A Time to Pause and Reflect

The Blackhawks had another United Center slow start and then battled through the final 40 minutes but still couldn’t solve goal keeper Jonas Hiller. He was very sharp and the Ducks were able to turtle it out for the final two periods and hold their advantage. The Hawks outshot the Ducks 43-12 and if not for Hiller they would have come out on top. Instead Anaheim survived with a hard fought 2-1 victory.

Unfortunately, the Hawks made some early defensive mistakes and took a few bad penalties which helped the determined Ducks. Often mental mistakes which lead to penalties are caused by fatigue. 

For the first time since late November the Blackhawks suffered two consecutive losses. 

Although the Hawks scheduled has been favorably slanted with home games they have just completed a grueling stretch. Including yesterdays loss, the Hawks have played 15 games in 26 days. That run began on December 16, and including the days off for Christmas was a very busy stint. 

When there are so many games packed into a short period of time there really isn’t much time to practice. When a team scores as many goals as the Hawks have recently, sometimes defensive and structural mistakes go unnoticed. This week, starting on Tuesday Joel Quenneville and his staff will get to work and so will his troops. They will have a chance to regroup and get ready for Columbus on Thursday night at the UC.

The Hawks played a bad period in Minnesota which led to an awful shootout loss. On Sunday night Antti Niemi and the Hawks backcheckers had a couple of brain cramps. The team also ran into a sizzling hot goalie which led to a loss to the Ducks. 

It wasn’t a good weekend. 

To put things into perspective… 

The Blackhawks still have the best record in the NHL and have a wide lead in the shot differential category. Including Saturday’s loss the Hawks had the best record in franchise history through 45 games played. During that time the Hawks have captured 73.3% of all possible points, which is the best in the Western Conference and second to only New Jersey. 

Those fun facts are courtesy of the Blackhawks media notes and should stifle anyone from considering falling off the bandwagon just yet. 

After watching many other teams on TV in the last month, my conclusion is the Hawks are one of the best clubs in the NHL, without a doubt. Whether they end up that way remains to be seen. But if they can come out of the next nine games still having the top record in the league, then they are the best team. 

But being an elite club in January doesn’t mean the Blackhawks will be the best come June. 

There are no teams with All-Star lineups, everyone has some holes. Even the defending Stanley Cup champions are in need of a top six forward. 

As far as weaknesses for Chicago, there will always be some cause for concern. 

The goal tending has been great for the most part. But if Cristobal Huet goes cold and Antti Niemi displays his puck handling deficiencies, as was the case at times last night, there would be a problem. If that were to happen management probably couldn’t solve a goal tending dilemma during this season. 

In that case a shorter playoff experience than has been anticipated by Blackhawk fans would likely occur. 

What could be the most pressing need which can be solved by Stan Bowman is the acquisition of another defenseman. 

No matter how anyone feels about Cam Barker, Jordan Hendry and Brent Sopel the fact is they have done a good job in total. But Barker is currently out with an upper body injury and if another blueliner were hurt the Hawks would be caught shorthanded.

Management can’t take that chance for the playoffs.  

No one seems to have a clue of exactly what happened to Marian Hossa, as he is listed as having suffered a lower body injury versus Minnesota.  Coach Q. mentioned he thought Hossa would probably be back on Thursday. That remark most likely means Hossa is not in need of an operation or has a major problem. 

When Quenneville doesn’t comment on a players return, or says they could be out for awhile….trouble. So no news is not necessarily good news, as is the case with Barker. 

The Hawks can’t afford to lose another defenseman. Not to slight anyone playing in Rockford but….Can anyone down there play meaningful minutes in the NHL now? 

Finding another NHL ready defender for the playoffs is something Bowman can accomplish in the near future.

In coming days I will go over some possibilities, but Bowman will have a forward or two he could trade in addition to players from Rockford. 

Jack Skille was in the lineup on Sunday to fill in for Hossa.  Skille was on the ice in his sixth shift when the Ducks scored their second goal. After that he played a total of eight shifts in the next two periods. 

Skille has the strength and hands to play somewhere in the NHL but I continue to doubt if it will be in Chicago. 

Last night would have been a perfect setting for Skille to receive some decent playing time. 

The team could have used a spark and there were some tired bodies on the Hawks bench. But evidently Skille still has some defensive shortcomings. At least that appears to be the case as coach Q. rewarded him with fourth line playing time on a night when Skille should have received second line minutes. 

Maybe Skille’s time in Chicago will come next season. But from where I sit, a player like Bryan Bickell has a better chance of sticking here. Skille’s strong suit is generating offense but as soon as the Hawks got down by two goals he didn’t get many opportunities to help. 

If Stan Bowman doesn’t feel he will get a bang for his buck from Skille, look for the former high draft pick to be elsewhere. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was dealt by the beginning of March. 

For those looking for some possible Blackhawk trade partners…. 

The Maple Leafs may reach a conclusion soon the rest of this season is all about setting up for next year. They are a club with some extra defensemen.

There were only a few scouts scheduled to be at the United Center on Sunday night. Two press box seats were reserved for Toronto scouts. 

Al’s Shots 

I stand corrected. 

It is important to realize although many teams each year try to land a front line player to help them win a Stanley Cup, it seldom happens. 

I had written there were only two times since 1994 first unit players were acquired at the trade deadline and won the Cup. They were Glenn Anderson and Rob Blake. 

I overlooked Billy Guerin from last season and was made aware of my mistake by a reader named Dylan….Thank you. 

After checking with XM correspondent from Pittsburgh Brian Metzer, Guerin was indeed a first line player throughout the Penguins Cup run. For whatever reason he didn’t occur to me. 

So since 1994, there have been only three times a team was able to find a big gun at the deadline and then win the Stanley Cup. It is wise to keep that fact in mind as this season’s trade deadline approaches.

blackhawkswin@comcast.net