Biggest Takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks' Showdowns with Blues and Canadiens

The Chicago Blackhawks appear to be making their run to glory

After turning up their production and efficiency levels in a 5-1-0 Circus Road Trip in late November, the Blackhawks came home to face a challenging two-game homestand against the St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens.

The Blackhawks aced the two-part exam with back-to-back victories, and the Blackhawks showed none of the letdown that teams often face when returning home from long and difficult road trips.

Earlier in the season, the Blackhawks were struggling to win at home and goals were hard to come by at the United Center (4-3-1 in first eight home games, 2.12 goals per game).

Those issues appear to have been put to rest, as Chicago (17-8-1, 35 points) has risen to second place in the Central Division, one point behind the first-place Nashville Predators.

3rd Period Surge Downs Blues, Habs

USA TODAY Sports

The best teams find a way to come through when the game is on the line in the third period.

That's the way it has been in the NHL for generations, and the Blackhawks were put to the test by the Blues and the Canadiens.

They entered the third period against the Blues Dec. 3 with the score tied at 1-1, and St. Louis appeared to have momentum after tying the game in the second period on a goal by Ian Cole and outshooting Chicago 13-7 in the second period.

The Blackhawks came out in the third period with a renewed focused and broke the tie quickly on a goal by the resurgent Kris Versteeg, and Patrick Kane added two more. The 4-1 victory left St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock perplexed, as his outstanding team offered little resistance to its archrival.

Two nights later, the Blackhawks entered the third period trailing the Habs 3-2 after P.K. Subban had scored a power-play goal late in the second period on a blistering slap shot that blew by goalie Antti Raanta. Chicago came out with the same determination it showed against St. Louis, and it put the pressure on Montreal with two early third-period power plays.

The second of those paid off when Jonathan Toews jumped on a Brad Richards rebound and jammed the puck past Carey Price to tie the score at the 4:18 mark. Then, in the final minute of the third period, Brandon Saad dished the puck to Kane and then headed to the front of the net. When Montreal defenseman Andrei Markov fumbled the puck, Saad jumped on it and swept the winner past Price with 27 seconds remaining in the game.

Coming back against Montreal was no easy feat. The Habs had been 10-0-0 when bringing a lead into the third period prior to facing Chicago.

In the two games against two of the NHL's best teams, the Blackhawks outscored their opponents 5-0 in the third period, giving them a remarkable 31-12 scoring advantage in the final 20 minutes this season.

If they can come close to matching that performance from this point forward, the Blackhawks will be difficult to stop this season.

Goal Scoring on the Rise

USA TODAY Sports

The Blackhawks rediscovered their scoring touch on their six-game road trip, and they continued to put the puck in the net when they returned home.

The victories over the Blues and Habs have given Chicago a five-game winning streak as it prepares to play Nashville Saturday night. The Blackhawks have scored 19 goals in those five games for an average of 3.80 goals per game.

The Blackhawks' offensive turnaround can be traced back to a 5-0 victory at Montreal Nov. 4. Since that game, the Blackhawks have gone 11-3-0, and they have scored 52 goals (3.71 goals per game) in that span.

Chicago is averaging 3.04 goals per game for the season, which is a figure that ranks seventh in the NHL.

Brandon Saad Finds the Range

USA TODAY Sports

Saad was a frustrated hockey player through the first 23 games of the season. 

Even though Saad (19 goals in 2013-14) was skating hard and contributing solidly in all three zones, he was snakebitten when it came to putting the puck in the net. Saad had just three goals, and if he had continued along that pace for the full season, it would give him 13 for the season. 

For a 22-year-old star-in-waiting like Saad, that kind of figure is unacceptable. He is a brilliant skater who understands how to play a team game, but he just wasn't putting the puck in the net.

That changed in the last game of the road trip, when Saad lit the lamp against the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. It was just an empty-netter, but it appeared to lift a burden from Saad's shoulders.

He was in the right place at the right time against the Canadiens when he scored the game-winner with just seconds remaining.

"I think Kaner was trying to get to the net, and it got deflected and ended up right on my stick, so I'm thankful for that," Saad told Scott Powers of ESPNChicago.com.

Patrick Kane Looks Unstoppable

Bill Smith/Getty Images

The Blackhawks go into each game knowing they have the talent to beat any team in the league. However, that theory only holds water when their best players are playing their best hockey.

If Kane and Toews are just showing up and not contributing, the advantage goes out the window. But when either man is at the top of his game, the Blackhawks become a very difficult team to beat.

Kane has been on fire in recent games, and he has scored eight goals in his last 10 games. He has 12 tallies for the season. He scored two of his goals in the third period of the win over the Blues, and the second of those was a Kaner special in which he skated around Blues defenseman Barrett Jackman and slid the puck past Jake Allen in spectacular fashion.

Kane also set up the game-winning goal against the Habs, as his shot from the slot bounced away from the Montreal defense. Saad took advantage of the gift and scored the game-winner. Toews was also credited with an assist on that goal.

Antti Raanta Steps in for Injured Corey Crawford

Bill Smith/Getty Images

The Blackhawks got what could have been disastrous news for nearly every other team in the NHL early in the week when it was revealed that No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford suffered a lower-body injury after taking an off-ice misstep while leaving a concert.

"I was at a concert the other day and was on the way out and missed a step," Crawford told Powers of ESPNChicago. "I didn't think it was that bad. I got up the next day, and it was worse than I thought. I'm pretty embarrassed about it, frustrated."

Crawford has been enjoying a sensational year with a 12-5-1 record, 1.87 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.

Crawford is likely to miss two to three weeks for the surging Blackhawks. Backup Raanta stepped in during wins over the Blues and Canadiens and responded with excellent efforts.

He gave up just one goal to the Blues while facing 41 shots, and then he stopped 38-of-41 shots against the explosive Canadiens. He made many timely saves in that game, including a late one on Montreal winger Dale Wiese just moments before Saad scored the winner.

The Blackhawks clearly need to get their No. 1 goalie back in the lineup, but they are likely to survive and perform quite well with Raanta in net while Crawford recovers from his injury.