“IN BRIEF: He's no little wing: Scott a huge presence at the net” |
| IN BRIEF: He's no little wing: Scott a huge presence at the net Posted: 10 Nov 2010 10:16 PM PST November 11, 2010 Judging by coach Joel Quenneville's comments Wednesday, it's unlikely John Scott will be returning to defense any time soon. Scott's stint at wing continued Wednesday against the Phoenix Coyotes. In the Hawks' puck-possession system, he appears better suited for wing than defense. ''He's a force, and he understands the positioning,'' Quenneville said. ''The role and job description is something that's a work in progress, but he can draw some attention from being a big presence at the net or [being] hard to play against in the tough areas." Jake Dowell centered Scott on Wednesday and has seen the type of space Scott can open up. ''He gets in there and creates some room for the rest of us,'' Dowell said. ''People don't want to mess with him or get involved with him.'' Scott was coming off arguably his best game at forward against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. He dominated a fight, had scoring chances and drew a penalty. Switching it up Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, the Hawks' top defensive pairing, were split up against the Coyotes. So were Brian Campbell and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Keith was paired with Nick Boynton, and both were on the ice when the Coyotes scored twice in 35 seconds in the second period. Why were Keith and Seabrook split up? ''The expectations [of them] getting the job done has always been in place whether providing it themselves or with new partners,'' Quenneville said. ''We're trying to find more balance in our pairs and our minutes.'' Changing the game The changes to the All-Star Game, which will give it a backyard, pickup-game feel, became official Wednesday. The most notable changes include replacing conference vs. conference play with a player draft in which captains select their teams. The captains are selected by the All-Stars. ''I don't want to be one of those captains picking the teams,'' forward Patrick Sharp said with a laugh. ''There's nothing like getting selected to the All-Star Game and being the last guy drafted. If anyone in here gets selected to the All-Star team, it's a huge honor, and I'd love to be one.'' Fans still have a role, voting for a starting team of three forwards, two defensemen and a goalie, regardless of conference. The NHL's hockey operations department will select the remaining players. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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