Blackhawks look to Collin Delia to tend goal
After a disappointing 6-3 loss to Florida left the Blackhawks with a bad taste in their mouths heading into the Christmas break, coach Jeremy Colliton turned to Collin Delia to start in net against Minnesota on Thursday.
Delia, in just his fourth NHL appearance, ended up outshining Patrick Kane (3 goals), Brandon Saad (2 goals) and the rest of his teammates by making 46 saves in a 5-2 Blackhawks victory. The California native made 35 saves in a 2-1 victory over Colorado on Dec. 21 and looks to have earned the No. 1 spot in net for the time being.
"He's been good," said Jeremy Colliton, who coached Delia in Rockford last season and part of this season. "Can't say I'm that surprised that he's performed as he has.
"He's very self-aware and I think he built up a lot of confidence last season - that he was capable and he could go … through adversity and it's not going to bother him."
Delia, called up after Corey Crawford suffered a concussion against San Jose on Dec. 16, was leading the AHL in save percentage (.933). Now, he's 2-0-0 with the Hawks and has stopped 81 of 84 shots for a .964 save percentage.
"I always envisioned that I could play at this level," Delia said. "You've done it once (in) the win against Colorado. To do it again is just continuing to build on that."
As for Cam Ward, he stopped just 21 shots in the Hawks' loss to the Panthers. Ward is 6-6-4 on the season with an .886 save percentage and a league-worst 3.90 goals-against average. Ottawa's Craig Anderson owns the second-worst GAA number (3.58). Crawford is seventh-worst at 3.28.
Hats off:
Patrick Kane's hat trick against Minnesota on Thursday was the fifth of his career. He notched the third goal into an empty net with 27 seconds remaining to seal the 5-2 victory. Moments earlier, it looked like Kane and Brandon Saad (2 goals) might bust loose on a breakaway, but the play was broken up just as Kane was trying to get control of the puck.
Kane laughed when asked what might have happened if he and Saad raced down ice together.
"I think you do a couple passes until you really have to shoot it," Kane said. "Yeah, it would've been interesting."
Kane now has 20 goals on the season. This is the third time he's reached that milestone before Jan. 1 (2013-14, 2015-16).
Injury updates:
Marcus Kruger (concussion protocol) worked on some drills before the Hawks conducted their morning skate Thursday, but there is still no timetable for the forward's return.
Coach Jeremy Colliton also offered no update on Corey Crawford, who was place on injured reserve with a concussion on Dec. 17. Colliton did say he expects Crawford to play if he is cleared.
Slap shots:
Adam Boqvist, the Blackhawks' eighth overall pick of the 2018 NHL draft, had 2 assists in Sweden's 2-1 victory over Finland in the teams' first game of the IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver on Wednesday. The Blackhawks loaned Henri Jokiharju to Finland for the tournament, which runs through Jan. 5. … Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook played in their 1,008th regular-season game together Thursday, the sixth-most games played together in NHL history. They passed Kevin Lowe and Mark Messier (Edmonton/New York Rangers) and are 19 games away from moving into fifth place.