Where the pure goal total doesn't tell the complete story is in the type of goals Saad put home during the regular season. Five times he scored the first goal of the game, something Chicago did 32 times in total but no single player did more. Another five times, he scored the game-winning goal -- leading scorers Patrick Kane and Dominik Kubalik had four apiece. And he scored two shorthanded tallies, both a result of relentless forechecking when playing down a man.
"We had a good team. I got the opportunity to play with some good players," Saad said of his success as a whole, crediting his offseason work both on and off the ice last summer as his biggest asset. "I think the biggest thing is just having a good offseason, being prepared mentally, physically and then keeping that confidence throughout the season."
"He was probably one of our most consistent players all year. You know what to expect out of him," head coach Jeremy Colliton said of Saad before entering the playoff bubble. "He's so strong on his skates, he's able to protect the puck up ice. He can get you from the defensive zone to the offensive zone, carry someone on his back. He's a playoff-type player."
In the playoffs, the offense was there -- scoring five points (2G, 3A) in nine games -- but his two-way game took center stage as the top line was consistently tasked with shutting down the opposition's top line, drawing matchups against Leon Draisaitl or Connor McDavid more often than not.
"Being able to do that and being able to get the taste of some playoff hockey again," Saad said, "I know for our young guys and even our older guys, too, it's always fun to be part of those games. You're always gaining experience through that."