Rookies Toews, Kane grab foes' rapt focus
DETROIT -- Consider it another challenge for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to try and meet.
The two rookies have been so exceptional over the first quarter of the season that Blackhawks opponents have started game-planning to contain them.
That means Toews and Kane are beginning to see the best checking lines -- a compliment to them, but also something they need to learn how to handle.
"We're getting to that point where we're not flying under the radar anymore," Toews said Friday.
"It's pretty amazing," said Hawks coach Denis Savard. "Teams focus on them already. It's a great sign for us."
Savard has seen Toews and Kane struggle on the first two games of the road trip, even though Toews scored in Thursday's 5-4 loss at Nashville and Kane set up the goal by Jason Williams that sent the game to overtime.
Toews was minus-3 in Wednesday's loss at Columbus and minus-2 against Nashville. Kane was a combined minus-5 in both games as well.
Savard wants the rookies to come back harder into their own zone to defend and to get the puck to start the offensive attack.
"If they're not coming back hard enough, I'll let them know," Savard said. "That's what they have to do better, come back hard, because the quicker they come back, the quicker they'll be on offense. If they want to play in their own end all night long they won't get any scoring chances.
"But that's only two games where they haven't been where they've been for the first 17-18 games. They'll bounce back. They're character kids."
Toews took Thursday's performance hard. He also lost 10 of 11 faceoffs, which had him sitting at his locker stall fully dressed long after the game ended.
"All the guys are trying to cheer me up and telling me the numbers sometimes don't really represent the way you've been playing," Toews said. "But I look at it like I've been on the ice for 5 goals against, even strength, the last two games and obviously there's something I'm not doing right out there.
"I'm the best at beating myself up a little bit too much and start thinking too much, so I'm trying to ease back into it and stay comfortable but still keeping things simple and maybe talking a little bit more with our defense."
Toews understands he and Kane must play in the opponents' end a little more, especially against a team like the Red Wings tonight at Joe Louis Arena.
"I think the best way for us to defend against anybody is to have the puck and play where we want to play, and that's in the offensive zone," Toews said.
The Red Wings have seen Toews and Kane enough already this season to be impressed with their talents.
Kris Draper, in fact, heaped some of the biggest praise heard this year on Toews.
"They're both the real deal," Draper said. "Toews is certainly going to be a complete hockey player. He looks like he's going to be very responsible at both ends of the ice, very similar to the way Bryan Trottier and Steve Yzerman played.
"Obviously, it's early to compare him to those Hall of Famers, but if he keeps improving he has a great chance to be in that mix."
Today's faceoff
Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena, 6 p.m.
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
The skinny: Can the Hawks do it again and make it four straight over the Red Wings? They've won the first three meetings with their Central Division rivals, including last Sunday's 3-2 victory at the United Center. The Wings have lost only five games all season and sit at 13-4-1 atop the division, just 6 points ahead of the Hawks. The Hawks are 4-for-18 on the power play in three games against Detroit while allowing the Red Wings only 2 power-play goals. Nikolai Khabibulin has won all three games and gets the start again tonight.
Player to watch: Dominik Hasek. The Red Wings' goalie was pulled in Tuesday's 4-3 loss at St. Louis and has just a .869 save percentage for the season.
Next game: Thursday vs. the Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome, 8 p.m.
-- Tim Sassone