What to Think of Blackhawks' Preseason Start
The Blackhawks have been off to a rough start in the preseason. Granted, it is just preseason, but what can we think of the team after the 1-3-0 start to the season tune-ups?
One thing we can easily take away from the start of preseason is that the Blackhawks are most definitely up for the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.
Bedard is a highly touted prospect that is a lock to go first overall in next year's draft, barring any setbacks. He is considered to be a generational talent and has been talked about in comparison to Connor McDavid.
The Blackhawks have not shown a whole lot in terms of production from the top guys, but it is not a good sign that the projected first couple lines have had little to no production this point.
The Blackhawks have 5 goals in 4 games and 0 in the past 2 games. This is not a good sign in general, but now we also have to look at the fact that Toews, Kane, Domi, S. Jones, Murphy, and Stillman have all been held to blanks on the scorecard with limited ice time.
In all honesty the only line that has really had an impressive showing in any game is Khaira and Lafferty's line in the 4-2 win over the Red Wings on September 28. Other than that it has not been too eventful, besides when Korchinski and Reichel hooked up for the beautiful goal while breaking out of the D-Zone in that same game. See it below:
There is a bright spot for the Blackhawks, though. After giving up 3 goals on 3 powerplay attempts to the Blues, the Blackhawks have been locking down on the penalty kill, going 10/10 on the PK in the last 3 games.
Luke Richardson has introduced a very aggressive penalty kill system in Chicago, and after a rough start in the opening game, it has looked phenomenal. Teams have had trouble entering the O-Zone, as the Blackhawks have put an emphasis on holding the blue line, rather than sitting back to defend the crease.
This is a great sign because he is succeeding with guys who are either young, new, or both. This is an entirely new era of Blackhawks hockey and it is hard to know exactly what to expect when the regular season comes along.
It is good to hope for the best for the team, but it is important to be realistic. The Blackhawks are going to struggle this year, and as much fun as it is to see them win, it seems like finding a way to get that #1 overall pick is the best thing for this franchise moving forward. Especially with the Kane and Toews days looking to be coming to a close in the near future.
| POLL | ||
Does the Blackhawks 1-3-0 start give us a look at what to expect for the regular season? | ||
| Most definitely | 74 | 49.3 % |
| No, it is just preseason | 41 | 27.3 % |
| Don't know, regulars aren't playing entire game | 35 | 23.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
