Five Thoughts: Chicago Blackhawks defeat Edmonton Oilers 6-2

4 – Four lines were rolling.

All four lines hit the score sheet.  After the penalty-plagued 1st period, all four forward lines had impactful play.  This greatly affected the momentum of the game.  From Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) you can see that the ‘Hawks applied more offensive pressure than the Oilers by having all four lines rolling.

In addition to Kane’s MVP-level play, Jonathan Toews had himself a great game.  The captain continues to display a rejuvenated self with elite speed and playmaking.  The Kane and Toews magic is back and it’s a wonderful thing to behold.

The addition of Blake Caggiula has been a perfect fit.  The former Oiler forward brings a grittiness that is meshing well with the magical duo.  It was only fitting that he managed to score a beauty against his former team.  The elite playmaking skill of Toews is on full display here, and Caggiula capping it off with a perfect one-timer makes Oiler

Ty Rattie

cover his mouth in disgust.

5 – Five, FIVE…Just how many is Five?

The Chicago Blackhawks exploded in the third period with five unanswered goals.  In 5-on-5 play against the Oilers, the ‘Hawks were able to fly through the neutral zone and enter the offensive zone with ease.  Once in the zone, they had several shifts where they cycled the puck for extended periods of time.  But the five goals were mainly scored off rushes.  These all deserve another look.  A five goal explosion is mighty special.

John Hayden scores after Chris Kunitz and Marcus Kruger win a board battle.

Dylan Strome

scores on a rush led by

Dominik Kahun

, with

Alex DeBrincat

distracting the defense poised as a threat.

Patrick Kane cleans up on a rebound from a rush by

Artem Anisimov

and

Brandon Saad

.

We already saw Caggiula’s goal, but let’s watch it one more time and appreciate the playmaking of the captain.

And last, but not least, Kahun bunts in a pass from

Brent Seabrook

on the rush.

So all in all, the ‘Hawks had themselves a hot time in Edmonton despite the city’s snow and sub-zero temperatures.  They now sit only 3 points behind the 2nd wild card team in the Western Conference, but still only 8 points from the league’s last place team.

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The Chicago Blackhawks will face that 2nd wild card team in the Vancouver Canucks Thursday at the United Center.  The ‘Hawks will be looking to extend their 5-game win streak to 6 games.  In this crazy season, anything is possible.