Crawford lifts Chicago Blackhawks; Strome out
Other than Corey Crawford and Connor Murphy, the Blackhawks have been fairly fortunate in the injury department over the past few years.
Less than an hour before their 3-0 victory over Dallas at the United Center, however, the Hawks made the surprising announcement that Dylan Strome was in the concussion protocol and would miss the contest.
Strome took part in the morning skate but soon after told the trainers that he wasn't feeling right.
"That does happen," coach Jeremy Colliton said of symptoms presenting themselves days after a hit. "It's a little more rare. ... The important thing is he reported it and then we can do the right thing and treat him. ...
"So hopefully we got in there quick enough and we'll just see. It'll be a waiting game."
The ripple effect of Strome's injury gave 18-year-old Kirby Dach the opportunity to center the second line with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane as his wingers. It also allowed Matthew Highmore, recalled from Rockford on Monday, the chance to play in his first NHL game since March 26, 2018.
Brandon Saad got the Hawks (10-9-5) on the board at 11:20 of the first period, and Kane made it 2-0 midway through the third. It was Saad's 100th goal with the Hawks. Kane's came on the power play and extended his point streak to 13 games.
Murphy added a seeing-eye empty-netter from 180 feet away with 2:40 remaining.
"I have to tip the rink guys for funneling the ice," the defenseman said with a wide smile. "I think they've been digging out a trench for that one."
Corey Crawford made 32 saves in net and improved to 4-1-1 in his last six games. It was his first shutout since March 16 when he stopped 48 shots at Montreal.
"It was a good win against a really good team," Crawford said of Dallas, which lost for just the second time in regulation in 17 games. "So we've just got to build off that."
They may have to do it without Strome, though, and that won't be easy if he misses a home-and-home series against Colorado (13-8-2) on Friday and Saturday, and a home date against St. Louis (14-5-6) on Monday.
While he had just 1 goal in the last four games, Strome is an integral part of the power play and a big reason the Hawks' second line has been clicking over the past three weeks.
Dach has had some impressive moments, however, so it will be interesting to see how he handles the increased responsibilities of a top-six centering role. Against Dallas, Colliton showed he's going to mix things up by letting David Kampf and Ryan Carpenter take key faceoffs with Kane and DeBrincat at times.
"That'll be something we'll manage," said Colliton, well aware that Dach is winning just 34.2 percent of his draws. "I'm not against him taking faceoffs, but depending on where they are and the time of the game we may adjust."
As for grabbing 3 of 4 points against the hottest team in the Western Conference, Colliton was understandably thrilled. Especially after tough losses to Carolina and Tampa Bay at the UC.
"I was excited about how we would respond because I thought we would," Colliton said. "(They weren't) perfect games, but we've played well. Got to take that with us and continue to improve.
"We can't just keep this level. We need to keep getting better if we're going to get the points we need."