The Blackhawks first full week of their eight game road trip has come to a close, and what an up and down week it was for the Hawks.
We saw a mixture of things this week. One of them being an increasing problem with goaltending. Throughout the whole year the Hawks have had one of, if not, the best goaltending duo with Huet and Niemi. Just recently though, many have started to question their ability to win big games.
More importantly, playoff games.
The most recent person to question the Hawks’ goaltending was former Hawk Jermey Roenick.
Those questions were asked right after a terrible Hawks performance last Tuesday against Ottawa. A game in which the Hawks lost 4-1. Â The Hawks sputtered on defense, and also failed to gain the momentum after Marian Hossa’s shorthanded goal. Ottawa just came out of the gate and attacked the Hawks. That’s something every team is figuring out at this time of the year.
Later that week the Hawks doused the Flames, winning 3-1. Antti Niemi was in net, and performed like an all star. Â Coach Quennville then gave the nod to Niemi the next game on January 23rd. I, like many other people, was feeling confident. Once the game started though, I lost all of it.
Niemi only lasted one period and the Hawks fell 5-1 to a injured Vancouver Canucks. Another bad performance by the Hawks net minders more yielded mre criticism towards them. I, sadly being a Chicago sports fan, am always a little weary and, quite frankly pessimistic, towards Chicago teams(thank you Cubs!), but as for the Hawks, I am not.
While I’m not pleased with the play of the goalies as of late, I do know that I can’t expect them to be perfect every game. Even Patrick Roy had off days. I can forgive them for having a couple too. 82 games is a lot of games. Goalies and players are going to have off days. It’s very common, and it happens to every athlete in every sport.
It was a week filled with joy, beating rival Detroit on Sunday, and sadness, Vancouver giving us a beatdown, but that’s what makes sports interesting. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day.
Let us hope the Hawks are the ones doing the winning this week.
Their schedule this week is as follows: Tuesday they are at Edmonton. Game time is 8:30pm cst. Thursday they travel to San Jose to battle the Sharks at 9:30pm. It should be a GREAT game. I wouldn’t miss it. Finally they close of the road trip in North Carolina at 6pm cst.
About Tyler Juranovich
