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Last night in Pittsburgh, the Penguins followed the blueprint necessary to beat the team with the NHL's best record, the Chicago Blackhawks.
Set a physical tone early, outwork them in the corners, get them on their heels, draw penalties and take advantage of their weak kill.
Just as St. Louis, Boston, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton did earlier this year, the Penguins worked that plan to a 3-0 lead, before the Hawks threw the kitchen sink at them in the third, making it close.
Kudos and full marks to Marc-Andre Fleury. I haven't always been a big fan of his, but he seems to have matured into a really dependable AND talented goalie. Ray Emery was really strong last night but although Emery saw more rubber and better Pittsburgh chances, I thought Fleury was slightly better and that may have been the margin of victory.
There's a lot of lamentation on the message board this morning about the instigator penalty taken by John Scott that led to Pittsburgh's first goal— which can also be argued was the margin of victory. I have thoughts on numerous aspects of that play.
First, the referees failed miserably in their handling of the play.
Deryk Engelland should have been penalized for the hit he put on Marcus Kruger, for any of the following reasons: he left his feet, he hit a defenseless player who was already checked, he lifted his arms and stick to the head and followed through in a manner that indicates intent to injure. And it was not hard to see in real time—with two referees on the ice.
Second, Scott did his job. But there's nothing Scott can do to "undo" what Engelland did. The message Scott sent can only deter future hits like Engelland's—and I do believe other teams knowing Scott will take an instigator to put some lumps on someone will
slightly deter them from dirty hits.
But player retribution and Brendan Shanahan's tv appearances aside, the best deterrent for dirty hits is swift and severe justice meted out by the referees within the game itself, which doesn't happen enough or in the right ways.
For every one of these hits that gets whistled, one or two don't. The refs are afraid to overreact. That needs to change. Maybe replay is necessary.
Or maybe the refs need to be told they can ask for forgiveness rather than permission and not leave it all to Shanahan 24-48 hours after the actual play.
Look at it this way, Scott got whistled and kicked out of the game for coming to the aid of a teammate. Engelland got nothing for a dirty, dangerous and injurious hit. The Pens got a power play and a goal.
I'm not saying it's not fair to the Hawks. There were other reasons they lost the game. That's not the point. I am saying something is wrong with how the refs and the league are handling situations like these. Because this happens far too often to a lot of teams.
Hawk fans should not point to this as the reason the Hawks lost. Because the real reasons the Hawks lost (outlined above) are going to be reasons for losses in the future if anyone—especially the team brass— assumes this roster is right for the playoffs. The Hawks are a better team this year because they've added guys like Emery, Kruger and Jamal Mayers. But they need more of that.
Anyone thinking the latest poster child of Hawk prospect over-hype, Jeremy Morin, is the answer
. . . or the likely next one, Brandon Pirri, is the answer . . . is dreaming more than thinking.
The talent on this team, especially when healthy, is good enough to sweep to the President's Trophy. But the playoffs don't include Columbus, Anaheim, Winnipeg and a raft of other middling teams. The teams in the playoffs are usually teams that will work the above prescription against the Hawks. Playoff hockey is
all about setting a physical tone, outworking your opponents and drawing penalties.
You want to bring a Brandon up from Rockford? Try Brandon Segal or Brandon Bollig. Kids who will rock someone at your blueline. And maybe help kill penalties. They're not glamorous or "marketable," but they seem to be what this club needs upfront.
And Bowman also needs to add some quality defensive depth. I have no problem with how Scott played last night but he and Steve Montador remain something between a high wire act and a clown car.
it was a fun game to watch last night and I'd be remiss f I left Viktor Stalberg out of my comments. There was a debate about Stalberg on the message board thread yesterday afternoon, and lo and behold, last night we saw again why the Hawks need to continue to show patience with #25.
One thing that can't be questioned about Stalberg, like Michal Frolik actually, is that he works hard and brings energy every single night. Sure, you'd like to see him score more, but playing with Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane or Marian Hossa, guess what? Those guys are going to finish a lot of plays.
The Hawks and Corey Crawford have the chance to gain a measure of redemption tonight, especially with a strong and physical start on home ice.
I'll be back tomorrow with a recap and chihawks7's winning entry in the ticket contest. He'll be at the game tonight courtesy of our friends at hockeytickets.ca.
By the way, I heard an initial rumor this morning about a trade that might bring a significant NHL star to Chicago. Doing some digging on it. No idea how valid it might be at this point.
Thanks everyone for reading,
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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