Taylor Hall needed only five shifts upon returning to the Blackhawks’ lineup Saturday to finally score his first goal as a Hawk.
Hall slipped a shot through Panthers backup goalie Anthony Stolarz to cap an explosive three-goal first period for the Hawks en route to a 5-2 win, their first at home this season.
Connor Bedard also scored his fourth in his last five games to temporarily extend the lead to 4-0 in the second period. The rookie keeps showing opposing defenses they cannot afford to give him the time and space to unleash clean shots; he buries those at an extremely high rate.
Goalie Petr Mrazek also continued his stellar start to the season, holding down the fort just enough to let the Hawks — who were outshot heavily in the second and third periods —protect the lead to the final horn.
In Hall’s case, his first couple months in Chicago have been nothing if not eventful. He has witnessed the birth of his first child, assisted on Bedard’s first career goal and endured two separate absences due to a shoulder injury.
But after finally giving his left shoulder enough time to heal this time, Hall was eased back into action on the Hawks’ third line alongside Jason Dickinson — who sprung Hall’s goal with a beautiful stretch pass — and Tyler Johnson.
Vlasic close, too
Defenseman Alex Vlasic missed his second consecutive game Saturday due to a concussion, but he’s expected to return Sunday against the Devils. Isaak Phillips was sent back down to Rockford.
“That was my first real concussion, so [it was] definitely a little scary at the start,” Vlasic said. “My parents were pretty worried. But all things considered, it could’ve been a lot worse [in terms of] how long I was out.”
Fellow rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski not only logged his 10th game Saturday, officially burning the first year of his contract, but coach Luke Richardson also threw cold water on speculation that the Hawks might let him leave in December to participate in the world junior championships.
Kaiser wears neck guard
Several players around the NHL have recently begun wearing neck guards in the wake of the Adam Johnson tragedy, which likely wouldn’t have happened if the former Penguins forward had been wearing such protection during the fateful game in England last week.
On Saturday, Wyatt Kaiser became the first Hawk to do so. He said he felt accustomed to it because he previously wore a neck guard in high school and world juniors.
“It just wasn’t worth the risk,” Kaiser said. “I don’t even notice it out there. It’s a no-brainer.”
Johnson’s death hit particularly close to home for Kaiser. He and Johnson are both Minnesota-Duluth alums, and although they didn’t overlap there, they did skate together a few times this past summer.
Capitals forward T.J. Oshie’s hockey gear company, Warroad, has emerged as a leader in the scramble for neck guards around the hockey world, and Kaiser has already been wearing some Warroad gear.
However, Warroad’s undershirt with built-in neck protection — which looks like a turtleneck sweater — has temporarily sold out. Hawks equipment manager Troy Parchman instead fashioned Kaiser a makeshift guard, which looks more like an unattached collar.
Bedard said he has also thought about wearing one, and Richardson believes Kaiser won’t end up alone in this choice.
“Hockey players, like most sports people, are very habitual,” Richardson said. “They’ll take time to get around [to it]. But I’m sure there will be people definitely experimenting and wearing them, and that’s always a good thing.”