Blackhawks getting aggressive, offensive on the penalty kill

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Artem Anisimov celebrates his shorthanded goal with Nick Schmaltz on Friday night at the United Center. (AP Photo)

DENVER — Coach Joel Quenneville always chooses his words carefully, rarely getting too negative about a player or an aspect of his team. For example, the worst thing he’ll say about a player is that he was “ordinary.” But when asked about the difference between this season’s start on the penalty kill versus last season’s mind-bogglingly bad one, Quenne-ville didn’t mince words.

“That beginning was atrocious,” he said before the question was even finished.

It’s been a markedly better start this season. The Hawks entered Saturday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche with the ninth-best penalty-kill in the league, at a solid 84.8 percent. Two first-period power-play goals for the Avalanche didn’t help that number, but the bigger picture is still positive. After losing or trading away five of their top-seven leaders in shorthanded ice time, it’s an almost all-new cast of penalty killers, with Gustav Forsling and Jan Rutta joining Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook in the defensive rotation, and Brandon Saad, Tommy Wingels and John Hayden among the newcomers in the forward group.

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Quenneville hasn’t used this deep a PK rotation in years, and the results have been promising. The Hawks have been more aggressive, putting more pressure on opposing teams’ point men and turning pucks over.

“It’s pressure on entries, pressure in the zone, pursuit of the puck, goaltending,” Quenneville said. “I just think we’re trying to force more, and not letting them get solid looks that eventually lead to quality chances or goals.”

Nick Schmaltz was back on the kill Friday night against the Predators — after he missed five games with an injury, Quenneville said he wanted Schmaltz to get his feet back under him before heaping more responsibility on him — and he made an instant impact. His first-period breakaway was denied by Pekka Rinne, but Artem Anisimov knocked in the rebound for the Hawks’ second shorthanded goal in as many games.

The Hawks had one shorty all season last year, dead last in the league. During the 2015-16 season they had 10, the third-most.

“He did a great job,” Quenneville said. “He gives us some speed on the penalty kill, he anticipates well, he’s got a quick stick, [can go] defense to offense. Sometimes you capitalize on it and he took advantage of it. He and [Anisimov] have been a good pair.”

Boxed in

Penalties are up around the league as officials have tried to crack down on slashing of wrists and hands, but Hawks games have been particularly penalty-filled. The Hawks have taken the sixth-most minor penalties per game (4.56) and have drawn the most penalties per game (4.65). Last season, the Hawks were the third-least penalized team in the league at just 2.71 minors, while drawing the second-least per game at 2.76.

Quenneville was confident it wouldn’t become a season-long issue.

“We’ve taken some unnecessary penalties,” Quenneville said. “We’re generally smarter in that area. We don’t want to change the momentum of games by just taking a careless penalty. We did that [against the Predators] and all of a sudden you could change the whole complexion [of the game].”

High on the Hogs

The IceHogs, again flush with NHL talent after being drained of it last season, are off to a 7-2-0 start. Vinnie Hinostroza, who had a strong training camp and would surely be the first call-up if a need arises, has four goals and seven assists in nine games. Tomas Jurco has three goals and five assists, and David Kampf has three goals and five assists.

Follow me on Twitter @MarkLazerus.

Email: mlazerus@suntimes.com

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