Campbell, an offensive-minded defenseman, was a piece that Chicago needed to add. The Blackhawks had one of the worst power plays in the league last season and they lacked a blue-line quarterback. That’s where Campbell comes in and he has made his presence felt as Chicago’s power play, 21st in the league last season, had risen to No. 8 in mid December.

The biggest difference between Savard and Quenneville as coaches is probably structure. Quenneville has always been a very structured coach and his players know in no uncertain terms what’s expected of them as far as their positioning in all situations. The Blackhawks are vastly improved on defense and under Quenneville they play with more defensive structure.

Chicago has enough offense to get by and the high energy play of Toews and Kane is contagious as their teammates feed off of it. A key is to keep brittle second-line winger Martin Havlat healthy. He missed 47 games last season. Havlat is a high-risk, high-reward investment to the tune of a four-year, $24 million contract that expires after this season. He’s a creative player from whom the Blackhawks need scoring.

Also contributing to Chicago’s success is that management has gone to a greater level of patience with some of the team’s developing younger players and time spent in the minors has helped the emergence of Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglien.

The Blackhawks’ attendance is unbelievable. They are averaging over 21,000 per game and might wind up leading the league in that category. The fans have had plenty to cheer about and they are hoping to still be filling up the United Center and cheering when the playoffs roll around.

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