PANARIN STAYING ON POINT
Hawks fall to Bruins, but winger on cusp of another scoring bonus
All the talk about his points, the bonus and the salary- cap ramifications got to Blackhawks star Artemi Panarin last season. It started to weigh on him and affected his play.
So in his second season, he had managed to stay ignorant of his point total and his place among the NHL’s forwards — until he called his grandfather Saturday.
‘‘ I don’t think about this at all,’’ Panarin said through an interpreter after the Hawks’ 3- 2 loss Sunday to the Boston Bruins. ‘‘ I’m trying to play my best all the time, and until [ Saturday], I didn’t know how many points I have. And I was arguing a little bit with my grandpa over the phone [ when] he started taking about points again. I don’t think about that. So I’m not going to call him today.’’
Panarin’s play lately has been no joke. With another goal against the Bruins— one of the strangest ones he’ll score in his career — Panarin moved into a tie for ninth place among NHL forwards with 72 points. If he finishes in the top 10, he’ll trigger a $ 1.725 million bonus for the second consecutive season — a bonus that can wreak havoc on the Hawks’ offseason plans because it will count against their 2017- 18 salary cap.
Panarin has five goals in his last four games and is one shy of reaching 30 for the second time in as many NHL seasons.
‘‘ For me, it’s a little bit distracting,’’ Panarin said. ‘‘ If I get on the ice and think about my points, bad luck happens. I don’t want to think about it.’’
Panarin’s goal Sunday was one of the few highlights for the Hawks, who were playing their first game since clinching the Central Division title and home- ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs. The Bruins, meanwhile, have been in a desperate playoff push for weeks and opened a 2- 0 lead on first- period goals by Ryan Spooner and Patrice Bergeron.
Panarin cut the deficit to 2- 1 in bizarre fashion in the second period. Richard Panik was turtled inside the Bruins’ net after taking an elbow from Zdeno Chara when Panarin’s shot into a wide- open net hit Panik in the head. The puck bounced back out, Panarin put in the rebound and Panik had the weirdest primary assist of his career.
‘‘ I got an elbow to my right jaw, [ and] I wasn’t real happy about that,’’ Panik said. ‘‘ But as soon as we scored, I was happy.’’
‘‘ One of the all- time great passes by [ Panik],’’ coach Joel Quenneville joked.
Kevan Miller and Jordin Tootoo traded goals 25 seconds apart midway through the third period, with Tootoo smacking in a centering pass from rookie John Hayden. But Bruins goalie Anton Khudobin, who finished with 41 saves, staved off the Hawks from there.
The loss didn’t mean a heck of a lot for the Hawks, though it likely ended any hope they have of winning the Presidents’ Trophy. So Panarin chasing his bonus and Patrick Kane chasing the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid for the scoring title are the most compelling storylines of a three- game road trip to end the regular season.
For all his profane rants and terrifying glares, Quenneville always has been known as a players’ coach. And if a player is in line for a big payday or a big number, he’ll do everything he can to get him there.
So while Quenneville might spend the last week of the regular season resting some of his veterans, he likely will keep Panarin
and Kane in the lineup down the stretch.
‘‘ Sometimes you try to help the guys out in those types of situations, if you can,’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘ You’re still playing games you’re trying to win, and sometimes the score dictates the ability to do that. We’ll play it accordingly and see how that plays out.’’