How much of a sample size do you need before it\u2019s not just overachieving goaltending? Before it\u2019s not just riding the PDO train? Before you start to believe?<\/p>\n
The Chicago Blackhawks are 4-0-1 in their last five games. Pretty small sample size, sure. But they\u2019re 9-3-3 in their last 15, a .700 points percentage that\u2019s third-best in the NHL in that time span, trailing only Colorado and New Jersey.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re closing out games, they\u2019re winning close games, and they rallied for their first third-period comeback win Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They lead the league with 30 third-period goals (with only 14 against), and they have the third-best goal differential in the league at plus-12. Hockey is fun again in Chicago. Can it last? It\u2019s starting to look like it can.<\/p>\n
What better time to jump back into our biweekly Blackhawks power rankings?<\/p>\n
1. Artyom Levshunov<\/p>\n
When Levshunov is on the ice for a Blackhawks goal, he celebrates like a puppy whose people just came home from work. When Levshunov sets up a Blackhawks goal, he celebrates like he just won the Stanley Cup. So what\u2019s it going to be like when he actually scores a goal? \u201cI don\u2019t want to see that,\u201d Teuvo Ter\u00e4v\u00e4inen deadpanned. \u201cHe might knock someone\u2019s helmet off,\u201d Frank Nazar said. Well, we should find out soon enough. The way the recently turned 20-year-old has been playing lately, with eight assists in his last nine games and plenty of scoring chances, it\u2019s only a matter of time.<\/p>\n
His primary assist on Ryan Greene\u2019s goal Saturday night against Toronto was distinctly Levshunov, with him randomly falling along the boards, yet keeping possession, then skating halfway around the offensive zone before threading a perfect one-timer feed to Greene. And yes, he was stoked afterward. Blackhawks fans should be stoked, too. It\u2019s entirely possible that, after all the hand-wringing and second-guessing, both Levshunov AND Ivan Demidov are both really, really good. (Now if he could only figure out that power-play drop pass<\/a> \u2026)<\/p>\n 2. Connor Bedard<\/p>\n Bedard\u2019s goal streak ended at four games, and his point streak ended at nine on Saturday night, dropping him all the way down to fourth in the league in scoring. Is it time to panic?<\/p>\n 3. Duncan Keith\u2019s Hall of Fame speech<\/p>\n There was no Scottish accent, no stirring William Wallace speech, no snark, no defiance. Keith was clearly humbled \u2014 nervous, even \u2014 by the honor of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and his speech was heartfelt and moving, especially when he talked about being a dad.<\/p>\n We\u2019re old enough to remember when Colton Keith was born and Duncan had to fly straight to a playoff game in Minnesota. And to remember when Colton was sitting in the bowl of the Stanley Cup on the ice following the 2015 Final. And to remember when Colton was toddling around the visitors\u2019 locker room in Vancouver after a morning skate, annoying Patrick Sharp by telling him his favorite player was Patrick Kane. Seeing Colton, now a young man, in the audience mouthing \u201cI love you\u201d back to his dad was special stuff. Sunrise, sunset \u2026<\/p>\n 4. Many happy returns<\/p>\n It\u2019s been great to see Corey Crawford at the United Center twice already this season. He might not be one of the vaunted three-time champs, but the ovation he received before Saturday\u2019s centennial ceremony shows how beloved he\u2019s become by the fan base \u2014 a de facto member of The Core. For a guy who was always a little underappreciated in his time<\/a>, it\u2019s well deserved.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also no small thing that Pat Foley is back in the fold, emceeing the centennial celebrations and working as an official Blackhawks ambassador. The partings of Foley and Eddie Olczyk weren\u2019t exactly amicable, after all. And the Blackhawks of the pre-Rocky Wirtz era were well known for holding grudges and burning bridges. But Foley and Olczyk mean so much to the fan base in Chicago, and it\u2019s encouraging to see the team both recognize that and remedy it.<\/p>\n 5. Jeff Blashill<\/p>\n Blashill\u2019s hiring was met with a collective shrug by most of Chicago, but he\u2019s proving to be a heck of a hire. The Blackhawks are fully bought in, and are playing with structure and discipline and a touch of nastiness.<\/p>\n Now we have Blashill dancing (\u201cJump Around\u201d style) to Dexys Midnight Runners during his morning skate scrum and doing a full-blown \u201c6-7\u201d with the hand motions during a postgame news conference. The vibes are high in Chicago, and it starts at the top.<\/p>\n “6-7” comes for us all, even Jeff Blashill in his postgame presser Saturday night. pic.twitter.com\/ZJNicT3Zek<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) November 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n 6. Tony Esposito bobblehead<\/p>\n This was a good one \u2014\u00a0having a cool old-school goalie mask solves the problem of bobbleheads never actually looking like the person. Unsurprisingly, there are many on eBay already. Somehow, zapsauthenticss<\/a> has sold 41 of them at $89.99 or best offer.<\/p>\n 7. Sam Lafferty\u2019s goal<\/p>\n Damn, Sam.<\/p>\n Sam Lafferty just turned Luke Hughes inside out \ud83d\ude33 pic.twitter.com\/sq1VaMFHhB<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n 8. Playoffs? Playoffs?!<\/p>\n Being in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving doesn\u2019t guarantee you a playoff spot in April, but it is traditionally a positive indicator. The Blackhawks are getting closer and closer to that date. The p-word has crept into some postgame scrums recently, and the Blackhawks aren\u2019t making any grand proclamations just yet.<\/p>\n \u201cI started the year without any expectations,\u201d Blashill said. \u201cI just didn\u2019t know what to expect. We had a group of guys who I knew were talented, and I thought if we could mature our game, we could become a really good team. If you have talent and you play mature, that equals a lot of success. As we\u2019ve grown, I\u2019ve continued to say, we can be a really good team.\u201d<\/p>\n It is worth noting the Blackhawks haven\u2019t faced much of the Central yet. Colorado and Minnesota coming to Chicago next week should be good tests.<\/p>\n 9. Sam Rinzel<\/p>\n Rinzel made the NHL look easy when he made the jump from college last season. That obviously led to bloated expectations for his first full NHL season. He was more realistic about this season and expected there to be some bumps. One of those bumps has arrived as he was healthy scratched Saturday<\/a> after a string of subpar games.<\/p>\n As Rinzel said this past week, he\u2019s been through learning phases throughout his career, and this is another one. Considering how far he\u2019s come as a project defenseman when the Blackhawks drafted him in 2022, he\u2019s probably a safe bet to figure this out, too. But for now, he\u2019s got to put the work in again.<\/p>\n 10. CHSN<\/p>\n