In last night’s home opener, the Hawks had one of their better performances of the season as they were able to pick up a solid 4-2 victory over the Sharks. Now the Sharks are a team that you should be beating by a much bigger margin, but to take a glass half full approach, it was great to see this team not play down to their opponents’ level, something that has been a major issue in the past. They had their best start to a game in recent memory as they just dominated the play through the first 20 minutes as they outshot the Sharks 10-5 and capitalized twice, including a powerplay tally. The team was getting production from the guys who needed to be setting the tone, which helped trickle down to the other lines that saw Hall, Dickinson, and Bertuzzi get their first goals of the year. Mrazek continues to shine in the net, stopping 20 of the 22 shots he faced, and one of those you can put on the team in front of him, as there was a miscue on the breakout that led to the goal. These are the types of games this team needs to have this season against teams they should beat, which should help build the confidence to take on the better teams in the league. The framework is there for this team to see real improvement, and as Doctor Leo Marvin preaches, just take baby steps.
Three takeaways
Bedard is a Stud
Yes, I know this is a no-duh statement, but last night was his best game of the season, and personally, for me, it was a game that saw how special he is. He finishes this one with 2 assists, including an insane no-look pass on the powerplay for a goal of the year candidate. He had eight shot attempts with three hitting the net and had a team leading three takeaways. Faceoffs saw a nice improvement while he only took seven draws; he won four of them. He was the best player on the ice, and it wasn’t even close.
Dynamic Duo
I can’t talk about how good Bedard was and not talk about Teravainen. Finishing this one with two assists, one shot on net, one takeaway, and one faceoff win, he continues to beat the curse of former Hawks returning to Chicago and not delivering. The chemistry Turbo and Bedsy have together is such an amazing sight. After last year not having a legitamite linemate, the way these two have played together has to have Bedard over the moon. Let's hope this is just the start of an amazing partnership between the two.
Reichel Watch
I know I might be beating a dead horse here, but I am very invested in the Lukas Reichel saga. The handling of his development and how he responds has me wanting to watch him closely. After being healthy scratches for the first four games of the season, I wanted him to come out and just put on a show and prove he deserves more playing time. Playing time is not what he would get in this one, as he finished with a team low 8:31 of total ice time and would finish with a -1 rating. He was credited with a shot on goal, a block shot, and a hit, but honestly, there were times I forgot he was even playing in this one. While you can chalk it up to game action rust or the lack of playing time, I don’t think he did enough to make a better case for himself, but hopefully he gets another shot here soon.
The Hawks will look to keep the vibes high and build on this victory as they take on the Buffalo Sabres, and I'll be back tomorrow to preview that one.
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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