Dominant Saad picks up where he left off
Brandon Saad scored on his fourth shift Saturday in Toronto, offering early proof that he hadn’t lost his dominant form despite a monthlong absence with an ankle injury.
“I wanted to keep it simple and play good hockey early on,” Saad said. “To get a goal out of the way, too, it always gives you that confidence.
“[I’m] playing with some good players out there, too, so that always helps.”
Saad was slotted alongside Patrick Kane and center Ryan Carpenter, bumping struggling Alex Nylander down to the fourth line, and the trio produced a fantastic outing.
In a little over 14 minutes together at five-on-five, they enjoyed a 16-10 shot differential, a 10-1 shot-on-goal differential and a 12-8 scoring-chance differential.
“That line was really good last game,” Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said Sunday. “Obviously, the [Jonathan] Toews line, they were the one scoring all the goals, but I thought the Carpenter line had almost as many scoring opportunities.”
Saad looked every bit the consistent possession-driving, chance-generating power forward that he was early in the season.
The only difference, actually, was the goal. Despite his dominance, he failed to convert most of his golden opportunities in the season’s opening months.
Perhaps the time off will help resolve that issue.
Sikura sent down
Dylan Sikura was demoted to Rockford before the game against the Jets. He had a goal and two assists in nine appearances with the Hawks.
Colliton provided a relatively transparent explanation for the decision.
“Other guys have kind of outplayed him in those depth positions,” he said.
“I talked to him yesterday. I’m not unhappy with his play. He showed he can play in the league, definitely, and he’s part of the group we have going forward. But he hasn’t played [much] lately, either, and I see other guys playing ahead of him for now.”
With Matthew Highmore earning a nightly spot on the fourth line and Saad back from injury, the need for Sikura on the NHL roster had diminished.
Sikura’s 42-day stint with the Hawks included some bright spots — his two-assist game in Calgary was impressive, and his first career goal last week against the Red Wings was an unforgettably joyous moment — but also a lot of inactivity. He was scratched for 11 of 20 games, and three of the last five.
It’s another missed opportunity for Sikura, and his window to become a full-time NHL forward clearly is tightening.