While the referees were huddled near the penalty box in the second period reviewing a potential Wild goal for more than six minutes, Jonathan Toews couldn’t help himself from skating around in circles instead of resting to pass the time. It looked as if Toews was in a hypnotic trance.
"I don’t even know why I was doing that," Toews said. "Just goofing around, I guess."
Whatever was going through Toews’ mind during Wednesday’s 4-3 overtime victory over the Wild, the Hawks shouldn’t mess with it.
Toews continued his recent resurgence with perhaps his most emphatic performance of the season in the high-pressure playoff-like atmosphere at the Xcel Energy Center.
Toews contributed one goal and two assists with his goal being the game winner on a 4-on-3 power play 3 minutes, 9 seconds into the extra session. He now has four goals and seven assists in his last seven games.
"I’m just trying to find that groove every night where I’m working hard, playing with confidence with the puck, playing the right way and not getting ahead of the play," Toews said. "Sometimes when you’re not thinking offense, the offense just seems to come."
That was the case in a game winger Patrick Kane said was the Hawks’ "biggest" of the season given their position in the standings relative to the Wild, who had won eight straight regular-season matchups with the Hawks before Wednesday. In the Central Division, the Hawks are five points back of the Wild, who have two games in hand.
Photos from the game on Feb. 8, 2017, in Minneapolis.
But the game’s biggest takeaway had nothing to do with the standings and everything to do with Toews regaining his form as one of the best players in the league. Toews has said he would like time to develop chemistry with linemates Richard Panik and Nick Schmaltz, and their performance should buy them so time. They accounted two of the three Hawks goals in regulation.
After Ryan Hartman put the Hawks ahead 1-0 in the first period, Toews made a deft play to set up Nick Schmaltz. He took a pass from Panik off his skate and in one motion kicked the puck to his stick and sent it off to Schmaltz, who converted the chance in the slot for a 2-0 lead in the second period. The Wild got goals from Jared Spurgeon and Zach Parise, whose goal stood after a long and unusual review that lasted longer than six minutes.
Officials took their time reviewing the Hawks’ claim that Parise was offside before scoring. The review was so involved that linesman Ryan Daisy was communicating with league officials via iPhone. Ultimately, officials said replays were inconclusive and Parise’s goal stood.
But, not long after, Toews’ line struck again. This time Toews and Niklas Hjalmarsson set up Panik, who stuffed in the puck behind Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
"They were protecting it, keeping plays alive and we just seemed to read off each other a lot better," Toews said. "We kept saying on the bench that we had a couple (of chances), we have that confidence, let’s not sit back. Let’s keep working and obviously for the most part, we were pretty responsible defensively and we generate off that."
The Hawks then would need Toews to secure the second point after Erik Haula tied it 3-3 for the Wild in the third. And he was in the right frame of mind to deliver.
"It was nice for us to get those bounces," Toews said. "It’s all off our work ethic and we have to keep that going."
chine@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @ChristopherHine
Chris Hine’s three stars
1. Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks: Captain had a goal and two assists.
2. Zach Parise, Wild: Had several chances and scored.
3. Corey Crawford, Blackhawks: Made several important saves.
Up next
At Jets, 7 p.m. Thursday; CSN.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
