Blackhawks in flux a quarter into season
Normally, reaching the first quarter of the NHL season with a 12-6-3 record and 27 points as the Blackhawks have done would be considered an achievement worthy of pats on the back all around.
But in the Hawks’ case, much of the good they did in their first 19 games has become somewhat overshadowed by what happened in the last two.
How does one of the league’s elite teams lose 5-2 to a bad Calgary club one night, then get manhandled 9-2 by an ordinary Edmonton squad the next?
Were they just blips in a long season or the start of a team trending in the wrong direction?
The Hawks have three games remaining on their circus road trip to start supplying some answers, beginning Wednesday night against the surging San Jose Sharks.
Call the Hawks’ first quarter of the season a mixed bag of highs and lows.
The good:ŸJonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp are on their way to big offensive seasons, all on 80-point paces or close to it.Toews and Hossa are on pace to score 40 goals, while Sharp has quietly piled up 19 points despite missing all of training camp with an illness.Toews has been the Hawks#146; best player, period. Not only does he have 10 goals and 19 points, but his eye-popping 62.4 winning percentage on faceoffs ranks first in the NHL.Hossa, with 9 goals and a team-leading 23 points while plus-11, has been dominant on more nights than not, whether playing on a line with Kane or Toews.ŸThe move of Kane to center has been a huge success, although you#146;ve still got to wonder if it will last all season, particularly into the playoffs.The Hawks aren#146;t very big at center after Toews, and there is little doubt the position is one general manager Stan Bowman is looking to upgrade in the days and weeks ahead.ŸWho would have expected second-year pro Nick Leddy to be the Hawks#146; best defenseman after the first quarter of the season, but he has been.Leddy leads the team#146;s defense in scoring with 15 points, is plus-4 and proving to be the most dangerous puck carrier on the club from the back end. And at age 20, he#146;s only going to get better.The bad:ŸThe Hawks still aren#146;t a terribly difficult team to play against from a physical aspect.While newcomers Daniel Carcillo and Jamal Mayers have done what they were brought here to do #8212; play with an edge #8212; most of their new teammates haven#146;t followed their lead.Carcillo and Mayers also have chipped in 4 goals and 11 points.Left wing Bryan Bickell and defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson, Sean O#146;Donnell and Steve Montador haven#146;t been as physical as expected, and in Bickell#146;s case it has cost him playing time.Coach Joel Quenneville has given 6-foot-8 John Scott considerably more ice time on defense ahead of O#146;Donnell, obviously to supply muscle and a physical presence.ŸOnly lately has the power play shown signs of life with goals in six straight games to jump to 14th in the league, but it#146;s still inconsistent.The penalty killing has sunk like a rock after a decent start. The Hawks were among the league leaders until allowing Vancouver to score 5 power-play goals Nov. 6 at the United Center. Now they rank 29th.ŸRostislav Olesz never figured into anyone#146;s plans here, and after playing mostly poorly in six games was waived and sent to Rockford. With a $3.125 million salary-cap hit, he likely won#146;t be coming back.The OK:ŸGoalie Corey Crawford has been up and down in his first full season as the Hawks#146; No. 1 guy.Crawford#146;s save percentage has dipped to .901 and needs to come up a bit. He has allowed 47 goals, fourth most among the NHL#146;s top 30 goalies.Backup Ray Emery has been fine. He had a bad game in Edmonton, but who didn#146;t?ŸDuncan Keith was minus-8 in losses at Edmonton and Calgary, but before that was plus-7 with 5 points in the Hawks#146; four-game winning streak.Keith has been mostly solid, but when he has been off, he has been way off. It#146;s a confusing situation for a guy who seemingly didn#146;t make any mistakes two years ago in winning the Norris Trophy.ŸAndrew Brunette has gone from the first line to the third line to the fourth line. All 4 of his goals are on the power play.Brunette was signed as a free agent to supply offense for the first two lines, but it#146;s looking now that he will be used as a power-play specialist and a guy who plays down in the lineup.tsassone@dailyherald.comHKN512347Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy controls the puck against the Vancouver Canucks Chris Higgins during the first period.Associated PressHKNHKN32942456Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews breaks in on Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson earlier this season.Associated PressHKN