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It wasn't the prettiest of games.

And maybe that's a good thing in terms of a character test. The Hawks righted their ship somewhat yesterday afternoon with a 3-2 win in Anaheim, getting just enough offense and goaltending to even their record on the Circus Trip at 3-3, with the final game of the excursion tonight versus the Kings.

Most of the Hawks' offense came from the usual suspects: Artem Anisimov and Patrick Kane, with help form Artemi Panarin and Brent Seabrook. But it was a steal by Marcus Kruger deep in the Anaheim zone which set up Ryan Hartman for the game winner, his fifth goal of the year.

Like I said upfront, it wasn't pretty. With Jonathan Toews out, Kruger went 31% in the dot, filing in for the captain in numerous face-off situations. The Hawks as a team won just 27% of their draws.

Corey Crawford faced 36 shots, stopping 34, but swam and flailed at times, including getting completely turned around on one of the Anaheim goals.

It was a high-paced and at times end to end game and you really got the sense the Hawks were battling for every inch of ice and every opportunity. And the final score was important psychologically for a team that's been scuffling a bit, really since leaving Chicago on this long, annual roadie.

It was a good indicator also of the team's character. This was a game they needed to win, a task made harder by the absence of Toews. Not only did they win, but they got meaningful contributions from their rookies in a high-pressure situation, where it appeared the Ducks were targeting players like Nick Schmaltz.

A test passed.

The team doesn't get much rest before tonight's game with Los Angeles.

Gametime: 9:30PM Central/7:30 Pacific. TV: Fox Sports West and WGN.

The Kings are 11-9-1. Chicago sits at 14-6-2. Expect to see Scott Darling in net for the Hawks tonight. Peter Budaj for the Kings.

No word yet on whether Toews suits up tonight, but I would bet against it.

I'll recap tomorrow.



JJ



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