Positives and negatives from Blackhawks' 5-3 win over Penguins

The Chicago Blackhawks looked a lot better in their 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, especially Anton Frondell, who kept his own in the faceoff circle against Sidney Crosby.

Roman Kantserov is starting to look like the "Roman Empire" he was expected to be with a two-goal game, and Connor Bedard looked as if he didn't miss a beat. Patrick Kane and Teuvo Teravainen also had noticeable performances, with Teravainen's two-goal game and Kane driving the top line.

Bedard looked great in his first game as the Blackhawks' captain, using his speed and skill to create chances as if he hadn't had shoulder surgery. His presence on the left side allowed Kane to switch to his strong side on the power play, and as they develop more chemistry, more goals should come. The Blackhawks are a different team with him on the ice on offense. They were the same defensively. They were able to establish time in the offensive zone and made many great plays with their cycle.

Artyom Levshunov is showing more and more promise the more he plays, and Bowen Byram is starting to play as expected. Levshunov's read on Kane's idea to drop the puck to him on the pinch was amazing to see, and I hope he listens to his instincts a bit more that way. He should consider the options before pinching, but I do think he has the potential to be that offensive defenseman the Blackhawks were expecting.

Spencer Knight had to play on his head again as the team learns when to and when not to take chances on offense. Multiple odd-man rushes and turnovers should not have happened if they had paid closer attention to the ice. The neutral zone was still a bit messy, and the transition game from the Penguins was able to create chances against.

The defensive zone needs a lot more work as well, with missed assignments and coverage. Knight kept them in the game, as always, but the Blackhawks have to do a better job in the defensive zone.

About the negatives...

The negatives here are crucial to focus on, as the Blackhawks are a transition-focused offense. They want a track-meet-type game, as their speed gives them the advantage, but they have to focus on the neutral zone to force turnovers when defending and not turn the puck over on the breakout pass.

We can see how the Penguins, a bubble-playoff team, sliced them up on their neutral-zone coverage. Imagine when the Avalanche play against them.

If the Blackhawks want to be a fast, transition team with a long breakout pass, they have to get better at reading coverages and being ready to carry the puck into the zone. Whether it's a chip-and-chase or simply carrying the puck in, the Blackhawks have to be more decisive. Having more speed and energy from the fourth line wouldn't hurt, either.

Overall, whether on the breakout pass, in the neutral zone, or in the forecheck, the Blackhawks need to be smarter and more decisive with the puck. The Carolina Hurricanes destroyed the Blackhawks' system with their forecheck alone, causing turnovers and forcing bad passes.

This includes the dreaded drop pass the Blackhawks seem to love, which causes more anxiety than anything else.

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