BLOG: Saad ready for important road trip

As the Blackhawks prepare for their longest road trip of the still young 2018-19 season, Brandon Saad can offer an interesting perspective.
With two Stanley Cups under his belt, Saad is old enough to know the importance of these trips in bringing a team together. Still just 25, he isn't far removed from his first long road trip spent crisscrossing time zones and skating in unfriendly arenas.
Ahead of three games in four nights throughout Western Canada, Saad understands the importance of the next week.
"This is an important road trip for sure," he said. "We're going on the road for a week, we have the Western Canada swing there and three good hockey teams. For us, it's just taking it game-by-game. It's a time for us to get dinner on the road, bond and win hockey games."
The Blackhawks will face the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oliers and Calgary Flames this week, starting on Wednesday night in Vancouver. While none of these teams made the playoffs a season ago, all three are off to a hot start and enter the week with winning records.
For Saad, these three games will provide a chance to restablish himself as the top-six presence the Blackhawks need him to be this season. He skated with the second line at Tuesday's practice, a reunion with Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov after a week in which Saad picked up three points, including a two-goal performance in a win over the Anaheim Ducks.
"I felt pretty good. We've had some success there, not on the score sheet every night but I think we're creating chances and being around the net," he said. "We're feeling the puck and pretty confident with it. Pretty good so far, but we're looking to keep improving."