Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues

1. Needed Depth Scoring comes from the Fourth Line

The fourth line contributed to the Blackhawks in an unexpected way: A goal.

The line of Jujhar Khaira, Reese Johnson, and Mike Hardman brings a lot of speed and grit along with some underrated offense. They crash the net hard after a shot, something energy lines need to stay relevant in the game. They hit the opposition whenever they can, but don’t take any dumb boarding or roughing penalties.

On the goal, Jujhar Khaira had a good inside position on his defender, leaving his stick wide open. As the shot popped up, Khaira was wide open for the tap-in out of the air, which he converted on. The Blackhawks have needed a fourth line like this for a long time now, and they finally have it: Fast, physical, gritty, and the potential to contribute offensively.

2. The Top Guys

The Blackhawks’ top guys came out to play today with a solid outing… As far as you can get in a 3-2 final score.

Brandon Hagel is still proving to be a huge steal at 1.5 million dollars. His skill, speed, and work ethic were all on display on his tip-in goal. The top line grinded out a win on the boards, taking the puck away. Jonathan Toews would pass the puck to Seth Jones who found Hagel’s stick for the tip-in. This was not common for this team before as everything seemed to have to be perfect and pretty. The Blackhawks threw that type of play out of the window and went for just “the play” that would get them a goal, and that they did.

The dynamic duo of Patrick Kane and Alex Debrincat strikes yet again as they found themselves on an all too familiar two on one chance in OT. Kane uses his signature saucer pass over the stick of the defenseman to Debrincat. The puck took a slight bounce, but Debrincat got enough of it to score the goal. Could this be a thing to come? I hope so. If the Blackhawks’ top guys can score in multiple ways, whether it be on second chance opportunities, tip ins, puck battles, or the pretty passing play on the rush, wins are bound to keep piling up. Kirby Dach also looked very good this game, but it didn’t come up on the scoresheet. He looks to be playing with more confidence and that is only a good thing for the Blackhawks.

Now, let’s look at the playstyle in the final takeaway of the game.

3. A “New-Look” Blackhawk Team

The Blackhawks are gravitating towards a new playstyle that revolves more around grit than on skill. Marc Crawford finally instilled the idea of the fact that winning every game on skill isn’t likely, and the team took this teaching seriously. They went at the Blues in the second and third period, stifling the Blues to only two SOG in the third period. They made it hard to play against them by going all in on board battles and fighting for the puck until the whistle blew.

This team is no longer folding or choking after going down in a game. Under Colliton, this team would not fight back after going down 2-0 and sit back as they lose the game in dominating fashion. The Blackhawks would not play an entertaining system of hockey, nor would they ice a marketable product who plays until the final horn as advertised. This is a team the fanbase can get behind, it it showed last night as the attendance picked back up.

Everyone looks to be buying into this type of playstyle and are trying everything possible to win. And Derek King is letting them do so. They are not playing under a stubborn perfectionist anymore and it shows. Both wins as of late were ugly, but everyone on the Blackhawks have decided that a win is a win, no matter how it happens, and this is a welcomed change.

To Conclude…

The Blackhawks are winning in different ways now rather than just simply win a game based on skill. They are playing with intensity and with the idea of having fun and playing loose over following a system leaned on perfection. The top guys are contributing to the team, and they also work hard to create chances for themselves. The fourth line is doing exactly what the only checking line of the team is supposed to do, along with adding extra offense. The Blackhawks also look to be getting better and better, and they are no longer folding after giving up two goals in a game.