Blackhawks: About Wednesday's Win

First they looked good, then they didn't. Then they won.

For about 33 minutes, Wednesday night's game looked like it was going to be one of the more satisfying wins of the Hawks season.

They were playing the hottest team in the league -- the one that's had a horshoe somewhere uncomfortable all season -- and they had them tied to the chair with the ball gag attached for half an hour.

But one mistake and the momentum swayed the other way. Then it was another full period on the backfoot, looking for a safe place to pray the thunder and the rain away.

In the end, Patrick Kane showed off the league's best hands not belonging to Pavel Datsyuk and the Hawks got their second point.

So all is right with the world, right?

I guess, though it seems both the faults and the pluses of the Hawks were on full display, and it's hard to know what to make of it.

There was a major fault line in minutes between the top of the roster and the bottom. Duncan Keith had 30 minutes, Nick Leddy had 27. Jonathan Toews, Marián Hossa, Kane, and Patrick Sharp were all more than 20. Then Steve Montador, Andrew Brunette, and others were below 10.

This can't happen. It's iffy coaching, because Brunette was very effective with Dave Bolland and Bryan Bickell. It was also Coach Joel Quenneville's decision to dress John Scott, who is the main culprit for the first Wild goal that changed the entire complexion of the game.

That's why Scott is always a threat and why he shouldn't be in the lineup.

First of all, whether it was supposed to be icing or not, there is no way that a defenseman should ever skate to the exact same point as his partner. Secondly, Scott as the second man back has the option of taking a look to see if it is icing or not. And third, who in their right mind just stands there with a live puck five feet away?

Worst of all, in any sport you're always taught to play to the whistle, and Scott just stopped. Until then, the Hawks had everything under control and looked to be set to choke the life out of the Wild. Instead they got life.

But the dominating portion of the Hawks was also on display. Toews simply willed a go-ahead goal. Hossa was a beast. Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook were pretty much near their best. They even got contributions from their bottom line with a goal from Michael Frolik and strong play from Bolland and Brunette.

And in the end, we're left with another point and wondering what the Hawks are. Train kept a rollin'.

Sam Fels is the proprietor of The Committed Indian, an unofficial program for the Blackhawks. You may have seen him hocking the magazine outside the United Center at Gate 3. The program is also available for purchase online. Fels is a lifelong 'Hawks fan and he also writes for Second City Hockey .

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