The Hawks keep you guessing to the end in most games, and yet they boast a statistic that belies that.
After using a 3-1 lead following two periods Sunday as a springboard to a 5-1 victory over Edmonton, the Hawks are 42-1-2 in games they have led after 40 minutes.
– Coach Mike Keenan thinks people don`t realize one basic fact of his own philosophy and personnel decisions: ”Different options get you through different situations.”
Is there method to his madness? You have to wonder the farther the Hawks advance with his line juggling and benching decisions. Maybe there is order amid the chaos.
”Denis Savard played Mark Messier a lot tonight,” Steve Thomas noted,
”and he was a plus-three. That shows you how well Denis is playing now.”
– Hawks defenseman Bob McGill remained on crutches Sunday, keeping his weight off a left ankle that he hurt in Game 2 Friday in Edmonton.
”It was hit by a shot, then in the second period I went over on it,”
McGill explained. ”It`s bruised inside and there`s some strained ligaments . . . ”
A smiling teammate interjected: ”That`s enough. We don`t give that much detail about injuries.”
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– Chicago`s Jeremy Roenick is in his second straight NHL playoff and both years he has experienced a trip into the Stanley Cup semifinals. Does he feel like a fuzz-cheeked rookie or a player who`s been through the battles before? ”I`ve felt both ways during the playoffs,” he said. ”When the guys are chattering and going at it on the ice, I feel I`m doing something I know well. ”But when Mike (Keenan) doesn`t play me or I screw up a play and he sits me for a while, I feel like I`ve got a lot to learn, like I`m a rookie.
”Learning`s the fun part, though. What if I already knew everything?
What fun would it be?”
– Goalie Jimmy Waite has won four straight games and the Indianapolis Ice is on its way to the Turner Cup, the championship of the International League. The opponent will be Muskegon.
Brian Noonan, who saw some time with the Hawks in the past regular season, scored the overtime game winner for Indy as they moved past Salt Lake City Saturday night in their series.
With a 8-2 playoff record, the Ice`s top point leader has been Mike Eagles (16). Next comes Mike Stapleton (14) and Noonan (13).