Road Trip Ruminations: Award-Winning Blackhawks Fail to Dethrone Kings in LA

Writer's Note: I would like to take the opportunity to tout something unique about this article—it is my 100th on Bleacher Report.

Of course, I wouldn't write with as much fervor or passion as I do if it weren't for you guys who read them and comment on them. To all of you who have ever read, commented, edited, or ruthlessly criticized one of my articles, I thank all of you from the bottom of my heart.

With that bit of self-flagellation out of the way, let's get to the real article.

Blackhawks Give Kings the Old "Heel-Toe Work" Treatment

For those of you who don't get the movie reference, it is based on a statement made in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" about what to do in the event a cop is trying to pull you over.

You speed up, then use "fast heel-toe work" to make a 180-degree turn at speed.  Hopefully you'll lose the cop long enough to pull over to the side of the road, stand by your car, and make it appear as though you were always in control, and that he lost control of everything.

The Hawks fit this description perfectly last night. They came out of the gate pretty oblivious to what was going on around them (almost in a Thompson-esque drugged stupor), then they perked up when they realized the Kings were hounding them. After looking cool with their effort, they once again fell on their faces when the proverbial beer can in their hand made their speeding irrelevant.

Okay, I promise to stop with "Fear and Loathing" references for the rest of the article.

The team looked pretty tired after a hard fought battle the previous night with the Ducks in Anaheim, but they managed to stage a good effort when they were down. The intensity wasn't quite up to snuff at the beginning of the game, but as it wore on, the Hawks came to life and made a fight out of it.

Stats (and Standings) Tell the Whole Truth

Even though they eventually lost the Kings game, the Hawks still managed to make believers out of those of us who think they are scuffling. Consider these facts:

-Even though the team is a not-so-good 6-6-1 in the month of January, they still have a seven point cushion over the fifth place team in the conference (Edmonton), and they are shockingly still only nine points out of the division lead.

-They still have the third best goal differential in the conference, behind San Jose (+21 ahead) and Detroit (+1 ahead).

-They still have allowed fewer goals than all but two teams in the conference (only San Jose and Minnesota have allowed fewer).

-They have the third most goals scored in the conference as well.

All of these numbers may do little to soothe the worries we have about this team, but just think: if we are still in fourth playing this poorly, then we must really be a good team.

If the Blackhawks can pretty much play "maintain the standings spot" hockey the rest of the way, they will have a first round home playoff advantage, and that is huge with the way the fans at the United Center are supporting the team.

Speaking of the Fans...

According to ESPN, the Blackhawks are averaging 22,500 fans per game, which is the highest in the NHL. They average over 1,000 fans more per game than the Canadiens do. The numbers also say that the occupancy rate of the United Center for their games is at 114.7%, also highest in the league.

The closest team to them in that category is the Ottawa Senators, who average about 107% occupancy. They also average slightly fewer than 19,000 fans per game. The Hawks will definitely have a huge home ice advantage if they can get the fourth seed in the West.

Trouble Awaits in the Bay Area

The team that is next on the Blackhawks' "road warrior" stretch is the toughest one yet, the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks have beaten the Hawks twice this season, including handing Chicago their first regulation home loss of the season.

The Tank has proved to be a brutal place to play once again, as the Coyotes (a Phoenix reference from the guy in the Valley right now) played their guts out and still didn't manage to score a single goal against the team.

Backed by a raucous crowd, the Sharks are nearly impossible to beat at home, but there are two things the Hawks can do to win this game.

1. Score On The Power Play

The Coyotes failed to score on three consecutive power plays after the Sharks took a 1-0 lead, and then they failed again with two minutes left in the contest on 6-on-4 advantage. These kinds of failures are what the Sharks thrive on, and as long as the Hawks can keep possession of the puck with the extra man, they should be able to thwart San Jose's stingy defense.

2. Take Away The Sharks' Quick Attack Play

The Sharks were often throwing guys like Setoguchi and Thornton out in front of rushes to try to get breakaways against Ilya Bryzgalov, and it worked in getting them plenty of opportunities. Now, Bryzgalov played admirably, and only allowed one goal to the Sharks, but it illustrates what the team will try to do.

They will run you into the ground on the offensive attack, and then, in the same breath, play such suffocating defense with their guys on the blue line that you have no choice but to constantly dump the puck in and hope for a favorable bounce. This is a strategy doomed to fail against the Sharks, who skate to the puck like, well, sharks swim to blood.

If the Hawks can interrupt the Sharks' tempo on offense, they most certainly will not be able to play the same style of defense. Throwing a team off its rhythm is key to beating them on their home ice.

Award Winning Blackhawks?

Yes, indeed, my friends, the Blackhawks won an award on Tuesday. They won the Golden Matrix Award for the second straight year. This award is given based on Best Overall Video Display on the scoreboard during games. It is split into each different league, and the Hawks beat out every other NHL team to claim the honor.

Congratulations to the team's Game Operations Department, and thanks to Executive Producer of Game Presentation Tom O'Grady for doing such a wonderful job keeping us fans entertained.

The Hawks/Sharks game will have a puck drop at 9:30pm CST, and can be seen on Comcast SportsNet in Chicago.