Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues

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.