PITTSBURGH _ There's Blackhawks hot, which was lukewarm with a dash of Tabasco.
Then there's Penguins hot, which has been volcanic with helpings of supernova.
Since these teams met Dec. 12 _ a 6-3 Hawks victory _ both have had their best stretches of the season. The Hawks won five of six to finish 2018, while the Penguins had lost only once in 11 games, including eight dominating victories in a row heading into Sunday night's game at PPG Paints Arena.
Make that two losses in 12 games.
The Hawks overcame an early two-goal deficit, and Dylan Strome scored the go-ahead goal seconds after a Penguins penalty ended to send them to a 5-3 come-from-behind victory and their first win of 2019. Patrick Kane had three assists, giving him 10 points in his last five games and 54 points this season.
Jonathan Toews added an empty-net goal _ his 17th goal of the season _ to seal the win.
The feel-good story of the night, however, was former Penguin Chris Kunitz scoring his first goal of the season in what was likely the final time he takes the ice in Pittsburgh. The Penguins honored their 2009 Stanley Cup champions, of which Kunitz was a member, in a pregame ceremony and singled him out for an ovation during the first period.
Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton sent Kunitz out to start the game with Toews and Brandon Saad, a great move by the rookie coach. Kunitz rejoined his fourth-line teammates for his next shift and settled in for another night of minimal ice time.
Asked before the game what Kunitz brings to the team, Colliton spoke of intangibles.
"Just his leadership," Colliton said. "He's been around. Four Cups. Great, great presence with our young players. Even for us, to have that guy who's been through a lot and won a lot in the past, it's never a bad thing to have him around."
Especially when Kunitz is hitting the back of the net. It's hard to score when you're not on the ice, and Kunitz doesn't get much playing time. In his three starts since Nov. 23, he averaged just 6 minutes, 17 seconds of ice time.
He finished with 8:20 against the Penguins and seemed to make each second count. He certainly made each shot count. His goal _ a wicked wrist shot from the slot midway through the second period _ came on his only shot and briefly tied the score at 2-2.
The Penguins regained the lead three minutes later on Derick Brassard's seventh goal, but Duncan Keith scored his first goal of the season before the second period was over to tie it at 3-3.
The Hawks fell behind 2-0 in the first five minutes and it seemed a rout was on. Neither goal was the fault of goalie Cam Ward, who stopped 31 shots. Patric Hornqvist perfectly one-timed a pass from Evgeni Malkin over Ward's right shoulder, and Jake Guentzel was left all alone in the slot to put back a rebound and make it 2-0.
Defenseman Gustav Forsling was a last-minute scratch with an upper-torso injury, and Brandon Davidson started in his place. The Hawks are still without defenseman Henri Jokiharju, who was instrumental in leading Finland to the gold medal at the World Junior Championships.
