Game Preview: IceHogs and Moose Meet For Midweek Battle
15 hours ago
Kane OK with drought as long as Hawks keep winning
From chicagoblackhawks.com: (link)
CHICAGO -- The reason keeping Patrick Kane from getting too upset about a personal scoring slump in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is simple.
The Blackhawks are up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final against the Flyers as the series shifts to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4 this week. Otherwise, the young Hawks forward would probably be in a worse mood.
Kane, like fellow star and No. 1 linemate Jonathan Toews, hasn't scored a single point against the Flyers. In Monday's 2-1 Chicago win at United Center, Kane finished with an even rating in 18:57 of ice time, put three shots on goal and missed the net on another attempt.
He hasn't scored a goal since the last game of the Western Conference Semifinals at Vancouver, but has six assists in the six games since. Still, the goal-less streak is OK with him -- as long as the Hawks keep winning. Kane talked about that among other things after the game.
Q: You guys have to be happy taking these first two games and heading on the road having won seven straight road playoff games.
Kane: Yeah, it's a position where we're playing good (on the road), but it's a different rink from what I hear. It's going to be pretty hostile. If we play like we did tonight and keep that mentality of playing a simple game and doing those things, hopefully we can keep the road record going.
Q: You haven't scored and your line hasn't scored, but does that just show how much depth this team has?
Kane: We've had depth ever since the beginning of last year, with everybody contributing. That helps a lot, because we're on a team where we're not counted on to score every game. That kind of takes the pressure off, even though you want to score every game and do special things. It seems like someone else steps up every night. A guy like (Ben) Eager tonight, obviously a huge goal and a huge shot to make it 2-0 and end up being the winning goal. That's just what our team is made of.
Q: Is it getting frustrating for you personally?
Kane: It would be if we weren't up 2-0 in the series, but it bodes well that even though I haven't done much in this series so far. I think I'm getting chances here and there, but if I keep playing hard and doing the right things they should come and I can help out my team in some way or another.
Q: Is it more bounces just not going your way or are they just playing that well on defense?
Kane: I think it's a little of both. Sometimes you're kind of fighting the puck a little bit and the puck's bouncing out there, bouncing over your stick. Like you say, a bounce here and there can happen, but sometimes in this game you make your own luck. So you want to work harder to make those bounces go your way.
Q: As a leading scorer on this team, is it fun to see a guy like Ben Eager get the game-winner in the Stanley Cup Final?
Kane: Yeah, awesome. Huge goal and great shot. He's a really good player on our fourth line. For a fourth-line player, I think he could probably be a second- or third-liner on a lot of other teams. He could probably score 20 goals in a season the way he shoots the puck. He's got a great shot, and you can really see it on a shot like that. We can really see it in practice. He's a good talent and does a lot of good things for us. Even in the third period, he runs someone over and gets the crowd into it a little bit. The fans like him and he's great for our team.
CHICAGO -- The reason keeping Patrick Kane from getting too upset about a personal scoring slump in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is simple.
The Blackhawks are up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final against the Flyers as the series shifts to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4 this week. Otherwise, the young Hawks forward would probably be in a worse mood.
Kane, like fellow star and No. 1 linemate Jonathan Toews, hasn't scored a single point against the Flyers. In Monday's 2-1 Chicago win at United Center, Kane finished with an even rating in 18:57 of ice time, put three shots on goal and missed the net on another attempt.
He hasn't scored a goal since the last game of the Western Conference Semifinals at Vancouver, but has six assists in the six games since. Still, the goal-less streak is OK with him -- as long as the Hawks keep winning. Kane talked about that among other things after the game.
Q: You guys have to be happy taking these first two games and heading on the road having won seven straight road playoff games.
Kane: Yeah, it's a position where we're playing good (on the road), but it's a different rink from what I hear. It's going to be pretty hostile. If we play like we did tonight and keep that mentality of playing a simple game and doing those things, hopefully we can keep the road record going.
Q: You haven't scored and your line hasn't scored, but does that just show how much depth this team has?
Kane: We've had depth ever since the beginning of last year, with everybody contributing. That helps a lot, because we're on a team where we're not counted on to score every game. That kind of takes the pressure off, even though you want to score every game and do special things. It seems like someone else steps up every night. A guy like (Ben) Eager tonight, obviously a huge goal and a huge shot to make it 2-0 and end up being the winning goal. That's just what our team is made of.
Q: Is it getting frustrating for you personally?
Kane: It would be if we weren't up 2-0 in the series, but it bodes well that even though I haven't done much in this series so far. I think I'm getting chances here and there, but if I keep playing hard and doing the right things they should come and I can help out my team in some way or another.
Q: Is it more bounces just not going your way or are they just playing that well on defense?
Kane: I think it's a little of both. Sometimes you're kind of fighting the puck a little bit and the puck's bouncing out there, bouncing over your stick. Like you say, a bounce here and there can happen, but sometimes in this game you make your own luck. So you want to work harder to make those bounces go your way.
Q: As a leading scorer on this team, is it fun to see a guy like Ben Eager get the game-winner in the Stanley Cup Final?
Kane: Yeah, awesome. Huge goal and great shot. He's a really good player on our fourth line. For a fourth-line player, I think he could probably be a second- or third-liner on a lot of other teams. He could probably score 20 goals in a season the way he shoots the puck. He's got a great shot, and you can really see it on a shot like that. We can really see it in practice. He's a good talent and does a lot of good things for us. Even in the third period, he runs someone over and gets the crowd into it a little bit. The fans like him and he's great for our team.
