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| photo from blackhawkup.com |
The Blackhawks have had trouble scoring recently, and this has resulted in a shake-up of pretty much every line, including the defensive pairings (the only regular pair to stay together were Hjalmarsson and Oduya), and last night, a goal was scored from each defensive pairing; the defencemen stepping up where the forwards were struggling. This did result in more shots allowed (seven more than their season average), and a few more odd man rush situations (the breakaway by Sharks rookie Barclay Goodrow stands out), but the Blackhawks have been getting excellent goaltending from Corey Crawford, and he made some outstanding saves last night, only allowing two goals on thirty four shots.
Trevor Van Riemsdyk, the promising new Blackhawks rookie defenceman scored his first NHL goal last night, and it feels like he's been a long time coming; he was tied for second on the team last night in shots on goal with four (only Brandon Saad had more, with five) and he's been coping well with Quennville's ever present line changes. He's played with five different defensive partners in the last fifteen games, but he particularly shone with Keith last night, and has also looked strong playing with Hjalmarsson early in the season.
Someone else who's looking good recently is Saad, who is currently tied for second on the team in scoring, with two goals and eight assists in fifteen games. He's had twelve shots on goal in the last three games, it's hard to imagine that continues without him being rewarded with more goals soon.
Ten Blackhawks players recorded at least one point last night for the second time in three games, with van Riemsdyk and Peter Regin recording their first of the season with a goal and an assist respectively; they're finally showing the kind of depth expected from them, with all four lines and, more noticably, the blue line stepping up to help out (David Rundblad was the only Chicago defenceman to not record a point in this game).
Their lack of discipline finally bit them this game, allowing their first power play goal in ten games and twenty eight attempts. It's their fourth goal allowed in forty five minor penalties taken, and although they did go 0 for 3 in the penalty kill to remain top of the league (with 91.1%), their power play continues to struggle, going 0 for 2 (not including the five on three situation in the final two minutes of the game, including four players taking fighting majors).
My Three Stars of the Game
3. Brandon Saad. Saad is playing the kind of game that Quennville wants him to, and I can't imagine that he'll be held to the third and fourth lines for very much longer, especially if he starts producing at the league average rate. He was part of several odd man rushes last night, including at least one breakaway and two separate two on ones with Bryan Bickell that all unfortunately came up short.
2. Trevor van Riemsdyk. Van Riemsdyk opened the scoring last night, and didn't let up on the offense all night, and he's adjusting to the extra minutes that come with playing in a pairing with Duncan Keith well. If he keeps up, and starts producing semi-regularly, he's going to become a staple on the Blackhawks blue line for a long time.
1. Jonathan Toews. The Chicago captain is leading by example, setting up the first goal, and sealing the victory with an empty net goal. He's the points leader for the Blackhawks with thirteen, and putting him on a line with Patrick Kane seems to have finally given that top line the jump it needs to start scoring.
Next game: November 11th, vs. Lightning
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