CHAMPS FINISH SWEEP WITH DARLING IN NET
Says manipulations by Quenneville help build team chemistry
It’s simply a fact of life around the Blackhawks that lines are going to be jumbled. Especially early in the season, a player could be skating on a line with skilled mates one shift only to be punted to a checking group the next time out.
Andrew Shaw, who knows a thing or two about playing all over the lineup, sees the benefits.
“It’s nice because you have chemistry through all four lines, all pairings of [defense],” Shaw said before the Hawks defeated the New York Islanders 4-1 on Saturday night at the United Center. “Shake things up when things aren’t going well and it works for us in the long run, that’s for sure.”
During his tenure with the Hawks, coach Joel Quenneville’s line blender has become one of his calling cards. Tracking lines can be a chore, and sometimes feels futile when things change so quickly.
Shaw, the Hawks, and most observers know the value of what Quenneville does. While Quenneville tries to find the best combinations for the moments that really matter, he also builds something else among his players on a roster that underwent changes this summer.
Now the players, holdovers and new ones alike, will be used to skating with each other.
“It’s going to be huge for us. The chemistry through the locker room, on the ice and off the ice, is better than ever, which is exciting,” Shaw said. “We’re all pretty excited for the year and look forward to taking it game by game.”
On Saturday, the lines saw some jumbling, though nothing as drastic as Friday in Brooklyn. Ryan Garbutt spent most of the night in the so-called “lottery” spot alongside Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa as the Hawks try to find the right fit for the two stars after dealing Brandon Saad to the Blue Jackets.
“[You can] say, ‘Are you going to be Brandon Saad? Are you going to be this?’ I mean, you’ve got to be who you are,” Quenneville said. “You’ve got to play to your own strengths.
“But you’ve got a lot of responsibility with the other two guys. Simple sometimes could be effective.”
Things were effective for the Hawks on Saturday, especially for one line that looks as if it’s clicking.
Facing Islanders goalie Jean-Francois Berube in his NHL debut, the Hawks completed the sweep of the home-and-home series. The combination of Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin was on the ice for three evenstrength goals, supporting Scott Darling, who made 28 saves and came within 65 seconds of a shutout in his first start.
Trevor van Riemsdyk scored his first career goal at the 4:07 mark of the opening period when he scooped up the rebound of a shot by Kane and hit a semi-open net. Kane was involved in the next goal when he forced a turnover behind the Islanders net and his pass to the slot found Panarin, who beat Berube with 14:07 left in the second.
“Obviously well worth the wait,” van Riemsdyk said of his goal. “It’s nice when it comes in a win theway it did.”
Then, Kane scored with 3:35 left in themiddle period, thanks in part to a screen by Anisimov. All of that was for a team trying to figure out what works early in a season after a summer filled with departures and arrivals.
“You’ve got to get your step back,” Shaw said. “You’ve got to get your timing right and jumble the lines up to see what works best to start the year and you move from there.”