Chicago Blackhawks: Fourth line leads the way this time

The Chicago Blackhawks fourth line came through with them against the Montreal Canadiens. They need their scoring depth to show up and this was a step.

There is no better way to get scoring depth than having a fourth line that can give you some offense every now and then. The Chicago Blackhawks got just that in their game against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night. It was their second game in as many days on their Canadien road trip. This win over Montreal improved Chicago to 13-3-3 in their last 19 meetings with them. It has been a dominant stretch for the Hawks in games between the two teams.

Zack Smith scored two goals and Drake Caggiula scored one in the 4-1 Hawks victory. These guys aren’t going to score every night but they need to take advantage when they do. They have also been very sound defensively as a team so that is good. A good fourth line is a key to being a playoff team so if this can somewhat keep up it would go a long way in their chances of making the playoffs.

Patrick Kane also collected an assist in this game. It was the primary assist on a power-play goal scored by Alex DeBrincat. This is notable because Kane is now at 998 career points. That elusive 1000th point is right around the corner. He should get it either on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs or Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets. When he does it, it will surely be a special moment for one of the franchise’s greatest players.

Corey Crawford got the start against his hometown team. He has great career numbers against the Habs and this game was no different. He made some sweet saves as the Hawks were outshot 33-28. Robin Lehner has been spectacular this season so if Crawford can continue to match it, that would be so helpful for this team. You need good goaltending to win and Chicago currently has that. If they can keep up their good defensive play while continuing to score some goals they should win more than they lose.

The good thing about this team is that they haven’t given us a reason to completely give up. They are no longer in the last place in the Central Division as they have climbed out of that spot. They are up to 5th in the division and only four points out of the final Wild Card spot of the Western Conference. They got there by going 9-4-0 in their last 13 games. They are a team with a lot of talent but they just need to continue to play this well.

The toughest test of their Canadian road trip is next. A trip back to Ontario to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs are a fast, skilled team that relies on good goaltending. They are basically a much stronger version of the Blackhawks. This is surely a tough test but the last few times these two teams have met they have been wildly entertaining games. This time around should be no different.