The Blackhawks are finally, officially in the win column.
Milestones for Kevin Lankinen, Ian Mitchell and Andrew Shaw helped the Hawks beat the Red Wings 4-1 in the home opener Friday.
“Everyone wants to have a good feeling when you leave the rink,” coach Jeremy Colliton said. “We did some good things, and so it’s a lot easier to build on that if you get a victory. [I’m] happy for the guys. They’re going to feel a lot better going to bed tonight.”
Warmup jerseys honoring Chicago frontline workers’ names, a pregame Native American Land Acknowledgement — something the franchise will do before every game moving forward — and Jim Cornelison’s pre-recorded national anthem rendition set the tone for a heartwarming night at an empty United Center.
That uplifting vibe continued when Patrick Kane fittingly scored the first regular-season goal seen within the United Center since March 11, 2020.
Mitchell later registered his first career point on a Calvin de Haan goal. Shaw potted his first goal since November 7, 2019, keeping the Hawks’ power play red-hot. The much-maligned penalty kill recorded a perfect five-for-five night, too.
And Lankinen, starting second time in his NHL career, took the first clear lead in the Hawks’ goaltending battle with a stellar 30-save outing. For 52 minutes, he looked on track for a shutout.
At last, the Hawks were able to smile during postgame interviews, Lankinen most of all.
“What can I say?” Lankinen said, beaming ear to ear. “Friday night in Chicago, home opener at the United Center, [to] get your first NHL win. Only the fans were missing. That sucks, but other than that, it feels awesome.”
That probably won’t happen often this year: Friday’s opponent being the miserable Wings certainly helped, and even those Wings out-chanced the Hawks 26-23.
But for the long-awaited return to Chicago, the satisfaction seemed apt.
