Blackhawks interim head coach Derek King reunited Alex Debrincat, Patrick Kane and Dylan Strom together in the top line in search of an offensive spark. Did he ever meet
The trio scored five goals, including three in the first period, and combined with 14 points in Chicago's 8-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday at the centerpiece. It was total dominance.
"Stromer, Kaner and Kat, they're clicking right now," King said. “We always try to spread the money and spread some good players along different lines and it works a little bit and then it flattens out a little bit but then we put those guys [together]. So if Kaner gets six points a night, the rest of the line will just have to worry about not scoring against it."
Kane, notably, set a career high with six points, after scoring one goal and recording five first aides. Four of those points came in his first seven innings of the game.
"I knew I had five in a game," Kane said. "But with three minutes left in the third, you don't think you're getting another one, but good to have him. I was texting [Nick Schmaltz] the other night after seven and I was like, 'This 'It would be nice to spend such a night.' Didn't quite catch him tonight, but still, the six is great."
It was another great individual night for Strom, who scored a hat-trick, added an assist, won 11 of 14 faceoffs for a win percentage of 78.6, and drew penalties. He now has 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) in his last 23 matches.
"It was cool," Strom said of his second career NHL hat-trick. "I got some great passes, I started very well and started playing with some good players. Whenever you're on the ice with those guys, you have to be ready for the puck all the time. Sometimes it's Turns out, other games aren't like this, but it's nice tonight."
Strom did not score his third goal until the 17:16 mark of the final period. He knew it would be his last innings of the game and his eyes lit up when he got the puck with so much space in front of the net.
"It's like an unwritten rule, like nobody talks about it but everybody is thinking about it," laughed Strom. "Kaneer made a great pass. It's probably his worst one of the three, I think. But he took it on me, and it was an open shot. I saw Alex through the back door, but I knew That he poked it already. For Patrick, so the line is happy and the crowd is happy too."
And then there's Debrincat, who extended his goalscoring streak to four games and scored his 33rd score of the season, who is now fifth among all NHL skaters. He also added three assists to give himself one of the most capped four-pointers ever.
"Yes, suddenly he got four points," said the king. "I knew Stromer has his hat-trick when it comes to caps but the Cats have four points. It's a fine line when they're clicking, and hopefully they keep clicking here." can."
The Blackhawks haven't had many fun nights at United Center this season, but this was one of them.
"Fun night, obviously," said Kane. "Sometimes it's nice to watch those games, you know? ... Overall it was a good night. Nice to score some goals here at home and draw the crowd, get out early and go about yourself feel good."