Chicago Blackhawks going up against pretty tough Wild line
Every Chicago Blackhawks fan knows how lucky they are to witness the magic acts put on by the Artemi Panarin-Artem Anisimov-Patrick Kane line over the past year-and-a-half.
It has been one of the most productive, dangerous and feared lines in hockey since the Hawks traded for Anisimov and signed Panarin in 2015.
But the team the Hawks are facing Tuesday - division-leading Minnesota - touts a line that might inject even more anxiety into opponents than Panarin, Anisimov and Kane.
The terrific trio of Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu and Jason Zucker was put together on Nov. 25 by coach Bruce Boudreau, and their out-of-this-world chemistry is one huge reason the Wild has just 6 regulation losses over that time. According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, this group has produced 43 goals and 67 assists in their 39 games together, with the Wild going 29-6-4.
The Hawks, meanwhile, are 23-12-3 since Nov. 25 with Panarin, Anisimov and Kane combining for 38 goals and 57 assists. (Anisimov did miss three games due to injury).
What, exactly, makes Granlund, Koivu and Zucker so dangerous and so good together?
Not surprisingly, it's that they all have a defense-first mentality.
"Our mindset is to take care of our own end first," Koivu told the Star Tribune. "Then, when we have the puck, we're trying to go the other way. The other thing, I think, is we always try to have two guys close to each other so we can help one another. That's huge."
The Hawks have done a fantastic job shutting this line down in the teams' two meetings this season as none of the players have a goal or an assist at even strength. So keep an eye on Nos. 64 (Granlund), 9 (Koivu) and 16 (Zucker) on Tuesday and see if the Hawks can contain them again.
Must be better:
There are no "must wins" for the Blackhawks at this point in the season, but if they hope to catch Minnesota and claim a Central Division title, Tuesday's game is as close as it gets. The Hawks are 7 points behind Minnesota and have played one fewer game.
Coach Joel Quenneville's team did beat the Wild two weeks ago, but the Hawks also weren't facing the league's top goalie in Devan Dubnyk. Quenneville told reporters in Buffalo his team will have to be better than they were in that 4-3 overtime victory on Feb. 8.
"They've had an amazing run. Give them credit," Quenneville said. "Tough building to go into. I know that we played pretty well last time. We're going to have to be even better going into this game.
"We'd still like (to be) in the same area code going into the stretch run here, so hopefully we can try and close the gap."
Vote!
I'm running two polls on Twitter, so sign on and chime in.
Poll 1: Who is the Blackhawks' MVP to this point? Artem Anisimov, Corey Crawford, Marian Hossa or Patrick Kane.
Poll 2: Who is the Blackhawks' unsung hero? Scott Darling, Ryan Hartman, Niklas Hjalmarsson or Richard Panik.
I'll run the results later in the week.
Slap shots:
With 21 goals, Artem Anisimov is 2 away from breaking his career high of 22 set with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013-14. … Marcus Kruger recorded his 100th career point Sunday in Buffalo when he assisted on Marian Hossa's second-period goal. … Scott Darling made 25 of 26 saves Sunday and now owns the second-best save percentage (.928) in the NHL among goalies with at least 19 appearances.
Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild at XCel Energy Center, 7 p.m. Tuesday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: Minnesota is second in the NHL with 84 points and a plus-62 goal differential. The team is an incredible 28-5-2 since losing at Calgary on Dec. 2. … The Blackhawks snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Wild in the teams' last meeting when Jonathan Toews scored in overtime to give the Hawks a 4-3 victory. … Devan Dubnyk continues to lead the league in save percentage (.934) and goals-against average (1.97). … Niklas Hjalmarsson is tied with Ottawa's Erik Karlsson for the league lead in blocks with 151. He has 28 in the last seven games.
Next: Arizona Coyotes at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Thursday
- John Dietz