Chicago Blackhawks' DeBrincat regaining his scoring touch

All his life, Alex DeBrincat has been a scoring machine.

He racked up 167 goals in three seasons with the OHL's Erie Otters as a teenager. He entered the NHL and scored 28 goals as a rookie. For a follow-up act DeBrincat poured in 41 more in 2018-19.

There seemed to be no stopping this undersized sharpshooter from Farmington Hills, Michigan, but last year the scoring machine inexplicably dried up as DeBrincat tallied just 18 goals in 70 games.

DeBrincat's timing and accuracy was just a smidgen off, and that's all it took for his numbers to suffer. There were times where he failed to connect on one-timers and others where the puck was flying just inches from its intended target.

As the drought continued, DeBrincat began hesitating, creating a snowball effect that picked up steam as the weeks dragged on.

"Last year was tough," DeBrincat said after the Hawks' 2-1 overtime victory Sunday at Dallas. "I tried to forget about it going into this season. Obviously it's a new start.

"Got a lot of work done in the summer and was really focusing on my game."

That focus has been evident from the start and perhaps doubly so since DeBrincat came out of COVID protocol on Feb. 2. He dished out 2 assists in his first game back against Carolina, scored twice in the rematch with the Hurricanes and potted both of the Hawks' goals against the Stars.

Not only is DeBrincat tied with Kane for the team lead in goals at 6, but he's playing perhaps the best overall hockey of his young career.

"Last year it seemed liked he could've scored 100 goals, and they just weren't going in," said veteran D-man Calvin de Haan. "It happens in careers and in sports. ...

"He's a good little player. When I first came to Chicago I didn't know much about him. I was very surprised by how good he actually is. He's going to be key part of this organization for a long time."

Coach Jeremy Colliton never criticized DeBrincat last season and even pointed out that the forward was "all over" video packages that were shown to younger players during teaching sessions.

"Obviously last year wasn't the best season statistically for me, but I think I did grow as a player," DeBrincat said. "I feel I've done a pretty good job of playing in my own zone and creating offense in the same way.

"Jeremy's taught me a lot in that aspect of the game and obviously going forward I want to be a two-way player. I want to play all situations and be (someone) he can put out and trust at any time in the game."

DeBrincat spent much of the off-season working on his shooting accuracy. Ironically, that work hasn't necessarily paid off yet with most of his goals coming either on easy one-timers or in unorthodox ways. The overtime goal Sunday is a good example of the latter, with DeBrincat redirecting a Patrick Kane pass into the net during a 2-on-1 rush.

Against Carolina, he scored on a simple backhanded shot after getting to a loose puck in front of the net, then added an empty-netter with 12 seconds remaining.

"I don't know if any of my goals this year I've needed to put it where I want," DeBrincat said, chuckling. "But I'm finding the areas - backdoor or in the slot. It's been nice."

Nice for him. And nice for the surging Hawks, who are 5-4-4 after an 0-3-1 start.

The key is for DeBrincat to keep it up. Do it the rest of this season and beyond and you'll consistently be reading his name in a sentence that includes some of the best goal-scorers in the game.

"When the pucks do go in, it gives you a confidence and a jump and an energy and you can play a little more freely (and) with more joy," Colliton said. "I'm happy for him. He's a really important player for us, and we missed him while he was gone.

"Great to have him back and we're going to keep challenging him to do more, because he can be an elite player in the league. Maybe you could say he is already.

"But we just think there's so much there, so happy he's getting some success."

Slap shot: The Blackhawks took defenseman Adam Boqvist out of COVID-19 protocol Tuesday. He had been on the list for two weeks.