Chicago Blackhawks: Three takeaways from Detroit Red Wings series

2. Ryan Carpenter is a fantastic depth forward for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Ryan Carpenter isn’t a guy who sees a whole lot of minutes in a game but he is reliable for the most part when he is out there. In the first game of the weekend against Detroit, he didn’t collect a single point but he played his fourth-line role okay. In the second game, he was a two-goal scorer for a team that ended up scoring seven. It was one of the better games he has ever played in his NHL career so far.

He missed some time this season but his return is nice for the bottom six. Those were only his second and third goals of the season but that isn’t something he is there to do. He is on the Blackhawks to defend, be hard to play against, and make the other team’s best players work a little extra harder. When he chips in a goal or two, it is just an added bonus.

It is weird that in a multi-goal effort, Carpenter wasn’t even recognized for being one of the three stars of the game. That goes to show how good the Hawks were in that win over the Red Wings. It is hard to compete against a goalie making 44 saves on 46 shots or a couple of forwards who had three points or more. It would be nice to see Ryan Carpenter continue to be healthy and chip in some offense while playing his role the right way.