The Blackhawks' Moment Of Truth?

Maybe Patrick Kane sees the future as well as he does the back of the net.

After being named the Number One Star of the Game following Friday night's victory, Kane was asked by a reporter about a handful of Blackhawks that scored their first goals of the season that night. His response was simple: It's great to see teammates scoring, and now they needed one for "Number 19."

The Blackhawks had an intriguing first month on the ice. The hype that team president John MacDonough has been working so hard to produce opened the season with immediate results. Opening Night was sold out, and the team broke the United Center attendance record in the first match-up against hated rival Detroit.

But the record hasn't yet backed up the hype. The Hawks left the month of October with four wins in ten games, and having lost all three games that progressed into a shoot-out (including the Detroit game). 

Big money free agent goaltender Cristobal Huet has become the backup to Nikolai Khabibulin, who was almost sold to a Russian team during the preseason. Local hero Denis Savard is gone as head coach. And the young season's roughest stat? Newly crowned captain Jonathan Toews had yet to score a goal.

Saturday night's game in Columbus may prove to be a pivotal moment in this Hawks season. Huet played well on the road. The Blackhawks won a game in a shoot-out.

And Toews scored the game-winner in the shoot-out.

The Blackhawks have needed more than Toews to score a goal and Huet to earn his salary. They've needed some time to regroup after Savard's firing. They've needed more ice time to learn what new coach Joel Quenneville's style of game looks like and how he wants the game played.

After Monday night's affair with Colorado, the Hawks have five days off between games, and the game against the Avalanche is the first of five consecutive home games.

Of course, only time will show us if Toews finding the twine in the shootout starts the outpouring of goals the fans have been waiting for from the young captain. But his goal, and the shoot-out victory, at least gives fans an idea that perhaps the most important part of the game on Saturday night was the date: November 1.