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That's what good coaching in the NHL will get you.

Joel Quenneviile told the Blackhawks to "wake up" in the first period of Thursday night's debacle in Nashville; the Hawks got the message, albeit too late to do anything about it against a very good Nashville team. But the effect carried over into last night's contest, where the Hawks blanked Winnipeg 2-0.

In my opinion, at least right now, Nashville is a better team than the Jets—who I suspect are going to get a bit blown up by GM Kevin Cheveldayoff before March 1.

That said, the Blackhawks had a very strong night defensively, limiting the Jets to just 12 shots through the first 2 periods. And when the Jets did mount some third period pressure, Corey Crawford, who is really at the peak of his game right now, was up to the challenge again.

Team leadership delivered as well; Jonathan Toews line was the Hawks' best last night. And whatever was said (or not) to Teuvo Teravainen, after an awful game in Nashville, worked. He played aggressively and well.

Quenneville did adjust the defensive pairings, moving Trevor van Riemsdyk and Niklas Hjalmarssin back to their natural sides. The results, at least for one game, speak for themselves.

The Hawks face Vancouver, a team that beat the Hawks pretty soundly in their building last month, tomorrow night. This shouldl be a good metric for how much Chicago has actually progressed since then.

I'll have a preview.


JJ

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