16 Goals in Three Days: Yep, the Blackhawks Are on a Roll

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

Well, you certainly can’t say that the Chicago Blackhawks haven’t enjoyed playing three games in their last four days.

The Hawks beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Sunday night, one night after demolishing the St. Louis Blues 6-3 in the Gateway to the West. Toss in their 5-1 New Year’s Eve drubbing of the vaunted New Jersey Devils, and you have a team that not only has scored 16 goals in three games, but a team that has proven that it can beat the good teams and the not-so-good ones.

After a poor defensive outing on Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars, it was pretty easy to figure that the Blackhawks would be looking for revenge on Thursday night in a statement game against the Devils. What is surprising to most observers is that they managed to keep up the intensity over the weekend against the lowly Blues and Ducks.

While this portion of the schedule contains some real easy contests, the Hawks aren’t overlooking anyone. They came out ready to play against the Blues Saturday, and matched the St. Louis goonery with some physicality of their own. It was a game that answered critics who said the Hawks can’t amp up the physical portion of their game, and they showed that they can still put the puck in the net while hitting teams in the mouth.

Against the Ducks on Sunday, the Hawks came out a bit slow, but they amped up the intensity in the second and third periods. The injury-ravaged Ducks were no match for a squad playing its eighth and ninth periods in the last four days, and Chicago demonstrated its depth by putting out the fourth line of Eager-Fraser-Kopecky and watching them play up to the level of a solid second or third line.

With five points in his last six games, Kopecky has led the way on this line, with Eager fighting in each of the last two games and Fraser mixing it up as well. The mix of punishing physicality and scoring touch demonstrated by this line the past few games has foes shaking in their boots. The hyped-up four lines-deep attack that had been slobbered about in the pre-season seems to finally be coming to fruition in a big way, and this fourth line is the catalyst.

A more detailed portrait of the Hawks will come tomorrow in the form of an all-new Paint it Blackhawks Report Card, but for now, we will leave you with the Three Stars of this weekend for the Blackhawks.

Honorable Mention: Colin Fraser

While Kopecky may have had two goals yesterday, his linemate Fraser had an even more spectacular line. Not only did he assist on both of Kopecky’s goals, Fraser also won six out of seven face-offs, he blocked a shot, and he got into a pretty good scrap. Not a bad night for a guy who finally broke into the goal column this week.

Third Star: Marian Hossa

On Saturday night, Mr. Hossa was an offensive machine, leading drive after drive into the teeth of the Blues’ physical defensive attack, and he got two assists for his efforts. His effortless ability to shed defenders and hold onto the puck has been a sight for sore eyes, and has given the Blackhawks one more weapon in a potent puck-controlling offense.

On Sunday, Hossa went for a more goal-oriented approach, scoring twice on five shots and notching two takeaways in the team’s 5-2 victory. He once again played an offensively charged game, skating well for a guy who had three games on his odometer in the past four days.

On a night that saw his bobblehead given out to the loyal denizens of the United Center, Hossa once again demonstrated his ability to take over a game with his offensive prowess. Couple that skill with the team’s excellent defense, and you have a recipe for success.

Second Star:Brent Sopel

An assist, four hits, and 10 blocked shots……..needless to say, Mr. Sopel had an extremely good weekend.

Paint it Blackhawks hasn’t exactly been a steadfast fan of Brent over the course of this season, but even we have to admit that over the past few games, Sopel has played his best defense of the season, and he also has been an adept puck mover as well.

Even when Cam Barker was ejected last night and the Blackhawks were down to five D-men, Sopel stepped up in a big way, diving in front of shots, knocking Blues players off of the puck, and in general providing the kind of defense that you would expect from a man commanding his salary.

Needless to say, if Sopel can continue to play at this high quality level, PIB (and a lot of other Hawks fans) may have to seriously reconsider their stances on his abilities.

First Star: Brian Campbell

A lot of people have been drinking heavily on the delicacy known as the “Campbell Cool-aid” in recent weeks, but this weekend was just another example of how Soup’s improved play has helped his Blackhawks’ teammates.

On Saturday night, Campbell made a poor defensive play on a St. Louis rush, allowing a goal and a tied hockey game while the Blackhawks were killing off a ridiculous seven minute power play.

Not to be deterred, however, Brian made some stellar defensive plays the rest of the way, and even netted what would have been the game winning goal if Keith Tkachuk’s face hadn’t scored in the third period.

On Sunday, Campbell picked up right where he had left off, notching an assist, two blocked shots, and an impressive +3 in the Hawks’ victory.

Combined over the two days, Campbell played over 52 minutes of ice time, leading the team in a category that has historically belonged to Duncan Keith in recent years.

It was all of these contributions that made Soup such an indispensable part of this Hawks team this weekend, and may finally begin to get him some credit in Hawk fan circles.

After a day off (and a Report Card) Monday, the Hawks will return to action on Tuesday night when they take on the Minnesota Wild at the United Center. The game will start at 7pm CST and can be seen on Versus.

Tags: Brent Sopel, Brian Campbell, cam barker, Chicago Blackhawks, Colin Fraser, John Madden, marian hossa, Tomas Kopecky