On the National Hockey League’s master schedule, last Saturday’s Blackhawks-Nashville game is listed as game No. 574, which is the exact halfway point of a season totaling 1,148 contests.
Given that the game also marked the Hawks’ 41st of the season, the consistency in the opportunity for midseason reflection is extremely coincidental, if not also interesting.
More to the point, the oddity of the Hawks offering any semblance of consistency is what is noteworthy. Through the first half of a season that finds the Hawks one game better than last season’s crawl and again in the Western Conference cellar, this team has treated consistency like a well-worn enemy.
The Hawks have a knack for following impressive victories with poor showings — and vice versa. Never has that inconsistency been more neatly packaged and showcased than this past weekend.
The Hawks, displaying the poor passing and defensive miscues that have defined many losses, stumbled their way to a 6-3 loss in Nashville on Saturday. Less than 24 hours later, they kicked off the season’s second half with an emotional and inspired effort to knock off Colorado.
“If you look at our year so far,” said associate coach Lorne Molleken, “we’ve played some great hockey. And then we’ve played some very poor hockey.”
Given that the first 42 games have netted just 34 points, there has been more of the latter, of course. But the glimpses of the former are what make this team so maddeningly inconsistent, not to mention hungry for the second half.
The Hawks have beaten and tied Detroit. They have blown out Dallas. In the last 11 days, they have knocked off two first-place teams in Florida and Colorado.
“If you look at our team on paper and the talent on our roster, there is no way we should have any doubts against any team,” said goalie Jocelyn Thibault.
“We can beat any team. But it seems like when we play teams ahead of us in the standings, our emotional level is high and we get ready for the game. When we play other teams, we don’t. We shouldn’t do that because if you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.”
Or, to soften the cliche, at least classified. In the spirit of the standings, here are the winners, losers and ties from the first half of the season.
Winners
Befitting a season where the victory total is less than flattering, this won’t take too long.
OLD FAITHFULS
Tony Amonte and Doug Gilmour hooked up on one of the prettiest goals of the season Sunday against Colorado, with Amonte scoring, and it seemed fitting. Without these two, who rank 1-2 in scoring, the Hawks’ season would be uglier than it already is.
Gilmour, with an empty-netter on Sunday, already has matched his goal output from last season with 16. Amonte has 20 goals and is on pace for his second straight 40-goal season and third of his career. He also is likely to be added to the All-Star team as a reserve later this week, which would be his fourth straight appearance.
Gilmour missed the final 10 games of last season and underwent major back surgery but is skating with a passion and purpose that belies his 36 years.
“Both are true professionals who come to play every night,” assistant coach Denis Savard said.
STEALING DEALS
Steve Sullivan, claimed off waivers on Oct. 23 from Toronto, cost little money. Michael Nylander, acquired from Tampa Bay on Nov. 12, cost little personnel. Skating on a line with Dean McAmmond, both have contributed more than a little.
Nylander has 15 points in his last 17 games. Sullivan has 15 in his last 13.
“They’re skilled players who add a lot of speed to our lineup,” Molleken said.
Losers
At the halfway mark, the Hawks have 23 losses and almost as many culprits.
FRONT AND CENTER
Two of the Hawks’ four centermen are having trouble producing points and setting up teammates.
With nine goals and just 24 points, Alex Zhamnov is on pace for a 47-point season. That total would represent a career low, not to mention a career-high disappointment. Molleken talks about all the other aspects of Zhamnov’s game that go unnoticed—his strong defensive awareness, his playmaking and penalty-killing ability.
But when Zhamnov scores, as he did in netting the game-winner Sunday, the Hawks are a better team.
“The last few games, I’ve played against the other team’s top line so I’ve had to concentrate on my defense,” Zhamnov said. “For sure, I’d like to score more goals and it’s been a little tough to get some points.”
Marha, handed some prime real estate in centering a line for Eric Daze and Jean-Pierre Dumont, has three goals and eight points. He has scored once in the last 36 games.
HOLDING PATTERN
Anders Eriksson and Boris Mironov held out this season, and both have struggled to find the form that they flashed down the stretch last season.
Eriksson has sat as a healthy scratch five times this season as management has questioned his work ethic. Mironov woke up five games ago, with nine points since and most of them on the power play. Before then, he had managed just four points in 20 games.
“We knew all along it would take time for Boris to get where he wanted to be,” Molleken said. “It took 20 games.”
DEFENSE RESTS
Why single out the holdouts? Across the board, the Hawks’ play in their own zone has left plenty to be desired. The Hawks have allowed the most goals in the Western Conference at the midway point, and several of them have come off turnovers or defensive miscues. Bryan McCabe has been a consistent culprit.
“Our defensive zone coverage has been a problem all season,” Molleken said.
NO MORE MURRAY
Bob Murray paid for his—and others’—mistakes with his job, losing the general manager title on Dec. 2. Several of Murray’s personnel moves have been questioned. Two of his final moves—acquiring Sullivan and Nylander—look to be steals.
And Murray looks to be landing on his feet soon with a job in the Anaheim organization.
Ties
You get a point, so that’s positive. But you could’ve had two, so there’s regret. Somewhere in between winning and losing lies that mixed emotion of tying.
FOR-LORNE?
Lorne Molleken has endured an eventful year—in a half-season. He got punched in the face by an angry general manager in the preseason. He almost lost his father around the same time. On Dec. 2, he got demoted from head to associate coach.
Nevertheless, Molleken is out there every day, preaching positives and solidifying his reputation as a players’ coach.
“Everyone in this room wants to see him back,” veteran defenseman Dave Manson said.
Still, there is a growing feeling the Hawks will have to make the playoffs for Molleken to keep his job. Manager of Hockey Operations Mike Smith and General Manager Bob Pulford have said little about the subject, but Molleken is under constant evaluation.
“We’ve played better over the last 10 games,” Molleken said. “Unfortunately, there had to be a major shakeup for that to happen.”
MASKED MEN
After getting pulled from three starts and getting benched in favor of Steve Passmore, Jocelyn Thibault has played more consistently of late. Still, only the Islanders, Tampa Bay and Atlanta have worse goals-against averages than the Hawks.
“The way I played the first few weeks of the season was bad,” Thibault said. “But I’m seeing the puck well now.”
