Chicago Blackhawks' Anisimov looking for more assists
With 3:17 remaining in the Chicago Blackhawks' 5-4 loss to St. Louis on Sunday, Artem Anisimov slid the puck to Brent Seabrook, and the big defenseman unleashed a shot that bounced off Tomas Jurco and right back to Anisimov.
Anisimov faked a shot, fed a wide-open Alex DeBrincat and - wham! - the Hawks took what turned out to be a short-lived 4-3 lead on DeBrincat's third goal of the game.
What many fans may not realize is that the assist was just Anisimov's ninth of the season. It's a total shared by teammates Jordan Oesterle and John Hayden, is 1 behind Connor Murphy, Gustav Forsling (who is in Rockford) and Richard Panik (who was traded on Jan. 10), and is tied for 423rd in the league.
"It's bugging me a lot actually," Anisimov told me before Sunday's game. "It's never been so low in my career or in my life. I don't know what's happening."
Anisimov isn't your prototypical center, and that's a big reason why he had just 45 assists the last two seasons with the Hawks despite playing with Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin.
Still, 9 assists in 63 games?
"It's hard to figure out, definitely," Anisimov said. "Sometimes you can have 3 assists in a game and it's all going to be second(ary) assists. Like you win the faceoff and a defenseman chips the puck out of our zone, and a guy scores 2-on-1.
"(Then) sometimes you give nice passes and the guys don't score. But it happens. It's a game.
"You just need to forget about all that, play the right way and all the stats will come."
The scoring stats certainly have come during all three seasons Anisimov has been in Chicago. He scored 20 goals in 2015-16, hit 22 last year and notched No. 20 this season when he scored against Boston on March. 11.
Once he retires, Anisimov's NHL epitaph will read something like: Pain-in-the-butt Russian hellbent on annoying goaltenders whenever possible.
That's his main job, and he's extremely good at it, especially on the power play where he leads the team by a wide margin with 11 goals. DeBrincat is second with 6, and Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz are tied for third with 4 each.
"You know, he quietly goes about his business, being at the net," said coach Joel Quenneville of Anisimov. "He has a way of finding the puck when he's at the net, whether he's tipping them or he's quick to the rebounds. He has a good way of being in the goalie's eyes when the puck's coming. …
"If we did that collectively better, we'd have more production and more puck time in the offensive zone."
Anisimov is signed for three more seasons and carries a $4.55 million cap hit. Beginning next season he no longer has a no-movement clause, but he can name 10 teams to which he would be willing to be traded.
He says his time in Chicago has "been a good experience," and although he hopes he is part of the Hawks' future, he isn't going to stress about what may come.
"What's going to happen is going to happen," Anisimov said. "My job is to play hockey, and right now I play for the Chicago Blackhawks."
Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche at United Center, 7:30 p.m.
TV: NBCSCH • Radio: 720-AM
The skinny: Colorado is 7-1-3 in its last 11 games and currently occupies the first wild-card spot in the West with a 39-25-8 record. ... Nathan MacKinnon is a serious MVP candidate. He has 31 goals, 58 assists and comes in riding a 12-game points streak. Meanwhile, Tyson Barrie is on a 10-game points streak, a team record for a defenseman. ... Colorado's penalty kill is the best in the NHL at 84.3 percent. ... The Hawks lost to the Avs 6-3 on Oct. 28 and beat them 2-1 in overtime on March 6 at the United Center. ... The Hawks have allowed 11 power-play goals in the last 11 games. Four came at Boston on March 10, and 2 others came against St. Louis on Sunday.
Next: Vancouver Canucks at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Thursday
- John Dietz