The Chicago Blackhawks are almost a quarter of the way through the season after playing 20 games. Here are 15 things we have learned about them so far:

1. The Blackhawks don’t have an amazing record at 12-7-1, but it’s not bad considering their early scoring troubles and they are still right there among the Central Division leaders. They’re in third place in the Central behind the Nashville Predators (13-5-2, 28 points) and St. Louis Blues (13-6-1, 27 points). The Blackhawks are trending upward. They’re on their first three-game winning streak of the season and have won five of their last six games. One area they have already corrected from last season is their overtime/shootout record. They were 3-8 last year and are 4-1 this season.

2. The Blackhawks can still fill the net. They went through an unlucky stretch early in the season, when they were leading the league in shots but didn’t have the results to show for it. That’s changed in the last few weeks. Their shooting percentage is getting back to normal. They have scored 32 goals over the last eight games. They still lead the league in shots (36.7 per game) and their scoring average is up to 2.95, which is tied for seventh. Their shooting percentage is still a few percentage points below their average the last few years, so expect the goals average to increase some more over time. The Blackhawks were third in shots-per game (33.1) and second in goals-per-game (3.18) last season.

3. Corey Crawford is playing at an elite level. He has a 1.90 goals-against average and .928 save percentage in 14 games. He ranks fifth in the league in save percentage. His start to the season is comparable to what he did in the shortened 2012-13 season, when he was consistent throughout the season and finished ranked sixth in the league in save percentage. It’s the only time he’s finished in the top 10 in save percentage. He has held opponents to two goals or less in 10 of his 14 games this season. He’s especially improved against the power play. He had a .864 power-play save percentage last season and it’s currently at .905.

4. Brad Richards had to wait longer than he and most people expected for him to become the Blackhawks’ second-line center and play alongside Patrick Kane, but he’s finally there. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville finally gave Richards a long look beside Kane in the 18th game, and it’s worked out for everyone. The line of Kris Versteeg, Richards and Kane has created six goals over the last three games. Richards has eight points and is a plus-5 in November.

5. Kane and Jonathan Toews continue to not disappoint. Both have a team-leading 18 points. Kane got off to a slow start, but he’s making up for it now. He’s on a four-game scoring streak and has eight points in the last four games. He has eight goals and 10 assists on the season. Toews has been steady most of the season. He’s recorded points in 12 games and has nine goals and nine assists. He has also continued to play the most minutes by a forward and he plays in all situations.

6. There’s no mistaking Versteeg is a different player this season. A full offseason of rehab has done him wonders. He has six goals, seven assists and is plus-7 in 16 games this season. He scored all of 10 goals in 63 games for the Blackhawks last season. The Blackhawks miss Patrick Sharp, but Versteeg has helped fill that void. The Blackhawks also have to figure it’s a matter of time before Marian Hossa starts scoring. Hossa scored his third goal of the season on Saturday. He has a 5.1 shooting percentage, and that is usually around 13 percent. He does lead the team with 12 assists.

7. Bryan Bickell was hopeful this past offseason would have a similar effect on him as it did Versteeg, and that hasn't been the case. Bickell trimmed down and felt great entering the season. He set a goal for this regular season to be like his recent playoffs. He hasn't met those expectations. He has two goals and five assists in 20 games. Since being rewarded with a four-year, $16 million deal after his 2013 playoff performance, he’s had 13 goals and nine assists in 79 regular-season games and seven goals and three assists in 19 playoff games.

8. Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Johnny Oduya and Brent Seabrook have lived up to their roles as top-4 defensemen. Hjalmarsson leads the defensemen as a plus-7. Keith leads the defensemen with 12 points and an average of 25:27 of ice time. Oduya remains consistent beside Hjalmarsson. Seabrook has had a few miscues and is a minus-2 on the season, but he’s still contributed on the penalty kill, power play and has 11 points.

9. The Blackhawks still need to shore up their final defenseman pairing. Trevor Van Riemsdyk's injury was a hit in that area for them. Quenneville will now rely on Michal Rozsival, David Rundblad and Adam Clendening to fill two defenseman spots every game. Clendening has shown some offensive ability, but he had a couple miscues in the Blackhawks’ defensive zone on Saturday that Quenneville couldn’t have been happy about. Rozsival has started the last two games, but the question is whether his body and play can hold up over time. Rundblad had earned some of Quenneville’s confidence recently, but that seems to be gone again.

10. Brandon Saad appears to be taking another step forward in his third season. Consistency is what Saad lacked the first two seasons. He recorded points in 55 of 124 games his first two full seasons. He’s registered points in 10 of 20 games this season and has points in seven of the last 10 games. He’s fourth on the team with 14 points, which includes three goals and 11 assists.

11. The Blackhawks still can’t get both of sides of their special teams to click at the same. Their penalty kill is second in the league with a 90 percent success rate. Ben Smith and Marcus Kruger have been effective as the top forward pairing. The Blackhawks’ power play is still inconsistent. They rank 15th at 19.5 percent.

12. Quenneville isn’t completely mad when it comes to his lines. His latest mixtures have been successful, especially on the top two lines 0f Saad, Toews and Hossa; and Versteeg, Richards and Kane. A line with Bickell, Phillip Danault and Daniel Carcillo and another line with Joakim Nordstrom, Kruger and Smith had strong possession numbers on Saturday.

13. Injuries have already impacted the Blackhawks this season. Van Riemsdyk is out 3-4 months with a lower-body injury. Sharp has missed seven games and is likely out a few more weeks with a lower-body injury. Andrew Shaw has missed two games with an upper-body injury. Carcillo missed 10 games with a lower-body injury. Crawford missed six games with an upper-body injury. Versteeg missed four games with a lower-body injury. The Blackhawks would like to get Shaw on a better track when he returns. He’s struggled defensively this season and is last on the team in Corsi and is a minus-4. Playing more consistently on the third line could benefit him.

14. With all those injuries, the Blackhawks have turned to their organization’s depth. Peter Regin, Nordstrom, Danault, Clendening and goaltender Scott Darling have all been recalled and stepped into the lineup this season. The Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate, are playing well, too. They are off to a 13-4-0-1 start. Forwards Mark McNeill and Teuvo Teravainen and a few other defensemen could be worthy of recalls later in the season as well.

15. While a lot of the Blackhawks youngsters are drawing praise from Quenneville, forward Jeremy Morin hasn’t been able to earn his trust this season. Quenneville and general manager Stan Bowman said they expected Morin to have a larger role this season, but Morin hasn’t won over Quenneville. Morin has averaged 7:44 in 15 games and been scratched five times this season. He was scratched on Saturday.