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It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like .... |
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With the Holidays approaching memories of times past have entered my head. Last nights contest between Chicago and Calgary reminded me of Hawk hockey of a time gone by, needless to say not all memories are pleasurable ones.
Last nights game was not a masterpiece for certain but it was another dedicated effort by a group that finds different ways to get a “W”. The Flames outplayed the Hawks for most of the 2nd and 3rd Periods. Chicago didn’t have the best player on the ice on their side last night either, but they did have the 2nd best. Iginla played a strong game for the Flames and Sharp’s performance once again stood out far above the rest of the Hawks. Khabibulin didn’t have to be outstanding as rebound chances were limited but he did have to be very good and he accomplished that feat. Dion Phaneuf who always plays a little meaner against the Hawks also was one the better soldiers for Keenan’s group. Both teams had 2 players who outshined the others but that is where the similarities stopped. It was the PK unit who made the difference once again accounting for 2 shorties, which turned out to be all that was needed to garner the win.
The Hawks offense is starting to look a lot like it did last year and that is not a good turn of events. There is good reason this year for the drop off in scoring chances and consequently goals. Up until now the Hawks were able to thrive despite the loss of their top forward but with the recent additional injuries they are forced to change the way they can compete. Now the Lineup has been jumbled because of injuries and sickness and has forced Savard to use players in different slots. Many times switching players out of necessity is not putting your team in the best position to win. That statement can sum up much of last seasons offense, just not enough skill to get it done on a continual basis.
With the recent loss of Williams teams can load up their top pairings and checking units to stop the only complete scoring line that the Hawks have left. So that is a big reason for the drop off in offensive contributions from Kane, Toews and Ruutu. Although that line has been facing the opponents top checkers since the 3rd week of the season it is different now. Before the opposition couldn’t just focus on those 3 players they also had to be wary of Lang, Williams and whoever. The loss of Williams due to a bad groin is also felt on the Power Play. So now the Hawks have been forced to play the 2-1 or 3-2 style that Yawney felt was needed before Tallon thought he needed to be fired. It was due to lack of skill players then and the same can be said now.
The other factor that can’t be ignored is the fact that the Hawks are a sick team. The Flu Bug is still going around and one can suspect that it is affecting far more then a couple of players. Two of the latest victims of the Virus are Samsonov and Lalime. Although it isn’t advertised others also have to be now bitten by the same Bug, even though they aren’t scratched from the Lineup. So the Hawks are finding a way to win even though they don’t look great doing it, most importantly they are still getting good results. I would hope that by the time this road trip is over Williams could get back to action once again and the overall health of the team will be much better.
Calgary looked like a team afraid of making a mistake last night. When a team cannot commit totally to just playing the game without having to think too much, errors both mental and physical tend happen. The Flames had a brain cramp and a bad bounce lead to their loss against the Hawks. It should also be noted that some of the Hawks made mistakes too, namely Keith on the Flames lone goal. The difference was that Keith still played a solid game after that error.
Tanguay who had a brain cramp on a line change, which resulted in the Dowell goal, was unnoticed for the most part after that mistake. Aucoin who had a puck bounce over his stick was also a non-factor after that miscue led to the winning goal. Sharp is a fast skater and the way he was able to get completely past Aucoin was not surprising to many Hawk fans. Aucoin couldn’t recover enough to get within 5 feet of Sharp who skated in untouched and buried his shot. Sharp is starting to perform like a good goal scorer should as he is making the most of his chances. I was also impressed with the performance of Jacob Dowell who looked like a veteran on his breakaway after the Tanguay miscue. Besides scoring a goal he looked good concerning his defensive responsibilities and he played with confidence. All in all the Hawks played with determination as well as confidence against a solid Flames team.
The Coaching Staff should once again be complimented for implementing a sound system for the PK unit. I say it is a sound system because it has worked well with different players. Now that Adams and Bourque who are both good penalty killers are hurt the PK unit has still been effective. The latest Penalty Killer to join the unit is Toews who Savard hesitated to use in that role for the most part before last night. I would think Toews would fit right in, as he will be now called on to help on the PK as well as the PP.
Playing with confidence is tough to define but it is easy to recognize and the Hawks are a confident group. The Flames are still working through the many lessons of Mike Keenan. Flames fans shouldn’t despair because Keenan’s magic will probably take more then one season to take hold, if he is going to work out in Calgary at all. Keenan has not been successful as a Head Coach for a long time but he does have the talent in Calgary to be a winner again. I could not help but smile as I watched the ice chips and vulgarities spew from Iron Mike’s mouth while he stood behind the Flames bench. Those actions are also vivid memories of the past for me.
As far as the Hawks are concerned they accomplished getting 2 points in a game where they were not at their best. I don’t want to make a habit of saying that, as 14 shots on goal will not cut it on most nights. It does appear that the defenders have tightened things up a bit and Zyuzin did ok in his first game back in a few weeks. Wisz and Vandy were the best pair last night once again; their physical play has been a needed component. The Wisniewski hit on young Eric Nystrom was the hardest clean check I have seen anywhere all season. Nystrom had hit Kane earlier from behind and James was just waiting for the right time to make a statement.
Keenan knew what everyone else in the NHL is aware of when trying to beat the Hawks. Don’t try to out skate Chicago just try to beat them up down low and also play physical against Kane and Toews. The Flames accomplished the latter somewhat but besides Phaneuf and Iginla no one was a strong physical presence in the corners in the offensive zone. Keenan using Phaneuf at forward was either out of necessity or to send a message to others. I really like both of those players and Calgary should do what ever is needed to keep Dion beyond this season. He will probably just keep getting better and does look like a star for years to come.
Sometimes it is difficult to tell with Keenan if he is sending a message to his team or his objective is just to embarrass one of his players into performing better. It could also be that Mike is just trying hard to win the current game and doing whatever is needed to stir his troops. It probably is a combination of all of the above at times but not always. Keenan will sacrifice a game to prove a point; at least he did that here. Some players respond to a beat down and others don’t, especially the established veterans. That was the way it was in Chicago just ask Denis Savard and many others. The end result for Keenan here was a trip to the Cup Finals and then he was promoted to GM. In any event the Flames will be interesting to watch from a distance and I hope that their fans will also find the Keenan journey enjoyable. I can’t root against the Flames as Daryl Sutter will always be a Hawk in my mind.
The last part of my recent recommendations for the Blackhawks new guard has just started to kick in. There are 9 home games for the Hawks in December and for a short time those tickets will be available at a 25% discount. So if anyone was thinking about going to a game in the next month buy your tickets before midnight Sunday night and save some money. I am sure there will be more special pricing this season as John McDonough has barely had time to organize his desk drawers.
I like the big boys on one line together, Buff and Koci. Seeing that our defenders have been shooting better from the point, why not put Buff in the slot on the Power Play. He has good hands and a big body that can help create some rebound chances for Toews and Kane. Dustin may even be able to score on a few rebounds himself and I would hope Savard would give him a chance to play near the net.
The next game will be against the Oilers, a team the Hawks can beat, but more offense will be needed. Maybe Koci can find a spot near the net on the Power Play also, now that would make for some interesting TV if nothing else. Until Havlat and Williams can return and others get healthy the Hawks will have to continue to find ways to win. The Hawks need 2 more points to call this infamous Circus Road Trip a winning one. The Canucks always give the Hawks problems so I am hopeful of a winning effort Saturday against the Oilers so this long Road Trip can be called successful.
I just hope the current lack of offense will soon be a memory of the past too.
Al’s Shots
The last time the Hawks had a winning Circus Road Trip was 1993…Daryl Sutter was the Coach and Keenan was the GM
Ruutu is still a + 5 on the year even though his line has not been scoring of late
Vandy is now a +1…Wisz is now a +2
Toews was a 53% winner on Faceoffs vs. the Flames but as a team the Hawks were a weak 44%
I will be back to all of you in the beginning of the week…enjoy the weekend
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