Blackhawks beat Canadiens as Colton Dach delivers physicality in NHL debut
In a season in which fun, heartwarming and/or interesting storylines have been scarce for the Blackhawks, Friday represented a nice exception.
Prospect forward Colton Dach not only made his NHL debut in the Hawks’ 4-2 victory against the Canadiens, but he did so against older brother Kirby, who is grinding through his third season with the Canadiens after his much-analyzed trade from the Hawks.
‘‘Taking that photo at center ice with my brother, it was definitely a moment I’ll never forget,’’ Colton said. “[I was] just looking around the rink and realizing what it all came for. I know my family is super-excited.’’
The brothers enjoyed dinner together Wednesday and Thursday, and their dad, Dale, was in attendance Friday. But there was no love shared between their respective teams, who gave a crowd of 19,620 at the United Center a chippy game.
Nick Foligno scored twice, and Arvid Soderblom halted the Hawks’ recent goaltending slump with a stellar performance, saving 38 of 40 shots. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak.
‘‘We had an honest conversation [Thursday] about how disappointed we were with the way we’ve been playing,’’ Foligno said. ‘‘I’m really proud of every guy for stepping up.’’
Interim coach Anders Sorensen slotted Dach on a line with Frank Nazar, two forwards he played together frequently in Rockford this season, and both delivered.
Nazar drew two penalties seconds apart in the first period, setting up Tyler Bertuzzi’s five-on-three goal that opened the scoring. He also created a breakaway out of nowhere late in the second, although he was stopped. Even though he has only one point in 10 games so far, it feels as though more will come in time.
Dach, meanwhile, stuffed the stat sheet with five shots on goal and five hits — leading the team in both categories — while making a noticeable effort to keep his shifts short and meaningful. He’s a power forward with an edge who struggled with inconsistency in Rockford last season but improved in that regard this season. He had 25 points in 30 AHL games before his recall.
His physical presence seemed to inspire the whole team to play more physically, and that will be a welcome thing if it lasts.
‘‘He was involved around the net, and his wall battle was really good,’’ Sorensen said. ‘‘It was a good start for him.’’
Notes
Defenseman Connor Murphy missed the game with a groin injury, which it seems as though he played through in the Winter Classic. Sorensen wouldn’t let on how much time Murphy might miss.
• To get Dach in the lineup, the Hawks scratched forward Lukas Reichel. It seems the youth movement takes a step backward for every step forward.