Chicago Blackhawks Review: A Look at the First Month of Play

As this article is being written, the Blackhawks are 5-4-1 in 10 games so far this season.

After starting off their new campaign with some confusion, they have managed to buckle down, find what works and keep moving ahead. 

What problems did they have, you might ask?  What, if anything, will keep this unit from winning a lot of games?  Let’s find out in this quick review of the Blackhawks' first month of the 2010-2011 season.

We all knew that the Blackhawks would have some problems after losing so many players from their championship team. 

Guys like Dustin Byfuglein, Andrew Ladd and Antti Niemi really made a difference for this team last year, and they have definitely been missed.  Everyone questioned whether the Blackhawks would be able to overcome all these losses and still keep winning.

It’s hard to judge these effects through so few games.  You can tell, though, in certain areas—such as on defense and in the net—the Blackhawks really miss some of last year’s guys.  Hopefully, the new players will be able to come in and make up for some of what was lost this offseason.

The Blackhawks also had some issues in the net trying to find the right goalie to take over for the departed Niemi.  They flip-flopped between Marty Turco and Corey Crawford to start the season, but it now looks as if they have settled on Turco.  So far, Turco has delivered and been fairly consistent.

Recently, Marian Hossa suffered what the team is calling an upper body injury and will be out for a couple weeks. What does this do for the Blackhawks?  First, it takes one of their top players out of the lineup in what could be considered a critical part of the season.  Second, it takes away some of the scoring punch that the Hawks have had in their first few games.

Hossa has scored a total seven goals with four assists, and is second on the team in goals scored, behind Patrick Sharp.  Without Hossa, someone is going to have to make up for what the Blackhawks will be missing.  Let’s see who is going to step up and take over for Hossa—and his production—while he’s out for the next two weeks.

Finally, some Blackhawks players admit that the team is having a bit of a slow start this season—it shows in their record and their play.  But things should get better as the season wears on and players get more comfortable in their roles.  

So, let’s see what happens with the Blackhawks. Keep in mind that this isn’t the same team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals, by any means.  They are missing quite a few players from that Stanley Cup-winning team, and have to make up for it by finding new players, new combinations of lines and new ways to score points. 

They will find their way, they just need some time to do it.