You probably don’t want to get too heady about two straight wins in your first four games, but the Chicago Blackhawks haven’t been acquainted with this feeling for a while.
The Hawks hadn’t won one game in their first four on the schedule since 2019-20 or won back-to-back since starting 2-0-0 in 2018-19.
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The Hawks continue a four-game homestand Sunday against the Seattle Kraken (1 p.m., NBCSCH).
“We still have lots to correct,” Hawks coach Luke Richardson said after practice Saturday, a day after the Hawks rallied for a 4-3 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings in the United Center opener. “We try to find the good things to show and a few corrections, but we don’t show all the corrections but there are a lot.
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“I’m sure Detroit’s showing lots of corrections today and … it was in a loss, so it’s not a fun room to be in today,” he said. “I’m happy with the way the guys have played. I thought we got better and better every game.
“That’s what we talked about and the players are believing the message.”
Here are three things we learned from practice at Fifth Third Arena.
Mrázek left Friday night’s game after two periods, and on Saturday the medical staff determined it was a groin strain, the same issue that plagued Mrázek last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“They said it was encouraging today but it’s going to be day to day,” Richardson said. “But fortunately they didn’t think it was as bad as they thought last night.
“He’ll be out for a bit.”
The Hawks recalled Arvid Söderblom from Rockford late Friday and sent down defenseman Alec Regula.
“First of all it’s sad that Mrázek got hurt,” Söderblom, 23, said. “It’s nothing you want (but) it gives me an opportunity to be here. I’m thankful for that.”
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Alex Stalock will start Sunday against the Kraken, but Söderblom said he’s ready to play in the NHL.
“Of course you want to be up here full time,” Söderblom said. “And I consider myself NHL-ready. I feel like I belong here, I belong at this level.”
He added that Rockford is a good place to develop.
“I’ve seen goalies and defensemen especially come up too early and get shellshocked and never recover,” Richardson said.
Still, he didn’t bring up Söderblom just to cover himself in case Stalock gets injured.
“We’ll look at the week and see how taxing each game is, but definitely (Söderblom will) get into a game this week. At least one,” Richardson said.
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The defenseman made his season debut Friday after receiving clearance in his recovery from offseason neck surgery.
“I feel good today,” McCabe said Saturday after practice. “Felt good yesterday for the most part. Third period I felt a little fatigue but kind of as expected jumping right in like that.
“My injury is fine, it’s just more so the legs. You can’t replicate game speed no matter how much you skate in practice.”
McCabe played 16 minutes against the Red Wings and was paired with Caleb Jones, who likely will be swapped out for Filip Roos on Sunday.
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“For the most part, I thought I handled it pretty well.,” McCabe said. “I’d like a couple plays back, but overall I liked my game.”
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The Hawks have allowed five goals in 17 times short-handed, a kill rate of 70.6%. That ranks 27th, though it’s a small sample size.
The Hawks generally feel good about their penalty kill, but there’s at least one they’d like to do over.
In the first period Friday, the Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin seemed to have an open look down the slot with no Hawks defender challenging him. Larkin scored easily to make it 2-0.
“It just opened us up a little too much in the middle,” Richardson said.
Hawks coaches on Saturday showed video of that penalty kill to players.
“I think (Sam) Lafferty was worried about (David) Perron on the back door for a one-timer, but you can never give up a shot in the middle. We have to take that away first,” Richardson said. “We would take a shot from the side (rather than) down the middle every day, and sometimes we need one of those mistakes — not mistakes, but misreads — to correct it.”
