If Blackhawks can maintain this energy level, wins will come

The Blackhawks have played with energy, emotion and determination in each of their first three games.

It's a shame, from their standpoint, that those traits haven't yet yielded any victories. They've been tied 2-2 at the second intermission all three times only to wind up losing, including in overtime Thursday against the Bruins and with 15 seconds left in regulation Saturday against the Canadiens.

But if they can maintain those levels of energy, emotion and determination all season long, wins will come. That's a guarantee.

Close-game luck tends to even out over time, and the Hawks are three-for-three in terms of keeping games close. That represents progress, considering they were tied or leading at the second intermission in only 42 of 82 games last season (tied for fourth-fewest in the NHL).

"If you look at [the results] without watching our games, you’re saying 'whatever' about the Blackhawks," coach Jeff Blashill said. "People who have watched every game [have seen] we’re in position to win every game. We need to continue to do that but then find ways to win."

Granted, the Hawks still have plenty of flaws, and work ethic can only overcome so much for a team lacking in talent and so direly lacking in experience compared to many of their competitors. It's not like they've resembled a playoff-caliber team in these first three games, having been outshot in all three.

They have brought playoff-caliber intensity, though, which can overcome some things (when combined with slightly better discipline).

Last season, they were inferior to almost everyone in terms of work ethic, talent and experience. This season, they believe they can establish superiority in the first category and that they're closing the gap in the second.

Depth remains an issue, but their four best/most important players — Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Sam Rinzel and Spencer Knight — are all off to strong starts. Nazar's evolution into potentially a second star forward is especially exciting.

The situation does feel markedly different. Always-honest defenseman Wyatt Kaiser described it well Saturday.

"The last couple years, it's kind of felt like we had no chance of winning, to be honest," Kaiser said. "You [would] go out there and it's just a long day. But it now feels like we're actually playing and attacking and trying to beat the other team.

"For me, I gain confidence when I know what my job is. [Our coaches have] made it pretty clear, like, 'Here's how we want to play. Here's our structure. That's what you do.' Now you don't have to necessarily think a ton. You know, 'OK, this is my system, this is what I need to go do,' and you just play hockey. I think everybody's starting to get to that. ... It feels like we can compete with everybody."

The Hawks' biggest challenge, however, will be actually maintaining this energy, emotion and determination. That is much easier said than done.

The reason why playing that way will inevitably lead to wins as October turns to November — and November to December, and so forth — is because most teams are not able to maintain that style for the long haul.

Veteran forward Jason Dickinson described that dynamic well this week: "You can do anything one game here, one game there. Doing it on a continuous basis is where the real growth is."

When it's 20 degrees on a wintry Tuesday in Calgary, and everybody has aches and fatigue, it's difficult to bring the same fire one brought in a team's home opener — which, by the way, each of the Hawks' first three games have been.

Even though the Hawks' youth is full of spunk, they also haven't proven they possess the recovery habits or the mental stamina necessary to survive that grind.

Only time will tell if the kids, as the kids say, have that dog in them.