If Scott Niedermeyer and the defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks are feeling the heat of the Western Conference playoff race, imagine what the Blackhawks are going through.
“You lose a little sleep at night because of it,” the veteran defenseman said of the tight race that currently has the Ducks in fifth place with 60 points entering play Tuesday night. “I’m sure it’s exciting for the fans and everybody involved with all the teams that are still right there with 30-some games to go. Almost every game now you’re playing has a lot of meaning in the standings.”
The meaning is multiplied for the Hawks, who with 32 games remaining are in 14th place with 50 points and begin a seven-game, 16-day trip against the Avalanche in Denver on Wednesday night.
“It’s now or never,” Hawks winger Patrick Sharp said. “Everyone knows how close the standings are, [but] a couple of wins and we’re right back in it. We’re aware of that and we can’t wait any longer. We need to put some games together. Every point is huge, especially when you’re chasing teams ahead of you.”
To make a move on those teams, the Hawks must do more than simply keep their heads above water on this trip, their longest of the season. The schedule favors the Hawks in March, when they play nine of 15 games at home, but first they need to make a postseason push away from the United Center. The Hawks have a 10-10-3 road record this season.
“It’s time to pick up ground,” coach Denis Savard said. “We’re six points out of the playoffs [and] there’s lots of hockey to be played. I told our guys, ‘You can’t get six points in one night, we have to work ourselves back up there and have a good trip and bring it back to our fans in March.’ If we’re there at the end of February, we’ll start to smell it and then we can make it.”
Last season it took 96 points to reach the postseason in the Western Conference and at 23-23-4, the Hawks would need to finish the regular season with 46 more points of a possible 64. To accomplish that they would have go 23-9 in their remaining games.
“We have 32 games left and we need to, obviously, be more than a .500 team to make the playoffs,” goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin said. “Every game is going to be important. The closer you get to the end it’s more and more important.”
Comings and goings
Winger David Koci cleared waivers and was sent to Rockford of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. Koci was scoreless with 68 penalty minutes in 18 games with the Hawks.
Martin St. Pierre was recalled from the IceHogs a day after scoring a goal and adding two assists in the AHL All-Star Game. This is the second stint with the Hawks for St. Pierre, who had 16 goals and 46 assists in 43 games with Rockford. St. Pierre was held scoreless against the Nashville Predators on Dec. 26 in his first go-round with the Hawks.
