The Hawks Head To L.A Ready To Bounce Back
By Rob Winn in News on May 23, 2014 7:00PM
With a couple of bad bounces and some exceptional lollygagging, the Blackhawks head to L.A. with the Western Conference Finals tied at one game apiece. After Game 2's collapse the Hawks took a measured approach. No skies where falling, no calling out teammates, no press conference meltdowns. With all of the weird things that happened and all of the uncharacteristic play, Game 2 was your typical "burn the tape and move on" game. After all, it's not like the Hawks haven't enjoyed plenty of success at the Staples Center.
One thing they should be concerned about is goalie Jonathan Quick. If it weren't for several key saves from Quick, Game 2 would've been a blow out half way through the second period. In 2012, the Kings rode Quick's stellar play all the way to a Stanley Cup. Throughout the series between the Hawks and Kings in 2013, the Hawks largely scored with ease, but if Quick gets hot that could be a different story. Currently Quick's playoff save percentage sits at .912, second lowest of his career. However, that could change in an instant and he could help the Kings win the series even if the Hawks outshoot them. For the Hawks to regain control, they will need to score on Quick early before he gets his confidence rolling.
It looks like the Hawks resident pest Andrew Shaw will return to the lineup for the first time since Game 1 of the series against the Wild. It's easy to minimize the contributions of an undersized Shaw, but his presence gives them something that few others provide. His willingness to go to the front of the net is something the Hawks have lacked with him out of the lineup. As long as he resists the urge to take dumb penalties, he'll provide a nice spark that could help the Hawks bounce back after a disappointing game.
Who will sit when Shaw comes back is anyone's guess. The easy candidate is Peter Regin, who entered the lineup in Shaw's absence, but he has played well, drawing penalties and contributing on offense. Most who watched Game 2 would prefer Brandon Bollig sit, after he started off the disastrous third period with an offsides call, then a penalty that makes Barret Jackman look intelligent. However, coach Joel Quenneville didn't flinch to send him back on the ice with the fourth line. Another candidate is Kris Versteeg, who has been a healthy scratch already this postseason and spent more time in Game 2 jumping out of the way than actually contributing. Versteeg is the most logical choice considering Regin's play and the fact that Quenneville values Bollig's presence.
Typically after a bad loss, Quenneville likes to change his match ups and Saturday night should be no different. Especially after Kings forward Jeff Carter netted a hat trick. But don't look for too much change, as Jonathan Toews and the first line have effectively shut down the Kings' first line. Defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya also have fared well against Anze Kopitar and company. But considering the Kings will have the last line change at home, the match ups will get jumbled either way.
Look for a bounce-back effort from the Hawks in Game 3, but as the Sharks and Ducks have already learned, the Kings are no pushover and this is a different team than the Hawks faced last year. To come back to Chicago with the series under control, the Hawks will have to mirror their effort during the first half of Game 2, while forgetting that the second half of that game even happened.