The Blackhawks blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0 on Thursday at Nationwide Arena.
Here are 10 observations from the win:
1. Malcolm Subban made his first start since Feb. 15 and was terrific. He stopped all 26 shots he faced, including 15 in the third period, for his second career NHL shutout and first in a Blackhawks sweater. He's now 3-0-1 with a 1.44 goals-against average and .952 save percentage in his last four starts.
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2. The Blackhawks recorded 29 shot attempts and 17 shots on goal in the first period on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets had only 10 attempts and five shots on goal. It was a different story on Thursday, with the Blackhawks recording only six shot attempts and three shots on goal in the opening frame while the Blue Jackets had 18 attempts and eight shots on goal.
3. The Blackhawks flipped the script in the second period and were clearly the better team. They led in shot dominated in shot attempts (25-12), shots on goal (12-3) and led in scoring chances (9-6) and high-danger chances (4-3), according to Natural Stat Trick. But, somehow, it remained a 0-0 game through 40 minutes of action.
4. Patrick Kane extended his point streak to four games after scoring the game-winner at the 8:45 mark of the third period. He has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) over that span and is now sitting on 399 career NHL goals.
5. The Blackhawks had given up five power-play goals on eight opportunities in their previous two games. They went 2-for-2 on Thursday and allowed only one shot on goal in 4:06 of penalty kill time. Much better.
6. The Blackhawks improved to 8-0-1 when scoring the first goal this season. They're 3-6-3 when they give up the first goal.
NHL
7. Connor Murphy had a noticeable game. He recorded a team-high seven shot attempts, four shots on goal, two hits, one blocked shot and a +2 rating in 23:43 of ice time.
8. Carl Soderberg was rewarded with an empty-net goal to seal the deal for the Blackhawks. He has goals in three straight games after having just one in his first 13.
9. Cam Atkinson and Patrik Laine had a combined 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in their last three games against Chicago. The Blackhawks held them to two shots on goal apiece in this game.
10. The Blue Jackets have the third-worst faceoff win percentage in the NHL, but they dominated the Blackhawks by winning 30 of 45 draws for a success rate of 66.7 percent.
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