Chicago Blackhawks Midseason Report: Still Room for Growth

The Chicago Blackhawks have sputtered into the midway point of the 2011-12 NHL season. Three straight losses to open up January can make you forget about a 10-win December quickly.

It seems that the euphoria of a successful holiday stretch has gone the way of a dried out Christmas tree. However, the Blackhawks have enjoyed a productive first half of the season.

At 24-13-5 through Sunday night, Chicago fans have to admit that the team has positioned itself well going into the last half of the schedule. The view isn't as lofty as it was a week ago, when the Blackhawks held the best mark in the league, but it's an improvement over last year's 21-17-3 mark.

The 'Hawks did not look good in consecutive losses to Edmonton, Philadelphia and Colorado in the last week. Sunday's rematch with Detroit ended in a 3-2 overtime loss.

However, Chicago played better, picking up a point to place them in a three-way tie with the Red Wings and Blues at the top of the Central Division standings. Chicago's 53 points leave the 'Hawks within striking distance of the Western Conference lead.

Here's my assessment of the Blackhawks as they enter the second half.

Forwards

Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa have been among the league leaders in scoring. Patrick Sharp has shaken off the removal of an appendix and the birth of a daughter to log a big first half.

Patrick Kane worked for a while at center early on, then moved back to wing. Despite a reprise of the experiment, it appears that Kane is going to be on the wing for the most part. Kane started the season in dominating fashion but has found the going harder the last few weeks, especially from a defensive standpoint.

Viktor Stalberg has show some spark in the top six, but is pointless in his last five games since a two-goal effort against Columbus December 26th. Jamal Mayers has been a consistent positive on the fourth line.

Andrew Brunette has had trouble finding a line to skate on so far. He is close to a 20-goal pace, but it's a stretch to think he'll occupy a top-six role come spring.

After beginning the opening weeks like a house on fire, Dave Bolland, Michael Frolik and Bryan Bickell have struggled mightily to produce on the checking line. Bolland labored with a sore foot, Frolik is connecting on only six percent of his shots and Bickell has only given brief flashes of the player we saw in October.

Daniel Carcillo was Daniel Carcillo, for better or worse, until a knee injury has potentially ended his season. Marcus Kruger showed development but has been out with a concussion. He did skate with the team Sunday morning, which raises hope that he is healthy and will contribute in the second half.

Rookies Jimmy Hayes and Andrew Shaw have come up and had memorable NHL debuts. One or both of them could remain on the roster once Kruger returns depending on how the next few weeks shake out.

It's readily apparent that a forward to play top-six minutes was in order even before Sunday's upper body injury to Patrick Sharp. Expect a move to be made addressing this area.

Defensemen

The Blackhawks have seen their fortunes go the way of the defense this season.

When it has held up its end, Chicago has flourished. When the defense is bad, it has been terrible. Currently, the 'Hawks are 20th in the NHL in goals allowed.

Duncan Keith has had his moments in the first half, but he and Brent Seabrook have been playing better as a tandem as the season has progressed. Seabrook's scoring has fallen off, but the top pairing is a plus-25 right now.

Nick Leddy's development has been encouraging, though he is still prone to defensive mistakes and is still an unfinished product. Niklas Hjalmarsson has a lot of blocked shots, though he and Leddy have had some rough outings lately.

Steve Montador has looked all right on the third pairing and is looking to get back to action against Detroit. He did help get the power play going earlier this season.

The trouble seems to lie in the inability to put a consistent third pairing that can skate a solid 12 to 15 minutes a night. Neither Sean O'Donnell, Sami Lepisto or John Scott have taken hold of the spot. When Scott can skate double-digit minutes, he has held his own on the third pair.

When Joel Quenneville opts to use him for less than four minutes, as has happened several times, a spot is being wasted.

The 'Hawks could use a solid defender to use to stabilize the pairings. That could mean a top-four defenseman is obtained and someone sent down to the third pairing with Montador. Another option is to pick up a steady five or six guy and hope the increased minutes can provide relief to the names at the top.

 Any way you slice it, Chicago must be better in their own zone.

Goalie

The situation in goal could be better. The 'Hawks have been all right in limiting shots so far. Though both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery have played well in spots, both have failed to carry their defenses through the down times.

Emery sports a 2.52 goals against average and was a big part of Chicago's December surge. Crawford was pretty good early on, struggled in November and has since been back in the lineup after Emery handled the crease for two weeks.

Both goalies have been victimized in this three-game skid. Quenneville will continue to give Emery starts until Crawford shows he can be depended upon every night.

Special Teams

After going through a dismal stretch, the power play is no juggernaut but is in the middle of the NHL pack.

Currently, the 'Hawks are 16th overall with a success rate of 17.81 percent. Predictability has been an issue as teams have been able to take away back door opportunities. Kane being demoted to the second unit made news lately, but expect Quenneville to shuffle the pieces when Chicago has a man advantage.

In killing just 78.46 percent of their penalties, the Blackhawks are 26th in the league in this department. Improvement is desperately needed here.

Outlook for the Second Half

Chicago probably wasn't as good as their record last month, but they aren't as bad as the last three or four games either.

How the next two or three months turn out is likely going to depend of the additions made to the roster by GM Stan Bowman. Defense wins in the playoffs. The Blackhawks have improvements to make to stay at or near the top of the Western Conference.