Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Alex DeBrincat Has Officially Put The NHL On Notice

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After a great rookie campaign last season, Alex DeBrincat has taken his play to the next level this season. He is no longer a secondary scoring option and on his way to becoming an elite scoring threat for the Blackhawks. Through 7 games, DeBrincat has put up 11 points (7G, 4A) with a 3 +/- rating.

Alex DeBrincat stats as of 10/21/18
Table provided by puckpedia.com

Besides putting up points, Alex DeBrincat has been etching his name into record books as well.

Although DeBrincat has been making a name for himself this season, he has been sharing the spotlight with other Blackhawks’ stars too.

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With the loss of Marian Hossa, the Blackhawks desperately needed one of their young budding stars to step up. DeBrincat has officially nominated himself and put the NHL on notice. Speaking of Hossa, DeBrincat has officially linked their names together.

Alex DeBrincat has been promoted to the top line this season which is a big factor in his hot start to the 2018-19 season. Playing on the Blackhawks’ 1st line sure has its perks. Increased ice time leads to more scoring opportunities and DeBrincat has capitalized on just about every single one.

DeBrincat is playing alongside the Captain, Jonathan Toews, who has also had a fantastic start to the season. Newly signed Dominik Kahun is also having himself a nice little coming out party on the 1st line in his rookie season with the Blackhawks. The offensive production has been plentiful for the team’s top dogs. Here’s some visual evidence, from last night’s game, of what this Blackhawks’ top line can do when they are firing on all cylinders.

Alex DeBrincat brings some heavy duty offensive firepower to the Blackhawks’ 1st line which they were desperately missing last season.

Where Does The Hot Start Put Alex DeBrincat Amongst The NHL’s Elite This Season?

Through 7 games, Alex DeBrincat currently sits within the Top 20 in 2 major offensive categories, Points and Goals Scored.

Here are the NHL Points leaders through 10/21/18. There are 3 Blackhawks in the Top 20 right now, Patrick Kane (11), Alex DeBrincat (11), and Jonathan Toews (10).

NHL Points Leaders Through 10/21/18
Table provided by NHL.com

Here are the NHL leaders in goals scored as of 10/21/18. Currently, there are 3 Blackhawks in the Top 15, Patrick Kane (7), Alex DeBrincat (7), and Jonathan Toews (5).

NHL goals scored leaders as of 10/21/18
Table provided by NHL.com

What’s Next For The Blackhawks?

Tonight, the Blackhawks faceoff against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home in a 2015 Stanley Cup rematch.

Tampa Bay has speed and scoring throughout all four lines and on defense, so it will be important for the Blackhawks’ to get off to a strong start like they did last night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Corey Crawford needs to have another strong performance tonight as well, because this “defense” has not helped him out in the 2 games that he has played in this season. Furthermore, if you were unaware of how bad this “defense” really is, I have some alarming stats to share with you. Keep in mind that these stats were only through 2 periods of hockey last night.


The final stats don’t help the “defense’s” case neither. I am thankful that this game did not go in Columbus’ favor when it easily could have. As you can see, the Blue Jackets had 12 more shots on goal and 10 more 5-on-5 scoring chances.

I am praying for a turnaround for this “defense”, but I am definitely not holding my breath. Crawford will need all of the help he can get, but it will likely come on behalf of the offense. As long as the Blackhawks score enough points to mask the defensive blunders, the Blackhawks have a chance to win tonight. If everything goes right, the Blackhawks may even surprise the league and make a push for a Wild Card appearance this season. Fingers crossed!

For more Blackhawks news and updates, follow the author @Certified_TonyG on Twitter.

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