The Blackhawks went to practice Wednesday with the biggest division lead- eight points-in the National Hockey League. They also had the biggest assortment of problems of any of the four division leaders.
All of the dilemmas were evident in Tuesday night`s 8-3 loss in St. Louis.
– The goaltending problem:
Alain Chevrier, who played so well last season after being acquired from Winnipeg in mid-January, is having a bad year that keeps getting worse. Tuesday, he let in two sure saves and four goals, then got yanked after the first period. His record in the last 10 games is 3-6-1.
New addition Jacques Cloutier is having a splendid year with a 11-4-1 record. But the veteran is out indefinitely with an injury, and coach Mike Keenan has serious reservations about trying to make 20-year-old rookie Jimmy Waite (2-0) his main man.
– The penalty-killing problem:
In slouching to a 3-3 record in their last six games, the Hawks have surrendered 32 goals, and 13 have come in penalty-killing situations. During this span, the penalty-killers have accomplished their mission only 24 times. ”Our penalty-killing has been inept,” critiqued Keenan.
– The deficit problem:
Almost habitually, the Hawks have been falling behind in the early stages.
”It seems like we don`t have a feel for the guys on the ice, and we aren`t anticipating as we should,” said captain Dirk Graham. ”Guys are putting in the effort, but we`re not playing as a unit.”
”We`ve made a lot of comebacks after trailing by two or three goals. Sooner our later that kind of hockey catches up with you.
”Forwards are getting way too far out of the zone, trying to make the home-run pass instead of grinding it out and waiting for solid chances. We have to adjust so that we can make the early lead and force the other team to take chances and make mistakes.”
– The injury problem:
Doug Wilson, the 32-year-old stalwart having his finest year since he was selected the league`s premier defenseman in 1982, has a strained right knee ligaments.
Cloutier has a pulled muscles in the groin area, Troy Murray will be sidelined for three weeks after surgery Wednesday to remove bone chips from his elbow and fellow center Mike Hudson has a lacerated hand.
Left wing Steve Thomas, who returned Tuesday after missing one game, is inhibited by a pulled muscle in the rib cage area.
– The Manson problem:
Defenseman Dave Manson, who played in the All-Star game last year, began serving a 13-game suspension in Tuesday`s 8-3 loss in St. Louis. While hockey is a sport demanding great skill, it`s also a game of intimidation, and Manson, who last year set a Hawk record with 352 penalty minutes, is one of the league`s most menacing players.
But probably the biggest worry is Wilson`s condition. He ranks second to fellow Hawk defenseman Keith Brown in the league`s plus-minus ratings with a plus-24 composite and is the runner-up in team scoring with 15 goals and 26 assists. The prognosis is for a week to 10 days, but because of Wilson`s value to the team it would be foolhardy to rush him.
”Obviously, the guy they would miss the most in the long haul is Wilson,” said St. Louis right wing Brett Hull, who scored two goals Tuesday giving him a league-high 31 for the season. ”He`s having a Norris (Trophy)
year.
”The thing he does best defensively is getting the puck and moving it out of their zone. There`s no time for the forwards to forecheck. He gets the puck and it`s gone. He dishes it, and all of a sudden they`ve gone from a defensive to an offensive situation.”
Troy Murray also is a major cog in the offense, No. 3 in team scoring with 47 points on 14 goals and 23 assists, and Thomas is another contributor with 15 goals and 15 assists.
After a goal-scoring drought of nearly two months, Murray broke out of his slump by getting a pair in Saturday`s 7-5 triumph in Toronto. But then, after the two-day Christmas break, the elbow injury manifested itself in Tuesday`s game-day skate, and Murray was flown from St. Louis back to Chicago. Fortunately, the immediate schedule is relatively kind. From now through Jan. 24, they`ll play eight of their 11 games in the Stadium. Their next road game isn`t until Jan. 10. In the interim, they`ll play four NHL games and an exhibition against the Soviet Union`s Red Army in the friendly confines of 1800 W. Madison St.
