Blackhawks make it 3 in a row -- all without Kane -- with win over Avalanche
Chicago Blackhawks' Connor Murphy (5) checks Colorado Avalanche's Mikko Rantanen (96) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Chicago. Associated Press
Chicago Blackhawks' Sam Lafferty (24) watches his shot score past Colorado Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Chicago. Associated Press
Chicago Blackhawks' Sam Lafferty (24) celebrates his goal with Reese Johnson (52) and Colin Blackwell during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, in Chicago. Associated Press
Good friends Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have been Blackhawks teammates for 16 years, so they don't mind giving each other a hard time on occasion.
After the Blackhawks defeated Arizona 2-0 last Friday, it was no surprise when Toews approached Kane -- who didn't play due to injury -- and threw a verbal dagger that hit its mark.
"Hey, look. We're undefeated without you."
Or something along those lines.
Two days later, the Hawks shockingly defeated Calgary 4-3 in overtime -- again without Kane.
So did Toews poke the bear again?
"I mentioned it after the first game as a joke," Toews said after the Hawks' morning skate Thursday as his team prepared to host the defending champion Colorado Avalanche. "The second game I thought, 'Nah. That might be a little bit (too) sensitive of a subject.'
"So I didn't say anything."
Kane, who appeared to injure his right knee against San Jose on Jan. 1, did not play against the Avs. He was placed on injured reserve, but is eligible to return for Saturday's home game against Seattle.
The odds of the Hawks going 3-0 without Kane were quite long, yet they beat the defending champs 3-2 thanks to goals by Sam Lafferty (5), Andreas Athanasiou (9) and Taylor Raddysh (11). Goalie Petr Mrázek made 29 saves, and the Hawks (11-25-4) also killed off 5 power plays, 3 of which came in the first period.
The Avs appeared to tie the game at 3-3 with 4:51 remaining, but the Hawks won a challenge for goaltender interference on Mikko Rantanen. The Avs forward was laying in the crease when Alex Newhook swept the puck past a sprawled-out Mrázek.
Raddysh broke a 2-2 tie with 13:24 remaining when he tipped in a pass from Tyler Johnson. Toews notched his 11th assist of the season on the game-winner.
Kane was injured during the third period of that 5-2 loss to the Sharks on New Year's Day when he was hit along the boards. He played two days later against Tampa Bay, but sat out the entire third period.
"I probably shouldn't have played the Tampa game," said Kane, who felt like he could have gone against Arizona and/or Calgary, but erred on the side of caution. "It's better for the long run. The last three days it's gotten better every day -- even to the point where today maybe could have went.
"But it's smart to take an extra day and should be ready by Saturday."
If it's not, then it may be time to worry.
We don't know if Kane will waive his no-movement clause, but if he does teams will be watching closely to make sure he's healthy ahead of the March 2 trade deadline.
Kane has just 7 goals in 37 games, yet we all know he'd instantly help the championship odds of any playoff team.
The Hawks, meanwhile, picked up their game in his absence against Arizona and Calgary thanks to the play of rookie Lukas Reichel and veterans like Max Domi, Philipp Kurashev, Seth Jones, Jake McCabe and goalie Alex Stalock.
"Everybody's been dialed in -- and I think we were on the cusp of getting there ... before we got the two wins," Richardson said. "It's been a good feeling around here (and) it's nice to know Patrick's getting close (to) coming back with the team playing well.
"It's just going to be another shot in the arm for us."