The Anthony Duclair movement has begun.
I thought the 22-year old had a strong game. He definitely has all the skills to make it work here in Chicago. However, I need to see a good stretch of games where he’s bring this energy to the Hawks lineup, because like Panik, Duclair has been marred with tales of inconsistencies in his past.
Friday’s 2-1 victory over the Jets was a strong performance and the type of win we were used to seeing last year. It was one of those tight games that the Hawks, even when they were against the ropes, were able to pull off.
Jeff Glass played great and is getting the start again today. I didn’t think it was a good idea to start him against the Jets, but I was wrong and he really bailed the Hawks out there.
The lineup to remain the same, which means Jurco, Gustafsson and Kempny are your scratches.
Artem Anisimov skated yesterday and his timeline for return appears to be right after the bye week. Joel Quenneville will have some options at center when he returns which seems odd to say after the Hawks looked to be very weak at the position this year. However, Nick Schmaltz re-emergence is promsing and he should stay there when #15 draws back into the lineup.
Young Nick is still working on his craft at the dot. He was a miserable 3/13 (23%) vs. the Jets and needs to be better. In tight games, it might be a better idea to put Ryan Hartman in as he’s proven more capable in the past. Or Q could look to use Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz on their strong sides (like he used to do with Kruger and Shaw).
The Hawks opponent today is the Detroit Red Wings. Tough schedule for them to come off their bye week and play 2 road, back-to-back, afternoon games vs. the Pens and Hawks. Woof.
The Wings aren’t what they used to be but usually play the Hawks hard.
Let’s hope Johnny Toews has one more motivational speech ready for this morning to push these Hawks into their week off on a positive note.
See ya out there!
JL
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Who we got today: Detroit Red Wings
Season Matchup: 1st match up of the year 17-18-7 = 42 points 5th in Atlantic Division Last game: LOST vs. Pittsburgh (4-1) yesterday GF: 109 / GA: 126 PP% = 19.8% (14th in NHL) PK% = 81.3% (15th in NHL) Sniper: Gustav Nyquist – 14 goals Producer: Dylan Larkin – 34 points Tough Guys: – Larkin/Witkowski - 39 PIMs & Abdelkader - 105 hits Expected Starter: Petr Mrazek
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