Blues playing into Hawks’ hands by valuing punishment over pucks

ST. LOUIS — About 11 months ago, four games into what was turning into an epic Western Conference final against the Blackhawks, Anaheim’s Ryan Kesler declared that the Ducks’ strategy of pounding their opponents into submission was working. It always worked. It had to work.

There was a subtle mix of defiance and desperation in Kesler’s voice as he insisted, “No human can withstand that many hits.” Well, it turned out the Blackhawks could, as they went on to win the series in seven games and then defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Stanley Cup.

“No human” quickly became a well-worn punchline in hockey circles.

Now here comes Ken Hitchcock, the fourth-winningest coach of all-time, declaring that if the St. Louis Blues are to beat the defending champion Hawks, they need to have at least 70 hits per game. Seventy. Considering they had 41 in a very physical Game 1 that went to overtime, the number is almost as absurd as the thinking behind it.

“I’m not sure about that comment, but I hope there’s some validity to it,” smirked Joel Quenneville, the second-winningest coach of all time. “I hope he tries to get to 70. That means we have the puck the whole game.”

Every year, a team thinks it can beat the Hawks by beating them up. The Kings tried it in 2013 and failed. The Blues tried it in 2014 and failed. The Ducks tried it in 2015 and failed. And if the Blues prioritize punishment over puck possession again, they’ll fail again.

Hitchcock softened the comment a little bit on Thursday, pointing out that the Blues have a looser definition of a “hit” than the official scorers do. By his count, the Blues had 57 hits in Game 1, not 41. And during their knock-down, drag-out series with the Kings in 2013, they managed to reach their interpretation of the 70-hit mark.

They lost that series in six games.

The Blues shouldn’t be concerned with the fact that they had “only” 41 hits. They should be concerned with the fact that they had only 18 shots in 69 minutes of play.

You win hockey games by scoring goals. You score goals by having the puck. Sure, hits are a part of the game, and a well-timed hit can dislodge the puck and flip the ice, as well as inject some life into the bench and into the crowd. But in order to achieve something as ridiculous as 70 hits, a team would have to go well out of its way to chase down opponents. And for a team built on quick-thinking defensemen and speedy forwards such as the Hawks, all it takes is one out-of-position opponent to lead to a scoring chance the other way.

“It’s hockey, right?” said Patrick Kane, who’s as good at avoiding contact as anyone in the league. “You’re going to get hit at certain points. … If we can get them running around a little bit, catch them out of position, [we can] get some odd-man rushes or get some open space. Ninety percent of the games, we’re going to be out-hit, because we have the puck more than the other team. I think that’s a good thing for us.”

Whether Hitchcock is just blustering and using a little gamesmanship to keep the Hawks looking over their shoulders, the Blues players, at least, seem more in touch with reality.

“We know that this is a team you don’t want to run around like we’re trying to take guys’ heads off,” Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk said. “But when there’s a chance to get a lick in on a guy, you want to do it. Like they always say, chopping down the tree. You just want to keep trying to wear guys down, and maybe it’ll pay off later on in the series.”

Ah, the chopping-down-the-tree metaphor, an old-school staple even in the new-school NHL. The Ducks kept chopping last May. The Hawks never fell.

The funny thing is, the Blues are good enough to beat the Hawks straight-up. They’re deep, they’re skilled, they’re well-structured, they play good team defense, and they have two good goaltenders. They don’t need to play the mind games. They don’t need to hit everything that moves. Physical play is a big part of their game — heck, it’s their identity. But within the natural flow of the game. Within their structure. Within reason.

Seventy hits? Not only is it beyond reason, it plays right into the Hawks’ hands.

Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com

Twitter: @marklazerus