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Chicago Blackhawks, NHL Three Stars Of The Week: End Of 2016
Flipping to a new calendar year, we’re going to take one more look back at some stars from the end of 2016 coming into 2017
The Chicago Blackhawks are currently mired in a slump, losing five of their last six games. The ’Hawks also lost their fourth of five outdoor games on Monday. Despite the losing streak, there are three stars that have shined during this tough stretch.
And, of course, there’s plenty of other hockey going on around the league surrounding the Blackhawks. So let’s look at three stars from the East and West as well.
Chicago Blackhawks’ 3 Stars
Nov 5, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Kempny (6) skates against the Dallas Stars during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Blackhawks defeat the Stars 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Third star: Michal Kempny. Kempny has taken some time to gain favor with the Blackhawks’ coaching staff. He has appeared in 26 of the 40 games this season and averaged 15:22 minutes of ice time. In his last two games, he has averaged 16:56 minutes of ice time per game.
On Dec. 30, Kempny scored his first NHL goal and recorded his fifth NHL assist. It was the first two-point game of his NHL career.
In the dreaded Winter Classic, Kempny scored the only goal for the Blackhawks against the Blues. Three points in two games earns Kempny the Blackhawks’ third star of the week.
Jan 1, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) skates during practice for the Winter Classic hockey game at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Second star: Jonathan Toews. There were questions about Toews’ lack of scoring. Toews have answered the questions of late.
In his last eight games, Toews has two goals and four assists. Before his last eight games, Toews had not recorded a point in the six previous games. Toews went from Nov. 13 to Dec. 15 before scoring again. On the season, he has 6 goals and 12 assists for 18 points.
While Wayne Gretzky has put Toews and Patrick Kane in the Hall of Fame, Toews’ work is far from done. He needs to continue to keep scoring for his Hall of Fame career and the Blackhawks’ success.
Dec 4, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin (72) is defended by Winnipeg Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba (8) during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
First star: Artemi Panarin. Panarin has been on fire this past week. He recently signed a two-year contract extension to stay with the Blackhawks, which is a great move for both parties.
On the ice, Panarin has continued to build on his Calder Trophy campaign. In his last five games, Panarin has racked up four assists. On the season, he has 15 goals and 24 assists for 39 points. Another impressive stat is that Panarin has appeared in all 40 games this season.
Eastern Conference 3 Stars
Third star: Columbus G Sergei Bobrovsky. The Blue Jackets are seemingly unstoppable, posting their 16th consecutive win Tuesday against Edmonton. Bobrovsky has certainly been a key part of that, and his stats over the previous week were particularly impressive.
Bobrovsky backstopped the Blue Jackets to four wins in as many starts, posting a .924 save percentage and 2.68 goals-allowed average prior to Tuesday’s result. His .955 mark Tuesday against the Oilers helped push the team within one win of tying the NHL win-streak record. Bob is certainly earning his keep of late.
Second star: Pittsburgh G Marc-Andre Fleury. The Pens are in the midst of a bye week, but Fleury had a nice little roll going before the team’s break.
After Pittsburgh ate a 7-2 loss to the aforementioned Blue Jackets, the team reeled off four straight wins. Three of those came within the last week, and Fleury posted a victory in all three. And he did so while starting just two of the games.
Fleury was asked to come off the bench in relief of Matt Murray last week against Carolina. Fleury’s response? Nineteen saves in the third period alone. It got him the win, along with two others on the week. His statline: three wins, .939 save percentage, 2.12 goals-against average.
First star: Toronto F Auston Matthews. Well, the kid did win the Maple Leafs an outdoor game against Detroit. Matthews tallied in overtime, his second goal of the game, after a furious rally by Detroit to force overtime.
In four games last week (including Tuesday’s loss to Washington), he posted eight points, evenly split between goals and assists. Matthews is rapidly becoming a star in this league and pushing the Leafs toward a semblance of respectability.
Dec 29, 2016; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund (11) takes the ice during the warmup period against the Anaheim Ducks at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Western Conference 3 Stars
Third star: Calgary F Mikael Backlund. I’ll say up front, this is going to be a weird three stars group. We start with the most stomachable of the group, though he doesn’t necessarily play for a great team.
Backlund had a solid last week, posting five points and a plus-four rating on the strength of four goals in three games. He had a powerplay goal and a game-winning goal — and he did this while firing a whopping five shots on net. That’s quite the shooting percentage.
Backlund’s efforts have helped Calgary scramble into the wild-card picture in a Western Conference that’s looking worse with each passing day.
Second star: Anaheim F Ryan Kesler. This one is unfortunate, so I’ll try to keep it brief. Kesler led the Western Conference last week with six points in four games, carrying a plus-5 rating.
The agitator also managed to stay out of the penalty box, which must’ve taken some show of willpower. Kesler also potted a powerplay point while winning 51.9 percent of his faceoffs — actually pretty down for him. But still, a solid performance for the week.
First star: Vancouver G Ryan Miller. Like I said, weird three stars. Miller had an outstanding week though, winning all three of his starts while stopping 84 of 89 shots against.
Miller posted a save percentage of .944 in those three games to go with a goal-against average of 1.63. And he had an assist. Nice work from the former Olympic star.
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