The NHL instituted a bye week for every team this season — a five-day break with no games or practices — and it could not have come at a worse time for the red-hot Blackhawks.
Coach Joel Quenneville would probably love it if his team could play every other day for the next month considering what they did in their last five games, which was win them all on the road by a combined score of 23-12.
Alas, that’s not going to happen, so let’s take a look at five impressive trends the Hawks hope continue when they face the Oilers at the United Center on Saturday.
Later in the week, I’m going to have a big piece on Jonathan Toews and why it’s so important for the Hawks to finally settle on reliable, consistent linemates for him. But for now, know this: His play over the last nine games has been a refreshing sight for coaches, teammates and fans alike. Over that span, Toews has 4 goals and 9 assists, upping his totals in those categories to 11 and 24, respectively. That means a 20-goal, 60-point season is totally possible.
More important, though, Toews is starting to look like his old self again. He’s stronger on the puck and more confident in the offensive zone, which has created many more scoring opportunities when he’s on the ice.
The unsung hero of this year’s squad might just be Richard Panik. Whatever role coach Joel Quenneville and the coaches put him in, Panik does it with aplomb.
Go play on the first-line with Jonathan Toews. “No problem.”
Now go jump on the third line with Ryan Hartman, Tanner Kero and/or Dennis Rasmussen. “Yes, sir.”
We need you in a checking role for a bit. “You got it.”
Panik has proved his worth all season and especially of late — with 4 goals and 5 assists in the last nine games — and versatile players like this don’t exactly grow on trees.
The question is, will the Hawks be able to afford him next season? Panik, who will be a restricted free agent, may finish with 20 goals and will certainly want a raise on the $875,000 he’s making now.
“He’s got a big body (and) he’s got a tremendous shot,” Quenneville said after the Hawks’ 5-1 win in Edmonton on Saturday. “He’s really progressing in his game. He can be so dangerous for us.”
In their victories over Winnipeg and Edmonton, the Hawks’ team defense was at a level we’d not seen all season. Before the year began, there was plenty of talk about how this may have been the deepest, strongest blue-line unit of coach Joel Quenneville’s tenure.
But reputation is one thing and what happens on the ice is another — and the Hawks rarely played up to expectations.
Until, that is, Friday against the Jets.
We’ll see if they can keep it up down the stretch.
Joel Quenneville switched up the power-play units during the just-completed six-game road trip to better spread out the talent.
The change was wildly successful as the Hawks went 6-for-12 with the extra man during their five-game winning streak. They now rank 16th in the league with a 19.6-percent success rate.
Corey Crawford isn’t quite where he was pre-appendectormy, but the Hawks’ netminder looked awfully solid in his last two starts, stopping 63 of 68 shots against the Wild and Jets.
The most noticeable difference is that he’s stopping the initial shot better than he was in the first 10-12 games after returning. Rebound control still seems a little iffy, but if he shores that up, Crawford figures to be at the top of his game come April.
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