I’m sure that most, if not all Chicago sports fans have been busy watching the cubs historic post season run in the past couple of weeks. Therefore, you may have not noticed the Blackhawks are now two weeks, six games, into their 2016-17 season. First off, congratulations to Marian Hossa for notching his 500th career goal! He is only the 43rd person to ever accomplish this feat. After starting 0-2-0, they have since won 3 of their last 4 games to draw to an even 0.500. Here are some observations from the first two weeks of the Blackhawks season.

Atrocious Penalty Kill

What once used to be a strength of the Blackhawks, has seemingly turned into a glaring hole. From the 2014-15 season and 2015-16 season, the Blackhawks fell from the 10^th ranked penalty kill to the 20^th. They seemed determined to continue this downward trend, allowing 12 goals on 21 penalty kill attempts. That results in a god awful 43% penalty kill, which is good for 30^th in the league. There are only 30 teams. To make things worse, the next worst team is the Winnipeg Jets who currently have killed 69% of their shorthanded situations. So yeah, our penalty kill has been horrendous. It also seems like our big players have been taking penalties at the wrong time. For example, Toews currently leads the team with 9 penalty minutes, but five of those are from a fight. Artem Anisomov has the next most penalty minutes at 8. This is not good, as both players play big minutes on the penalty kill. Now, the penalty kill is likely to improve rather quickly, as this has been a small sample size, but the initial impressions are not good.

New Guys are a Mixed Bag

The results of this season will likely depend largely on the production of the new faces on the Blackhawks, as there are many roster spots currently held by rookies, or players who have yet to play a full season of NHL games. So far, there have been mixed results from the new guys. On the defensive end of the spectrum, Gustav Forsling and Michal Kempny have just logged their first 6 NHL games, and have looked pretty impressive. Forsling, a 20 year old Swede, was a long shot to make the opening day roster, but supreme skating combined with soft hands and good vision allowed him to crack the opening day roster. He has continued to impress, seemingly staying in good position, moving the puck extremely well, and holding his own in the defensive zone. Michal Kempny is actually not a considered a rookie, as he is 26, but this is his first ever season in the NHL. He has yet to notch a point, but is sitting at a solid +3 so far, and is trusted enough by Coach Q to play big minutes. On the offensive side of things, Tyler Motte has really shown that he can play at a high level. He already has 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) through six games, and is also a +3. Hartman has been pretty good, but definitely seems like a bottom six forward, which the Hawks really need. Nick Schmaltz, our other college hockey product, has bounced around on a few lines, and hasn’t been all that productive, netting just one goal (and point) thus far. Then there is Vincent Hinostroza, who still looks like he may need more time in Rockford before becoming a regular face of the Blackhawks. He has played four games so far without a point, and his line often appears to struggle. There is one new(ish) guy, Richard Panik, who’s play deserves an entire paragraph.

Panik at the United Center

Opinions on Richard Panik entering the season were mixed, with some expecting him to fit in nicely on the first line with Toews (as he appeared to do at the end of last season), or that he absolutely didn’t belong next to Toews. Well, Panik has certainly silenced all of his doubters, notching six goals in as many games and adding two assists for good measure. He currently leads the league in goals, and is sitting fourth for points throughout the season. He has already reached his total for all of last year, and looks to build upon this strong start. He is likely to cool down, as he is currently scoring on over 60% of his shots, but the future looks bright for him.

(Almost) All of the Big Guns are Producing

So, one would imagine that Panik’s good play would be a result of playing alongside the Captain. However, Toews woes from last year appear to have carried over, as he currently has only recorded 2 assists. As mentioned previously, he also has 9 penalty minutes already, and is part of that awful penalty kill. However, things will likely turn around for him, and we all know he’ll outwork nearly everyone else. For the other big faces of the Hawks, they have almost all been playing well and heating up. Artem Anisimov has as many points as Panik, netting 4 goals and 4 assists. Kane has seven points, 6 of which are assists, and Panarin has recorded 2 goals and 3 assists. These three initially didn’t start out playing together, as Q is trying to balance the scoring throughout the lineup, but when they have been put together they have still proved that they are one of, if not the top line in all of Hockey. Seabrook and Keith have also both had good offensive years so far, recording 5 and 6 points respectively, while Seabrook has appeared to struggle a bit on the defensive end.

Never Count This Team Out

One reason the Hawks have had such great success in recent years is because they never give up on a game. When it seems like the results are all but set in stone, the Hawks continue to play their game and can crawl back to an unexpected victory. They displayed this resiliency and poise in their 6^th game. With a little under 3:00 minutes left in the Maple Leafs game, Darling left the crease, and Anisimov scored to bring the game within 1, then exactly a minute later, you guessed it (or probably not), Richard Panik found the back of the net to push the game to overtime. The game eventually went to a shootout where the Blackhawks were able to grab the 2 points.

So, although a 3-3-0 start isn’t what many people hoped for to start the season, the Hawks still have plenty of time to work on their struggles (mainly the penalty kill) and build some line chemistry before the playoffs roll around. Regardless, it should be another fun Blackhawks season to watch!