NASHVILLE – We could go into broken-record mode on the Blackhawks this season with the way most of their games have gone. You all know the drill by now. And as nerve wracking as it probably is to watch this team, they’ve been on the positive side of most of these games, slow starts be damned.
Hey, a win is a win. So before we head to Raleigh for the final game of 2016, let’s look at Five Things to take from the Blackhawks’ 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday.
1. Patrick Kane hits 700 points. Kane’s point production hasn’t been what it was last season but he still comes up with the goals at critical moments. His 11th goal of the season wasn’t just his 700th career point, it was also Thursday’s game winner. That second line has been productive overall this season, even if it’s not to the degree it was in 2015-16. But coach Joel Quenneville has been happy with Kane’s play throughout this season, and talked of the latest milestone. “Amazing, amazing player who just keeps getting better. How he relieves pressure, how he gets through the middle of the ice, how he recognizes plays, he’s as good as anyone in the game.”
2. No Brian Campbell. Coach Joel Quenneville wanted to get Michal Rozsival and Michal Kempny, who have sat a while, in on Thursday. That meant scratching Gustav Forsling and Campbell. The latter was a surprise, given Campbell had played 423 consecutive regular-season games entering Thursday. The Kempny-Rozsival pair didn’t play much – a lot of special teams was part of that. But you wonder if Campbell’s back in on Friday night, when the Blackhawks face the Carolina Hurricanes.
[SHOP: Gear up, Blackhawks fans!]
3. Paychecks and point streaks. Artemi Panarin’s had a nice couple of days. He signed his two-year extension on Wednesday and then ran his point streak to a career-high nine games on Thursday (secondary assist on Artem Anisimov’s power-play goal). There has been no sophomore slump for Panarin, who is likely cashing in on bonuses again this season.
4. The power play works. Well, the net-front presence works on it, for sure. Both teams had plenty of power-play opportunities on Thursday and the Blackhawks scored on two of them. Both times, it was a tip or redirect in front of the net (Anisimov on the first, Toews on the second).
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5. Corey Crawford back in the win column. Crawford has played well since returning from appendicitis, but he didn’t have the results to show for it in two previous games. He did on Thursday, stopping 36 of 38 shots for his first victory since returning. He helped himself and the Blackhawks in the third period, “drawing” – let’s go with that – a tripping penalty that led to Toews’ power-play goal.