have done in some recent games this season.
With 2:52 left in the third period took an uncalled elbow to the face from Tyler Pitlick and dropped immediately. There was a lot of blood coming from Murphy’s face; he went straight to the room to get his mug put back together.
As Bishop headed to the bench the Blackhawks were able to clear the puck and Kane took advantage, scoring his second of the night into an empty cage giving Chicago a two-goal advantage once again.
With Bishop back on the bench, Brendan Perlini won a race to the puck and scored into the empty net to put the Blackhawks up 5-2.
Ward was tremendous the entire night. He stopped 26 of 28, many of which were quality chances in stressful situations.
Gustafsson’s goal was his third in his last four games. Last year Brent Seabrook led all Hawks defensemen with seven goals; Gustafsson scored his eighth of the season already five days before Christmas.
Speaking of Seabrook, he skated only 15:23 in the game, the lowest ice time among Hawks defensemen. Dahlstrom, even with the injury scare in the second, skated 19:18. Gustafsson and Keith led Chicago, each skating more than 24 minutes as the only defensemen over 20 minutes for the Hawks.
Kane continues to roll as well. He picked up two goals and an assist in the game. DeBrincat also had three points (one goal, two assists) while Kampf contributed two assists up front.
Tab agree re Larmer 1000%. Especially lately, one would think McDonough would be all over that if for no other reason than marketing.
As for the game, Gustafson outstanding again. It’s always nice to see the Hawks win and refrain from the negative analysis.
Great team win, gotta wonder with Gus stepping up and with Colliton being so high on him if maybe the rumors of Keith being moved have some merit. Good to see Kane get a couple of goals. Glad Murphy and Dahlstrom both apparently ok.
Definitely agree on Larmer Tab, can’t understand it either.
Outstanding game. Second game in a row where they battled and were disciplined. Good TOI distribution on the back end with Seabrook getting the least TOI with 15:23. Minimized self-inflicted wounds with good passing and good physical compete level – it was nice to see some Hawks players put their shoulder into a Stars player and stop them from skating in our zone scott free.
It’s fun to see them play well and win, regardless what it means for draft position.
Didn’t se game, do they have rerun on at 2am.
Other then SJ game that’s 4 in 5 games we played hard and played good/agasint top 10 teams.
Beat PIT 6-3
Tied WIN 3-3
bad one SJ
Beat NAS 2-1
Beat DAL 5-2
After losing 8 in a row. were playing again. Dals and Murf addition/subtraction making a difference. Sch still hard until mid-JAN, so were not beating cupcakes.
LA won so were still one game behind, and there are now two teams at 4 under.
Were going to win some games and I am glad we won the games we did/teams we beat. Need that top 5 skill, so stay close to top 3 % pick.
Since Crow got hurt, we have played better not worse.
Hopefully we still get that top 5 skill.
What I pissed is that’s 4 guys that have been hit in head and we havnt hit one back yet. I want those 4 players heads on a plate. The next 4 games against those teams.
Beating Nashville and Dallas is a really good thing. Credit to Colliton for imploring his players to be “relentless”. Konroyd said after the game that it’s a tough style to play because it is so demanding from shift to shift.
Unsung kudos to Saad tonight. He singlehandedly generated two scoring chances on the penalty kill in the first period by playing straight ahead hockey.
Strome turned into Schmaltz on the 2-on-1 in the second period with Anisimov. Olzcyk called him out for trying to pass. 15 feet out and past the defender ? Ridiculous. Jam it. Roof it. Fire it. Pick your term.
Nice move by Colliton having Perlini out there for the second empty netter. Nice button to push. How do you think Perlini feels on the flight to Denver tonight ? Like a million bucks I bet.
Starting to see the Hawks come in waves. Really like the d pairings and ice time. Only question, at what point do one of the Blackhawks put someone from the other team in the hospital for taking a cheap shot? 4th or 5th game in a row #blackhawkdown and no response. Grimson or Probert woulda sent that goon to the ER. Cheap at its worst. Like the momentum but need to defend the herd.
Agree on Larmer
The team is really looking good but before I say they have turned the corner I want to see 3 wins in a row which Im pretty certain they have not done yet this entire calendar year (yea really. Think aboot that)
Also Saad…what the hell woke him up? Seriously, this is what I have been expecting when we got him for Panarin. (At the time I thought I liked the trade) Hes been back now playing like Hossa for awhile now.
And David Kampf…wow. Im so impressed with his play last couple weeks. Hes tenacious. I love it.
And lastly Eric Gustafsson. Ive seen what Colliton said. I hope so…we’ll see.
We might have already picked up some nice pieces for the rebuild. Kampf, Kahun, and Hayden are regularly noticeable. Strome, Gus, and Murphy could also be real contributors. Best of all, they’re young and inexpensive.
Anybody want to spit on the Ward signing again? In general Stan whiffed last offseason for sure, but credit where it’s due: Ward was a solid pickup to fill a gaping roster hole, and at a decent price.
That’s why I said, when people wanted to trade 20 in first ten games.
You can always cut a tree down later, you cant put it back.
The season is still early, lots of hockey to play yet.
I’ve shared my feelings about the #28 more than once, so in order to keep it fresh i will offer this bit of info to ponder
Steve played in 107 playoff games as a Blackhawk and scored 111 pts.
That’s an average of 1.037
This would place him at 24th in NHL history!! … 24th best EVER! Why are we even having to discuss or push for this in 2018-19?
Its true Steve’s average per game, including his 2 yrs in NYC would be slightly less. This should NOT be considered in the case of retire28.
– At the ages of 32-33 Steve played in 33 playoff games as a Ranger and scored 11-9-20.
Agree on Larmer, and they should consider #24 also. Doug Wilson was a very good player on this team for years. As for the game, it’s just good to see them look competitive.
Was a big Larmer fan and he is undervalued-big time. He should be recognized for his excellence.
But Larmer, Wilson? and retiring numbers-they over did that in Montreal and now the lowest number a player can get is 44. lol
IMO there should only be a select few numbers retired, the BEST of the best. The Stan Mikitas’ of the world. The rest can see their names rise to the rafters-again some won’t like this and that is OK-I will still cheer if either happens.
Agree that Kampf may be the biggest surprise of the year. And the only guy that might change that is Gus. The rover is turning into a player. You can’t teach some of the attributes he has. Hopefully his hockey sense will match his skills.
I agree with a lot of posts here…
I thought both Saad and Pelrini had super effective/noticeable games…
Dahlstrom/Murphy – continue to be effective… nice to see Dahlstrom tie up and neutralize people in front of net
Always liked Kampf
Biggest surprise for me tonite… (no one will guess)…
Kahun- I don’t know if this was a one game anomaly or “By design”… My observation was this… Kahun spent much less time in Deep O zone (which allowed 19 and 20 (especially 20) – to attack much deeper) … by doing so – 19 seemed to spend less time/energy back checking…
Kahun was almost like a safety/D man… broke up several play from behind with his speed and energy level (almost Hossa-like – (except Hossa would literally take the puck away- and go on Offense) )…
Like I said- I don’t know if this was by design or Happenstance … But it really allowed 19/20 to push into the O side… and seemed to help 19 not get too burned out chasing… and by breaking up these plays… allowed Saad to transition more often.
In addition to Kampf and Saad I thought Forsling was really good in the 3rd period. He is playing more physical than last year and I still think he can be a solid top 4 player. Team wide defensive structure and commitment was noticeably improved.
Agree with all concerning Lamer.
Nice win, good to see the team playing with heart and effort. Know we are not going to win them all but at least it’s a competitive and entertaining game to watch since Ward chewed them out.
Getting frustrated watching this team get beat up night after night without any retaliation or penalties. The hit on Murphy was a cheap shot and at minimum a penalty. He skated into Murphy and led with his elbow. No arguing from the coach, no face full of leather, no nothing. Colliton should have called the ref over and given him the business. The players want to know that their coach will step up for them. This abuse will continue until someone does something or if the PP get so effective that opposing time stop taking liberties. I question the leadership of the core.
Is anyone else scratching their head when they hear that a back up goalie on a one year contract has to stand up and chew out the team and they actual response with 2 wins. What does that say about the players wearing the letters? Leadership is forged during hard times, it easy to high five guys after wins.
Travis: I hate to break the new to you…Cam Ward is not a great goaltender.
Ward is a backup goalie. Yes he is better than what we had in net last year after Crawford went down.
If Ward can acually steal a few wins does that help the Hawks in the long run?
Drafting in the bottom five is probably going to be a lot more important going forward than getting meaningless points.
Now if your goal is to miss the playoffs and pick in the middle of the pack I can now see what the added value a guy like Cam Ward can bring.
Well done boys! They bent but didn’t break in the 2nd and 3rd. Strange to see an opposing goose egg after the 1st. To my eyes the Hawks had some extra jump last night, and maybe this was due to some well needed up confidence after getting decent efforts recently(except Sharks game). I thought Bishop was very beatable early and the Hawks could have chased him had they put on just a little more pressure. A win is a win, especially two in a row against division rivals.
Perlini can skate, but needs to play harder along the walls for a bigger guy. Hayden whom I generally like needs to get back on that train too. I wonder why his physical game has recently gone quiet? Strome doing many things well, but why he didn’t shoot on the above mentioned play was very Schmaltz like. When in doubt put the puck on net!
Hawks playing collectively better defensively recently. I thought Seabs ice time reduction made him a better player last night. Murphy looks like he had his nose caved in. That was a dangerous drive by interference play that should have been called as such. That guy leaned in at the last minute so it was intentional contact. I hope someday /somehow there will be Hawks payback for this crap that is happening too frequently with little to no response.
The great Steve Larmer needs no further accolades. Very high on the list of all time great Blackhawks!
Thank you again Cam Ward.
Let’s Go Hawks!
Wall/MS, good posts.
I always felt same way about 64.
That’s a big plus for us, reloading, is to have more then one or two guys we have now be part of the 23man when were deep again. They’ll be in their prime yrs already and the young wave is coming. Takes time to develop/everyone developes at diff rate.
A couple good efforts/results in a row do not portend future success but they have been enjoyable from an in-the-moment perspective. With visions of sugar plum fairies (aka Jack Hughes) dancing in our heads this time of year – we can still enjoy a well played victory or two or three. There’s still more than half a season to go before things like draft position is decided – let’s enjoy the journey whenever possible and not worry about the future when the present surprises us every now and then.
There were more than a few players last night worthy of praise but I’ll single one out who has stepped up bigly after being an early season disappointment – Saad. His bull rushes are fun to watch and he’s looking more and more Hossa-like when we used to call him the Saad-father. If he had the hands to finish better he would really be a beast but even without elite finishing ability he is a treat to watch and has returned to being the guy we hoped we were getting when he was traded for Panarin.
Kieth is not going anywhere. Why would he??
Perlini is the sleeper of the Schultz trade. Give it a year or two.
Hayden will figure out his role and become a more physical player.
Cam Ward: A few days ago I was dismissed for calling Ward the commensurate professional. That has nothing to do with his play. It has everything to do with his attitude. I’m sure the guys wearing letters are doing their part in the locker room. It is easy for your best players to give speeches. But take a guy like Ward…..washed up and a back up at best. BUT he has the guts, when thrust into a starting role, to tell the room what he thinks then, win or lose, backs it up with superior effort.
It would be great to see 5/63 stay together for the foreseeable future and log the big minutes. For them to develop into a legitimate pairing would be a nice development going into next season.
At the same time 28 might benefit from spending the rest of the year in the Rock. It looked okay at the start, but as I posted before it was inevitable he was going to get tired (stamina is mental as well as physical). He has already shown enough to prove he belongs. Why not send him back down where he can just focus on his game and nothing else without the pressure of the show. Just a thought.
63 – 5
2 – 56
42 – 7
*other
Wasn’t advocating to move Keith just a thought on the rumors.
If the rest of this can show a competent defense the rest of the year and set the bar for the younger guys to beat if they are going to be a part of the roster at all 3 pairings. Veterans too for where they fit in too.
Keep playing the young forwards who may be part of the future picture as othees stated. In a years bott9m 6 forwards should look alot more set.
Agree with Stape. We don’t want Ward to start playing like Crawford and winning so many games. He is not part of the rebuild and we need a high draft pick. We want our young players to improve. Let Delia steal the wins and make the team.
I missed at least half the game but here are some observations.
The good: Lots of energy and improvement in play-making by many of our youngsters. Gus is improving in the D zone and is putting a complete skill-set together. Considering his lack of NHL experience, people have been too critical of him this season. Give him more time. He is on track for about 18 goals this season! Did you notice when 19 was high-fiving his teammates as they were heading off the ice after the game that he and Gus had a nice shoulder bump. Way to go Gus!
The bad: Strome kept falling down and was amongst the slowest players on the ice. Bad decision-making not to take the puck to the net. Am now getting worried about this trade.
The uncertain: Perlini shows quickness and speed but needs to develop play away from the puck (like Duclair?). Needs to fight for the puck on the boards and learn to fore-check. Nice steal and acceleration for the empty-netter. Would someone coach him up?
Why shouldn’t we be like Montreal? We are an Original 6. Granted we do not have as many Cups but we do have outstanding alumni. Also we can retire numbers for multiple players. I would have a ring of honor with the players numbers. Then once there are multiple outstanding players the number should be retired for those players. Would be good to see more than one player raise their number together. Chelios and Seabrook, Brown and Hammer, Amonte, Sharp and Hull, Roenick and Sutter, Bannerman and Belfour, Toews and Murray, Wilson and Probert(family to raise the banner) are only a few examples.
Pretty sure 88, 81, 50, 2 and 28 16 should make it. The Ring can have names like Murray Lysiak Maki March Manson Nesterenko Koroll etc that have given say 7 years of service. I know that I miss many before my time.
Just spitting out an idea in my head.
Well played game by the Hawks – the D pairings are working for the moment and I have to admit that Gus is becoming a player (small sample size granted)
His O game was never the issue but last night anyway he was competent in the D zone – for Gus that’s a huge improvement. Maybe some of that credit goes to the coaching staff? So we’ll see where he goes from here – hoping he continues his upward trend
I thought Keith had a vintage Keith game – didn’t get on score sheet but played great defensively, breaking up plays, moving the puck – he seemed quicker to the puck than a lot of times over the last 2 years – again small sample size but if he plays consistently like last night maybe he can still be an effective player when the Hawks are good again in a couple of years (or do you trade him when his value is high? – big decision I think at TDL because teams will offer for him I’m sure)
That’s the best the PP has looked all year! No Seabs, No Keith, No Hayden – all guys with good puck skills – now if Dcat can learn a one timer they’d be even better
The way the D played last night you have to wonder if Joki goes to RKF after WJC
I see Evan Barratt made the US WJC team – nice!
Here is some roster info and NHL team affiliation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_World_Junior_Ice_Hockey_Championships_rosters
Thanks Wrap
Ward isn’t a starter anymore but he’s not a backup either. He’s somewhere in between. Which is exactly who you want to sign when your starter has questionable health. Which is worth about 3M.
The tanking argument makes me gag. So sick of 8 game losing streaks. Lottery odds can suck it. I want to win.
Travis we have different opinions and I have no problem with that.
The Blackhawks are not trying to tank they are just not very good.
Unfortunately rebuilding and then winning will take time.
At this time no goalie can save the Hawks
It’s my opinion picking up veteran players will prolong the losing for a long time.
Teams like Chicago, Pittsburg and now Toronto and Buffalo got really good by having a lot of really high draft picks.
No one likes 8 game losing streaks but if you look back on when Toews and Kane got drafted by Chicago I’m pretty sure they had terrible teams.
Those terrible teams ultimately lead Chicago to 3 Stanley cups.
You need the high end picks plus a lot of luck to win Stanley cups.
Like I said earlier if the goal is to try to make the playoffs then keep signing veteran players that are still okay but are no longer in there prime.
Everyone wants to win, problem is what is the best way to do it?
Anyone else notice the uncharacteristic turnovers & misplays by 19 last night?
Flu…?
Totally agree with Stape-
team will not want to lose and they will have mini runs-but the best thing is avoiding mediocrity-still will be frustrating and there will be no prize at end-like a top 5 pick
I wouldn’t be surprised any more if Keith didn’t finish his career in Chicago. And it absolutely kills me to write that… and I’ve been firm that there was no chance he’d ever wear another sweater previously. But from what I’m hearing him moving isn’t crazy any more
Wonder who he would accept a trade to. Is he worth a mid or low first rounder?
Mike considering that most teams who would be in picture for Keith are cap strapped, if the Blackhawks were to retain a couple mil in salary over the term, certainly get a nice return. They would be able to do that with the time frames for young stars coming when they need money for them.
Im not sure you’ll get that much for keith, more than seabrook but not anywhere near what you’d get for kane or toews. Which i wouldnt do. Maybe in 3 years or so, they are stll effective especially kane. I think giving keith and especially seabrook less ice time or even some days off could help too.
The min help both, but are way more important for 7. Dunks benefits from it to so its worth doing.
7 can be moved, like Ian said.
2 should get a good return, maybe not as good as 38 did but should be similar to that. The key to remember is Dunks is dynasty Cup champion and has that experience and would make a top team have a crazy deep 3rd pair/however they lined them up.
Keith will fetch some decent talent more than Seabrook. i’d hold off for now maybe even til the end of the season if they keep winning it may never happen but its unlikely they’ll turn it all the way around even looking so good lately. Ward was a good signing he’s more than a backup and will win some games by himself. they’d be fucked without Ward although Delia looked real sharp too.