Mission Accomplished, So Far…

It might be too soon to say the student has become the teacher but the Blackhawks have now come away with three straight wins over the Red Wings. 

This time Detroit had more big guns back in the lineup and probably deserved a better fate. Both teams were playing their third game in four nights and the older Wings came up with a spirited effort especially in the third period. 

One main factor which can’t be discounted is the game was far more important to the Wings than the Hawks. This effort from Detroit would have beaten most teams and Chicago won the contest only because they had the better goal keeper. 

Antti Niemi was sensational. The Wings know now he is very difficult to beat low.

Detroit still has a potent puck possession attack and a fast transition game to match a solid defensive structure. The Hawks are not in awe of the Wings any longer but they know their place. Until proven otherwise the Red Wings are the team to beat if the Hawks want to advance to the Stanley Cup finals. 

Most Hawks fans would be leery of an opening round playoff matchup against the Red Wings. In many ways I would love to watch a series between the two but it probably is unlikely to happen in the first round. 

If the Blackhawks tend to their knitting they should finish first or second in the Western Conference. The Red Wings have a great chance of making the playoffs and not being in the bottom two slots. 

Injuries are the great equalizer. Brent Sopel suffered an arm injury on Sunday and the severity is not yet known. 

But if neither team is beset by injuries the Wings and Hawks should be able to avoid each other in the opening round. The Wings still have a lot of skill and are too well coached; my feeling is they will safely make the playoffs. 

I have more to say about the screwed up call in the Dallas-Detroit shootout from Saturday afternoon in Al’s Shots. 

Saturday in Columbus 

The Blackhawks started their road trip with a sporadic effort but it led to an entertaining 6-5 victory. 

The Hawks dominated much of the first and third periods and out battled the Blue Jackets in a game which wasn’t well played. For one of the only times this season Cristobal Huet received a lot of goal support from his teammates and he needed it. Huet wasn’t at his best, but neither was Steve Mason. The Columbus goal keeper looked absolutely lost at times. 

The Jackets got into a loose fast paced game with the deeper more skillful Hawks. Not the best idea especially when the Columbus scoring attack is basically only two lines deep. 

In the end it was the Hawks power play which bailed them out. Jonathan Toews scored twice with the man advantage, while Columbus was 0-4 on the power play. 

It was funny to hear the Harlem Globetrotter comparison again by television play by play man Pat Foley on Saturday. As soon as his flattering description of the Hawks skillful play ended the Jackets got back into the game. 

Pinching defenseman with a two goal lead will work at times but the Hawks will have to learn how to adjust. It is fun to watch them play with the throttle wide open but they won’t get away with it against every team.

There are times to gamble, but it isn’t all the time. 

The problem as much as anything else is the Hawks get away with playing the same way with a 3-1 lead as in a 1-1 contest, more often than not. They have enough skill to lose leads and comeback to win. But Joel Quenneville will get the message across before the playoffs begin. 

I have written this many times, but it bears repeating again. Lessons are more difficult to learn when bad consequences aren’t experienced. 

Queeneville will prevent his crew from becoming over confident and he will refine their game tactics. Coach Q. knows there is a fine balance and he realizes they need to understand the same.

Al’s Shots 

Well the Hawks came away with six points in their last three divisional games. They now have a great opportunity to have a very successful road trip. 

The OT period in Sunday’s game was one of the best I have ever watched.

Tuesday’s contest in Ottawa is a trap game. 

The Hawks are coming off three emotional winning efforts and will play a Senators team which is in a playoff battle. Another challenging test… 

Those that want to jump on the Hawks defensemen for some slip ups on Sunday, keep this in mind. 

Cam Barker missed seven games and he played like he was rusty. 

The trio of Barker, Sopel and Jordan Hendry  might comprise the best third pairing in the NHL.   

Before you say no way….What number five or six defenseman would be an upgrade? 

Barker could still be dealt if the right deal came along because the Hawks power play has managed without him.  Plus the fact Hendry has filled in nicely in most games.

So maybe at some point before March a more physical presence will be added. 

Also when facing Detroit one has to remember Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg are two of the better forwards in the world. 

Quick and crafty forwards are able to seal off the back passes when Hawk defenders try to reverse the play in their own zone.  

It doesn’t happen very often because most teams can’t successfully forecheck in the same way as Detroit and a couple of others.  

Those who have read my blogs over the years know I have been critical of the video replay system. 

The technology has improved but the NHL still struggles with consistency. 

The controversy in the Detroit-Dallas game from Saturday involved a shootout and the scattered mission of the NHL war room. It’s time for the league to pick a path and decide what the correct definition for conclusive evidence is for overturning an on ice call.

If there is a disagreement among officials on the ice…Shouldn’t the decision then go to the war room alone?

One thing is certain there wasn’t a clear on ice camera shot which would help decide the dispute.

Now if that disputed goal happened in Sunday’s NBC telecast there might have been a different ruling. During the Hawks-Wings game there was a camera placed in each net. Quite possibly the same camera placement would have led to a conclusive view in Dallas, as an overhead shot is often useless.

There are reasons, mostly monetary as to why in the net cameras are not used all the time.

Additional cameras in each net won’t happen in most regular season games because the cost is too high. Maybe in time they will always be used but that won’t happen for this season.

Overhead cameras are now in every arena. The war room in Toronto can get that same camera shot no matter if it is shown to the TV audience or not.

For now the biggest issue is for the NHL to decide on a consistent manner to solve such disputes.

The mistakes may not happen often but they can be very costly.

In my November 15, 2009 blog I covered the cost factors involved in using net cameras for every game. The blog was written in response to a goal dispute in the November 13, 2009, Hawks-Leafs game.

 “Too Expensive to be Conclusive”

http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/?p=5410

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