Hawks rout HC Davos 9-2
Newly acquired Radek Smolanek and Patrick Kane each scored 2 goals Monday as the Blackhawks routed HC Davos 9-2 in an exhibition game in Zurich, Switzerland.
Goalies Antti Niemi and Corey Crawford split the game and each allowed 1 goal in their battle for the Hawks' backup job. Neither goalie faced any kind of significant test in what coach Joel Quenneville said would be their final game of the preseason.
Also scoring goals for the Hawks were Troy Brouwer, Brian Campbell, Evan Brophey, Patrick Sharp and Duncan Keith.
Smolenak, picked up on waivers from Tampa Bay last Friday, could have taken a giant step towards making the opening day roster. A winger with some scoring pop and toughness, Smolanek could be in line to fill Adam Burish's spot on the fourth line.
The Hawks' roster stood at 29 prior to Monday's game.
Here were the line combinations and defense pairings for the HC Davos game:
Brouwer-Toews-Kane
Ladd-Madden-Sharp
Smolanek-Brophey-Skille
Bickell-Dowell-Klinkhammer
Keith-Johnson
Hjalmarsson-Campbell
Hendry-Sopel
Are the best!! I love the singing and enthusiasm they bring to the game.. What NHL arena anywhere would be singing when their team is loosing 9-1? Especially at the end of the game when the team and crowd did co-salute to each other. Great to see.
Someone pointed out that Florida tied the Hawks next opponents yesterday, Florida was playing Tapara. The Hawks play ZSC Zurich Lions today. 2 different teams.
As for the Hawks players, I think Niemi still has the backup role locked up.. Crawford still needs to develop, maybe a year or 2 in Rockford as the clear cut number 1 will allow him sufficient time.
Campbell and Kane dominated every time they were on the ice. I really liked Bickell as well.
Should be good to see (almost) the entire roster today. The boys will come out the same, come out hitting and the Lions will most likely back down. Prediction 7-1 Hawks
I agree. They have some fans that just love hockey. Hawks should walk all over the lions today and Niemi still seems to be the front runner in my books.
Agent Pat Brisson of CAA Sports quietly traveled to Chicago this week and started preliminary talks with Hawks GM Stan Bowman regarding star forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane (espn.com)
I was wondering is there a way that an agent can propose a deal so that he can lock up both kane and toews to one contract so they would be linked, and play together for the rest of there careers?
with NO sound until the final minutes of the first.
You can talk about mismatch but I noticed the hawks next Victoria Cup opponent tied Florida.
I thought Smolenak , Klickhammer, Brophy, and Dowell didn't look NOT out of place, as did Madden in Bolland's slot. Jordan Henry looked like the AHl player he is and Sopel did nothing to warrant keeping him on the parent club, so let's hope he gets a new injury banishing him to the minors...
I thought Skille looked like the same Skille of the past, that Huet came up a goal in the high corner and Crawford was just terrible on the PK goal by Davos.
and why are those Swiss peoples SINGING the entire first period?
it took a lot of playing's to the Fratelli's DOOT DOOT DO DOOT Chelsea's Dagger to silence them.
No Pierre McSlime between the benches reporting on the Hawk's blatant disrespect of the Swiss players, their flag, their "neutrality", their banking system, or Heidi!
Wiz, agree on Smolenak, Colonel Klink,("Hooooooooo-gaaaaaann") Brophey and Dowell. Also have liked what I've seen from Bryan Bickell the entire preseason, especially yesterday.
They should trade Skille NOW while he might still have some value to the rest of the NHL. Someday, as someone pointed out on my blog yesterday (a GREAT point), he will possibly develop into a Dan Cleary type player. But he will not do so until he matures and recognizes that he is no longer the best athlete on the University of Wisconsin team and he must develop a grinding, two-way game. I suspect he is at least 3-4 years away from this, time the Hawks do not have at his salary level.
Niemi had NO CHANCE on the goal he gave up (AND the wide open guy who scored was #88's responsibility on the PK. BTW. It's time THAT particular experiment ended). Though I will grant you, Niemi is a Euro 'keeper and thus, like Bulin, Huet and many others, is going to be vulnerable high.
Doesn't change the fact that Corey Crawford is at best a backup in the NHL, and most likely not even that.
As someone that has seen every episode of Hogan's Heroes, I must say we need Klink to make the team just for the fun references. Then that Hawks just need to trade for any of the players named Schultz.
BTW, I'm in agreement that they should trade SKille right now.
What might the lines look like for the opener?
Brower - Toews - Kane
Ladd - Bolland - Versteeg (sharp)
Sharp (V/S) - Madden - Buff
Smolenak - Kopecky - Eager
Those would be hard to play against... and when Hossa gets back...
still too many forwards on this roster
I guess the questions come in regarding who will be hurt and who will be healthy. Also, who will get the last spot on D?
I think you mean Niemi. When I saw Smolenak on the ice, I thought...geez that guy has a big frame. He is listed at 6'3 and only 180 lbs, but if the guy put on some more mass, I think he'd be tough to move.
I think he's more like 205. That kid has a real shot to be on our fourth line.
If I had to pencil in a fourth line today (with all the injuries): Smokie-Kopecky-Bickell
Fraser and Dowell are my 13-14 forwards
I did go back and edit that correctly yeaterday, or at least i thought I did....
Do not worry about your typo, Huet would have let that one in too.
Watched some of this game and it was really clear that their was a huge mis-match in the skill level between the teams. Not that it was a surprise, but the game didn't seem to be of much value for the Hawks. Probably the biggest benefit is playing on the large ice surface in preparation for the Pathers. I did notice 04 was taking quick looks over his shoulder before going to play the puck in the corner. It's a great habit that I hope the coaches are re-enforcing among the defenders. It's the first step to getting the puck out of your zone, especially when the opposition is dumping.
I heard yesterday the ice sheet in Helsinki is more NHL sized.
BTW, anyone else notice Brouwer seems to have gained a good step this offseason? He's still not the fastest player out there, but he doesn't look slow anymore. AND, I think Q would be crazy not to give him a lot of shifts as first line LW this year. He plays well with Toews and Kane.