PITTSBURGH — The Blackhawks took significant strides forward in their defensive zone coverage against the Penguins on Saturday.
But two crucial breakdowns and the skills competition coin flip went against them in a 3-2 shootout loss.
Still, for the first time yet this season, the Hawks have built enough of a competitive streak — with points in four of their last five games now — that the postgame locker-room mood remained positive.
“Tide’s starting to turn a little bit for us,” Calvin de Haan said. “Everyone’s getting accustomed with how people play and their tendencies and stuff. But we’ve been playing some good hockey for most of the course of the season, and we’re starting to get rewarded a little bit, which is good for us. I think that’s a big point on the road for us.”
The Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the second period thanks to quick consecutive goals from Dominik Kubalik — the latest in a line of players to break out in their first game after being healthy-scratched — and Patrick Kane, flying high with eight points in his last five. It was their third 2-0 lead in the past four games.
They’ve been playing with fire with those 2-0 advantages, however. In Anaheim, they blew it but escaped in overtime. Against Vancouver, they gave up one goal and looked at risk of conceding a second.
On Saturday, the Pens took advantage of two poor shifts by the Slater Koekkoek-Olli Maatta pairing to tie the game, then found shootout goals from Jake Guentzel and Jared McCann to claim the two points.
“It’s good we’re getting points. We need some two-pointers,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “To really move it forward, the team needs to be rewarded for those efforts.”
“We went through a stretch like that earlier in the year, where we played well and didn’t get the win, and that wears on you. We want to finish a few of these games out.”
The loss snapped a 10-game win streak against the Penguins, and Corey Crawford — despite another objectively quality start — suffered only his second career loss against Pittsburgh.
Those are trivial stats, though. More encouraging is the fact the Hawks gave up only 26 shots on goal in regulation, their fewest allowed since the season opener in Prague.
That’s a product of improved defensive zone exits, improved adherence to structure and more sustained work ethic, all things that Colliton harped on critically in past weeks. On that front, the Hawks showed substantial progress.
“There’s not many grade-A’s we’re giving up,” de Haan said. “There are 100-point players on their team, they’re going to make plays, but I think we’ve done a really good job at keeping stuff to the perimeter for the most part.”
There’s a pervasive sense nonetheless that this is not the top of the Hawks’ curve.
“We’ve got to keep building on this,” Kane said. “I still think there’s another level for us to get to, and it’ll be a lot of fun when we get there.”
