Bowman’s acquisitions save the day
Just like that, Stan Bowman is a genius again.
The Blackhawks’ general manager, lauded for making all the right moves in fortifying the Blackhawks last year for their Stanley Cup run, looked like he was crapping out this time. Andrew Ladd was making an impact, but scoreless. And Tomas Fleischmann, Dale Weise and Christian Ehrhoff were all but invisible in the postseason.
But Bowman’s trade-deadline moves paid off big in Game 6, as Ladd and Weise scored huge goals in the 6-3 victory over the Blues on Saturday night at the United Center. Ladd gave the Hawks momentum early with his first goal of the postseason for a 1-0 lead just 3:47 into the game. Weise, who arrived with a history of big playoff goals, did it again, giving the Hawks a 4-3 lead to culminate a Hawks’ recovery from a 3-1 deficit.
“That one feels good,” said Weise, who was a healthy scratch in Games 1, 2 and 4. “I’ve been snakebitten since I got here. I’ve been robbed. Goalies making empty-net saves on me. I’ve just missed chances. Not shooting the puck as much as I would have liked. That one for sure feels good. Once you get that one off your back, play seems to slow down a little bit for you. You’ve kind of got some more room. Hopefully I can keep that going for Game 7.”
Ladd had helped create scoring opportunities and had a shot hit both posts in the Hawks’ 3-2 loss in Game 3, but did not have a point and had a minus-2 rating in the first five games of the series. He took advantage early in Game 6 after Marcus Kruger forced a turnover by Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and fired a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle past Brian Elliott. It was Ladd’s first playoff goal since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
“It’s always nice to contribute and put a puck in the back of the net. Even if it’s just the confidence to keep shooting,” Ladd said. “But I’m just focused on playing the right way and doing those little things, and the rest of the stuff will come.’’
Weise and Ladd were part of a wave of Hawks newcomers to make a contribution in a critical game. Richard Panik, acquired in a January trade with the Maple Leafs for Jeremy Morin, assisted on Trevor van Riemsdyk’s tying goal in the second period and drew a hooking call on a mini-breakaway in the third that led to Andrew Shaw’s power-play goal that gave the Hawks a 5-3 lead.
With Artem Anisimov scoring in the second period, the Hawks had three goals and four assists from players who were not on the team last year.
“It’s exciting. [But] we haven’t really done anything yet,” Weise said.
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