Duncan Keith becoming one of the top NHL defensemen
If the Chicago Blackhawks keep playing like they have lately, this won't be the only time that the United Center turns into a circus this season.
Sunday's game against San Jose was the final one for the Hawks at their Chicago home for some time. As they do every year, they will spend a two-week stretch on the road because the circus is invading the United Center.
That might be the only way to slow down the Hawks, who are 10-2-1 at home but just 2-3-1 in away games. They will certainly enter the trip with a ton of momentum. They defeated the Sharks 4-3 Sunday on a Brent Seabrook goal 43 seconds into overtime. The win completed a 4-0 homestand and was Chicago's seventh straight home victory.
Much is clicking right now for the Hawks, who shot up to third in total points in the Western Conference with Sunday's win and have played fewer games than both conference leaders, San Jose and Colorado. To me, it starts in the back, as Seabrook's partner in crime, Duncan Keith, has become a dominant defenseman in his fifth season.
The numbers don't tell nearly the whole story for Keith, but he does rank third among the Hawks with 15 points on the season. His plus-5 rating is also tied for third best, despite the fact that coach Joe Quenneville uses him to kill off nearly every penalty. Quenneville uses Keith in almost every pivotal spot, and he has delivered stop after stop and play after play this year.
Niklas Hjalmarsson, who entered the year with only 34 games played in two seasons, has also developed into a dependable defenseman. Seabrook is rounding into form after missing time due to injury earlier. Cam Barker has had his moments. I consider Brian Campbell the weak link of the defense, but even he is tied for fifth on the entire team in points with nine and is a proven offensive talent.
Goalie Cristobal Huet could very well jump back into contention for the title of weak link of the defense, but give him credit for playing pretty well lately. Quenneville stuck with Huet after the calls for backup Antti Niemi — and for Huet's head — grew very loud several weeks ago.
Huet hasn't always had to do too much, but he deserves some credit for winning his last four times out. His goals-against average of 2.25 is tied for eighth lowest in the NHL, though his .902 save percentage is in the bottom third of the league. As long as Huet keeps piling up wins — which isn't too much to ask, considering the opposing goalie faces more shots than he does almost every game — Hawks fans will ignore the other numbers and stay off his case.
Regarding the Hawks forwards, the best thing I can say is that, while they have played pretty well so far, the best is yet to come. Jonathan Toews has yet to hit his stride after suffering a concussion, though his plus-8 rating is second to only Seabrook on the team. Marian Hossa has yet to play, though he should be ready to go sometime during the upcoming six-game trip. He's the type of player that could make an already very good offense scary good.
Patrick Kane has played at a very high level this season, as has Patrick Sharp. My only concern when Hossa returns is that he, Kane and Sharp are all right wingers by trade. Quenneville has already used Kane and Sharp on the same line, so he can make it work. But the Hawks are thin at center with Dave Bolland out for the next few months. There is a huge drop-off beyond Toews in the middle, as John Madden, Colin Fraser and Andrew Ebbett are the only healthy centers on the roster.
No matter who plays where or on what line, the Hawks will take the ice with an advantage in talent on their opponent almost every night. Quenneville has won my trust as a coach capable of maximizing the production of that talent. The Hawks should become comfortable atop the Central Division ... though Detroit is probably not going away any time soon.
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