During the waning moments of the Oct. 9 season finale, the Fire were down 1-0 against New England but earned a throw-in on the Revolution’s side of the field. Defender Carlos Teran took the throw and launched the ball on a straight line deep into the New England box, where the Revolution couldn’t clear their lines and allowed the Fire’s Alex Monis to score the equalizing goal in what ended up a 1-1 tie.

Besides ending the Fire’s year on a positive note, that play highlighted the value of Teran’s consistently long throws.

“It felt good to see the season end that way,” Teran said through a translator. “In the moment, I didn’t really think about it being from my throw, because ever since I was little I’ve been throwing it that way and I always want it to end that way.”

Of course, not every throw ends with a goal. But Teran’s arm strength gives opponents something to think about, and provides the Fire with scoring chances they might not get otherwise.

Teran is aware of that, and he also knows a long throw-in has to be in the right spot for one of his teammates or in an area that might be difficult for opposing defenders. The throw that led to Monis’ goal was a perfect example of the latter, when New England looked confused by what to do and paid for their uncertainty.

But when it’s time to throw, Teran’s considerable strength and athleticism take over.

“In the moment, I don’t really think anything,” Teran said. “I just get [the ball] and think I want to do it well because I want the team to score.”

There are times when a long throw-in isn’t the right play. Depending on their field position and the state of the game, the right choice can be to throw the ball short so the Fire can keep possession or just slow down the match.

Though Teran is clearly proud of this skill, he lets the scenario dictate what he does when the ball is in his hands.

“It’s my job to do what the team needs,” Teran said. “If we need to throw it long and throw it far, I do that. If we need to keep it short, I do that.”

Beyond this talent, the Fire saw Teran’s all-around game take steps forward in 2022. Though injuries were an issue, Teran ended the season healthy and improved as the season wore on after replacing the injured Wyatt Omsberg.

“For me, that’s part of my job, that’s part of my work,” Teran said. “It’s my responsibility to be out there as much as possible and to be working hard every day so I can contribute to the team and be there when they need me. It’s what I need to do.”

There is another way Teran contributes to the Fire. And when he was asked how others could emulate his long throws, Teran had straightforward advice.

“I would tell them to focus and become one with the ball,” Teran said.

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LAS VEGAS — The White Sox have so much riding on bounceback seasons from underperformers.

Their 2023 hopes have been pinned on new manager Pedro Grifol’s ability to inject new life into a clubhouse, his acceptance of analytics information coming from the baseball operations department, being a “stickler for defense” and other basic fundamentals of winning baseball and doing whatever hangs from his tool belt to make players perform to levels they’re handsomely paid for.

Whether Grifol can get players like catcher Yasmani Grandal and third baseman Yoan Moncada to hit like it’s 2021 and 2019 is another matter, but it matters a lot. Both are switch hitters with high walk and on-base history who provide the bulk of the Sox’ left-handed hitting.

Both were pretty bad last season.

“Lineup balances would be a benefit for us,” Hahn said. “Fundamentally doing more damage against right-handed pitching is a priority.”

Grandal is in the last year of his club record, four-year, $73 million contract and Moncada will be paid $17,800 this season. Limited by injuries in 2022, Moncada hit .212/.273/.353 with 12 homers in 104 games while providing good defense at third base and Grandal batted .202/.301/.269 with five homers in 99 games, including 71 at catcher where he struggled defensively.

“Yas had his struggles and physical issues in ’22 and it’s important not to lose sight how productive he was the year before and having Yasmani be right, the 2021 [Grandal],” Hahn said.

That version of Grandal, which walked a lot and hit home runs, would be “a huge asset,” Hahn said.

So forget about Willson Contreras being targeted by Hahn this offseason, a notion Hahn chuckled off at the GM meetings.

“Fortunately we’ll have a full offseason to get [Grandal] healthy,” Hahn said.

Grifol, a Cuban-American, is a former catcher and a fellow Miami guy with a similar background as Grandal. They were photographed in a suite at a Blackhawks game the day Grifol was hired.

“His work with Pedro we think will be beneficial and, knock on wood, we’ll get him back to the level he was at in ’21 which would be a huge shot in the arm,” Hahn said.

Grandal will be 34, though, and as Hahn said, “it’s tricky to know what you’ll get from any player,” let alone one on the back end of his career.

“There’s always the health risk with any player but it’s more compounded with guys who have had previous injury issues,” Hahn said. “You factor that the best you can and you spend a decent amount of time looking for the underlying causes for why a guy fell off and whether the underlying metrics and analysis show a reasonable expectation of regression. Some guys it does and others you might have more red flags on.”

Grandal’s and long-term contracts of players like Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez were cited as reasons the Sox won’t be throwing money at their needs this offseason. Hahn is exploring trades to spruce up his roster, banking on the best of the backs of players’ baseball cards and a newer coaching staff headed by Grifol.

Grifol says it starts in spring training.

“Set that foundation and have them get some feedback and see how far we can take it individually,” he said.

“Just about everything that could go wrong last year went wrong,” Hahn said. “So there is an element of better health and guys being with a new staff, having a new voice and just natural regression back to their normal levels of performance will improve us. That said, I don’t think there’s anyone in the room who’s pounding the table for ‘Let’s stand pat, run it back with these guys.’ We know there’s areas we can improve with these guys.

“Even last year, Opening Day when we’re being projected to win the division and some people projected us to go deeper than that. We knew there were areas we could solidify and get better. We certainly believe that things evening out will be in our favor next year in terms of guys getting closer to their traditional levels of health and playing and performance, but we still know we’ve got work to do.”

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I know it’s 2022, the year the Astros won the World Series not by cheating but by being the best team in baseball. While the post-postseason is in full swing, our weekly get-together, I’m happy to say, continues. I’m so appreciative that you take the time to write to me ([email protected]) to tell me you’re having fun.

Now, I want to include you in the quiz. Send me a date, or just a year, and I will try to craft a quiz question around it. It could be a birthdate, an anniversary or just a random date, and I will credit you in the quiz with your first name and last initial. Type “YEAR” in the subject line in your email, and let’s see what happens. I make no guarantees. OK, let’s get started.

1. On Nov. 12, 1944, the outstanding play-by-play announcer Al Michaels was born. While Michaels is now known primarily for his football work (and for making the “Miracle on Ice” call), he was one of the great baseball announcers, as well, as evidenced by being inducted into the Hall of Fame as the 2021 Ford C. Frick Award winner. Among other highlights of his career, Michaels was the announcer for what is known as the “Don Denkinger” game in the 1985 World Series. Who was Denkinger?

a. The Cardinals pitcher who came within an out of a no-hitter.

b. A Royals outfielder who dropped an easy fly ball.

c. The first-base umpire who blew a call.

d. A fan in the left-field bleachers who grabbed a ball in play.

2. On Nov. 12, 1958, the incredibly funny Megan Mullally was born. You know her from “Will & Grace,” “Parks & Recreation” and “Party Down” and for being married to Nick Offerman. That year also marked the first season of baseball in California for the San Francisco Giants (formerly the New York Giants) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (formerly the Brooklyn Dodgers). Those Dodgers would play in the 1959 World Series against the White Sox. In 1958, a Chicago player won the MVP award. Who was he?

a. Nellie Fox

b. Luis Aparicio

c. Ernie Banks

d. Jungle Jim Rivera

3. On Nov. 12, 1877, Archibald Wright Graham was allegedly born (there is some discrepancy as to his actual year of birth). Graham played for the 1905 world champion New York Giants. He never came to the plate, and he never threw a pitch. His sole MLB experience consisted of the last two innings of one game. But, as a result, W.P. Kinsella built the character of ”Moonlight” Graham in the 1982 novel “Shoeless Joe” around him. The book later was adapted into the movie “Field of Dreams.” Who played Graham in that iconic movie?

a. Burt Lancaster

b. James Earl Jones

c. Kirk Douglas

d. Lee Marvin

4. On Nov. 12, 1945, the great musician Neil Young was born. Early next month, a new documentary about his 1972 album “Harvest” is set to be screened in cinemas. Harvest included “Heart of Gold.” If you listen to it carefully, you can hear background vocals by Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor. Two of these Hall of Famers were not rookies in 1972. Who are they?

a. Goose Gossage

b. Mike Schmidt

c. Dave Winfield

d. Don Baylor

5. This past postseason, old friend Kyle Schwarber completed a feat that has never been done across numerous games. What did he do?

a. Get a hit in an AL and NL wild-card game/series, an AL and NL Division Series, an AL and NL Championship Series and a World Series.

b. Strike out in an AL and NL wild-card game/series, an AL and NL Division Series, an AL and NL Championship Series and a World Series.

c. Homer in an AL and NL wild-card game/series, an AL and NL Division Series, an AL and NL Championship Series and a World Series.

d. Make an error in an AL and NL wild-card game/series, an AL and NL Division Series, an AL and NL Championship Series and a World Series.

6. On Nov. 12, 1920, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis was elected the first baseball commissioner by team owners in response to the Black Sox scandal. Landis also made a conscious effort to block MLB’s integration. His successor, who oversaw the initial days of integration with Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby, served only one term. Who was he?

a. Ford Frick

b. Happy Chandler

c. Bart Giamatti

d. Fay Vincent

7. What year was this? Dusty Baker (who is finally a World Series-winning skipper) managed the Cubs. Nomar Garciaparra was on the team. So was Greg Maddux. Ozzie Guillen managed the White Sox. Frank Thomas was on the team. So was Mark Buehrle. The TV show “Lost” premiered. So did “House” and “Desperate Housewives.” I ask again: What year was this?

a. 2003

b. 2004

c. 2005

d. 2006

8. What year was this? “Mad About You” debuted. So did “Melrose Place.” “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men was the top single. “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred was a big hit. Speaking of big hits, Juan Gonzalez led the AL in homers, and Fred McGriff led the NL. Ryne Sandberg led the Cubs in homers, and George Bell led the White Sox. I ask again: What year was this?

a. 1989

b. 1990

c. 1991

d. 1992

9. Welcome, Pedro Grifol, to the White Sox and the quiz. I hope you will participate and learn more about Chicago baseball. Grifol is only 52. As @SoxNerd points out, discounting interims, the 25-year age decrease in back-to-back managerial hires is the largest in Sox history. Grifol was born on Nov. 28, 1969. Which of these is Pedro older or younger than?

a. The Mets’ first world championship

b. Pringles Potato Crisps

c. Hamburger Helper

d. Mariano Rivera

ANSWERS

1. If we ever needed a replay review, it was in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. Don Denkinger incorrectly called Jorge Orta safe to lead off the bottom of the ninth and enabled the Royals to snatch victory from defeat. They went on to win Games 6 and 7 against the Cardinals.

2. OK, this question was an excuse to write “Jungle Jim” Rivera. It was also a bit of a ruse because the correct answer is ”Mr. Cub,” Ernie Banks, who hit .313 with 47 homers and 129 RBI.

3. In his final role, Burt Lancaster played the man who ultimately became the town doctor in Chisholm, Minnesota. In real life, Graham’s first stop was a residency at the Chicago Ear and Throat Hospital.

4. Schmidt and Winfield were the class of the rookies in 1973.

5. Schwarber has one homer in each of an AL and NL wild-card game/series, an ALDS and an ALCS. He has two homers in an NLDS and three in the World Series. He didn’t strike out in his one AL wild-card game.

6. Happy Chandler wrote in his autobiography: ”If the Lord made some people black, and some white, and some red or yellow, he must have had a pretty good reason. It isn’t my job to decide which colors can play big-league baseball. It is my job to see that the game is fairly played and that everybody has an equal chance. I think if I do that, I can face my Maker with a clear conscience.”

7. The Sox won the World Series. Unfortunately for Chicago fans, it was the Red Sox. The year was 2004.

8. Dennis Eckersley was the MVP and Cy Young winner in the AL, and Barry Bonds was the MVP and Greg Maddux the Cy Young winner in the NL in 1992.

9. The Mets won their first title on Oct. 16, 1969. Pringles were introduced in 1968. Hamburger Helper first arrived in 1971. Mariano Rivera was born on Nov. 29, 1969, one day after Grifol.

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Somehow the year has come and go, and the holiday season is right around the corner. Whether you’re trying to think of gift ideas or looking for that perfect gift for the special Chicago sports fan in your life, we’ve got you covered with the best Chicago Sports gifts for this holiday season!

Chicago Bears Big Game Sherpa Lined Throw Blanket

Go big or go home? No – Go big AT home! Spend this season of gift giving during this holiday season as a true Chicago Bears fan the right way on who you’re rooting for on gameday by relaxing under this Chicago Bears Big Game Sherpa Lined Throw! Nothing’s better than a perfect Chicago Bears gift for your closest family and friends on the couch on Chicago Bears football Sunday with a comfy gift of warmth and joy!

Chicago Cubs Reversible Colorblock Hoodeez

Never before has Chicago Cubs fandom looked so good and felt so relaxing for the holiday season. What better gift than to gift your family and friends with a product that allow you to lounge like a legend while you cheer your Chicago Cubs on to victory by rocking this Chicago Cubs Reversible Colorblock Hoodeez.

Benny the Bull Chicago Bulls Large Plush Mascot

With Chicago Bulls gift-giving season right around the corner, these plushes and their supreme softness are a major must-have for a Bulls loving family. Naptime and nighttime during the holiday season will both feel like game time when you snuggle up with the Benny the Bull Chicago Bulls 14 in. Plush Mascot.

Chicago Blackhawks Mittens

From the mountains to Washington D.C. to wherever your fan hands take you, gift-giving season just got a whole lot better Chicago Blackhawks fans. This holiday season, keep those hands extra warm and cozy by enjoying some inaugural style in these Chicago Blackhawks Mittens!

Chicago White Sox Ugly Pattern One Piece Pajamas

Get some matching family Chicago White Sox pajamas and dress to impress this holiday season! You won’t want to miss these White Sox onesie team pajamas! These men’s and women’s PJ’s are comfortable and show off your team spirit in the form of some sweet one piece jammies. Introducing the Chicago White Sox Ugly Pattern One Piece Pajamas! Be the gift of giving and make sure you and your friends show your White Sox spirit in comfort!

Chicago Bears Soldier Field BRXLZ Stadium

Who said you can only enjoy the awesomeness of the stadium on gameday? Build some home field advantage this holiday season Chicago Bears fans with the perfect gift of a Chicago Bears BRXLZ Stadium, and enjoy the beauty of this wonderful gift of art whenever you want.

Chicago Cubs Ugly Pattern One Piece Pajamas

Get some matching family Chicago Cubs pajamas and dress to impress this holiday season! You won’t want to miss these onesie team pajamas! These men’s and women’s PJ’s are a great comfortable gift for the holiday season that shows off your team spirit in the form of some sweet one piece jammies. Introducing the Chicago Cubs Ugly Pattern One Piece Pajamas! Don’t forget to take your holiday photo with the whole family wearing matching Christmas pajamas!

Chicago Bulls BRXLZ Mini Player

Great gifts for the holiday season are built, not made. Need proof? Just take a look at this Chicago Bulls BRXLZ Mini Player. It’s the perfect gift for fans of all ages to show off their building skill as well as their legendary Chicago Bulls holiday spirit.

Chicago Blackhawks Reversible Gameday Hoodeez

Dress like the Chicago Blackhawks star of the game for the upcoming holiday season without leaving the comfort of your own couch. Get your Blackhawks fellow fans, friends and family the perfect gift for the holidays as FOCO introduces the Chicago Blackhawks Reversible Gameday Hoodeez.

Tim Anderson Chicago White Sox Bighead Bobblehead

Chicago White Sox’s slugger is ready to join your gift list for the 2022 holiday season! This Tim Anderson Chicago White Sox Bighead Bobblehead is the perfect way to show off your Chicago White Sox holiday spirit and unleash your inner Pale Hose pride.

Chicago Bears Bold Logo Camo Hoodeez

Chicago Bears fans, let’s kick back, relax, and get comfortable this holiday season! Take your Chicago Bears holiday team spirit to the next level by gifting your friends and family with the Bear’s ultimate comfortable gift of the season with this Chicago Bears Bold Logo Camo Hoodeez!

Chicago Cubs Warm-Up Windbreaker

The Windy City runs rapid with the crazy winter weather, but no worries Chicago Cub’s fans, this Chicago Cubs Warm-Up Windbreaker has you covered. This is the perfect gift for the holiday season to keep your holiday spirits high and your Chicago Cub’s fans warm and cozy. The wind has no chance with our Chicago Cubs Warm-Up Windbreaker.

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

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LAS VEGAS — When the Phillies clawed back against the Padres to win Game 5 of the National League Championship Series and clinch a trip to the World Series, they sent a message to the rest of the majors.

”I think it shows you [that] if you get in and you play well, anything can happen,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said at the general managers meetings.

The Phillies’ playoff run also upended Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer’s predictions about the new postseason format.

”I couldn’t have been more wrong on the National League,” Hoyer said.

Expanded playoffs this season featured a best-of-three wild-card first round, with the Nos. 1- and 2-seeded division winners getting a bye. Hoyer expected the byes to be a ”massive advantage.”

On the American League side, it seemed to play out that way. The Astros and Yankees advanced to the American League Championship Series. But the NL side of the bracket trended in the opposite direction. The Phillies and Padres carried momentum from the wild-card series to upset the Braves and Dodgers in the NL Division Series.

What did Major League Baseball executives make of how the playoffs unfolded? And what did the Phillies’ run illuminate about the Cubs’ approach to their rebuild?

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto pointed to 2007, when he was in the front office for the Diamondbacks, who were swept by the Rockies in the NLCS. The Rockies were on a tear, going 14-1 to end the regular season and winning seven consecutive playoff games to claim the NL pennant. Then they waited more than a week for the seven-game ALCS to wrap up and the World Series to begin.

”I don’t know if this really would have made a difference because the Red Sox were wildly talented at the time,” Dipoto said, ”but [the Rockies] then just got steamrolled in the World Series.”

The Red Sox outscored the Rockies 29-10 in a four-game Fall Classic sweep.

”Baseball is about timing, and that long [of] a layoff can really disrupt your timing,” Dipoto said. ”I don’t know if that’s what we saw [this year] because it affected one league in a different way than the other, but I don’t think it was a nonfactor.”

Dipoto’s team had momentum going into the AL Division Series after ending a 20-year postseason drought and sweeping the Blue Jays in their wild-card series. But the Mariners ran into the eventual World Series champion Astros.

The Guardians also swept their wild-card series but lost in the ALDS. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti reserved an overarching judgment of the playoff format for later.

”We had the two rainouts [against the Yankees], so we didn’t get to experience the format exactly the way it was designed,” he said. ”But I really do like the three-game wild card in the beginning. I know there are some trade-offs with days off for some of the teams, but I never was a huge fan of a whole season coming down to one game.”

Dombrowski called the format, which added a third wild-card slot in each league and gave the No. 6-seeded Phillies a shot at the playoffs, one of his favorite rule changes in recent memory. The universal designated hitter, another key to the Phillies’ success this season, was his other favorite.

”It was really fun to watch,” Hoyer said, ”in the sense of both Philly and San Diego felt like they were kind of underdogs going in. And from a fan-interest [and] an intensity-in-the-ballpark standpoint in both those markets, [it] was pretty awesome to watch. So I do think having some unexpected teams really activated those cities.”

In years to come, a clearer picture of the effects of the first-round bye might come into focus. A larger sample size even might prove Hoyer’s initial prediction to be correct. But the Phillies proved that the new format hasn’t changed the fact that once a team makes the playoffs, if they perform at the right time, they have a chance to win.

Hoyer has higher aspirations and repeatedly has said he wants to build a team with ”the best chance in October.” The Cubs aren’t positioned to reach that goal this offseason, but that doesn’t preclude them from trying to sneak into the playoffs in the interim and seeing what happens.

To do so, they’ll need to spend money this winter. And Hoyer has said the Cubs will be aggressive filling holes on their roster.

”I do feel like we certainly have the flexibility this winter to be competitive on the free-agent market,” he said.

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Key matchup

Bears quarterback Justin Fields is coming off an NFL-record-setting rushing performance against the Dolphins — 178 yards, the most ever by a quarterback in a regular-season game. But he had been building up to that for a while, with 88, 82 and 60 rushing yards in his previous three games.

Fields is 11th in the NFL in rushing with 602 yards (second among quarterbacks behind Lamar Jackson’s 635) and has averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Fields, in fact, has averaged 79.1 rushing yards per game since Week 3.

Lions rookie edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, will be among the defenders who will have to watch their step in attacking Fields. Hutchinson has 4oe sacks, but all of them in two games — three against the Commanders and 1oe against the against the Cowboys. No doubt he has the athleticism. He looked like a linebacker on a nifty interception of Aaron Rodgers at the goal line last week in a 15-9 upset of the Packers.

But every Lions defender will be on alert against Fields. Jalen Hurts rushed for 90 yards against the Lions in Week 1. Geno Smith rushed for 49 against them in Week 4. Rodgers rushed for 40 yards against them last week, including a 16-yard scramble on third-and-10. Fields, obviously, has the potential to do even more damage.

Trending

The Bears’ defense has been reeling since defensive end Robert Quinn and linebacker Roquan Smith were traded, allowing 70 points and 821 yards in losses to the Cowboys (without Quinn) and the Dolphins (without Quinn and Smith) the last two weeks. They had no sacks or takeaways against the Dolphins last week.

Their defense has been particularly bad on third down. The Cowboys (9 of 11) and Dolphins (5 of 10) combined to convert 14 of 21 third-down opportunities (66.7%), dropping the defense to 31st in the league in third-down conversions allowed.

Player to watch

Bears wide receiver Chase Claypool played 26 snaps and caught two passes 13 yards against the Dolphins, four days after joining the team in a trade with the Steelers.

Claypool also drew a 28-yard pass-interference penalty and should have had a 36-yard gain on a missed pass-interference call with 1:29 to play that the league later acknowledged was a mistaken no-call.

Claypool figures to be even more of a target after his first full week with the Bears. Five receivers have had 100 or more yards against the Lions, including the Patriots’ Jakobi Meyers (7-111, one touchdown in Week 5).

X-factor

The Bears’ offense still is in a developmental mode, but after scoring 33, 29 and 32 points in their last three games, Fields and the offense face rare expectations of success against a Lions defense ranked 32nd in the league. This is not the time for a step back.

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Blackhawks’ goaltending this season has been shockingly good.

Whether it’s Petr Mrazek, Alex Stalock or Arvid Soderblom, the Hawks have gotten consistently stellar performances in net on a nightly basis. Considering the goalie unit appeared to be the shakiest of any roster group entering the season, the success — even amid a plague of injuries — has been remarkable.

But the Hawks have lost six of their last seven games anyway, and that’s almost entirely because their offense has underperformed as much as their goalies have overperformed.

In 5-on-5 play this season, the Hawks are averaging 45.0 shot attempts, 24.4 shots on goal, 20.8 scoring chances and 1.68 goals per 60 minutes. They rank last in the NHL in the latter two categories and second-to-last (ahead of only the Coyotes) in the first two.

Their offensive weaknesses have only worsened in November. Over four games this month, they’ve scored just four goals — including only one during 5-on-5 play. They’ve averaged 44.1 shot attempts, 22.9 shots on goal and 20.8 scoring chances per 60 games — last in the league in every regard.

That pattern continued Thursday in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Kings in which the Hawks scored only on Taylor Raddysh’s power-play strike and mustered just 29 shot attempts, 14 shots on goal and nine scoring chances in 45 minutes of 5-on-5 action.

“We just held onto pucks maybe a little too long,” coach Luke Richardson said Friday. “We talked about it, and we tried to get pucks off a little faster in the second half of the game. We just have to bear down.”

In the third period, Richardson flipped Philipp Kurashev onto the first line with Patrick Kane and Max Domi and moved Andreas Athanasiou onto the second line with Raddysh and Jonathan Toews. That provided a little spark, but small personnel shifts can only do so much. It’s also unclear if those line changes will remain in effect Saturday against the Ducks.

Then again, the Hawks’ inability to score might be a result of defensive woes as much as offensive ones. When one team has possession, the other certainly isn’t getting any shot attempts or scoring chances, and the Kings enjoyed a king’s share of possession time Thursday. The Hawks were repeatedly pinned into their defensive zone for several minutes without respite.

Only because of Mrazek did that imbalance not translate to the scoreboard. The Czech veteran stopped 31 of 33 shots in his return from a groin injury, pulling off some heroic saves in the waning minutes of both the second and third periods.

“I saw the puck early on really well,” Mrazek said. “[After] the first few saves — especially a breakaway early in the first period — when you stop that, you feel even more confident, you feel better in there.”

Added Richardson: [Mrazek] gave us some inspiration. Guys really battle for him. He’s a character guy in the dressing room, and they love him. He gave us a chance to stay in that game where, at times, we really didn’t deserve to in the second period. . . . We owe him a point for that one.”

Mrazek admitted he wanted to return faster from his injury but said he understood, given his history of groin problems, why the Hawks’ trainers played it safe. He ultimately needed every bit of stamina and strength as he stretched post-to-post on several occasions.

“The guys did a fantastic job managing that,” he said. “I was feeling well early on. But it’s important to recover, to get the injury back on track and to prevent it so it doesn’t happen again.”

His season save percentage rose to .895 with his performance Thursday. Ignoring the season opener against the Avalanche — essentially an impossible matchup — he sits at .911. Stalock, meanwhile, has a .914 save percentage and Soderblom .924.

Those add up to a team save percentage of .910, eighth in the NHL entering Friday. Narrowed down to 5-on-5 play, the Hawks’ team save percentage of .933 ranks sixth. For comparison, the Bruins (12-2-0) ranked 10th, Andrei Vasilevskiy’s Lightning ranked 18th and Igor Shesterkin’s Rangers ranked 24th, all well below the Hawks.

The fact the Hawks have won only five of 13 games while enjoying such terrific netminding is probably worth some concern, especially considering Mrazek, Stalock and Soderblom might not realistically keep this up all year.

On the other hand, given how terrible the Hawks were expected to be, the fact they’ve performed so well in any area — earning points in eight of 13 games as a result — is worth commending.

Those two conflicting views exemplify how hard it is to judge this torn-down team. But internally, the Hawks are just trying to win every game as it comes, and in order to do so, they’re going to need significantly more offense.

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