DALLAS — A switch has flipped inside Patrick Kane.
And whether it was flipped or not by recent rumblings that other NHL teams considered him damaged goods and doubted his abilities, he looks like a man on a mission.
As the trade winds blow harder and harder, he seemingly plays better and better. His dual effort with Max Domi on Wednesday against the Stars, collectively putting the Blackhawks on their backs and powering an epic comeback from 3-0 down to a 4-3 win, marked just the latest peak.
“All of a sudden, you get going and you start feeling good, you start feeling confident,” Kane said. “I was the beneficiary of a few plays tonight — and even the last couple games, too — so things are just clicking.”
Kane has now buried seven goals in his last four games — tied for the best four-game span in his career — after scoring just nine goals in his first 50 games this season.
His 10 total points in this stretch also represent the third-best streak of his career. It’s an astronomical hot streak.
“When Kaner is feeling it and he’s burying the puck like that, it’s fun to watch, fun to play with,” Domi said. “It just puts energy into our group, and everyone really feeds off that.”
Even beyond the stats, all the signature Kane traits that were perhaps less noticeable earlier this season have returned with glaring force. Domi called Kane a “superstar” on Wednesday, and rightly so.
He no longer appears slowed by his much-discussed nagging injury whatsoever; that debate can be thrown out the window. Kane said himself Wednesday that this is “for sure” the best he has played this season.
He’s passing with pinpoint accuracy. His shot looks more powerful than it has in years — and the evidence lies not only in his overturned overtime slap-shot Tuesday against the Golden Knights but also in, for example, his first of three goals Sunday against the Maple Leafs, when he ripped an innocent low-danger shot into the top corner.
His vision and instincts to find open spaces in the offensive zone — or help lead his teammates there, or make subtle hand movements to create space even in traffic — have been sharp. And most satisfyingly, his swagger has returned, as well.
Of course, these are the same skills that have made Kane one of the NHL’s elite playmakers for 16 years. They’re not new. But the rest of the league might have needed a reminder — and Kane has given it to them.
“The guys have been really good about not necessarily talking about the [trade] subject, just focusing on hockey,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys in here that are probably going through the same thing, so we’re all kind of in the same boat. So [it’s] nice to be around everyone, and [it’s] even nicer when you’re winning games and the group is having fun.”
The Stars and Knights — coincidentally the last two opponents to feel Kane’s wrath — along with the Rangers (again), Hurricanes and Oilers are all circling, even though Kane insisted again Wednesday he still hasn’t decided if he’s willing to move.
But if this is indeed his last Hawks hurrah, he’s certainly going out in style.
