Players to Watch: CHI vs CAR (2/4/21)
(Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)
Tuesday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes went from “uh oh” to “this is exciting!” after 20 minutes of play. The Blackhawks came out extremely flat and looked very outmatched. Near the end of the first period, the Blackhawks found their game and it became a very competitive and fun contest.
The Chicago Blackhawks faceoff against the Carolina Hurricanes again tonight. I hope to see a game as fun and close as Tuesday was. Carolina is a great team. If the Blackhawks show that they can keep up with them, that’s a good sign for the progression of this roster.
Duncan Keith
Duncan Keith had an unbelievably frustratingly bad start to the season. There were shifts when he was the worst Blackhawk on the ice. With no preseason games, I could be talked into forgiving him for that - especially since he has looked better in the last few games. His game against Carolina on Tuesday may have been his best of the season so far. I’m going into tonight’s match hoping for more of the same. If this Blackhawks team wants to be competitive, they need Duncan Keith playing well.
Alex DeBrincat
Did Alex DeBrincat really miss a week? It sure didn’t look like it. He notched two assists and didn’t look like he missed a beat. After his frustrating 2019-20 season, seeing DeBrincat’s production so far is encouraging. He only has 2 goals, but he’s second in points on the Blackhawks with 8 (6 assists). The goals will come, there’s no doubt about that. If he can keep getting on the scoresheet in any form, that’s great for Chicago. I’m hoping he has another strong game tonight. He could really get that second line going. The next guy on this list would greatly benefit from that.
Dominik Kubalik
Dominik Kubalik has been moved back to the second power play unit with the return of Alex DeBrincat. With the trend at the start of the season of the second unit seeing almost no time, this seemed like a disaster for him heading into Tuesday. Then the game started. That second unit looked great. They were getting a bunch of good looks, and they ended up getting on the scoresheet with a great passing play leading to a Philip Kurashev goal. His 5v5 line consists of himself, Dylan Strome, and Alex DeBrincat. Look for him to get back in the goal column soon.
The Blackhawks came out Tuesday and proved that they’re a hardworking team and can skate with the best of them. We need to see that from them consistently to believe it’s real and not a fluke. I’m hoping for a similar effort tonight. Maybe they’ll even get a win.