Did the Blackhawks enjoy a good game or are the Oilers just a bad team in October?

As I write this article, the Edmonton Oilers are about to go head-to-head vs. the Calgary Flames, another team that looks like they’re, at best, in building mode. So it may tell us a little more about the Oilers, and if they’re just a bad hockey team in October or if the Blackhawks enjoyed an outstanding contest.

We know the Hawks struggled to put goals on the board in their first two games, so it was refreshing to see them earn a convincing win, at least as the final score indicated. But let’s answer the question of whether they caught the Oilers on a bad day or if they made a statement on Saturday night. 

For one, the Hawks put up just 20 shots on goal, so, once again, they didn’t generate a ton of offense. They lost by an overwhelming margin in the faceoff battle, allowed 38 shots on goal, and were forced to block 35 more potential shots on goal. Yeah, you read that last part right, and it was no typo. 

Clearly, the Hawks three-goal win didn’t look like they just cruised to an easy W. It was earned, and I’ll give them that. But in many ways, they still looked like the same team that has struggled offensively. 

Blackhawks showed they still have their work cut out for them, but…

Here’s one encouraging stat: three for three on the power play. Meaning they scored on every single man advantage they were given, so it’s something to build on. Further, while neither team played an overly physical game, the Hawks also outmuscled the defending Western Conference Champions with 15 hits to just nine for the latter. 

But by the way each team fared offensively and defensively; if I were looking purely at the numbers and not at the final score, I would have said that this was a game the Blackhawks should have lost. That said, the Oilers didn’t play a terrible game; they just couldn’t capitalize on their numerous opportunities, and it ended with Petr Mrazek snagging a 0.947 save percentage. 

It was a case of the Hawks just taking advantage of opportunities given to them and ensuring their goaltender’s valiant effort didn’t go to waste. So, I wouldn’t say that, despite scoring five goals, that the Hawks were light years better than the Oilers, but when they saw their opportunities, they took them. 

And if they keep doing that this season, especially against star-studded teams like Edmonton, expect a few more wins like the one you saw on Saturday.