Mystery theater: Why Colliton rarely announces his starting goalie day before a game
During Joel Quenneville's 10-year run as Blackhawks coach, reporters often asked who the starting goalie would be the day before a game.
In that gruff, gravely voice, Quenneville would mutter: "Crow" or "Darls" or whoever was going to man the net.
That's not the case under the new regime.
While we still ask, head coach Jeremy Colliton rarely tells us.
It was the same story after practice Friday at MB Ice Arena when Colliton wouldn't divulge whether Corey Crawford or Collin Delia would start at Dallas on Saturday.
"We'll see," Colliton said.
So, finally, I had to see what the reason behind all this cloak-and-dagger stuff, and asked: "Do you hold that back for a strategic reason or do you really not know who's going to start?"
Colliton responded with: "Well, sometimes we haven't talked to them yet. Or sometimes we haven't decided yet. Or sometimes it's just nice if circumstances happen at the last minute, we don't have to make a big thing out of changing our minds. When gametime starts, there'll be a goalie in there."
So, does it have anything to do with keeping the opponent guessing?
"Not necessarily," Colliton said, but he then added: "There's that factor sometimes. The less time you have to prepare for whoever you're playing makes it more difficult. But that's not necessarily the reason."
There you have it. Mystery (sort of) solved.
Power outage:
The Hawks have not scored a power-play goal in three straight games, going 0-for-10 over that span. They had gone 32-for-91 (35.1 percent) in the previous 29 games.
Coach Jeremy Colliton has no plans to break up the top unit of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Erik Gustafsson. They got nearly eight of the 10 minutes of power-play time in a 5-4 shootout win over Buffalo on Thursday.
"They've earned the right to have a little bit of rope," Colliton said. "We had some looks. The last few games, we created some opportunities that haven't gone in the net."
Not only is the PP struggling a bit, but the Hawks have also allowed 3 short-handed goals in the last six games. It's fair to wonder if leaving the first unit out for so long might be a factor in opponents getting so many good looks.
"We don't want to give up short-handed goals," Colliton said. "That's a thing we have to snuff out.
"It's important we don't start pressing and get frustrated. Things will deteriorate quickly if we put too much pressure on ourselves to come through every time.
"But they have a high standard for themselves and I'm pretty sure they're going to score."
Slap shots:
Jeremy Colliton said there is no change to Drake Caggiula's condition and that he will not travel to Dallas. Caggiula has missed three games with a concussion. … Dominik Kahun has not scored in 11 straight games and has just 2 shots on goal in the last five. … Duncan Keith, who scored against Buffalo on Thursday, has 4 goals in the last 24 games. He had 2 in the previous 135.
Scouting report
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. Dallas Stars, 7 p.m., Saturday at American Airlines Center
TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: The Stars have won four straight, the last three by a combined 9-1. Alexander Radulov had a hat trick in Dallas' 4-0 win over Colorado on Thursday. Dallas coach Jim Montgomery made him a healthy scratch the game before because Radulov overslept and missed the morning skate. "He's a great competitor, and we expected him to play at a high level tonight," Montgomery told reporters. "You could tell he had intensity about him the way he was practicing while he was out." Radulov has 20 goals, third on the team behind Tyler Seguin (27) and Jamie Benn (25). … Radek Faska (12G, 12A) missed the win over the Avs with a neck injury and may not face the Hawks. … The Stars are 10 points ahead of the Blackhawks in the West and would currently qualify for the playoffs as a wild-card team. The teams have split the season series 1-1 and meet again April 5.
Next: Arizona Coyotes, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at United Center
- John Dietz