It's not just you. The Blackhawks are playing with an edge lately.
Despite a two-game skid to end the regular season, the team's tenacious physical play helped them win four straight without Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews.
Sure, Brandon Bollig has been delivering big hits and sticking up for his teammates by dropping the gloves all season, but there's been grit across the board.
"Yeah, we haven't had an issue with that all season; specifically Brandon [Bollig] does a great job of sticking up for [teammates]," Patrick Sharp said. "Andrew Shaw stands in there. You go up and down the lineup and I think every player on the team is willing to not only fight, but play hard for that guy next to him at any time during the season."
Enter Jeremy Morin. The 22-year-old, who rejoined the team from minor-league affiliate Rockford in late March, has four goals and two assists in the past six games.
"The older guys on the team that you look up to let you know what you got to do," Morin said. "I think that's just buying into a role and playing the right way. That's what I've been trying to do this last time up, playing the right way and trying to develop my other side of the game and let things come on the other side of the rink."
Morin's attitude seems to have ignited chemistry with Bryan Bickell. The two have played alongside Peter Regin and Ben Smith recently and have sparked the whole team. And as last year's postseason would indicate, Playoff Bryan Bickell can be a formidable weapon.
"[Bickell has] stepped up big time over the last few weeks," forward Ben Smith said. "Been more physical, just competed a lot harder. He works hard and around this time of year, he takes his game to another level. Hopefully that continues moving forward."
Scott King is a RedEye special contributor.
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