Blackhawks' Sikura making the most of his second chance

Play your game, kid. Be yourself. Don't worry about who's on your line.

And it'll all work out.

This is all fantastic advice that a veteran or coach can heap upon a young pro trying to wade through his first season, but petty platitudes don't go very far when the results aren't there.

A fact that Blackhawks forward Dylan Sikura knows all too well.

"People always say, 'Play your game. Play your game,' " Sikura said. "But it's tough sometimes when you don't have confidence or you're not getting an opportunity or whatever it is. I've seen it firsthand."

Sikura was nothing but a bit piece for the majority of the season, but he took full advantage of the chance to play with Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad during the past four games. The trio has been a big reason the Hawks continue to put heat on Dallas, Arizona, Minnesota and Colorado in the wild-card race.

Sikura's come a long way since training camp, when he was beaten out by veteran Andreas Martinsen for the final forward spot. Days before being sent to Rockford, Sikura spoke with a small group of reporters before a preseason game and admitted to feeling overwhelmed.

"There's a lot thrown at you within these two weeks … and you kind of catch yourself maybe thinking too much out there," Sikura said.

After 26 games with the IceHogs, in which he scored 9 goals and dished out 9 assists, Sikura made his season debut with the Hawks in a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh Dec. 12. His audition lasted just 11 games, however, and the 23-year-old found himself back in Rockford in early January.

Although he had just 3 assists during that brief call-up, coach Jeremy Colliton was pleased with what he saw and how Sikura's game was rounding into shape.

Five weeks later, David Kampf went down with a foot injury, allowing the Hawks to call up Sikura. Soon after the Hawks lost Drake Caggiula to a concussion, Colliton elected to spread the lineup out by giving Sikura a chance to play with Toews and Saad.

And it's a chance Sikura is not wasting.

"Right away you see it as a good opportunity," said Sikura, a sixth-round pick of the Hawks in 2014. "You know there's spots throughout the lineup that are open.

"Whenever you get a chance to play on a top line with those kind of players you've got to try and take full advantage of it. Be learning. Be eager to learn. Be asking questions. Watch your video. All that little stuff that makes you a better player."

Although he has yet to score in 26 games this season, Sikura has come tantalizingly close lately.

The ones probably keeping him up at night include:

• A shot that hit the crossbar in the second period at Montreal Saturday.

• A wide-open chance early in the first period against Vancouver Monday that was thwarted in large part due to Canucks defenseman Luke Schenn getting just enough of Sikura's stick to force a weak shot.

• A one-timer off a pass from Erik Gustafsson late in the first period against the Canucks that fast-moving goalie Thatcher Demko denied.

"Maybe just need one to go off my skate," a chuckling Sikura said after practice Wednesday.

Said Toews: "He's making plays, he's confident with the puck. That's No. 1. He knows he's getting chances every night, and what else can you do? Sometimes they don't go in.

"He's going to have to work for his first one and it'll be all downhill from there."

After averaging 10 minutes of ice time and taking 30 shots on goal in his first 22 games, Sikura has averaged almost 14 minutes and taken 15 SOG in four games with Toews and Saad. Their first game together was a 7-1 victory over Arizona last week, and - no surprise here - that's when Sikura's confidence exploded.

"That was probably the most I've played this year," Sikura said. "Just kind of feeling good about yourself, and obviously when you win it's a lot better. Then going to Toronto - that was my hometown - a lot of friends and family in the crowd. I don't know if that's what got me a little extra juice, but thought we were good again there and good again in Montreal.

"When you realize that you can play with those kind of guys and be a guy helping out the team on the top line, that's a pretty big responsibility. It can give you confidence and make you feel good about your game.

"I think we're at a good spot right now."