Blackhawks' hot streak opens opponents' eyes

Joel Quenneville was asked after completing a 5-1 circus trip if the Blackhawks had proven to themselves and everyone else that they're now one of the top teams in the league.

"You could see the team trending in the right direction," Quenneville responded, "and it's a sign that 'hey, we're coming.' "

Around the league, teams are starting to see the same thing as well.

"They're the best team in the league and that's clear through the first two months of the season," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said his team was easily beaten Saturday by a 4-1 count. "If you're going to give them 2 goals, you're probably going to get your (butt) kicked, and that's exactly what happened."

Anaheim's Bruce Boudreau came away impressed after falling by the same score the previous day.

"That's as good as they've played against us in a long time," Boudreau said. "They took it to us from the drop of the puck."

Earlier on the trip, Flames forward Curtis Glencross said of the Hawks, "They're probably one of the best teams in the league."

Amazing what a stellar circus trip will do for a team's perception.

"Sometimes teams send a message to the entire league, and that (circus trip) was a message," Barry Melrose wrote on NHL.com.

"I don't know that anyone doubted the Blackhawks would be in the mix this season, but after an inconsistent six weeks to start 2014-15, Chicago now looks like it will compete for the Stanley Cup this spring yet again."

What lies ahead:

Sure their six-game swing through Western Canada and Southern California was tough, but things don't get any easier for the Hawks, who after a couple of days off, face the prospect of going against St. Louis, Montreal and Nashville over a four-day span.

"We know basically all year long that every game is going to be a big game for us," Joel Quenneville said.

Circus trip numbers:

The Hawks were of 15-for-17 on the penalty kill, including 13 consecutive kills to close out the trip. ... Corey Crawford registered a .929 save percentage, stopping 143 of 154 shots he faced.

He said it:

"Believe it or not that's my idol. That's the guy I wanted to model my game after and that's the guy I watched growing up playing in the NHL. To take a faceoff against him a couple times and to be on the same sheet of ice as him, it's pretty cool."

- Vancouver rookie Bo Horvath, 19, on Hawks captain Jonathan Toews