Blackhawks/Lightning: Can The Blackhawks Defense Recover In Time?

The Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup chances are dwindling, and its the Blackhawks’ defense that may be the reason.

According to the USA Today, the Blackhawks are missing defenseman Michal Rozsival, who suffered a broken ankle May 7 against the Minnesota Wild, thus ending his season. True, the Blackhawks made it to the Stanley Cup Finals, but Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville may be taxing his remaining defensemen too much.

The Blackhawks were winning throughout the regular season by rotating five defensemen: Rozsival, Johnny Oduya, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Niklas Hjalmarsson. When Rozsival was injured, Quenneville went to relying on the top four defensemen and limiting the minutes of any two defensemen remaining on the bench. A short time later, Oduya suffered an upper-body injury, and left briefly. With Rozsival out, and Oduya’s situation in doubt, Quenneville must rely on three Blackhawks defensemen now.

“I think we got a good group back there that knows how to manage their ice time and play the right way,” the Blackhawks’ Seabrook said.

By way of comparison, the Blackhawks’ Keith played 31 minutes, 37 seconds in Game three. Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman, widely considered the Lightning’s best player, played 26 minutes, 20 seconds. That’s Keith’s highest total in a regulation game in the playoffs this year. Seabrook played 26 minutes, 45 seconds and Hjalmarsson played 24 minutes, 16 seconds for the Blackhawks.

“They are all workhorses,” said Lightning forward Brenden Morrow. “I don’t know that we sense that they are getting worn down.”

So, what is the reason for the Blackhawks’ issues? According to the New York Times, the Blackhawks’ top two scorers, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Neither Blackhawks scorer has scored a goal in the three games of the Stanley Cup Final. The Lightning’s neutral zone speed has held the Blackhawks’ prolific scorers to a single point, an assist by Toews in Game 2. Still, none of the Blackhawks seemed to worried about the lack of scoring.

When Toews was asked whether or not the Blackhawks could come back win the Stanley Cup playing this kind of hockey, Toews paused for a moment and said, “Sure.”

Then, he explained his answer. “I think the two of us (Toews and Kane) always feel that expectation, or that pressure, to contribute offensively,” he said. “But we’ve got a lot of guys who can do it. As long as we’re playing smart, two-way hockey and we’re creating and bringing in energy, eventually something’s got to tip.”

Game four of the Stanley Cup Final will be held tonight at Chicago’s United Center tonight at 8 p.m. EST, with the Lightning up two games to one on the Blackhawks.

[Image courtesy of Blackhawk Up]