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Hawks Hits: Frondell’s Best Game, New Standard Moving Forward
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- Hawks Hits: Frondell’s Best Game, New Standard Moving Forward
Hawks Hits: Frondell’s Best Game, New Standard Moving Forward
Facing a Boston Bruins team that entered Saturday's game with the second-fewest goals allowed per 60 minutes and had held six of their last seven opponents to under 30 shots on goal, the Chicago Blackhawks impressively produced the most effective offensive performance of the season at TD Garden.
After failing to reach 29 shots on goal in each of their first 13 games and scoring two goals or less in five in a row, the Blackhawks exploded for a season-high 73 shot attempts and 41 shots on goal in Beantown, which helped produce four goals in a single game for only the fourth time this year, and the first since Oct. 15.
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The improved shoot-first mentality from the entire team was noticeable and rather refreshing to see after regularly getting outshot by a wide margin most nights to begin the 2026-27 campaign.
Head coach Jeff Blashill has criticized his team a few times for not getting the puck towards the net consistently enough this year, but was very pleased with his team's effort in that department against a stout Bruins defense. The Blackhawks game plan was to put the puck on goal as often as possible, and they certainly did that on Saturday.
"They don't give much up, especially in their D-zone," Blashill said about the Bruins. "We felt our best opportunities were to shoot it, get it back, and play hockey from there. That creates chaos sometimes."
Overall, Blashill seemed thrilled with how his team played, despite them blowing a 4-2 lead with 7:40 to go and still remaining without a road win through six games. He knows thats how the Blackhawks must continue to perform moving forward to pull themselves out of the current 4-9-1 rut.
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"We played a really good game, to be honest with you," Blashill said. "Overall, if you're a process-oriented coach, you're happy with a great majority of that game, and that's the way we have to play to be successful."
Captain Connor Bedard , who extended his current point streak to five games with his second multi-point effort (1G, 1A) since returning from injury, was also encouraged, even though the result didn't go their way again.
"I thought that was our best game of the year," Bedard said. "The way we were battling, not shying away from anything and taking hits. Getting in the fight more than we did against Detroit. It sucks, the result and how it ended. We have to find a way to win. But for most of the game, we played pretty well."
Bedard hit the nail on the head with his postgame evaluation. Yes, the Blackhawks were much more lively offensively, did a better job of getting the puck on net, and finally finished some of their best scoring chances.
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However, what perhaps stood out most about the Hawks outing in Boston was their grit and feistiness, which was absent far too regularly in the first 13 games. The Bruins seemed to recognize they were facing a team that's been pushed around and played without much physicality this season.
Boston tested several of the younger and undersized visiting forward throughout the game, but the Blackhawks didn't back down at all. While the Bruins laid the bigger checks, the Hawks were willing to mix it up with them and weren't scared to get involved in post-whistle skirmishes.
The Blackhawks don't need to frequently out-hit their opponents, but they must stand up for each other and battle hard in the dirty areas, like they did on Saturday.
From an offensive and physicality standpoint, the standard has now been set for the Blackhawks for the rest of the season. While they fell short in gut-punching fashion against the Bruins, better days and results are ahead if they continue that brand of hockey.
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The only way to get the train back on the tracks before its too late is by living up to the standard they set on Saturday.
Hawks Hits vs. Boston
1. Frondell's Best NHL Game
After a strong start to his rookie season, Anton Frondell entered Boston without a point in six straight games and without a goal in nine. Much has been made recently about his defensive-minded center role and dip in ice time, playing less than 17 minutes in each of the last five games.
Some media folks and Blackhawks fans alike have been calling for Frondell to move from center to wing, and possibly even being separated from Tyler Bertuzzi , who he's played alongside for most of his NHL career thus far.
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Blashill did neither on Saturday, keeping Frondell as the second-line center and having Bertuzzi remain as his left wing. The one change Blashill made was having Andrew Mangiapane round out the combination, replacing Ryan Donato from Thursday's game. Mangiapane's added speed to the line seemed to help unlock Frondell and Bertuzzi in transition.
But the biggest difference in Frondell's play on Saturday was the confidence he had seemingly every time he hit the ice. Frondell's promotion to the top power-play unit and quick strike gave him an early lift, putting the Blackhawks ahead 1-0 just 6:04 into the game, and he never looked back.
The 19-year-old was the most dangerous skater for either team, scoring two goals and recording a game-high 13 shot attempts, nine shots on goal, and nine individual scoring chances in 19:15 of ice time. Frondell came close to capping off his hat trick with the overtime winner, but Bruins goaltender Michael DiPietro made two timely saves on the Swedish forward during 3-on-3 play.
Saturday was Frondell's best NHL game, and like the rest of the team, that's the standard he must hold himself to moving forward. While there will be unavoidable ups and downs throughout his rookie campaign, the Blackhawks need him playing at that level more consistently. Even if he's only 19.
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2. New-Look Top Unit
Many fans and media members have also been wanting to see Frondell and his booming one-timer on the top power-play unit at the right circle. Blashill indeed made that change in Boston, moving Bedard to the point in place of the scratched Teuvo Teravainen, and repositioning Patrick Kane to the left circle.
As it turns out, Frondell's shot-heavy playing style from the right circle was exactly what the top unit has been missing, as he rifled a one-timer past DiPietro just 11 seconds into the Blackhawks first power-play chance on Saturday.
Frondell has often played on the second power-play unit this season, with Bedard and Kane manning the two circles. But Kane hasn't presented a dangerous enough scoring threat from the right circle so far, being without a power-play goal and often looking to distribute from that position, rather than put the puck on net.
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Given the recent power-play struggles, Blashill and his staff needed to make adjustments, and they've now found a plan for Bedard, Kane, and Frondell to play together on the top unit. Blashill was admittedly hesistant to move Bedard to the quarterback spot, but recognized that something had to give.
"We felt if Frondell is comfortable in his one-time spot, that was next best option for the power play, and that brings Bedard up top. It gave us the five guys we wanted out there to score, and we were successful with it…. With Bedard, we're taking away one of our better scorers away from the net, but he's also really good up top. Frondell seemed more comfortable today than earlier in the year. He's a real weapon [at the right circle]."
Saturday marked the first time the Blackhawks have lost this season when scoring a power-play goal, but even a 4-0-1 record in those five games is promising. If the new top unit can continue looking dangerous and convert more often on the man advantage, that will go a long way towards getting more victories.
3. Defensemen Involved
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Another noticeably improved aspect of the Blackhawks playing style on Saturday was how active the defensemen were in the offensive zone.
The team's six defensemen in the lineup combined for 14 shots on goal against the Bruins, with Alex Vlasic leading the blue line with six. Last time out against the Detroit Red Wings, the Blackhawks' entire roster registered only 19 shots on goal in 60 minutes.
The defensive corps from top to bottom was much more involved, frequently pinching along the walls to keep plays alive and firing pucks towards DiPietro. Sam Rinzel's secondary assist on Frondell's second tally was the only point from the Blackhawks defenseman, but more will come for the entire group if they keep it up.
In recent years, the Blackhawks haven't received nearly enough offensive support from their defense, and that also must change to take a significant step in the rebuild this season.
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Bowen Byram's return from an upper-body injury will help, but everyone needs to offer more, especially for offensive-minded players like Rinzel and Artyom Levshunov. The entire Blackhawks blue line needs to carry forward the offensive-zone mentality from Saturday.
4. Need To Be Smarter Late…
When rewatching the final minute of regulation, a frustrating blunder occured, which, if avoided, would have cemented the win for the Blackhawks.
With the extra attacker on the ice for Boston, Wyatt Kaiser and Cole Smith made two hard-nosed plays to get the puck out of the defensive zone, and Frank Nazar gained possession at center ice. But instead of making a hard-nosed or heads-up play himself, Nazar unneccesarily iced the puck, giving Boston an offensive-zone faceoff with 54 seconds remaining.
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Had Nazar not panicked with the puck and glanced over his right shoulder, he would have seen Mangiapane skating all alone near the Bruins logo in the neutral zone, with only one defender in between him and the empty net. In all likelihood, Mangiapane ices the game if Nazar makes the correct read.
Instead, he didn't, and the Bruins knotted the score 4-4 with 10.2 seconds to go. The little things make the biggest differences in the NHL, and that's a mistake any team, let alone the lowly Blackhawks, can afford in crunch time.
5. Overtime Heroes…
Last season, the Blackhawks had a putrid 7-14 record in games that reached overtime, with many of those losses occurring because of their own missed opportunities at 3-on-3.
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Well, last night was sadly another example of that, as they were credited with four scoring chances in overtime, but couldn't find the finish.
Frondell was responsible for two of those four looks, including one breakaway opportunity. While it's tough to get on the 19-year-old after how well he played in Boston, the game was in his hands in overtime, and the Blackhawks needed him to convert.
Frondell stopped looking for a Halloween hat trick: pic.twitter.com/oM32NS4I5Z
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) October 31, 2026
Much like last year's game at TD Garden on Oct. 9, the Blackhawks had their better chances to put the game away in overtime, only for the Bruins to do so and break their hearts.
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