De Haan's absence on Hawks' defense another tough void to fill
LAS VEGAS - As soon as a hunched-over Calvin de Haan began skating toward the bench late in the first period of Tuesday's 5-1 Blackhawks loss to Vegas, all of his teammates knew something was wrong.
Seconds earlier, de Haan was ridden into the sideboards by Mark Stone and fell backward, injuring his right shoulder. The veteran defenseman grasped his wrist, went to the dressing room and did not return.
"You feel for a guy who battles hard every night and does so much to help our team," a somber Connor Murphy said afterward.
De Haan, who has had surgery on that shoulder twice before, flew back to Chicago for further evaluation. The Hawks (12-13-6) did not practice in Arizona Wednesday and there was no immediate update on de Haan's condition.
If de Haan is lost for a considerable period of time, it puts immense pressure on a blue line that is already without Duncan Keith, who is week-to-week with a groin injury.
"He's a great player, so anytime you lose someone that good it's going to have a big effect," Murphy said. "It put more pressure on us, but we've still got to be able to play with whoever we have."
In addition to veterans Murphy, Brent Seabrook, Erik Gustafsson and Olli Maata, the Hawks must hope Slater Koekkoek (121 NHL games), Dennis Gilbert (8) and/or Adam Boqvist (7) can fill the void.
But it's not just the defensemen who must step up. Each forward must do a better job backchecking, cleanly moving the puck through the neutral zone and making crisp, sure passes. The Hawks have done that in spurts, but lately have returned to a careless, turnover-prone squad.
"You've just got to stick to your structure," Brandon Saad said. "(Vegas) exploited us, especially down a guy. We've got to help out our D, we've got to help out our goaltenders. It starts as a team thing.
"It's having five guys in the picture all over the ice."
De Haan came to the Hawks in a trade with Carolina last off-season. He injured his shoulder March 31 and returned April 18 despite still being injured and was a big part of the Hurricanes' run to the Eastern Conference Final.
"Played with pretty much half a straitjacket on to keep it in," de Haan said during training camp. "But it was a good experience. I would do it again."
After missing this season's first two games, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound de Haan has proved to be one of the Hawks' most reliable defenders. He's blocked a team-best 73 shots and is third in the league at 2.5 per game. The 28-year-old was even stepping up his offensive game in Keith's absence, notching assists at Boston last Thursday and Sunday against Arizona.
"He's been really good for most of the season. He's had a high minimum level," coach Jeremy Colliton said before the Hawks faced Vegas. "Kind of know what we get every night."
Murphy, Saad and Colliton all agreed the Hawks must adopt a next-man's up philosophy if they're going to survive without two of their top defensemen.
And it starts Thursday in Arizona.
"You're going to have a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and stuff like that is going to happen," Murphy said. "The next guy's got to be ready to play and we believe we have players that are good enough to make that impact and step in."
Murphy minces no words:
Corey Crawford gave up 5 goals on 37 shots during Vegas' 5-1 victory Tuesday, but the Hawks' goalie also stopped the first 20 shots he saw - many of which were of high quality and right around the net.
Crawford showed some uncustomary frustration in the latter parts of the contest, something that didn't surprise Connor Murphy.
"He deserves to be frustrated," Murphy said. "It's not fair what we give up against him. I mean, it's not just chances. It's breakaways, 2, 3-on-1s.
"It's just unbelievable what our goalies have had to deal with all year with some of these games. We hang them out to dry. ... It's nice to see (Crawford upset) because it's a wake-up call for us players to play better in front of them."
Slap shot:
The Blackhawks will honor Kris Versteeg with One More Shift before Sunday's game against Minnesota.
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. Arizona Coyotes, 8 p.m. Thursday at Gila River Arena
TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: Arizona, which defeated the Hawks 4-3 in a shootout Sunday at the United Center, dropped a 5-2 decision to Calgary Tuesday. The Flames led 4-1 after two periods and went on to win their sixth straight. Coyotes goalie Antti Raanta allowed 5 goals on 29 shots. "We had some chances, but we gave them two or three goals right off the bat and you're chasing the game from there," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "They scored on their chances and played a good road game." It was Arizona's first home game after a 3-1-0 road trip. ... The Blackhawks have a power-play goal in four straight games and six of the last eight. ... Robin Lehner made 44 saves against Arizona Sunday. Patrick Kane was held without a shot on goal and hasn't scored in five straight.
Next: St. Louis Blues, 7 p.m. Saturday at Enterprise Center
- John Dietz