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Blackhawks fans finally get a look at Teravainen

It didn't matter that Andrew Shaw kicked off the scoring with an amazing, sweeping backhand … while on one knee … and with his back to the goalie.

Nope.

Ok, how about the fact that captain Jonathan Toews won an astounding 23 of the 28 faceoffs?

Please.

Maybe that Duncan Keith scored the game-winner and added an assist for his 11th multi-point game of the season?

Not even close.

That's because everyone who was at the United Center on Tuesday night knew that only two things mattered: The Blackhawks won and Teuvo Teravainen finally made his debut.

Check and check.

The Hawks topped a tenacious bunch from Dallas 4-2 to keep pace with third-place Colorado, which defeated Nashville …

And then there was Teravainen, who hit the UC ice to a big round of applause less than two minutes into the game and then spent the rest of the evening looking like he truly belonged out there with the big boys, impressing coaches and teammates alike.

"I thought he was awesome," Keith said. "He's got so much patience and skill, and he's very conscientious defensively, too.

"He's going to be an unbelievable player in this league."

Does No. 86 remind you a little of No. 88?

"He does … a lot," Keith said. "He's so skilled."

Kris Versteeg agreed.

"If you have anything compared to Kane, I think that's pretty special," said Versteeg, who scored his 12th goal of the season in the second period. "He's got that kind of puck control that Kaner has.

"As a young kid, he does have that hockey sense and maybe the skill Kaner has, but maybe not to the full ability - but there's only one person on this planet who has that … and that's Kaner."

Even Teravainen's coach was gushing, albeit in a coach-speak kind of way.

"I thought he did a nice job, good start," coach Joel Quenneville said. "I played him with four or five minutes to go in a 1-goal game - I think that shows he was responsible as far as positioning, showed good patience in the puck areas, and overall his awareness and getting through the middle of the ice wanting the puck was very noticeable.

"Commend him on being poised in a very exciting moment in his career."

As it turned out, about the only person in the arena Tuesday who wasn't pleased with Teravainen's game was Teravainen himself.

"It was my first game and I'm happy that we won," he said, "but I wasn't too good.

"I think I played a good two-way game but I can play better on offense. I was little nervous."

Still, the 19-year-old saw time on the power play, nearly redirected a puck past Dallas goalie Kari Lehtonen and was 7-0 on faceoffs.

Still he wasn't impressed.

"It was good to get the first game in," he said, "now it's time to try and get better."

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