Kane has eyes on back-to-back scoring title
Like all truly elite athletes, Patrick Kane is never content. Never one to rest on his laurels.
Three Stanley Cups? It's not enough.
One scoring title and MVP award? Let's shoot for a second.
Already possess a wicked, nasty shot? Let's make it better, tougher to stop.
Already tough to knock off the puck? Let's get stronger, faster and more deceptive.
What fans and media see on the ice is the product of Kane doing a million little things behind the scenes to hone his craft as he attempts to reach a new level every day.
"I see Kaner every single year getting a little bit better," said Hawks coach Joel Quenneville. "He gets a little bit faster, quicker. ... There's a lot of different looks that he can give your team."
This determination has helped lead Kane to another sensational season, and has enabled him to set his sights on winning another Art Ross (scoring) and Hart Trophy (MVP).
"He watches a lot of hockey, he studies the game, he studies his own game, he thinks about all the little things that a lot of guys don't think about," said teammate Jonathan Toews. "He's always pushing for that next level and that's (why) you've seen in these last two or three years that he's been on top. Don't expect that to change any time soon."
Kane got off to a fairly dismal start this season, scoring just 8 times in the first 32 games. Little by little, though, things started clicking.
Kane scored on back-to-back nights on Dec. 17 and 18 in wins over St. Louis and San Jose. Eleven days later, he potted the game-winner at Nashville. On Jan. 5, he assisted on Artem Anisimov's game-tying goal against Buffalo, then beat his hometown Sabres just 56 seconds into overtime.
The rest of January was pretty slow, but he's been nothing short of unstoppable since scoring at Arizona on Feb. 2. Including that win over the Coyotes, Kane has a whopping 16 goals and 12 assists in the last 18 games, and in the process has rocketed up to third place in the points standings. Going into Saturday's games, he was just 2 points behind Connor McDavid and Brad Marchand as he attempts to become the first player since Jaromir Jagr (1998-2001) to win back-to-back scoring titles.
In a recent interview, the ultracompetitive Kane said the increased production of Toews' line might have something to do with his recent surge.
"When you see other guys scoring, there's definitely some internal competition," Kane said. "If you see someone else have a big night or ... score early on in the game, you want to do something yourself, too. It kind of pushes us to have that competitiveness, even within our room."
We'll take Kane at his word on the "internal competition" theory, but there's certainly more to it than that. Finally having a dangerous, superstar player like Artemi Panarin on the opposite wing is also a huge reason Kane's numbers have jumped the past two years. Before Panarin came along, Kane never scored more than 30 goals in a season (he had 46 in 2015-16 and has 31 this season) and never had more than 88 points (he had 106 in 2015-16 and could easily reach 90 this season).
With Panarin in the fold, it allows Kane to be even more deceptive coming down the ice. Is he about to shoot? Is he about to pass? It's driving goaltenders crazy and leading to more and more goals from the Hawks' star.
"You learn as you go on," Kane said. "Coming up I always thought of myself as a goal-scorer, and when I (first) came to the NHL ... I was probably viewed more of a playmaker. Just working with coaches and different things, the big word is (being) that 'dual threat' where you can shoot and pass, and give the goalie (and) the defense something to think about every time you have the puck."
Kane, though, is playing so well that even when an elite goaltender like Carey Price knows a shot is coming, he's almost powerless to stop it. That was the case last Tuesday when Kane waited, waited, waited, and WHAM, snapped a shot past Price to give the Hawks an early lead in what turned into a 4-2 victory.
"His shot is really quick and accurate," Corey Crawford said during the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs. "He gives you different looks. He's pretty good at changing the angle on a goalie so you think you have something covered and he changes the angle real quick so there's a little bit more net open.
"I could probably talk for a while about him. He's that good a player."
One who just keeps getting better with time.
Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche at United Center, 6 p.m.
TV: WGN
Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: On Wednesday, the hockeynews.com ran an article saying that Colorado is the worst team of the salary-cap era, which began in 2005. The Avs' winning percentage of .307 is below the 2013-14 Sabres (.317), 2014-15 Sabres (.329) and 2014-15 Coyotes (.341). … Matt Duchene leads Colorado with 17 goals, but he has scored just twice in the last 26 games. … Going into Saturday's game at Toronto, the Hawks were 21-1-2 when Patrick Kane scores. … The Hawks are 2-0-1 vs. the Avs. A pair of third-period goals by Vinnie Hinostroza erased a 4-3 Colorado lead in the teams' last meeting on Jan. 17.
Next: Vancouver Canucks at United Center, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
- John Dietz