Net results down for Blackhawks' Kane

Patrick Kane probably won't end up among the top-10 goal scorers in the NHL very often. That's just not the type of player he is.

But the Blackhawks' winger certainly is aware of the scoring drought he's mired in, having managed just 4 goals on the season and 1 over the last 11 games.

"As an offensive guy you're always looking at how much you're producing and how much you're creating for the team," Kane said. "If it's not up to par, then obviously you're not doing something right and you're not doing your job."

Only once in eight years has Kane managed just 4 goals through 16 games (in 2009-10), and the last two seasons he had 9 goals by this point.

Kane is one of the best passers in the NHL, though, so it's not fair to look at his production strictly from a goal-scoring standpoint. While his rank among his peers in goals scored has swung anywhere from fifth to 87th over his career, Kane has finished in the top 35 in assists every single season and in the top 20 four times.

So how does Kane assess his play so far?

"Probably not as good as I wanted it to (be going)," he said. "But there's some stretches here and there where you feel like you're playing the right way; (you're) just not getting the bounces, I guess.

"But I feel pretty good. I feel like things are coming around a little bit. I'm excited about hopefully where it's headed."

One of those unlucky bounces came Tuesday in the Hawks' 3-2 shootout victory over Tampa Bay.

Four minutes into the second period, Kane unleashed a one-timer after a perfect feed from Kris Versteeg on a 2-on-1 breakaway. The puck got past goalie Ben Bishop, but it ended up sitting just inches in front of the goal line before being swept away by Valtteri Filppula.

"It was a great pass by Versteeg," Kane said. "I knew (Bishop) was a big guy, I knew he was sliding over. I thought I'd just try and shoot it as hard as I could with a one-timer five-hole. Unlucky. It kind of stayed right there before the line."

So, the question begs: Should Kane be shooting more, especially on a team that ranks 18th with 2.56 goals per game?

Heading into Wednesday's action, Kane's 46 shots were tied for 44th in the NHL. The 5 shots he took Tuesday were the most he'd taken since the third game of the season, meaning in Games 4-15 he averaged just 2.1 shot attempts.

"It's tough to say," Kane said. "I always try to tell myself to make the right play at the right moment and not just worry about shot attempts or shots on goal."

But then Kane added this: "I think I've always been best when I've had that shot-first mentality and I was able to create more off the shot and make the other team think maybe you're shooting first and find an open guy backdoor."

After his 5-shot game Tuesday, it will be interesting to see if he begins to put the puck on net more often in the near future. Even with the limited opportunities, Kane is tied with Versteeg for second on the team with 4 goals. Jonathan Toews (6) is the Hawks' leader.

Coach Joel Quenneville, for one, isn't worried about his superstar.

"He's getting some good looks; he's had some great chances," Quenneville said, quickly noting the post Kane hit in Sunday's win over San Jose. "He had some open looks as well.

"But Kaner, he's around the net and his finish is there, too, so it's just a matter of time before they start going in for him."

• Follow John on Twitter @johndietzdh