EDMONTON, Alberta — The Blackhawks are three-for-three so far at keeping up with potential playoff teams on the road.
It’s an encouraging sign that they may indeed be more competitive this season.
After playing well but falling short in a 5-2 defeat against Utah and a 2-1 overtime loss to the Jets, Seth Jones insisted on Friday the Hawks would “stick with” their system despite the lack of rewards. He was immediately validated Saturday as the Hawks upset the Oilers 5-2 to earn their first win.
It’s still extremely early in the season, and it must be noted the Hawks won two of their first four games (and five of their first 12) last season before falling apart. With that caveat in mind, here are five takeaways from the Hawks’ first three games:
More structure
This isn’t technically correct, but it feels like the Hawks have actual game plans for the first time in years. Coach Luke Richardson has refined his system, and the Hawks finally have players capable of properly executing that system — at least most of the time.
If anything, the most structured the Hawks were last season was when Connor Bedard was sidelined. They effectively implemented a heavily defense-first scheme, which would’ve worked well had they been able to score at all without him, but they couldn’t.
Now, they’re still playing a defense-first style, but they have a healthy Bedard and enough talent around him to also generate offense — at least sometimes.
Teravainen outshining Bertuzzi
Between the Hawks’ two highest-profile summer additions, Teuvo Teravainen has found his niche more quickly than Tyler Bertuzzi.
Teravainen and Bedard teamed up for the Hawks’ first goal of the season and then, after a worryingly quiet performance in Winnipeg, erupted Saturday with Bedard tallying three points and Teravainen four (which equaled his career high). Bedard said they’re “getting to know where each other likes to go.”
Bertuzzi, conversely, has yet to record a point while playing on the second line. He looks oddly sluggish, and his ice time dipped to 14:16 on Saturday. He knows how to scrap for rebounds in the crease, so he should be useful as the season progresses, but he hasn’t found his rhythm yet.
Special teams clicking
During the Hawks’ five-game opening road trip last season, their power play was atrocious, going 1-for-22 with two shorthanded goals allowed. It took them months to really figure things out.
Any concerns that pattern might repeat this year were alleviated Saturday, when the Hawks went 3-for-3 on power-play opportunities. The second unit is still a work in progress, but the first unit should be able to move forward with confidence.
The Hawks’ aggressive up-ice pressure on the penalty kill, meanwhile, has been tenacious. They’re 5-for-6 with just nine shots on goal allowed.
Faceoff struggles
The Hawks were dominated on faceoffs by the Jets and Oilers, causing them to struggle to gain possession and alleviate pressure from their defensive zone during both third periods in particular.
Bedard and Jason Dickinson have each won only about 35% of their draws. Philipp Kurashev is over 50%, but neither Andreas Athanasiou nor Ryan Donato have had any success as the fourth-line center, either.
Too early to tell
Despite all of the above, a three-game sample size is too small to draw any meaningful conclusions. For proof, consider this: the Hawks produced the majority of the five-on-five expected goals in their two losses (52.3% in Utah and 54.0% in Winnipeg) but were decimated in that category in their one win (22.7% in Edmonton).
It should be easier to judge the Hawks once they’ve played at home and faced some lower-echelon opponents. They’ll finish their trip Tuesday against the Flames before hosting the Sharks and Sabres later this week.