The Hawks built off of their 5-2 win over Vancouver as they took 3 out of 4 points this weekend.
On Saturday, they lost a game 3-2 in a shootout to the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a game where the Hawks led 2-0 early on with goals from Kubalik and Kane.
The Hawks very well could have won this game but it slipped away from there after a 3rd-period goal by Bryan Rust following by the crapshoot that is the 3-on-3 OT and shootout.
Overall, the Hawks played a strong game and led the way with 54% CF and even held the Penguins to just 31 shots against.
Duncan Keith and Calvin de Haan have been really solid on the backend with Keith holding down a pairing with Gustafsson and de Haan mostly playing alongside Seabrook.
Upfront, the DeBrincat-Strome-Kane line is a thing. They have added that strong offensive push that the Hawks.
In net, Crawford had a real strong game as well.
However, the Hawks will need to start securing 2 points in games like that if they hope to claw their way back up the Central Division standings.
On Sunday, the Hawks took on the Maple Leafs of Toronto. They had a wild 7-6 game last year which included the beginning of the Matthews and Kane "rivalry".
This game didn't disappoint either as Patrick Kane was buzzing from the second the puck dropped.
Kane had 2 goals in the first period as the Hawks went up 4-1 after the 1st frame.
This strong start could have been helped by a leadership of the Hawks Captain, as he dropped the gloves with Jake Muzzin after the Leafs' defender hit Brandon Saad along the boards. It wasn't much of a fight but it showed that competitiveness from Toews and his desire to stick up for another teammate.
It also helped that the DeBrincat-Strome-Kane line was pure magic throughout the 1st perio. They had moments throughout the game as well and were competent enough defensively. They need to stay together, forever… you hear that Colliton?
Despite that great start for Chicago, they really scrambled from the 2nd period on. They were badly outplayed and ultimately outshot 57-34. Wowza.
Robin Lehner is a stud. He was outstandingly calm in the net during this barrage of shots.
The Leafs kept pushing and the Hawks did a great job to grab a late 3rd-period goal when Toews fed Saad for a tally that saved their hockey butts on this night.
Duncan Keith played 25+ mins and Calvin de Haan had an extremely strong game with 21+ mins.
If you re-read the breakdown from the weekend, you'll see a reoccurring theme, I mention the stars a lot.
This is a really good thing as early in the season the Hawks were being fuelled by the bottom 6 on most nights which wasn't a good recipe for success.
Now, you have Kane and his line, Toews, Saad and Keith all been picking up their games.
I mentioned Calvin de Haan multiple times as well as he's been finding his game and really been one of the most dependable defensive defencemen the Hawks have had for a while.
Connor Murphy was trending that way last year and he will be a welcomed addition when he returns in a week or two. I'll have more on his return and upcoming decisions that Hawks will have to make later on this week.
After this 5-4 win vs. Leafs, the Hawks are now sitting at 6-7-4 for the year.
They still have a lot of work to do as they are 6th in the division with 16 points.
The stars stepping up might coincide with shift in the style of play the Blackhawks have made. It's been evident that Jeremy Colliton has loosened up the reigns and the Hawks – while might give up 50 shots some nights – are proving that they have that ability to score like last year.
With that offensive confidence and strong goaltending in Crawford and Lehner, the Hawks could get on a little bit of a roll here.
It won't be easy with games this week vs. Vegas (Wed), Nashville (Sat) and Buffalo (Sun).
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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