Michael Nylander arrived at the United Center Sunday morning and saw a gray practice jersey in his locker.
The color of the practice jersey is a sign of where forwards stand in the pecking order.
For the Blackhawks, everyone would like to wear green in practice. Green is the color Alex Zhamnov wears, “one of the best centermen the good Lord dropped on this earth” in the words of coach Brian Sutter.
Gray is the color the extra players wear, the fourth-liners, guys recovering from injuries, the fighters and those who spend as much time watching games from the press box as healthy scratches as they do playing.
Nylander isn’t in danger of watching games from the press box–yet–but there was no gray area in the message Sutter was sending his center.
“Michael has to pick it up a notch, no question,” Sutter said. “The whole world sees that.”
In Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Calgary, Sutter juggled his top two lines after the Hawks fell behind 3-0, moving Steve Sullivan from Nylander’s line onto the top line with Alex Zhamnov and Sergei Berezin. Garry Valk took Sullivan’s place alongside Nylander and rookie Shawn Thornton.
Nylander played fewer minutes than any of the other three centers Saturday: 13:14–and was a minus-2. For the season, he has two assists and is minus-1.
The season is just four games old, but this is the second time already Sutter has talked about getting more out of Nylander.
“What can I say? I can play better,” Nylander said. “I’m not at the top of my game. I have to be there for the team.”
“Michael is a guy we count on,” Sutter said. “He was like this until halfway through the season last season too. He has to pick it up.”
One of those nights
Despite being down 2-0 after 20 minutes, Sutter thought the Hawks played one of their better periods of the season Saturday.
“The best player on the ice was their goalie,” Sutter said, referring to Roman Turek. “We had great chances and their goalie made the saves.”
Turek was strong in the first period as the Hawks outshot Calgary 13-6. Twice Turek denied Sullivan from just outside the crease. For the game the Hawks outshot Calgary 35-25.
“[Calgary] scored five goals real easily,” Sutter said. “That’s not just goaltending. That’s the defensemen on the ice, that’s the forwards coming back.”
One-timers
Valk returned home to Vancouver to be with his wife, who is expecting their second child. … Sutter said Eric Daze, who is recovering from back surgery, “is close to skating. I know he’s feeling really good.” … Sutter said he expected Theo Fleury, suspended for violating his substance-abuse aftercare program, to begin skating in the next 10 days to two weeks.
