Dominating the third period leading to Blackhawks' success

The Chicago Blackhawks are off to their best start of the season since 2016. There have been many reasons why the Hawks have gotten off to such a hot start, and many of them begin with Connor Bedard. As of Monday, November 10th, Bedard is currently tied for second in the league in points. Goaltending has been another key cog for the early success. Spencer Knight is currently second in the league in save percentage. However, one of the key improvements has come in the third period for the Blackhawks.

First Period: +6 Goal Differential

In the first period, the Blackhawks have scored 14 goals to the opponents eight leading to a plus six goal differential. Additionally, the Blackhawks have struck first in 11 of their 16 games this season, showing a strong tendency to set the tone early, albeit not all of those goals occurred in the first period. These numbers show that this year, head coach Jeff Blashill has his team ready to come out and play from the opening whistle.

This past Sunday’s matchup against the Red Wings in Detroit marked the Blackhawks’ only noon puck drop so far this season. For the last couple of years, during early start games, they were accustomed to not starting out strong. With a 5-1 victory and another first-period goal, they have continued to show that this team is different from years past.

Second Period: -6 Goal Differential

The second period has been the only fall off for the Blackhawks so far this season. During this period, they have scored 12 goals to the opponent's 18, resulting in a minus-six goal differential. There has been a let-up during this period, following some of the Blackhawks' fast starts. Whether it has been the long change or just the ebbs and flows of a typical game, this period has been where the Hawks have been shut down in their own zone for extended periods of time.

Third Period: +14 Goal Differential

Thus far, the third period has been the most successful for the Blackhawks in the first part of the season. The Hawks have scored 26 goals to the opponent's 12 in the final period. Recently, the Blackhawks have put their foot on the gas pedal in the third when teams are typically clocking out or losing their legs. For example, after a 0-0 game through two periods, they scored five goals in the third period against the Canucks to win 5-2.

Empty-net goals have also been a thorn in the side for the Blackhawks for the last few years during this rebuild. So far this season, they have scored four empty-netters to only one by their opponents. The only teams that have not allowed an empty-net goal this year are the division-leading Colorado Avalanche and Anaheim Ducks. For contrast, they allowed 23 empty-net goals in the 2024-2025 season, which was third-worst in the NHL. Improving on this goal differential alone has equated to more victories for our Blackhawks.

Overtime/Shootout

The Blackhawks have gone to extra time four times this season and have a 1-2 record in overtime and a 0-1 record in the shootout. They have left some points on the table during bonus hockey time; however, not enough to be concerned about a trend this early in the season.

Overall, the Blackhawks have exceeded expectations with their 8-5-3 record, proving that their success is no fluke with an impressive +13 goal differential. If they keep up their stellar third period play then this could equate to long term success over the entire season and perhaps the playoffs?!?!