Are you worried that the Blackhawks defensemen might be playing a bit too much?
Don't be.
Sure, the top four in Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjalmarsson are seeing a lot of time. In fact, Duncan Keith played 49:51 in the triple overtime game. But this is actually relatively normal for Joel Quenneville-championship caliber teams.
In the 2010 cup run, the top four Blackhawk's defensemen played 79.6 percent of the total time. In 2013, it was 73.8. This year? It's a little higher at 80 percent (prior to Game 2), but it is still very much comparable to previous Stanley Cup-winning years for Quenneville.
Panic may be setting in because the third pairing of Kimmo Timonen and Kyle Cumiskey are either significantly slower (Timonen) or significantly less experienced (Cumiskey) than the other Blackhawk defensemen. But even when either is on the ice, they are rarely paired with one another.
So, relax, this heavy reliance on four defensemen is pretty usual for Blackhawks playoff runs.
(h/t Second City Hockey)
Photo Credit: Gary Vasquez-USA Today Sports
