When the Blackhawks lost two games in a row recently, the question naturally arose: is this a temporary blip or are they going to be merely mortal from here on out?
If last night's game, their second win in two games on the road, is any indication, the answer is: blip. And last night against Dallas, they looked as good or better than they have all year.
Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa were off the charts amazing with the puck. If you haven't seen it yet, here it is:
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Other stars included Jonathan Toews, Viktor Stalberg, and Brandon Saad, each of whom contributed stellar individual plays that culminated in a collective beatdown on American Airlines Center ice.
And 'collective' is the key word. Because underlying and, more importantly, enabling the highlight reel were, as always, rock solid team and defensive play: good gaps and structure, smart passes, hard work in the corners.
But as fate would have it, the tests get tougher from here: Monday night in Denver against the Avalanche team that broke the streak, and then the end of the roadie in Anaheim, where the Hawks face arguably their toughest foe in the West.