Hoo boy where do we begin after this weekend? Maybe the Blackhawks’ best period of the season and then hang on to win against the Panthers and then back to the quick-goal-let-it-slip-away script against the Devils (without Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier). A good win followed by a disappointment. The Blackhawks have been consistently inconsistent this season, and it isn’t about young guys making rookie mistakes. It’s everyone being inconsistent, which is why the Blackhawks held a players-only meeting after the game to clear the air and make sure everyone is skating in the same direction. Which is great because this team has potential and they know it.
Which brings me to my Monday morning beef. Maybe we’ll make that a thing? Seth Jones talked after the game last night. He had previously talked after only two games: in Denver and in Arizona, both flat losses at the end of trips. Last night he spoke to the media first and initiated the conversation about the meeting that took place. Jones mentioned there are little things they need to clean up, like shift length and staying on too long. That’s something head coach Luke Richardson spoke about after the game as well. According to Natural Stat Trick, Jones is one of the biggest culprits of the extended shift issue. He leads the team with 10 “extra long shifts” (tied with Kevin Korchinski — his partner recently). And his performances in both games this weekend were not good (see his GameScore card from last night — UGLY).
#NHL GameScore Impact Card for Chicago Blackhawks on 2023-11-05:#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Ehk0Hk7Xgq
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) November 6, 2023
I fully acknowledge that he leads the team in ice time and is expected to play a heavy role on the blue line. But there have been a number of instances this season where his effort has eft a lot to be desired, and I’ve been advocating for him to be replaced by Korchinski on the top power play unit for 10 of the Blackhawks’ 11 games. Korchinski is the better offensive player at this point, and Jones has been incredibly valuable on the penalty kill. So let him continue excelling there while you fully hand the keys of the power play to Korchinski and Connor Bedard for the next 10-15 years.
Okay (steps off soap box) let’s move on…
BN #Blackhawks Prospect Watch: College Three Stars (Nov. 6) https://t.co/tvbkbsdgwo pic.twitter.com/LIsUY69LPY
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) November 6, 2023
🥹🥹🥹 pic.twitter.com/TN4XQt6rFb
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) November 5, 2023
GOALLL! Misiak scores on the @PALottery power play to give us a two goal lead back!
— Erie Otters 🦦 (@ErieOtters) November 5, 2023
3-1! pic.twitter.com/QPQqAV8W7W
Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, and Ian Happ Are Gold Glove Winners!https://t.co/XJhwTpHZpP pic.twitter.com/Lt170rVImU
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) November 6, 2023
