Sundays game between the Hawks and Flames could have been seen as a season changer for the Flames. This is a team that has been flirting with playoff contention but just can’t seem to get the moment going. Enter the Hawks, the worst team in the league and if you want to make the playoffs, a team that you need to beat. Well, things didn’t go as planned for Calgary as they came out extremely flat and let the Hawks run their top goalie out of the game after letting up 3 goals on 11 shots. The Hawks are buzzing and playing good hockey, which is a blessing and a curse, especially after seeing what’s on the line in landing a player like Bedard.
I think the biggest story of this game is an absolute no brainer and that is the performance from Lukas Reichel. Before the season started, he talked about how he wanted to be a full time player this season and making his mark in this league. Things didn’t go exactly as he had planned; he was sent down to start the season in Rockford to work on his full ice game. Getting the call earlier this season when Toews went down he got a little bit of a taste bit wasn’t enough to really get going as he showed up right before game time as he was sent right back down afterwards. Thanks to injuries from Entwistle and Khaira, he gets his second chance. This time he gets to practice with the team and really prep correctly and man, what a difference it made. I already spoke about Fridays performance and how I hoped he was able to build off that against Calgary, and that is exactly what he did. He was able to pick up his first career NHL goal off of a rebound that shot from between his legs.
He picked up his 2nd point of the night with an impressive show of patience as he is able to freeze up Markstrom as he slides it over for maybe one of the easiest goals of Kurashevs young career. He put a nice bow on top of his career night with a big assist to Max Domi that was able to put a power move and put home the game winner in overtime.
Finishing the night with 3 points was just the icing on the cake. The level of confidence and his hockey sense is a night and day difference from what we saw last season. He is putting himself in scoring position and making the right passes and not trying to force too much. He knows his role, as there were a few times he put himself right in the shooting lanes of Calgary defenders. I know what you are all probably thinking, “its only two games… and too that I agree. He will not keep this going every game, but this shows why development is so important and not to be rushed. Offensively, he was ready and could have been an NHL player this season. However, having him play with the NHL club full time just because he seemed ready would have meant third or fourth line minutes and even healthy scratches. Letting him continue to work on his entire game in Rockford has proven to be the right move. This needs to be kept in mind going forward for all Hawks prospects.
So the Hawks have won two in a row, last time they put multiple wins together was back in October when they were able to surprise a lot of people and won 4 straight. They do this without Patrick Kane in the lineup, who is expected to be back this Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche. Stalock has been playing excellent hockey, going 2-1 with a .938 SV% and a 2.00 GAA and of course one shutout, and there really is no reason to not give him the number one stop going forward.
The Hawks still hold the best odds at winning the draft lottery but the gap is getting closer as they are just now two points behind Columbus and four points behind Anaheim, which they have a game in hand on the Ducks. As we sit just two games away from the half way mark of the season, it is slowly getting closer to scoreboard watching season. Trade rumors are going to start ramping up and it’s time to start preparing for the changes that are coming to this organization. However, in the mean time, lets just enjoy the Reichel show and soak up what very well be the last month or so of the Kane and Toews era.
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