After missing 6 games with a concussion, Blackhawks captain Jonathan
Toews returned to the lineup, and his presence was immediately felt as
the Hawks dethroned the Kings (see what I did there?) 4-1.
In
the 6 games Toews missed with a concussion, the Hawks scored a measly
12 goals. Tonight, they netted 4, including Toews' 2nd of the season.
While the Hawks played decent without Toews (3-2-1), they clearly
weren't the same. Something was missing. It wasn't tonight.
Blackhawks offense returns with Captain
Jonathan Toews
Aside from his offensive impact, Toews brings stability to the lineup. His presence as the number one center slots the other players on lines where they belong. John Madden is great at what he does, but he's not a first line center.
When players like Madden (or Dave Bolland when he's healthy) are on their second and third lines, they play in the roles in which they are designed to play. Toews can worry about the offense and powerplays, while Madden can focus on defense and play the game he's comfortable with. When a player is comfortable, he plays his game. When he plays his game, things go well, like Madden's goal tonight.
The Hawks lineup is starting to take shape. Ben Eager returned after missing 13 games, and Marian Hossa is very close. Dave Bolland's back may require surgery, but that's not a given at this point. We could very well see the Hawks at full strength at the end of this month. Let's knock on wood until then.
1 Comment
SouthSideBandit said:
It was great to see the almost whole Hawks team on the ice last night. The biggest thing for me was the wins on the faceoff. Toews came back and gave a dominant proformance in the circle winning a good majority of his faceoffs. It was a good game between two very fast very young teams.
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