Blackhawks Win In Montreal, Anisimov Fine, Kane Leads NHL In Scoring And Everything is Great(PS 1st Place)
The Blackhawks got a road win against a first place team using the formula from earlier in the season which is Corey Crawford turns into Superman and then the Hawks bury their chances because they have more elite skill than just about anyone in the league. The Blackhawks didn’t play their best game, but great teams find ways to win and that’s what the Hawks did last night. That win put them back in first place as the Wild lost in Washington, which is nice, but we don’t really care about division titles around here.
All things considered, that was the scariest game in a long time. Artem Anisimov went down at the very end of the first period with what looked like a VERY serious leg injury. Didn’t put any weight on it. Had to be lifted up off the ice by trainers and teammates.
I went into a spinzone HARD and fast last night when this happened. I tried to convince myself the Blackhawks would be okay without Arty. Nick Schmaltz centers that Kane-Panarin line, Hossa or Hartman moves up next to Toews and everything is pretty much fine. Whether or not that’s true, I don’t know and I’m glad we don’t have to find out. Anisimov has been incredible since acquired in the trade for Saad. He’s been so good and such a perfect fit that you could even argue that the Blackhawks won that trade. When Coach Q said after the game that it wasn’t that serious of an injury and listed Anisimov as dad-to-day all of Chicago exhaled.
Nick Schmaltz does look pretty good in the middle though. He definitely thinks the game at an elite level so he can keep up with the two soulmates on the wings.
It’s incredible how much Schmaltz has improved this year. He’s an impact player just 48 games into his NHL career. Since being recalled on Jan 15, Schmaltz has 16 points in 22 games. If he scored at that pace over an 82 game schedule Schmaltz would finish with about 60 points. Borderline all-star production. Versatile and effective playing left wing or center. The Blackhawks needed Schmaltz to step up and he has. Credit to Stan Bowman and the scouting staff. They identified Schmaltz as the guy they wanted in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft and they moved up from 27 to 20 in a trade to get him. He’s been everything you would want in a first round pick so far in his career. And in the future when the Blackhawks transition him to center full-time, they are going to be arguably the deepest team in the league at that spot. Toews, Anisimov, Schmaltz, and Kero as your centers for the next 2-3 years is as good as it gets.
Crawford almost died last night.
100MPH Weber slapshot straight to the melon…and he’s fine. The refs, his teammates, Weber, and everyone in the rink thought he was out cold. Nope. Just shook it off and stayed in the game. Crawford lost some brain cells, but picked up the win and 40 saves.
Kane had another 3 point night and that was good enough to put him in lead for the NHL scoring title with 76 points. We all knew Kane probably wouldn’t match his totals from last year when he finished with 46 goals and 106 points in 82 games. His shooting percentage was a ridiculous 16% last year. That was bound to come down, but Kane is once again dominating the NHL. Over a point per game again, in line for the Art Ross. I am not saying that he should absolutely win the Hart Trophy again, but it seems as though he’s not even really talked about for the MVP. All you hear is Crosby this, McDavid that, and Kane is just quietly leading the Hawks to the best record in the Western Conference. He should be in the discussion. That’s all I’m saying.
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Again, the last two games have NOT been great performances by the Blackhawks. They really haven’t been at their best since the Pittsburgh game, but that is what the Hawks tend to do in March. They slumber through the dog days and then when the lights get bright in April they start skating circles around people again. They’ve proven that they have the talent, depth, and good habits to play at an elite level. They can be on cruise control the rest of the regular season as long as they continue to get results which they are. Dynasty Reign
–The Hawks signed two college players and former draft picks last week. Anthony Louis out of Miami and John Hayden from Yale. Louis is finishing the year with Rockford, while Hayden will be up with the Hawks and will get a few looks at the NHL level down the stretch.
There’s a lot to like about Hayden. He is a BIG boy at 6’3 215lbs. Size is something the Blackhawks don’t really have much of in their prospect pool. He can play center or wing. Hayden had a pretty big senior year at Yale finishing with 34 points in 33 games. His coach also called Hayden the “best captain he’s ever had”. High praise. And he is also known to steam roll guys at times
Again, that type of aggression and physicality is something the Hawks haven’t had come through their system in a while. I am always a little skeptical of college players making the jump to the NHL and it’s highly unlikely that Hayden actually helps the Hawks this year, but he’s a nice piece for the future potentially.
–The other highly productive college player the Blackhawks are trying to sign is Dylan Sikura of Northeastern. Unsigned, and my brain/gut tell me that he’s going back to school.
–After the Anisimov injury last night the Blackhawks moved Hossa up into Schmaltz spot on the Toews line. Previously this year we saw Hartman in that spot opposite of Panik. It’ll be interesting to see what Coach Q does in the playoffs regarding Hossa. Hossa on the 3rd line obviously gives you more balance, but sometimes to me it feels like a waste of his ability. I feel that it might be more effective to really load up with a Schmaltz-Toews-Hossa line in the playoffs and have two lines that will KILL opponents, rather balance across all three top lines. Hartman-Kero-Panik would still be pretty effective as a third line and you might get more out of big Hoss playing him with better guys. Something to keep an eye on.