Blackhawks Breakaway

Here are the numbers: As of right now, the Blackhawks are 9-5-4, have won three in a row, seven of the last 10 games, and are tied with the Florida Panthers for first place in the Central Division. How are they doing it? Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis discuss the seemingly instant growth of the young players and whether this is sustainable. Later in the podcast, the guys dive into who has been outperforming expectations the most so far, and Alex DeBrincat’s chemistry with Patrick Kane. (1:12) - Is this winning streak real? (6:10) - Blackhawks are in rare territory where a team filled with young players are all performing at the same time (15:08) - Can Brandon Hagel continue to play at a high level? (18:50) - Updated Calder Trophy odds (25:21) - Are Kane/DeBrincat another version of Kane/Panarin? (34:35) - Has the Blackhawks power play come down to earth?

The Blackhawks continued their winning ways by taking down their most heated rival Detroit Red Wings in overtime despite not playing their best. Pat Boyle and Steve Konroyd break the Blackhawks' recent win and how each young player is stepping up to the challenge. The guys also discuss Malcolm Subban's play, Dominik Kubalík's two-goal effort in the win, and the growth of the Blackhawks' young defensemen. The momentum is slowly starting to build for this team, but is it too early for potential playoff talk? (2:00) - The win wasn't pretty, but the Blackhawks found a way to win (5:12) - Veteran pickups in the offseason are making contributions to this team (8:40) - Dominik Kubalík and Brandon Hagel are working well together (10:59) - Alex DeBrincat is having an excellent start to the season. Can he keep it up? (13:30) - The young defensemen are improving and contributing to wins (19:38) - Can the Blackhawks make a playoff push?

Even though the three-game winning streak has ended, the Blackhawks are continuing to develop and get better. Kevin Lankinen, who’s been a huge bright spot this season, sits down with Pat Boyle to discuss his emergence, recent play, and the development of the young core. Later in the podcast, Pat is joined by Steve Konroyd to break down what’s working for the Blackhawks, the crushing loss to Columbus, and whether the young players outperforming expectations. (1:34) - Lankinen describes what the last month has been like for him (2:50) - Getting along with the other goalies on the team while competing against them (4:40) - The long list of great goalies from Finland (8:30) - Lankinen on his journey to becoming starting NHL goaltender (11:30) - Lankinen on starting a book club with over 17,000 members (15:35) - Pat and Steve Konroyd break down the Columbus loss and three-game winning streak (23:17) - Could Andrew Shaw retire after his most recent injury?

The Blackhawks are playing better than expected and have picked up at least one point in nine of their last 10 games going into the quarter mark of the season. President of Hockey Ops and GM Stan Bowman joined Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis on the latest Blackhawks Talk Podcast to discuss the strong start, the play of Kevin Lankinen, the return of Adam Boqvist off the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list, and how the veterans like Patrick Kane are buying into the vision. (1:32) - The Blackhawks’ strategy of integrating young players into the lineup (5:28) - The hot start by Kevin Lankinen (9:10) -Adam Boqvist removed from NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list (17:42) - The growth of Ian Mitchell in his rookie season (23:26) - Kirby Dach injury update (27:45) - Has Jeremy Colliton gotten more comfortable as the head coach? (31:50) - How emotional is Stan Bowman when watching Blackhawk games

The Blackhawks improve to 4-4-4 as the red-hot power play takes control in the win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Can the young players keep contributing and growing? Host Pat Boyle is joined by Steve Konroyd as they discuss the play of the young roster and how they are learning and competing. Later in the podcast, Pat is joined by Blackhawks defensemen Calvin de Haan, as they discuss his mentorship of Ian Mitchell, his season so far in the early parts of the season, and how has the pandemic impacted his restaurant and craft beer business in Canada. (1:40) - Takeaways from the two-game series with the Hurricanes (5:20) - The Hawks' red hot power play this season (10:50) - Calder trophy odds for the Blackhawks (13:35) - Did we misdiagnose the Blackhawks goalie situation? (18:20) - Calvin de Haan joins the podcast discusses his season so far (20:15) - Mentoring Ian Mitchell (22:50) - How has de Haan's business been impacted by the pandemic?

The Blackhawks have been decimated with injuries and COVID-19-related absences but continue to pick up points. Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis discuss how the Blackhawks have been able to stay competitive, the emergence of Kevin Lankinen and which rookie could be a Calder Trophy candidate. Later in the podcast, Pat is joined by Dylan Strome to discuss how the Blackhawks are coming together with so many guys out, his improvement at the faceoff circle, and his life outside of hockey as he prepares to welcome a new member to the Strome family. (1:25) - Despite key guys being out, Blackhawks keep fighting (5:30) - How young players are handling the extra playing time (12:20) - Making Lankinen’s early case for Calder Trophy (22:36) - Pat Boyle goes 1-on-1 with Dylan Strome (25:42) - Strome on whether he considered opting out of the playoff bubble when he found out he was having a child

The Blackhawks have picked up at least a point in five straight games and are still working through injuries and players on the NHL's COVID-19 protocol list. After Tuesday's loss to the Nashville Predators, head coach Jeremy Colliton called out the team’s effort and the Blackhawks responded with a better performance on Wednesday. Pat Boyle, Steve Konroyd, and Charlie Roumeliotis discuss the Blackhawks’ recent play and what they must do to get back in the win column. The crew also weighs in on which player has been the biggest surprise and whether or not the Blackhawks can compete for a playoff spot. (1:12) - Blackhawks have earned at least one point in five straight games (4:25) - Jeremy Colliton calls out Blackhawks’ effort on Tuesday against the Predators (9:00) - Miscommunication between Kane and Strome on Predators’ overtime goal (15:50) - Blackhawks searching for offense with absences to Boqvist, DeBrincat (23:30) - Surprises on the Blackhawks so far (30:00) - Is there a path to the playoffs for the Blackhawks?

In breaking news on Monday evening, the NHL announced that Blackhawks defenseman Adam Boqvist and forward Alex DeBrincat were to the league’s COVID-19 protocol list. Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis discuss the news and how the Blackhawks will try to compensate for their absence. Later in the podcast, Pat and Charlie discuss the Blackhawks' dominance over the Detroit Red Wings and whether goaltender Kevin Lankinen has taken the starting job. (1:28) - What does being on the NHL's protocol list mean? (4:00) - Rules for players on the COVID-19 list (6:30) - Blackhawks dominance over the Red Wings and how they can continue that play (15:18) - Pius Suter has a career day (22:00) - Which newcomer will have the most points for the Blackhawks? (24:52) - Has Kevin Lankinen won the starting goaltending job?

The Blackhawks are still grinding for their first win of the season as they try to stable the ship until players return. One of those players, Carl Söderberg, made his return to practice as Pat Boyle and Charlie Roumeliotis provides updates. Later in the podcast, the guys discuss the goalie competition and how head coach Jeremy Colliton is handling it, the heated rivalry between the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, and Charlie drops a lineup prediction. (1:25) - Carl Söderberg makes his return to the team (6:29) - Charlie drops a prediction (13:40) - Blackhawks make room for Carl Söderberg on the roster (15:55) - How has Jeremy Colliton handled the goalie competition? (22:33) - History of the Blackhawks vs the Red Wings and how one dynasty started the next (34:04) - An ode to a friend

In a 2-part discussion, the Blackhawks coverage team reacts to and breaks down the start of the season so far for the Hawks and how the development plan is going for the younger players. In the first part of the podcast, Pat Boyle and Blackhawks Stanley Cup champ Jamal Mayers break down the loss to the Florida Panthers and what they think could be potential issues for the Hawks if not corrected. In the second part of the podcast, Charlie Roumeliotis and Scott King discuss the development of Adam Boqvist and how the goalie competition is shaping up in the early parts of the season. (1:40) - Blackhawks need to get going early in games (4:20) - Inconsistent goaltending so far (7:50) - Can Adam Boqvist get better defensively? (12:00) - How the Blackhawks are trying to score goals (17:55) - Charlie and Scott break down the start of the season (24:30) - What fans should be paying attention to so far this season (31:15) - Goaltending competition will be open and fair