Egad, that was ugly. This had all of the elements of a bad game going in: unfamiliar bodies being plugged into the line up, a tired roster, a net minder who has started every single game since the Olympic break ended and of course being lined up across from one of the best teams in the league in front of a great home crowd. Armchair coach of me was shocked to see Bobrovsky get the start. There’s no doubt whatsoever that he’s our number one guy but I had this game circled as one where he might get a rest. It ended up being a short evening for Bob anyway with McElhinney coming on in relief after the fourth goal. Hopefully the whole team can put this one behind them as they continue their Western Conference road trip. On to the three stars:
3rd Star: Brent Seabrook
Who doesn’t want a guy like Seabrook on their blue line? While contributing 2 assists Seabrook did a great job limited CBJ scoring chances while munching his normal 20-22 minutes. I’d be hard pressed to offer up this spot to anyone aside from the big first rounder.
2nd Star: Jonathan Toews
Man, I can watch this guy all day. His two goals tonight weren’t anything fancy aside from just having a nose for getting to the open ice and making himself available to convert on great feeds from his line mates. A good captain is smart. Toews showed his hockey sense tonight.
1st Star: Andrew Shaw
Of all of the guys on the Hawks, this is the one that looks like a Blue Jacket in Hawks clothing in the sense that he plays a tough, physical brand of hockey and his first goal where he capitalized on an infuriating Jack Johnson gamble to make a play for the puck really seemed like the spark the ignited the powder keg that was Chicago’s explosive scoring for 5 unanswered goals the rest of the night. I know it’s wishful thinking but can you imagine this guy lined up with Calvert and Jenner flanking him?
Stud: Matt Frattin
I use the term stud loosely here. Compared to his CBJ brethren, Frattin’s game wasn’t completely disappointing. I’m not sure if that’s a factor of his skill level or just a young athlete able to get up to show his new coach that he’s ready to join the battle.
Dud: Injuries
No less than 24 hours after picking up Nick Schultz to bolster/fill gaps in a perforated blue line, it looks like we could very likely be without the services of Nikita Nikitin for a while. Nikitin took a high shot to the head behind the net and instantly looked green and in need of medical attention. He was not to return the rest of the evening. Are we in a desperate enough spot that we might see latest CBJ acquisition Matt Taormina? Without a prompt return from at least one of our normal top 4 guys, it’s going to be a long remainder of the season. Fingers crossed that Tyutin’s ready to go sooner than later.
We can put this one behind us and for the sake of some fresh bodies think about dressing Tropp and/or Comeau. As far as who to scratch, there are a lot of options. There were a lot of under performers tonight who could benefit from an evening at the press level. I’ll be curious to see what our lines look like for the next game.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
