CONSISTENTLY CONSISTENT
Numbers might not show it, but Saad playing ‘some of the best hockey’ of career
Blackhawks wing Brandon Saad has had a strong season so far. And he’s aware of it.
‘‘On a consistent basis, this is some of the best hockey I’ve ever played,’’ Saad said Sunday.
Saad has been remarkably consistent throughout his career, both for the Hawks and Blue Jackets. In five of his six full NHL seasons, he has played between 78 and 82 games and scored between 47 and 53 points.
On paper, 2019-20 is on pace to be another typical Saad season: 82 games, 46 points. But the numbers alone don’t tell the whole story.
‘‘You look at several of the games lately, he’s doing a good job of driving the puck deep, protecting it, forcing the opposition to make a read in coverage [and] taking it to the net,’’ coach Jeremy Colliton said Sunday. ‘‘That’s obviously a big strength of his.’’
Through 34 games, Saad leads the Hawks in shotattempt differential and scoring-chance differential.
He regularly has made his teammates better, too. In October, the line of Saad, David Kampf and Dominik Kubalik was the Hawks’ most reliable. In December, the line of Saad, Jonathan Toews and Alex Nylander or Kubalik has been the Hawks’ best. Who is the common variable?
So how has he been able to elevate his game in his seventh season?
‘‘I had a good offseason training, but mentally [I’m] a little bit clearer with not overthinking things and being more relaxed,’’ he said. ‘‘Just doing that more consistently on a day-to-day basis, game-to-game, and it’s helped my play on the ice.’’
Saad spent his summer often working one-on-one with Hawks trainer Brian Keane, a change from the group sessions he used to partake in. He read several psychology books and perfected some mental-visualization techniques. He also became a father to son Teo.
Such focus has helped Saad not to feel tempted to deviate from his style, even when it wasn’t translating much on the scoreboard recently.
On Dec. 2 against the Blues, Saad seemed to be able to create with whomever he was with, prompting Colliton to temporarily put him with worse linemates to maximize the Hawks’ efficiency. Yet that game began a stretch of six in a row in which Saad, despite doing everything right, was held pointless.
Then Saturday against the Blues, the dam broke. Saad scored twice — on a sliding shot that somehow beat goalie Jordan Binnington, then on an impressive move around Binnington — in that game before scoring the game-winner Sunday against the Wild.
‘‘The biggest thing for me is just working for chances,’’ he said. ‘‘When you get that, you have a better percentage, obviously, for them to go in. And then you get a fluky goal and you’re feeling good about yourself.’’
If he continues to play this well, Saad should enjoy a more productive 48 games from here on out. He’s generating high-danger chances so frequently that an improvement on his conversion rate seems inevitable.
But even if that doesn’t come to fruition, a more mature Saad won’t be too bothered.
‘‘A lot of it comes down to experience,’’ he said. ‘‘The more experience you have, you’ve been through good seasons and bad seasons, and you can just relax and focus on what you do best.’’