Hawks develop consistency with solid efforts on road
SUNRISE, Fla. - It's almost over, the stretch of the season many believed would make or break the Blackhawks as one of the NHL's top teams.
Since heading out on the road following the all-star break, the Hawks are 7-3 on a journey that has taken them from Southern California, to Western Canada, to the tip of Florida.
They are 8-3 if you count the one-game stop at home last weekend.
"We knew it would be a tough month," winger Andrew Ladd said.
What the Hawks didn't know was how they would hold up against some good teams in tough buildings, but they have kept winning in impressive fashion and in a variety of ways.
"I've liked how we've played," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We had a stretch of five solid games, then a couple ones when we needed to be better (at Vancouver and St. Louis), and then we responded with three real good games in a row.
"You like the consistency in our game. We wanted to get better the second half of the season and hopefully this is a sign we're looking to do that."
The Hawks have figured out what it takes to be a good road team. In fact, they have been one of the best road teams in the league since before Thanksgiving, going 17-8-2 away from the United Center starting with the circus trip.
"We've got to play the right way," Ladd said. "That's skating. Skating is the big thing that makes us tough to play against. When we get off course and try to do our own thing and get caught standing still, that's when we get in trouble."
The Hawks play in Dallas today to finish this three-game road segment. After a home game against Minnesota on Sunday, they are in Nashville on Tuesday to finally end their grueling February schedule.
Starting next Friday against Pittsburgh, the Hawks will play 14 of the next 18 on home ice, where they are 15-4-5.
"We're a pretty confident group right now," Ladd said.
Through this month the Hawks have been able to maintain their grip on fourth place in the Western Conference, which would mean home ice in the first round of the playoffs.
Teams such as Columbus, Vancouver and Dallas have made their runs in recent weeks, but the Hawks have been able to to keep their hold on fourth by at least 6 points.
"We know the importance of the points," goalie Cristobal Huet said. "We're very happy the way this road trip has gone."
Huet has been big the last week with Nikilao Khabibulin out with an injury. He saved his best effort for Thursday, when he blanked the Panthers 4-0 for his third shutout of the season.
"I just like the way he challenges. He's quick, he's well prepared and he handles the puck well, which kills a lot of forechecking pressure," Quenneville said.