By Jim Coffman
The clinching victory over the Canucks last week, the one that left the Hawks eight wins away from the Stanley Cup? It couldn’t have been more exciting. And the United Center was remarkably loud, just about throughout. In fact, we’re going to go ahead and say that during the back-and-forth 7-5 victory it was as noisy as it has ever been in the arena that replaced the Chicago Stadium in 1994.
“I don’t know about history,” said my friend Steve. “I just know my ears hurt.”
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The downside was that a big reason the game was so dramatic was that it was the worst defensive performance of the post-season for our town’s icemen. Goalie Nikolai Khabibulin played well, and still gave up five goals. If he hadn’t been sharp, the Canucks could have scored 10. There were so many breakdowns by the Hawks’ defensive corps it was hard to know where to start to break it down.
The question was, was it a blip? Primarily a one-game thing that would be rectified the next time the Hawks hit the ice Sunday in the Western Conference Final opener in Detroit? The short answer? No.
Khabibulin could have been better against the Red Wings on Sunday, but the primary problem is the guys immediately in front of him, and the forwards who are too often failing to fully fulfill defensive responsibilities.
The Hawks had more rest than the Red Wings coming into the series and the chance to get the jump on their rivals. Instead, the home team was better from the start, not just out-shooting the Hawks, but doing so in each period.
Zeroing in on the defense, specifically pairings Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Cam Barker and Matt Walker, is instructive.
The huge amount of minutes logged by Keith and Seabrook in the past seven months and in the past 13 playoff games (Keith was usually the Hawks’ regular-season leader in per-game ice time while Seabrook has been out in front in the post-season) may be starting to take a toll.
Keith missed a few games in the regular season (he played 77) but Seabrook went the distance (82) and both have been going so hard for so long it is tough to believe they aren’t dragging at times.
Seabrook and Keith were both on the ice for three of the Red Wings’ four goals that mattered – before the late empty-netter.
And of course Red Wing defenders, specifically all-world Niklas Lidstrom (who if he hasn’t won a half-dozen Norris Trophies yet should have), have also logged huge minutes through the season and the playoffs.
But that is where their superior experience, their ability to dig down even deeper when it matters in the playoffs, comes into play.
Campbell has been a favorite whipping boy for Hawks fans when the team has struggled this season but he had a real good series against the Canucks. He and Hjalmarsson didn’t stand out on either side of the ledger in Game 1 (although Campbell was on the ice for the pivotal third Red Wing goal).
Still, the Hawks are going to be in trouble against the Wings when Campbell isn’t in on scoring any goals (which he wasn’t). Barker and Walker aren’t fast enough to keep up with many of the Red Wing forwards and their ice time will continued to be limited accordingly.
Hopefully the Hawks can catch their breath now and bounce back like they have in the first two rounds. They played great defensive hockey in the middle of the Vancouver series and there is a chance they’ll find that mojo again.
But there’s a better chance the Red Wings, the most talented team in the league, will maintain command. The defending champs are starting to smell the Cup.
Baseball Report
An awfully good week for the Cubs, although declining to play a doubleheader now (on Saturday or Sunday) against the Astros after the rainout Friday and instead pushing the game back into the dog days of summer may come back to haunt. Then again, the Cubs will probably be healthier further down the line.
Despite a tough loss Sunday, the North Siders are right there at the top of the Central Division a month-and-a-half into the season despite losing their best hitter to a fearsome shoulder injury (although thank goodness it wasn’t his right arm) right after their ace sat down for several weeks with a significant leg injury.
On the other hand, if Gavin Floyd and John Danks don’t start pitching better, the White Sox will be done before the All-Star break. Of course the pale hose need an igniter and, well, they just need better hitting up and down the lineup. But they have no chance if their young second and third starters don’t get it together and soon.
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Coach Jim welcomes your comments.
Posted on May 18, 2009