Some might disagree, but I thought last night's 3-0 shutout of the St. Louis Blues was the team's best performance— overall, in every aspect of the game— all year.

30+ shots on net, a strong, productive power play, hard work whistle to whistle, physicality and team toughness, defense and goaltending.

And, as always, let's give credit where it's due. The Blues came out swarming. I always knew David Perron had good hands, but I didn't know they were that good. TJ Oshie is a terrific young player. Ty Conklin had a very strong game.

But they ran into a team that, once it got the wake-up call about midway through the first period, would have been tough for anyone to beat.

There were lots of stars for the Hawks last night. And you know it's going pretty well when you're debating whether to include a guy who got three assists (Patrick Kane) in your three stars. So let's run down all of them:

Troy Brouwer. Got the Hawks on the board first with a rocket of a shot that re-directed off a St. Louis skate and past Conklin. He was tough along the boards, killing penalties and creating screens on the power play all night. And clearly, there is a chemistry between he, Kane and Jonathan Toews. Brouwer's goal was impressive, not just because of the shot, but also the way he made a nice little stutter step to get into open ice for the feed from Toews.

Nik Hjalmarsson. I counted three blocked shots last night, a couple of the painful variety, and there might well have been more. This young Swede is quietly—and quickly— becoming one of the NHL's better defenseman. As one of my Twitter buddies, TKON, said last night: "it's hard to find the weakness in his game." Yes, he has room to develop his offensive game. And I think, somewhat like Duncan Keith took the same trajectory (defense first, offense later), Hjalmarsson will. What I love about Hjalmarsson is that in almost every situation, he makes the smart play, and he seems to win all the little battles.

Brian Campbell. Hjalmarsson's partner, the $7 Million Man, earned his pay (or most of it) last night, netting a power play goal and playing well at both ends of the ice.

Jonathan Toews. Captain Serious had two assists, one on a goal by Marian Hossa that essentially amounted to a tap-in due to #19's stellar board work and drawing multiple Blues to him.

Kane. Three secondary helpers. Nice game.

Hossa. TJ Oshie is a "spark-plug" (again, kudos to TKON) and very strong on his skates, but even before Ed Olczyk pointed it out on the NHL Network last night, I noticed how he nearly bounced off Hossa in the third period. #81 is averaging a point a game and seems to be getting his legs with every passing game now. A lot of hockey fans criticized the Hawks' signing him to a long-term deal at $5-6 million per year, but I don't see how you can criticize it when you watch this guy night on and night out. So skilled, so well-conditioned, so well-schooled. A truly world-class hockey player.

Cristobal Huet. His best game all year. There were no highlight reel saves, but a lot of them were tougher than they looked. He was really dialed in last night and earned the shutout. And how many of you were surprised to see him go after Cam Janssen in the third period? Huet is quiet and reserved, but make no mistake, he is a competitor.

Dustin Byfuglien. The Night Train From Roseau was disruptive on the forecheck and the backcheck last night, and delivered some huge hits, perhaps the biggest of which was a third period mash of Barrett Jackman that led to three Blues going after Byfuglien at center ice.

Keith and Brent Seabrook. They were their usual selves, which is pretty darn good most nights.

Brent Sopel. He might not be the fastest or most skilled guy on the ice, but he brings everything he has every night and is a great teammate, evidenced by his takedown of Janssen in defense of Huet.

Were there any lowlights?

Cam Barker left the game before the third period with an injury. I have no report beyond that, but the Hawks should disclose whether it's below or above the waist today (sarcasm font ON).

Kris Versteeg is now— officially— driving me crazy. Last night was far from his worst in terms of overhandling the puck and low percentage puck decisions, but he did it enough, especially on the power play, to earn mention here.

Friday night's contest versus Boston is a big one. Boston and the Blackhawks are not only legitimate Stanley Cup contenders from both conferences, but also Ground Zero for my personal hockey experience. I am looking forward to writing my next Original Six blog tomorrow.

Look for Huet to get the call again versus the B's.

Thanks for reading,

JJ

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