PuckPowWow
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The situation was looking to be a bit bleak once Patrick Sharp suffered an injury that would sideline him for up to 4 weeks. We are all kean on what his scoring capabilities mean to the Hawks, and as maybe one of the best at finishing on the power-play, the Hawks were looking at diving even further into that pit of dispair, which still looks like a possibility. Last night however, the Hawks won 6-2 and even had a goal taken away by an officiating error. They also had 2 power-play tallies by the night's end. Just what can be causing such production with a top scorer out of the equation you ask?
Well, it sure isn't coming from Kane's hands (ooh, burn). Rather, It has come from a more unlikely source. The youthful prospects called up to fill the missing holes in the roster dug by Sharp and Carcillo's injuries have been that much needed boost to an otherwise soft and "over-confident" offense who had little desire in helping out their defense in many situations. Since their arrival only a couple of weeks ago, Andrew Shaw and Jimmy Hayes have racked up 9 goals between the 2 of them, including many efforts not logged on stat sheets, and maybe even taught a lesson to the vets while at it.
Hayes is a beast at his size, and will mostly add a great deal of weight to his frame by next season. He has great hands, especially for a guy his size, showing a soft and pinpoint accuracy in front of the net or anywhere else on the ice. It would be fare to say he is currently in the zone when it comes to scoring goals. Shaw is less assuming. He is not big at all, not the fastest skater in the world, though his speed has served him well enough, he isn't the best stick-handler on the ice either, so what gives? Simply put, it seems as though his determination (something missing from the day-to-day perfromances of the Hawks in the past) and desire to make the best of his time in the NHL as a prospect has willed himself to secure a place on the roster.
The contributions of these two young prospects and some of the others who have peaked their heads into the NHL throughout the season are among some of the best reasons to be excited as a Hawks fan. While trades might not have produced exactly what fans were anticipating, the ability of Stan Bowman to spot talent out of the future hopefuls is proving extraordinary, and it doesn't stop at Hayes and Shaw. Brandon Pirri has served as a great center in a few select games this year, and might even be the Hawks answer to the woes of finding a future 3rd line center as Bolland makes a decent case for the 2nd line opening.
Speaking of Bolland, the youthful newbies are not alone on the recent bus to productionville. Bolland has also sparked since Sharp's injury. Having been moved around and into a more prominent scoring role, Bolland has answered the call as he often does when duty comes knocking. Bolland's ability to do exactly what is asked of him when it is asked is of unquestionable importance to the Hawks past and future successes, instilling the case for his highly necessary role as a Blackhawk.
The lesson learned from what Hayes and Shaw have been able to do so far in the NHL is that of simplicity and drive. This even lead to 2 power-play goals last night. What's important about these goals is that both were the result of keeping things simple. Net presence, easy passes, and shots from the point. I would suggest the Hawks continue this practice of simple plays when with the man advantage. However, I still see a sluggish pace. The Hawks need to make use of quicker reactions and nothing else really. Move the puck fast, while keeping it simple, establish a net presence and make use of the one-timer. Done deal.
Not only have they made an impact on the power-play, but Shaw has also become a regular fixture on the PK unit. In fact, Shaw has found success in a variety of roles and with different players during his short time in the NHL. A price-less commodity in the world of Q's line-juggling.
This brings me to the another huge reason to get excited about this and other recent wins by the Hawks. That would be Q's final resolve to roll 4 lines as opposed to the crazyness we had all become too used to. The ability to have freash legs on the ice throughout the full 60 has maybe the largest impact on what has transpired recently. Shaw and Hayes have helped this become a reality. We are seeing secondary scoring as a result, a more rested defense, along with a better all around game from the Hawks. Now, the Hawks can start really working on the small holes within their game. Not until this point have any little changes to the Hawks game had any meaning, and not until now have we seen some cohesion in line productivity. With a fuller, fresher team, things can finally start meshing and players can start showing their true colors.
Leddy was held to 18 minutes last night, and it prompted him to be a +3 on the night. This is not rocket science, this is a duh moment for the coaching staff. It took half the season, but they finally get it. I still fear their ability to learn from their mistakes on matters like these, as their reaction time seems a bit too far behind that of simple folk like ourselves. I mean, wasn't it obvious Leddy was buckling under the pressure and subsequent ice-time?
Conclusion: the youth have brought a simple, positioned and gritty game to the Hawks that has resulted in a more balanced effort from the entire team. Their willingness to pay the price for a goal, stir the pot and find the holes have provided a nice burst to the offense when without its top scorer. This is something that can really spark the necessary changes to the Hawks game and make them ready for a deep run into the playoffs. Even against more formittable opponents than the Sabres.
Click here to view the article
Well, it sure isn't coming from Kane's hands (ooh, burn). Rather, It has come from a more unlikely source. The youthful prospects called up to fill the missing holes in the roster dug by Sharp and Carcillo's injuries have been that much needed boost to an otherwise soft and "over-confident" offense who had little desire in helping out their defense in many situations. Since their arrival only a couple of weeks ago, Andrew Shaw and Jimmy Hayes have racked up 9 goals between the 2 of them, including many efforts not logged on stat sheets, and maybe even taught a lesson to the vets while at it.
Hayes is a beast at his size, and will mostly add a great deal of weight to his frame by next season. He has great hands, especially for a guy his size, showing a soft and pinpoint accuracy in front of the net or anywhere else on the ice. It would be fare to say he is currently in the zone when it comes to scoring goals. Shaw is less assuming. He is not big at all, not the fastest skater in the world, though his speed has served him well enough, he isn't the best stick-handler on the ice either, so what gives? Simply put, it seems as though his determination (something missing from the day-to-day perfromances of the Hawks in the past) and desire to make the best of his time in the NHL as a prospect has willed himself to secure a place on the roster.
The contributions of these two young prospects and some of the others who have peaked their heads into the NHL throughout the season are among some of the best reasons to be excited as a Hawks fan. While trades might not have produced exactly what fans were anticipating, the ability of Stan Bowman to spot talent out of the future hopefuls is proving extraordinary, and it doesn't stop at Hayes and Shaw. Brandon Pirri has served as a great center in a few select games this year, and might even be the Hawks answer to the woes of finding a future 3rd line center as Bolland makes a decent case for the 2nd line opening.
Speaking of Bolland, the youthful newbies are not alone on the recent bus to productionville. Bolland has also sparked since Sharp's injury. Having been moved around and into a more prominent scoring role, Bolland has answered the call as he often does when duty comes knocking. Bolland's ability to do exactly what is asked of him when it is asked is of unquestionable importance to the Hawks past and future successes, instilling the case for his highly necessary role as a Blackhawk.
The lesson learned from what Hayes and Shaw have been able to do so far in the NHL is that of simplicity and drive. This even lead to 2 power-play goals last night. What's important about these goals is that both were the result of keeping things simple. Net presence, easy passes, and shots from the point. I would suggest the Hawks continue this practice of simple plays when with the man advantage. However, I still see a sluggish pace. The Hawks need to make use of quicker reactions and nothing else really. Move the puck fast, while keeping it simple, establish a net presence and make use of the one-timer. Done deal.
Not only have they made an impact on the power-play, but Shaw has also become a regular fixture on the PK unit. In fact, Shaw has found success in a variety of roles and with different players during his short time in the NHL. A price-less commodity in the world of Q's line-juggling.
This brings me to the another huge reason to get excited about this and other recent wins by the Hawks. That would be Q's final resolve to roll 4 lines as opposed to the crazyness we had all become too used to. The ability to have freash legs on the ice throughout the full 60 has maybe the largest impact on what has transpired recently. Shaw and Hayes have helped this become a reality. We are seeing secondary scoring as a result, a more rested defense, along with a better all around game from the Hawks. Now, the Hawks can start really working on the small holes within their game. Not until this point have any little changes to the Hawks game had any meaning, and not until now have we seen some cohesion in line productivity. With a fuller, fresher team, things can finally start meshing and players can start showing their true colors.
Leddy was held to 18 minutes last night, and it prompted him to be a +3 on the night. This is not rocket science, this is a duh moment for the coaching staff. It took half the season, but they finally get it. I still fear their ability to learn from their mistakes on matters like these, as their reaction time seems a bit too far behind that of simple folk like ourselves. I mean, wasn't it obvious Leddy was buckling under the pressure and subsequent ice-time?
Conclusion: the youth have brought a simple, positioned and gritty game to the Hawks that has resulted in a more balanced effort from the entire team. Their willingness to pay the price for a goal, stir the pot and find the holes have provided a nice burst to the offense when without its top scorer. This is something that can really spark the necessary changes to the Hawks game and make them ready for a deep run into the playoffs. Even against more formittable opponents than the Sabres.
Click here to view the article
