Murphy played 26:58 on Saturday and has averaged 25:14 in the Hawks’ last seven wins. Said coach Jeremy Colliton: “He’s the guy when we’re defending a lead. He’s got to be out there.”
Subtly but steadily, Duncan Keith’s defense has become Connor Murphy’s defense.
Murphy yet again carried the Blackhawks to the finish line on his back Saturday, helping them close out a crucial 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets. At this point, there’s no longer any question who the Hawks’ No. 1 defenseman is.
“[Murphy is] the guy when we’re defending a lead,” coach Jeremy Colliton said matter-of-factly. “He’s got to be out there. He’s the best at defending and getting us out of ‘D’-zone, being physical, getting stops. [I] would’ve liked to have used him a little bit less, but he was the one who was going and he’s typically the guy who you want to use in those situations.”
Keith remains in a sizable role, but the 37-year-old veteran has shown signs of slowing down this season. He’s been heavily involved in the Hawks’ recent turnover parades and been caught out of position several times too, including inexplicably leaving a cross-ice passing seam open during the Jackets’ third goal Saturday.
Murphy, meanwhile, handled another massive workload Saturday, logging 26 minutes, 58 seconds of ice time. He played 10:11 in the third period — more than half of the entire frame — including the final 2:14 without coming off the ice.
That was enough to secure the Hawks a victory in a game had they trailed 2-0 just four minutes in. A Colliton timeout turned momentum, goals from Alex DeBrincat and Carl Soderberg tied the game by the first intermission and the Hawks generated one of their most dominant second periods of the year to take control.
Murphy’s ice time average is above 22 minutes this season, but in games the Hawks have won, it’s an even-more-remarkable 23:49. In their last seven wins, he’s averaged 25:14.
He has become one of the faces and voices of the team, too. His honest “fragile” quote Thursday about the Hawks’ poor responses to individual mistakes created fruitful discussion about one of the team’s key shortcomings.
But the defense beneath Murphy — and Keith, who remains a regular despite his slightly reduced prominence — remains one in transition.
Veteran Calvin de Haan exited Saturday’s game in the second period with a hip pointer and did not return. Colliton said he didn’t think it was a long-term injury but he’ll find out more in the coming days.
Rookie Wyatt Kalynuk, on the other hand, has suddenly become a nightly player, appearing in six consecutive games after playing just one of the Hawks’ first 36. He was credited with his first NHL goal Saturday on a fluky play.
“It’s just another step,” Kalynuk said. “I’ve got to continue to grow and take more steps. Lots of young players come in and it’s tough to find your groove.
“[Assistant coach] Marc Crawford told me it’s hardest to stay sharp after the first five... [But I] just try to keep my same mindset as if it were my first game. I’m still trying to keep things simple, trying to minimize mistakes as much as I can.”
With Adam Boqvist also growing this season into the talented top-four defenseman the Hawks hoped he’d become, Ian Mitchell and Nicolas Beaudin knocking on the door and Riley Stillman coming in, the Hawks defense could conceivably look very different in 2021-22 than it did in 2019-20 — with this season being the transition period.
But it’s pretty clear Murphy will be the boss of that 2021-22 group.
“We need [him],” Colliton added. “We need guys who can soak up minutes and defend and get us out of there. But he has extremely high character, great work ethic [and is] willing to pay the price for the team, willing to do the dirty work.”
from Chicago Sun-Times - All https://ift.tt/3d7V34V
No comments:
Post a Comment