Blackhawks Stomp LA, Road To The Stanley Cup Still Goes Through Chicago
Are you not entertained?! The Blackhawks played one of their best games of the season last night just 24 hours after a strong win up in Winnipeg. It was a playoff type atmosphere from the first note of the Anthem. Crowd was into it. The game was fast and physical. It made you wish the Conference Finals would start immediately.
I wrote last week that the people blaming Coach Q for losses and flipping out over a lineup were missing the point. Some call it a “light switch”, but I prefer the words of Coach Herman Boone….this group is like Novocaine, give it time, it always works. Coach Q didn’t forget how to coach, the players didn’t forget how to play. The system in Chicago works. There’s no need to fret over a few poor performances here and there over the course of 82 games. The lineup against Philadelphia wasn’t the reason they lost that game. It was the effort. The Coach doesn’t decide who is in the lineup, the players do. And if the Hawks can consistently find their game in the playoffs there’s nobody they can’t beat.
–Johnny Oduya played his best game of the season last night. He’s kind of like Britney Spears. A lot of ugly moments…
But in the right setting can still bring an A+ performance that makes you all tingly, excited, and nostalgic
We got good Oduya last night. The kind of player that can play against anyone and be apart of a shutdown pairing. I am not sure if Oduya was just battling nagging injuries all year or has been on the Bickell plan where he only shows up for “big” games, but if he can bring that type of game then the Hawks can beat anyone in the playoffs.
–Turbo was sensational last night. His best game as a pro. He was dangerous all night, creating for himself and for his teammates. He showed why he is so special. He has lightning hands, lightning feet, and a unique hockey sense. His ability to see lanes, and create scoring chances in a flash make him special. Turbo’s eight SOG last night led the team and he did it while playing on the “4th line” with Kruger and Desjardins. That line was effective all night and deserved the bump in ice-time they received. Again, the players determine who plays, not the Coach. The lineup is an ever changing puzzle, but if he can provide an offensive spark to a line that wouldn’t otherwise have it then I say keep him on the 4th line. Make the opponent pick their poison. Have to love that in a playoff-type environment against a team that loves to bully their opponents, our boy Turbo didn’t wilt for a second. He played his game and dominated just about every shift.
Advertisement
–Darling continues to impress. Let in his first bad goal of the season last night, but stopped everything else. The Hawks all of a sudden find themselves with tremendous goaltending depth. Something they’ve seriously lacked since maybe the early 90s.
I don’t want to get too excited about one game because I always preach about not getting too down after regular season losses, but last night was special. That was the team we love. Fast, active defense, tough, and making their opponents pay for mistakes. It was fun to be a Hawks fan last night for the first time in a while. If they can find that level of play consistently in the playoffs there’s no reason to think they can’t take another run at the Stanley Cup. Dynasty reign.