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It wasn't easy. And I told you it wouldn't be. But the Hawks battled the Blue Jackets for 65 minutes last night before gaining a second point in the Gimmick.
It was a good, tough test to kick off the 4-game road trip, where the Hawks' remaining three opponents have more skill and style than Columbus, but likely less grit and effort.
Sergei Bobrovsky was outstanding in net for the Jackets, and he had to be. The Hawks put a lot of quality chances on him in regulation and OT—with the save of the night coming on Brandon Bollig.
Bollig had a very good night. He played his position well at both ends when he saw the ice. And after being robbed by Bob, he later unleashed a rocket on the Russian netminder that almost overwhelmed him. As I have said in the past, a little patience with B52 might be worth it—he can play in the NHL well enough to not hurt you in the enforcer role. And he can really shoot the puck.
Patrick Kane continues to shine. It's almost unfair to let him participate in the Gimmick, with what has now become his signature move: the slow stickhandle in, and using his super-sick, super-quick hands to beat the hapless goaltender. So set that aside. The pass he made to set up Johnny Oduya's goal was beautiful.
Other Hawks who shined: Michal Frolik (who is regaining the Manic St. Bernard Puppy Persona), Dave Bolland (great game, aside from not lifting the puck on a golden chance late in the contest), Marian Hossa (quiet most of the game, then absolutely dominant on a couple of late shifts).
The third line was really strong. Aside from having arguably the best size/speed combination in the league, Viktor Stalberg has some ungodly endurance. The guy never gets tired—still beating opponents to pucks very late in his shifts.
Niklas Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook—all really solid.
And Corey Crawford. I've often said he's really just a blocker and not much of an athlete or exceptional in his movement. Well, I'll stick by that mostly—but he really has a very good glove, which he flashed a couple of times last night in addition to a solid positional game.
The Rookies? I thought Brandon Saad was okay, mostly invisible. I will reserve final judgement on Jimmy Hayes, because he might need a little time to adjust to NHL speed mentally—but he looked very slow and behind the puck all night—against a not very fast team.
That's all for now. Two big road points–and a solid outing by the #1 goalie—for a team that needed both.
Back soon with more,
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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