Blackhawks’ Quenneville wants to see better power play

The importance of getting the power play turned around isn’t lost on Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville.

While sitting at 6-2-2 after 10 games with 14 out of a possible 20 points is nice, Quenneville knows the power play is key if the Hawks want to take their game to even higher levels.

“Certain areas we’ve been very happy with, but I think offensively our production would all be better and our team game would be improved once we start clicking on the power play,” Quenneville said.

The Hawks woke up Sunday morning ranked 27th after going 0-for-5 in Saturday’s 5-2 win over Columbus. They are 4-for-38, a success rate of just 10.5 percent.

Despite a poor power play, the Hawks are fourth in the NHL in goals scored, which goes to prove Quenneville’s point of how things could be even better if the power play was working.

Quenneville has tried all sorts of different combinations short of picking names out of a hat to get the power play on track.

He didn’t agree or disagree that the problems on the power play start at the points with the lack of shots attempted or the inability of the point men to get shots through to the net.

“The more simplified version is what we’re looking to do,” Quenneville said. “Simplifying would be the best way to get it going.”

That means more pucks to the net.

There were 3 power-play goals disallowed by the referees for various offenses Saturday, which Quenneville viewed as a positive. At least the Hawks had pucks around the net and were creating traffic in front.

“We can’t let that move into the rest of our game,” Jonathan Toews said. “Eventually we’ll figure it out and the power play will give us that energy and boost we need, whether we score or not to be in their end to tire them out and some of their top players out.

“Again, there were a couple goals we thought maybe should have gone our way, but they didn’t. That just seems to be the name of the game right now with our power play.

“Even when things are clicking something backfires like that. I thought the new fivesomes were working pretty well together, so we’ll keep going that way.”

Unlike the power play, all is good with the penalty-killing. The Hawks are first in the NHL, having allowed just 2 power-play goals against in 33 short-handed situations.

They are seventh in the league defensively and second in fewest penalties with an average of 9.3 minutes per game.

“We like where we’re sitting right now, but we know within our own game and within this locker room there are things we still need to feel out and still need to improve on, and we’ll keep getting better at that,” Toews said.

“But as far as guys knowing their roles, what they have to do and how they have to prepare, we’re there now and there are no more excuses. We have to keep bringing that effort every single night.”