Is Patrick Kane’s offense back? Is goalie Alex Stalock’s style too risky? 3 players to watch for the surprising Chicago Blackhawks.
Stalock #Stalock
Three weeks ago, if you knew it would take Patrick Kane six games to score his first goal of the season for the Chicago Blackhawks, the consensus likely would have been: “Man, the Hawks are in trouble.”
That’s because they struggled for goals, especially five-on-five, during a 1-5-0 preseason.
But the Hawks are 4-2-0 and riding a four-game winning streak after a 4-2 victory against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday at the United Center.
The Hawks are averaging 3.3 goals per game, tied for 12th in the league with the Carolina Hurricanes. But they have scored only eight five-on-five goals, tied for 30th with the Arizona Coyotes, which illustrates just how the Hawks are cobbling together offense any way they can: short-handed, penalty shots, empty-netters — it’s all on the table.
Three players exemplify why the Hawks are off to their surprising start.
1. Patrick Kane
When the Hawks traded Alex DeBrincat this summer, it raised concerns about how it would affect their offense in general and Kane’s game in particular.
Of Kane’s 66 assists last season, DeBrincat either scored the goal or had an assist on 48.
So when Kane went five games into this season without a goal, it raised questions about whether new linemates Andreas Athanasiou and Max Domi could support him.
That came to an end in the first period Tuesday when Athanasiou drew defenders’ attention and hit Kane from below the goal line, and Kane lifted the puck into the far corner and pumped his fists.
“I felt good,” Kane said after the game. “It was coming off the bench on the change and nice play by AA to drive it wide with his speed and pull up behind the net, and (for me it’s) just try to find an area and make a shot.”
Added coach Luke Richardson: “You saw (Kane’s) excited to score. He’s used to scoring. This team is used to having him score. We need him to do that.
“But at the beginning of the year showing that maybe we can score different ways and different lines, that will take pressure off him just to play his game and not force things and just do what he did tonight.”
With four assists and five points, Kane is on pace for 68 points. And before the game he took a similar stance to Richardson’s. Entering Tuesday, 10 other Hawks had at least one goal.
“You always want to feel that pressure that the team needs you to produce, right?” Kane said. “And you always want to produce every night, whether that’s pressure from the team or pressure you just put on yourself. But that’s the way you’ve got to win in this league. You need contributions from everyone and you can’t just depend on two or three guys.”
Before the game, Richardson was certain Kane would get back on track soon, which would compound pressure on defenses, especially on the power play. Seth Jones has been taking more shots from the point, and the rest of the unit benefits from rebounds.
Against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday, Tyler Johnson was in the right place at the right time for a goal from the left flank, but that puck just as easily could’ve bounced Kane’s way.
“That’s going to collapse and shrink (and) narrow the PK,” Richardson said. “They’ve got to honor those areas and that’s just going to give Patrick more time on the sides to make plays.
“If you give a guy like that time, things are going to happen.”
2. Alex Stalock
The numbers tell you Stalock is 3-1-0 with a .938 save percentage and 2.09 goals-against average after earning the win Tuesday.
The eyes tell you the Hawks goalie must have been a frustrated acrobat in a past life.
It’s not uncommon to see Stalock skate up to meet the rush, slide with a flourish to close off a post or collide with a defender while aggressively playing the puck. You could tell he delighted in diving to rob Patric Hörnqvist of a sneaky backdoor tap-in try.
At the same time, does Stalock’s wild style sit well with the more reserved Richardson?
“It’s not Alex. It was a couple of our forwards at the offensive blue line in the first period I wasn’t too happy with,” said Richardson, who has been a stickler about forwards covering their defensive responsibilities. “I was like, ‘Oh, I think I’m a little loud right now.’ ”
Richardson said he’s comfortable with Stalock’s style.
“I know he knows what he’s doing,” Richardson said. “He’s a veteran guy. He’s a character in the room after the game too. Guys love him, so they’re blocking shots for him, doing everything for him.
“He’s very aggressive and very acrobatic, whether it’s stopping pucks or challenging, making big saves.”
3. Philipp Kurashev
Kurashev is not a big talker and he’s certainly not outwardly flashy, so the razzle-dazzle he put on his second-period goal Tuesday was an eyebrow-raiser.
He weaved between Gustav Forsling and Radko Gudas and lifted the puck over Sergei Bobrovsky for his second goal of the season.
“That goal was impressive — both his goals this year,” Richardson said. “He’s been very responsible. … We want guys like Kurashev to have the puck. He’s really understanding what he’s supposed to be doing and he’s playing very well.
“There’s a bit of chemistry with that line (with Sam Lafferty and Jason Dickinson). … When the other team hiccups the puck or turns the puck over, or they just do a great job on the ice. They could turn that into offense, so they’re a good two-way line.”
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