Blackhawks' game management remains an issue
End-of-game management is an area Jeremy Colliton would really love to see the Blackhawks improve upon during the final 20-plus games.
The Hawks' inability to hold leads has cost them critical points that may keep them out of the playoffs. It nearly happened again in the waning seconds of Tuesday's 3-2 victory over Florida.
With the Panthers' net empty, David Kampf grabbed a bouncing puck near center ice and advanced it to the offensive blue line with 17 seconds remaining. Instead of backhanding it another 60 to 70 feet away from the Hawks' net, Kampf had the puck stolen as he attempted to get it to his forehand.
No big deal. Yet.
The puck slides to the defensive blue line and onto Calvin de Haan's stick. Instead of taking a moment to assess his options, de Haan tries quickly backhanding a pass to Mattias Janmark, who is 50 feet away. One problem: Jonathan Huberdeau is right there to intercept de Haan's offering and a 3-on-2 is quickly underway. De Haan doubled down on his error by trying to close in on Huberdeau, leaving Patrick Hornqvist wide open to drive the net.
Only Connor Murphy's miraculous diving poke prevented an almost sure backdoor goal from Alex Wennberg.
"We had a couple of opportunities to end it," Colliton said. "It's situational awareness. (Find) a way to skate the puck out of your end, advance the puck.
Sometimes it's a decision on whether you're gonna go for the empty net or whether you're just gonna chip it in. Sometimes we like the guys to shoot for the empty net if there's a little more time left. If there's less time left, it's more about bleeding the clock. There's little things we've got to improve on, no question."
Just havin' fun:
Patrick Kane was giving Brandon Hagel a hard time Wednesday during the "Two Puck" game players often participate in after practice. Asked about it Thursday, Hagel said with a smile: "He makes up his rules sometimes."
He said it:
"No, we don't look too far ahead. You look too far ahead you get hit by a bus."
Jeremy Colliton on if he's glanced at the schedule, which includes seven combined games against Nashville, Dallas and Columbus in the next three weeks.
He said it II:
"No, unfortunately. But he does look good, doesn't he?"
Jeremy Colliton on if there's a timetable for Kirby Dach's return
Slap shots:
Matthew Highmore will re-enter the lineup for MacKenzie Entwistle against Florida Thursday. Entwistle made his NHL debut in the Hawks' 3-2 win Tuesday. ... Florida center Aleksander Barkov, who has 3 goals and 6 assists against the Hawks in four games, missed a second straight contest with a lower body injury. ... The Hawks allowed at least 1 power-play goal in 12 of their last 15 games entering Thursday. Opponents were 18-for-44 (40.9%) on the PP over that time.