Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill decided to stick with his unique penalty-killing system this season despite significant turnover in personnel.
The system is a hybrid between the standard "diamond" and "push-down" types and worked brilliantly last season, when the Hawks finished second in the NHL in penalty-killing rate (83.6%).
Blashill expected it would take time for the new killers to acclimate, like it has in the past. Indeed, the Hawks have allowed five power-play goals against in their first six games — while scoring just one power-play goal themselves.
The power play's ineptitude is seriously concerning. It ranks last in scoring chances per minute by a large margin.
But the penalty kill's under-the-hood numbers actually aren't bad. It has allowed the 11th-fewest chances per minute while generating the third-most shorthanded chances per minute.
"We're doing a good job of being able to contain the rush, the break-ins," Jordan Greenway said Saturday. "Maybe in-zone, we can find ways to do the job a little bit better."
Defensive defensemen Alex Vlasic and Ian Cole lead the Hawks in shorthanded ice time, and all three members of the team's most defense-oriented forward line — Greenway, Cole Smith and Ryan Greene — are taking regular shifts.
But it's interesting that young, talented centers Anton Frondell and Frank Nazar are right up there with Smith, Greene and Greenway in penalty-killing ice time.
It's particularly surprising in Frondell's case, since rookie forwards are rarely trusted in such high-pressure defensive situations and Frondell rarely killed last season in Sweden.
Blashill was willing to go out on a limb to make Frondell a center, though, and he's willing to do the same with this assignment.
"Frondell hasn't killed a lot, but I think he's got the skill set to be a very good killer," Blashill said. "And he's doing a good job. He's really, really strong on his stick. He really wins a ton of stick battles, which is a huge thing.
"He's smart in terms of making the reads and having good instincts within the system, and...he'll get better and better at winning faceoffs."
Frondell isn't about to turn down any assignments.
"[I] go in, try to win the battle, win the puck, block shots and get it out of the zone," Frondell said. "It's an easy way to create energy for the team. And I want to be on the ice as much as possible, so...I'm trying to learn it so I can play."
A substantial amount of learning is necessary. Not only is Hawks' penalty-killing system somewhat complicated by NHL standards, but also the general Swedish philosophy differs from the NHL philosophy.
"Here, it feels like it's a lot more aggressive, so much more pressure," he said. "You want to stay close [to your man]. If one guy goes, the other three should be ready to go and jump on a guy. In Sweden, it was more [about] holding your position, taking away passing lanes."
Nazar, meanwhile, had taken on a bigger penalty-killing role this season prior to his two-game suspension. His shorthanded ice time has leapt from 1:07 to 1:39 per game.
Blashill talked to Nazar over the summer about being stronger in puck battles and scrappier getting to loose pucks, and he has improved in those areas.
Blashill noted Nazar still needs to improve at grinding through long shifts on the kill. When he gets tired, he sometimes becomes too stationary; he needs to keep his feet moving.
But when he's fresh, his speed makes him a dangerous weapon when there's extra ice available. He has already generated two shorthanded breakaways this season, although both were saved.
"You're going up against arguably that team's best offensive players, so not all the best offensive players are the best defensively," Nazar said. "There's always room for opportunity there."
