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10 observations: Strome nets hat trick, Hawks beat Wings

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The Blackhawks knocked off the Detroit Red Wings 8-5 at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday.

Here are 10 observations from the win:

1. Have a day, Dylan Strome. He scored his first career NHL hat trick, added a primary assist, six shots on goal — all from the slot, per Sportlogiq — and won 10 of 17 faceoffs for a win percentage of 58.8. He legitimately could've scored two or three more. Easily his best game of the season.

2. The Red Wings recorded the first six shots on goal. After that, the Blackhawks outshot them 16-2 the rest of the first period. It was a great start that resulted in four first-period goals, which was their most in a period since Nov. 10, 2019 when they scored four in the opening frame against Toronto.

3. The Blackhawks scored only six 5-on-5 goals over their previous six games. They had three in the first period alone against Detroit, finished with four total and had another at even strength (4-on-4). A much-needed offensive explosion.

4. This game shouldn't have been as close as it was. The Blackhawks finally got some offense but fell asleep in the second period and allowed the Red Wings to score three straight to pull within 4-3. They're in no position to go into cruise control like that, no matter who the opponent is. Fortunately, they put their foot back on the gas pedal in the third period and eventually pulled away.

5. Calvin de Haan had a brutal giveaway to Robby Fabbri in the second period that led to Detroit's first goal. He redeemed himself by preventing Fabbri from scoring his second of the night later on the power play, although you could certainly argue the first goal against changed the momentum of this game.

6. Man, Seth Jones is so good. Go back and watch the first power-play goal. It should've been an easy clear for the Red Wings but he out-muscled the penalty killers to keep the play alive. Also, on Strome's second goal, he didn't record an assist on the play but he forced Dylan Larkin to make an errant pass that led to the scoring chance. Jones finished with two assists, eight shot attempts (four on goal) and three blocked shots.

7. Alex DeBrincat continues to torch the team he grew up rooting for. He scored two goals and added an assist to up his career total to 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) in 16 games against the Red Wings. I'm sure he misses being in the same division as Detroit.

8. The Blackhawks held the Red Wings to five high-danger chances during 5-on-5 action, according to Natural Stat Trick. It's just the third time in the last 16 games they've allowed five or fewer in a game.

9. When Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman drafted defenseman Moritz Seider at No. 6 overall in 2019, it was viewed as a reach at the time. Most mock drafts had him going outside Top 10. But you can see why he was taken so high after all. He's on pace for 51 points this season. Since the 1993 season, only two rookie defensemen have finished with 50 or more points: Quinn Hughes (56 in 73 games) and Cale Makar (50 in 57 games). Seider is going to be a stud. Heck, he already is.

10. Pius Suter committed three penalties after having only two minor penalties in his first 42 games. He did, however, score a goal against his former team. He's a solid player, but I don't think the Blackhawks made a mistake in not giving him a qualifying offer. He had arbitration rights and ended up signing a two-year deal with Detroit at a cap hit of $3.25 million, which is a lot for a player with a small sample size at the NHL level.

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