Kane helps KO good buddy DeBrincat in Blackhawks' OT win
Think back to when you were playing organized sports as a kid.
What was it like every time you faced your best friend in a Little League game? You wanted to win so bad you could taste it, right?
Same goes for playing against buddies on the soccer or softball fields, the basketball court, the gridiron, the golf course or hockey rink.
No matter how the rest of the season went - championship run, playoff appearance or 3-13 finish - a win over a good friend is something you could look back on with some pride.
Now, does this kind of thinking go on in pro sports? Good question.
But it's safe to say that on Friday night in Ottawa the uber-competitive Patrick Kane desperately wanted to defeat former teammate Alex DeBrincat and his Ottawa Senators.
"He's so competitive," DeBrincat told reporters beforehand. "He's a guy who wants to win every night and be the best player on the ice every night."
That was definitely the case when it counted most as Kane scored on a wicked shot from 30 feet out with just 3:05 remaining to knot the score at 3-3. Andreas Athanasiou then gave the Hawks a 4-3 victory at 2:52 of overtime by charging to the net and putting home a pass from Tyler Johnson.
With the win the Hawks (17-32-5) avoided a four-game losing streak and - more importantly - gave Kane those all-important bragging rights over DeBrincat.
It was a big night for Kane in another way. He notched his 1,217th career point to move past Jeremy Roenick into third place for most career points by an American-born player. Kane, who also scored just 44 seconds into Friday's contest, now trails only Phil Housley (1,232) and Mike Modano (1,374).
"He seemed really confident with the puck tonight," Hawks coach Luke Richardson told reporters. "When he gets moving with that puck and he has a chance to shoot ... when he's in tight, he's pretty lethal with it. It was good to see him have some success, 'cause he's had some chances but just missed nets or hit posts, or goalies have made good saves."
Sam Lafferty (10) scored the Hawks' other goal at 10:49 of the third period. It was his fourth short-handed tally of the season and tied him with Vegas' Reilly Smith for the lead league in that category. Lafferty also had team highs in shots on goal (5) and hits (5).
Max Domi and Jake McCabe registered 2 assists each.
DeBrincat assisted on Claude Giroux's goal early in the third period that gave Ottawa a 2-1 lead.
As for bragging rights, Kane wasn't the only one who could hold his head high after leaving the dressing room. Let's not forget Richardson, who was raised in Ottawa and then closed out a 21-year NHL career by playing 78 games for the Senators in 2007-08.
"I've got lots of family and friends here tonight, so it's fun on a personal note," Richardson said. "But actually right now I always just enjoy going in that room after the game and watching them have some fun when they win. The players deserve it. They had a really good start (and) finish to the game. ...
"The way they persevered to come back (from) two goals down on the road after a long road trip, it shows a lot of guts from our team. So I'm proud of them. ...
"And for me, I like to just to go on out smiling and see my friends and family, instead of everybody not knowing what to say after a grumbly loss. So this will be fun."
Injury update:
Jonathan Toews and goalie Alex Stalock skated in Chicago on Thursday. The Hawks will unveil a timeline on Toews on Saturday. Toews is injured reserve, retroactive to Feb. 7. Stalock is on IR due to ocular dysfunction, retroactive to Jan. 16.