Defensemen putting more zip in Hawks’ attack
The Blackhawks have shown in the last two games how much better they can be offensively when the defense is active in the attack.
Why it took more than a month into the season for this to be taking place is anyone’s guess.
Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith are coming off two of their best games of the season from an attack aspect in wins over Calgary and Columbus, while second-year defenseman Nick Leddy is showing signs of being scary good from an offensive standpoint.
“It’s part of our game that needs to be there, and it’s important to stay on that and help contribute,” Keith said. “It’s nice to get points and things like that, but the most important thing is keeping plays alive and having good gaps and supporting our forwards.”
Keith and Seabrook each scored their first goals of the season in Friday’s 4-1 victory over Calgary.
“It’s what we were looking for as far as activating in the attack and off the points,” coach Joel Quenneville said of the work of the defensemen in the last two games.
“We got rewarded off that. Offensively, as a group of defensemen, we were looking for more, but I still think primarily let’s think about checking and playing in our own end. The offense comes by doing your job.”
It’s evident the defensemen have been instructed to get more pucks to the net instead of looking to pass the puck around in search for the perfect scoring opportunity.
“We’ve been shooting the puck a little more from the point and need to continue to do that,” Jonathan Toews said.
Rested and ready:Backup goalie Ray Emery has been ready whenever Joel Quenneville wants him to start, even with the long layoffs.Emery, so strong in the win over Calgary, likely won#146;t get another start until back-to-back games next weekend at Calgary and Edmonton.#147;A week (between starts) is not too bad,#148; Emery said. #147;You get a chance to recover and prepare for the team you#146;re playing against. Anything longer than that and it#146;s tougher.#148;Emery, who won the backup job over Alexander Salak despite a so-so training camp, promised he would get better as the season progressed, and he has been true to his word.#147;You want to get more comfortable in there,#148; Emery said. #147;I#146;m definitely working on things and trying to improve my game as I go on. It#146;s only the start.#148;How time flies:It seems like only yesterday that Duncan Keith was that skinny kid defenseman, but Friday marked the 500th game of his NHL career #8212; a stretch that has included a Stanley Cup and a Norris Trophy.#147;Obviously, it#146;s a real privilege to play in the NHL, and being a part of this team is something special,#148; Keith said. #147;Five hundred games is nice and it goes by fast. Hopefully I#146;ve got a lot more coming.#148;Keith#146;s goal against the Flames also was his 250th career point.Slick start:The strong 9-5-2 start by the Edmonton Oilers, picked by nearly everyone to finish last in the Western Conference, hasn#146;t been a surprise inside their dressing room.But a six-game winning streak that helped make the Oilers the talk of the NHL has been followed by a stretch of 3 losses in the last four games.#147;From winning to losing, it changes so quick,#148; Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin said after Friday#146;s 3-0 loss in Detroit. #147;If you#146;re satisfied and you think it#146;s not a big deal, before you know it, instead of two games, it will be five or six.#147;We don#146;t want to panic, but we have to realize what#146;s working for us and get back to that.#148;tsassone@dailyherald.com