4. Clicking At The Right Time
It’s coming down the stretch and the Blackhawks are heating up while the rest of the league is cooling off.
The core players are elevating their games. Patrick Kane has inserted himself into the Art Ross and Hart trophy talks after being ignored for four months. Jonathan Toews is scoring again and Corey Crawford can put the team on his back when he needs to.
Even better than the core players elevating, is the not completely unexpected contributions of rookies Ryan Hartman and Nick Schmaltz. Both players have had to assume responsibilities on top lines and have transitioned smoothly.
The penalty kill has been the best it has all season as they’ve killed 86% since Feb 1. That is sixth best in that time frame and great since they were dead last since the first week of the season.
Confidence and momentum are in the Blackhawks favor for the stretch run. It’s going to be exciting. Be ready to be watching hockey in June because the Blackhawks don’t just look good on paper, they look good on silver too.
