Season Recap

The Blackhawks have more or less played up to expectations, with a record of 5-6-0. The team has some notable wins over their rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, but are currently marred in a three game losing streak. With a young and inexperienced team, this can be expected. Instead of a long overview of the season so far, here’s a quick look at the good and the bad of the season so far.

The Good:

The play of the rookies.
Patrick Kane, with his team leading 15 points, and Jonathan Towes, with 9 points in nine games, have been nothing but dynamic. The two have a dynamic on the ice that Hawks fans have been dreaming about. Kane’s playmaking and Towes ability to finish bode well for the future.

The emergence of Jason Williams.
The former Red Wing has had a great season to date, even to the point of being named the NHL’s third star of the week October 14-20. He has become has finally tapped into some of his offensive potential and has been a force up front for the Hawks. If he can keep it up, his play would be a very welcome surprise.

Robert Lang still has some gas in the tank.
Lang, another former Wing, is leading the team in goals with 5, after a couple of disappointing seasons in Detroit. He can be a prolific goal-scorer, and to get his career back on track would take pressure off the youngsters and he can hopefully provide some veteran leadership as well.

Home games will be televised!
Well that didn’t take long. The new generation of Wirtzes has bucked the long-standing tradition of not television home games, and the November 11 game against the Red Wings will be aired on Comcast Sports. The Hawks could use any sort of good publicity, and this can only help.

The Bad:
Martin Havlat is hurt…again
Havlat was hurt in the first game of the season, continuing an unfortunate trend in his career. When he’s on the ice, he’s one of the NHL’s best, but too often he’s in the trainers room. He will avoid surgery and will likely see play time in the upcoming weeks, but the risk of injury is always there. While it’s encouraging the Hawks have played decent without their star, but they need him to make the playoffs.

Sergei Samsonov looks awful…again
The Hawks took a chance on Samsonov that he could return to his early glory days and not be the same terrible player he was last year. So far, he’s been the terrible player. Right now, he doesn’t even deserve to dress. Whether or not he can turn it around is anyone’s guess.

Nikoli Khabiboulin has been disappointing…again
He is yet to duplicate anything similar to his 2004 season when he led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Cup. This season is no different. He’s maddeningly inconsistent. Just when you think he’s turned the corner, he lets up a soft goal. It looks like he’ll never been the same goalie that signed that fat contract.