File this as a sentence that would’ve been hard to believe a month ago: Ilya Mikheyev and Teuvo Teravainen just propelled the Blackhawks to their first three-game winning streak since Patrick Kane’s tenure.
“The Finnish-Russian connection is solid right now,” captain Nick Foligno said.
Teravainen set up Mikheyev’s two goals, Nolan Allan added his first NHL goal for insurance and goalie Arvid Soderblom made 27 saves as the Hawks beat the Kraken 3-1 on Thursday.
That completed a homestand sweep and gave the Hawks their first three-game run since February 2023 — Kane’s last week in a Hawks uniform, back when Connor Bedard hadn’t even been drafted yet. The five previous times they had won back-to-back games since then, they lost the next game.
“It was a big step for the group,” interim coach Anders Sorensen said. “We’re hanging on to more pucks, we’re making more plays and we’re more on the rush, which has been good. We’re coming out of our [defensive] zone with numbers, and we’re connected coming out.”
Teravainen and Mikheyev, among many other Hawks, improved enormously since Sorensen arrived and slotted them on the wings of Jason Dickinson’s third line. They’re also playing together on the red-hot penalty kill.
Mikheyev has scored four goals in three games after notching only two in his first 28 games. His speed always has made him an effective defensive forward, but he seems to be rediscovering some of the offensive touch he demonstrated a few years ago in Vancouver.
Teravainen, meanwhile, is playing his best hockey since the opening road trip of the season. He has eight points in his last three games, breaking out of a slump in which he had only six points in 25 games. He followed up back-to-back three-point outings against the Islanders and Capitals with his two assists against the Kraken.
“They’re playing off each other,” Foligno said. “[Teravainen] is so smart and understands players so well. He sees how [Mikheyev] plays the game. . . . They’ve been a huge momentum boost for us. They’re probably looked at to be a defensive-minded line, but when you play that good defense and you get those opportunities offensively, they all have the skill to make plays. And they’re doing that for us right now.”
Said Sorensen: “There’s a lot of hockey sense [in] both of them.”
Perfect storm
Goalie Petr Mrazek’s December has been a perfect storm of disruptions. He suffered a minor groin injury, got the flu and dealt with a family health issue, which all combined to make his 12-day absence partly miserable and partly a much-needed break.
“Everything came together; everything was in one,” Mrazek said. “I’ve been through a lot the last couple of weeks, so it’s nice to get everything done and focus on hockey again.”
Mrazek, 32, was activated off injured reserve and backed up Soderblom against the Kraken. His relatively speedy return is relieving news, considering his history of more serious groin injuries, and he likely will start Saturday against the Flames. Prospect Drew Commesso was reassigned to Rockford.
Notes
Sorensen said Seth Jones, who hasn’t played since Nov. 14 because of a foot injury, is close to returning. It’s unclear if that could happen before the Christmas break. He has skated individually with Alec Martinez (neck) before practices this week.
Jeremy Roenick was honored at the United Center for his recent induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His presence added extra energy to a buzzing pre-holiday crowd of 18,991.
