Hawks’ Marcus Kruger earns Sharp praise
Marcus Kruger wanted so badly to show the Blackhawks in training camp he was ready to play in the NHL that he probably tried too hard and basically spun his wheels.
The only thing he accomplished was getting sent to Rockford as one of the final cuts of camp.
Fortunately for Kruger, injuries earned him a quick recall. Now he has turned into someone coach Joel Quenneville can depend on in any situation.
“That was hard to get sent down, but I just tried to work hard and I got a chance to get back here,” Kruger said. “I wanted to prove that I could play here, so that’s where my mindset was — to work hard and get back right away.”
Kruger is four games into his new role as second-line center for Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa, and so far he has met the challenge for the most part despite being without a point and minus-1.
“He’s really composed out there,” Sharp said. “He plays well in all situations. He hangs onto the puck and for a young player or a rookie, you don’t see that very often. He makes good decisions. He works hard every day. I don’t think this is the end point by any means. He’s going to keep getting better and better as the years go on.”
Kruger hasn’t tried to change his game just because he is centering for two of the game’s premier offensive players.
“Every game you get a chance, no matter what, whether you’re playing fourth line for five minutes or you’re playing on the second line, you can’t change what you’re doing,” Kruger said. “I know those are good guys I have around me. I just need to play my game. I need to be able to make plays by myself as well.”
The Hawks have been pleasantly surprised by Kruger’s willingness to go to the net and play in the tough areas.”
“That’s a bit different than from back home (in Sweden),” he said. “The rinks are smaller and it’s closer to the net and more stuff happens around the net (here), so if you’re there you’re probably going to get to score more goals. Yeah, I try to be in front.”
Emery or Crawford?Joel Quenneville should let everyone know after practice Saturday if backup goalie Ray Emery gets his third start in four games Sunday against San Jose at the United Center.In the last week Emery has defeated St. Louis and the Islanders on the road and got the Hawks a point in Monday#146;s loss to Phoenix in a shootout in relief of Corey Crawford.Quenneville likely will stay with the hot hand in Emery until he loses.#147;We like the situation,#148; Quenneville said of his goalies. #147;We have some things to consider and (Emery#146;s) an option to be back in the net.#147;We like the situation where both guys are playing well and are confident with the decision of who#146;s playing net on any given night.#148;