Like almost everything else with the upstart Blackhawks, their response to losing leading scorer Patrick Kane to an injury has been unusual: They have increased their offensive output.
The Hawks have knocked in 11 goals in the two games Kane has been sidelined and are back on top in league scoring at 3.68 goals per game. They’re spreading the wealth as nine players have goals during the span, including players on all four lines.
“The balance has been awesome,” said Adam Burish, who scored his first goal of the season during Tuesday night’s 6-0 victory over the Coyotes in Glendale, Ariz. “That’s the big reason we’ve been successful. When we are playing so well, [coach Joel Quenneville] is rolling the four lines over. There’s not one or two lines scoring, or three or four guys scoring.
“You can throw anybody out there and they’re going to have the ability to score. That’s part of the reason down the stretch and into the playoff push, teams are going to have a tough time matching up.”
Kane, who is recovering from a right high-ankle sprain, practiced with the team Wednesday in preparation for Thursday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche and is considered day-to-day.
With the way the offense is rolling, there’s less urgency to rush the second-year winger back into the lineup and gives him more time to recover fully from the injury suffered Dec. 30 in Detroit and aggravated during the Winter Classic against the Wings on New Year’s Day.
The high-powered offense has eased the burden on Hawks goaltenders Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin.
“It’s great to have a team that can score that many goals,” said Huet, who was the beneficiary Tuesday as he recorded his second shutout of the season. “Eventually, sometimes we’re not going to score six. We have to be like we were in December when we won some 2-1 hockey games. Our defense is strong enough to do that.”
Star gazing: The Western Conference reserves for the 2009 All-Star Game were announced Wednesday and no Hawks were named. Kane, Jonathan Toews and Brian Campbell will start the game Jan. 25 in Montreal after being voted in by the fans. Duncan Keith, who played in his first All-Star Game last year, and Patrick Sharp, who leads the Hawks with 20 goals, were thought to be candidates to join their teammates on the squad.
One member of the organization did get positive All-Star news Wednesday as Petri Kontiola of the Hawks’ AHL Rockford affiliate was named to the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic. Kontiola leads the IceHogs with 33 points, including 24 assists. The game will be played Jan. 26 in Worcester, Mass.
Pace-setters: With 51 points after 37 games, the Hawks are well ahead of last season, when they didn’t reach that mark until their 52nd contest. The Hawks had 41 points after 37 games last season, when they fell three points short of the playoffs.
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ckuc@tribune.com
