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| photo from blachawks.nhl.com |
Patrick Kane is putting up points like nobody's business. If it was anyone else on the team, I'd call it unsustainable, but in his last thirty three games, he has twenty one goals, and twenty six assists. In his last five games, he has three multipoint games, five goals, and nine points. If anyone's wondering, Patrick Kane is heading straight for the Art Ross, and doesn't seem particularly inclined to slow down. He's now only two points behind league leading Jakub Voracek, and three ahead of third place Tyler Seguin.
A lot of this recent success is helped by the reinstatement of Patrick Sharp on second line left wing. Since Kris Versteeg's injury sidelined him back on January 1st, Sharp has twelve points in twelve games, and has played most of those games with Kane. (When Bryan Bickell was a linemate of Kane's for a couple of games, he had three goals and four points in three games.) Kane and Sharp famously play well together, and with Versteeg gone for at least another week, Sharp is making a valiant argument to stay in Chicago this offseason.
The Bickell-Shaw-Teravainen line continues to shine, going pointless last night but with possibly the best shift of the game, with a clear by Bickell going straight to Teravainen, to Shaw, with a big hit from Bickell forcing a turnover before he took the puck away a second time and passed it straight to Teravainen who forced Frederik Andersen to make a phenomenal stop. Earlier in the game, it was a beautiful pass from Shaw from behind the net going straight to Teravainen, who unfortunately failed to convert again. This line is getting fantastic sustained pressure in the offensive zone, and the goals will continue to come for them if they keep it up.
Corey Crawford was outstanding last night, making twenty one of twenty two saves, surrendering a single goal on the power play, and making half a dozen highlight reel stops in the meantime. This is the kind of goaltending the Blackhawks need from Crawford night in, night out. He's had flashes of it recently, but if he can return to the numbers he was putting up pre injury, the Blackhawks are going to sail to the top of the West easily.
The penalty kill needs to be better. After allowing only ten power play goals in the first three months of the season, the Blackhawks have allowed seven in the month of January alone, and allowed one last night for the second straight game. They've dropped to second in the league, behind Carolina, and they have an 87.3% success rate. It's good, but if they keep slipping, they're going to start struggling.
My Three Stars of the Game
3. Duncan Keith Keith got the game winner with his 400th NHL point, becoming only the fifth Chicago Blackhawk defenceman to reach 400 career points. He's seventh among active NHL defencemen, and has played at least a hundred games less than any of the six above him. He took a stupid penalty last night, but he made up for it with his thirtieth point on the season, and he's riding a little four game point streak, currently. He's doing pretty much everything right, and the team is playing well for it.
2. Patrick Kane. I'll stop naming Kane one of my stars when he stops playing like a man possessed. This is his second three point game in four games, and his third multipoint game. He's on pace for 94 points this season, and if he keeps ramping up the pace like this, he could be closer to a hundred points for the first time in his career.
1. Patrick Sharp. Trade rumours are starting to rear their head again, but Sharp is making an excellent case to remain in Chicago. This is his third multipoint game in four games, and he has eight points in those four games. When Versteeg returns, he might find himself fighting for his spot on the second line.
Next game: January 31st, vs. Sharks
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