One Down, Three To Go

Before I start, I've got to send out a big thank you out to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo's "Puck Daddy" NHL Blog, who linked to my last post, drawing me an astounding 350+ hits last Thursday and Friday (most posts bring in about 20-30).

I've referenced this blog many times before, mainly because it's the only national hockey site I read, and I'll say it again - if you aren't yet a regular reader, you should start. It covers all the key happenings in the NHL, links to every worthwhile NHL blog or article out there, and does it in a concise and easy to follow way. I'm sure Greg and his boys will appreciate my 20 or so followers in amongst their millions.


Well, we all got a good scare and as Face and I discussed in my last post, we all learned a valuable lesson that every NHL series should be expected to be tough. We also were treated to some wicked fun dramatics and to a lot of things we can feel good about going forward. My random but never brief takes:


-I'm just getting over being full from all the crow I ate due to Troy Brouwer (I said he was worthless, he then proved himself a very valuable piece this regular season), when Unfrozen Caveman Blueliner Brent Sopel goes and serves me another plate. Just in time, too, as Brouwer has reverted to the form I so criticized last - being a total non-impact whenever he's on the ice (more on that later).

I've had an up-and-down relationship with Sopel. I loved him two seasons ago, when the Hawks were still green and he provided a stable veteran presence on the Blue Line. Plus, I just liked his game and the way he carried himself.

But last year the Hawks took a huge leap forward with their speed and athleticism, and Sopel seemed to be left behind. He had gotten a step slower and everyone else was two steps faster, and he looked terrible for it. When Sopel got hurt and missed most of last year, no one cared. He was such a detriment on the ice to start the year that it was a good riddance situation

But Sopel came back healthy this year and everyone was talking about how he'd be a nice role player. Everyone ignored that he was still slow as dirt on a team of speedsters, that he handled the puck like a greased pig, and that he made a lot of mental mistakes. Instead, Sopel's hard-nosed play - especially blocking shots - made most commentators ignore all his obvious short-comings.

Not me - I was in the camp that anyone was better than Sopel. I wanted to see Hendry in his place, even before Hendry had shown he was capable. I wanted to deal someone to get us another D-man so Sopel could fill a more fitting role as a healthy scratch. I wanted some young D-man to emerge from the AHL - a la The Hammer last year - and take his minutes.

Instead Johnsson's acquisition replaced Barker, Hendry's emergence wasn't enough to warrant an active spot in the eye's of the coaches, and Buff's move to D was offset by the untimely death of Johnsson (credit to the Committed Indian for that joke - I don't know why, but I find all of their references to KJ being dead extremely funny).

However, with all the thinness on the blue line down the stretch, I had come to at least appreciate Sopel as a capable d-man, something I wasn't sure I could say about Buff or Boynton. I'd prefer we had someone else, but respected that if Sopel had to take some minutes on the Hawks blueline, he at least could hold his own.

But this series, Sopel found the perfect storm. There were a ton of penalties. Johnsson was out and Campbell was severely limited. The Preds had few skaters that exhibited any speed or play-making. Their power play was iffy and based completely around heavy shots from the point.

That meant tons of ice time killing penalties for Sopel against a power play unit that couldn't exploit his lack of speed but would play right into his absolutely uncanny ability to get in front of shots.

The result was that Sopel was more noticeable in this series than maybe ever in his career in the NHL. He blocked insane amounts of shots and was outstanding killing a crucial 5x3 penalty in a crucial game. His good player on the penalty kill only looked better thanks to the Preds scoring only one time all series with a man advantage. And on top of it all, Sopel was never exposed in 5x5 situations because the Preds didn't have the players or offense to make him pay for being slow and uncertain with the puck.

Having said all that, with crow firmly in my mouth, let me just set myself up for another heaping serving. This series, against the many fast, talented playmakers of Vancouver, I expect Sopel to be exposed. Not all the time, but there will definitely be a few goals that are squarely on his head. A turnover, getting skated around, being weak on a clear, unable to get back to cover on a breakaway - something will happen that will allow a Canuck or two to find the back of the net due to Sopel's lack of speed and stick skills.

Still, the guy has is role. He is a very good penalty killer, as his ability to block shots disrupts the opponent's man advantage. With Campbell back and hopefully near full speed, Sopel only needs to skate third pairing minutes even strengthed, which is not a lot after Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, and The Hammer take their heavy loads. My hope - Sopel only costs us a goal, maybe two, neither when it really matters. And he makes up for it by being a beast on the penalty kill as we once again make Luongo cry in 6 games.


-One thing that I believe would help Sopel - pair him with Hendry instead of Buff. Buff has done an absolutely incredible job making the transition back to the blueline after years as a forward, an even more impressive move considering he did it in the final weeks of the season with little to no head's up. Buff, another guy I've long hammered, has proved himself immensely valuable to the Hawks this season. No question we couldn't have gotten the ship turned around and reached the playoffs ready for the stiff challenge of the Preds if Buff hadn't played so well on a severely weakened blueline down the stretch.

But just like Sopel, I think Buff got by in this last series because the Preds aren't very good offensively. I think he's going to have trouble playing against legit frontline scorers like the Canucks roll out on their top 2 lines. Sure, like Sopel his minutes will be limited, but we all know this series will be tight, start to finish. Every goal could be the series difference-maker - we just can't afford to take this risk.

Not when I'm not seeing a lot of upside with Buff (have you noticed him to anything special back there?). And not when Hendry has proven himself at least capable on the blue line. Hendry paired well enough with Sopel and, most importantly, has been playing defense professionally for the last 4 years. I believe that incredible experience difference would be a real asset to the Hawks this series.

I doubt JQ will actually make this change - at least not unless the Hawks lose a few games early in the series - but it's one I wish he would. Not to say Hendry is great or that Buff has been terrible, but I just don't see how a guy who hasn't been playing D for the past 4 seasons can make it through a 7-game series against a team capable of winning the Cup.

Of course, all this could be moot if KJ was resurrected. Anyone have a line on his status? Anyone? Frye? Frye?


-Sharp, Kane, Toews, & Hossa - thank you for playing at, above, or at least near what we expected from our top forwards. Sure you need depth and secondary scoring (you'll hear that term a lot in the playoffs), but you also won't get very far if your studs aren't studly. And while that's what we expect, the reality is that in hockey, often times stars disappear for games or even full series. It's quite the accomplishment that all four of these guys stepped up.

Sharp was the biggest stud of the group, relative to what I expected. I knew he was good, I've always championed the way he plays any role, but this Preds series, he proved it all over again. Moving over to center he helped spark a second line of offense and allowed the Hawks to finally start filling the net as they should. Even outside just the scoring, he helped the Hawks put offensive pressure on the Preds, allowing them to up their shots and reduce the Preds' chances. Sharp did great work on both ends and on all three units - his continued top flight play will be crucial to moving on again.

Kane was a beast - while others were struggling to hit open shots, he was creating beauty chances for himself and his linemates. And he embraced it all - after watching him last post-season, in the Olympics, and now this series, I've come to realize that at only 21, just 3 years into the league, Kane expects himself to carry the offensive load every time he takes a shift. Not only does he expect it, he commands it - the Olympics proved it, when on a team with loads of talent against a team with even more talent, Kane was dictating things offensively. His series numbers were good, but I expect more and more from him as the playoffs continue because I know he's thinking the same thing.

Toews and Hossa both showed why they are some of the most valuable players in hockey, effecting the game in every single way you can imagine. Sure, I hammered them, and rightly so, for missing so many open chances. Three goals wasn't nearly enough given how many times they were on the doorstep with a giant open net in front of them. But they also added in 12 assists, were a plus 5 combined, and did amazing work on the penalty kill. Throw in Toews' dominance in the face-off circle and these guys were "this close" to being amazingly awesome. The bounces will go their way soon enough, so if they just keep playing as they have been up and down the ice, on every shift, they will be absolute forces. I fear for our opponents if these two can keep the rest of their play at the same level as they finally start finding the net.


-I've already discussed Sopel's great work, but the guy who really did the job for me was The Hammer. Not only did he share most of Sopel's PK time, but he also was a wrecking crew even strengthed (team best +6 in the series) while loading up on minutes (almost 22 per game, third highest on the team, just a hint behind Seabs). I've long loved HJ and I'm pumped that he just keeps getting better and better. With Campbell getting back to speed, the Hawks are very close to having as good of a Top 4 blueline as there is in hockey.

However, to truly get there, Keith and Seabrook need to get it all figured out. Both did a lot of things well and both took a ton of ice time, but they can most certainly play better. Seabrook isn't making all the mistakes he did during that brutal stretch before his injury, but he's also not the solid presence he was to earn his place on Team Canada. Keith is a freak, plain and simple - no one should be able to log the ice time he does, play the high energy game he does, and yet never let up down the stretch. However, Keith is better than he's shown - he's made a few mistakes here or there and isn't back to perfect synergy with Seabrook yet. But these two can get there, and I believe the heightened demands of the Canucks will bring it out of them.


-I mentioned secondary scoring is a buzz phrase that you'll hear a lot of, but it's semi-deserved. Hockey is definitely a game where every player matters and the fact that the Hawks started to get some contribution from the support guys is huge. I noted in my last post how Versteeg had a pretty nasty Game 3, and in watching him closely (as I always do), I thought he was solid all series. And, like Hossa and Toews, I believe he's got more upside - he created a lot of chances for himself and others, at some point those will turn into goals. Especially as a third liner, if Versteeg is generating scoring, the Hawks will be in a good place.

Bolland was a bit maligned this series, and rightfully so - he couldn't cut it as a #2 center and made mistakes in his own end, where he's supposed to thrive. I'm not sure if JQ will keep him as the #3 center, but he should. Bolland probably is best served on a shut-down, grindy type of line, with a hint of offense (which Versteeg supplies) rather than trying to make a 2nd line go (at least this year - he might still develop into that role next year).

One reason I like Bolland as the #3 center is that it allows Madden to be the #4 center. The key to that - it allows JQ to throw him onto the ice for key defensive zone face-offs. Not only does that give the Hawks two good centerman on the draws (Madden was outstanding in the first series), but it also gives them a great defensive forward to help them clear the zone.

I can't say I noticed the other forwards very much. Kopecky actually served me a decent dish of crow himself, as he not only was key down the stretch but showed this series that he can fill a productive role, something I was convinced of otherwise. Bickell hasn't dominated, but does seem at least capable of a big, grindy support role. Ladd is Ladd - he's been solid enough, but not noteworthy. However, he does find ways to make plays in key situations, so watch for him to grab headlines in a game this series.

Brouwer, as I mentioned above, has become persona non grata with the coaching staff. Weird, as they used to love him when he wasn't doing anything. The move of Bickell to that front line and Brouwer down to the 4th was quite a wake-up call. But JQ's juggling might not be over, so maybe Brouwer will have another chance to re-establish himself as a top line support guy. I wouldn't mind seeing him back with Kane & Toews - as solid as Bickell has been, Brouwer was a force when he was playing well and on their line. The Hawks are at their best when those three are clicking together.

I was bummed to see Frasier and Eager relegated to the Press Box, as they had done so much all year and down the stretch to help the Hawks in little ways. Frasier especially - he's a solid PK guy, which is especially useful in the playoffs. I get the Hawks needed a shake-up, but too bad it came at the cost of these guys' role in the series.

Burish hasn't gotten many minutes but seemignly gave the Hawks a little energy in the second half of the series. Ideally you'd be able to skate Frasier in his place because of that PK ability (something Burish used to be good at, but hasn't had a chance to re-develop since his injury), but I'm not sure Frasier would be comfortable on a wing. Hopefully Burish can be more than a 5-minute a night guy - that's tough to do to the rest of your skaters against a deep team like Vancouver.

In all, the Hawks were able to win this series w/o a ton from their support forwards. That will have to change against the Canucks, who will be too talented and bring too much pressure for only four Hawks forwards to log big minutes and make an impact. Keep an eye out on these support guys - how they go might just determine if the Hawks move on.


-Finally there was Uncle Niemi. Look, he's not gonna be great every game and in fact will give you a couple of stinkers along the way. Not unwinnable performances, but really challenge you types. He's gonna let in some soft goals and not stop some stoppable ones.

But I think he's also gonna win a couple of games for you - I said you could count on a shut-out every series from Niemi and I stick by that. He logged two against the Preds - mark him down for another against the Canucks. If he can give you 4 more solid games, then I think the Hawks win this one.

And I have faith he can give us a shut-out and another 4 or even 5 solid games. He's not bad, just inconsistent. But the team is talented enough and he gets enough done that if the rest of the Hawks play as they should, they can win with Niemi. Will he carry us next round? Nope, but he will give us a chance to win that series. It won't come down to Uncle Niemi, it'll come down to the skaters.