Niemi, 4th Line Help Hawks Get Their Mojo Back

Something big needed to happen. Something to stop the bleeding. Something to help the Hawks get back on their skates and help end a three game losing streak. That something happened Wednesday night. A 4-0 shutout of the Minnesota Wild could be the perfect catalyst to light the fire under the Hawks for the last stretch of the regular season

With 2-0 lead in the 2nd period the Hawks looked in control. Then two penalties assessed to them within 30 seconds of one another. The Wild had a 5 on 3 for 1:30. This was their chance to get back into the game. 

Blackhawks' goaltender, Antti Niemi, had different plans. Niemi was rocked solid the whole penalty kill, taking on multiple shots. It was seriously impressive.

 “That was a crucial kill,” coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. “That save on [Mikko] Koivu was unbelievable, coming across there. He made some big saves there.” 

The kill was the turning part of the game. It was the point were Hawk fans looked at each other and knew the old team they had watched the before this skid was back. 

The Hawks got a lot of help from the 4th line. Ben Eager had a season high three points and Thomas Kopecky had a two goal night, and Colin Fraser also contributed with an assist. Fraser did collapse on the bench after taking a check, but only had the wind knocked out of him. 

“Plain and simple, I just got winded,” Fraser explained. “Guy just rolled me. Clean hit. I couldn’t breathe. I was trying to breathe, trying to breath, and I couldn’t get anything, all the way to the bench. I felt fine once I got back the locker room" 

It was a huge rebound for the once stumbling Hawks. A stumble that many attributed to the physical demand of the Olympics.

No matter what the cause, it's nice to see the Hawks playing like themselves again.