For the first time in his career, Jason Dickinson reached the 20-goal milestone with two goals. 3-1 was the Hawks’ victory.
At the United Center, the Chicago Blackhawks trounced the Calgary Flames. The Hawks won 3-1, which is rare for them to have dominated any opponent all season.
With a 6-4 record over their last ten games, the Blackhawks are concluding the season with some of their greatest hockey. That is noteworthy in light of the Hawks’ 1-12-3 record before to their current winning streak.
Perhaps this is the result of the team returning to nearly optimal health. The Blackhawks’ ability to obtain the highest odds to win the NHL Draft Lottery and, consequently, the right to choose Macklin Celebrini with the first overall pick, may be harmed by their recent success. However, it is encouraging to see the Hawks close up the campaign strong, particularly with players returning for the following campaign.
Here are three takeaways from last night’s victory…
Jason Dickinson continued his career season scoring while rookie Landon Slaggert registered his first NHL career points.
For the first time in his career, Dickinson scored two goals in this match to bring his total to 20. When Jason scored in the final minute of the first period, the Hawks were ahead 1-0.
Slaggert earned his first NHL point of his career with the secondary assist. In the second period, Slaggert came dangerously close to scoring his first NHL goal, but his attempt was blocked just in time. Technically, he scored his first goal of the season in the third period, but the goal was nullified on review.
Instead, he had to make do with two points since in the third period, he also provided the secondary assist on Dickinson’s second goal of the contest.
Although Joey Anderson isn’t receiving enough credit for setting up Jason for those goals with two excellent passes on those two major assists, Dickinson and Slaggert deserve some recognition as well.
Throughout a disappointing season, Dickinson has been one of the few constant bright lights. Although he has never had a career goal total of more than nine, he has been improving his offensive skills during the offseason.
Almost everyone returned to full health, and he scored two goals from the fourth line. The synergy that Anderson and Dickinson have developed together is excellent, and Slaggert has just strengthened that statement. This line has the ability to score as well as hit and play solid defense.