Patrick Kane scores 3 points in Hawks' 6-2 win
So much for that Patrick Kane scoring slump.
Kane, mired in a 1-goal-in-11-game goal drought as of last week, put together a 3-point game Sunday in the Blackhawks' 6-2 victory over Dallas at the United Center.
Kane, off a pretty feed by Brad Richards, ignited a 4-goal third period by snapping a 2-2 tie 4:49 into the third period. He also set up Duncan Keith just 78 seconds in as the Hawks took an early 1-0 lead.
Last week Kane said he was excited about where his game was headed, and it appears he knew what he was talking about.
"Trying to string a few together, start playing the right way, start creating some more chances and hopefully some things will (come) off that," Kane said. "Like I said, if you're going hot or in a little bit of a slump, you try to take every game as a clean slate."
It was the first time Kane has scored in back-to-back contests since Games 77 and 78 last season, and it was his first 3-point game in the regular season since Feb. 5.
Nearly eight minutes after Kane made it 3-2, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg and Brandon Saad rifled shots past Kari Lehtonen in a span of 2:55. Versteeg (3 points), Keith (2), Toews (2), Marian Hossa (2) and Richards (2) all had multiple-point efforts.
Kane, Toews and coach Joel Quenneville pointed to Andrew Shaw's first-period throwdown with Dallas' Antoine Roussel as a big reason the Hawks regained momentum after Dallas had grabbed a 2-1 lead just 4:10 after Keith's goal. Shaw, who gives up 20 pounds to Roussel, landed punch after punch in the 30-second-plus fight.
"That gave us a lot of fuel, a lot of energy," Toews said.
The news wasn't all good for the Hawks as rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk was injured blocking a shot by the Stars' Trevor Daley in the first period.
"He got hurt pretty bad," said Quenneville, who added that van Riemsdyk will be out "for a while."
The Hawks (10-7-1) have won three of their last four and will embark on a six-game road trip beginning Thursday in Calgary.
"It's a good feeling in the room tonight," Toews said. "We'll take the next few days to really rest and get ready for this road trip. We know we're going to have some big tests ahead of us. We need to use this momentum as much as we can and not let it go."
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