The Chicago Blackhawks' 2-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks was a tough loss for fans to swallow for many reasons. The 'Hawks fell to eighth place in the Western Conference behind Anaheim and one point in front of Calgary.
Anaheim now has the tiebreaker over the 'Hawks, just as they did after the loss to Dallas on March 17, taking the season series after Saturday night's win.
Anaheim is a much tougher team than the 'Hawks—and it showed Saturday. They won by limiting the first line's productivity. Patrick Kane is an easy target on the first line. Anaheim kept putting the body on him, disrupting the timing of the first line while limiting its productivity.
Teams are finding out that if you stop the first line, you can stop the offense altogether.
For Blackhawks fans, it's a scary truth. The lack of depth might ultimately doom any playoff chance or run. Having a banged up first line (Patrick Sharp is out indefinitely) doesn't help. Even though Sharp hopes to return before the end of the season, they need to find some help and productivity from the bottom lines.
The lack of depth is s ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tyler Juranovich
Chicago Blackhawks vs Anaheim Ducks: Blackhawks Add to Playoff Anxiety with Loss
March 26th, 2011 by Tyler Juranovich Leave a reply »
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