Hawks' Carpenter does what he's asked, gets rewarded

With one sizzling wrist shot during the Blackhawks' 7-2 victory Sunday over Detroit, forward Ryan Carpenter netted a pair of firsts in the same instant.

First power play goal and first multi-goal game.

That is, since his days in the American Hockey League.

Rewind to the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons and you'll see that Carpenter scored 42 goals in 139 games (including playoffs) for the San Jose Barracuda. His last multi-goal effort came in a postseason game April 21, 2017.

Of course, plenty of scorers in the AHL come to the NHL and are tasked with being a bottom-six forward.

Goodbye, goals. Hello, grunt work.

It's time to embrace the glamorless life of a penalty killer who isn't afraid to throw his body in front of 90-mph one-timers. Also be prepared to flip the ice for your more talented teammates as well as defend against the other team's top players.

Still, while those are definitely Carpenter's roles on the Hawks, it doesn't mean he's forgotten how to score.

"A lot of guys at this level can make plays," Carpenter told me at his locker stall in October 2019. "I mean when you develop in the minors you become a point guy and an offensive power play guy.

"Your role maybe changes in the NHL, but it's kind of a balance. You don't want to be too loose, but at the same time just be confident and willing to make plays and be aggressive. Don't be hesitant."

Carpenter certainly took his own advice Sunday.

His first goal, which gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead, wasn't exactly a thing of beauty as it A) bounced off defenseman Christian Djoos' stick, B) clipped Alex Biega in the head and C) tumbled into the net after being kicked by goalie Thomas Greiss.

As for the second goal? Well, cue the highlight reel for that one because Carpenter looked like a 20-goal scorer as he took a pass from Alex DeBrincat and quickly whipped a shot that went bar-down.

It came on the power play, too, which had never happened in his previous 215 games. Plenty of credit also goes to Carl Soderberg, who set a screen in front of Greiss.

"I mean, (Carpenter's) not really there to score," said coach Jeremy Colliton, who is using Carpenter on the top unit because he is without the injured Dylan Strome and Andrew Shaw. "He's there to get pucks back and support and be the right-hand option in the middle and he's been doing that."

Said Carpenter: "I'm just trying to visualize a lot. (Patrick) Kane and (Alex) DeBrincat, they just have so much chemistry, and (Adam) Boqvist is so good up top, and Carl is so good at net-front. ... I just try to do my job, support all over the ice and work hard."

That's been Carpenter's M.O. since he earned a steady role with Vegas in 2017-18. His hard-hat, lunch-bucket mentality is a big reason the Golden Knights claimed him off waivers from San Jose - and it's a big reason why GM Stan Bowman inked Carpenter to a three-year, $3 million deal after the 2018-19 campaign.

What really endears Carpenter to his teammates, though, is the fact that he's the ultimate team guy behind the scenes.

"He's one of those guys that kind of has that grin on all the time," Jonathan Toews said last season. "You know he's cooking something up. He's always horsing around, playing around. He's a pretty laid-back guy.

"And when it's time to compete, he's always ready to go. He's one of those leaders in our room that does all the little things right."

That's all the Hawks can ask from the 30-year-old veteran, who recently missed two weeks after being in COVID protocol. He's returned as strong as ever and has tied his goal total (3) from last season in just 15 games.

"(That's) not saying much," Carpenter said. "But I came in this season maybe having a simpler mindset. It helps me on the power play. But sometimes goals aren't always pretty. You just found a way to get it, like that (first) goal that went off somebody and in.

"So I'm working hard, simplifying (my) game, not being too cute and just being around the net - that's where a lot of the goals are scored. That was my focus coming in this year."

By the numbers

Ryan Carpenter's career stats

Season, team GP G A Pts.

2014-15, Worcester 74 12 22 34

2015-16, Barracuda 66 18 37 55

2016-17, Barracuda 54 14 25 39

2016-17, SJ Sharks 11 2 2 4

2017-18, SJ Sharks 16 0 1 1

2017-18, Vegas 36 9 5 14

2018-19, Vegas 68 5 13 18

2019-20, HAWKS 69 3 12 15

2020-21, HAWKS 15 3 0 3

NHL totals 216 22 33 55

NOTES: Worcester and the San Jose Barracuda are AHL teams; Carpenter played 1 game for Sharks in 2015-16