Zawaski's Shorties: Hawks Sweep Weekend, Take Over 1st Place In Central
By Jay Zawaski:
(CBS) -- Saturday night, the Hawks wrapped up a 3-1 victory in Nashville and took over sole possession of first place in the Western Conference Central. The Hawks have now won six games in a row, and nine of their last 10 games. Aside from the winning streak, the only Hawk who wasn't scoring, Marian Hossa, lit the lamp twice in Nash Vegas. Oh, and Patrick Sharp is expected to return Tuesday night. Merry Christmas, rest of the league.
Ho-Ho-Hossa – (Listen, I know it's not Christmas, but I took my kid to see Santa so I get to use it. Back off.) Marian Hossa, as I just said, got the monkey off his back, scoring twice vs the Predators Saturday night. Those goals ended a streak of only one goal in his last 16 games. The defense had been there. The scoring chances had been there. Hopefully, the goals start coming at the pace fans expect from Hossa, and Hossa expects from himself.
Saad to See Sharp Coming Back? – Brandon Saad is another Blackhawk heating up. He's scored 5 points in his last four games, and has given Joel Quenneville a tough decision to make when Patrick Sharp returns to the lineup Tuesday night when the Hawks face the New Jersey Devils. Saad had seemed like the easy choice to demote. Move him to the 3rd line with Bickell and Shaw and sit Dan Carcillo or Joakim Nordstrom. Now, the top line of Jonthan Toews, Hossa and Saad is heating up. Will Quenneville break them up for Sharp's return? That remains to be seen. If it was my decision, I'd consider easing Sharp back in on the 3rd line and leave well enough alone up top.
Oh Darling – Scott Darling picked up his third win in four NHL starts, stopping 32 of 33 Nashville shots. From the opening faceoff, Darling looked poised and confident between the pipes. He displayed solid rebound control and doesn't seem to have a glaring weakness in his game. While Antti Raanta still has the higher ceiling, Darling is the better and more dependable goalie right now. When Corey Crawford returns, it might be wise to keep Darling on the big club. That would allow Raanta to get the starts he needs to fine tune his game. Sitting on the bench for 10 of 11 games does nothing for his development.
Predators, Indeed – Despite the win, I've seen enough from the Nashville Predators to believe that they are a legitimate contender in an already stacked Western Conference. If they could somehow find a way to add a legit top three scorer in time for the playoffs, they could make some serious noise. Their defense is good, and getting better with every shift Seth Jones takes. Pekka Rinne is one of the game's elite goaltenders, and they have plenty of forward depth. They just lack that offensive game changer. This year's trade deadline could be interesting in Music City.
Missing the Original Six – How much fun would it be to see the Blackhawks and Canadiens go at it five times a year? Maybe too much is made of these historic, Original Six rivalries, but the games seem to have a different feel…a different intensity. The Hawks are the only O6 team in the West, and it sucks. I'm all for Las Vegas expansion if it means getting the Hawks into the Eastern Conference.
Sunday night, join Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger and me at Trophy Room Chicago (170 W. Ontario) for a Bud Light "On the Glass" Hockey Night. These events are really a good time. We do 40-50 minutes of Q and A with questions from the audience and me. Then, we open it up for autographs. The event begins at 7pm and wraps up at 8:30. Please come out. It's a great time, and you can register to win Hawks tickets in the Bud Light Legends Lounge.
