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Last night's 2-1 victory over the Canucks at Rogers Arena was precisely what the Blackhawaks needed: a reasonably solid 60 minutes of defensive hockey, a stellar performance by Corey Crawford in net, and 2 goals in 9 seconds to seal the deal.

The big impression last night was how quickly the Hawks, now arguably the league's most potent offensive club, can turn a game in their favor. It's a higher risk style of play than Head Coach Joel Quenneville is likely comfortable with, but it's working for the Hawks. Thus far.

And it isn't necessarily coming from the loaded first line (Sharp, Toews, Hossa), or Patrick Kane's second line. Last night, it was third line center Andrew Shaw and 4th line C Marcus Kruger who struck in the third period.

Crawford turned away 36 shots, including some huge saves, making a strong case for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team, not coincidentally out dueling another Canadian Sochi hopeful, Roberto Luongo.

The Hawks stand at 2-1 on the Circus Road Trip, and in first place in a tight Central Division race. I'll be back with a preview of the Hawks' game with Edmonton tomorrow.

Later today, look for my blog in Eklund's space, where I look at the relative difficulty of repeating as Stanley Cup champs, through the lens of the Hawks' 2013 offseason and the current 2013-14 season.

Thanks for reading,

JJ

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