The Blackhawks have dropped six games straight, only gaining a single point during the their worst stretch of the season against the Canucks on the first game of a nine game road trip. The last four games have been spent on the road with no success; outscored by the opposition 17-to-9 so far.
Heck, the six game skid has only highlighted the Blackhawks problems, but in reality they have only won 8 games in their last 21 games.
Pushing all the wrong buttons lately, Quenneville has certainly been a hot candidate in taking the fall for the Blackhawks woes. The question is, will he?
It's quite clear that the lack of an aggressive system has played a role in the Blackhawks slide down the standings, more specifically their lax style of defense, showing no aggression or desperation to win the puck. Rather than being aggressive, Quenneville has opted for his crew to cover lanes, block shots, and remain passive.
The result: the Blackhawks almost standing still at moments, waiting for turnovers, and allowing the opposing defenseman enough space to get involved in the play. In fact, defenseman have had so much space they've scored 5 goals and assisted on 12. For a better perspective, in the last six games, the Blackhawks have scored 14 goals... while the opposing defense has combined for 17 points, 15 of them were separate plays.
That is an embarrassing amount of space allowed for them to out-score the entire Hawks team in the same time span.
Do the Blackhawks need to simplify? Perhaps, but it seems as if they have mistaken simplification with passiveness. Simplifying the system to the point that the forwards are afraid to make a play in the defensive zone is a big mistake that has cost them six games in a row. The players refuse to admit that Quenneville has lost them (what player would admit that anyway?) despite being ineffective in getting the most out of some of his players. His defensive system has lacked the puck pursuit and desperation that made the Blackhawks successful in the past, coupled with his frustrating use of line combinations, the pot seems to be boiling over.
They do need to keep things simple, in a different sense. They need to forget the past--the best memory they can have is no memory at all. Be hungry, pursue the puck, work hard, and take each shift one at a time. This is the identity Joel Quenneville has seemed to lose over the course of his tenure behind the Blackhawks bench. I don't think it's time for him to see his way out of the door just yet, but it is clear that he has had an issue which is no longer a bump in the road, but a mountain he must overcome. The rest of the season will certainly determine the outcome of Quenneville's Blackhawks career.
On the other side of the coin, Joel has admitted that the power-play has been so bad, they've actually been losing momentum as a result of the man advantage. Today, Quenneville put a lot of emphasize on improving the power-play despite the defensive struggles. Although both areas need improvement, he may seem to think that the Blackhawks are in a situation where fixing the momentum issues may have a trickle down effect.
At this point I think it's safe to say his days are numbered if this continues, but no doubt if he can turn things around he will extend his stay in Chicago. People quickly forget that Joel currently remains as one of the best coaches in Blackhawks history, topping the list for winning percentage, surpassing Rudy Pilous as the 2nd coach in all-time games won, and capping off his career with a Cup ring. The Blackhawks brass will certainly give him leeway due to his prior success, and something that they may ride out for the rest of the season and evaluate during the summer.
Original Story:
http://www.indianheadnation.com/page/...
Heck, the six game skid has only highlighted the Blackhawks problems, but in reality they have only won 8 games in their last 21 games.
Pushing all the wrong buttons lately, Quenneville has certainly been a hot candidate in taking the fall for the Blackhawks woes. The question is, will he?
It's quite clear that the lack of an aggressive system has played a role in the Blackhawks slide down the standings, more specifically their lax style of defense, showing no aggression or desperation to win the puck. Rather than being aggressive, Quenneville has opted for his crew to cover lanes, block shots, and remain passive.
The result: the Blackhawks almost standing still at moments, waiting for turnovers, and allowing the opposing defenseman enough space to get involved in the play. In fact, defenseman have had so much space they've scored 5 goals and assisted on 12. For a better perspective, in the last six games, the Blackhawks have scored 14 goals... while the opposing defense has combined for 17 points, 15 of them were separate plays.
That is an embarrassing amount of space allowed for them to out-score the entire Hawks team in the same time span.
Do the Blackhawks need to simplify? Perhaps, but it seems as if they have mistaken simplification with passiveness. Simplifying the system to the point that the forwards are afraid to make a play in the defensive zone is a big mistake that has cost them six games in a row. The players refuse to admit that Quenneville has lost them (what player would admit that anyway?) despite being ineffective in getting the most out of some of his players. His defensive system has lacked the puck pursuit and desperation that made the Blackhawks successful in the past, coupled with his frustrating use of line combinations, the pot seems to be boiling over.
They do need to keep things simple, in a different sense. They need to forget the past--the best memory they can have is no memory at all. Be hungry, pursue the puck, work hard, and take each shift one at a time. This is the identity Joel Quenneville has seemed to lose over the course of his tenure behind the Blackhawks bench. I don't think it's time for him to see his way out of the door just yet, but it is clear that he has had an issue which is no longer a bump in the road, but a mountain he must overcome. The rest of the season will certainly determine the outcome of Quenneville's Blackhawks career.
On the other side of the coin, Joel has admitted that the power-play has been so bad, they've actually been losing momentum as a result of the man advantage. Today, Quenneville put a lot of emphasize on improving the power-play despite the defensive struggles. Although both areas need improvement, he may seem to think that the Blackhawks are in a situation where fixing the momentum issues may have a trickle down effect.
At this point I think it's safe to say his days are numbered if this continues, but no doubt if he can turn things around he will extend his stay in Chicago. People quickly forget that Joel currently remains as one of the best coaches in Blackhawks history, topping the list for winning percentage, surpassing Rudy Pilous as the 2nd coach in all-time games won, and capping off his career with a Cup ring. The Blackhawks brass will certainly give him leeway due to his prior success, and something that they may ride out for the rest of the season and evaluate during the summer.
Original Story:
http://www.indianheadnation.com/page/...
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February 10, 2012
