The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t gotten off to the best start in the month of November. They’re currently 1-2-0 through three contests. The team’s only victory was a game they really had no business winning, but their goaltender kept them in the contest. Additionally, they’ve only scored three goals in the last three contests. This isn’t exactly a recipe for success. But the idea is to improve incrementally, and we’ve seen some good progress under new head coach Luke Richardson. Can the Blackhawks continue to build on some of their early success from the month of October? I believe they can.
Richardson’s Challenge
On Nov. 4, the day after the Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings in overtime, Richardson said he was going to give the team a challenge for the month.
Richardson says he’s going to challenge the Blackhawks to have a better record in November (1-1-0 so far) than they did in October (4-3-2).
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 4, 2022
“You set small goals and achieve them, but then you’re not satisfied and you go for that next small goal.”
The new bench boss has impressed so far with his ability to push the right buttons and get the most out of this team. But the honeymoon phase from the beginning of the season is over. Reality has set in, and it’s going to be harder to motivate as the grind of the season continues. Especially if the losses add up.
Richardson is starting with baby steps and building from there. Here are five reasons the Blackhawks could easily be looking at a better record in November than in October.
Toews & Company Keep Building
Jonathan Toews is an unexpected bright spot early in the season. No one was sure what to expect from him after his health struggles over the last few years. But this season he came in healthy and motivated. He’s currently leading the Blackhawks with seven goals, and his nine points is second on the team. He also sports a 59.6% faceoff success rate. Toews is a complete two-way player, and he’s a contributor on both the power play and the penalty kill. If the captain can keep up his strong play, this should lead the way toward a successful November.
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Toews has also developed some great chemistry with linemates Taylor Raddysh and Tyler Johnson. Unfortunately, Johnson suffered a left ankle injury on Oct. 25 in the game against the Florida Panthers. But Philipp Kurashev has admirably stepped up in his place.
Raddysh is credited with three goals and six points on the season, and Kurashev has contributed two primary assists since being promoted to that line. All signs point towards this trio continuing to build their chemistry together.
Kane Snaps Scoring Slump
Patrick Kane isn’t dubbed Showtime for nothing. He’s going to snap out of this slump at some point. Two goals in 12 games is an extremely slow start, even for someone that’s known for his slow starts. But for comparison’s sake, Kane started the 2019-20 season with three goals and seven assists in his first 12 games. This 10 points is the same place he sits right now through the first 12 games of this season. Yet he finished that 2019-20 season with 33 goals and 84 points in just 70 games due to the Covid-shortened season.
When things start clicking for Kane, he usually goes on a tear. I could see one of these inevitable runs happening in the month of November. In the meantime, Kane still leads the team with his eight assists and 10 points. He’s always been a playmaker, and that’s not going to change any time soon. Just add a few more goals and Kane, as well as the team, will thrive.
Mrazek Set to Return
The Blackhawks were pleasantly surprised with their goaltending to start the season. Petr Mrazek started three of the team’s first four games, and was a solid veteran presence. His stats didn’t look the greatest (a .873 save percentage and a 3.76 goals against average). But let’s also remember the team in front of him was just starting to get their legs underneath them and gel as a group. Unfortunately, Mrazek suffered a groin injury in the Red Wings game on Oct. 21 and has been out ever since.
Backup Alex Stalock came in with his unorthodox style and ran with it. He was standing on his head and doing his part for the Blackhawks. Until he was knocked into the goalpost by New York Islanders’ Casey Cizikas on Nov. 1. He’s currently in concussion protocol. Enter Arvid Soderblom, who also was playing unexpectedly well. Wouldn’t you know it, Soderblom also left with an injury on Nov. 5 against the Winnipeg Jets. That’s quite the string of injuries in the netminder position for the Blackhawks.
The good news is Mrazek has been practicing with the team, and is expected to return for the contest against the Kings this Thursday. From a goaltending perspective, it’s fortunate the Blackhawks have a four-day break in the action. Hopefully their starting netminder will be ready to return and add some stability in net.
Defense by Committee Keeps Working
Considering the Blackhawks weren’t expected to be very good this season, and their string of recent injuries, it really is amazing the team is doing as well as they are (a current record of 5-5-2). This isn’t phenomenal, but the team is overachieving by projected standards.
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Which brings us to the loss of Seth Jones; a huge hit for the team. The Blackhawks top defenseman, and leader in ice time, went down with a right thumb injury on Oct. 29 against the Buffalo Sabres. Coach Richardson indicated there will have to be a “committee approach” in replacing his minutes. So far, this has worked out well, with everyone contributing. Here is the average time on the ice for the Blackhawks’ defensemen in the last four games since Jones has been out.
- Jack Johnson, 21:05 minutes
- Jake McCabe, 20:29 minutes
- Connor Murphy, 20:23 minutes
- Caleb Jones, 19:32 minutes
- Jarred Tinordi, 18:59 minutes
- Filip Roos, 17:32 (3 games)
- Alec Regula, 16:30 (1 game)
Seth was averaging 25:12 minutes of ice time before his injury. So you can see how his time has been spread out among all the defensemen, with each person getting just a little more time.
Asking for this group effort will keep the veteran defensemen from getting burnt out, while also giving the newer defensemen an opportunity to contribute more. It’s a good plan to keep everyone involved instead of just leaning on one or two blueliners.
Special Teams Stays the Course
Yeah, the Blackhawks got burned on special teams in their last game against the Winnipeg Jets. They gave up three power play goals and one shorthanded goal. But if you look at the overall picture, the Blackhawks’ power play is currently 11th in the league with a 24.3% success rate. It’s not phenomenal, but its consistent. If they can keep this up, it will help them win more games.
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Chicago’s penalty kill could use some improvement. It currently ranks 29th in the league. But again, the last few games have knocked them down a bit in this area. If they can stay the course, and perhaps limit their penalties, they should be able to make up some ground with their penalty kill numbers.
I believe the above are all viable reasons the Blackhawks can put together a strong November record. But who knows, there could be other reasons. Maybe the third line of Sam Lafferty, Jason Dickinson and MacKenzie Entwistle suddenly becomes hot again. Perhaps the fourth line contributes offensively, or Stalock or Soderblom overcome their injuries and continue to help out in net.
Or, the team continues their current funk and struggles through the rest of this month. Because you never know when it comes to hockey. We’ll find out soon enough what November will bring.