Saturday, March 23, 2024

Kane and the Cat: Taking the NHL By Storm

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Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat have had a hell of a week. Kane and DeBrincat are finally starting to tap into the potential that has been lying dormant since the Blackhawks drafted the latter in 2016. Here, DeBrincat talks about their chemistry and how much Patrick Kane has influenced his game.

Kane and DeBrincat have started to really feed off of one another, and lately, they’re starting to look like a former Blackhawks’ dynamic duo. Does this ring a bell?

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Although not as accomplished and feared yet, the new duo of Kane and DeBrincat has been just as effective recently when they share the ice. Here’s the Kane and Cat combo at work against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, January 6th.

Kane and the Cat were back at it again on Monday, January 7th against the Calgary Flames.

How Have Kane and DeBrincat Been Getting It Done?

Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat were seen working on one-timers before the game against Nashville on Wednesday.

I am under the assumption that Kane and the Cat have made this a regular pre-game ritual. It has clearly been paying off in a big way. Kane and DeBrincat’s synergy has been very noticeable in the last 10 games, especially on the power play. They have been racking up power play points in bunches. Here’s a more detailed breakdown on when and where these points came from.

Patrick Kane’s last 10 games:

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com

Alex DeBrincat’s last 10 games:

Provided by Hockey-Reference.com

With Kane and the Cat running the power play, the Blackhawks’ power play efficiency has gotten a nice boost. It’s really refreshing to see pucks going in the net on power plays again.

This visual paints a pretty vivid picture and shows you just how bad the power play has been this season.

Hopefully, Kane and DeBrincat can keep this going for the remainder of the season. These two are doing their part in making the special teams special again. Now, it’s up to the rest of the team to buy in and follow suit.

What’s Next?

First thing’s first…

I’m not trying to be negative here, but this Blackhawks team is not playoff bound this year. The lack of roster depth is really holding the team back, and Kane and the Cat cannot will this team to the playoffs on their own. Jonathan Toews cannot carry the top line by himself. Collin Delia can only stand on his head for so long until the shots start hitting the twine.

The defense will be the Blackhawks’ Achilles heel until the prospects start cracking the NHL roster, which could be as soon as next season. Henri Jokiharju was a fixture on Team Finland in the 2019 World Juniors tournament and helped Finland beat Team USA in the gold medal game.

I’m glad Jokiharju was loaned to Team Finland. The experience from he gained by playing over 20 minutes a game on a winning team is way more valuable than anything he would have gotten from staying with the Blackhawks. Jokiharju will take his experience from the tournament and build on it.

Besides Jokiharju, many of the Blackhawks’ top prospects including Adam Boqvist, Ian Mitchell, Nicolas Beaudin, Philipp Kurashev, Evan Barratt, MacKenzie Entwistle, and Jakub Galvas also had great showings in the 2019 World Juniors tournament. Here’s a breakdown on each players’ performance throughout the tournament.

Provided by NHL.com

The current state of the Blackhawks may not appeal to you right now, but I believe the future is as bright as it ever was. Until the future officially arrives, at least we still have Kane and the Cat to keep us entertained.

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

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