Wow, three in a row, and all against Central Division teams, which is mighty handy. What's more, the special teams have actually been kinda special, the PP going 2/7 and the PK a perfect 8/8 over these three wins. We're approaching uncharted territory now, folks.
I'm just catching up after watching each of these games a day late so enjoy this two-fer at no extra cost.
Thursday - Hawks 5, Stars 2
There were a few wee issues, nothing that they didn't get right eventually, and The Hawks benefitted from DAL fighting the puck a lot of the time but, ultimately, they were good enough and I'll take that gladly.
Cam Ward Was Excellent. Evidently, Wardo called the team out after the blowout loss to SJS and all respeck to the guy for walking the walk after talking the talk. He was maybe a little soft on the second Stars goal but hey, if he's the one kicking these guys into action he can have that one.
Breakouts were not as tight as against NSH but the failed attempts did not, at least, result in goals against. Keith again struggled to clear the zone efficiently, notably on the first PK when he gacked two pretty standard clears, making me wonder if he's losing his mind or if he needs glasses. It's a fair and serious query.
Some Soft Play preceded both DAL goals. I was gonna call out Dahlstrom, who I think has been a great add BTW, as he was on the ice for both goals against. On both goals Big Carl failed to contain Radulov but, hey, hardly anyone ever contains that guy. The greater sins, as it turns out, were Kane failing to cover Seguin on the first and the second goal was a weird one off a squirted-out puck. Maybe Saad had a chance to check Fedun, maybe not. Let's just say The Hawks could have been tighter in the net front.
Dylan Strome Wasn't Great, either, due more to poor decision making than lack of trying. He can and will be better, I think, and I'm sure he's gonna take the shot the next time he's on a two-on-one like the one he squandered in Dallas.
Standouts In This Match: Anisimov was making things happen all night, getting and creating chances. Sikura played his best game this season, earning an assist on a subtle little play, and I was impressed with his puck patience, never rushing and never giving the puck away. Finally, I thought Forsling bounced back well after a bit of a wobbler vs. NSH, moving his feet and playing with more determination than usual.
The Power Play is possibly stirring from its long nap. They haven't all been gems but, in recent games, we've seen more movement, faster, than we've been getting for, oh...three or four years? Gustafsson, who also played a solid game, on the first unit is going well and the umbrella scheme he, Kane and DeBrincat have been employing has been working. Sure, they got a PPG on what was essentially a gift five-on-three when a Stars guy broke his stick but they actually managed to exploit that opportunity, a minor victory unto itself.
Friday - Hawks 2, Avalanche 1
Not as close as it looks at a glance, The Hawks had the stars align for them somewhat to pull this one off. Outshot by eight but, what's this, The Hawks blocked a mammoth twenty two COL tries. Two goals that each had a whiff of opportunism, Collin Delia playing out of his head in his season debut, on the second night of a back-to-back, and against the high scoring Avalanche... I'll take a road win in those circumstances anytime.
Collin Delia doesn't always make it look easy but the kid appears to know what he's doing. Too soon to tell if he's the saviour Hawks fans need right now but I like what I've seen.
Murphy and Dahlstrom played a lot of hard minutes against The Avs ridiculously good top line and did a fine job. Their Corsi stats in this one are not pretty but they mostly kept COL shooters on the margins and gobbled up what few rebounds Delia allowed. These two are the pure-defense pairing we've needed for ages and, under the new regime, are actually getting a chance to take on some high-responsibility tasks.
Dominik Kahun is just a stupidly good passer.
Only Two Minor Beefs in this game which, as I suggested, was a great team result. First, if Brendan Perlini cannot be arsed to pick up a man, any man, fucking ever....he needs to go. I'm also growing weary of his chucking. Has he made a pass on a rush since arriving in CHI?
Second, and this is nothing new, Seabrook took all the momentum out of the Power Play after the first unit did a great job keeping the puck and their bodies in constant motion. Once ol' Seabs arrives, though, it's like watching Pong™ as he plays slow catch with the right wing and other d-man. Zzzzz.
Next: Back home on Sunday for FLA. Luke Johnson is back in Rockford in exchange for Jacob Nilsson, a guy who played for Coach Colliton in Sweden so I expect we'll see him at 4C. Whatever and whoever, The Hawks just need to keep on doing what they've been doing, keep that pedal down....
A Double Pleasure is Waiting For You....
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