Chicago Blackhawks: Collect points in five straight games

It is weird to talk positively after the Chicago Blackhawks after two straight losses but that is what they deserve after their 2-1 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. They played very well and could have easily won, but Matt Duchene made a sweet play in the shootout and that was the difference offensively. Each team played so well defensively and had good goaltending from netminders who are off to a great start. Kevin Lankinen is looking like Chicago’s emerging number one and Juuse Saros is a great backup for Pekka Rinne.

The Chicago Blackhawks now have points in five straight games.

The Hawks started their season off 0-3-0. They gave up five goals in their first four games. However, it was clear that things could only go up from there, especially since every team they play won’t be the Tampa Bay Lightning. They lost 5-4 in overtime in their fourth game of the season and have now collected at least one standings point in five straight games. They are 2-0-3 in those games but they are treading water without some key pieces in the lineup.

Lankinen is the real deal, so far. He has been great in net for Chicago and should get a bulk of the starts as long as he continues to play well. The Blackhawks went into the season with a Malcolm Subban and Collin Delia duo but they weren’t good to start. Malcolm Subban was good on Tuesday against Nashville but Lankinen was great in the second Nashville game a day later. He gave up one goal on 42 shots which is remarkable. They are going to need this to continue if they want to not be the worst team in the league.

The Chicago Blackhawks’ fourth line was awesome in this game. They were given more ice time because of the way they were playing and they rewarded the coach. They tied the game exactly four minutes after Nashville took a third-period lead. Ryan Carpenter scored his first of the season and it was assisted by Brandon Hagel and David Kampf.

All season long, we have been ripping on their depth. They still don’t have good depth, especially without Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach, but if this fourth line comes into its own, that might make things easier on the guys at the top. They are missing a few guys because of COVID-19 protocol so it can’t just be Patrick Kane scoring.

This was a game in which they didn’t score a power-play goal. They have one of the best units in the league but they went 0-4. They won’t score every game so this is okay but they do need to avoid it going into a slump. They don’t score often at even strength so the power play is a big factor. They also killed four Nashville power plays out of four so you take the good with the bad in a goaltending duel like this. Special teams are a big part of the game so if both sides can keep it going, that might help them win a few extra games.

On Friday, the Blackhawks will be the only National Hockey League game to watch when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets. This is a tough matchup between two teams that are looking to stay on track. Columbus just made one of the biggest trades that the NHL has seen in a long time so they will be looking to keep the good momentum going as well.