Blackhawks catching fire at right time

What in the heck is going on with the Blackhawks?

Left for dead in mid-December after a four-game losing streak, the Hawks are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the league after completing a 3-0-0 road trip by thrashing host Toronto 6-2 on Saturday.

Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalik had 2 goals each, and Drake Caggiula and Brandon Saad also scored against the Maple Leafs. It was Saad's first appearance since injuring his ankle in a win over Winnipeg on Dec. 19.

Patrick Kane now has 999 career points after recording an assist on Saad's first-period goal that made it 3-0. The Hawks (23-20-6) have won four straight, are 11-5-0 in their last 16 and are suddenly right in the thick of the wild-card race.

"We feel good about ourselves and believe in what we're doing," coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters. "But we've got to earn that feeling every day. It's important that we don't just think it's going to happen because we've been playing better.

"There's work that goes into it. We've got to prepare and then we've got to compete when it's time. Overall we've been doing that."

So, what's going on? Let's break it down:

• First and foremost, the Hawks are playing a better team game and aren't getting discouraged when things go against them. Cases in point: They scored 3 straight goals in a 4-2 win over Anaheim after falling behind 3:37 into the game on Jan. 11; they stayed patient after falling behind Ottawa 2-0 and came back to win in overtime Tuesday; and they held firm after a Phillip Danault goal trimmed the lead to 2-1 in Montreal on Wednesday.

"Whatever situation we find ourselves in, we're playing good hockey. It's fun," Toews said. "We're playing a complete game right now, so we're showing each other what our potential really is if we play the right way."

• Kubalik and Toews are absolutely dominating. With 20 goals on the season and 9 in the last seven games, Kubalik has to be a serious contender for the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie. His second goal against Toronto came when he batted a pass from Toews out of midair and smacked it into the net to make it 6-2.

"That is the goal of the night in the National Hockey League," Eddie Olczyk said on the NBC SportsChicago broadcast.

Said Colliton: "He's finding different ways to score. It's fun to watch. He's shooting the puck, he's going to the net, pucks are going in off him, he's playing baseball. He's a great kid, so happy to see him have some success."

Toews, meanwhile, has 28 points in the last 20 games, with 4 coming against the Leafs.

• The penalty kill has been ridiculous. Led by Toews, Ryan Carpenter, Zack Smith, Connor Murphy, Duncan Keith and Olli Maatta, this unit has stopped 32 of 35 power-play opportunities since Dec. 18.

• Young players like Kirby Dach, Matthew Highmore and defenseman Adam Boqvist are playing with more confidence.

• And let's not forget about Kane, who extended his point streak to nine games against Toronto. The 31-year-old superstar is on pace for a third 100-point season and continues to strike fear in opponents every time he comes over the boards.

The Hawks now return home to face Winnipeg on Sunday and Joel Quenneville's Florida Panthers on Tuesday. They'll then have 10 days off before playing at Arizona on Feb. 1.

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. Winnipeg Jets, 6 p.m. at United Center

TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: Winnipeg (25-19-4) is 5-8-2 in its last 15 games. The Jets' latest loss came when Tampa Bay throttled coach Paul Maurice's team 7-1 on Friday. "We had a stinker, and we've got to move on," said center Mark Scheifele, who leads the Jets with 52 points (22 goals). Four others have at least 15 goals: Kyle Connor (24), Nikolaj Ehlers (18), Patrik Laine (15) and Blake Wheeler (15). ... Goalie Connor Hellebuyck leads the NHL with 40 appearances. He is 6-7-2 with an .896 save percentage and 3.44 goals against average since Dec. 10. ... Winnipeg has just 12 power-play opportunities in the last six games. ... The Hawk are 1-0-1 against the Jets this season, winning the last meeting 4-1 at the United Center on Dec. 19. Alex Nylander scored the opening goal, 1 of his 5 tallies on the season.

Next: Florida Panthers, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at United Center

- John Dietz