Players to Watch: CHI vs DET (1/22/21)
(Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
Do you smell that? That’s the smell of some crisp, midwestern air. The Chicago Blackhawks are finally back from Florida, a trip that treated them horribly, and are set to take on the Detroit Red Wings tonight at 7:00 pm CST (NBCSCH).
The Blackhawks are still looking for their first win. They were so close in Tuesday night’s game in Sunrise, but the overtime GWG went to the Florida Panthers. It’s progress that they were even that close, so I’ll take it. But, they need to be better. They finally scored more than 2 goals in that game, but they still gave up 5. They’ve given up 5 goals in each game so far. That is NOT good.
Through 4 games, the Blackhawks have a record of 0-3-1 and a goal differential of -11. Detroit’s record is 2-2-0 with a goal differential of -1. So, the Blackhawks have been scored on 11 more times than they’ve scored as opposed to Detroit’s 1. That’ll happen when you give up 20 goals in 4 games and only score 9. Guess who has also scored 9 goals . . . Detroit. So, they’re significantly better at keeping the puck out of the net.
It’s concerning because Detroit was the worst team in the league by a wide margin last season. Now, they’ve improved their roster a bit and are, clearly, playing better than the Hawks. If Chicago comes away from this 2-game series with 0 wins and 6 losses under their belts, they should be embarrassed.
So, let’s check out the players to watch.
Kevin Lankinen
Lankinen is getting his 2nd straight start between the pipes. Despite all 3 goalies giving up 5 goals per game, Lankinen looked the best while doing so. That could be due to the fact that he plays more conservatively and relies more on positioning and letting the game come to him than . . . the chaos we experienced with Subban and Delia. Or maybe he just had a good game . . . while giving up 5 goals. From watching him in Rockford, I can tell you that Lankinen is consistent with this conservative, more “boring”, style. It’s a lot more Corey Crawford than Tim Thomas. Hey, now that I’ve mentioned those two, maybe he will be a Stanley Cup Champion someday. Hopefully for the Blackhawks.
But, I won’t get ahead of myself here. Look to Kevin to try to break this awful streak of 5 goals per game.
Adam Boqvist
Adam Boqvist has gotten better with each game. He still looks a bit lost out there at times and gets muscled off the puck. But, if he can come into these games against Detroit and play with his instincts rather than thinking too much, that would do wonders for his performance. I said before the Panthers series that the Blackhawks were facing a weaker opponent than the previous (Tampa), and they were. It’s just that Florida is still a very good team when their goaltenders are rolling. Detroit is an even weaker opponent, but Thomas Greiss is a very good goaltender. Let’s see if Boqvist can come out and look faster and smarter against this Red Wings team. If he gets matchups against their bottom 6, he could put up some points.
Brandon Hagel
Brandon Hagel made his season debut in Tuesday’s game. He came out flying and looked great. When Hagel is rolling, he has excellent straight forward speed and a sneaky shot. He’s not afraid to battle in the corners, and he’ll give you that scrappy play. The closest comparison I have on the current roster is Andrew Shaw. If he keeps developing, he could be a better player than Shaw overall. But, in his second game of this young season, let’s see if he can use his feet to beat the defenders to the outside and get to the net. Maybe he can wreak some havoc in front of the net and make Greiss’s life difficult. I think he’ll have a good game.
These games against Detroit are the Blackhawks’ best chances to get some wins in January. (Well, unless Columbus is still a hot mess by the time they face off against the Hawks, but that’s a whole different story.) They need to come together as a team, dig deep, and simplify their game. If whatever they’re doing now isn’t working, go back to the basics. Pucks in deep, shots on net, keep shooters to the outside, clear the zone . . . how many more cliché hockey phrases can we use here?
Just get the win.