5 things we've learned in Blackhawks' 1st week

The Blackhawks are 2-0-1.

They lead the NHL with a whopping 15 goals. And have allowed a league-worst 14.

Jonathan Toews was named the NHL's Second Star of the week and is on pace 137 goals. Patrick Kane is on pace for 164 points. And rookie D-man Henri Jokiharju leads the league in assists with 5.

It's definitely been a wild and crazy first week of the season for coach Joel Quenneville's squad. So with the team off for a few days ahead of their tilt at Minnesota on Thursday, let's look at Five Things we've learned thus far.

Terrorizing Toews:

So much for the Captain being washed up, huh? Toews looked like a man reborn against Ottawa, St. Louis and Toronto, racking up an NHL-best 5 goals. Three have come in front of the net, one came on a partial breakaway and the other on an all-out break that gave the Hawks a 5-4 victory at St. Louis.

We pause here to remember that Brandon Saad got off to a similarly hot start last season, scoring 6 goals in the first six games. And we all remember how Saad's season turned out.

That seems unlikely to happen with Toews, however, who is thriving with Alex DeBrincat and Dominic Kahun as his linemates.

"His play over three games is pretty amazing as far as his pace, possession time," coach Joel Quenneville said. "That line's been effective as well. But his quickness is noticeable. Has the puck more (and) he's around the net."

No Joke:

Rookie D-man Henri Jokiharju was on the ice for 5 of the Blackhawks' 6 goals on Sunday, registering the primary assist on 3 of them. He put the last one right in Patrick Kane's wheelhouse and the Hawks' superstar ripped it past Garret Sparks to tie the game at 6-6 with 28.3 seconds remaining.

The 19-year-old's impressive offensive instincts will serve the Hawks well for seasons to come. And his defense? Well, the Hawks will live with a mistake here and there, but he's already shown plenty of growth since camp began.

"There's probably going to be a few situations every period that are going to be new and he can learn from," Quenneville said. "But you gotta love his poise and patience as the game progresses. He seems to get better as the game goes along. A real good start to the year for him."

Anybody home?

According to naturalstattrick.com, the Hawks were fourth-worst in the league last season in high-danger chances allowed per game during 5-on-5 play at 12.09. Through three games this season, that number is 11.55.

Considering Washington, which won the Stanley Cup, was third-worst (12.47), this stat clearly doesn't guarantee automatic failure. But the top seven teams - Dallas, Minnesota, Winnipeg, St. Louis, Boston, Tampa Bay and New Jersey - averaged 9.8 or fewer and won at least 42 games. Only St. Louis and Dallas missed the playoffs, but just barely on both counts.

"I just think defending as a group of five, (we can be quicker) to people when they have pucks in their own zone, and we can kill plays faster or eliminate possession," Quenneville said.

Said 39-year-old veteran Chris Kunitz: "We've had some lapses in our D zone. … Obviously we have an offensive-minded team that can make plays and score goals. But through this first month we need to figure out a way to keep pucks out of our net rather than pressing to put pucks into theirs."

Rough start:

No matter how many high-danger chances he's facing, Cam Ward needs to be better. Period.

In three games, the Hawks' goalie has an unsightly .843 save percentage and putrid 4.63 goals-against average. Starting him in back-to-back games was probably a mistake, though.

The Hawks are hoping Corey Crawford can play Oct. 18 against Arizona, so Ward should have two more chances to redeem himself before being relegated to the backup role.

Unsung hero:

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews stole the headlines in the first three games, but others are doing the little things that don't always show up on the scoresheet.

The 6-foot-4 Artem Anisimov (plus-3 rating) was especially impressive against Toronto, annoying Maple Leafs goalie Garret Sparks on all 3 Hawks goals in the third period. The wily veteran knows the importance of getting to the front of the net and is one of the few Hawks who do it consistently.

Anisimov has also won 51 percent of his faceoffs centering an under-the-radar third line that isn't getting much publicity but is more than holding its own.