Blackhawks' Panarin doesn't want to hear about points
Word to the wise: No matter who you are, DO NOT mention the words "bonus" or "points" to Artemi Panarin.
He may never speak to you again.
"I'm trying to play my best all the time and until yesterday I didn't know how many points I have," Panarin said after the Hawks' 3-2 loss to Boston on Sunday at the United Center. "And I was arguing a little bit with my grandpa over the phone and he started talking about points again.
"So I'm not going to call him today."
Panarin scored for the 29th time and recorded his 72nd point Sunday on one of the goofiest goals of the season. After his initial shot hit Richard Panik, who was lying in the goal, the puck bounced back to Panarin and he buried the rebound to cut Boston's lead to 2-1 with 1:48 left in the second period.
"Actually when I was shooting," Panarin said, "I didn't really think this was going to be a valid play, so I wasn't really focusing the first time."
Just like last season, Panarin is tantalizingly close to cashing in on a $1.725 million bonus. He needs to finish in the top 10 among forwards in either goals, assists or points, and he is in 10th in points with three games remaining for the Hawks.
"Personally, for me, I think it's a little bit distracting," Panarin said. "I'm playing better whenever I get on the ice and I focus on goals, I try to shoot, and then the points come. If I get on the ice and think about my points, bad luck happens. I don't want to think about it."
Before the game, coach Joel Quenneville said the coaches do their best to help players like Panarin or Patrick Kane - who is trying to chase down Connor McDavid for the scoring title - achieve their milestones.
"Sometimes you try to help the guys out in those type of situations if you can," Quenneville said. "You're still playing games … to win and the score sometimes dictates the ability to do that. We'll play it accordingly and see how that plays out."
Four!
Jordin Tootoo scored for just the second time this season when he banged home a shot from just in front of the net with 10:20 left in Sunday's loss to the Bruins. Tootoo, Dennis Rasmussen and John Hayden were active all day, combining for 5 shots and 7 hits.
"Seemed (like) a lot of the play was on the boards today and you had to win those battles to get any zone time or possession time," Joel Quenneville said. "We turned it into a nice play. … Nice to see them score."
Slap shots:
Joel Quenneville said Artem Anisimov should begin skating Monday and that he expects the Hawks' center to be ready for the playoffs. … By reaching 70 points in a win over Columbus on Friday, Artemi Panarin became just the fourth player in Hawks history to hit that number in his first two seasons. The others were Steve Larmer, Denis Savard and Patrick Kane. … Going into Sunday's game the Hawks had 102 points from their rookies this season. That ranked third in the league behind Arizona (103) and Toronto (294).