Sometime during the loss to Vancouver earlier this week, Blackhawk coach Joel Quenneville hit the reset button on his lines. He did a little more tinkering over the next few days off and went to war last night with two new lines:
Jonathan Toews centering Andrew Shaw and Ryan Garbutt. And Marcus Kruger between Marian Hossa and Marko Dano.
Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin stayed on Artem Anisimov's flanks, which has arguably been the best line in the league thus far this season. The fourth line was Tanner Kero, Andrew Desjardins and Brandon Mashinter.
It worked. In a 5-2 win against an improved San Jose Sharks club riding a 6-game winning streak, in their building.
It also didn't hurt that Corey Crawford brought his A Game and bailed his team out on several Shark power plays.
Kruger's was the only line that didn't get a point, and yet, especially the first period, it was the Hawks' best line generating three prime scoring chances and creating all kinds of problems for the Sharks on the forecheck. Marko Dano probably played his best game as a Hawk.
There were times when the Hawks had their hands full in their end with the Sharks skill. That said, the hawk defense was outstanding last night, especially contributing offensively (2 goals and an assist)—and that includes Trevor Daley, whose overall game continues to improve while he is beginning to show Hawk fans the high-end puck skill he's always possessed.
So the Hawks are now 2-1-1 on the Circus Trip, and heading in to Anaheim tomorrow night for a WCF rematch. In spite of the Ducks' wretched start this season, you can bet they will be sky high and hitting everything in sight—especially Ryan Kesler who has a whole "punishment/surrender" theory he'd probably still like to prove.
The Anaheim game is a bit more important because a win guarantees the Hawks a winning road trip, which they really needed psychologically, and practically, in the standings.
I'll be back with a preview tomorrow.
JJ