Chicago Blackhawks: This team has potential to be pesky

It is pretty clear that the Chicago Blackhawks aren’t as good of a team as the Nashville Predators.

Nashville has good players at every position and more depth than Chicago in every way. Patrick Kane is the best player on either side but the rest of Nashville’s lineup is way deeper. They also have a way better defense and better goaltending. With all of that, the Hawks held a lead for a large portion of the game and even managed to grab a standings point.

The Chicago Blackhawks have the potential to be a pesky team this season.

The Blackhawks were up 1-0 and 2-1 at different points in this game. Mikael Granlund tied it late in the third period and then the game went to overtime. Their captain, Roman Jose, scored the game-winning goal in overtime at 1:57. It was a much closer game than many expected but Nashville took the final shot.

Chicago was already shorthanded going into this game. We already know about all of the things that have negatively impacted their roster this year, but they received some bad news on Monday that makes it worse. Alex DeBrincat and Adam Boqvist were both placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list. Those are both big losses for a team that isn’t very deep.

This game is proof that the Hawks can make things difficult on some of their opponents. They were not good in their first two games against the Tampa Bay Lightning but they have now earned points in four straight games and won two of them. They aren’t going to be a playoff team or anything like that but they could make the playoff teams in their division sweat for 60 minutes. The depth of talent isn’t there but there is enough to be a thorn in the side of their opponents.

With the players that Nashville has compared to the players that the Hawks have, you would think that Nashville pulls away in this game. Dylan Strome scored a power-play goal early in the game to make it 1-0. The first thought that comes to mind is the fact that Strome is having a good year so far. He is one of this team’s top-six centers this year and has been taking advantage of this opportunity.

The second thought that comes to mind is the fact that the Chicago Blackhawks have an incredible power play right now. It was an area of difficulty in 2019-20 but they are firing on all cylinders this season. They have now scored a power-play goal in seven straight games. That has been the team’s strength. They don’t have a lot of scoring depth so hitting on these power plays is really helping them win some games.

Malcolm Subban had his first start in 13 days. He played well as he only gave up two goals in regulation. In the total game, he gave up three goals on 39 shots. Nashville outshot Chicago badly as the Hawks only managed to put 20 shots on Pekka Rinne. The fact that Subban was able to keep his team in a game that they had no business being in tells a lot about what he can do. He isn’t the goalie of the future but he might be able to help them this year.

If Nashville outshoots the Hawks by a two to one margin again on Wednesday, chances are that the Hawks will lose without collecting a point. They need to make sure some things are cleaned up by that time. We know how good Nashville’s defense is and they can push the pace of play which makes things difficult on the Hawks. In order to come out on top next time against this Predators team, they need to be better at limiting their chances. It is going to be tough but this game was a good sign about how the rest of the season could go if some things go their way.