Predicting that a Blackhawks team that hasn’t won two games in a row more than twice in the last 32 performances is starting to get its act together is as risky as betting Tonya and Nancy are destined to become friends years from now.
The Hawks have managed just 24 goals in their last 11 home games (2-7-2). That’s a two-goal-a-game burden that is usually overlooked when goalie Ed Belfour is judged against peers who would wilt under that kind of tightrope pressure.
But just as the first signs of spring will be budding in another month, there may be significant hints-minuscule ones-of blossoming in the Hawks. It’s possible, even after Sunday afternoon’s 1-1 tie against New Jersey in the Stadium continued the long, hard winter for the frigid Chicago offense and extended the home winless streak to 0-3-2.
“Bad luck,” Jeremy Roenick said. “We had 20 quality chances.”
“He’s a big goalie,” coach Darryl Sutter said of Devils rookie Martin Brodeur, who made 41 saves. “Sometimes the puck hits goalies that size.”
Added assistant coach Rich Preston: “By my count, we outchanced them 20-13. We deserved better.”
These are all common Hawks complaints, but judged by their last four games-when they have posted a 2-1-1 mark-maybe the Hawks are beginning to pay more attention to business with only 24 games left before the playoffs.
“We had a good team meeting yesterday,” Joe Murphy said. “We talked about how we can’t wait until the playoffs to make our move. That’s too late. It has to start now.”
Between now and the postseason’s first round, one problem remains uppermost-this shooting and scoring thing. Take the last eight games, when the Hawks have had between 31 and 51 shots in six of them.
Their shooting percentage is an anemic 12.6 percent based on 22 goals from 278 shots in these games, an average of 34.7 shots a game.
“I still feel good about my game today because I was paying the price in the scoring area, taking the abuse, and getting some scoring chances,” said Murphy, limited to five goals in his last 27 games.
Murphy’s slump, however, is just one of myriad reasons why the Hawks haven’t won a home game since beating Tampa Bay 1-0 Jan. 13.
“If we’re going to make the playoffs we have to play better at home,” Murphy said. “But I think it’s coming.”
The Hawks could have won Sunday’s game in the second period, when a Christian Ruuttu pass broke Michel Goulet free and a Stephane Matteau pass sent Ruuttu in on Brodeur by himself. But Brodeur stopped all 18 shots at him in this period, including a tough Jocelyn Lemieux rebound and a Roenick shot that required a steady glove.
If Ruuttu had had his head up, rather than down, when Brodeur makes his successful poke-check move, he could have went to his backhand on the breakaway, not allowed himself to be stymied by Brodeur’s stick and scored into an empty net. But it is small details such as this that are keeping the Hawks locked into fifth place in the Central Division.
A lack of offense magnifies the tiniest letdown. Steve Dubinsky probably should have been on the side boards when defenseman Frantisek Kucera tried to chip the puck out of the Hawks’ zone early in the third period. He was maybe 4 feet out of position.
But that allowed New Jersey to take control, get the puck to mid-slot for Corey Millen and have his shot slam the left post, glance off Belfour’s back and into the net.
“I should have been there as outlet,” the recent minor-league recall said. “It’s things like that I have to do to stay here.”
Roenick provided the Hawks an early advantage, his power-play goal at 2:03 of the first period coming off a great crossing pass by defenseman Chris Chelios from the right point (where he had pinched in) to Roenick at the left post. Steve Smith made a strong play to keep the puck in the zone and allow that play to happen.
“We’re in their zone all second period and get only one power play?” Sutter said when questioned about referee Mick McGeough’s judgment, giving the Devils four power plays to the Hawks’ three in this game.
The Hawks often speak of the refs’ failures because they frequently need that one break to put them over the hump.
But maybe, just maybe, that’s a light glowing down there at the end of their tunnel. Nothing a few more goals couldn’t turn into a spotlight.
