Even in loss to Flames, Blackhawks finally listening to Colliton's advice
Patience and perseverance.
It's what Jeremy Colliton has preached from the moment he became a head coach in Sweden six years ago.
Get pucks deep. Don't make silly mistakes. Protect the middle of the ice. Win your battles.
Simple, boring stuff.
It's taken a while for the Blackhawks to buy in, but they seem to be doing a better job with all the little details and it's a big reason they are starting to make some noise in the jam-packed Western Conference.
"The problem with our group has been that we want to score every shift," Colliton said before the Hawks dropped a 2-1 decision to Calgary at the United Center on Tuesday. "We want to win the game on every shift and that's just now how it works.
"Our approach has been better - being patient, recognizing that there will be some key moments in the game where we can really be effective. But when that isn't the case, just survive. Find a way to defend, find a way to finish the shift zero-zero and on to the next one."
That's exactly what the Hawks did during the first period against the Flames and they took a 1-0 lead when Dominik Kubalik tipped in a long blast from Adam Boqvist with 32 seconds remaining. It was Kubalik's 13th goal of the season.
Much of the final 40 minutes belonged to Calgary, however. Elias Lindholm scored a pair of second-period goals (at 14 seconds and 16:01) to lift the Flames (23-17-5) to their third straight victory.
The Hawks (19-19-6) fell for just the fourth time in 11 games. The loss may have been costly, too, because Dylan Strome twisted his right ankle on an awkward fall in the second period and did not return. Colliton said he'd have an update on the severity of the injury Wednesday.
Corey Crawford was strong in net, making 26 saves. He was particularly impressive during a pair of two-man advantages - one that lasted 65 seconds in the second period and another that lasted 77 seconds in the third.
Patrick Kane had 5 shots on goal through two periods, but couldn't get any of them past Cam Talbot. Kane's best chance came on a breakaway attempt in the second period.
After his successful stint in Sweden, Colliton continued preaching patience with his AHL players in Rockford. Over and over he'd hammer the point home: Team success at the minor-league level means Hawks management will view you in a more favorable light.
Colliton stayed the course with his message from the moment he was hired by Stan Bowman to replace Joel Quenneville. That message seems to be resonating more and more - from the top of the roster to the bottom.
"That's a big part of sticking in games," said Duncan Keith. "There's a lot to be said about just trying not to beat yourself. You're not going to have momentum for a full 60 minutes, so as much as you can try to weather the storm when you (don't) have that momentum and stay in it. Don't get buried by a bunch of goals.
"If you can, hang in there and stick around and chip away. We've tried to take a bit more of that mindset and that's helped us."
Slap shots:
Alex Nylander played vs. the Flames after sitting the previous three games as a healthy scratch. He started on the fourth line with Zack Smith and David Kampf. ... Robin Lehner was on the ice before morning skate Tuesday. He remains day-to-day with a knee injury.