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Blues at Hawks GameDay/TDL update |
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St. Louis Blues (31-24-5) at Chicago Blackhawks (38-18-5)
6:30PM Central
NBCSN
GOALIES:
Jake Allen/St. Louis
Corey Crawford/Chicago
Again, I'm going to skip the stats in this blog. Specific stat snapshots don't matter in a matchup of two teams who know eachother far too well.
Nor will I separate the game preview from a trade deadline update.
This game, like the recent Minnesota— and Edmonton— games, is important to assess the needs of the Hawks right now, and going in to the playoffs. But, if those needs are to be addressed, the next 48-72 hours are the time they must do so.
If you noticed the emphasis on Edmonton above, there's a reason for that.
An NHL source reminded me in the last couple of days that the February 18 home loss to the Oilers (a likely Western playoff team) will inform the moves the Hawks make, as much as the win in Minnesota a few nights later.
"Edmonton showed again the formula for how you beat the Hawks. Push them around physically and force them outside."
So another test looms tonight against a likely playoff team and one of two (the other being Nashville) the Hawks could face in the first round. The Blues have lost 2 straight but are 7-3 in their last ten and appear to have turned things around after the switch from Ken Hitchcock to Mike Yeo behind the bench.
And yes, the Blues have been a team who has been able to use their size and depth on back end to marginalize the Hawks' smaller skilled forwards. For all the changes the Blues have gone through the 8-9 months, their defense is still intact.
Another factor to watch. In the last ten meetings between the teams (5-4-1 for the Blues, 5-5 for the Hawks), the Blues power play has clicked at over 30%.
And the Hawk penalty kill, while improved of late after a horrible start to the season, is still somewhat of a question with Marcus Kruger able to play but not taking faceoffs.
And if you read between the lines, you can see, perhaps, a recipe for what the Hawks might want to add before the deadline: size upfront, and a secondary faceoff option. This, to me, points perhaps to Martin Hanzal of Arizona (maybe some other), who, by now, everyone is fairly clued in on as a Hawk trade target.
The Jurco trade was not—as implied by some press reports and the usual over the top celebration by some fans—a "big move" the team was working on for the last six weeks. It was—I've been told repeatedly—an opportunity to take a cheap flyer on a player with some heretofore unrealized skill and promise, and a recent injury history. It also has very little, if any, impact on the Hawks' available cap dollars.
So while I haven't heard anything on trade rumors since late yesterday afternoon, the likelihood of another move is still pretty high. I am told the Hawks are still talking and listening, but will not overpay, hoping prices will come down a bit as the deadline deal—as they often do.
What I did hear late yesterday was about a Hawk scouting presence in Carolina to specifically watch two young Ottawa forwards: Curtis Lazar and Ryan Dzingel. But as someone mentioned to me last night, it is quite possible this interest is with an eye toward summer moves.
I'll have a game recap tomorrow—but likely will be back before then with trade updates. Please PM me with specific trade related questions, I will get back, thanks.
JJ
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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