Three Takeaways from the Blackhawks 2-1 Win vs Coyotes

1. A Full 60-Minute Effort is Still Needed

The Blackhawks looked as if they stopped playing after the first goal for them, as if they took an off night before the second period. The Coyotes are not a team that loses games without a lack of effort and they showed it tonight. In a game that really should have been a one-sided 5-1 win for the Blackhawks, it was instead a chippy 2-1 win with a mid-game scare.

This team really needed to wake up and play much earlier than they did. Yes, a win is still a win and two points are needed in any way possible, but when you play a tanking team who realistically could win only ten games in the season, I was expecting a more dominating effort by the home side. Reese Johnson played like a fourth liner tonight and bashed every guy he saw, but still played with discipline and didn’t take any bad penalties in favor for physicality.

With this said, though, I am still puzzled on Derek King’s call to keep Jujhar Khaira on the second line with Jonathan Toews and Dominick Kubalik…

2. Snake-Bitten Stars

The offensive weapons for the Blackhawks are not exactly noticeable at the moment, with Dominick Kubalik, Kirby Dach, and previously Dylan Strome and Alex Debrincat snake-bitten for a long time. As Debrincat started to find his game, and Strome scored on the powerplay, the production from this team can skyrocket in no time.

Patrick Kane is still Kaner, so he doesn’t have to score goals to be effective and he hasn’t done that his entire career. His skill is possessing the puck, drawing attention from the opposition, and earning assists. Kubalik, however, needs to score to be effective as the Blackhawks’ secondary sniper, and Dach needs to step his game up as well.

Again, this team could be a offensive terror when all of their big-name guys are on form. This is a roster full of offensive potential, and it is only a matter of time until they kick off, especially with Derek King’s free-style of play. Under Jeremy Colliton, the guys just looked stiff and dull, now they are starting to find their bounces.

3. Winning Streak

The Blackhawks have now won three games in a row, and Derek King is still undefeated in the NHL. If you told me that this would be the case just last week… I would probably still believe you. He has a great feel with the team, keeping them lose and allowing them to have as much fun as they can have on the ice. This team is starting to find their form on both ends of the ice with half the number of coaches they had at the start.

The goaltending has been great, and the defense is SO much better than it was before. I always talked about my annoyance in Sheldon Brookbank, and this team made a full 180 in their performance since the coaching change. Regardless of what Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews say about Colliton, the change was needed and it has yielding positive results.

To Conclude…

This Blackhawks team is trending in the right direction, but there is still some work to do. They nearly lost the game in regulation to a tanking Coyotes team that would lose to every team in the league this season. A full 60-minute effort is needed for this team to win games and gain confidence and allow their players to play to their strengths. The big-name guys are still snake-bitten, though the list is getting shorter and shorter now. Once Kirby Dach kicks off and Kubalik’s shots start to go in when they should, this team will find themselves closer to the third-seed in the playoffs than a last-wildcard spot.

The Blackhawks are now projecting upwards, and let’s hope it continues as every game on the Western Canada road trip look like winnable games, other than maybe Edmonton.

The Blackhawks play the Kraken on Wednesday, November 17 at 9 pm. Thankfully, this game will be aired on TNT. You can also listen to the game on WGN Radio.