The Blackhawks were split into three groups on Monday with a majority of the team's NHL core in Group A and Group B at Fifth Third Arena. Once practice was underway and the team went through some warmup drills, select players swapped sheets of ice to work extensively on the power play.
The first power play group had a couple familiar names: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Alex Debrincat, plus a pair of new faces in Tyler Johnson and Seth Jones. This is fun. This is why you come watch the NHL, to see guys of this skill level zip the puck around and finish it into the back of the net. Watching these star players on the power play is similar to ordering 7-layer chocolate cake at the end of dinner. When your server puts it down on the table, it's just a thing beauty (now you see why I sweated the off-ice testing in training camp so much).
I was impressed with the puck movement today, and the chemistry between Kane and Jone at the top of zone this year will be incredibly important. Now you have Kane and DeBrincat, who are both shooting and passing threats, working with Jones at the top of the power play -- whose heavy shot gives everyone on the penalty kill something to worry about. I am a big believer that you have to have a big shooting threat somewhere out at the top of the zone which gives more room to a guy like Kane or DeBrincat to operate from the circles down.
A lethal power play can win you a lot of hockey games and as we move through the preseason, Jeremy Colliton will be sure to have the Hawks emphasizing work on the man advantage.