After tangling with two of the NHL’s best at home over the weekend, it was kind of obvious the Hawks took the foot off the gas tonight. I can’t say that they were looking past the Wings, or what’s left of them, but it sure looked like that. Whatever it was, the Hawks were just kind of second best all over the ice for most of the game. And all the little blemishes of the Hawks’ game lately were on display once again. They were trying far too much cutesy shit at the blue line, resulting in killer turnovers or just loss of possession. Their puck support was just not there, as too many Hawks without the puck were looking for space for a pass that wasn’t coming from a teammate that was buried in red instead of helping him. And when a team can really pressure the Hawks D below the goal line, they can get yippy especially when the forwards aren’t close enough to help. The Hawks needed to be more straight line, especially against a defense that is simply dying to turn the puck over. They have to. They want to. It’s their oxygen. Thankfully Brendan Smith is still around for the Hawks to grab a point.
Whatever the Wings’ faults, you’ll never find a Babcock team not working hard enough. The Hawks didn’t want to or couldn’t match that level, which is why they were getting caught on the puck and couldn’t make plays tonight. It’s why you’ll see the Wings had the upper hand in Corsi or possession tonight, which really shouldn’t happen with a team this beat up.
Let’s get to it.
