Urging the Blackhawks to win for the sake of pride didn’t work for interim coach Derek King on Saturday against the Sharks.
So King spent Monday exhorting the Hawks to win for the sake of the 18,642 fans at the United Center. This time, he got his wish: The Hawks beat the Flyers 3-1 in their next-to-last home game of the season.
“We got a little risky at times, but the fans like it,” King said. “We talked about [trying to] finish right at home, get the fans out of their seats, give them something [so] that — when they walk out here and get in their cars — they’re talking about our team, about how they competed or how they won the game. That’s all we can ask for.”
The victory was just the Hawks’ 13th in 40 home games. Only the league-worst Canadiens and Coyotes (10 each) have fewer home wins.
But at least this better-than-expected crowd was able to get excited — particularly early when Erik Gustafsson and Jonathan Toews (right out of the penalty box) scored in the first seven minutes.
Rock-solid goaltending from Kevin Lankinen, who absorbed rebounds well en route to stopping 33 of 34 shots, and a third-period insurance goal by Alex DeBrincat helped them maintain the lead.
In doing so, the Hawks snapped a streak of blowing 14 straight leads over the last month.
“We were [saying], ‘We’ve got to get it deep,’ ’’ Gustafsson said. “We know they want to flip it out. Their forwards go in the zone right away if they get a chance. We just tried to play simple: get in, get out and be a five-man unit out there. We did a pretty good job.”
Injury updates
Connor Murphy (concussion) and Kirby Dach (sprained right shoulder) participated in non-contact jerseys during the morning skate.
But King said he doesn’t expect any of the Hawks’ injured players — a group that also includes MacKenzie Entwistle (shoulder) — to return during the last two games.
Strome for Masterton
Dylan Strome is the Hawks’ nominee for the 2022 Bill Masterton Trophy. He was chosen by the Chicago chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.
The trophy is awarded annually to the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”
Cast aside by ex-coach Jeremy Colliton, Strome was given a fresh start in November by King but was also challenged to improve his work ethic.
He followed through on that challenge. He has been one of the brightest spots of the second half, with 40 points in his last 45 games, while maintaining his reputation as one of the Hawks’ most well-liked teammates.
“Early in the year, it was a tough time [for him], and he was still positive in the locker room, being a good teammate,” DeBrincat said. “That goes a long way with your teammates. You don’t want a grumpy guy in the locker room and a ‘poor me’ attitude. He was always ready to go to work and battle. And then he gets hot, he’s on fire, and he really helps our team a lot.
“It’s nice to see him get some recognition.”
Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel, whose artificial disk replacement surgery helped open a new field of medicine to hockey players, and Canadiens goalie Carey Price, who spent October in a residential treatment facility for substance use and battled back to start four games this month, are two of the most compelling nominees around the league.
