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"Want" Leads To Dominance |
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Last night’s Hawk victory was not a case of catching a tired road team at the right time. It was not a case of playing a struggling Club. It was also not a case of playing a team with a shaky goal keeper.
The win over St. Louis was simply a case of playing an effective game and dominating an opponent.
For the first time in a very long time the Blackhawks appeared the more desperate team.
The result was a convincing 3-1 victory over the Blues, one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
I can’t recall seeing a 3-1 game which was more slanted toward the winning team.
The Hawks had the puck for almost the entire 1st and 2nd periods and didn’t seem to lose any battles along the boards throughout. The Blues were surrounded the entire contest and the game stats do tell the story for last night.
St. Louis was held to four shots on goal for the first 30 minutes of action and recorded only seven strikes through two periods.
The spacing and positional play by the Hawks was as good as I have seen all season. The Blackhawks were making good choices and controlled all of the action until the 3rd period.
For the first time this season the Hawks frustrated the Blues and caused them to be undisciplined. It would have been a perfect showing by the Hawks if they could have scored a power play goal or two and if the shutout was preserved for Khabibulin. The Blues scored their lone goal with two seconds left in the 3rd period.
Not scoring on the power play was the only blemish in regards to this victory. It should be noted the Blues do have a very good PK unit. A strong point for the Blues has been their special teams, as they rank 8th in the NHL on the power play and 6th in penalty killing.
The Hawks were so sound it didn’t matter the lines needed to be switched up do to the Brouwer and Bolland injuries. No matter who was on the ice for the Hawks they all knew their role and performed with a top effort throughout the night.
If this victory over the Blues wasn’t the best game the Hawks have played all season it was close.
When Pat Kane was asked after the game why the Hawks were able to come up with such a dominating effort he said it was because they had the “want”.
By “want” I believe he meant the desire to not be denied.
That’s all it took and now we will see if that same passion can become a habit.
Al’s Shots
Khabibulin was only tested a few times but he was strong when needed.
His most key save was on Keith Tkachuk, who he denied on a break away right after Pat Kane was turned away by Mason. If KT scores then it becomes a one goal game and could have given the Blues some life.
Ben Eager has been a pleasant find for the Hawks. Ben still has a few lessons to learn as his last one was an expensive one, but he has been an effective player.
Eager is strong on the puck and he consistently wins board battles. He has good vision and hands, plus some speed. He is working hard on his skills and has been valuable in different situations.
Eager has enough game to play with the top six forwards when needed. He is a big body that can score and has filled a need for the Hawks.
Last night, Eager who is a great chirper caused the Blues to take three penalties.
Management would be smart to lock this guy up this summer for a couple of years. He has been improving and still has upside, plus he adds the physicality that is needed and also has skill.
Another Hawk who has had a good year but doesn’t get a lot of press is Andrew Ladd.
Ladd is a fierce forecheker and is another who is very strong on his skates. Ladd comes away from battles along the boards with the puck most times.
He too has good vision and has the hands to make nice passes and also chip in with a goal at times. Ladd always seems to be around the puck.
Mr. Pahlsson came to Chicago a few weeks ago but last night he arrived.
Pahlsson was put into a primary checking role and helped stifle the Blues scorers. He seemed to flourish last night and played his best game as a Hawk.
The Hawks were strong in the faceoff circle against the Blues as Pahlsson was a winner 62% of the time. Toews had a 57% winning average and Versteeg was a lofty 73%.
I wonder if Pahlsson is sharing some faceoff knowledge with young Versteeg.
Versteeg has not been very noticeable lately as he has been shifted around from line to line. The youngster seems to thrive at wing with a set pair of mates. He will be better off when Bolland and Brouwer return.
Toews continues to play like a seasoned vet.
Last night Havlat was teamed with Kane and Toews and they had some good chances.
Havlat seems to make everyone better…that is a sign of a great player.
Hawk injuries…
Brouwer??? Maybe back this weekend, maybe not. It wasn’t thought to be a serious injury but I have not heard a return date yet.
I saw Dave Bolland wearing a shoe boot on his right foot last night. He told me it was not a fracture but just a bruise.
He hurt his foot while blocking a shot a couple of games ago. He should be back in a few days. I am thinking he misses at least one more game maybe two…but that is a guess.
Coach Q. doesn’t seem too anxious to reach out to Rockford for replacements as Aaron Johnson was used on wing.
Johnson played well and Walker was back in action on defense.
The defenders were all good last night. The forwards also protected the puck and provided a lot of pressure.
Barker had a very strong game and once again was effective getting shots through from the point. He was credited with four shots on goal and was solid in his own zone.
Lastly, big Buff…
I don’t know what the future holds for Byfuglien but I do know what I see.
Buff has discovered a mean streak…better late than never.
He was the reason the puck stayed in the Blues zone before the great move and score from Toews.
Byfuglien dumped the tough Barret Jackman along the boards as if he was a high school player. Later on David Backes had Buff all lined up along the wall and came at him hard. The result was Backes bouncing off Byfuglien who seemed to be leaning only on one leg.
Byfuglien has trouble scoring from the slot. He doesn’t always make the best decisions and his effort can sometimes be lacking.
Regardless, Byfuglien has the physical attributes to be an NHL force.
I don’t know if he will be a defender someday or a power forward, wherever he plays his future could be very bright.
What I do know for sure is that I haven’t seen many players as strong as Buff. His core strength is unbelievable.
If Byfuglien can put his game together to take full advantage of his God given abilities he would be scary good.
Good energy and nice PK efforts from Burish and Fraser. Nice to see Fraser rewarded with a shorthanded goal.
The Playoff picture is ever changing and I don’t know if the Blues will make it.
St. Louis is not a great 5 on 5 team but they have top special teams. If they get into the Post Season and Mason continues to play well they could be tough.
The Blues have to be commended for dealing with a lot of adversity and to be even close to a Playoff position now is a great accomplishment.
In February the Blues recorded 20 points and in March they had 19. Those are incredible totals in back to back months from a team dealing with so many injuries.
The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded each year to the NHL player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey." The award was presented by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association to honor the late Bill Masterton, a player for the Minnesota North Stars who exhibited those qualities. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, as a result of an on-ice injury.
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Marty Havlat has been nominated by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association for the Masterton Memorial Trophy. I feel Marty has a great chance of receiving the honor.
Khabibulin should be back between the pipes versus the Predators.
Friday’s contest will be another must win against a desperate team.
The Hawks need to keep the “want”.
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