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What Flipped? - Blackhawks Looking Decidedly Better


CHICAGO, IL -- The Blackhawks have won four of their last five games.

 You're reading that right.

 I feel like it's safe to say that we're getting a lot of surprises out of the Blackhawks this season--both good and bad ones--and you know what? I don't hate it.

 This week was a bit of a crazy one for me, so I really only caught bits and pieces of these games. But, it was pretty nice going 2-1 on the week. I think they probably should have won against the Florida Panthers on Sunday, but they stole a win in Florida earlier this season so I'll let it slide.

 I think there's something to be talked about here, though--what on earth made them switch their game from off to on?

 I mean, ever since that really, really bad lose to San Jose on the 18th, the Hawks have finally been playing like they actually have a fire lit under their asses. What happened?

 There are a couple factors at play here, and I'll touch on all of them:

 1: Corey Crawford was injured by a dirty player (Evander Kane).
2: Collin Delia has been on fire.
3: Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews have been on fire.
4: The power play looks much improved.
5: The penalty kill looks much improved.

 Let's get into it, then.
1: Corey Crawford

 I really do think this is a big piece of this puzzle. Crawford went out with a bad concussion last year around this same time, and didn't come back until earlier this season. With no updates on his condition thus far, I'm not when (or... if) we'll see him play again.

 I really do think that was a turning point for the Hawks--they've got something, someone to fight for now. Especially because the hit that Evander Kane landed on Dylan Strome to shove him into Crawford and into the net was a dirty hit. Shocking, from a player that probably shouldn't be in the league anymore, but I digress.

 This wasn't something we saw last year--when Crawford left the lineup, the Hawks crumbled. But, last year, they were relying on Anton Forsberg and any other goalies they had in the system, and it wasn't working at all. This year, they have a mostly reliable veteran in Cam Ward and a backup that has been groomed to be the next Corey Crawford--Collin Delia.
2: Collin Delia

 I mean, wow. Who was expecting Delia to play the way he's been playing his past two starts? He's certainly making a name for himself on this roster, and I sincerely hope that he keeps playing this well. He's been on fire, and the Hawks need that if the defense is going to continue to look the way it has. Ahem.

 Last Friday, he put on a clinic in Colorado--I mean, some of those saves he made were absolutely unbelievable. I caught myself gasping at a lot of them. It's not east to stop shots from Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, or anyone else on the Avalanche, honestly. With 35 saves, he really saved the Hawks in that game.

 And then last night! Oh my god, last night. To be honest, there were really only a handful of shots from the Minnesota Wild that I really thought were going to go in and didn't, so there weren't as many high-danger chances for them, but nonetheless, Delia stepped it up with 46 saves on 48 shots. Color me impressed.
3: Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews

 Speaking of last night... Hatrick Kane, anyone?

 These two have been on fire lately. Over the last five games, Kane stands at 5 goals and 4 assists for 9 points, and Jonny's at 4 assists. These two aren't the only ones on fire (looking at you, Strome and Erik Gustafsson), but man, do you notice them. I mean, they are the ones creating chances every single time they're on the ice, and they are the ones leading this team.

 I'm not saying that they've still got it, but they've 100% still got it. I'd like a word with anyone who says otherwise.

 I think they've both looked great in almost every situation--offense, defense, 5-on-5, power plays, penalty kills--and I don't think either of them are slowing down any time soon. You know I love that.

 (They should both get the All-Star Game nods, by the way--TBD if that actually happens.)
4: Power Play

 It's not overly surprising that the Hawks are sitting at 30th in the league for power play goals. They're just.... not a special teams type of team, unfortunately.

 However, they've certainly started to pick that up as of late. In the last five games, they've scored 5 power play goals on 14 power play chances--it's not a great statistic, but it's much improved from the earlier part of the season. In fact, last night marked the first night that the Hawks scored two power play goals in one game this season. That's how bad it's been.

 But, like I said, it's improving. I initially liked the 3-2 set up, but I think I've been leaning more towards the 4-1 layout better for the Hawks. If they work on keeping the puck in and taking shots where they can, I think we'll see more power play goals here in the near future.

 And, that's just one half of the special teams that's looking good.
5: Penalty Kill

 The Hawks are still stuck at 31st in the league on the penalty kill. But, let me tell you--like the power play, it's looked better recently.

 In 14 penalties taken, the Hawks have only allowed one power play goal, and it was against Florida on Sunday. I'm not a stats expert by any means, but I think that's a pretty good record. Obviously, it'd be nice if the Hawks stopped taking so many penalties, but we can't have everything, can we?

 Right now, they're averaging about 3 penalties a game, which isn't sustainable, and I'm sure they know that. Unfortunately, there's not necessarily a way to practice not taking penalties, if that makes sense, but if they slow down a bit and move a little more carefully, they might at least avoid a couple. At least as of late (knock on wood), they haven't taken any ridiculously stupid penalties.

So, the Hawks aren't looking terrible right now. They're still at the bottom of the Central (tied with St. Louis), but they're no longer sitting at the very, very bottom of the league, so... that's good, right?

 I think the playoffs are probably out of sight at this point, and I'm kind of fine with that. Give the youngins some time to get their feet wet in the NHL, test out different playing styles, give Colliton a chance to coach. I don't think this is a throwaway season like everyone else seems to think it is--I think it's a stepping stone to the next one.

 Are you in?
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