\n<\/p>\n
The Blackhawks aren\u2019t back to championship contenders yet.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t tell that to the packed house that got to celebrate the Hawks\u2019 3-2 comeback win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday night at the United Center.<\/p>\n
The Hawks gave up a game-tying goal in the final minute of the first period and lost a second-period challenge, the Leafs\u2019 go-ahead goal standing. But they scored twice in the third period, continuing a season-long trend; 30 of their 59 goals this season have come in the third period.<\/p>\n
Teuvo Teravainen<\/b> tied the game off a Frank Nazar<\/b> assist, and Colton Dach<\/b> redirected Louis Crevier<\/b>\u2019s shot with fewer than five minutes to play, enough to win yet another one-score game.<\/p>\n
Nine of the Hawks\u2019 18 games have been decided by a single score this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pretty comfortable with one-goal games,\u201d Teravainen said. \u201cI feel like every game\u2019s so tight. Some days, it feels like we have our legs better, and some days not. But still, we\u2019re finding ways to do something right.\u201d<\/p>\n
It keeps adding up to better-than-expected outcomes for the Hawks, who were tabbed as one of the worst teams in the league before the season began.<\/p>\n
Instead, things are going swimmingly for a young team with big dreams of getting the franchise back to its winning ways. They\u2019re 9-5-4 with 22 points on their young season.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of us in here know we can do anything we put our minds to, and that\u2019s how we\u2019re going into each game,\u201d Nazar said. \u201cWe\u2019ve played some great teams, and we\u2019ve stuck right in there with a ton of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defenseman Sam Rinzel<\/b> was kept out of the lineup Saturday as the Hawks try to find a way to get him back on track.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to look at it and say, \u2018His game has kind of diminished a bit in the last little bit, how can we get him back to being one of our best defensemen?\u2019\u201d head coach Jeff Blashill<\/b> said. \u201cAnd sometimes, in my experience, it\u2019s to take a breath and just reset yourself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to climb out of it, sometimes you\u2019ve got to decide, \u2018OK, this is rock bottom. Let\u2019s climb out of it now,\u2019\u201d Blashill said Saturday. \u201cThat\u2019s our plan with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nazar was a gametime decision, but he was back on the ice for the Hawks on Saturday after missing the previous two contests, making a big impact.<\/p>\n
In his return, Nazar registered an assist, snapping a streak of five straight games without a point after he tallied 11 of them in his first 10 games this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe played really good,\u201d Teravainen said of Nazar. \u201cHe\u2019s fun to play with. He\u2019s easy to play with. He works hard. He\u2019s fast. And he plays the right way, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just hate watching from the stands,\u201d Nazar said.<\/p>\n
Captain Nick Foligno<\/b> left the ice after blocking a shot with his hand Saturday, and he\u2019s expected to be out for a while with an injury suffered on the play.<\/p>\n
\u201cProbably, if I was to estimate, it\u2019d be like four weeks,\u201d Blashill said after the game. \u201cIt might be a little less, it might be a little more. I don\u2019t love putting a timeline on it. It\u2019s not six months, but it\u2019s not two days.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a tough, tough, tough customer. So when he came off like that, I knew he was in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n