ST. PAUL—The challenge, in some ways, is to not become a spectator, to not just sit back as an opponent and marvel at the way in which the big guns of the Chicago Blackhawks deliver once the post-season arrives.
So far in their second round series against the Minnesota Wild, Chicago’s top shooters – Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews – have all delivered goals, a big reason why the Hawks are up two games to none heading into Game 3 tonight.
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So far in the post-season, that trio of Hawks have combined for 13 goals and 27 scoring points in only eight games.
"It’s impressive," Minnesota forward Zach Parise said this morning. "Those guys deliver. There’s no secret. They do it year after year after year."
Throw in other attackers like Brandon Saad, Marian Hossa, Brad Richards and Bryan Bickell, and the challenge for the Wild is obvious. In Game 2, by Minnesota’s own count they only allowed 11 Chicago scoring chances, but four of them went into the Wild net, including an empty netter by Kane.
"They’ve got that depth," said Parise. "If it’s not one guy, it’s the next guy. It’s hard to defend, but there is a responsibility on us. We have to outplay those guys."
Parise and his linemates Jason Pominville and Mikael Granlund, have been mostly quiet, although Granlund and Parise each had a goal in Game 1, a 4-3 defeat. Chris Stewart, who will miss tonight due to injury, hasn’t hit the scoresheet, and neither have Tomas Vanek, Mikko Koivu, Charlie Coyle or Nino Neiderreiter.
"That’s our job," said Parise. "I understand that’s my responsibility. Our line is supposed to create offence."
"There’s a lot of areas where we can be better. So for us its just about forget that last one and move on."
The Wild only generated eight scoring chances themselves in Game 2, and an overnight power outage at the Xcel Energy Centre that reduced the ice to puddle early today might make for sluggish conditions tonight.
"Our puck support wasn’t good enough the last game," said Wild head coach Mike Yeo. "We can’t be fast if we’re not executing properly."
The transition from a chippy, dump-and-chase series with St. Louis to this one against the smooth-skating Hawks with their vast array of firepower has left the Wild looking off-balance and out-of-sorts.
That series also had lots of scrums and nastiness, while this series has been relatively placid for two games.
Yeo agreed a little "hate" might help his team.
"We need emotion," he said. "We need aggression. But controlled aggression."
Stewart fell heavily into the end boards in Game 2 after getting tangled up with Johnny Oduya and has a suspected shoulder injury. Yeo wouldn’t commit to any specific lineup changes, but it’s believed former Vancouver first rounder Jordan Schroeder could draw in for his second game of the playoffs, and veteran Ryan Carter may also dress.
