Saturday’s game had the makings of an absolutely disasterous night for the Blackhawks. Coming into the backend of back-to-back games against a very dangerous team who was looking to bounce back after an embarrassing opening game just a few months after a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. At even strength, this one was following the playbook, with the Oilers just dominating 5 on 5 with expected goals coming in at 2.96 compared to the Hawks . 086. The difference maker in this one was special teams, and so let's get into that and a few more takeaways from the Hawks first victory of the season.
Powerplay Has Awaken
To say the Hawks powerplay has been bad would be a gross understatement. The last two seasons they finished 28th in the league in powerplay percentage and have to go back to the 2018/19 season for the last time they didn’t finish in 20th or worse (in a full 82-game season). Despite the talent that would make up the PP Units, expectations were low for this team and what they would do on special teams. Going into this game, they were 0 for 4 against Utah and the Jets and just looked flat out there. For this unit to go 3 for 3 against a very good team was just the motivation that might help kick this team into gear. The first two goals saw the combo of Seth Jones, Connor Bedard, and Teuvo Teravainen connect, with Jones and Turbo getting the goals and trading assists on each other's goals and Bedard picking up two assists. Just to add some extra distance, Teravainen was able to grab one more this time with the assist coming from Jones and Vlasic. This was off a great cross-ice pass from Vlasic and a perfectly placed one-timer. Everything just clicked for these guys in this one. The way they moved the puck looked effortless, and the chemistry that is being built among them, especially with Bedard and Teravainen, is showing what KD wants to build for this team in terms of taking the next step. Is this going to be a consistent result? Not a chance, but the blue print is there, so all we can hope is they keep building off of it.
Mrazek Responses
After a rough first start of the season, I was curious to see how Petr Mrazek was going to respond, and it is safe to say he turned out a performance that helped get him his two-year extension last season. Stopping 36 of 38 shots for a.947 save percentage. He stood on his head as the Oilers just outplayed the Hawks at even strength. The first goal is one he would want to have back, as Corey Perry was able to squeeze home a soft rebound chance as the Hawks killed a penalty. The second goal, well, that was just a product of allowing McDavid and Draisaitl to do their thing. A lot of what the Hawks do this year will come down to how Mrazek performs, and as long as he can give games like he did in this one, this team will be moving in the right direction.
Bedard Continues to Struggle at the Dot
Something to keep an eye on as the season goes on is Bedard's ability in the faceoff dot. Last year it was a topic of discussion as the 18-year-old really had a hard time picking up the skill at the NHL level. In fact, he even finished the season last year on the wing, as he finished the season with a 38.9% win rate. He started off good this year, winning 56.3% of his draws against Utah, but his numbers have dropped the next two games, and he was only able to win one draw in ten tries on Saturday. I know as the top guy he is going to be going against some of the absolute best when it comes to faceoffs, and right now is the time for him to struggle while there aren’t playoff goals on the line. However, I would just be curious to see how long of a leash he has before the team really explores a move to wing. Again, this is down the line, but I do think it is something to think about.
One week into the season, and the Hawks are 1-1-1 and manage to grab three of six points. I do like what I am seeing from this team, as there seems to be improvement as each game has passed. The question now is: can they keep improving, or at the very least stay consistent with their game? I know we are going to see some very bad games from this team, which is expected, but I hope when those games do come they respond quickly. They will be wrapping up their four-game season opening road trip with a matchup against the surprising Calgary Flames on Tuesday. They return home to kick off a four-game homestand on Thursday that will see the Hawks take on the Sharks, which would have been a battle of 1st overall picks, but unfortunately Macklin Celebrini was placed on the IR with a lower body injury. Then the week gets wrapped up with a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, who once again are off to a slow start when expectations are set for a return to the playoffs.
I'll be back tomorrow with a preview of the Flames game, but in the mean time, Let's Go Hawks.
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