Blackhawks rookie center Kirby Dach, 19, had shown flashes of high-level talent earlier in the season, but he couldn't capture consistency. Now the 6-foot-4, No. 3 overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft is riding a five-game point streak, using his size and skill to help the Hawks light the lamp.
Dach has a goal and five assists on the streak.
"He's using his speed but he's stronger and stronger on the puck, winning those battles," Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said of Dach. "He stripped whoever it was there (on Wednesday night against the Boston Bruins) and walked in on a breakaway and had a great chance.
"When he's just staying in that puck area, having that strong stick, he's making things happen and it's really good to see. The stronger he gets, the more and more he's going to create for us."
Dach looked strong and tall when he went to the Bruins' net in the second period of Wednesday's 2-1 overtime loss against Boston on a power play. He tried to jam in a pass from Patrick Kane, but couldn't get it through and the puck found Alex DeBrincat, who buried it at 6:50 of the second period to give Chicago a 1-0 lead against the team that now has the most points in the league (78).
It was the kind of impactful play the teenager is more comfortable making 48 games into his NHL career.
"I'm kind of getting used to the size of the guys and the strength of them, working on those battles in practice and after practice," Dach said. "It's good being around the net, that's where most of the goals are scored. I'm going to put myself there and give myself a chance to put pucks in the back of the net."
NHL
Whether it's winning battles, skating the puck into the offensive zone or getting a shot on net, Dach seems a lot more confident and comfortable now.
"I've been pretty confident in my play all year," he said. "I know I wasn't producing offensively, but at the same time, I still felt like I was getting the chances and I just wasn't getting the puck luck. When you're not getting the chances as an offensive player is when you start to worry.
"For me, I just kind of came to the rink and found different ways to help the team win. There's so many different aspects of the game that I need to improve upon to get to the status or the player I want to be and there's a lot of tools here and a lot of guys I can lean on to help me."
Following the Hawks' All-Star break and bye week, head coach Jeremy Colliton chose to have Kirby center the team's second line between Brandon Saad and Kane in Arizona (3-2 shootout win). His performance with the two decorated veterans was solid enough to remain there the two following games.
"He's been great and it's really helping our team and there's more there," Colliton said. "He's close. He creates a lot and just hasn't quite been able to finish but starting to produce offensively. But for me, it's more his two-way game [that] just adds some depth to our team and I know he's going to keep getting better."
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