Here are four takeaways from the Blackhawks' 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre on Saturday:
1. Hometown kid steals the show
Going into Saturday, Corey Crawford had an 8-2-2 record with a 1.67 goals against average, .949 save percentage and one shutout in 12 starts against the Canadiens. He also was 4-0-2 with a 1.32 goals against average and .964 save percentage in his hometown of Montreal.
Somehow, those numbers improved.
On a night where Carey Price was honored for becoming the Canadiens' all-time winningest goaltender (315), it was the hometown kid that stole the show. Crawford stopped all 48 shots he faced — 20 of which were from high-danger areas — for his second shutout of the season, and tied Dave Dryden for the most saves (48) in a shutout performance in Blackhawks history when he did so on Feb. 15, 1969.
It's the fourth consecutive contest Crawford has given up only one goal or fewer — although he left after two periods in Toronto because of an illness. He's stopped 115 of 118 shots for a save percentage of .975 over that span.
2. Blackhawks silence one of NHL's top lines
NHL
The line of Phillip Danault, Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Tatar is one of the most productive in hockey.
When the three of them are on the ice together at 5-on-5 this season, the Canadiens control 62.7 percent of the shot attempts, 62.2 percent of the scoring chances and have a plus-19 goal differential, according to naturalstattrick.com. When they're not on the ice, the Canadiens control 52.3 percent of the shot attempts, 50.8 percent of the scoring chances and have a minus-2 goal differential.
On Saturday, that trio was on the ice for 10:39 of 5-on-5 time and controlled only 42.3 percent of the shot attempts and 36.4 percent of the scoring chances. They largely went up against the Blackhawks' first line of Brandon Saad, Dylan Sikura and Jonathan Toews, who generated 10 scoring chances for and two against. They set the tone.
3. Hot March continues for pair of Blackhawks
After being benched for four straight games, Brendan Perlini has bounced back in an enormous way. He scored a goal for the third straight contest, has eight goals in seven games this month and seven points (five goals, two assists) in his past three games. This wasn't even one of his stronger games, but he found a way to make an impact. And that's what the Blackhawks have been preaching.
Connor Murphy has also had a strong month of March. He scored his second goal in seven games, has a plus-5 rating over that span and has points in three of his last four. His goal against Montreal turned out to be the game winner, which was fitting on a day Chicago celebrated St. Patrick's Day.
4. Dylan Sikura knocking on the door
Sikura played in his 30th career NHL game on Saturday. He's still looking for his first goal. But when coach Jeremy Colliton shows him the tape of this game, he's going to be smiling from ear to ear. And so should Sikura.
The 23-year-old winger easily had his best game in a Blackhawks sweater, recording six shot attempts (four on goal), one takeaway, and was the only player with positive possession metrics for the Blackhawks. He was on the ice for 13 scoring chances for and only five against during 11:33 of 5-on-5 time. Six of those 13 scoring chances came from high-danger areas. He even hit a crossbar.
If Sikura carries over this performance to Monday and beyond, he's bound to break through sooner than later.
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