Do the Blackhawks really get special power play treatment?
Florida's Jaromir Jagr, who's been around the block a time or two, made an interesting observation following his team's 3-2 loss to the Hawks on Thursday.
Because the Panthers were short-handed eight times, Jagr - in no uncertain terms - said he felt like the Blackhawks got preferential treatment from the referees.
"Sometimes the referees are calling differently than the other games," Jagr said. "Might be giving (them) too much time on the power play. ... That's the way it is. Usually it's like that. When you play the champions, they deserve the respect, so they got it."
Coach Joel Quenneville, your thoughts?
"I'm definitely not agreeing with that statement," he said prior to the Hawks' game against Tampa Bay on Saturday.
So is the 43-year-old Jagr on to something, or is this just sour grapes? Before playing the Lightning, the Hawks were awarded 4.3 power plays per game, second in the league behind Arizona's 4.6. But over the last six seasons, the Hawks have only finished in the top 10 in power plays drawn only once - last season when they finished eighth.
Where it gets more interesting is looking at where the Hawks rank in how many times they are short-handed. Quenneville's squad has always finished in the top 6 in this category over the past six seasons, and this year only Vancouver (2.4 per game) has been short-handed less than the Hawks (2.57). Last year the Hawks finished third, also at 2.57 per game.
These latter numbers are probably why Jagr - and maybe others - believe the Hawks are being awarded power plays at a disproportionate rate. There is certainly a stark difference in the amount of time the Hawks spend on the power play compared to being on the penalty kill.
There are myriad reasons behind why this may be, and Andrew Desjardins offered his opinion on the subject.
"We also play a possession game," Desjardins said. "Sometimes that comes into play as well. If you have the puck a lot ... you might draw some more penalties."
Who dat?
In the wake of Duncan Keith's injury, one of the things Hawks fans will notice over the next month is certain players being put into situations they're not used to playing. Against Florida, David Rundblad (3:53) and Trevor van Riemsdyk (1:33) got some time on the power play, and van Riemsdyk also spent 3:21 on the penalty kill.
Coach Joel Quenneville admitted fans might be thinking: "Why is he out there? ... Where's Duncan right now?"
It's not the ideal situation, but Quenneville looked at the bigger picture Friday after practice.
"I think it's a healthy experience for our team to go through right now," he said. "These younger kids are going to improve with on-the-job training, and getting this experience is only going to help their own games and, long-term, help our team game."
Slapshots:
Rookie Kristers Gudlevskis was in goal for Tampa Bay on Saturday night in place of Ben Bishop, who had started the team's first eight games. It was Gudlevskis' second start in the NHL. ... Bryan Bickell was again a healthy scratch for the Blackhawks.