Patricks Lead Blackhawks Past League-Leading Ducks

photo from blachawks.nhl.com

It was a game of milestones last night for Chicago. Duncan Keith scored his 400th NHL point. Patrick Kane took sole possession of second place in the league after a two goal, three point night, and Patrick Sharp matched his career high of four assists, last achieved in November 2013. The Ducks never stood a chance.

OT Winner From Sharp Steals Two Points for Blackhawks

photo from nhl.com

For the second time this season, the Blackhawks have taken a win out from under the noses of the Dallas Stars, overcoming 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 deficits to force overtime, before Patrick Sharp buried the game winner.

Sloppy First Period Shoots Blackhawks in the Foot

photo from canada.com

It seems to be happening all too often recently. The Blackhawks are conceding two or more goals early in the first period, and find themselves playing catch up for the rest of the game. It feels like they're struggling to come out of the locker room ready to play, and they have to rely on their second and third periods. In this case, good goaltending from Washington and a late power play goal were the final nails in the coffin for Chicago.

With Heavy Hearts, Blackhawks Win It For Clint

photo from usatoday.com

Early yesterday morning, the Blackhawks lost one of their own. Assistant equipment manager Clint Reif passed away unexpectedly, and the Blackhawks dedicated their 4-0 shutout against the Maple Leafs to him.

Blackhawks Fall Short in Shootout Loss to Blue Jackets

photo from zimbio.com

Near the start of the season, the Blackhawks felt they had been robbed of a second point by the Calgary goalie, Jonas Hiller. Quenneville said the same thing last night of Sergei Bobrovsky, who made over forty saves in regulation and overtime, and then made eight saves in the shootout to secure a win for the Blue Jackets (their first win against Chicago since 2011, fourteen games ago).

Morin: Play Him or Trade Him

photo from bleacherreport.com

Earlier today, Jeremy Morin was sent to Rockford for a conditioning assignment. It's a two week reassignment, maximum, and is a way of getting Morin some playing time without having to put him through waivers.

Morin has reportedly told the Blackhawks that if they aren't going to play him, he wants to be traded. It's the same story as Brandon Pirri last season, or Kevin Hayes during the offseason. The Blackhawks roster is just so deep, that they really only have room for one or two additions each season. This season, it looks like Daniel Carcillo is getting a second chance with the organisation he won a Stanley Cup with.

That has to sting if you're Jeremy Morin, who's played parts of the last five seasons with the Blackhawks, and whose play late last season, after injuries to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, was good enough for a two year contract extension during the offseason. He's done everything he can this season to earn his spot on the roster, especially after an injury to Carcillo left a gap in the fourth line for Morin to slot into. However, he's been held pointless so far this season, despite playing fifteen of the twenty seven games, and Quenneville seems to be reluctant to play him in place of Carcillo, who has five points in seventeen games.

Earlier on twitter, Chris Kuc reported that five or six teams have been in contact with the Blackhawks, asking about a possible trade, which sounds like sneaking Morin through waivers just isn't going to work.

I like Morin. I like him on the roster, and I especially like him on a line with Marcus Kruger and Ben Smith. But if the Blackhawks won't play him, then he deserves to play for someone who will. Pirri has played twelve games so far in Florida, and has four points, and Hayes is having a great rookie season in New York (ten points in twenty three games with the Rangers). Morin would be a great pick up for a team struggling with their depth on the wing. There are no shortage of teams out there who are interested in that.

Other news

• Patrick Sharp returns to the lineup tonight, after missing twelve straight games with a lower body injury. 
• Corey Crawford will miss his third straight game with a lower body injury. Scott Darling will make his second consecutive start after allowing only one goal against Nashville on Saturday.

Blackhawks Shut Out Second Straight Home Game

photo from cbc.ca

Last night, the Blackhawks did a lot of things right. They mostly stayed out of the box, they generated a lot of shots, passing was good and on target, but they still lost 1-0 to the Jets, leading to their second straight 1-0 loss at home.