Chicago Blackhawks Need To Define Some Roles at Forward

Two penalties provided a lot of perspective in the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 loss to Colorado Wednesday night. The Avalanche completed a home-and-home sweep of Chicago, leaving fans searching for answers as the defending Stanley Cup Champions continue their home stand.

It is time to stop forcing square pegs into round holes.

Roster decisions and injuries have both played a part in a Blackhawks team that definitely lacks an identity right now. The organization had better fill some of those holes before the season is lost.

This club resembles the 2007-08 Hawks—young, talented, maybe not quite sure how to win yet.  The fact that we have two deep playoff runs over that team should say otherwise, but check out the last two games.

Monday night the Hawks battled back four times to tie the score, despite horrendous defensive play, took a lead, then allowed three goals in the last three minutes.

Wednesday, the Hawks sent out a incomplete lineup onto the United Center ice, dominated play early, failed to convert on a bunch of scoring chances and then gave up three third-period goals.

Which brings me to the two penalties. Or one, if you saw what I saw Wednesday.

Midway through the second period, Viktor Stalberg is sending the puck up the boards when Ryan O'Byrne skates up to him (making sure he picks up speed because, after all, Stalberg's back was turned), leaves his skates and plasters Stalberg (who didn't have the puck) into the glass. Stalberg is helped from the ice and doesn't return for the third period.

Niklas Hjalmarsson was suspended for a hit that had half the intent. O'Byrne got a two-minute vacation in the box.

I'm not saying that the Hawks would have converted on the five-minute major that should have been awarded to O'Byrne. The problem here is that the Hawks were skating with 10 true forwards at the time and John Scott doesn't see a lot of third-period minutes.

An enforcer would have gone out and sent a message. Scott is not an enforcer. He is a fighter who fights other fighters. Losing a real skater would have crippled us further, so Jake Dowell couldn't perform the enforcer role at that point. The reason Scott is getting five minutes of ice time is so guys like O'Byrne pay for their transgressions against our top-six forwards. Right?

Right?

Let's move on to early in the third period. Daniel Winnick skates into the elbow of Jordan Hendry, who is engaged with another player in a battle for the puck (and again, has his back to Winnick). Play goes on without incident until Winnick falls to the ice and is cut. Despite the fact that no penalty was initially called, this incidental contact is reinterpreted as a double-minor high-sticking penalty against Hendry.

The Avalanche score on both halves of the double minor, providing them with their margin of victory.

Ranting and raving about this game-changing phantom call and the Blackhawks' penalty kill problems isn't going to change a thing (but I'm doing it anyway because I need to vent). Here's the bottom line.

Hendry was playing on Sharp's line when Winnick skated into his elbow.

A defenseman who was a healthy scratch for over a month's worth of games until this week is skating second line shifts in place of Jeremy Morin, who was on the bench, or two minimum salary guys (Rob Klinkhammer, Ryan Potulny), who have recently been up with the club and actually play forward.

Yes, I know Hendry scored our only goal in San Jose. And Klink and Potulny aren't Gretzky and Lemieux, but they were signed as forwards. Potulny (as well as Jeff Taffe) has NHL experience. There is no reason for the Blackhawks to be shorthanded up front. If adding two minimum guys hurts your precious cap savings, assign Jassen Cullimore to Rockford for a few days, play Hendry at defense, scratch Scott (we never saw the Koci rematch anyway) and let the call-ups do what they can.

Patrick Kane seems to be recovering nicely from his injury and may see action this weekend.  All reports indicate that Marian Hossa could be back by early next week, so maybe the top two lines could be Hendry-free for this weekend's games with Detroit and Los Angeles.

If Stalberg misses any time, the Hawks are still left with missing forwards. I'm going to assume that Fernando Pisani, who has been "day-to-day" for three weeks, is ready to play when I see him on the ice.

The Blackhawks need to have specific roles set starting with Friday's litmus test with our conference-leading Red Wings.

His last two third periods aside, Corey Crawford should be the man in goal through next week. I concede that the team seems to play better defensively with him in goal for some reason, although he proved to be just as overwhelmed as Marty Turco when shoddy defense is played in front of him and behind the net.

I'm hoping the poor showing in Denver is an aberration and that the defense will continue to limit shots (just 23 on Wednesday) and take care of the puck, as they have for the last few weeks.

The key to the weekend is at forward. If forwards are playing forward, I have confidence that we can get back to our winning ways.

If defensemen and fighters are logging big forward minutes, I see rough sailing ahead.