it like that, considering the playoffs are best-of-seven series, but his words ring true. Itll be a quick exit if the defense doesnt figure it out, and soon.
With the Olympics over,Brent Seabrook Authentic Jersey, we can get back to the business of a little something called the Stanley Cup. Four Chicago Blackhawks have their Olympic medals. Hawk fans want their championship. Twenty one games remain in the regular season and at 41-15-5, the Blackhawks are sitting pretty. Here are some things to focus on as we re-start the season:[+] EnlargeBill Smith/NHLI/Getty ImagesThe Blackhawks will be hoping to continue their winning ways when they return from the Olympic break.Trade Deadline: Who knows, by the time you read this, the Hawks may have pulled off a blockbuster deal for a goaltender or even another defenseman. Or, they may be just fine as they are. Thats the beauty of their situation. No major needs come to mind. The Hawks, under John McDonough and Stan Bowman, are very good at keeping the lid on behind-the-scenes maneuvers -- I dont recall Kim Johnssons name ever coming up in rumors, despite the deal taking a couple weeks to complete.Publicly, other than a Joel Quenneville he has to play better here or there quote,Marian Hossa Jersey, the Hawks have stated they are happy with their goaltenders. League sources say theyve looked into the availability of several netminders, including Olympian Tomas Vokoun of the Panthers, but whether they pull the trigger remains to be seen. And dont count out the possibility of one more blueliner being added for more insurance. The deadline is Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT.Goaltending: Barring a trade, the month of March could very well determine who gets the nod for the playoffs. When last seen, Antti Niemi started the final four games before the Olympic break and won all of them. He seems to have the edge as we hit the stretch run, but dont count Cristobal Huet completely out. He says hes ready to earn playing time back. Niemi may have won those four games -- which is still the most important factor -- but his goals against average has climbed while his save percentage has dropped. As written in this blog previously, though, Niemi bails out his defense when theres a mistake in front of him more often than Huet. Thats no small thing. If that trend continues, it could just be the reason Niemi keeps the job.Playing Time: Just like the regular season up until the Olympic break, nobody played more hockey the last two weeks than Duncan Keith. He led all Olympians in icetime and, barring a Hawk meltdown, is on schedule to play more minutes and games than in any one year of his career. The addition of Kim Johnsson will give both he and Brent Seabrook a breather when needed. In the last few days, Quenneville said the Hawks will monitor the players that were in Vancouver and deal with their playing time accordingly. Dont expect much to change for the forwards,Stan Mikita Authentic Jersey, but it would be a surprise if those defensemen came back playing the same amount.Health and Chemistry: The break gave some of the walking wounded time to heal. Ben Eager and John Madden should