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All four lines were effective tonight. Not all the time, but more often than not. On the first line DeBrincat had one rotten pass but was otherwise tip-top with sound passing and a solid effort on the forecheck, which doesn't always pan out cos he gives up a lot in size & strength, but his stick and timing are excellent. The third line had moments good & bad and Sharp had a far better effort than in recent games. The fourth line was surprisingly aggressive and occasionally dangerous although Bouma, fine in the 1st, was inattentive & yippy the rest of the way. Wingels had the best scoring chance for The Hawks in the first period.
Probably the best all-round effort from the D this year. Franson repeated his Wednesday performance, still awfully slow but rarely beaten due to realizing that fact & positioning himself accordingly. Loving him on the power play. Kempny and Murphy were solid; not without errors but when Kemps gacked a clear or made an errant pass, Murph had his back and vice-versa. Kemps also hit for 6 shots - where'd that come from?
Corey Crawford continues to be the most reliable Hawk but, for a change, he didn't have to steal this win. His presence of mind on The Wild's best chance, in which he refused to panic and back the puck into his own net, demonstrates just how dialed-in he is right now.
If The Hawks can keep playing like this good things will continue to happen. They'll have to stay in this headspace tomorrow, as Forsberg will almost certainly get the start and, as stupid as it sounds, I fully expect Forsling to draw in at the expense of a guy who's played well in his absence (pick a guy, doesn't matter who). Regardless of that decision, here's hoping that Forsberg can follow his teammates' lead and have a good bounce-back game after his last rotten start.
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