Forsberg, Berube in a battle of the backups for Blackhawks
Let's assume Corey Crawford is 100 percent healthy next season for the Blackhawks.
Who will be his backup? Anton Forsberg or J-F Berube?
That question could be answered, in part, over the final 11 games of the season.
Hawks GM Stan Bowman acquired the 6-foot-3, 192-pound Forsberg as part of the Brandon Saad-Artemi Panarin deal last summer. Forsberg came with impressive minor-league credentials, having helped Lake Erie to an AHL championship two years ago.
At times - such as three straight mid-February starts in which he allowed just 6 goals - Forsberg looks like a capable NHL backup. But then there are nights like Thursday in Winnipeg when he allowed 3 goals on 6 shots in a 6-2 loss.
That inconsistency by the 25-year-old creates an opening for Berube, who signed a two-year deal just a week after the Hawks got Forsberg. The Quebec native came to Chicago with a bit more NHL experience than Forsberg, having played in 21 games for the Islanders from 2015-17.
Berube also went through a bizarre situation in New York, where GM Garth Snow kept three goalies on the roster for two seasons. Snow was afraid a team would claim Berube if he were placed on waivers.
To say it was a difficult situation is a giant understatement.
"That's where it got frustrating," said Berube, who started just 13 times for the Isles. "I wanted to play; it didn't matter where. I'm a hockey player and I play. (I'm) not there to observe from the stands. It's hard to improve your game from that position."
Berube said it was "grinding mentally" and that he would sometimes stay at the rink for three hours. Most players spend no more than 90 minutes on the ice before, during and after practice.
Berube's best two games with the Hawks came when he stopped 42 shots in a 3-1 win over San Jose on Feb. 23, and in a 33-save performance during a 2-1 OT win against Colorado two weeks later. He also just stopped 30 of 32 shots in relief of Forsberg on Thursday.
And like Forsberg, Berube is prone to the ugly game, having allowed 6 goals to the Sharks on March 1, and 6 to the Bruins nine days later. (In his defense, the Hawks were awful in front of him at Boston, with 4 goals coming on the power play).
In this battle for playing time, there could easily be some animosity or hard feelings among the netminders, but Berube says that's not the case.
"For me it's just coming up here and playing my game and showing what I can do," Berube said. "Anton is doing the same. At the end of the day, we're teammates and we're both trying to show that we can play at this level."
And whichever player does it better will earn that important backup role next season.
Blackhawks vs. Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center, noon
TV: WGN • Radio: 720-AM
The skinny: Buffalo is just 22-36-12, but has gone 5-4-1 over its last 10 games, with 3 of those victories coming over Boston, Tampa Bay and Toronto. ... Jack Eichel has 22 goals in 55 games, but he's missed five weeks with a high-ankle sprain. He will not play. ... Kyle Okposo (concussion) practiced Friday, but his status is in doubt. ... Buffalo is the lowest-scoring team in the league (2.37 goals per game) and has the highest goal-differential (minus-62). ... The Hawks beat the Sabres 3-2 in overtime on Dec. 8 when Gustav Forsling's shot from just inside the blue line found its mark with 4.9 seconds remaining. ... Alex DeBrincat is in the midst of a 12-game goal-scoring drought for the Hawks.
Next: St. Louis Blues at United Center, 6:30 p.m. Sunday
- John Dietz