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The Blackhawks are the number one team in the league and with their recent drop in offensive production may lose the position in the league. Corey Crawford is playing playing well however, the defense in front of him has been breaking down allowing opponents to get second and third chances. Of course, this will impact his numbers without him having any direct impact on it. It also does not help when he gets pulled at the end of game in order for the Blackhawks to score and the other team ends up scoring. The way the first half of this season has been shaping up it appears that the LA Kings, San Jose Sharks, and Edmonton Oilers have their number. This has to change in the second half of the season or the playoff picture will include a good deal of travel.
Hawks 2 Penguins 3
Hawks 5 Canadians 1
Hawks 4 Blue Jackets 1
Hawks 0 Kings 2
Hawks 3 Red Wings 2
Hawks 2 Oilers 4
Hawks 4 Flyers 5
Hawks 0 Avalanche 4
Corey Crawford’s play continues to show that the time off served him well. As mentioned earlier, in numerous cases he has been the victim of some weak defensive play in front of him. It appears that once you get past the first line defensive pairing that you see a significant drop off in play. The second and third D-lines need to step up their play. It did help Crawford’s numbers that Emery took the loss in a couple of the higher scoring losses. Let’s hope that the upcoming all-star break helps out the defensmen.
Corey Crawford: 15W, 10L, 79 GA, 2.86 GAA, 0 SO, SV% .902
Ray Emery: 9W, 3L, 38 GA, 2.72 GAA, SV% .906
Fantasy Impacts
The production out of the top 6 players appears to maybe hitting a mid-season plateau and you may want to consider giving some of them a rest. One player I would give serious thought about sitting for a week is Patrick Kane. After starting the season at center and doing quite well, he appears to have hit a lull when going back to wing on the number one line. Sharp continues to be a solid producer and should be a regular starter in your fantasy line-up. Keep an eye on Stalberg and if he happens to available in your league and you have room give some thought about picking him up.
Image via Wikipedia
Marian Hossa Goals: 17 Assists: 24 Points: 41
Johnathan Toews Goals: 22 Assists: 17 Points: 39
Patrick Sharp Goals: 19 Assists: 19 Points: 38
Patrick Kane Goals: 9 Assists: 27 Points: 36
Duncan Keith Goals: 2 Assists: 20 Points: 22
Viktor Stalberg Goals: 9 Assists: 13 Points: 22
Bill Kosla
NJFFL- Chicago Blackhawks
@wolfhound89
