In the case of rookie goaltender Craig Anderson, it might be worthwhile to revisit Blackhawks coach Brian Sutter’s comments on the night of Dec. 29.
Sutter said then not to judge the Hawks by victories and losses. What Sutter was trying to say is that even though the Hawks aren’t winning, the development of their younger players is just as important.
Anderson lost Tuesday night–again. But despite his 3-2 setback against the Vancouver Canucks, Anderson has shown recently that he has made some professional growth in the last year.
The prime example was on Vancouver’s second goal. A loose puck in no-man’s-land, with Todd Bertuzzi bearing down on him, forced a decision that eventually led to Bertuzzi shoveling the puck between Anderson’s pads.
In the past, Anderson would have replayed the goal over and over in his mind–and possibly given up a couple more in the process.
“I was a little too hard on myself last year,” Anderson said. “Right in the middle of games, I would be thinking `I should have had that.’ Now it’s just, `Maybe I should have had it, but let’s worry about it after the game.'” . . .
If the Hawks are showcasing Alex Zhamnov for a trade, they are doing a strange job of it. Zhamnov hasn’t played 20 minutes in any of the last four games.
Speaking of developing young prospects, Tuomo Ruutu hasn’t reached the 20-minute plateau since Nov. 29 and hasn’t played 18 minutes in a game since Jan. 4, a span of 10 games.
All Sutter said when Lasse Kukkonen was recalled was that he was interested in seeing the rookie defenseman. For the normally talkative Sutter, his curtness may speak volumes.
Kukkoken played 10:44 Tuesday after playing just 8:48 Saturday in Columbus. The Hawks expected Kukkonen, who was captain of his team in the Finnish League, to be a regular on their defense this season.
Meanwhile, Sutter favorite Burke Henry logged his third straight 20-plus-minute game Tuesday.
