Blackhawks love fire Max Domi is playing with

In the Blackhawks' game against the Minnesota Wild, center Tyson Jost caught Patrick Kane with his back turned to him at the blue line, and Jost hit him. It was called boarding, so the Hawks didn't get a power play.

Max Domi flew in from the red line to square up with Jost, and Kane, seeing the ref's hand raised, tried to get to hold Jost back. It was of no use.

"There wasn't really much stopping me at that point," Domi said.

It was an embodiment of who Domi is as a player. He can score, he can pass, he is a playmaker and a hard worker, but it is this edge that Domi prides himself on having, and just 12 games into the season, his fire seems to be spreading.

"It feels good, and it's early in the season," Kane said "but I think it sets the standard going forward that we want to be a team that's close together on and off the ice."

It truly is remarkable how a penalty, something that generally hurts a team, can rally a team just the same.

Domi was assessed a game misconduct, a fighting major and instigating minor, which caused the penalty kill unit to go out at the end of a one-goal game.

And when you have a coach like Luke Richardson, who will defend any penalty for sticking up for a teammate, it allows Domi to be Domi.

"Absolutely we'll never say anything about anybody defending a teammate, sticking up for a teammate or taking an aggressive penalty," Richardson said after the Wild game.

Last year, Domi played in only 19 games with the Carolina Hurricanes and recorded 7 points. Before that he had recorded over 24 points in every season for three teams (Columbus, Montreal, Arizona), including a 72-point season in 2018-19. He currently has 7 points with 4 goals and 3 assists.

So there's no question that Domi is capable of producing, especially when you put him on the same line as someone like Kane. Producing, however, takes some effort.

That edge that everyone talks about just comes naturally.

"It's just part of being a hockey player, right?" Domi said. "I mean that's part of the expectation and comes with the territory, so it is what it is. Definitely not going to look for (fighting penalties), but probably have it in my blood or somewhere along the lines, so it's all good. I don't mind doing it. It's part of the game."

It's something he tends to brush off, as he seems like one of the more docile characters in the locker room, but it's well-known among his teammates that if someone takes a shot at them, Domi's coming in.

"In those situations, when he sees red," Andreas Athanasiou said, "he's gonna be coming hard."

It's been an up-and-down start for the Hawks. They're in fourth place in the Central Division with 12 points and a 5-5-2 record. If you had asked experts, they would probably have told you the Hawks would be 1-8-2, like they started 2021.

But this year, there is a different atmosphere around the team. Jonathan Toews, Kane and several other players have noted a kind of positivity and energy in the air, and in his own way, Domi has contributed to that.

"It's great," Kane said after the Wild game. "It's nice to know that we've been teammates for 10 games, and he has your back like that."