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head coach: Craig Hartsburg

roster: C - Steve Dubinsky, Greg Johnson, Chad Kilger, Dmitri Nabokov, Jeff Shantz, Brent Sutter, Alexei Zhamnov. LW - James Black, Eric Daze, Jean-Yves Leroux, Kevin Miller, Ethan Moreau, Bob Probert, Reid Simpson. RW - Tony Amonte, Sergei Krivokrasov, Ryan VandenBussche. D - Chris Chelios, Christian LaFlamme, Jayson More, Cam Russell, Gary Suter, Michal Sykora, Eric Weinrich, Trent Yawney. G - Jeff Hackett, Chris Terreri, Andrei Trefilov.

injuries: Jean-Yves Leroux, lw (concussion, day-to-day); Jeff Shantz, c (torn ACL in left knee, out for season); Michal Sykora, d (collapsed lung, indefinite); Alexei Zhamnov, c (back, day-to-day).

transactions: Recalled Todd White, c, from Indianapolis (IHL) April 5; activated Bob Probert, lw, from injured reserve April 4; traded Ryan Risidore, d, to NY Rangers for Ryan VandenBussche, rw, March 24.

standings:

Western Conference - Central Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
x-Dallas     75  43  21  11    97  219  155  
x-Detroit    76  41  20  15    97  230  181  
x-St Louis   75  41  26   8    90  227  179  
Phoenix      75  30  33  12    72  206  209 
Chicago      77  30  35  12    72  185  187  
Toronto      74  26  39   9    61  170  213  
x - Clinched playoff spot

game results:

3/25 Anaheim          L 3-2
3/27 Ottawa           W 2-1
3/29 Florida          L 4-0
3/31 at Philadelphia  L 3-2
4/02 Colorado         W 2-1
4/04 Detroit          L 3-2
4/05 NY Rangers       L 2-1 OT

team news:

by Tom Crawford, Chicago Correspondent

Hawks Eye Spring Tee Times

The Blackhawks appear to have found their motivation for the stretch drive of this NHL season: golf. What other explanation could there be for the recent run of futility including home losses to three non-playoff teams?

The only bright spots in the past two weeks were victories against a ridiculously depleted Colorado squad (no Forsberg, Sakic, Lemieux, or Deadmarsh, and Craig Billington in goal) and Ottawa.

Granted, the Hawks didn't lose every game the same awful way. They stank up the joint against the Panthers and were shut out by the same John Vanbiesbrouck who allowed six goals to them in a period on March 15. They donated two goals to the Flyers in a 3-2 loss with inexplicable defensive-zone turnovers by Tony Amonte and Chad Kilger. And they battled gamely for 59 minutes and 57.2 seconds against the defending champion Red Wings, only to give up the winner with 2.8 seconds to go.

The bottom line is, this team does not appear to have what it takes to succeed in crunch time. Killer Instinct, Eye of the Tiger, call it what you will -- the Hawks don't have it. Teams that have it protect their home ice. Teams that have it take two points when the schedule maker offers them up. Teams that have it don't break down in their own end in the last minute of tight games.

It's not easy to understand why the Blackhawks lack this unidentified quality. There is no shortage of "character guys" on this club--from wily veteran Brent Sutter and his proteges Steve Dubinsky and Jeff Shantz to recently reactivated Bob Probert. And if you believe the majority of TV hockey analysts, the presence of Chris Chelios on one's team is worth 10 wins a year in grit alone.

The default action in this situation is usually to blame the coach, and some reports had Craig Hartsburg being fired if a recent losing streak had not ended promptly. Throughout his tenure Hartsburg has made attempts to instill a more competitive attitude in his club, from removing the TV in the dressing room (after certain players were found giggling at "South Park" instead of punching their lockers after a loss) to sequestering the team in a local hotel during this past week's home stand. Nevertheless, he must bear a portion of the blame for his team's chronic tendency to lose focus.

Chris Chelios by Meredith Martini

And, much as it pains me to admit, so must captain Chris Chelios. His recent trouble with various officials (leading to three game misconducts) is worrisome, but much more so have been his defensive lapses. He was man enough to admit to being responsible for the third Detroit goal in the April 4th loss -- he failed to cover Brendan Shanahan who scored the rebound winner -- but no mention was made of his part in the second Detroit goal which was scored on an odd-man rush with Kilger as one of the defenders. Kilger had been covering the point while Cheli went into the corner to forecheck.

Chelios's willingness to go deep in the offensive zone is nothing new (remember his two overtime game-winners which put the Hawks into the 1995 Western Conference finals), but it has backfired much more often this year. It may be that a certain pair of 36 year-old legs has finally begun to slow down, and Cheli can't simply outrun his bad decisions anymore.

Whatever the cause, the Blackhawks' latest slide has put them in a four-team fight for three playoff spots. And their upcoming schedule includes road dates in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, while their pursuers, Edmonton and San Jose, play the bulk of their remaining games against the Little Sisters of the Poor, otherwise known as Vancouver, Anaheim, and Calgary.

Better hit the driving range now, boys.

Zhamnov Hurt Again

Does Alexei Zhamnov plan trips to Florida during hurricane season? Does he ask "How's the wife?" to men who've just come from divorce court? 'Cause man, does this guy ever have bad timing.

For the second year in a row, Zhamnov has incurred a seemingly minor but nagging injury right around playoff time. Last year he hurt an ankle in a meaningless game after playoff positions had been decided and missed the entire first round loss to Colorado. Now he has a back injury, which we all know can be over in a week or last a year.

Zhamnov was injured when he became tangled with Detroit defenseman Dmitri Mironov and slid into the boards. The play looked harmless enough -- in fact it appeared that Zhamnov didn't even try to brace himself for the collision because he was sliding so slowly. But it took a while for him to get up, and he didn't return to the Detroit game or dress for the next day's matchup with the Rangers.

Compounded with the loss of Jeff Shantz to a torn ACL, Zhamnov's injury is another cloud on the Blackhawks' darkling playoff horizon.

News and Notes

Bob Probert returned from a rotator cuff injury in the April 4 loss to Detroit. He hit with abandon and said he felt no pain and was surprised at his energy level after the long hiatus. However, don't expect Probie to be dropping the gloves too often in the near future, as he could re-injure the shoulder by throwing punches or falling on it . . . Brent Sutter appears ready to retire after this season, his 17th in the NHL. "I know what I'm going to do," Sutter told the Chicago Sun-Times, "but I'm not going to say anything until the season's over." Brent's retirement would leave Ron as the only Sutter brother still playing in the NHL . . . When it became apparent that Alexei Zhamnov would not play against the Rangers, the Blackhawks activated Todd White, the IHL's leading goal scorer, from Indianapolis . . . Philadelphia's Dainius Zubrus was suspended for two games without pay and fined $1,000 by the NHL for his slash to Chris Chelios's face March 31. Zubrus appeared to deliberately swing his stick at Chelios's head and was assessed a match penalty on the play.

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