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After Patrick Kane told the media on Monday that Hawk veterans need to step up, they did—especially his line with 11 points in a 7-4 win over the Flyers at the UC last night.

The Hawks record now stands even at 2-2, with a two-game win streak, and the team's goals for (16) is now better than goals against (15). And for the first time last night, the Hawks outshot an opponent (28-27).

All good things.

Sure, there was a near-disastrous meltdown in the third period, allowing the Flyers to get back into the game. And the Flyers' defense can best be described as porous. But the Hawks definitely have some jump back after an 0-2 start.

Another positive last night was the long-awaited 500th goal of Marian Hossa's virtually certain Hall of Fame career.

A sidenote to Hossa's goal was the otherwise lacking production from forwards not on the Kane line. Certainly, goals and production tend to even out a bit over s long regular season. All that said, the Hawks depended heavily on the the PAK line last season—some might argue too heavily.

Still, winning cures most ills and the Hawks' modest two-game streak certainly takes some pressure off the coaching staff as they continue to try to work out balanced lines. And address a penalty kill that continues to basically stink.

I'll be back with a preview of Friday night's tilt in Columbus.


JJ

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