Hawks are killers in penalty situations
The Blackhawks have put up some preposterous numbers lately — like 4 straight wins, 7 of their last 8, and let's not even talk about the production of the Kane-Richards-Versteeg line.
But perhaps their most impressive number is their league-best 92 percent success rate on the penalty kill.
It's been so good that it's actually gotten to the point where ...
“You're confident when you take a penalty it's going to be killed off,” Patrick Kane said. “We have the killers to do it. They get it done out there — blocking shots — its fun to watch the sacrifices that are made during those two minutes.”
And the guys out there getting the job done are enjoying it just as much.
“It's huge,” said forward Ben Smith, who alongside Marcus Kruger, has become a staple of the PK unit. “Blocking a shot, winning a faceoff — whatever it takes to help the team, you definitely take a lot of pride in it.”
It certainly showed Wednesday when the PK unit killed off 6 St. Louis power-play chances, sparking the Hawks to a 4-1 victory in their return to the United Center after a successful circus trip.
“You can't say enough about the penalty killing all year,” said Hawks coach Joel Quenneville. “Krugs and Benny as a tandem, the goaltenders, Duncs and Hammer to start with and Seabs and Johnny on defense, and then the rotation up front ...
“Commend the guys for doing the right things and paying the price to block shots.”
And the Hawks' killers take notice how it affects their teammates when they've completed another successful mission.
“Especially when we take six or seven like we did against the Blues,” Smith said. “To be able to get the job done definitely gives the team some excitement, some momentum.”
But just how are they getting it done?
There are a number of factors, including a basic one — just knowing when to get off the ice.
“We try to roll it over pretty quickly,” Smith said. “Krugs and I will get out there three times during one penalty kill, and that's a good thing because it means you're getting pucks out of the zone.
“For us, it's positionally being in the right places, having our D-men block a lot of shots and getting good goaltending always helps. And we've had all of that so far.”