Kane shine through circus trip, looks to keep momentum going
They weren't perfect. Nor were they great — or even very good — at times.
But when the Blackhawks landed in Chicago on Sunday, coach Joel Quenneville's bunch arrived knowing they'd secured 8 of a possible 12 points on their six-game circus trip out west.
Things ended with a dud in Los Angeles as the Hawks let a 2-0 lead slip away in the third period, ending a 42-game streak in which they won when leading after two periods.
“It (stinks),” defenseman Brent Seabrook said afterward.
The Kings ended up prevailing 3-2 in overtime, meaning the Hawks still managed to get a point one day after a miraculous comeback in Anaheim.
Patrick Kane scored the Hawks' first goal Saturday, a power-play tally that extended his points streak to 19 games.
It's the longest run by an American-born player, besting the 18-gamers by Hawks analyst Eddie Olczyk and the Pittsburgh Penguins' Phil Kessel (who accomplished the feat with the Boston Bruins in 2008-09).
“I've become pretty close with Eddie over the years here to the point where I ask him for advice on a lot of different things and he's willing to share a lot, too,” Kane told reporters Saturday.
“I've known Phil pretty well since I was 16 years old. Two great players, two great careers, and it's fun to be there with them.”
Kane and Kessel were Olympic teammates in Vancouver and Sochi.
Next up for Kane is to see if he can break the Blackhawks' team record of 21 games, which was accomplished by Bobby Hull.
After that? Well, the all-time NHL mark is held by — who else? — Wayne Gretzky. The Great One rolled off a 51-game streak during the 1983-84 season.
During Kane's streak, he has 11 goals and 20 assists. He now has an NHL-leading 37 points on the season, which is 2 better than Dallas' Jamie Benn and 3 better than Dallas' Tyler Seguin.
It might turn out to be a three-man race for the Art Ross Trophy, given to the player who finishes with the most points, because Vancouver's Daniel Sedin and Dallas' John Klingberg are 10 points behind Kane.
As for the Hawks, their schedule is littered with five Central Division foes over the next two weeks, so this is no time to slow down.
First up will be the Minnesota Wild (11-7-4), who invade the United Center on Tuesday. Then, after a trip to Ottawa for a Thursday game, the Hawks will play Winnipeg and Nashville two times each.
They also are at home for seven of the next nine games, a stretch that runs through Dec. 17.