Well, maybe it wasn't quite as painful as the title suggests. But for the first 35 minutes or so of last night's game at the MTS centre in Winnipeg, it appeared the Hawks were really laboring to get out of their 5-game funk—and a Jet goal at any time was going to extend the agony for another game.
But Patrick Kane emerged from the phone booth and 26 seconds later, Marian Hossa buried #498, keeping Hawk marketing folks' hopes of a 500-goal celebration alive for this season. The rest was pretty much cake.
All kidding and uncomfortable urinary tract references aside, the Blackhawks played better last night, lifted perhaps by an outstanding performance by backup goalie Scott Darling, who at least hinted, yet again, that the more work he gets, the better he plays.
I heard this morning that there was a meeting yesterday between Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman that may have had something to do with the change in the lineup last night from the previous practice—Andrew Ladd back with Jonathan Toews, Tomas Fleischmann with Teuvo Teravainen.
Whatever was decided, however it was decided, it worked.
There continues to be evidence of a chemistry between Hossa and Artem Anisimov. Both of the top lines played well and seemed balanced.
But after this relatively easy win—the Hawks get to face another dangerous team fighting for a playoff spot tomorrow night when the Minnesota Wild come to the UC.
i'll have a preview.
JJ
FOB (good peeps, good reads)
Chris Block Al Cimaglia http://www.thethirdmanin.com
Frank Nova http://www.hockeenight.com
Greg Boysen http://www.letsgohawks.net
Puckin’ Hostile Crew http://www.puckinhostile.com