Zawaski's Shorties: Kane Hits Milestone As Blackhawks Dominate
By Jay Zawaski-
(CBS) After a couple rough home losses to the Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars, the Blackhawks found the perfect remedy for a losing streak Tuesday night -- playing the Arizona Coyotes. While it's hard to argue that everything is fixed because of a 6-1 win over one of the league's worst teams, a lot of the Blackhawks' recent issues seemed to get repaired, at least for one night, in the win.
Here are a few observations.
Quenneville's line blender: In his 500th game behind the bench for the Blackhawks, coach Joel Quenneville hit the "puree" button on his line blender and mixed up his defensive pairs. Duncan Keith played with David Rundblad, while Keith's usual partner, Brent Seabrook, skated primarily with Niklas Hjalmarsson. Johnny Oduya and Michal Rozsival made up the third pair and started the game. The change was surely needed. The defense had been abysmal over the last two games. I doubt these pairs last beyond the All-Star break, but it's a good idea to give guys a different look now and again.
Shaw-some: Andrew Shaw's poor play (three points and -10 in his last 20 games) and benching made headlines earlier this week. Well, Shaw accepted the challenge and delivered his best game of the season Tuesday night. He scored two goals and was named the game's first star. It's been a down year for Shaw, who scored 20 goals last season. If the Hawks can get him close to that level of play by the time the playoffs roll around, they'll be much better off.
I'm a guy who often dismisses the idea of hits leading to production, but Shaw's a guy who needs to be fully engaged to make an impact. If he starts drifting and isn't into the game, he's invisible. If delivering a few hits here and there keeps his head where it needs to be, by all means, keep it up.
Two-vo: With Tuesday's two-point game, young forward Teuvo Teravainen is really beginning to find his place. After some early struggles to get on the board, he has three points (two goals, one assist) in his last three games. He's playing with regular linemates (Shaw and Patrick Sharp), and it's paying dividends. You can see his confidence growing with every passing shift. It remains to be seen what will happen when Kris Versteeg returns from injury, but if Teravainen keeps playing like he has the last three or four games, it's going to be difficult for the Blackhawks to send him down.
(Not) speaking of Teuvo: Has anyone else noticed that Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk never talk about Teravainen? I thought it was just me, so I paid careful attention to this phenomenon Tuesday night. The TV broadcast flat out ignores Teravainen. He set up Shaw's first goal with an absolute pinpoint one-timer pass, and all the guys in the booth could do was praise Shaw. Sure, it was a great goal by Shaw, but it was a small miracle that the puck got to him in the first place.
Then, Teravainen scored a goal of his own. He roofed a shot on his own rebound with an incredibly difficult, up-close shot. Who got the praise? Bryan Bickell, who crashed the net. Again, nice play by Bickell, but let's throw Teravainen a bone here.
It's a bizarre situation. Foley and Olczyk do nothing to isolate on Teravainen's game, positive or negative. The fans want to know about the kid. Show the viewer what he did right or wrong on a shift or two. Show an example of what Quenneville is looking for in his game.
Instead ... nothing. It's like he's an AHL lifer filling in for a game. He's the team's top prospect by a mile and one of the best prospects in the game. I can'tt fathom why he's on the pay-no-mind list.
The only reasonable explanation I can think of is that the Hawks have suggested not overly praising Teravainen to alleviate pressure. But if that's the case, why is the Blackhawks Twitter account all in on Teuvo-mania? It doesn't make sense.
Yes we Kane: While Barack Obama was delivering his State of the Union speech, Kane was delivering the 200th goal of his career. He now has 51 points on the season and is en route to a career year. CSN showed a graphic illustrating the leading point scorers from the 2007 NHL draft. Kane has 543 points. Behind him are Jakub Voracek (346), Sam Gagner (317) and Jamie Benn (312). Yes, Kane is 197 points ahead of that draft's second-leading scorer. Oh, he also has a pair of Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe Trophy.
And the Hossa that rode in on them: While Marian Hossa isn't lighting up the scoreboard like he used to, he's still -- aside from Jonathan Toews -- the team's best all-around player. Shift after shift, night after night, Hossa contributes in every game situation. He remains one of the league's best defensive forwards and is long overdue for a Selke Trophy.
Jay Zawaski is the executive producer of the Spiegel and Mannelly Show on 670 The Score and the Blackhawks columnist for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayZawaski670.
