Oliver Moore did not sulk. He did not hide. The 21-year-old center took a healthy scratch and came back flying. While the Chicago Blackhawks sit at 4-9-0, Moore found a way to make his mark immediately. This young player just showed the team exactly why General Manager Kyle Davidson handed him a five-year, $21.5M extension back in September.
The Kings Game Turnaround
Andrew Mangiapane’s return from injury caused Moore to miss the Oct. 25 matchup versus the Florida Panthers. At that point, Moore had just three points in seven games, according to Blackhawk Up. But the response against the LA Kings on Oct. 27 was electric. Coach Todd Blashill split Connor Bedard and Patrick Kane, pairing Kane with Moore and Frank Nazar instead. That line controlled the night. According to reports, the trio held a 17-5 advantage in shots on the ice. They outshot the opponent 10-1 and scored a goal with none against. Moore did not even need to assist on the winning goal by defenseman Wyatt Kaiser. He still finished with a plus-1 rating.
Patrick Kane saw the difference right away.
Faceoff Dominance Against Detroit
Against the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 29, Moore maintained the positive momentum. The Blackhawks lost that game badly, but Moore’s individual stats stood out. My colleague Gail Kauchak highlighted that Moore won 89 percent of his faceoffs. He went 8-1 in the dot during just 11:41 minutes of ice time. This matters because the team struggles at the faceoff dot. Moore does not have a point in these two games combined, but those numbers show he is doing the dirty work. He thrives on the little things like speed and creating space. If he keeps it up, more good can come of it.
The Blackhawks need this kind of energy as the season drags on.
