Going against Joel Quenneville‘s usual routines, Goalie Cam Ward got his third straight start in net (including a back-to-back) for the Blackhawks, facing Elmhurst native Garret Sparks for the Leafs.  Also going against the usual routine Quenneville made a lineup change.  Andreas Martinsen was in the press box for the first time of the year with Brandon Davidson, as John Hayden took Martinsen’s spot.

This was your Blackhawks starting lineup:
Alex DeBrincat– Jonathan Toews – Dominik Kahun
Brandon Saad – Nick Schmaltz – Patrick Kane
Chris Kunitz – Artem Anisimov – David Kampf
Marcus Kruger – Luke Johnson – John Hayden

Duncan Keith – Henri Jokiharju
Brandon Manning – Brent Seabrook
Erik Gustafsson – Jan Rutta

Not to be overlooked, the Blackhawks had their “red carpet” walk, and introduction ceremony for the home opener.  The very special highlight of the night was the Stan Mikita memorial that was put together to honor the fallen former captain and all-time Blackhawks great.

 

“To play for one team for over 20 years… it’s special.”#ForeverABlackhawk pic.twitter.com/PJ5NC7aicf

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 7, 2018

As with all special ceremonies, there was still a game to be played.  A game that could have given the Blackhawks a three game winning streak to open the season.  In their way was the NHL’s “new hotness“, the Toronto Maple Leafs.  The “old busted” Blackhawks seemed to be defying the odds, but their first major test was issued. They hung in for the ride.

The emotion from the Mikita memorial carried right into the play of the Blackhawks. Brandon Saad, and John Hayden both had excellent chances to open the game against the young Leafs netminder. Just about everyone in attendance and watching on TV, including the visiting team, was surprised when the Hawks jumped out to a 7-2 shot advantage in the first five minutes of the game.

With exactly nine minutes gone in the first period, Jonathan Toews continued his red hot play to open the season, giving his team a 1-0 lead. After a Duncan Keith shot was (surprise!) blocked, Dominik Kahun picked up the loose puck and flung it at the net. Toews located the puck and redirected it down, into the net. After a short look from the Toronto war room the goal was confirmed. This was Toews’ fifth goal in under three full regular season games.

That @JonathanToews is so hot right now. pic.twitter.com/VoJ0HVSHpy

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) October 7, 2018

The Blackhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead just a couple of minutes later. The red-hot line of Debrincat-Toews-Kahun played a nice little game of tic-tac-toe that ended with Debrincat slamming home a backdoor pass into an open net. This play was certainly worthy of the evening highlight reels. This goal marked Dominik Kahun’s second point of the period and of his young NHL career.

Hockey game or pinball machine?#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/CQJvDDCFa1

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 7, 2018

The good fortune did not last long for the home team. Toronto took advantage of some sloppy play by the Blackhawks defense which resulted in Kasperi Kapanen getting a break-a-way from the blue line in. Kapanen made pretty easy work of Cam Ward, cutting the Hawks lead to 2-1.

Just thirty-four seconds after the Kapanen goal, young superstar Auston Matthews erased the Blackhawks two-goal lead. Other than the Blackhawks turnover in their own end, there was nothing of note on the goal. Just a dirty goal, from a dirty area.

The period ended with the Blackhawks leading in shots 14-8. A better window into the action of the first period was the high danger chances, which were tied at seven a piece.

Just over four minutes into the second period, a failed Alex Debrincat clearing attempt turned into the Leafs’ third goal of the game. Debrincat had a chance to clear the Blackhawks zone and seemed to hesitate. That hesitation led to the puck softly sliding to defenseman Morgan Rielly, who let a shot go towards the Blackhawks net.  On the way to the net the puck changed direction off Zach Hyman and landed at the feet of John Tavares.  Tavares buried puck for a 3-2 Leafs lead.

A couple of minutes after the Leafs took the lead, the Blackhawks fourth line answered the bell. Henri Jokiharju sent a long shot from the point on net that Sparks saved. John Hayden found the rebound and jammed it past the Toronto goalie. The puck barely slid over the goal line. The war room in Toronto took a look at this goal but it stood, as well.

It took a review to confirm but this one counted, Hayds!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/CJWuidVf7t

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 8, 2018

Two minutes after the Hayden goal, the Leafs snagged the lead back on a powerplay goal by John Tavares, his second of the night. Patrick Kane took the holding penalty which put the Leafs on the man advantage. Thirty-two seconds after the powerplay began, the Blackhawks were fishing the puck out of their own net. Tavares tipped a long Mitch Marner shot through Cam Ward.

It seemed as though the Blackhawks had a major opportunity to tie the game back up with a four-minute powerplay. Unfortunately, we were talking about the historically anemic Blackhawks powerplay. They generated exactly zero shots on net in those following four minutes.

As a result, the teams finished the second period with the Leafs leading 4-3 and the teams tied in shots at 21. With all the action, there were only four high danger chances between the two teams (two a piece).

Just over two minutes into the third period, the Blackhawks were able to pull even with the Leafs. Defenseman Brandon Manning took a pass from Brent Seabrook and unleashed a long shot towards a screened Garret Sparks. The Artem Anisimov screen was enough to distract the Leafs netminder, and the puck was in the back of the net.

kaBOOM#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/iD5O3MAVwS

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 8, 2018

Once the score was tied, it seemed as though the pace of the game seemed to slow down to a manageable speed…

Until the 10:30 mark of the third period, when John Tavares completed his hat-trick. The Saad-Schmaltz-Kane line could not hold possession in the neutral zone leaving Erik Gustafsson and Jan Rutta to attempt to start the rush from the Blackhawks end. After a couple of false starts, Mitch Marner nearly caught Tavares breaking into the zone for a nice cross-ice goal. Instead, the puck rattled around at the half-boards and eventually ended up on the stick of Tavares again. He turned and snapped a shot over Cam Ward’s right shoulder to give his team a 5-4 lead.

Both teams turned the intensity up to “11” in the final five minutes of regulation. The Leafs had a majority of the good scoring chances but Chicago was not without a couple of their own.

Finally, with a minute and thirty seconds remaining, Patrick Kane decided to take the shot himself and beat Sparks from a tight angle. The game was tied and everyone in the arena thought this game was going to overtime.

It was going to overtime, but not just yet.

Less than thirty seconds after Kane ties the game, Auston Matthews picked up a puck that bounced off a group of players and rolled towards the slot area in front of Ward. He snapped the puck by a startled Blackhawks netminder.

Matthews’ Team USA teammate, Patrick Kane, had a little game of trash talking to throw back to the young Leafs forward who had given a “let me hear you” celebration after his goal.

Thirty seconds after Matthews gave the Leafs their lead, Henri Jokiharju set the plate for a Patrick Kane one-timer that Sparks just whiffed on. After the goal, Kane gave an entertaining little “let me hear you” celebration right back at Matthews.

NOW, the game was going to overtime.

It only took Toronto nineteen seconds to win the game, on a very stoppable Morgan Rielly shot that Cam Ward gave up. Shots finished 34-31 in favor of the Leafs.  The Blackhawks will have three days off and play the Minnesota Wild Thursday at the United Center.

Pluses

• What more needs to be said about the start of Jonathan Toews.  He is making a lot of meatballs eat their words.  I know I speak for all Hawks fans when I say that I hope to see a lot more of this play.
• John Hayden had an alright game.  He got himself a goal in the dirty area, but had a pretty clear path for a partial break-a-way in the third period and melted into a puddle of goo.
• While I mention the defense below, at least the offense is keeping the games close.  Six goals on 31 shots is more than admirable.

Minuses

• The power play is hysterically bad.  Something has to give.  They just cannot realistically be this bad for this long with this list of talent on their roster.
• I know Brandon Manning scored a goal, but watching him in his own end must give Cam Ward a panic attack.
• That said, this entire defensive corp is scary bad in their own end.  Keith and Jokiharju have been “OK“, and the rest is a complete crapshoot.
• There were 13 goals scored on 64 shots which is sub-.800 goaltending.  That is not good enough for either team.
• Tell me all you want about possession, Corsi or Fenwick but that third line is “just there“.  They don’t do much especially well.  They are not especially dangerous or fast.  Possession does no good if it is not resulting in goals.
• I know goal scoring is fun and this is what the fans supposedly want but if the Blackhawks want to keep up at this pace, they will eventually run out of steam.  They are one of the older teams in the NHL (tied for third oldest) and they cannot have track meet style games all season.

The post Home Opener Recap: Leafs Beat The Blackhawks 7-6 in OT appeared first on The Rink.

BIGGER NAMES

James van Riemsdyk (as rumored elsewhere) is on the Hawks’ list, as well as, to some surprise, Vegas winger James Neal. I reported last summer that Neal was on the Hawks’ radar,, when some of the interwebz armchair GMs expressed great revulsion at the thought of him in the Indianhead. For what it’s worth, I was told specifically this morning, the likelihood of the Hawks acquiring Neal is slim.

Neither of these players would come cheap—and clearly, Chicago’s interest seems to reflect a desire to add size/skill to the top 6.

It would seem the Hawks would absolutely need to find a taker for Marian Hossa’s cap hit to make either of these moves happen, and I was told they are still hoping to package the rights to Anthony Duclair in order to sweeten the deal for a floor team.

CENTER

Tyler Bozak is on the Hawks radar. With good speed and 2-way ability, Bozak is also strong on faceoffs, making him a nice (and needed) add to the Hawks’ 2nd or 3rd center role.

And, i was also told the Hawks are listening “to feelers” on Artem Anisimov.

DEFENSE

Two names I heard were Greg Pateryn and John Moore. Both bring size and solid play in their own end—again needed complements to what the Hawks presently have. Like Neal, these two players are names I have reported in the past as being on the Hawks’ radar. Moore was a trade target last summer, Pateryn, when he was with Montreal.

GOALIE

Apparently the Hawks have an interest in Carter Hiutton, at minimum.

These are just a few names I heard—it’s safe to assume the list at each position is perhaps a bit longer. But more broadly, it appears the Hawks, in addition to shedding 1-2 larger contracts (Hossa, Anisimov), are looking to potentially add one or more of the following:

1. size and skill at left wing
2. size and defensive zone responsibility on defense
3. a backup or “1B” goalie
4. a middle line center

Much can change between now and UFA day—including dollar figures attached to Tavares, which I’m told will “set the market” for much of the early period of free agency.  But this appears to be where the team is at today.

More as I hear it. Follow @jaeckel. Comment below.

The post Blackhawk UFA targets and other news appeared first on The Rink.

Introducing Bill “Wiz” Placzek, the newest writer at The-Rink.com, and our prospect/draft expert. Bill will be providing more and more coverage leading up to the draft. But for now, here’s his take on the Blackhawks’ personnel moves of the last several months—and looking forward. 

My personal disappointment prior to last year’s NHL draft in Chicago was the news the day before of the departure of Nik Hjalmarsson, and Artemi Panarin.

My shock wasn’t that the team again felt forced into a cap corner, and made these moves, as much as what they decided to take in return.

As a Blackhawk fan, it was a stark reset.

I wanted to be angry—and when arriving at the United Center door and starting conversations with the fans around, I felt even worse, because almost all were of the opinion that Brandon Saad was a better player than Panarin; that Saad’s history with his former team and his style was just as important as Panarin’s contributions.

Sure, I understood these were moves in reaction to a tight cap, but was surprised that most saw the Columbus deal as a winner for Chicago, especially because the Hawks got an up and coming goaltender in Forsberg—besides Saad.

And I honestly thought that one deal was made based on their familiarity with Saad, and that Arizona’s GM John Chaka was the only GM willing to send a young defenseman that was signed long term back in the Hammer deal. No Cap space to pay Panarin and the comfort of a still developing young defenseman limited to a reasonable acap number led to the start of the soft rebuild.

I have read fan comments the entire year about the sudden decline of the Hawks core, especially two players who are still the team’s best two defenders, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, and how the youth of the league was rapidly skating rings around the Blackhawk forward contingent.

The 2017-18 season officially closed the playoff window, they said, and even making an appearance couldn’t lead to success, as the roster depth had declined to a point where Coach Quenneville had no choice but to play new players.

Window closed and the management quietly started a reboot.

In my humble opinion, Panarin was the only reason the window stayed open up to the 2015-2017 seasons.

It was the add of the Breadman that provided an impact player who was able to mesh with Kane and maintain the ability to score and change outcomes the entire two seasons he was a Blackhawk.

Sure, they knew already that Patrick Sharp’s deal had to be discarded, and that as much as Andrew Shaw was their heart and will, they probably got the best years of his battle torn body.

And I, for one, really want to know why Trevor Daley was unable to play for Quenneville, but moreover why the decision was made so quickly to not end up being on the hook for they rest of his contract.

But losing Saad and Shaw and the oft-injured Sharp still cut deep into the roster and roles they provided.

So, last summer’s moves, including the “retirement” of Marian Hossa, with a remaining albatross cap hit (that the league slapped on them), should not have taken us all off guard.

The soft rebuild was on the way from game one.

It didn’t quite work out, because although there was some encouraging on the job training by the farm system’s defenders and the free agent signing of Jordan Oesterle, these players were still not savvy enough to do what the veteran-laden defensive corps in the past had done: quickly move pucks out in transition so that defensive zone time would stay comparable to the past team’s.

To me, that was the gist of it; the season began as one where management was willing to allow the young forwards the time and experience necessary to become better all around NHLers, and even philosophically bite the bullet on deficits, as long as the additions could play fast on the attack.

(Granted, Q expects his forwards to be strong on the puck even more so the bigger a forward is, and also expects constant backside pressure from all forwards or you sit—just as Anthony Duclair did the other night.)

But the long possessions in their own defensive zone caused more losses of confidence than the entire team could handle. And that’s ignoring the loss of any semblance of NHL goaltending.

I am going to take a stab at what the organization and coaching staff was thinking from the beginning of the season.

Now let’s have a go at projecting what the long and short range plan to right the SS Blackhawk, when and if they have an NHL goaltender to anchor on.

1) Should he stay or should he goal?

“Anton Forsberg is young and his best years are still ahead of him…. that he would learn quickly to be a strong backup.” Unfortunately, in my opinion, it hasn’t happened. Even in the early OT games where we heard of his tenacity, he simply gave up goals he shouldn’t have. This continued through his tenure as starter and it is only recently that I feel there is starting to be better feel to his game.

I believe they will continue to view him as their second tier goalie, due to his age, and upside, until they finally lose patience and feel they have to secure someone who has a better chance of handling duties. Just like it is rare to trade for a first pair defender, it is rare to see a quality goaltender prospect bartered—I believe Tukka Rask was the last one when the Maple Leafs sent him to the Bruins. (Toronto management had deemed Justin Pogge their potential goaltender of the future, thereby rendering Rask expendable. GULP!)

So, that in itself explains my reasoning on why he stays on the roster.

2) Should they stay or should they go?

Don’t expect big fat contracts to any of these youngsters except for Nick Schmaltz and Alex DeBrincat, and they will be pressured to take what is offered, no matter what they think they can become. My reasoning is the organization wants them to feel wanted, so won’t simply try and force “just business” RFA deals on them, but the Hawks GM cannot commit to high percentage of cap deals and will try and get these two players and their representation to agree to long manageable money, unless Schmaltz has a break-out year next year, or if in the next two years, DeBrincat not only scores 20 goals but shows that his on-ice impact exceeds third line status, no matter which line he plays on.

The salary decision on Ryan Hartman is aided by this season’s reduced goal and point totals, so his agent is not going to be able to get him an overpay.

And quite frankly, the Hawks are in a good position to control the dollar figures on all these players and Vince Hinostroza, and Tomas Jurco (cough), and for that matter, defenders Erik Gustafsson this summer, and Carl Dahlström, next summer. (It is clear Dahlström is viewed as sixth defender and cap safety)

Oesterle is a different matter, as he may seek to leave if he succeeds in the Blackhawk framework.

So much of the re-signing process is dependent upon whether the players feel gratitude that they were given opportunities, and want to stay and build something.

I think there will be little room for reward deals, because being a non-playoff team is also a strong bargaining chip for management to use against forwards seeking deals of high dollar and term.

3) Trades: Who should stay and who should go?

As the possibility of making the playoffs slipped by, I remarked that the first thing Chicago will do is try to recoup the 2nd and 4th round draft picks that were traded, because from all indications this is a stronger draft class than usual.

You have to wonder if the Michal Kempny trade to the Capitals for a low 3rd rounder was more necessitated by his frustration with the logjam on defense and resulting lack of chances or that the Hawks don’t see him as a long term solution.

Maybe a trickier decision is whether they need to launch Jan Rutta, who can go anywhere, if he doesn’t like the numbers and opportunities the Hawks can bring. You have to think that the Hawks would love a hometown discount, based on the positive play we saw from him for a long stretch this season. Does Stan Bowman know where all parties stand? If he does, maybe he goes shopping for a pick by that route.

I have been barraged by calls from friends, convinced that the soft rebuild will definitely include trading Artem Anisimov, who has a ten team list clause that kicks in 7/1, which I am certain he would waive and/or amend if he doesn’t feel wanted, and include more than ten teams if teams want him for the next three upcoming seasons.

Personally, I don’t think you subtract him, because while you are attempting to develop a young forward unit, you need that big center to play against the big centers that line the Central and West Divisions. Is he a luxury at 4.55 Million? I think not. I guess a lot would depend upon what the offer is. As reported here on the-Rink.com, Columbus inquired but was told by the Hawks they were not interested, but maybe that was because the offer wasn’t appealing enough?

As stated, Keith and Seabrook are still their best backliners, and today I heard that the Blackhawks might not be done trading and may be working on a deal that shakes the defensive core.

Does that mean Keith agrees to go to Toronto and be the left side glue they are rumored to be sniffing around for?

The friendship between Winnipeg’s Kevin Cheveldayoff and the Blackhawks organization might make things easily candid, and Chevy really isn’t going to have roster room for the next four years of first round picks, because he won’t have the cap space to pay them, and he is going to start having sleepless nights if he doesn’t bolster his roster with a bona fide Cup experienced forward, and maybe even defender. Word has it that as well as Jack Roslovic and Kyle Conner have played, the Jets feel that now is the time to make moves that bring their locker rooms strong leadership and more than depth to the current group. Certainly three players in forwards Adam Lowry, Brandon Tanev and defenseman Jacob Trouba may get healthy enough to dance in the post season, but they are going to have more players than they can sign to big deals, so they are in a position to make a mutually beneficial deal for both teams.

And just how much salary will the Hawks eat on any deals?

I am thinking they will try to subtract, while bolstering their future, and whether it comes in the form of a young Jet, or Toronto picks, the Blackhawks are not going to be shy about talking about just about every guy on this roster.

The post Analysis: Anatomy of a Soft Rebuild appeared first on The Rink.

These were the Blackhawks starting lines:
_{Subject to the Q-Blender at any moment}
Brandon Saad – Nick Schmaltz – Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat – Jonathan Toews – Anthony Duclair
Patrick Sharp – Artem Anisimov – Ryan Hartman
Tomas Jurco – David Kampf – Vince Hinostroza

Duncan Keith – Jordan Oesterle
Erik Gustafsson – Brent Seabrook
Michal Kempny – Connor Murphy

This might come as a surprise to everyone that has watched this team but the Blackhawks took the lead in the first period; on the power play; on a goal from Brent Seabrook. The goal came just eleven seconds into their initial power play which was drawn by a David Kampf rush up the middle of the ice. Seabrook’s goal was of the simple nature as he just let a cannon go from the top of the circle that was slightly redirected by the stick of Leo Komarov and beat Freddy Andersen.

A few minutes after the Seabrook goal, Anthony Duclair forced a Leafs turnover deep in the Toronto zone and fed Alex DeBrincat for that thing he does very well, a one-timer. DeBrincat actually beat the goaltender but Andersen got enough of the shot to direct it off the post. If the Blackhawks can get this kind of play from those youngsters, they may actually have some success.

Toronto looked to have tied the game with just over five minutes left in the opening period, but James van Riemsdyk had blatantly skated into Hawks goalie Jeff Glass and affected his ability to stop the shot, thus negating the goal.

The Leafs, though, scored a goal that counted jsut a couple of minutes later. Brent Seabrook thought that there was going to be an icing call, and rightfully so, but the referees decided otherwise. Seabrook casually touched the puck as if there was an icing call but the play continued.

Chaos ensued in the Blackhawks zone and they never controlled the puck again until a Jake Gardiner shot hit Mitch Marner in the midsection and plopped into the net past Jeff Glass. Terrible break for a team that needs more help than anything.

As we have become fairly familiar with, the Blackhawks led the first period in shots 17-11 and won 65% of their faceoffs. The most important stat, though, was the 1-1 on the power play. This was their only power play goal in the new year, outside of the Sens anomaly game.

The Blackhawks kids came out in the second period and showed some of the electricity that we have been waiting for, as of late. Anthony Duclair, David Kampf and Nick Schmaltz all had their names mentioned by the NBC broadcast team for noticeable plays.

The action then slowed down to a crawl, though. In fact, at the 10 minute mark off the period, the total shots on net for both teams was a mere seven.

Each team had a couple of second period power plays but neither was able to take that elusive one goal lead, and the intermission came with Leafs leading in shots 11-7.

As the third period opened, the luke warm play carried over from the previous period until the five-minute mark.

A Tomas Jurco penalty gave the Leafs a power play that was not generating much pressure initially. Eventually, though, the Leafs caught the Blackhawks defensemen a step behind the play and Tyler Bozak found a wide open Nazem Kadri on the back door for a 2-1 lead.

Shockingly enough, the Blackhawks came back and scored their second power play goal of the game a mere three minutes after the Leafs took the lead. Vince Hinostroza started the play by avoiding the perimeter play, which has been the bane of the power play’s existence, and tossed the puck to Artem Anisimov at the front of the crease. Anisimov tried to jam the puck past Andersen, but was not able to beat him. Nick Schmaltz was able to sweep in and pick up the rebound to tie the game.

Toronto tried to challenge and have the goal reversed for goalie interference but the war room in Toronto agreed with the call on the ice. The goal stood and the tie game remained for the entirety of regulation.

Just six seconds into overtime, William Nylander found himself on a breakaway and drew a penalty which resulted in a very rare overtime penalty shot. Jeff Glass was slightly overmatched on the free shot and Nylander won the game.

The Blackhawks earned a standings point but they also threw one they can ill afford to lose away.

Pluses

• David Kampf’s confidence seems to be growing night after night, and he has shown more speed and skill on the offensive side of the ice than his predecessor Marcus Kruger
• Speaking of confidence, Anthony Duclair has been making more and electric plays. It is only a matter of time before he is finishing.
• Vince Hinostroza on the power play has been a great addition to the powerplay. His speed was noticeable with his former Rockford line mates, Kampf and Jurco, too.
• The Hawks were over 50% at the faceoff dots, once again, even though Anisimov, Schmaltz and Kampf were all under.

Minuses

• The missed icing was a huge issue, in the grand scheme. Giving up a breakaway six seconds into the overtime and then taking a penalty which resulted in a penalty shot is, once again, shooting yourself in the foot.
• Jordan Oesterle nearly handed the game to the Leafs when he casually turned the puck over to William Nylander, who ended up 1-on-1 chance with Glass.  Glass made the save this time, but this was now two games in a row where Oesterle had awful turnovers deep in his own end.  He still led the entire team in time on ice with 25:46, though.
• Patrick Sharp and Ryan Hartman are dropping further and further down the depth chart.  They both played a team low 9:24.
• Tomas Jurco led the Blackhawks in the category we all expected he would; hits.

The post Recap: Blackhawks vs Maple Leafs 3-2 OT Loss appeared first on The Rink.