Blackhawks: Injuries derail them vs defending champion Blues
The Chicago Blackhawks had a strange lineup due to some injuries and it was evident that they were missing some regulars in the game.
The Chicago Blackhawks are a bit injured right now. They had the defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis Blues in town for a match and they were forced to play the game shorthanded. They are up against the salary cap so with the injured players they had to go with eleven forwards and six defensemen, leaving them a forward short. Duncan Keith, Dylan Strome, and Andrew Shaw were all missing from the lineup so they were behind the eight ball right away.
It is really hard to win in this league with three of your starters missing, especially when you are the Blackhawks who don’t have the proper depth to deal with that. They already have a few AHL caliber players in their lineup so missing Keith, Strome, and Shaw is tough. Those are three impact players so it is no surprise that the Blues came in and worked the team good. They won the game 4-0. Jake Allen recorded the shutout for the Blues while Corey Crawford got the loss for the Hawks.
The Hawks being shutout also means that Patrick Kane was kept off the scoresheet. That snaps a 15 game streak of at least a point. Kane recorded a point in every single game of November but starts December off without one. It isn’t a big deal for him as he is one of the best scorers in the National Hockey League but it shows how important his production is to the team’s success. Expect Kane to bounce right back in his next game and get another streak going.
The Blues are a tough team to play against as they have lots of skill up front and a solid defense. They used Allen in net as they gave Jordan Binnington a rest. They will likely go back to him on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins as he is their number one goalie who led them to a championship last year. The Blackhawks would have had a tough time against this team if they had a fully loaded roster but playing shorthanded made it almost impossible for them to get it done.
Related Story. Patrick Kane is the NHL's 3rd Star of the Week. light
The Blackhawks are back in action with yet another stiff test. They go from a home and home series with the Colorado Avalanche, a home game against the defending Cup Champs of St. Louis, and now they are headed to the TD Garden to take on the defending Eastern Conference Champion Boston Bruins. The Bruins are right back to where they were last year as they lead the entire National Hockey League with 43 standings points. This will easily be the Blackhawks’ toughest test to date.