After a long push to get right winger Joe Murphy in a trade, the Blackhawks are now searching for the best left winger to play with him. The chemistry hasn’t been there yet.
“He should play with Jeremy Roenick,” coach Darryl Sutter said of teaming Murphy the Hawks’ top center. “But one of the problems has been that that other wing hasn’t played well, no matter who it’s been.”
You might have thought Michel Goulet would be that guy, but for the second straight game, the veteran was a lineup scratch Sunday against Hartford.
Sutter needs a complete top-line threat going into the playoffs, and one of the keys in the Hawks’ last three weeks before the postseason is to mesh that unit together.
First impressions: Defenseman Craig Muni had an auspicious debut in Sunday’s 3-0 victory against Hartford. Every defenseman wishes he could debut in a shutout, as the newest Hawk did, playing alongside Steve Smith and logging some time with Bryan Marchment as his partner.
“Eddie (Belfour) told me before the game he likes to play the puck nine times out of 10,” Muni said. “That’s great. He’s like having another defenseman.”
Belfour said: “You can tell he’s a pro. It’s good to have him on our defense.”
Sweet 16: The Hawks would be doing well the rest of the way to hold down the 16th spot among NHL power plays they held through Saturday’s games. To get to the next level of teams, a power play that has succeeded 17.4 percent of the time would have to jump over 19 percent effectiveness.
Since their ratio last season was 17.3, just 18th best in the league, the current positioning isn’t much of a change. The Hawks must work on improving their playoff power play of 1991-92, however, which was down the list at 16.7.
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Turning 40: Steve Larmer is five goals shy of 40. Reaching that mark would be his fourth season at 40 or more goals in the last six years, and the sixth of his NHL career. That shows how consistent the 31-year-old has been, despite the ups and downs of a season. His first 40-plus season was in 1982-83.
One by one: Shutouts get all the attention, but holding other teams to one goal isn’t too shabby, either. The Hawks have done that 24 times in the last two seasons after Friday’s 3-1 whipping of the New York Rangers, 12 last year and 12 this year. Belfour has been in net for all but six of those games.