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My 2018 Blackhawks All-Star Team |
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While Patrick Kane heads down to sunny Tampa Bay, Florida for the 2018 NHL All-Star game, the rest of his teammates will have the benefit of another break to catch their breath.
The 5-1 win last night over Detroit was really nice, however, it was a week and a half too late. If the Hawks would have won like this on January 14th (instead of losing 4-0) vs. the Red Wings, it could have done wonders for this team's playoff chances.
The Hawks would have then went into their bye week with 5 wins in their last 7 games, which included an impressive 8-2 win over Ottawa.
Instead, they laid a stinker sandwich, that loss to DET, as well as their 1st game back from break 7-3 vs. NYI. Maybe if they were able to ride into the break on a high, they would have kept that energy rolling and got out of bed for that Isles game…or…. the outcome could have been the same because it's the 2017-18 Blackhawks.
Anyway, let's not to dwell on the past, as the Hawks are where they are; they now have an 18.3% probability of making the playoffs according to HockeyReference.com.
The Hawks hit the road after the All-Star weekend with stops in Nashville (Tuesday), Vancouver (Thursday) and then highlighted as the late game on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada vs. Calgary (Saturday).
Keeping with that All-Star theme, I thought I would select my 2018 Blackhawks All-Star team at this point. (Note: I know the format has changed and this is not who I would send to compete but rather the most important Hawks this season by C, LW, RW, D, D, G positions):
C – Nick Schmaltz: currently ranked 2nd on Hawks with 35 points in 45 games. Most importantly, he's slid back to centre where he looks strong (except in the faceoff dot), giving the Hawks management dreams of a Schmaltz/Kane combo for years to come. I know he hasn't played C all year, but young Nick is their now and has taken Chicago's centre position from extremely weak to pretty, prrreettty… average. I'll take it.
LW – Alex Debrincat: this should be Brandon Saad, but he's been disappointing in a larger role in his second stint. "The Cat" has played both LW and RW but is on the left-side now. He was quiet before his hat-trick last night (and that's not why I've selected him) but he's quieted critics and been a pleasant surprise in a mediocre season. His pure goal scoring touch cannot be overlooked and will be much needed for the Blackhawks to be successful in the upcoming years while he's on his entry-level contract.
RW – Patrick Kane: Duh.
D – Duncan Keith: I know, I know, but who else would be your 1st selection on the backend? Keith has been "ok" according to Q and "get that bum out of here" to a lot of fans. However, he's still the Hawks #1 dman, leading all Hawks in average TOI and pacing all defenders in points (23… all assists).
D – Jordan Oesterle: this was a toss up but I went with Oesterle because he's been a breath of fresh air on the backend with his mobility and ability to play LD/RD. He entered the lineup for good in early December going on to play 20 straight games for Coach Q in an 8-man rotation (for the most part). He's not only been able to stay in the lineup, but his play has rewarded him with up to 23-26 mins TOI game.
G – Corey Crawford: a no-brainer. Craw was having a Vezina-like season before his injury. Hawks hope to see him on the ice in the next week or so.
Coach – Jeremy Colliton: no I don't think Mr. Colliton is a better coach than Quenneville, however, I wanted to give props to Coach "C" for taking a really young Rockford team from last in the Central Division to 3rd. On top of that, the players coming to Chicago straight from Colliton's ‘Hogs, have looked really good and have made an immediate impact.
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There you go – that's my team. Who makes your 2018 Blackhawks All-Star team?
JL
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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