Chicago Blackhawks’ Zone Entries, Net-Front Presence Helping Offense

Nov. 25: at Florida Panthers, 4-1 victory
After the stinging overtime loss to Tampa Bay, the ‘Hawks came out strong with one of their most dominant periods against the Panthers. The top line had a ridiculous Corsi-for of 100 percent, while Brandon Saad fired seven shots on goal.
Goal 1:
carried the puck behind the net and slid it into the slot, where a rushing
snapped in a shot behind goalie
. Notice that both Hayden and
were positioned in front as
dual options
and this structure paid dividends.
Goal 2:
With both Brandon Saad and
camped in the front of the crease,
fires a pass for an easy tap-in by Saad. Again, the
dual net-front presence
paid off.
Goal 3:
Patrick Kane fired in a wicked shot with
dual net-front presence
from Toews and Saad.
Goal 4:
Jonathan Toews simply swats the puck in mid-air toward the net and past goalie Roberto Luongo for a quick goal. Here again, simply putting the puck toward the net paid off.
Conclusion: Less is more!
So the moral of the story, boys and girls, is that adhering to the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) method can pay big dividends. The ‘Hawks have a bevy of talented players who can make great things happen with their sticks.
With their skilled hands, they can get their sticks on easy tap-ins and juicy rebounds when they go to the net. When they get too full of themselves, they can overcomplicate matters and get tied up in their own shorts. We saw both the good and bad in the Lightning game, and a good rebound from that effort in the Panthers game.
Next: 3 Blackhawks Who Need To Produce More On Offense
This week presents three games in four nights against Western Conference foes. No doubt this will be a big test for the ‘Hawks to continue with their straightforward, north-south style and to make a bold statement about their season. We’ll be looking for that “pace and predictability” in their effort.