Posts Tagged ‘Brian Campbell’

Blackhawks good in losing effort to Rangers

November 2nd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to write a game recap, and Henrik Lundqvist got in the way of making this a pleasant affair, despite the optimistic tone of this post. He was amazing, and is easily my favorite goaltender in the league. Lundqvist is the Rangers, and he proved that tonight fending off a determined Hawks offense, stopping 33 of the 35 shots faced. Without him they’d be at the bottom of the barrel that is the eastern conference.

The Blackhawks were able to set up shop in the offensive zone, but had a difficult time getting shots through traffic. When they did, there was Lundqvist. The Hawks were only able to net a couple goals due to a couple bounces that when their way. The First goal was deflected by Tomas Kopecky on the power play, and the second came from Patrick Kane at a tough angle where the puck trickled through the five hole.

There is never such a thing as a good loss when you’re the defending Stanley Cup Champions, but there were a few positives to come out of this game. Brain Campbell looked good in his season debut, and the defense was better as a whole with him in the lineup. He was a culprit in the Hawks ability to spend as much time in the offensive zone as they did on Monday.

Even before Campbell returned in New York, the Blackhawks’ transition game has shown signs of progression. Defenseman are making better passes, and the forwards that are new to the team are learning their importance to the break-out effort at this level. Players are beginning to find their role, and this version of the Blackhawks is close to discovering the identity or chemistry we often hear about.

Due to all the roster turnover this off-season, growing pains were expected. Anyone who thought the Hawks were going to hit the ground running, were just fooling themselves. Coach Quenneville will right the ship, and is slowly getting everyone on buy in. He has his team controlling the flow of the game, and working hard on the back check. The Hawks limited the Rangers to just 23 shots against, which was the third consecutive sub-30 shot game by an opponent.

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Brian Campbell returns to blue line in NY

November 1st, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Defenseman Brian Campbell will make his season debut Monday night in New York. The red-headed defender missed the first four weeks of the year with a sprained knee he injured in a pre-season game against Pittsburgh. Campbell will wear a knee brace for the rest of the season.

His return couldn’t come at a better time. The Blackhawks lost star forward Marian Hossa last week to an upper-body injury, and the Hawks’ blue line has left a lot to be desired in Campbell’s absence. He will add some depth to the position, resulting in less playing time for fellow defenseman Jassen Cullimore, Nick Boynton and John Scott down the road. Yay.

In hindsight, it was too early for me to deem Boynton as this year’s Brent Sopel. I made the comparison based on Boynton’s willingness to sacrifice his body in order to block a shot – currently leads the league with 37 – but his play has been atrocious in the defensive zone otherwise. Coach Quenneville hasn’t been pleased with his efforts either, as Boynton is a scratch against the Rangers. Scott will line up as a fourth-line forward, and Cullimore will fill out the third defensive paring alongside Jordan Hendry.

Campbell isn’t known for his defensive prowess, but his speed is an asset other defenders on the roster lack on the back-check. Niklas Hjalmarsson has to be the happiest Hawk after hearing the news of Campbell’s return. He can go back to playing the defensive role he excelled in last year, as there is some level of comfort/familiarity he’ll get being paired with Campbell once again.

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Marian Hossa out a couple weeks with upper-body injury

October 28th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Marian Hossa left part-way through the second period in Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory over the Kings, after he was hit by forward Jarret Stoll. Initial reports have Hossa missing two weeks with an upper-body injury. Got to love the vague description. Anyways, it sounds like the injury is to either his shoulder or arm. Aggravating his surgically repaired shoulder would be the last thing the Blackhawks need right now.

Loosing a two-way winger of Hossa’s caliber will obviously hurt on both ends of the ice. Coach Quenneville said a player be called-up from Rockford (AHL) to replace right winger before Friday’s game against the Oilers at home. Jeremy Morin would be the ideal choice, but he was hurt over the weekend.

Campbell eying his return

Brian Campbell could return to action as soon as this weekend from a sprained right knee. He started skating over the weekend, and has been practicing with the team. Campbell will play with a knee brace for the remainder of the season, which they say won’t hinder his skating and speed.

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Paging Brian Campbell

October 25th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

It has always fascinated me how quick momentum can shift within the game of hockey. Not just over the course of a game (example: Blackhawks lose a 2-0 lead going into the second period on Saturday), but how a team’s perception is altered over a weekend (example: Blackhawks lose two games in two days to division foes). Everything was gravy a few days ago, but the Hawks are in the middle of a three-day lay off feeling bitter about the one they let get away.

Following Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Blue Jackets, Jonathan Toews said,

“I have to try not to run my mouth and say things I’m going to regret right now I’m a little worked up right now. This is a similar loss to that game against Nashville in our own building. There’s no way we throw away that game it’s two big division points.

“Giving up a goal with 30 seconds left and taking a five-minute penalty is not the way we want to finish the second period. It seems like that’s when we started letting off the gas pedal. If we’re going to score 2 or 3 goals a night, we have to find ways to be smarter defensively.”

Going into the second period up two goals, the Blackhawks began playing protect-the-lead hockey. If might have worked last year, but that crap don’t fly when you allow 40 shots on the night, as they did against Columbus, with 20 of them coming in the third period. The Hawks are 24th in the league with 34.1 shots allowed per game.

Knowledgeable fans know this, but the following needs to be said for all the meatballs out there, as well as newcomers to the sport. Goaltending is not the Hawks’ issue. The tandem of Marty Turco and Corey Crawford have a healthy .918 save percentage, which ranks eighth best in the league. It’s been the team’s overall defensive play, but it’s the Hawks’ shallow blue line has been exploited.

The return of Brain Campbell to the lineup should help remedy some of the issues regarding the Hawks’ blue line. One obvious reason is that he’ll provide Coach Quenneville with more depth at the position. Nick Boynton will see less than 20 minutes a game on the third paring, Jassen Cullimore will be assigned to Rockford and the oafish John Scott will be a healthy scratch some nights.

Having Campbell back on defense will bolster the Blackhawks’ transition game, and overall play in the offensive zone. Puck possession was key to last year‘s success, which Campbell played an important role in that aspect of their game. Controlling the puck they way they did was why they out-shot opponents in almost every games, and why the Hawks had the fewest shots against last year with 25.1 per game.

Campbell skated for the first time this weekend since injuring his knee, and should be game ready to play in a week or two.

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Niklas Hjalmarsson gets two games for Pominville hit

October 12th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Pominville carried out on a stretcher (AP Photo/David Duprey)

The Blackhawks came from behind to defeat the Sabres 4-3 for their first win of the season. The story of the game isn’t Marian Hossa’s two goal performance, but rather Niklas Hjalmarsson’s hit on Jason Pominville in the first period. Hjalmarsson received a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct for the hit. Pominville was carted off the ice and diagnosed with a concussion. For the hit, judge, jury and executioner Colin Campbell suspended the Swedish defenseman two games.

In my opinion, Hjalmarsson’s suspension is a game or two too long. Remember Alexander Ovechkin’s hit on Brian Campbell last year? Ovechkin was suspended two games for shoving Campbell into the boards. Hjalmarsson came in hard from the blue line with the intention of knocking Pominville off the puck. It was a shoulder-to-shoulder hit, and the Sabre didn’t brace himself for the amount of force and awkwardly banged his head against the glass.

Aside from the outcome, the same sort anyone can find in every other game without any level of discipline. There was no intent to injure and Hjalmarsson is not a repeat offender, but the only reason he will miss two games is because Pominville was concussed. The only questionable aspect of the hit was whether the puck got to Pominville in time, which is always up to interpretation.

In his first game back from serving the two game suspension, Hjalmarsson and company will face the Sabres at home on Saturday. This may be an understatement, but things should get interesting in the rematch. There have been a few threats coming out of Buffalo already.

A thin blue line

The season isn’t even a week old, and Hawks’ blue line depth has been thoroughly tested. Campbell was knocked out for four-to-five weeks in the pre-season with an knee injury, Nick Boynton was suspended for his throat slash gesture and now Hjalmarsson will be watching the game from the press box. For the next two games, the Blackhawks will be without their second defensive pairing.

I’ve been one of Nick Leddy’s harshest critics, but I’ll admit that the 19-year-old has shown signs of improvement. I just wish he wasn’t learning on the job. Giving substantial minutes to Leddy, Boynton and John Scott is worrisome. The Blackhawks shots against total (34.0) needs to come down in order for the Blackhawks to win consistently this season.

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Eight fantasy relevant Blackhawks, plus sleepers

October 1st, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Fantasy drafts are well underway, and the Blackhawks have eight players that should find their way on to a team in every possible format. For the purpose of this article we’ll stick with the standard 6 x 4 category league. Goals, assists, plus/minus, penalty-minutes power play points and shots on goal for skaters, and wins, goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts for goalies.

Patrick Kane (RW) – He led the Blackhawks in scoring last year, and is poised to break the century mark in his fourth season. Kane has pin-point accuracy with his wrist shot, and could see 35-plus goals on Chicago’s top line. Not much of a scrapper, but he can produce in each category. Kane has the potential to be the best fantasy right winger this year. (2009-10: 30 G, 58 A, +16, 20 PIM, 29 PPP and 261 SOG)

Marian Hossa (RW) – Despite playing on the second line, Hossa can produce a point-per-game, had the potential to reach the 40-goal plateau again and rack up the shots on goal. He has dropped on many draft boards because he only played about two-thirds of the season (57 games) recovering from shoulder surgery. Hossa would be a steal if he fell to third round. (24 G, 27 A, +24, 18 PIM, 7 PPP and 199 SOG)

Jonathan Toews (C) – Notoriously a slow starter, the fantasy hockey world hopes Toews’ hot stick that propelled Team Canada to a gold medal and Blackhawks to the Stanley cup hasn‘t cooled. Two seasons ago he was snakebit, and last year he suffered from post-concussion symptoms. Despite playing at the deepest position, you’re going to want to grab him early. Expect big things from Captain Serious. (25 G, 43 A, +22, 47 PIM, 22 PPP and 202 SOG).

Duncan Keith (D) – He may not be the fantasy juggernaut that is Mike Green, but the reigning Norris Trophy winner will be a top point producer on defense. There isn’t much selling needed when it comes to Keith. He’s one of the hardest working players out of the ice each night, and he won’t have any trouble living up the lofty expectations. Keith it near or at the top in every category. (14 G, 55 A, +21, 55 PIM and 213 SOG)

Patrick Sharp (C,LW) – Playing on the Blackhawks’ second line with Hossa for a full season will add to this already solid fantasy value. As will the duel position eligibility at center and left wing. Sharp will help owners across the boards, minus the penalty minutes. The pretty boy doesn’t like to get his hands dirty. (25 G, 41 A, +24, 28 PIM, 16 PPP and 266 SOG)

Marty Turco (G) – Turco is no longer the elite fantasy goalie he once was at the ripe age of 35, and is far from worthy of being drafted anywhere in the first five rounds. He’ll be productive for the Blackhawks because of their puck control style of play. Turco will be a great No. 2 goaltender on any fantasy roster, and should start anywhere between 55 to 65 games. (22 W, 2.72 GAA, .913 SV% and 4 SO)

Brian Campbell (D) – 2009-10 was a bit of a down season for the puck moving defenseman. Owners can normally rely on Campbell for 50-plus points this year. He was forced to miss a handful of games down the stretch because of a broken collarbone. Campbell will be the quarterback of the first power-play unit, and see around 20 minutes a night per usual. (7 G, 31 A, +18, 18 PIM, 11 PPP and 131 SOG)

Brent Seabrook (D) – Much of what Seabrook does on the ice doesn’t translate to the fantasy game, and he will never the sexiest fantasy defenseman. He’s still young, but with five full seasons in the league don’t expect a jump in offensive production. Seabrook will have a point total in the 30s, but his stellar plus/minus rating gives him value. He will also rack up a decent amount of penalty minutes and see time on the power-play unit. (6 G, 24 A, +20, 59 PIM, 6 PPP and 129 SOG)

The Sleepers –

Troy Brouwer (RW) – Brouwer will have the role of being the muscle somewhere within the top two lines in Chicago. Coach Quenneville will need him to battle in the corners and in front of the net each night. As a result his penalty minutes and goal totals should be on the rise this year. Brouwer could see time on the power-play as well. (22 G, 18 A, +8, 66 PIM, 13 PPP and 116 SOG)

Dave Bolland (C) – There might not be anyone on this roster with as much to prove as Bolland at 24-years-old. There are lofty expectations for the pivot, who signed a long-term deal with the Blackhawks last summer. Bolland is coming off a season where he missed 43 games due to back surgery, and showed signs of what could be. From all accounts, Bolland is going into the season healthy. Oh, and there is a chance he centers the second line with Hossa and Sharp. (6 G, 10 A, +5, 28 PIM, 2 PPP and 52 SOG)

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Brian Campbell game-time decision for Game #4

April 22nd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Campbell after hit (Getty Images)

The three-headed monster that is the core of Blackhawk beat writers (Tim Sassone of the Daily Herald, Chris Kuc of the Tribune and Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times) are reporting that defenseman Brian Campbell is a game-time decision for Game #4. Even ESPNChicago’s man-child Jesse Rogers has predicted the return of the Campbell to the blue line. So it must be true.

Campbell suffered a broken clavicle on March 14th after Alexander Ovechkin shoved him into the boards in the Blackhawks zone. Ovechkin was suspended for two games, and Campbell was ruled out of commission for seven to eight weeks as he healed. It was originally thought that Campbell wouldn’t return until the second round of the playoffs, but with the Blackhawks’ backs up against the wall after three games (Predators lead series 2-1) they are willing to rush the seven-million-dollar man.

From what I’ve been reading, Campbell was ahead of schedule in regards to the healing process, and he’s been skating in practice for just over a week. The big-picture side of me would like to wait on him to be completely healed, but the selfish side (the side my girlfriend always complains about) wouldn’t mind seeing him suit up tonight. The Blackhawks sure could use a puck-moving defenseman in the lineup to help breakdown the Predators’ trap defense. Campbell will need doctor’s note before that happens. It’s the playoffs. Man up, broseph.

Lineup notes – Coach Q will insert Bryan Bickell and Adam Burish into the lineup tonight in lieu of Ben Eager and Colin Fraser. I’m a fan of this Burish quote Sassone used in his blog post this afternoon:

“You got the Nashville coaches sitting up there watching to see who’s going to do the extra skating. But we all got off the ice together.”

You sure fooled them, Adam. Keep up the Jedi mind tricks young padawan.

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Nothing Semi-Witty To Write Here – Blackhawks 2, Blues 4

March 31st, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Ugh, the Blackhawks are taking all the fun out of writing right about now. I’ve been spoiled with the winning ways of the ‘Hawks earlier this season. Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Blues marked a ten-game stretch where the Blackhawks have gone 3-5-2 (with three consecutive losses). That is eight points earned out of a possible twenty, and they are barely holding onto the second seed in the West. In the Central Division the Predators are just five points behind and the Red Wings are six.

There are seven games left in the regular season for this team to find their way out of their current slump. Not going to lie, I’m starting to worry about this team. I really don’t know if the Blackhawks can remedy their anemic defense before it’s too late. I never thought in a million year that I would miss Brian Campbell, and what he brings to the offense and defense. Next year you won’t read any unwarranted shots at the seven-million-dollar-man from me. I’m doubtful of this, but hopefully Kim Johnsson can improve the team’s play on both ends of the ice whenever he is able to shake off his post-concussion symptoms.

Blame can’t solely be placed on the blue liners. The offense hasn’t been affective on the back-check and in their zone of late. A great example of this happened on Tuesday when Patrick Sharp couldn’t keep up with a streaking Erik Johnson on his way to score the Blues’ fourth and final goal.

Anyway, that’s all I can muster for this game review. Jonathan Toews two assists last night did help on of my many fantasy teams, but that only lifted my spirits for a brief moment in time. Next up, the Blackhawks will play the Minnesota Wild in the second of back-to-back games tonight. Unfortunately, this blogger plans to watch it.

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Off With His Head – Blackhawks 2, Ducks 4

March 18th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

This is frustrating. It seems like the league’s officiating has gone downhill since the Olympic break, and lately the Blackhawks have been on the wrong end of errant calls more then before. Before we go down that road, I wanted to do a very brief recap of last night’s 4-2 loss to the Ducks. The Blackhawks played relatively well on both ends of the ice. Corey Crawford looked okay in net. He made one bad play – leaving the crease to clear the puck from his zone, which led to a shorthanded goal for the Ducks. On the other end of the ice, Jonas Hiller stood on his head – as always – stopping thirty-nine of forty-one shots on goal.

The story from last night’s game was James Wisniewski’s hit of Brent Seabrook that only earned him two minutes in the box. Should have been longer, possibly a game misconduct. It was charging, interference and intent to injure all rolled into one. The refs blew the call when it happened, but the league has already announced they are reviewing the hit. I won’t be pleased with the ruling if he is suspended for two games or less. Nick Boynton became a hero in Chicago after one day on the job for dropping the gloves vs. Wisniewski in the last minute of the game.

Alexander Ovechkin’s hit on Brian Campbell was tame compared to Wisniewski’s hit on Seabrook. I know I keep saying this, but Ovechkin plays a reckless game. He may not fully understand the severity of his actions. Ovechkin planted his feet and drove Campbell’s defenseless body awkwardly to the boards, but in no way do I think he wanted to hurt the seven-million-dollar-man. Wisniewski went headhunting to exact revenge on Seabrook for a hit on Perry seconds earlier, and all he got was two minutes for charging? That is bull-roar.

Watch and listen (bellow). The worst part of this clip is that Anaheim’s color commentator, Brian Hayward, is questioning whether Seabrook is ‘selling’ the call. From what I’ve read elsewhere, Hayward later apologized for the comment.

Wisniewski sped to the corner, from the other end of the ice, with the intention to take a run at the Blackhawk defenseman, leaving his feet to bash Seabrook’s head into the glass. That hit was dirtier then Rod Blagojevich. Although, initially stunned, it didn’t appear as though Seabrook sustained any injury as a result of the hit, but he left the game. The Blackhawks already thin blue line could become thinner if Seabrook is out for any amount of time, and brace yourself to witness Dustin Byfuglien on defense once again. I doubt the small contingent that hoped Wisniewski would return to the Blackhawks one day exists no longer.

Next up, the Blackhawks will play the Kings tonight in Los Angeles. If Coach Quenneville can’t use Wednesday’s game to motivate his team, I don’t know what will. The ‘Hawks hope to stop their three-game losing streak.

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Ovechkin’s Hit On Campbell – The Aftermath

March 16th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Alexander Ovechkin –

Right around quitting time (Central) yesterday the news about Alexander Ovechkin’s immediate future after his questionable hit on Brian Campbell last Sunday was released. The National Hockey League opted to suspend the Russian superstar for two games without pay. Ovechkin will forfeit $232,000 and will miss Tuesday’s game at Florida and Thursday’s at Carolina. Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, Colin Campbell (no relation to Brian), said that Ovechkin’s hit on Blackhawk defenseman Campbell was ‘reckless’ – which is something I alluded to yesterday before Ovechkin’s two-game suspension was announced.

Since yesterday’s ruling, I’ve read a lot of opinions regarding the length of the suspension. Some arguing that it was a clean hit, and others stating that the league should make an example of a high profile player like Ovechkin for his dirty hit. Personally, two games sounds about right. Two arguments that seem to surface most in the debate is whether Ovechkin being a repeat offender and/or Campbell’s injury factored into the length of the suspension. Since there is no reality in which these issues don’t exist, it seems rather trivial to spend time discussing them. However, for the sake of biased blogging – yes and no.

Brian Campbell –

Finally, the word came from the Blackhawks regarding Campbell’s injuries as a result of being shoved into the boards by Ovechkin. Chicago Blackhawks Head Team Physician, Dr. Michael Terry, said this:

“Brian Campbell suffered a clavicle fracture and a rib fracture on Sunday. He will likely avoid surgery and we anticipate a full recovery. He should be ready to play in approximately seven to eight weeks.”

Campbell will miss less time then I initially thought and wrote. He will be on the shelf for the remainder of the season, but could be ready to return to action in early May. Campbell is obviously a tremendous asset, but the ‘Hawks have proven they bury their heads in the sand when a key player goes down. The Blackhawks will rely more on newly acquired defenseman Kim Johnsson, but not until after the two-game Southern California leg – he didn’t make the trip with an injury. The Blackhawks recalled defenseman Nick Boynton, and he is eligible to play as soon as Wednesday’s game in Anaheim.

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