What a strange day for the Chicago Blackhawks.
It started with news that Corey Crawford would miss the matinee versus the Flyers due to "illness." Then the Hawks signed former Temple University club goalie Eric Semborski to an emergency amateur tryout contract as Scott Darling's backup.
And then, no sooner had the pleasant absurdity of Semborski wearing Corey Crawford's #50 sweater on the Hawk bench faded, and Chicago went out and played a fairly horrible game.
It would be not only overly simplistic, but unfair and inaccurate, to point to Darling's last minute start in place of Crawford as the reason the Hawks lost. Or even to point to a highly questionable no goal ruling on what would have been a critical Chicago goal by the Keystone Cops in the NHL's Toronto "War Room."
The Flyers won the game because they forechecked aggressively for much of the game—and the Blackhawks didn't handle it.
I tweeted at one point (essentially) that Hawk center Nick Schmaltz had not received his hotel wake up call by about midway through the second period. In truth, Schmaltz and Tyler Motte (and to a lesser extent Vince Hinostroza, who has become the latest object of over the top fanboy hype) have struggled to get pucks out of their end under forecheck pressure all season.
But they weren't alone.
Fresh (or not so fresh) back from injury, Trevor van Riemsdyk got turned inside out on one Philly tally and struggled much of the afternoon. Patrick Kane made a particularly egregious ill-advised cross ice pass that was picked off and led to another goal. It was also a less than stellar game for Michal Kempny, playing with van Riemsdyk.
It was a bad game overall for an injured team that still needs to work through some issues, at full health or not.
Crawford's illness as everyone knows by now was actually an emergency case of appendicitis (expected return in 2-3 weeks).
Schmaltz has been (justifiably) sent back to Rockford.
Don't get me wrong, I am a believer in his talent, but it has been fairly apparent that in spite of it, Schmaltz is not emotionally and/or physically ready for professional hockey at the NHL level. Maybe a few weeks in the shadow of the Clock Tower in Rockford will press the right buttons for him. Maybe it's a longer process.
The Hawks need to get Toews back (Joel Quenneville is expected to update his status and tonight's goalie starter versus Winnipeg around 4 Central time), ice some balanced, productive lines and ditto the defense pairings.
Thus, the team will regroup and ride Darling with Lars Johansson as his backup.
Just my opinion, but the prospect of playing Darling for a couple/few weeks is not as concerning as what's going on in front of the goalie right now—where some subtle, season-long cracks in the facade of the team's lofty record have now become fairly evident crevices.
Assuming Toews plays tonight, it would behoove Chicago to get some consistent offensive zone pressure and scoring chances from more than just the AK72 line. Also, for the coaching staff to build some lower lines that can get the puck out of their end fairly competently and consistently so.
Winnipeg Jets (12-13-2) at Chicago Blackhawks (16-7-3)
6PM Central
CSN Chicago/Rogers SportsNet
The Jets are coming off a big win over St. Louis, and they whitewashed the Hawks a few weeks ago, 4-0, at the MTS Centre.
Chicago is facing some adversity—a good time for a big game in front of a full house at the UC. But it's all in the doing.
I'll recap tomorrow.
JJ
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