Will Talent Win Out?

Last night the Hawks kept their focus long enough to secure a 4-2 victory over the struggling Oilers. Because a long road trip can be physically and mentally taxing, last night’s effort was a good one for Chicago. But give the Oilers credit as they didn’t give up and took advantage of Blackhawk defensive lapses. 

In the final period, Cristobal Huet was called upon to make a few difficult saves and he was in place to do so. Coach Quenneville could give him an opportunity for redemption on Thursday night. Huet was the loser last time the Hawks faced the Sharks My guess is Antti Niemi will get another start, either in San Jose or in Carolina. 

A lot is being made of Thursday’s match-up featuring the top two teams in the NHL. The Hawks have played well against the Sharks this season, winning two of three. In their only loss they fell behind early, although dominating most of the play. 

The Sharks will be favored tomorrow night as they are at home and catching a road weary group. Coach Q. will not let his club use the built in excuse of being tired. 

The Hawks are approaching this game as if it is a very important one. 

In Quenneville’s post game comments he mentioned the outcome of the Sharks contest could be meaningful in determining playoff seeding.  This will be the last regular season meeting between Chicago and San Jose. It will be interesting to see how the Hawks respond to this tough challenge. 

Window of Opportunity 

I heard an interview with one of the best head coaches in the NHL a short time ago on XM Home Ice. 

Barry Trotz of the Prdedators remarked he didn’t believe there was much difference between the teams in the Western Conference. He was referencing those clubs that ranked between fourth and fourteenth place, which included his group. 

Trotz believes teams like Chicago and San Jose have more talent than others. They have a stronger roster because this is their window of opportunity. In essence the salary cap has been handled well enough to give those teams the advantage of a deeper roster. Most of the other teams in the Western Conference have similar talent and then intangibles come into play. 

Injuries, coaching and other factors then determine how well most teams will perform. 

Trotz didn’t make specific reference but some franchises like the Predators are limited by a more restrictive budget. Spending more money doesn’t necessarily lead to championships, just ask the New York Rangers. But spending money the right way helps. 

If a franchise is run consistently well, they will continue to win often enough to stay in the playoff hunt. That has been the case over the years for the Predators. 

Now teams like the Hawks, Canucks, Red Wings, and Sharks have the luxury of deep talent laden rosters. Those clubs have a better chance of succeeding even with many injuries because of their depth. 

Last night the Red Wings lost a home game after allowing the Coyotes to score two goals in the final ninety seconds to tie the score. Phoenix went onto win in OT. 

The Red Wings have done a fine job of staying in the playoff picture primarily because of their depth and coaching. They have had a multitude of injuries. It will be interesting to see if fatigue well set in for those who having been shouldering the brunt of the load. 

So far the Canucks, Hawks and Sharks have utilized their many skillful players to offset injuries. They are in a position to have a strong finish and a now competing for home ice throughout the playoffs. 

Last night, after watching the Blackhawks play keep away against the Oilers for much of the game, I thought of the Trotz interview. The Hawks won last night because of an abundance of talent. They are a much deeper team than the Oilers and came at them in waves. 

The Hawks, Canucks, Red Wings and Sharks have more talent than others at this time. Fans can debate which club is the best. 

Coaching, injuries and intangibles will also determine who will win the Western Conference and advance to the Stanley Cup finals. 

Teams like Nashville and many others will hope pure talent doesn’t win out. Sometimes in sports having more talent doesn’t guarantee ultimate success. That’s when Trotz’s coaching know how and intangibles come into play. 

Come the spring, we will see how much talent alone matters. 

Al’s Shots 

It was nice to see Duncan Keith play only 22:48 last night. Brent Seabrook had similar minutes. 

In the last month of the season it would help if Keith and Seabrook weren’t used more than 25 minutes in most games. We will see if Q. will have an opportunity to ease those two into the playoffs. 

Keith set a new career high by notching his 37^th assist against the Oilers. 

Dustin Byfuglien and Kris Versteeg finally stained the score sheet. Before last night, both as well as John Madden were held scoreless on the current road trip. 

That is another advantage of having a deep team….one line can fall off for awhile and the team isn’t crippled. 

blackhawkswin@comcast.net