The Chicago Blackhawks needed a win more than they needed air. They got it on Black Friday, ending a five-game losing streak by rallying from a two-goal deficit to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in overtime.
"I'm smiling," Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said as he stepped to the podium for his postgame press conference.
The Blackhawks entered Thanksgiving on a five-game losing streak, with the most recent loss being an embarrassing 7-3 shellacking to a Columbus team that had lost nine in a row. It came on the heels of the team mysteriously scratching Corey Perry, whose status remains unknown, followed by the news that Taylor Hall will miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The Blackhawks desperately needed some positive energy inside the locker room, and boy did they get it on Friday. Jason Dickinson recorded a hat trick and Kevin Korchinski scored the overtime winner, sending the 20,238 fans at the United Center home happy.
"That was a blast," Dickinson said after the win. "I felt like the energy was there, the emotions were in it. Everybody was having fun out there."
It was the first hat trick of Dickinson's NHL career, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time. He now has nine points (five goals, four assists) in his last nine games after going eight straight without one. He strapped Chicago on his shoulders
"It felt pretty amazing," Dickinson said of his hat trick. "The puck laid up nicely in the slot to finish it off and luckily it went in."
Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks have done a decent job of playing up to their opponents this season. Their struggles have oddly come against non-playoff teams.
Arizona handed Chicago its worst loss of the season earlier in October with a final score of 8-1. They had a deflating 4-2 loss in Nashville last weekend, too, before falling to Buffalo and Columbus, the latter of which was easily the worst of the season.
The Blackhawks clawed back against Toronto after a tough first period and showed they can hang with some of the top teams if they're on their A-game.
"Just kind of channeling our emotions and showing up to each game, whether they’re top of the league or bottom of the league, you’ve got to bring the same attitude, same work ethic," Korchinski said. "Tonight we brought the work ethic, the emotion that we needed and we came out with a win. It’s a huge stepping stone for us and we can build off of this."
Richardson concurred with Korchinski and felt the Blackhawks channeled their energy in the right way.
"They did, and I think the building felt it and they really appreciated the play, especially the second period on," Richardson said. "That got more lively, especially in overtime it was pretty loud and I think that just energized the team.
"We saw some of our greatest efforts with desperation in the third and also in overtime when I thought we did a good job holding onto the puck against a really good, skilled team."
It's a feel-good win for the Blackhawks, who have yet to win back-to-back games this season. That's going to be their next challenge as they head into Sunday's matchup against St. Louis.
For now, the Blackhawks will enjoy it, and the hope is that there's a carry-over effect.
"There's been a lot of emotions going around with a lot going on," Dickinson said. "A positive win at home, hard fought, doing the right things, details — all of that leads into a really good feeling in this locker room to head forward."