Chicago Blackhawks still have plenty to play for ... in front of fans

All season Kevin Lankinen imagined what it would it would be like to play a game in front of fans at the United Center.

It finally happened Sunday and the rookie goaltender did not disappoint, making 37 saves during the Blackhawks' 4-2 victory over Dallas.

After being named the No. 1 star, Lankinen popped on the ice and soaked in the adulation from the 3,820 in attendance. Lankinen took his time on this victory lap, clapping his hands and waving as the crowd made as much noise as they could.

It was clearly a moment he did not want to end.

"I wanted to soak it all in," said Lankinen, who improved to 17-14-5. "Obviously those are the moments you dream of growing up playing hockey as a kid.

Especially here in the United Center, you know how loud the fans can be. It's probably the best place to play a great game. So I really took my time and enjoyed it.

"It's going to be a good memory for me going forward."

There were other good memories created Sunday, including:

• MacKenzie Entwhistle scoring his first NHL goal 6:23 into the game off a feed from Mike Hardman, who notched his first NHL assist on the play.

• Alex DeBrincat scoring goals 30 and 31, giving him a six-game goal streak and seven-game points streak.

• Patrick Kane notching a pair of assists, putting him over 50 for the seventh time in his career.

The biggest story was the fans, though. Finally - in the Hawks' 27th home game - they managed to make "fake crowd noise guy" irrelevant.

There were actual cheers for the goals. Oohs for close calls. Aahs for big saves.

There were cheers for essential workers and for the military.

The energy wasn't overwhelming. But it was definitely there.

"It was such a huge difference right from the anthem," said coach Jeremy Colliton, who saw his team take a 3-1 lead after one period. "You couldn't help but smile when you heard the reaction from the crowd. As a home team you really feed off that energy. We've missed that this year."

Indeed they did. And you have to wonder if the Hawks (24-25-6 overall, 13-11-3 at home) would have made the postseason if just a few thousand fans would have been allowed beginning in February or March.

With 4 more victories, the Hawks would be tied for fourth place - or even by themselves if one of those wins came against Nashville.

"It's a hard league; it's a hard game," Colliton said. "It's so much work to skate and to battle and compete. ...

"When you're playing in the league you get used to that extra boost (and) that helps you play the way you need to, especially when you're playing every other day. It's been a huge challenge for the guys.

"I know that they appreciated the people that were there tonight."

We know Lankinen did, especially after he stumbled a bit down the stretch after such a strong start to the season. This should have been his last appearance, with Collin Delia expected to start the season finale against Dallas on Monday.

"Just really happy that he has that one to leave with," Colliton said. "He's had a very good season and a big step for him and his development. He went through a lot of different things; a lot of success and also some adversity.

"Tonight he was good, and that's what we were hoping for."