Kane leading the way with back-to-back 3-point games
Patrick Kane is on a tear.
Kane is coming off back-to-back 3-point games and leads the Blackhawks with 16 goals and 37 points in their 29 games.
His 3-point night Monday in the Hawks’ 5-2 victory at Colorado might have been his best game of the season considering he played 22½ minutes with Marian Hossa having left the game with an upper-body injury.
“It was a little bit tiring, but you can’t really turn down much ice, especially when they keep telling you to go out there.” Kane told Blackhawks TV. “At the end of the game I was a little worn out, but I’ll take the ice time if they keep calling my name.”
Coach Joel Quenneville actually was asking Kane if he wanted to keep double shifting in the altitude of Denver.
“He didn’t mind,” Quenneville told reporters. “I asked him a couple times where it looked like he might have been out of breath, but he went. A couple times he even laughed at me for asking the question. He likes to go.”
Quenneville was asked if anything Kane was doing surprised him. Kane had 3 more take-aways against the Avs.
“I love the consistency in his game,” Quenneville said. “Defensively he’s done a lot more things this year than we’ve seen game in and game out.
“There are a lot of bonuses to his defensive play. He gets rewarded offensively from it. It’s been nice to see that consistency in his game.”
Hossa doubtful?TSN.ca on Tuesday listed Marian Hossa as doubtful for Wednesday#146;s key game against Anaheim with an upper-body injury.The Hawks offered no update on Hossa.Hossa was hurt early in Monday#146;s win at Colorado when he was checked hard into the boards by defenseman Ryan O#146;Byrne, the same guy who drilled Patrick Sharp into the glass March 7 in Chicago, giving Sharp a sprained left shoulder.O#146;Byrne also cross-checked Brandon Saad in the face in the third period Monday.#147;You#146;re aware of what#146;s going on, and you do what you#146;ve got to do,#148; Joel Quenneville told reporters when asked about O#146;Byrne.But the Hawks are done playing Colorado for the season.Blackhawks game dayAnaheim Ducks at the Honda Center, 9 p.m. WednedayTV: Comcast SportsNetRadio: WGN 720-AMThe skinny: The Hawks are 24-2-3 but only 5 points ahead of the 21-3-4 Ducks. Corey Perry, who just signed a new eight-year, $69 million deal on Monday, won’t play while he serves the final game of a four-game suspension. Forwards Nick Bonino (flu) and Brad Staubitz (facial laceration) are questionable. The Ducks are 7-0-3 in their last 10 games. Corey Crawford is expected to start in goal for the Hawks, who likely will be without Marian Hossa (upper body).Season series: The Ducks beat the Hawks 3-2 in a shootout on Feb. 12 at the United Center.Next: Los Angeles Kings at the United Center, 7:30 p.m. Monday.— Tim Sassone