After 4 fruitless energy performs within the first two durations, particular groups appeared like they’d be the Blackhawks’ downfall Tuesday towards the Capitals.
However then the penalty kill — the brightest spot in a dim season — stepped up but once more. Ilya Mikheyev’s shorthanded objective early within the third interval sparked a comeback from two targets down for a 3-2 win.
“Everyone is aware of how good the penalty kill has been,” interim coach Anders Sorensen stated. “Then [when] you get a objective out of it, that’s an enormous bonus.”
Defenseman T.J. Brodie made up for getting undressed by Andrew Mangiapane on the Capitals’ second objective by ripping dwelling the equalizer with 5:53 left, after which ahead Ryan Donato made a strong transfer to the online towards Mangiapane and stuffed within the game-winner with 2:18 left.
The Hawks have now killed 28 straight opponent energy performs since Nov. 29, enhancing to fourth within the NHL with an 84.9% kill fee this season. And so they’ve gone 10 consecutive video games with out permitting a power-play objective for the primary time since 2013 — and solely the second time since 1974.
Sorensen, who improved to 3-3-0 as interim coach, credited assistant Kevin Dean for the penalty-killing success.
“He’s actually clear in his communication,” Sorensen stated. “He analyzes and [helps] the blokes know the place the threats are coming from. Additionally our habits have been actually good on the ‘PK.’ [We’re] breaking apart a variety of issues with sticks, [and our] posture is de facto good.”
The ability play nonetheless ranks a decent 14th regardless of their 0-for-4 effort Tuesday, however Sorensen criticized them for getting “caught on the perimeter on the lookout for the proper play.” Goalie Arvid Soderblom got here up big down the stretch, racking up 11 of his 20 saves within the third interval.
Nazar studying
Frank Nazar’s first three video games of the season with the Hawks have been fantastic, however one can virtually see the group’s
top prospect forward studying the distinction between NHL and AHL defenses in actual time.
Throughout an early second-period shift, for instance, Nazar made a number of slick performs and intelligent passes, just for a Capitals participant to get a stick on the puck on the final second to thwart the play.
Nazar’s zero factors up to now — in distinction to his explosive manufacturing with Rockford throughout the first two months of the season — don’t appear to have affected his confidence, which is an efficient signal. Sorensen gave him a wholesome 16:27 of ice time Tuesday.
Capitals revivals
Written on a whiteboard within the Hawks’ locker room Tuesday morning, the Capitals’ first line — ex-Hawk Dylan Strome centering ex-Hawk Taylor Raddysh and up-and-comer Connor McMichael — garnered some second glances.
Throughout 2½ years in Washington, Strome has advanced into the stellar participant that he all the time appeared poised to turn out to be with the Hawks — had coaches or administration believed in him extra. In actual fact, no one within the NHL believed in him again then.
Strome recorded 65 and 67 factors the final two seasons, and he’s on tempo for 101 factors this season. He has performed an enormous function within the Capitals’ shockingly good begin to the season; they’re nonetheless 21-8-2 even after dropping Tuesday.
Raddysh hasn’t stood out fairly as a lot, however he nonetheless already matched his level whole from final season (14) in lower than half as many video games. He appeared due for some optimistic regression this season after posting a depressing 4.2% taking pictures share final yr, and that’s precisely what has occurred.
Sitting on the Dach
On the subject of notable ex-Hawks now within the Japanese Convention, nonetheless, Kirby Dach has skilled the alternative destiny up to now in Montreal.
After lacking all however two video games final season with a torn ACL, Dach has struggled this season, tallying solely 9 factors (together with solely two targets) in 31 video games. His woes have sparked a league-wide dialogue about how poorly the 2019 draft class has turned out. Alex Vlasic, the Hawks’ forty third general choose, is considered one of few shiny spots. Dach, the third general choose, is certainly not.
As Dach nears his twenty fourth birthday, the percentages he ever develops right into a official top-six heart are reducing steadily — and Davidson’s resolution to commerce him for the thirteenth choose in 2022, used to pick out Nazar, appears more and more smart.
