Kane, Anisimov a two-man show for Chicago Blackhawks
Instead of a hockey player, Patrick Kane almost looked like a one-man firing squad during the Blackhawks' 3-2 loss to Minnesota at the United Center on Sunday night.
Bam! Bam, bam!! Bam, bam, bam!!!
Kane unleashed shot after shot after shot at Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, and while last year's MVP scored two times before the game was 25 minutes old, he couldn't get a third one past Dubnyk despite firing a career-high 12 bullets on net.
When it was over, the Hawks had dropped into second place in the Central Division.
"Just trying to keep it simple," said Kane, who now has 14 goals. "You know, do whatever was first in my head, and it seemed like there was a lot of opportunities to get some pucks at the net, and a couple of fortunate bounces, too.
"Sometimes you have games like that individually, and when the team doesn't win it's even more frustrating."
The last month has certainly been frustrating for many of Kane's teammates and the team in general as the Hawks have gone just 5-6-1 in their last 12 games. We all know the Hawks win by playing defense first, but it would help if Kane and Artem Anisimov (10 goals in last 21 games) got some help from just about everyone else.
During this 12-game stretch, coach Joel Quenneville's squad has 28 goals.
Not great. Not awful.
But eliminate wins over Buffalo, Nashville and Detroit - in which the Hawks scored 13 times - and they have just 15 goals in the other nine contests.
Those in serious droughts include:
• Jonathan Toews. The captain has just 7 goals all season and 3 at even strength.
• Marian Hossa. The veteran hasn't scored in 14 games, five of which he missed due to injury.
• Vinnie Hinostroza. He's on the top line now and needs to produce but has 1 goal in 12 games.
• Artemi Panarin. Not only does the flashy Russian have just 2 goals in the last 11 games, he's also taken zero or 1 shot on goal in six of the last 11. Unacceptable.
• Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. The veteran D-men combined for 23 goals last season, but have just 4 in 2016-17. Seabrook hasn't scored since Game 18.
The team's fourth line could chip in once in a while as well. Quenneville doesn't give that group much ice time, but Jordin Tootoo and Andrew Desjardins have yet to record a point.
The Hawks sit 2 points behind Minnesota in the division, but it might as well be 8 or 9 considering the Wild (28-9-5) has played four fewer games. Kane and Co. could be on another collision course with St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs, which is not an ideal scenario.
Stan Bowman, who has been banking cap space for a while, figures to bring in a veteran winger to play with Toews and Hossa, but will it be enough?
Kane certainly can't slay every opponent all by himself - no matter how many shots he takes or how many minutes Quenneville plays him.
"I don't know if 26 minutes is that amount you want to be playing," said Kane, who actually played 27:09 vs. the Wild. "But at the same time, you're not going to say no when he calls you to go out there too."
Kane also talked about how the last two losses, which included a 6-0 pasting at Washington, may have been "a wake-up call to see how good we really are."
Indeed, the alarm clock is blaring. Let's see who rises up and answers the bell.
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center, 8 p.m. Tuesday
TV: NBCSN • Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: Colorado has the fewest points in the NHL and has won just two if its last 13 games. One of the victories came against the Hawks on Dec. 23 at the United Center. ... The Avs rank 29th on the power play (13 percent) and 23rd on the penalty kill (78.5 percent). ... Matt Duchene is the team's leading goal-scorer with 13, although he has just 1 in the past 13 games.
Next: Boston Bruins at TD Garden, 6 p.m. Friday
- John Dietz