So this fourth star is all about stepping up and filling in a role while the big guys were out. That’s kind of been the Hawks mantra this year, when one guy can’t someone else has. Whether it’s been the 3rd lines continued production, Ray Emery’s unexpected extreme hot streak, or Oduya and Roszival shoring up the defense.
But last night’s fourth star goes to young Jimmy Hayes, do we have a nickname for him yet? A recent call up who got a goal off a great pass from Patrick (I can pass and score) Kane. The play was really set up off a great piece of forechecking by David Bolland. He caused a turnover which came back to Patrick Kane, before anyone could react Kane had already fired a pass to Jimmy Hayes who spun it to his back hand and lifted it past Varlamov.
But the fourth star is more for his efforts filling in for almost 14 minutes of ice time and his young season with the Hawks. It seems like he is having no problems fitting in with his linemates whomever they may be, and it seems that the extra time in Rockford has given him some seasoning.
He is going to have is struggles and nights where he looks like he is a step or two behind everyone else, but he is showing a lot more of the inverse where he has the skill and hopefully the brains to be a contributing factor. If he can show his size it’s going to make the Bickel/Stalberg decision all the more interesting.
Honorable Mentions: Bollig is starting to show he may have some actual use, but I am withholding judgment for now, (I was watching Chris Neil the other night in a Sen’s game, don’t ask why I was watching them, but Neil was playing the role of the physical/pest but then late in the third he took a bad penalty with his team down to seal the loss, I think Bollig has this brand of stupid in him, Carcillo too, which worries me about having guys like that with an important role in your team, cause their ceiling for bad is higher than their ceiling for good.
Ray Emery is also 11-0-0.