When it comes to overtime, Blackhawks are fit to be tied
In the real world, it normally pays to work overtime.
In hockey, it doesn't always work that way - and that's especially true of the Blackhawks this season as they've dropped all four games that were tied after regulation.
"We've got to be better," coach Jeremy Colliton said after the Hawks lost 3-2 in a shootout to Carolina Tuesday. "(Need to find) a way to create a little more."
No doubt.
The Hawks were tentative against Carolina and reluctant to force anything. On the one hand it's understandable, considering a blown opportunity normally results in an odd-man rush the other way.
But there has to come a point where someone rolls the dice and attacks.
"We have to have the puck more," Colliton said. "We have to protect it, change with it. We've done that. Our best OT was probably (the second game) against Nashville."
That was indeed an impressive five minutes as Patrick Kane fired wide on a one-timer, Mattias Janmark hit a post, Kane just missed connecting with Duncan Keith, and Dylan Strome snapped off a high-quality shot from 20 feet away.
One perplexing strategy decision has to do with the use of Dominik Kubalik.
The 30-goal scorer of a year ago has been on the ice for 3:04 of a possible 14:47 in the Hawks' OT games. Against Carolina, he was given one shift that lasted 22 seconds. Meanwhile, Janmark got 95 seconds and Strome 85.
Kubalik was then passed over for Strome in the third round of the shootout.
Look, there's little doubt Kubalik (2 goals in 11 games) isn't scoring at the rate he did last season, but he does have 6 assists and possesses perhaps the most wicked shot on the team after Kane.
Nothing gets a goal scorer going more than a game-winner, so get him out there more often.
If the Hawks had won these four games, this is how the Central Division would look (based on points percentage) through Tuesday:
• Florida 4-1-1, .833
• Carolina 5-1-1, .786
• Tampa Bay 5-1-1, .786
• Dallas 5-1-1, .786
• Hawks 7-4-0, .636
• Columbus 4-4-3, .500
Instead, they look like this:
• Florida 5-0-1, .917
• Carolina 6-1-0, .857
• Tampa Bay 5-1-1, .786
• Dallas 5-1-1, .786
• Columbus 4-4-3, .500
• Hawks 3-4-4, .455
"It's important points so we have to figure out something to end up on the right side of it," Janmark said.
I'll leave you with one last thought.
Typically, when the score is tied in the waning moments of a game pitting a Western Conference team against an Eastern Conference team, both sides ease up to guarantee a point.
This season, all 56 games are against divisional opponents. My thinking is a team like the Hawks ought to be going all out for regulation victories down the stretch.
We all know the odds of them making the playoffs are a stretch, but they increase a bit when you can hang a loss on teams like Florida or Columbus.
Slap shot: Defenseman Madison Bowey was reassigned to the taxi squad from the Rockford IceHogs. Forward Michal Teply and defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk were reassigned to Rockford.
By the numbers
Dominik Kubalik's ice time in overtime in four games:
Date, Opp. TOI OT
length
Jan. 19, Fla. 0:37 2:50
Jan. 26, Nash. 0:16 1:57
Jan. 27, Nash 1:49 5:00
Feb. 2, Car. 0:22 5:00