Raise your hand if you had the Blackhawks with a winning record after 5 games on your preseason bet slip. In a season that some toyed with the idea of being the worst in NHL history, Chicago has come out swinging. Playing competitively against playoff contenders and sticking with teams that are closer to their skill level at the moment, we have gotten to watch some fun hockey. Sunday saw the Kraken come to Chicago and prior to puck drop Coach Richardson talked about the similarities between these two teams and kind of set the table for a hard fought grit game. This might have been the worst showing for the Hawks this season, but they battled it out and came away with the victory.

Three Stars

3rd Star Tyler Johnson
This season is slowly turning into a comeback season for Johnson. He continues to impress me with his all-out style of play. Leading all forwards with 4 shots on goal, putting up two big goals and having three hits. If he keeps this up, he could be a nice pick up for a team needing extra forward depth for the playoffs.

2nd Star Jujhar Khaira
After a slow start to the season, Khaira put together his best performance. A big short handed goal, team leading 6 hits and also creating two takeaways. It was a great game and nice to see him really bouncing back after his scary injury last season.

1st Star Special Teams
For the longest time, anytime the Hawks special teams came on the ice (power play or penalty kill) you just knew it wasn’t going to end well. With an eye on aggressive play, both units have seen great improvement this season. Sundays game saw the power play go 2 for 3 with goals from Max Domi and Tyler Johnson. The penalty kill was a perfect 4 for 4 and even saw another shorthanded goal, this time from Jujhar Khaira. It is great to see the aggressive style paying off and now just need to get this to click against the top dogs.

Next Up
Tomorrow the home stand continues as one of the Stanley Cup favorites, Florida Panthers comes to town. They come in with a 4-1-1 record which ties them for 2nd best record in the league. These guys are good, and for those of you waiting for the Hawks to get blown out, tomorrow just might be the night.

Players to Watch
Matthew Tkachuk (3-5-8)
Eetu Luostarinen (2-3-5)
Gustav Formling (1-4-5)

Projected Starter
Sergei Bobrovsky (2-1 .916 SV% 2.79 GAA)

Join the Discussion: » 75 Comments » Post New Comment

» Hawks Lockdown Vlasic

» Finding The Good in The Bad

» One More Time Hawks vs Kings

» Vegas Baby! Hawks vs Knights

» Game Day Hawks vs Canes and Draft Lottery Update