Is this the version of Ilya Mikheyev the Chicago Blackhawks have been waiting for all along?
Mikheyev flirted with a hat trick, scoring the Hawks’ first two goals in a 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night at the United Center.
The Hawks certainly got the version of linemate Teuvo Teräväinen they were expecting. He had the primary assist on both Mikheyev goals.
In fact, Teräväinen and Mikheyev have combined on five goals over the last three games, all wins.
“Finnish-Russian connection is solid right now,” Nick Foligno said. ‘Teravainev,’ we’re going to call them.”
In the third, rookie defenseman Nolan Allan scored his first NHL goal on a hesitation rooftop strike.
As big of a milestone as that is for him, he helped the Hawks get a huge monkey off their back: For the first time since late February 2023, the Hawks won three straight games.
“Well, it should be good, right?” interim coach Anders Sorensen replied when asked about the psychological effect on the team. “It should be a good building block for the group.
“You should feel good tonight, and then let’s get back at it (at practice) tomorrow. But it was a big step for the group, (a) young group.”
The last time Hawks completed a three-game winning streak (before going on to win five straight) was Feb. 21, 2023, against the Vegas Golden Knights.
To put the stretch of futility into perspective, only five Hawks who played in that game remain on the roster: Jason Dickinson, Philipp Kurashev, Connor Murphy, Petr Mrázek and Seth Jones.
“I think it’s the first one since I’ve been here,” Foligno said, which is true. “It’s a good feeling. It’s a credit to the guys and believing in what we’re trying to do here and knowing there’s more to give and expecting more of ourselves.
“I think we’re excited (about) the direction we’re going with Anders here, and he’s done a great job of coming in and solidifying some things. … Guys are realizing it’s not just always on the score sheet. What you’re doing to negate plays, it’s making a big difference in our team game right now.”
