Why the Blackhawks Are Back

Patrick Kane celebrates after drilling a one-timer into the back of the net against the Colorado Avalanche.

I know the Blackhawks are sixth in the Central. I know they're out of a playoff spot. I know that star goalie Corey Crawford is out with a concussion.
I also know what I saw.
Ever since the Blackhawks beat the Penguins 6-3 on December 12, they've looked like a different hockey team. Alex DeBrincat scored. Brandon Saad scored. Jonathan Toews scored. Patrick Kane had an assist. The Blackhawks had a good game! The game after, the Hawks' Erik Gustafsson scored with seconds left in the third to tie up the game and take a good Winnipeg Jets team to overtime, and it seemed like the magic not seen since Kane tied up the Toronto Maple Leafs with another late goal. Boom. Let's go on a run.
And then disaster seemingly struck the team when Crawford banged his head on the post. A playoff berth seemed impossible, and backup Cam Ward allowed a bunch of goals in a 7-3 loss to the Sharks. After the game, Ward stood up in the locker room and took responsibility for everything. Angry at himself and the position the team was in, he looked his teammates in the eye and told them things were going to be different.
They've been that way. Ward and the Blackhawks beat the Predators and Stars when Collin Delia got to start against a fast, run-and-gun Colorado Avalanche team, starring Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen, and Delia proceeded to shut down and annoy a visibly frustrated MacKinnon with great goaltending and a 35-save performance. The Blackhawks would lose the next game to Florida but bounce back with wins against the Minnesota Wild and another overtime win in Colorado. They played another good game in the Winter Classic against Boston, followed up with another great performance from Delia, who had 47 against the Islanders which eventually resulted in an overtime loss. The Blackhawks again exhibited their resiliency against the Penguins last night when they bounced back from being down 2-0 to eventually win 5-3.
A big reason for the Blackhawks being back in the playoff hunt has been goaltending-Ward and Delia have both been excellent, but as Blackhawks color commentator Eddie Olzcyk often points out, the crease hasn't been a problem for the Blackhawks all year long. The defense hasn't been great but also hasn't been a gaping hole for the team like it was a year ago, and getting Henri Jokijarju back from the World Juniors will provide a boost to the team. Gustafsson has provided a huge offensive boost with 24 points. The captain Toews has been an offensive force as well as a defensive one, looking like he used to in the dynasty days of the Blackhawks. He's got 39 points so far, and is on pace for 72, which would come close to his career high of 76 points. DeBrincat has been coming on strong with a great sophmore season, and he looks certain to overcome last season's 28 goals as he's got 19 with just over half the games played. Dylan Strome has looked great for the Blackhawks since being brought over in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes for Nick Schmaltz, with 17 points.
However, as per the usual, the leading scorer for the Chicago Blackhawks is none other than superstar Patrick Kane. Kane has lit up the league with 54 points coming into Monday's game against the Calgary Flames, good enough for seventh in the league. His 23 goals are more than Steven Stamkos, Mark Scheifele, Nikita Kucherov, and Auston Matthews. He's got 31 assists. Imagine this guy playing with Artemi Panarin and what it would do for his performance next season. This season, he's been the superstar the Blackhawks have needed and really stepped up.
It looks like the Blackhawks have finally adjusted to head coach Jeremy Colliton's new system and appear to be poised to make a run at the playoffs. It is time for Hawks fans to forget about Jack Hughes and get ready to watch Blackhawks hockey deep into the spring. We've got Boqvist anyways. Let's make a run this year. The team is only going to get stronger.

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