Clear targets help Hawks early
The Blackhawks wanted a hot start Tuesday night, and they got it.
After a series of sluggish first periods on their West Coast road trip, they responded to coach Luke Richardson’s bag-skate practice Monday by racing out of the gate en route to a 3-1 win over the Flames at the United Center.
“The first period was excellent,” Richardson said. “We were flying, physical, dominant in a lot of areas and didn’t let [the Flames] have a chance to get going.”
Before the game, the Hawks set explicit first-period targets of at least 10 shots on goal and 10 hits. Forward Nick Foligno said he hoped the firm numbers would create a shoot-first, hit-first mentality.
The target for hits was unintentionally ambitious. The Hawks have averaged 7.6 per period this season. Against the Flames, they fell just short of their goal with nine.
But they easily eclipsed the shots target, turning 14 on Flames goalie Jacob Markstrom while scoring twice for a 2-0 lead at the first intermission.
They drew two penalties within the first two minutes and, after a parade of grade-A scoring chances, finally broke the seal with a power-play bomb by defenseman Seth Jones. Jason Dickinson then turned up the physicality with a few big hits before burying a feed from fellow forward Joey Anderson on an odd-man rush to double the lead.
Dickinson scored again in the third period to reach 20 goals for the season.
“I don’t think anybody should ever be looking at 20 goals and not being very proud of themselves,” Dickinson said. “It’s a hell of an achievement. I’ve never cracked 10 before in this league.”
Things returned to equilibrium after the first period, with the Flames holding a 31-8 scoring-chance advantage the rest of the way. But Hawks goalie Petr Mrazek matched a season high with 40 saves to help maintain the lead until the final horn.
Pride but no controversy
The Hawks celebrated Pride Night without rainbow-colored Pride-themed jerseys during warmups. The NHL had banned all specialty jerseys this season in response to previous Pride jersey controversies, including the Hawks’ decision not to wear them, supposedly because of safety concerns for Russian players.
Nonetheless, the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus and the Chicago Gay Hockey Association were among the organizations recognized, and Pride tape was available for Hawks players to put on their sticks during warmups. Dickinson, Connor Bedard, Tyler Johnson, Jaycob Megna and Alex Vlasic were among those who noticeably did.
Slaggert so close
Rookie forward Landon Slaggert, making his sixth appearance, earned his first two NHL points with secondary assists on Dickinson’s goals.
But the Notre Dame product was painfully denied two golden chances at his first NHL goal. His empty-net shot was blocked (after Markstrom mishandled the puck), and a called goal that hit the crossbar was overturned after review.
“He’s a smart player to play with,” Dickinson said of Slaggert. “He fits in with our line really well. He plays hard, [and] he puts pucks up the walls for us. [It’s] nothing fancy, but that’s what our line wants.”
This and that
Veteran forward Colin Blackwell skated individually Tuesday morning but hasn’t been cleared for contact, Richardson said. He missed his third consecutive game.
◆ Prospect Jiri Felcman, one of the Hawks’ third-round picks last summer, signed a tryout contract to join Rockford for the remainder of the season. He had previously been playing in Switzerland.