The Blackhawks entered Saturday tied for a playoff spot.
Of course, the Hawks have played only four games. But it’s something of an achievement for this team, nonetheless.
They have exceeded expectations so far. Coach Luke Richardson’s systems have the Hawks outperforming their talent level, and some of general manager Kyle Davidson’s low-key, low-risk pickups in the last year — such as Sam Lafferty, Jason Dickinson and goalie Alex Stalock — are off to hot starts.
The victory Friday in the home opener against the Red Wings was one of the more memorable, surprising, feel-good wins the Hawks have earned in years.
But they’re not letting two comeback victories get to their heads. After practice Saturday, Max Domi kept repeating that they’re approaching things one day at a time, admitting it’s a cliché yet an accurate one.
But the Hawks’ self-belief entering the season — which nobody else in the hockey world shared — has received a bit of validation.
“The players are believing the message,” Richardson said Saturday. “They’re understanding what they’re supposed to be doing on the ice. [Today we watched] all kinds of clips in the neutral zone where we got better from the beginning of the season until now already. [It] seems like it’s starting to become automatic.
“As teams start to pre-scout us, they’ll see it, too. So we’re going to have to adjust to that. But if we have that base, it’s easy to adjust. If we’re not organized, if you don’t have a base plan to go off of, it’s pretty hard to adjust. It’s a good start, but [there’s] a long way to go.”
Richardson’s easy-to-understand systems are one factor driving this early success, but the sense of equality — where every player is treated the same — that Richardson has brought might be an even bigger factor.
Starting three-on-three overtime Saturday with Lafferty, Dickinson and Jack Johnson instead of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Seth Jones also sent a message: The players playing the best will play the most (though it was partially matchup-based because Lafferty had been checking Wings star Dylan Larkin all game).
Domi said the rest of the team used that as motivation, and he scored the game-winner two minutes later.
The same emphasis holds true on days off, such as in video sessions.
“We want to make sure they feel everyone is accountable the same, and everybody’s going to get the [same] acknowledgement when they do it right,” Richardson said. “[MacKenzie] Entwistle is a great example. He missed a check in one of the earlier games this season, and I pointed it out in the video room. I said, ‘We’re not trying to embarrass anyone here, but you have to have that check.’
“Then he had a great forecheck and plastered somebody, and we put that on the video [Wednesday]. I pointed out, ‘I know I showed ‘Entsy’ missing his check. Well, I want to show you guys when we do something right.’ You can’t just take it for granted.”
The Hawks’ unofficial new mantra of “every man contributing equally” will be tested by starting goalie Petr Mrazek’s strained groin. The injury isn’t as bad as first thought and Mrazek is officially day-to-day, but it sounds like he’ll miss a little time.
Stalock will start Sunday against the Kraken, but prospect Arvid Soderblom, called up late Friday, will make just his third career NHL start this week, against either the Panthers or Oilers. The Hawks had wanted to give the 23-year-old Swede another full year of development in Rockford, but that plan is now on hold.
