Blackhawks' tough stretch begins with rematch against Lightning on Saturday
Let's call the Blackhawks' 3-2 win over Florida what it was - kind of a pop quiz to gauge how Joel Quenneville's squad will handle life without Duncan Keith over the next 12 or so games.
They passed, but the NHL schedule makers will now throw a lengthy exam at the Hawks over the next two weeks with games against Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Los Angeles and St. Louis.
The first true test comes Saturday night as Steven Stamkos and the ultra-talented Lightning invade the United Center with memories of last June's Stanley Cup Final series still fresh in their minds.
The Panthers were the perfect guests Thursday, handing the Hawks 8 power-play opportunities and basically giving Corey Crawford a night off.
The Hawks know that won't be the case against a Tampa Bay squad that has seen 11 forwards already score a goal this season. Only Montreal and Boston can boast the same fact. As for the Hawks, only five forwards - and eight players in all - have lit the lamp.
"That's been a strength of our team for over the past year and a half is our depth, especially at the forward position," Stamkos told the Tampa Tribune. "It helped us to get to where we were last year in the playoffs. But it is impressive so early in the season to have so many guys who have scored."
The Cup Final series was about as close as you can ask for, with the first five games all being decided by 1 goal. The high-scoring Lightning were ultimately done in by the fact that coach Jon Cooper's team managed just 3 goals in the last three games.
"It's a big game, for sure," Quenneville said. "It'll be a good test for us. It was a great series. Both teams probably were as evenly matched as you could get. So we expect them to be excited."
Said Hawks captain Jonathan Toews: "Both teams still want to prove themselves to each other considering where we were last spring. We improved a little bit (against Florida) and I think we'll need a little jump in our pace … if we want to find a way to win that game (Saturday)."
Milestone win:
Corey Crawford recorded his 150th career victory as a Blackhawks goaltender in Thursday's win over the Panthers. He ranks fourth in team history in that department, behind only Ed Belfour (201), Glenn Hall (275) and Tony Esposito (418). Assuming he stays healthy, Crawford figures to pass Belfour in the second half of next season.
"It's pretty special to get to that point so far, but (I'm) looking for a lot more," Crawford said.
Crawford, who has a .917 save percentage this year, also picked up the fourth assist of his career Thursday on Patrick Kane's power-play goal early in the third period. Brent Seabrook took a pass from Crawford, fed Kane and Kane beat Roberto Luongo with a perfect backhand flip shot to the top of the net.
Coach Joel Quenneville is certainly happy Crawford's on his side.
"Not too many goalies in the league right now with two (Cups) in their pocket," Quenneville said. "Pretty impressive. You have to commend him on going about his business.
"He's still young. We still feel he can get better. But we have a real strong appreciation for what he can do and what he's done."
Slapshots:
Going into Friday, only Arizona (32) and Columbus (31) had more power-play chances than the Blackhawks' 30. … Patrick Kane has scored 5 goals in the Hawks' seven games. Last season he didn't notch his fifth goal until Game 17. … Marian Hossa was given the day off of practice Friday.