Rozner: Chicago Blackhawks working overtime for good start

Stan Bowman was not necessarily making a case for the Chicago Blackhawks at the Convention in late July.

He was mostly objecting to a columnist's attempt at framing the upcoming season in a nice little package, such as rebuild, all-in or something more complicated and falling between the others.

“If you look at Washington, all I remember from a year ago is everyone said their window was closed,” Bowman said in July. “They got beat three years in a row by the Penguins and they traded away some players and didn't make any additions to their team.

“And they won the Cup.

“Was their window open or closed? I would love someone to explain that one to me. It doesn't make sense the way the media portrayed their window.

“It doesn't do any good to try to script out the season. I don't find value in it. I get why you try, but hockey doesn't work that way. It's not a linear progression.”

Witness the 2-0-1 Hawks, who have collected 5 of a possible 6 points after coming from behind three times in the third period to tie it Sunday night, before losing 7-6 in overtime to the Leafs at the UC.

This is, after all, a Toronto team favored win the Stanley Cup.

So much for preseason predictions? Well, let's tap the brakes a bit just four days into the season.

Still, it's obviously better to start well than not, especially when you're coming off the misery that became last season for the Hawks.

“It's a competitive league and we're in a great division,” said head coach Joel Quenneville with a knowing smile. “Every team in our division thinks they're a playoff team.

“How you go about making the playoffs is what we've been discussing during training camp and to start the season. You have to get off to a great start and really can't have any lulls.

“But we have some special players who love that situation. Now, let's work the next 80 games to put ourselves in that position.”

The great start by Jonathan Toews — the best of his career — can't be understated for him personally or a franchise that knows all too well that it can't dream about anything without Toews playing at an all-star level.

Toews scored his fifth goal in three games Sunday and stole the puck that led to a tick-tack-toe tally for Alex DeBrincat, though Toews did not collect a point on the play.

“When your best players are your best players, that's what you need,” Quenneville said. “Everybody likes to score and play well and when you get production to go along with it that makes you feel good and gives you confidence.

“You know with Johnny you're going to get everything you can from him every game, but it seems like he's got more pace to his game and more (puck) possession.”

Quenneville's message was delivered in camp and apparently well received, given the Hawks' surprising start.

“It certainly helps that we had a good training camp,” Quenneville said. “The intensity was higher, the focus was in the right place. Our top guys had good camps and demonstrated that in the first few games.

“Just seems like there's more enthusiasm, be it in the locker room, in practices, on the ice, on the bench during games.

“I like how we've competed.”

The first three games are nothing more than an indication that the Hawks came to play this season, but Cam Ward is not a solution. The Hawks aren't going anywhere without a healthy Corey Crawford, and it's about another week until he's due to return, when some rust is to be expected.

And then there's Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, who combined for 4 points Sunday. They don't have to be great for the Hawks to be good, but they do have to be good for the Hawks to be great.

The defense is a work in progress, to be kind, as evidenced by some ugly play in three overtime games, and the Hawks giving up 2 goals in 34 seconds of the first period Sunday that allowed Toronto to tie the game after a brilliant start by the Hawks.

“The way we started that game, we hadn't seen anything like that in our team game over the last year,” Quenneville said. “We had stretches over the first two games, but that was an excellent beginning.”

The next two periods were a circus defensively, and the Hawks needed 2 goals from Patrick Kane in 53 seconds, both with the Hawks' net empty, to secure a point.

“Tie it up, they get one, tie it up again. Pretty crazy hockey game,” Kane said. “Fun one to play in. Too bad we couldn't get 2 points.”

That's 14 goals against in three games, hardly a formula for sustained success. That ties the Hawks with the Rangers for the most goals allowed in the NHL, but New York is 0-3. The Hawks also lead the league with 15 goals scored.

“We can definitely play better defensively,” Kane said. “No doubt about it.

“Any time you're letting up 7, it's not a good thing. So it's something we're gonna have to shore up in our own end.”

Nevertheless, three comebacks in the third period to force overtime three times.

At least so far, this feels like a different Blackhawks team.