The Blackhawks are in the win column! After Saturday’s big win in Edmonton, Chicago boasts a record of 1-1-1 after three road games against some of the better teams in the NHL. But at this point, not many would disagree that they’re playing much better than the record suggests. The Blackhawks have looked great in eight straight periods of play for three main reasons, and their success could be just beginning.
Last season, the Blackhawks converted just 16.6 percent of their power plays, good for fourth-worst in the league. At the start of this season, it looked to be more of the same in Chicago. In Tuesday’s opening night loss to Utah, the Blackhawks went 0-for-3 on the power play, a result anyone could have seen coming considering that the second unit was effectively their fourth forward line. They also failed to convert on their only opportunity in Winnipeg.
Before Saturday’s game against the Oilers, Chicago switched things up. They now have two clearly effective units, and their success was more than evident when they went 3-for-3 with the man advantage as Teuvo Teravainen scored twice. There’s no doubt the Blackhawks will regress toward the mean, but Saturday’s performance is a great sign of what’s to come, and there’s no reason that success can’t continue.
Speaking of Teravainen, the biggest addition of the summer has been as advertised through three games. He has three goals and two assists already and has been a staple on the top line next to Connor Bedard. Bedard told reporters he could see the chemistry developing between the two, and he’s right.
Sure, most of Teravainen’s success came on the power play Saturday, but that’s exactly why the Blackhawks brought him in. Bedard needed a quality linemate for both 5-on-5 and the power play, and Teravainen has clearly been the answer. Chicago can look forward to even bigger performances as Teravainen and Bedard continue to get a feel for each other’s games.
The last reason for the Blackhawks’ recent success is nothing new. Third-line center Jason Dickinson hasn’t necessarily had the best stats this year, and hasn’t gotten into the scoring column. But in just about every interview, he’s brought up as one of the main catalysts for his team’s success. In Saturday’s game, Dickinson spent five minutes on the ice against Connor McDavid and the top line, a situation in which most players simply hope to not get embarrassed. Instead, the Blackhawks outshot the Oilers 2-1 during that time. That result isn’t an anomaly for Dickinson, who is often asked to go up against the opposition’s top line.
Will Dickinson pick up the scoring? Almost definitely. Will he return to winning over half of his faceoffs? Sure. But even while he’s not doing those things, he’s still usually the biggest reason for Chicago’s success, and that’s not changing anytime soon.
