Sharp punctuates Blackhawks Burish victory
It may have been Denis Savard's Heritage Night at the United Center, but it was Adam Burish's long-awaited return to the lineup that spurred the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Although Patrick Kane tried, it was going to take more than a replica spin-o-rama move to get the puck past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. Burish added needed energy, a little muscle and an assist in his first game since knee surgery in September.
A Patrick Sharp breakaway goal in overtime sealed the win in a contest that saw the teams trade one-goal leads. Kim Johnsson forced a Kings turnover at the Blackhawks blueline which led to Sharp's gamewinner. After breaking into the L.A. zone off a feed from Dave Bolland, Sharp used a beautiful forehand move to beat Quick.
It was Sharp's second of the game as the winger put the Hawks on the board in the first period with assists from Burish and Kane. The helper extended Kane's personal scoring streak to eight games. But, with the exception of Sharp, the Kings defensive core led by Drew Doughty shut-down Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa. Instead, the Hawks best offensive threats continue to be Andrew Ladd, John Madden, Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglien.
Led by Sharp and Versteeg with five apiece, the Hawks offense generated a game-high 43 shots on goal. And the Kings defense was credited with 18 blocked shots. Quick was the early story in a 12 save first period that was dominated by the Blackhawks.
While he was outplayed in the opposite crease, Antti Niemi was good enough to earn the win. There was no shame in Dustin Brown's wraparound goal at 4:58 of the second period to tie the score 1-1. But Anze Kopitar's powerplay wrist shot less than two minutes later needed to be stopped. Niemi had a clear view of the puck as Kopitar's goal was as soft as any Cristobal Huet has allowed. Yet, the Finnish netminder was solid in making 10 saves during a tightly played third period.
Versteeg's recent resurgence is another poitive sign as the schedule points towards the postseason. The sophomore forward followed his intial shot for a rebound goal at 8:25 of the second period. After the Kings had taken a 2-1 lead a couple of minutes earlier, it was a crucial goal to swing momentum back into the Hawks favor (especially after Sunday's second period collapse against the Red Wings).
As is my perfectionist nature, I tend to focus on negatives even in the face of victory. So, while this was a quality win against a very good opponent, it only covers-up the ugliness of the Blackhawks powerplay. Unlike the goalie situation, the powerplay unit is not a matter of personnel. So what ails the talented group with the man-advantage?
In my mind, it's the same diagnosis for the recent middle period failures. It's all between the ears. No matter the situation, the Hawks play better with an edge. With a certain desperation. While it's missing on occassion during even strength skating, the powerplay unit always operates without a simple urgency. Not a frantic pace. Rather, urgency with a sense of purpose.
There is a reason guys like Burish have a role in the NHL. They bring an edge, an energy, an urgency with a purpose. I'm not calling for powerplay time for Burish. I'm just wishing his energy will rub-off on the skilled players and it will correlate into more success for the team.
In contrast to last year's underdog club, this year's Blackhawks team is missing the edge that comes from being a favorite. Well, Burish has never been favored in anything other than a barroom brawl. His edge might be what they've been missing.
6 Comments
borg said:
"Niemi had a clear view of the puck as Kopitar's goal was as soft as any Cristobal Huet has allowed."
Maybe I saw a different angle, but that sure looked like a laser to the corner. I don't see where that was a bad goal. I thought Niemi was very solid and much better than lately.
As for the PP, it's not a good mix. Have the Hawks ever scored with Sharp on the point? And the 3 lefty forwards doesn't work. One of them, either Kane or Hossa, is always on a side where he's no threat. The Hawks really need a prospect like Lalonde or Kyle Beach that can play the point and shoot from the left side. Seabrook is always on the right side and rarely dangerous.
iplagitr said:
I had actually typed the words, "laser to the corner" myself before reading Borg's post. That was a wicked shot from one of the top scorers in the NHL, so I'm not gonna hold that one over Niemi. I thought he played great tonight. He looked very active, alert, and confident. He made a huge, crucial stop on the Handzus 2-on-1 break early in the third.
The PP needs help, but I thought they did OK tonight even with no results. They moved well, passed well, kept the puck in the zone... they had some good chances but just couldn't finish, as usual. I can't believe they didn't get one in the net on the 5-on-3 PP. Quick had a great game, and the Kings did a great job of clogging the front of the net.
This was a good win on many fronts. And how great is it to have Burish back?
Mark Kiley said:
I could be mistaken, but I thought Kopitar's shot went through the space between Niemi's arm and chest. There was no screen and I recall Olczyk commenting that Niemi needed to make the stop.
However, my sleep has been limited the past couple of days so it is possible my memory is not very reliable.
VegasHawksFan said:
This game felt like a step in the right direction and was a tighter game than they have been playing. The power play is still horrible, but so was the PK on that Kopitar goal, I don't think a single Hawk was in position at any time on that play. My only other real gripe was that in the first period, I saw 4 Hawks below the goal line during an extended period of puck control in the Kings zone. They didn't get caught, but they've got to be a little more defensive minded come playoff time. It's a good win against a good team. More of this please.
Jerry Kayne said:
Congratulations Mark on the baby.
We can award a soft goal to Quick on Verteeg's hail Mary. While there are many soft goals awarded and many should be stopped by an NHL goalie, I think the post-lockout NHL has so many physical changes that only the very few, elite, goalies make those saves, most of the time.
I thought Niemi had a solid game. He's very good with loose pucks near, or in, the crease. Those are usually in the back of our net with Huet.
On a Burrishy note, I was hoping they'd save him for the 2nd period to change that sucky period's momentum.
Hostile Hawk said:
If Niemi showed some smarter stick work on the wrap around and a better guess on Kopitar, he might have given himself another shutout. Hopefully he is gaining back some of that confidence he has shown earlier in the season. Niemi was quick to react, moved side to side forcefully and followed the play well.
Not only are the Hawks being greeted with the return of Burish, but they are also witnessing the awakening in the madman Kris Versteeg. Having thinly avoided a trade by many accounts Versteeg seems to be back to his old self with a new determination to prove what a deadly weapon he can be. More props must be given to the Hjammer for his strong defensive play, but unfortunately Campbell is back on our radar for his many defensive turnovers and rash decision making. He is lucky to have such a dominant linemate in the area of defense.
With the new enthusiasm brought back in Burish and Versteeg. If Sharp can stay, well, sharp and the stars in Kane, Towes, Hossa and Kieth continue to shine. If Niemi can play the way he did in most games and Campbell can be more careful with the puck, and Brower, Ladd, Madden, Seabs, Hjammer and Buf can be the playoff impact we are all expecting. Then I pity the fool who has to play the Hawks in the playoffs.
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