Surprised by the Blackhawks' start this season? Here are some reasons why you shouldn't be
Simply remarkable.
That pretty much sums up the Blackhawks' 4-1 victory at Toronto on Monday.
Going into the contest, few gave coach Luke Richardson's squad much of a chance. One NHL Network analyst even predicted the Maple Leafs would maul the Hawks 6-1, the logic being that Seth Jones, Connor Murphy and a bunch of green defensemen had no chance against Auston Matthews and Co.
But here's the thing: People should start paying attention to how the Hawks play under Richardson.
There's a calmness in the defensive zone and a willingness to step in front of shots - something veterans didn't do much of under Jeremy Colliton.
The penalty killers don't sit back and wait for dangerous forwards to zip the puck around the ice either. They attack and make you uncomfortable.
So while some may lament the lack of Hawks' goals (11 in four games), their stinginess against some of the best offensive talent in the league has been awfully impressive. Pittsburgh, Boston and Montreal and Toronto managed to score just nine times - and one of those tallies was an empty netter.
The Hawks have accomplished this with the help of young D-men Kevin Korchinski, Alex Vlasic and Wyatt Kaiser. With a combined 42 games of NHL experience, you'd think they might be tripping all over themselves but that hasn't been the case.
Not only has Korchinski defended well, but he skates with authority when moving up ice with the puck and is an excellent passer.
Vlasic had his best game Tuesday, playing more than 22 minutes, blocking 4 shots and rifling a 140-foot pass to Corey Perry that resulted in a breakaway goal.
Kaiser has had a few rough moments, but that's to be expected - especially when facing the likes of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, David Pastrnak, Matthews and John Tavares.
Goalies Petr Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom have been fantastic as well.
Against Toronto, the Hawks took a 3-1 lead into the third period. Many undermanned squads would cave when facing the offensive pressure the Maple Leafs can produce.
But not the Hawks.
"I just think we stuck together," said forward Mackenzie Entwistle, who scored a goal while making his season debut in his hometown. "We had a lot of big blocks. Sody played amazing."
The last four minutes were particularly impressive, with Toronto firing away 15 times while playing with an empty net. Six shots were saved by Soderblom, four missed the net and five were blocked - two by Jason Dickinson and another by Taylor Raddysh, who iced the game with an empty-netter at 19:54.
"There's players everywhere, sticks everywhere and plays are being made," said Soderblom, who has stopped 64 of 67 shots in two starts. "So you have to be sharp and focused.
"But as a group ... (we) handled it well."
Everyone contributed in Toronto, with Seth Jones blocking four shots and playing almost 28 minutes; Andreas Athanasiou notching 2 assists; Boris Katchouk and Korchinski registering assists; and Connor Murphy, Nikita Zaitsev and Jason Dickinson all blocking three shots.
It all bodes well for the immediate future.
"The veteran guys played very well and even some of the young guys," Richardson said. "Vlasic was excellent with his reach, Boris made some big plays at the end with his skating ability.
"That goes a long way for this team. Everybody's contributing. And you need that because if you're always rely on one or two guys that's when they get tired and bad things happen out there."
The Hawks (2-2-0) close out their season-opening five-game road trip at Colorado on Thursday then play their home opener against the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights (3-0-0) on Saturday.