Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are generally Chicago’s most potent offensive weapons. As a rule, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville plays them on separate lines, all the better to create matchup problems for his team’s opponent. Every so often, though, he places his two best forwards on the same line and lets them tear through opposing defences.
Late in the Western Conference Final against Anaheim, the unification of Toews and Kane was a pivotal decision, perhaps even a series-deciding one. Two games into the Stanley Cup Final, the line has been a disaster.
It’s a real problem.
The issue is exacerbated by the fact that Toews and Kane not only aren’t scoring, they also aren’t exactly containing any of Tampa Bay’s most potent forwards.
Through two games of the Final, Toews has spent nearly 19 minutes at evens against Ryan Callahan and just under 16 against J.T. Brown and Cedric Paquette. He’s played less than seven against each of Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson.
Toews has a well-deserved reputation as an elite two-way centre, the kind of guy who ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Blackhawks Not Getting Enough from Lackluster Toews-Kane Duo After Game 2 Loss
June 6th, 2015 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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