Posts Tagged ‘Niklas Hjalmarsson’

Escape From Cowtown – Blackhawks 3, Flames 1

January 22nd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Where was the tenacity we are used to seeing from Calgary last night? Coming off a 9-1 loss to the Sharks you would think the Flames would come out swinging, but the Blackhawks did them a favor and handed them their sixth consecutive loss. The Flames we are familiar play a physical brand of hockey, are chippy and antagonize opposing players. None of that was really going on last night. With the recent history between the two teams, if the Blackhawks of all teams can’t provoke any energy from the Flames there is a big problem in Cowtown.

Miikka Kiprusoff (spelled it right the first time) was the only Flame to show up. His performance last night trumps that of Jonas Hiller and Brian Elliot. Except for Patrick Kane’s goal in the second period, Kipper was flawless. It took a series of lucky redirects for the Blackhawks to take beat Kiprusoff to take the lead in the third period. Tomas Kopecky tossed the puck at the net, it ricocheted off a Flame defender and its course was corrected off Ben Eager’s right leg. Rarely was Kiprusoff out of position and he didn’t cough up any rebounds.

After a brief hiatus, the Blackhawks’ defense returned last night. Not to take anything away from the solid game from Antti Niemi, but he faced a very manageable twenty shots. He made some great saves too. The only goal Niemi let in was on the penalty kill, Colin Fraser just lost his stick, he made the initial save with the insole of his skate and Brent Sopel was unable to clear the puck before Jamie Lundmark tapped in the rebound. An honorable mention should go out to Niklas Hjalmarsson, John Madden and Marian Hossa for their back checking.

Ducan Keith scored the final Blackhawks goal to clinch the Blackhawks 3-1 victory on an empty net. Hossa saw him streaking down the center of the ice, and set him up with a cross-ice pass.

Next up, the Blackhawks take the road show into Vancouver this Saturday. They have one three of the four games played on the trip so far with four more to go.

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Blackhawks 1, Senators 4

January 20th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Another great performance from a goalie impeded the Blackhawks’ progress in the West, and it came at the hands of the little known Brian Elliot of the Ottawa Senators. He didn’t stand on his head like Jonas Hiller, but he came up with some big saves to keep the Senators on top. Elliot stopped twenty-nine of the thirty shots he faced, and was named the first star of the game as the Blackhawks lost 1-4.

The Senators controlled the game in the first period. They came out of the period with a 2-0 lead due to a few key defensive lapses from the Blackhawks. First, Brent Seabrook turned the puck over behind the net that the Senator’s first goal. Cristobal Huet was drawn out of his crease for the wide-open shot on net. Later, Brian Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson were soft on the back check leading to the Sentors’ second goal. Ryan Shannon was able to redirect of Peter Regin’s pass to beat Huet up high.

In the second period the Blackhawks were better in their offensive zone, and the momentum of the game started to shift in their favor. The Blackhawks took a few bad penalties in the game, but the slashing call on Jonathan Toews bogus. At least Marian Hossa was able to capitalize on the situation, and scored the lone Blackhawks’ goal of the night while Toews was in the box. It is the team’s league leading eighth short-handed goal of the season.

Hossa’s goal was the product Duncan Keith’s interception of a pass in front of Huet and quick up-ice pass. The assist was Keith’s forty-fifth point of the season – a career high for the defenseman.

With less then two minutes left in the second any wind the Blackhawks had in their proverbial sails disappeared when Regin scored on a wrap around. Huet was so far out of position on this one, all the way on the other side of the crease. Regin’s goal, and Elliot’s diving save earlier in the period to stop Hossa’s sure goal proved that this wasn’t the Blackhawks’ night.

The rest of the third was just more of the same from the Blackhawks – bad penalties (see Dustin Byfuglien’s roughing call), porous defense and questionable goaltending. All of which attributed to the Senators’ fourth and final goal of the game. The Blackhawks’ penalty kill was perfect up to this point, but the lack of resistance from Keith and Seabrook in their zone allowed Mike Fisher to score with the man-advantage.

Anyway, the season is long, and the Blackhawks are on their way to top billing in the West. So, no worries just yet. Next up, the Blackhawks will look to rebound in Calgary tomorrow night. The ‘Hawks have owned the Flames going back to last season.

AHL All-Star Game

Jack Skille had two assists in the AHL exhibition game, and a plus/minus of +1. Mark Cullen didn’t crack the score sheet. The Canadian team beat PlanetUSA 10-9 in a shootout.

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Forget Minnesota, Bring On The Ducks, And Skille Recalled

January 10th, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

When the Blackhawks are up 5-1 going into the third period you tend to feel good about the outcome of the game. The first forty minutes were great, but the last twenty – not so much. Minnesota scored four consecutive goals in the final period of the game, and Owen Nolan scored the game winner in the shootout to give the Wild a 6-5 victory.

Cristobal Huet was not good at all last night, and was bailed out by the defense so often – see Niklas Hjalmarsson’s diving block in the second period where Huet was so far out of the net. Minnesota kept pressing, and the Blackhawks failed to preserve a four-goal lead. So not all the blame lands squarely on the goaltender’s shoulders. Huet would have been pulled, however, if Antti Niemi weren’t going to start tonight.

Anyway, the Blackhawks will have to put this one behind them and focus on tonight’s game against the Anaheim Ducks at the United Center. No word yet about the status of Cam Barker for this game, and Jack Skille was recalled from Rockford this morning.

Patrick Kane will look to extend his point streak to twelve games tonight. He has scored nine goals and nine assists during the stretch. Kane has seen his point total rise to fifty-two, and is tied for sixth in the league with Brad Richards.

Changes have been reflected on our In the Organization page above.

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Blackhawks 6, Blues 3

January 3rd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Last night’s 6-3 victory in St. Louis turned into a melee on the ice because the Blues were reckless, and the officiating was atrocious. Ben Eager won’t miss anytime for fighting with bandages on his hands – apparently that’s frowned upon by the league. Even Jonathan Toews got into the mix. I like his willingness to jump in there, but no one ever wants Toews to drop the gloves and risk injury.

The Blackhawks were a vastly superior team, and the Blues resorted to mass-goonery because they couldn’t keep up. Cristobal Huet had an decent night and come up with a few big saves. If Tomas Kopecky can tally two goals on an opposing team, they aren’t any good.

Anyway, the ‘Hawks will host the Anaheim Ducks at the United Center tonight. Fatigue is always a concern when playing back-to-back games, but starting Antti Niemi in net should alleviate some of that. Niklas Hjalmarsson should won’t be back tonight after missing the trip to St. Louis with a ‘head-injury’. Jordan Hendry will start in his place.

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Blackhawks Get First Crack At Blues In The Payne Era

January 2nd, 2010 by Leigh Michael Dengis

The last time the Blackhawks played the Blues head coach Andy Murray let things get a little dirty. St. Louis was on the loosing end of a 3-0 shutout, and Murray unleashed Barrett Jackman and company on the ‘Hawks. Tonight’s game should be different in that the Blues brass canned Murray this morning, and Davis Payne will take over behind the bench as interim head coach.

He is a virtual unknown to the general hockey fan, but Payne has an ECHL Championship (2006) on his resume. He was previously the head coach of their AHL affiliate the Peoria Rivermen (19-13-1-2). The Blackhawks should be licking their lips at the opportunity to face the Blues in the first game of the Payne era.

Coach Quenneville has turned the team’s scoring woes around since the demotion of Kris Versteeg to the third line on December 13th. The ‘Hawks have only scored less then three goals in the ten games after the lines were shuffled only one time – with an 8-2-0 record. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have seen their point production rise significantly since my boy Troy Brouwer joined the two on the first line – replacing Versteeg.

The recent success with the man-advantage can also be attributed to the increase in overall scoring. In the last five games the ‘Hawks have scored with the man-advantage at least once a game, thus bringing the power play unit’s percentage is up to 20.3.

Lineup notes – Niklas Hjalmarsson didn’t make the trip to St. Louis, so Jordan Hendry should be paired with Brian Campbell.

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Bickell Reassigned, And Marcus Kruger At The WJCs

December 28th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

- Bryan Bickell was reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs this morning. It could be a while till he is recalled again. Kris Versteeg and Niklas Hjalmarsson were both on the ice at today’s practice. I would expect that both would recover from whatever ailed them before tomorrow night’s game in Dallas. Bickell has played twelve games with the Blackhawks this season, and has one goal and one assist.

- Chris Kuc reported that Adam Burish skated before today’s practice, and Cristobal Huet will start in net against the Stars.

- In yesterday’s Swedish 7-3 victory over Austria at the World Junior Championships, prospect Marcus Kruger had one assist and a plus/minus rating of +3. In two games played in the tournament Kruger has two assists, two penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of +4. Sweden’s next game will be tomorrow against the Russians.

Changes have been reflected on our In the Organization page above.

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Blackhawks News And Notes; World Junior’s Start Today

December 26th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

News…

- Bryan Bickell was recalled (again) this morning, and will be in Nashville for tonight’s game against the Predators. Per usual, this means Ben Eager will be held out of the lineup with an undisclosed ‘upper-body’ injury. Ben Eager and Cam Barker will return to the lineup, but Kris Versteeg and Niklas Hjalmarsson will be out of the lineup due to feeling sick.

- The Rockford IceHogs recalled goaltender Alec Richards, forwards Adam Hobson and Maxime Tanguay (non-rostered) from the Toledo Walleye.

…and Notes

- The World Junior Hockey Championships start today, and the lone Blackhawks prospect to participate in the tournament is Sweden’s Marcus Kruger. For those of you who have the NHL Network you can catch Sweden play the Czech Republic at 5:30pm Central – the game will be played earlier in the day. Shawn Lalonde and Dylan Olsen were cut from the Canadian camp.

Changes have been reflected on our In the Organization page above.

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Bickell Recalled For Wings

December 20th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

A few lineup notes – Bryan Bickell was recalled from Rockford, again. This likely means Ben Eager will be out of tonight’s game. It’s being reported the he is battling an upper-body injury. I would expect for Niklas Hjalmarsson to be back to man the blue line, and starting in net will be Cristobal Huet.

UPDATE: Cam Barker is not in the lineup. Jordan Hendry will fill his spot on the third pairing.

Changes have been reflected on our In the Organization page above.

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The Value Of Antti Niemi

December 7th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Let me start off this post by stating that I am not calling for Antti Niemi to take starts away from Cristobal Huet. I’ve let it be known that I’m not a big fan of Cristo’s, but I know he is the best goalie on the Blackhawks’ depth-chart. Niemi still has a long way to go. Yet, there will be those writers in the media and in the blog-o-sphere that will feed the meatheads their steak and potatoes by saying otherwise. A couple days both parties will forget all about the Fin.

Anyway, a busy off-season awaits Stan Bowman next summer. Contracts will be moved due to the organizations successful attempt to lock up the Big Three. Even a few remaining restricted free agents will have to go in order to create enough cap-space for next season’s payroll. Two players Bowman would be a fool to trade are Niklas Hjalmarsson and Niemi. Hjalmarsson gets enough love being an everyday player, but Niemi’s value to the team is only brought up when he wins a big game or when Huet struggles.

Niemi is 5-1-1 on the season with two shutouts. Granted seven games is a small sample size, but Niemi has the best goals-against average in the league (1.71) and fourth best save percentage (.931). The best part about those numbers is that they are this good when he is sitting on the bench for weeks between starts. In his role, Niemi has been as asset. Quenneville has alluded to idea that Niemi has earned more consistent playing time, but with Huet playing well this season he’ll be hard pressed to do give the Fin more opportunities to start. I still expect him to get around twenty-five starts on the season.

There is a lot that can happen between now and the end of the 2011-12 season when Huet’s contract is up, but in Niemi the Blackhawks found a solid backup going forward and possible goalie of the future – Corey Crawford is pretty much out of the picture these days. Niemi can be compared to some of the better backups around the league – Ty Conklin for example – minus the track record. Bowman could re-sign Niemi this off-season for two or three years with a slight raise to around $1.2M per-year.

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Top Ten Blackhawk Prospects: Fall 2009

November 24th, 2009 by Leigh Michael Dengis

Red Rising’s second attempt at ranking the Blackhawks top ten prospects is here. Niklas Hjalmarsson has been great this season, and has played enough games in the NHL to graduate from the summer rankings (he was #2). Skaters with more than forty games played in the NHL and goalies with more than twenty appearances are exempt – age doesn’t factor into the rankings.

1. Kyle Beach (LW) – A couple days after the Blackhawks cut him from training camp, the Lethbridge Hurricanes traded Beach to another WHL team, the Spokane Chiefs. He is in his last year of eligibility at the junior hockey ranks. With Spokane, Beach has nineteen goals (fifth in the WHL) and eight assists in twenty-one games, and what would a power forward be with out putting in his time in the penalty box – he has 69 penalty-minutes on the season. (Previous Rank: 1)

2. Shawn Lalonde (D) – Lalonde missed nine games this season with a shoulder injury, but back in the lineup and producing from the blue line. In eighteen games, Lalonde has eighteen points (six goals, twelve assists). He is a great skater, but could improve in the defensive zone. Lalonde preformed well at Team Canada’s junior development camp this summer, and he could make the national team for the World Junior Championships next month. (Previous Rank: 4)

3. Dylan Olsen (D) – Olsen seems to have everything you want out of a defenseman. He skates well, is capable on both ends of the ice and has a physical style of play. In his first collegiate year at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Olsen has tallied eight assists in twelve games. Like Lalonde, he is also being considered for Canada’s World Junior team. (Previous Rank: 5)

4. Akim Aliu (C/RW) – Originally drafted at center, the IceHogs have been playing Aliu primarily on the wing. His offensive production is down in his first year at the professional level – five goals and one assist in eighteen games – but Aliu is still developing his offensive game with a physical brand of play in Rockford. (Previous Rank: 3)

5. Antti Niemi (G) – The organization’s choice of Niemi to backup Cristobal Huet was the right one. He has two shutouts on the season and a goals-against average of 1.85 in six appearances this season. Niemi has adapted to the North American game well, and could take over as the No. 1 goalie down the road. (Previous Rank: 7)

6. Billy Sweatt (LW) – Sweatt is having his best season for Colorado College in his senior year. He has eight goals and eleven assists in twelve games on the season. Sweatt is known for his speed and high level of energy, and it is hard for others to keep up with him. Looks like he could fit into the Blackhawks’ high-powered offense someday. (Previous Rank: 8 )

7. Jack Skille (RW) – After a brief stint in the show, Skille is back with the Rockford IceHogs. Over the course of training camp and the five games he played in the NHL this season he showed flashes that he can be a forward at the level, but Skille tends to be inconsistent. He has fallen out of favor with the organization that drafted him in the first round, and other capable forwards are recalled over Skille. (Previous Rank: 6)

8. Brandon Pirri (C) – The Blackhawks second-round selection in this year’s entry draft, Pirri will have to add to his 6’0” 160lbs frame. He is still a few years away from contending for a roster spot in the NHL, but the kid is quick, skilled and smart. Pirri is playing for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (it just sounds smart, right?). He has six goals and six assists in thirteen games in his freshman year. (Previous Rank: NR)

9. Igor Makarov (RW) – The twenty-two year old Russian prospect didn’t attend this year’s training camp – probably due to the lack of roster spots available on the NHL club – but Makarov hasn’t flourished in the KHL behind a core of veteran skaters on the St. Petersburg squad. Makarov is still a strong skater and knows his way around the offensive zone. (Previous Rank: 9)

10. Corey Crawford (G) – After losing out the battle for backup, Crawford returned to Rockford and is competing to starts with the younger Joe Fallon. He is 5-7-1 with a goals-against average of 2.74 with the IceHogs. Crawford has the talent to be a capable backup in the NHL, but that opportunity is likely closed with the organization that drafted him in 2003. (Previous Rank: 10)

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