Blackhawks 3 Stars Of The Week: Week #6

Week #6 was a wild one for the Blackhawks, which included 5 wins in 8 days, a player reaching 1000 games, and a franchise record 10th consecutive win. Besides a minor scare at the Joe in Detroit, the ‘Hawks are sticking to the winning formula that has worked for the first 23 games of the season. Here are the week’s 3 stars.

#3: Patrick Kane

Mar 5, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) reacts to scoring a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Minnesota Wild 5-3. The Blackhawks set an NHL record for scoring at least one point in 23 consecutive games to open a season. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

Patrick Kane is like a hide-and-go-seek player; Every game, you might not see him, but you will eventually. Chicago’s Captain Clutch was the only player that put the puck in the net on Sunday in Detroit, with 2 minutes left in the third, to tie it at 1, and the only marker in the shootout, as the Hawks ran away with 2 points. Although he has dropped from 1st in the scoring race to 7th, his game shows more maturity, and he knows when he can put on the afterburners and make the highlight reel, and when it is too risky. In the last 5 games, he has 4 points, and a shootout winner. His fit on the 2nd line with Dave Bolland and Patrick Sharp is like a glove, and the ‘Hawks leading scorer continues to show us a game that we’ve never seen before.

#2: Brandon Saad

March 3, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) celebrates his goal with left wing Brandon Saad (20) during the third period against the Detroit Red Wings at the Joe Louis Arena. Chicago won 2-1 in a shoot out. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Saad is back in his place in the lineup, and he is producing. He has more points in the month of March than he has all year, and it’s only the 6th! The rookie is even getting consideration for the Calder trophy. From the start of the season, he is definitely the most improved player on the roster. From Monday night against the Oilers to Tuesday against Minnesota, he has 6 points, including an amazing first period against the Wild, where he recorded a goal and 2 primary assists. Saad is a big, fast player, and as good as Kaner’s fit on second line is, Saad’s spot on the first line is just as good, or even better. Lately he is the unsung hero of the Chicago Blackhawks, and he’s just fine with it.

#1: Bryan Bickell

Mar 5, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks left wing Bryan Bickell (29) is congratulated by his teammates for scoring a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the first period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

This Three Stars are not about the player that got the most points, but the player that stood out among the rest, and contributed in ways that we as fans did not expect. This week, it was uncontested that Bryan Bickell gets the First Star nod. He has stepped up in great ways this last week, not only by scoring big goals (He had two in the first period against Minnesota) he had another big goal against Columbus, and one more assist facing the Blues, to grab 4 of his 12 points in 5 games. Bickell is another member of the Blackhawks depth that is playing better than any other player in his place. He is skating hard both ways, throwing his body around, and also rarely loses battles around the boards, which is a very good trait for him. He got two of the teams “Hard Hats” in 3 games, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

Honorable Mentions:

Brent Seabrook/Duncan Keith: The best D-pairing in the league is playing less minutes than they have in a long time, but they are strong defensively as ever, and are starting to convert down the ice, too. Seabrook had a game winner against Columbus.

Ray Emery: 9-0-0 speaks for itself.

The Hawks take on Colorado on Wednesday night, as well as Friday. The season is half over, and Chicago still has a point in all of their games! Here’s to another week of the streak! LETS GO HAWKS!!

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