It’s a weird concept for the Blackhawks that an early February game would have high stakes, but whether they wanted to admit it or not, the Hawks’ 4-3 overtime victory over the Canucks on Thursday at the United Center was their biggest game of the season.
The Hawks have notched 12 points in the last two-and-a-half weeks. In a surprise move, the Hawks, who seemed destined for a lottery pick just a short time ago, are now one of four teams two or less points shy of a playoff spot.
“It’s very top heavy this year,” right wing Patrick Kane said of the Western Conference. “It’s really anyone’s game. Whoever puts together a good run the last 28 games.”
And the Hawks are asking themselves: “Why can’t it be us?”
Riding a six-game win streak — their longest of the season — the Hawks are channeling their winning culture that resulted in three Stanley Cups.
“Now’s the time, right?” Kane said. “Everyone’s feeling confident … Just keep doing the same things. I think we know the recipe for success now.”
And one of those ingredients is a productive power-play, which is coach Jeremy Colliton’s biggest accomplishment this season.
The Hawks’ first two goals — scored less than one minute apart in the first period by right wing Alex DeBrincat and left wing Brandon Saad, respectively — came on the power-play.
Kane attributed the recent uptick of the Hawks’ power-play, which is converting at a league-best 40.4 percent clip since Dec. 23, to the team’s chemistry.
“Every time there’s a penalty, we’re excited to be out there,” said Kane, who extended his point streak to 13 games with an assist on DeBrincat’s first goal. “We want to be a difference, we want to score goals. And even if we don’t score, everybody’s kind of pissed off because we expected to. So you’ve got to score the next one for sure.”
The Hawks faltered in the second period, giving up back-to-back goals. But DeBrincat revived the Hawks late in the second period, scoring his 28th goal of the season off a feed from center Dylan Strome, who had three assists.
The Canucks forced overtime, but captain Jonathan Toews took care of business.
The Hawks, who were outshot 43-35, weren’t necessarily proud of the way the played, but they found a way to bounce back.
“It’s part of why we’re winning games right now,” Toews said. “Whether we’re on our A game or not. Tonight we had spurts where we were making mistakes and I think collectively we know we could be better in those areas, as far as managing the puck and managing our shifts and playing with a bit more energy if we keep them short. The fact that we can hang in there — it’s unfortunate to give up a late goal, but we’re finding ways to win right now even not playing our best hockey.”
Don’t count the Hawks out yet. They’re beaming with newfound confidence.
“We’ve got to give these guys credit for how we stuck with it, how we’ve kept that mood up even through the tough parts of the season,” Toews said. “It’s nice to see it turning into results right now … but we’ve got to keep working, keep pushing to get better because we know we’re not even close to the ceiling yet.”
