Three Hawks That Need to Step Up

We all know that the Western Conference final match up against the Anaheim Ducks isn’t going to be a cake walk, but the Blackhawks have the fire power to take this series. We all know guys like Kane, Toews, Sharp, Keith, and Hossa will all bring their A game, but what other Hawks need to step up this series to pave the way to a Stanley Cup?

Bryan Bickell

Bickell brought his physical game in the previous series against Minnesota. This was evident as Minnesota’s defense started to rethink pinching along the boards in the offensive zone. Anaheim is a much bigger team than the Hawks and is one of the biggest teams pound for pound in the NHL. Bickell will have to keep pouring it on physically and let’s hope he starts to find the back of the net as well and find the playoff Bryan Bickell.

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David Rundblad

It appears that David Rundblad is unanimously disliked by the Blackhawk faithful, so it’s my job to defend him. Rundblad does occasionally make a defensive gaffe in his zone which usually leads to something bad (rundblunder), but that aside he’s not that bad of a player. Rundblad is a a few steps faster than Michael Rosizval and has more of an offensive game to him as well. Rundblad will contribute offensively for the Hawks and needs to keep his blunders down to a minimum to be effective.

Corey Crawford

Corey Crawford was stellar in the Minnesota series and was a big part of why the Hawks swept the Wild. Crawford proved that he’s resilient and can bounce back from a rather tough series against the Nashville Predators. Crawford will need to have another excellent series if the Hawks plan on beating the Ducks. With the like of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, and Jakob Silfverberg Crawford will need to be at his best. If the Hawks can continue to play well in front of Crawford it’ll make his job that much easier and another Stanley Cup that much more attainable.

Thank goodness the Hawks play this afternoon. It has been too long since I’ve watched the Hawks. Let’s hope that extended period of rest will be beneficial for them and hopefully they won’t be too rusty. That’s all for now Hawks fans. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all of your Chicago Blackhawks news. Thanks for reading and go Hawks!

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