Today’s News Clips Dec. 13, 2016

Chicago Tribune

Emergency goalie Eric Semborski on his stint with the Blackhawks: 'It still doesn't seem real'

Chris Hine Dec. 12, 2016

This time, Eric Semborski didn't have to bring his goalie equipment.

Semborski's second Blackhawks game of the season was much different than his first. He watched Sunday's 3-1 win against the Stars from a suite instead of on the bench. Instead of dealing with the anxiety of possibly minding the net in an NHL game, he relaxed with his wife, Kaitlyn, while enjoying food and drinks and soaking in the adoration of Hawks fans after he was shown on the video board.

The Hawks welcomed Semborski to the a week after Semborski, a 23-year-old native of Bloomsburg, Pa., became the team's emergency backup prior to their 3-1 loss to the Flyers on Dec. 3.

That was the day had an appendectomy and Semborski got the unlikely call that he will remember the rest of his life. He signed an amateur tryout agreement and made no money, officially, to be the Hawks' backup under the NHL's quirky emergency goaltender rules.

"I'll let you know when I'm done (processing it)," Semborski said Sunday. "It took awhile. It still doesn't seem real. I'm just grateful. Every day I think I'm more grateful that I had the chance, because everything had to have happened perfectly for me to actually get that call to go and be a part of it."

Semborski got another call from someone on the Hawks this week. This time it was , who invited Semborski to Sunday's game on behalf of the Hawks.

"It was pretty funny," Darling said. "He was like, 'Really? Who is this?' And I said, 'Your old goalie partner.'"

The last week has been hectic for Semborski, who last played club hockey at Temple. He estimated he has done more than 20 interviews with media in and and has become a celebrity at his job, which is to help run hockey leagues at the complex where the Flyers practice.

"It has been different," Semborski said. "It's cool, I'm taking pictures with people that ask. Kids are asking me about it, a lot of them are not believing me. I'm getting some fan mail, which is weird. That's never happened before in my life."

Apparently, diligent Hawks fans are sending Semborski requests for autographs, but they at least have the courtesy to include the return envelope, Semborski said.

Semborski wasn't sure if he was going to make it Sunday, given the forecast for snow. But he beat the bad weather into Chicago and was planning to leave Monday. He toured the Hawks locker room, where he had a chat with coach before the game.

"It's just like you think it would be. It's awesome. It's unreal," Semborski said.

The Hawks presented Semborski with a goalie stick signed by the team, a memento he said will go up on a wall alongside the jersey he wore last week.

Semborski is a lifelong Flyers fan and said that won't change, but he added: "I have a team in the West now. I'm going to be a Chicago fan the rest of my life now too."

For now, Semborski's life has been turned upside down. Soon enough, the hoopla will die down and he will resume his normal life, but last week's memories and the stories he can tell will last a lifetime.

"I'm just really lucky," Semborski said. "And every day I realize more that I'm really lucky."

Chicago Tribune

Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook travel with Blackhawks for 3-game road trip

Chris Hine Dec. 13, 2016

The Blackhawks got good news Monday as Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook both traveled with the team for a three- game road trip beginning Tuesday against the Rangers.

Toews has missed nine consecutive games because of a back injury but was able to practice Sunday. Seabrook, who suffered an apparent head injury Tuesday, practiced for the second consecutive day Sunday. He has missed the last two games.

"Hopefully I'm ready to roll in New York and I'll try to get back in the lineup and help these guys out," Seabrook said.

Goaltender Corey Crawford is still recovering from his appendectomy. He is a little more than one week into a two-to- three week recovery timetable.

Toews and Seabrook making the trip does not guarantee they will be healthy in time to play Tuesday. Seabrook appears closer to playing than Toews, but Toews' ability to practice Sunday was encouraging.

Without Toews in the lineup, the Hawks have earned 14 of a possible 18 points.

"The guys are doing what they have to do to win the tight ones," Toews said. "It's always been another one of those great qualities about our team is that we can play without our top guys and not miss a beat."

Solid defense: On Friday against the Rangers, the Blackhawks earned a point in a 1-0 overtime loss because Scott Darling had a stellar game in net.

On Sunday, the Hawks allowed just one in their 3-1 victory over the Stars, and while Darling had another solid game in net, the Hawks played perhaps one of their best defensive efforts of the season. When they lead after two periods, as they did 2-1 on Sunday, they have been unbeatable. The Hawks are 12-0-0 when carrying a lead into the third period this season.

"I think we've been all right," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We haven't had as many leads as we've had in the past, but I think we've done some good things with how we've been checking and how we've been playing without the puck."

The Hawks had another slow start Sunday and allowed the Stars to have six high-danger scoring chances during five-on- five play in the first period, according to naturalstattrick.com. But after the Hawks got the lead in the second period, their defensive game was on point. They allowed just one high-danger chance in the third period.

"It's a tough league to try to manufacture when you have to force and create and take chances," Quenneville said. "It's much easier to defend and be in the right areas and counterpunch off of that."

Chicago Sun-Times

Tantalizing but troubling Richard Panik still seeking consistency

Mark Lazerus Dec. 13, 2016

At his best, he’s a menace around the net, a sturdy body who can throw his weight around on the forecheck, jar pucks loose and pounce on rebounds in the goalmouth. When he scores, he scores in bunches, and looks like a guy capable of playing top-line minutes and producing at top-line levels.

At his worst, he can disappear for long stretches — periods, games, weeks at a time. He hesitates to use his big shot, lays off on the forecheck, coasts in the defensive zone.

When he’s on, he’s on fire. When he’s off, he’s off the map.

He’s Richard Panik, and he’s starting to look like the new Bryan Bickell — a tantalizing, teasing player of great promise, but troubling inconsistency.

“He’s one of those players that, if he’s consistent for 82 games, he’s at a different level,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “We’ve seen him dominate puck areas. We’ve seen him with speed off the rush. We’ve seen him take the puck to the net. When he’s physical, he’s more of a presence on the ice and has the puck a lot more. So he’s capable of doing it, and I think bringing that for 82 games is tough for anybody. But we’d like to see more consistency in his game.”

That’s always been the knock on Panik. It’s why coach Mike Babcock apparently didn’t deem him worthy of the Maple Leafs’ rebuild, and why the Hawks got him for just career minor-leaguer Jeremy Morin. But the swings have been wilder than ever this season.

Six games into the season, Panik led the NHL with six goals, including a hat trick in the third game of the season against Nashville. He had nine points through eight games and appeared to be the answer to the Hawks’ long-standing question at left wing on Jonathan Toews’ line.

Then Panik went 17 games without a goal. He has just one goal in his last 24 games, with just assists.

Even Panik knew the start was something of a fluke. But he believes the real Panik lies somewhere between that amazing start and the prolonged drought.

“I know it’s not going to be like that beginning all season long,” he said. “If you could do that it would be nice, but it’s not going to happen. You’re going to have some ups and downs in certain games. But it can’t be 10 games bad, one game good. I have to eliminate that. I have to level it off more.”

Even without the production, Panik has been better of late. A few games playing with Dennis Rasmussen and Marcus Kruger seemed to spark him, and he’s been showing off his skill more often — a nifty move on a breakaway against Florida, a brilliant bit of forechecking to directly set up a Rasmussen goal against Arizona, a couple of slick dangles to create scoring chances against the Rangers, a deft skate-to-stick reception of an off-target pass to get a scoring chance against Dallas.

On top of that, he’s basically the only Hawks forward who throws body checks. It’s a squirrelly, inconsistently tabulated stat, but Panik leads the Hawks with 64 hits through 30 games. No other Hawks forward has more than 44, and only defenseman Michal Rozsival averages more hits per game than Panik’s 2.1. And Panik isn’t hitting for the sake of hitting — his hits tend to come in the offensive zone, in an effort to regain control of the puck.

“We don’t have a lot of guys that are that type,” Quenneville said. “So we don’t mind him bringing that game in, game out.”

And that’s the trick — doing it every night. Panik has shown he has all the tools to be an above-average, perhaps even dominant player in the NHL. But he has yet to show he can do it on a regular basis, for an extended period of time. If he can start doing that, in the words of Toews, “Look out.”

“I need to focus on getting involved in the game, using my body more,” Panik said. “That’s what I wasn’t doing when I had that slump. It’s those details, the small things. I can go to the net more, too, you know? I need to do those things every night. I feel good right now, and I want to keep it like this for as long as I can.”

NOTE: Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook made the trip to New York on Monday. Toews has missed nine straight games with a back injury, while Seabrook has sat out the last two games.

Daily Herald

Blackhawks' Hartman headed in the right direction

John Dietz Dec. 12, 2016

In Ryan Hartman's second game with the Rockford IceHogs last season, the winger was whistled for a whopping 5 penalties.

Roughing. Goaltender interference. Slashing. Boarding. Unsportsmanlike conduct.

By the final infractions, the penalty-box ref must have said, "Welcome back, Mr. Hartman. Your seat's still warm."

Hartman's always been gritty, but playing stupid, reckless hockey is no way for a youngster to find his way to the NHL, no matter how much talent he possesses.

Hartman finally realized this and transformed his game in a rather unorthodox way -- by reading.

"I read a book called 'Mind Gym,'" said Hartman, who is enjoying a solid rookie season with the Blackhawks. "It talks a lot about letting go. There's some reference to mental skills stuff where if something happens that's not in your favor, take three or four seconds before you let it go. It's in the past and you don't think about it any more."

And while reading 'Mind Gym' certainly helped, Hartman also credited IceHogs Ted Dent for changing the way he plays.

"My message to him was if you're going to play for Joel (Quenneville) and Chicago, they don't take penalties," Dent said in a phone interview Monday. "I gave him a lot of rope when he was here.

"I think only one time last year, he missed a few shifts. I sat him out ... in Chicago against the Wolves just to finally say, 'OK -- enough is enough. You've got to figure this out, not only for us in Rockford but for your future.' "

After racking up 249 penalty minutes the last two years in the AHL, Hartman has been in the box -- are you ready for this? -- just twice in 25 games with the Blackhawks. The amazing thing about that fact is Hartman is still crunching opponents every single night, and playing with an edge that Hawks fans always appreciate.

"It's just mental discipline," Dent said. "He can still finish checks and be physical. It's just that those lazy stick penalties mostly were the ones he was getting with us, and those are correctable.

"He just put his mind to it, and it's great to see."

Many of us thought the Hawks would miss Andrew Shaw dearly after he was traded to Montreal in the off-season, but that hasn't been the case thanks to Hartman's emergence. While Shaw is having a solid season with the Canadiens (6 goals, 9 assists), he's also second in the league with 58 penalty minutes (41 of which came in three games).

Hartman, meanwhile, has 5 goals, 3 assists, 4 penalty minutes … and he comes with a salary-cap-friendly price tag of just $925,000. Shaw, meanwhile, will count $3.9 million against the cap for six years.

Hartman had one of his best games of the season Sunday and said recently that he still feels like a rookie but "a more comfortable rookie, for sure." The former first-round pick is now rooming with Vinnie Hinostroza in a downtown apartment and also rooms with Hinostroza on the road.

Hartman had a blast on the Hawks' circus trip in November, bonding with players he normally doesn't see away from the rink in Chicago. One such outing included playing golf in San Jose with Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Nick Schmaltz. (Kane and Schmaltz won, by the way, with Schmaltz shooting a sparkling 83).

On the ice, Quenneville has given Hartman more responsibility with a second-line role because of Jonathan Toews' upper-body injury. He's responded well playing with veterans Marcus Kruger and Marian Hossa, and he set Hossa up for the Hawks' first goal against the Stars.

Hartman also set up the second goal when he stormed out of the penalty box, put a shot on Kari Lehtonen and watched as Artem Anisimov scored when a clearing attempt bounced off him and into the net.

"Hartsy's working hard," Hossa said. "He's a strong guy and you can see it on the second goal, when he outpowered the opponent. That's how Arty scored, so great job on that.

"He's not afraid going to the hard areas and I think he's just getting better."

The Athletic

Blackhawks year in review: Changing with the times

Scott Powers Dec. 13, 2016

Oh, what some past teams would have given just to make the Playoffs.

We all know times have changed.

The Blackhawks began altering expectations by reaching the Western Conference Final in 2009 and have held the bar there ever since. So when the Blackhawks fell quite short of that mark with a first-round exit to the St. Louis Blues during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, there was disappointment felt throughout Chicago. Blackhawks fans had to find something else do in May besides watch the Blackhawks for just the third time in eight years.

How the 2015-16 season ended for the Blackhawks wasn’t a complete shock, though. The season had been full of ups and downs, and the Blackhawks just never seemed to completely click as a team.

Even when the Blackhawks strung together double-digit consecutive wins in January, most people could see the team had some holes. It was a team that often relied heavily on one line. Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman wasn’t blind to it either, as he was on the phone constantly trying to improve the team. He made eight in-season deals of varying importance, and the Blackhawks were even busier sending players back and forth from Rockford.

Bowman’s aggressiveness can’t be questioned. He dealt draft picks and prospects in pursuit of another Stanley Cup. In the end, all of his acquisitions, which included Andrew Ladd, Tomas Fleischmann and Dale Weise, just couldn’t put the Blackhawks over the top as they had in past seasons.

The Blackhawks lacked team success last season, but some individuals did experience some. Patrick Kane put together his best NHL season in nine years and finished atop the league with 106 points. He was dominant from start to finish, and voters noticed as he was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league’s MVP.

Artemi Panarin also took home a trophy from the 2016 NHL Awards in June. After finishing in the top 10 in points, Panarin was awarded the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie. He also received $2.575 million in bonuses by hitting performance bonuses in his contract.

Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford wasn’t voted a Vezina Trophy finalist by the league’s general managers, who still look at victories more than anything, but Crawford was deserving and arguably put together his best all-around season.

While the Blackhawks would have preferred to continue playing past the first round in 2016, they did quickly spin the positive of a long offseason. Since returning from the NHL lockout in 2013, the Blackhawks’ core had played a lot of hockey, which included the regular season, deep playoff runs and the Olympics. They welcomed some time off, and some players, especially Marian Hossa, are reaping the benefits of a longer offseason.

As has become a trend in recent years, the Blackhawks also had to say goodbye to some of their players in the summer due to salary cap constraints. Andrew Shaw was dealt to the , and Bryan Bickell and Teuvo Teravainen were traded to the . Shaw and Teravainen especially were projected to be in the Blackhawks’ long-term plans. The Blackhawks could put together a quality team with just their cap casualties of recent years.

With those players and other departures, the Blackhawks had more roster openings than usual at the start of their 2016 training camp. It was a good time to be an up-and-coming prospect in the system. The Blackhawks welcomed six first- year NHL players to their lineup in the season opener.

The Blackhawks were prepared for some rocky times with so many newcomers early in the season, but that hasn’t played out on the ice. The Blackhawks may have pulled a points out of their hat early in the season, but the results have added up. They’ve been at the top or near the top of the league for the first few months of the season.

That early success should deliver some optimism that the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs will end differently for the Blackhawks than they did last season.

Looking ahead

Will 2017 bring the Chicago Blackhawks another Stanley Cup?

“Unlikely” would have been the answer at the beginning of this season a few months ago.

Today, the answer is “possibly.”

What was difficult to gauge in October, but is clearer now, is how the Blackhawks would improve this season. On paper, last season’s roster wasn’t altered a whole lot. The argument could have even been made that the Blackhawks had actually gotten worse in the offseason by trading away Shaw and Teravainen and not bringing in any proven players to replace them.

And there were plenty of questions at the season’s commencement: Where would the depth scoring come from? How much would Kane and Panarin have to be relied on? Could Corey Crawford maintain his elite level? Was Hossa best suited to play on a checking line the remainder of his career? Could the Blackhawks actually win with so many newcomers in their lineup?

Those uncertainties have become a little clearer in the past few months. Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Richard Panik are first, third and fifth in goals. Kane and Panarin have been consistently good, but haven’t needed to be consistently great. Crawford is second in the league in 5-on-5 save percentage, and Scott Darling has been nearly as stellar in his recent absence. Hossa has obliterated any doubts about his level of play. And as for the first-year players, they’re getting by, and that’s better than expected.

Even with their 18-8-4 record, the Blackhawks aren’t as superior right now as they were in any of their recent Stanley Cup seasons. But it may not matter if they don’t reach that level. The Blackhawks aren’t the absolute best team in the Western Conference, but they’re one of the best. The Eastern Conference appears to be the stronger conference season, so the Blackhawks would have to face just one of those teams if they found their way to the Stanley Cup Final. What’s important now to the Blackhawks is they’re on track to easily make the playoffs.

The biggest reason for optimism with the Blackhawks in 2017 is they have room to get better. Jonathan Toews will return soon and will be looking to improve on his early-season numbers. Kane can produce more. The power play and penalty kill are works in progress. And then, there are the all the first-year players who should be more comfortable and more consistent as the season progresses. If Nick Schmaltz can figure some things out in the AHL, his NHL return could bolster the offense.

Aside from whether the Blackhawks will have what it takes to make another Stanley Cup run, how their roster changes or remains the same will also be interesting to watch in 2017. Panarin is set to become a restricted free agent and wants to get paid. Can the Blackhawks afford him or will he be another cap casualty like Brandon Saad, Nick Leddy, Shaw, and others in recent years? Will Darling depart for a chance to be a No. 1 somewhere? Who will the Blackhawks lose in the expansion draft?

Finally, Chicago will be a hockey town in 2017. The United Center will host the NCAA’s Frozen Four in April and the NHL Draft in June. Of course, there’s always the possibility of a parade in June as well.

The Athletic

Hockey roots: Richard Panik decided against judo career

Scott Powers Dec. 12, 2016

Richard Panik had to choose as a teenager whether he wanted to pursue a future in hockey or judo.

Yes, judo.

Panik had gotten into judo at a young age and showed promise growing up in Slovakia. He had worked his way up to an orange belt and won some competitions.

“In my region, it was pretty big,” Panik said. “My dad knew the guy who ran it, who was the coach there, so he put me there. I think it helped me a lot with coordination and stuff like that, so that was good. I was a four-time champion in Slovakia.”

Panik tried a lot of sports as a kid in Martin, Slovakia, but he actually stayed away from hockey. His father had preferred he wait until he was older to play the game.

One day in fourth grade, Panik was playing basketball with his classmates, and Frantisek Mrukvia, a hockey coach, noticed how athletic Panik was. The rest is history.

“He saw us playing basketball and after class he was asked me if I wanted to try to play hockey,” Panik said. “I said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to ask my parents first.’ That’s how I started.”

A decade ago, just before the Blackhawks turned their franchise around, Panik had to choose between the sports.

“There was a point of time when I was 15 I had to decide,” said Panik, who is now 25. “Because they wanted me to go to the Czech Republic to play hockey, so I had to pretty much decide if I wanted to stick with hockey or the judo. I was like hockey, for sure. As soon as I started playing hockey, I liked the sport. It kind of became my favorite sport.”

Panik, of course, made the right decision. There’s a bit more money in professional hockey. He played three years in the Czech Republic and was drafted in the second round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009. He was traded to the Blackhawks last season and has seven goals and five assists in 30 games this season.

Panik has felt indebted to the coach who discovered him.

“Even a couple years ago, I went to visit him and I just said, ‘ Thank you. I appreciated it,'” Panik said. “He was so humbled about it.”

The Athletic

Blackhawks prospect watch: Freddy Olofsson turning season around

Scott Powers Dec. 12, 2016

Here’ a look at how some of the Chicago Blackhawks’ prospects are doing around the world:

Freddy Olofsson, Nebraska Omaha (NCAA), forward, fourth round 2014 – Olofsson, 20, has been a different player since recently returning from an injury. After missing four games, Olofsson, a sophomore, has gone on a four-game point streak and has scored a goal in three of the last four games. He had a goal in each of Omaha’s games against St. Cloud State this past weekend. He has four goals and three assists in 13 games this season.

Nathan Noel, Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL), forward, fourth round 2016 – Noel, 19, is expected to miss at least 3-4 weeks with an upper-body injury. He last played on Dec. 7. He has 14 goals and 13 assists in 27 games this season.

Nick Schmaltz, Rockford IceHogs (AHL), forward, first round 2014 – Schmaltz, 20, scored two goals in his AHL debut on Wednesday. He also had an assist on Saturday. He has two goals and one assist in three games since joining the IceHogs.

Artur Kayumov, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL), forward, 2nd round 2015 – Kayumov, 18, recently suffered an injury. He is considered week to week and should be back by Jan. 1, according to a source. He has seven goals and nine assists in 31 games this season.

Alex DeBrincat, Erie Otters (OHL), forward, second round 2016 – DeBrincat, 18, extended his point streak to 10 games on Saturday. He has 20 points during his streak. He has 30 goals and 30 assists in 28 games this season. He’s leads the OHL in goals and is second in points.

John Hayden, Yale (NCAA), forward, third round 2013 — Hayden, 21, had his most productive game of the season on Friday as he had two goals and two assists in Yale’s 7-3 win over Rensselaer. Hayden, a senior, has nine goals and six assists in 11 games this season. He’s fourth in the nation at 0.82 goals per game.

Anthony Louis, Miami Ohio (NCAA), forward, sixth round 2013 – Louis, 21, had a point in each of Miami Ohio’s games last weekend. He had a goal against Colorado College on Friday and an assist on Saturday. Louis, a senior, has registered a point in 13 of 17 games this season. He has 10 goals and 10 assists on the year.

Luc Snuggerud, Nebraska Omaha (NCAA), defenseman, fifth round 2014 — Snuggerud, 20, had his point streak snapped at four games on Saturday. Snuggerud, a junior, had five assists during the streak. He has six goals and 10 assists in 18 games this season.

Mark McNeill, Rockford IceHogs (AHL), forward, first round 2011 – McNeil, 23, had two primary assists for the IceHogs on Saturday. He has four goals and 11 assists in 25 games this season.

Graham Knott, Windsor Spitfires (OHL), forward, second round 2015 – Knott, 19, had two goals against the Barrie Colts on Thursday. It was his first multi-goal game of the season. He has eight goals and 18 assists in 25 games this season.

Luke Johnson, Rockford IceHogs (AHL), forward, fifth round 2013 – Johnson, 22, scored his first professional goal on Friday. He also had an assist in the game. He has one goal and four assists in 23 games this season.

Radovan Bondra, Vancouver Giants (WHL), forward, fifth round 2015 – Bondra, 19, scored his 18th goal of the season on Friday. He has scored goals in 14 of 29 games this season. He has 18 goals and 11 assists in 29 games.

John Dahlstrom, Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), forward, seventh round 2015 – Dahlstrom, 19, scored a goal for the Tigers on Saturday. He has 16 goals and 15 assists in 31 games this season.

Cameron Schilling, Rockford IceHogs (AHL), defenseman, free agent 2015 – Schilling, 28, has recorded points in five of the last eight games. He has six goals and five assists in 25 games this season.

ChicagoBlackhawks.com

Blackhawks, Rangers clash for second time in 5 days

Emerald Gao Dec. 12, 2016

The Blackhawks will face the for the second time in five days-and final time this season-on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers won the first meeting 1-0 in overtime last Friday courtesy of a Nick Holden goal, and have now stretched their win streak to three games after dispatching New Jersey 5-0 on Sunday and their streak to two outings.

Special teams were a big reason for New York's success against the Devils, as they scored twice on the power play and once shorthanded, while five different players lit the lamp, underlining the offensive depth and all-situation abilities of the roster.

The Blackhawks wrapped up their homestand on Sunday, defeating the Dallas Stars 3-1 while allowing just 24 shots on goal. Limiting opponents' scoring opportunities has been a big focus for the team, especially with so many important players still sidelined, and Sunday's effort was indicative of that.

"I thought we did some good things technically, defensively," Head Coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. "We managed the puck a little bit better and obviously scored some timely goals as well.... I don't think we gave up much tonight, and that's why we've been having success here."

MORNING SKATE UPDATE: The Blackhawks will get both Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook back tonight. Toews has missed nine games, while Seabrook sat out two games with injury.

H SQUARED While the Blackhawks have tried to tighten things up as a group, they've gotten big contributions on the offensive side of the puck from a few individuals. The de facto top line of Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane have been reliable on that front, but the new-look second line has been equally important. Marian Hossa scored his 15th goal of the season on Sunday, giving him three goals in his last three outings, and he's seemingly found chemistry with rookie Ryan Hartman. The 2013 first-round pick has assisted on two of Hossa's goals in the last week, and he also did most of the legwork in setting up Anisimov's eventual game-winner against Dallas after exiting the penalty box. Hartman led the team with 4 SOG on Sunday and shares 12th among league rookies with 54 SOG, while his 2.16 SOG/game rate ranks eighth.

NET GAINS has been in net for each of New York's last three wins, stopping a total of 62 of 63 shots and securing two straight blank sheets, and for his efforts he was named the NHL's Second Star for last week. The former Blackhawk has temporarily taken over starter duties for the Rangers, allowing to work on his form, which has not been as consistent as the team is accustomed to. Raanta has allowed two or fewer goals in 10 of his 11 appearances this season, and Chicago learned firsthand how difficult it can be to score against the athletic netminder, who shut down the Blackhawks' best efforts with 26 saves on Friday.

Chicago has also gotten superb goaltending from their backup, as Scott Darling has filled in admirably since Dec. 3. In the five consecutive starts he's made in Corey Crawford's absence, Darling has allowed just seven goals on 145 shots for a .952 save percentage and 1.41 goals-against average, posting a 2-2-1 record over that span. He made a season-high 36 saves against the Rangers last Friday and followed up with a 23-save performance on Sunday against Dallas, improving his record to 6-2-2 this season.

KREIDER ME A RIVER Left wing Chris Kreider became the fourth Rangers player to hit the 20-point mark after posting a goal and an assist on Sunday against New Jersey; he opened the scoring with the eventual game-winner and followed up with an assist on a power-play tally by Brandon Pirri. The 25-year-old now has seven points (4G, 3A) and 16 shots on goal in his last six games, and ranks fourth on the team in points and fifth with 63 SOG. In the continued absence of Rick Nash, who is still day-to-day with a groin injury, he's been skating on the Rangers' top line alongside and Mats Zuccarello, who have contributed 21 points and 19 points so far this season, respectively.

NOTABLE ABSENCES CHI: Corey Crawford (appendix) NYR: Rick Nash (groin, day-to-day), Mika Zibanejad (leg), Pavel Buchnevich (back), Matt Puempel (concussion), Ryan McDonagh (illness)

LINES

Hartman -- Toews -- Hossa Panarin -- Anisimov -- Kane Rasmussen -- Kruger -- Panik Desjardins -- Hinostroza -- Motte

Keith -- Hjalmarsson Campbell -- Seabrook Forsling -- van Riemsdyk

Darling Johansson

ChicagoBlackhawks.com

Prospect Report: Hayden notches 4-point game for Yale

Emerald Gao Dec. 12, 2016

1st Star: C John Hayden, Yale University (ECAC) The Line: 2GP, 2G, 2A

Hayden was the star of the show for Yale last Friday, tallying two goals and two assists in a big 7-3 win over RPI. The 2013 third-round pick notched three of his points in the first period, netting his eighth and ninth goals of the season. Hayden continues to lead the Bulldogs with nine goals and shares the team lead with 15 points in 11 games this year.

2nd Star: C Nick Schmaltz, Rockford IceHogs (AHL) The Line: 3GP, 2G, 1A

Schmaltz made his debut last week and had no trouble finding the scoresheet, tallying both of Rockford's goals in their 3-2 overtime loss to San Antonio last Wednesday. He then assisted on the team's lone goal in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Texas Stars on Saturday. Schmaltz has recorded 11 shots on goal through three games with Rockford, and he has seven points split between the NHL and AHL this season.

3rd Star: RW Alex DeBrincat, Erie Otters (OHL) The Line: 2GP, 2G, 2A

DeBrincat stretched his point streak to eight games with a couple of multi-point outings last week. The 2016 second- round pick notched a goal and an assist in a 6-1 win over Niagara last Wednesday and repeated that output in a 3-2 win over Sault Ste Marie on Saturday. DeBrincat ranks second on the team as well as in the entire Hockey League with 60 points (30G, 30A) in 28 games this season.

Around the system:

In Western Hockey League action, Radovan Bondra tallied his team-leading 18th goal of the season in Vancouver's 5-4 loss to Everett last Friday ... John Dahlstrom tallied the game-winner for Medicine Hat in a 7-4 win over Calgary on Saturday and now has 16 goals this season, third among WHL rookies ... In the OHL, Graham Knott scored twice for Windsor in a 3-0 win over Barrie on Thursday and added an assist in another 3-0 win over North Bay; the 2014 second- round pick has nine points in 11 games with the Spitfires this season.

Dylan Sikura picked up a goal and an assist in Northeastern's 5-3 loss to Boston College last Tuesday. The junior forward now has 12 points (6G, 6A) over his last five outings and shares first on the team with 25 points in 15 games this season ... Miami of Ohio senior Anthony Louis notched a goal and an assist over the weekend against Colorado College. He contributed the lone goal during regulation and provided a shootout tally in a 1-1 tie on Friday, before collecting a helper in a 3-2 win the next night; he leads the team with 20 points in 17 games ... Fredrik Olofsson tallied his third and fourth goals of the season for Nebraska-Omaha as they split a weekend set at St. Cloud State.

Defenseman Chad Krys posted his second helper of the season in Boston University's 4-2 loss at Vermont on Friday; he has three points in 16 games during his freshman campaign ... Fellow first-year blueliner Jake Massie notched an assist for Vermont in Friday's victory for his second point of the season.

Spencer Abbott picked up a goal and an assist in three games for Rockford last week, including the lone goal in Saturday's 2-1 shootout loss to Texas. He shares the team lead with six goals and 15 points in 24 games this year ... Tanner Kero assisted on both goals for the IceHogs in their 3-2 overtime loss to San Antonio on Wednesday ... Mark McNeill collected a pair of helpers in Rockford's 8-4 loss at Texas on Friday. He and Kero share the team lead with 11 assists and 15 points each ... Rookie Luke Johnson scored his first professional goal and added an assist on Friday against Texas.

Defenseman Cameron Schilling tallied a goal and an assist on Friday in Texas and added a helper the next night against the Stars. He leads team blueliners and ranks fourth on the IceHogs with 11 points in 25 games this season ... Robin Norell scored his first AHL goal in Friday's loss and now has three points in 18 games this year.

NHL.com

We need backup! Tales of emergency goalies in NHL

Dan O’Leary Dec. 12, 2016

Eric Semborski recently joined an exclusive, and often terrified, club.

He became a member of the NHL EBUG unit.

The EBUG, emergency backup goaltender, is not someone teams ever really want to call on, but sometimes it's the one person they desperately need and can employ under NHL rule 5.3.

When the Chicago Blackhawks learned No. 1 goalie Corey Crawford needed an emergency appendectomy before their game at the on Dec. 3, they were scrambling for a goaltender to back up Scott Darling.

Enter Semborski, a 23-year-old youth hockey coach who last played for the Temple University club team in December 2015. On his father's 58th birthday, Semborski got the emergency call from the Blackhawks and was in uniform 30 minutes before the 1 p.m. ET start time. The Blackhawks didn't have time to get him a jersey, so they sewed his nameplate on top of Crawford's No. 50 jersey.

"I was at the rink in Voorhees coaching … and I walked off the ice and started talking to someone with the Flyers who started asking me, 'Where'd you play hockey?' and, 'What's your playing history?'" Semborski said. "I didn't even know what he was getting at, and then I asked, 'Why are you asking me this?' Then he said, 'Oh, Chicago needs a goalie,' and I just lost it. So he said, 'Go home, get your stuff, and if they're going to use you, they'll call you.' I left right away and 10 minutes later I got a call."

Semborski sat on the bench for all three periods of the Blackhawks' 3-1 loss to the Flyers. The Blackhawks pulled Darling for an extra attacker with 1:31 left in the third period, and Semborski said Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville told him that if the Flyers had scored an empty-net goal, he would have gone in to play the remainder of the game.

Although Semborski didn't get any money for his day as their emergency goalie, the Blackhawks rewarded him and his wife with a trip to Chicago, and the Blackhawks honored him during their game against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

"I can't thank this organization enough for having me out here and just giving me the opportunity to bring my wife and see them at home," he said. "It was pretty cool."

Semborski's story is not a common one, but it's also not unique. Injury, illness or any type of extenuating circumstance before or during a game have caused NHL teams to scramble for a goalie, especially when there is no minor league option available. Here are some recent examples:

Paul Deutsch, , Nov. 23, 2011

Paul Deutsch was a 51-year-old recreation league goalie when he got the call to be an EBUG. He never had played a game at any level as a goalie until he was in his late 30s.

Deutsch said he had last played organized hockey in 1978.

"Minneapolis Roosevelt Junior Varsity. Defenseman. 1978," said Deutsch during a media session he was surprised he needed to be available for at an NHL game. "I started [playing goalie] when I was 37 years old. Not very long. You know what? When you play senior men's hockey and you show up to the rink and there is no goalie, there is no game. So that's how I started playing."

That didn't stop the Wild from pursuing Deutsch when starter Niklas Backstrom's wife went into labor before a game against the , making Josh Harding the starter.

Paul Deutsch of the Minnesota Wild.

The Wild were trying to fly in Matt Hackett, who was playing for their American Hockey League affiliate in Houston, but since the game was the night before Thanksgiving, the Wild were unsure if Hackett could get there.

Former four-time NHL all-star Mike Ramsey, an assistant coach with the Wild, was friends with Deutsch in high school, so he put in a call to Deutsch's St. Paul-based screen printing business. Deutsch arrived in time for warmups, but Hackett arrived in time for the game, and Deutsch was relieved of his duties.

Robb Tallas, , March 3, 2013 and 2015

Robbie Tallas played 99 NHL games (28-42-10 record) from 1995-2001 but almost got into a game twice with the Florida Panthers since being hired as their goaltending coach in 2009.

The first time Tallas was pressed into duty, an airline was to blame.

Starter Jose Theodore was out because of an injured groin muscle, so the Panthers turned to regular backup Scott Clemmensen and called up prospect Jacob Markstrom to serve as the backup against the Carolina Hurricanes on March 3, 2013. Markstrom made it to the game, but his equipment bag went somewhere else.

Tallas participated in warmups, and Markstrom's equipment arrived at the arena sometime during the first period.

Tallas' more recent adventures in emergency goaltending came on the same day two years later. Starter Roberto Luongo and backup Al Montoya were injured in the same game, and Panthers center Derek MacKenzie was sent to the locker room to dress as an emergency goalie. A skater hasn't appeared in goal since 1960, when Jerry Toppazzini went from right wing to goalie for the to replace Don Simmons for the final 30 seconds of a game at the Chicago Blackhawks.

But the Panthers decided to dress Tallas, then 42 years old and retired for 14 years. In the end, neither Tallas nor MacKenzie got between the pipes. Luongo, who had changed into his street clothes following a medical examination, put his uniform back on when Montoya was injured and finished the game.

"I joked that the first guy walked off, the second guy limped off, the third guy would have been carried off," Tallas said.

SUNRISE, FL - MARCH 3: Goaltending Coach Robb Tallas of the Florida Panthers stands in the hallway dressed for back up after both went down against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the BB&T Center on March 3, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

Rob Laurie, , Jan. 5, 2014

Rob Laurie, who spent 10 seasons playing in the minor leagues, mostly the ECHL, had taken to playing roller hockey. He had been an emergency backup for the once during the 2012-13 season but did not see any ice time.

He got closer this time around.

The Canucks needed an emergency goalie after Luongo was injured, with their AHL affiliate in not-so-nearby Utica, New York, a mere 2,700 miles away. Laurie, 43, agreed to back up Eddie Lack in a game against, of course, the Ducks.

Near the end of the second period, Lack was bowled over in the crease by Ducks forward Kyle Palmieri. With Lack down on the ice, the camera quickly focused on Laurie, his nerves on full display.

"I knew the cameras would be on me too, so I tried to act calm," Laurie said.

His deliberate gum-chomping gave him away, however.

Lack was OK, and Laurie never got in the game. But if Lack couldn't play anymore, who would have been Laurie's backup? The answer was in the training room.

Dave Zarn, assistant athletic trainer, had suited up for practices with the Canucks on a semi-regular basis and his goalie gear traveled with the team all last season. Zarn has yet to appear on the ice during a game.

Rob Laurie of the Vancouver Canucks.

Dwayne Roloson, Anaheim Ducks, Nov. 2, 2014

Already missing starter Frederik Andersen, Ducks rookie backup John Gibson was injured during warmups for a game against the . That left Jason LaBarbera as Anaheim's lone healthy goalie.

The Ducks goaltending coach at the time was Dwayne Roloson, who played 15 seasons in the NHL and in the 2004 NHL All-Star Game, but he didn't need to dust off his gear this time.

Arturs Irbe, Buffalo Sabres, Nov. 18, 2014

When was injured in the first period, backup Jhonas Enroth entered the game. Arturs Irbe, the Sabres' 47-year-old goaltending coach, padded up as the contingency plan despite not having played in 10 years.

The Sabres, coincidentally, were playing the San Jose Sharks, who Irbe represented in the 1994 NHL All-Star Game.

In perhaps an even more amazing coincidence, Hackett, the goalie who replaced Deutsch in Minnesota in 2011, was on hand for the game and tweeted a picture of Irbe heading to the bench. Hackett was with the Sabres at the time but was injured.

Nathan Schoenfeld, , Feb. 15, 2016

When Anders Lindback was injured during warmups for a game against the Montreal Canadiens, the Coyotes went searching for an EBUG for . Head equipment manager Stan Wilson knew just the guy; his son-in-law, 31- year-old rec player Nathan Schoenfeld.

Schoenfeld is the son of Jim Schoenfeld, the assistant general manager of the New York Rangers and former Coyotes coach. Nathan got the call five weeks after his wife gave birth to twins. In fact, he was giving his newborn twins a bath when Wilson sent him a text message. Next he called his mother-in-law, asking if she could help out with the babies, quelling the fears of his stunned wife.

"She said, 'You're leaving me now, with the twins?' And I said, 'I'll call your mom, she can come and help,'" said Schoenfeld.

"This was incredible," Schoenfeld said after the Coyotes' 6-2 win against the Canadiens. "It's going to take a little while for it to soak in that this all really happened. Five weeks ago, my wife delivered twin boys, and tonight I'm on the bench as the backup goalie in an NHL game. Pretty good year so far."

Matt Hewitt, Vancouver Canucks, Oct. 18, 2016

Semborski's story was great, but it wasn't even the first time this season an EBUG was needed. Matt Hewitt, a student at the University of British Columbia, was called upon to back up Markstrom when Ryan Miller missed a game with an abdomen injury.

Like Semborski, Hewitt was 23, but he still regularly was playing as an goalie -- something we've learned isn't always the case in these scenarios.

Brett Leonhardt, , Dec. 12, 2008, and Nov. 29, 2013

Prior to joining the Capitals' website production department, Leonhardt was a 6-foot-7 goaltender at two NCAA Division III colleges. That experience has made him a valuable member of the organization on and off the ice; he's filled in at Capitals practices when the regular goalies were injured or needed a day off.

But twice he's nearly been pressed into game action.

On Dec. 12, 2008, Capitals starter Jose Theodore injured his hip flexor during the morning skate prior to a home game against the . The Capitals recalled , who was playing for Hershey in the American Hockey League, but the team was in Houston.

With the Capitals unsure if Varlamov would make it to Washington in time for the game, Leonhardt was told to get his hockey gear out of storage and signed an amateur tryout to back up .

"George [McPhee, then the Capitals general manager], kind of came into my cubicle, tapped me on the shoulder and just told me, 'Make sure your gear is down at Verizon [Center] and be ready to go at 5:00,'" Leonhardt said during a between-periods television interview.

He took part in warmups and sat on the bench for the first 10 minutes of the first period but was relieved when Varlamov arrived at the arena.

Leonhardt's work that night wasn't done once he took his pads off.

"I had to do my job after that," he said in a phone interview with NHL.com that was conducted after his work on the Capitals website was done. "I didn't get the night off."

Leonhardt left the Capitals for a job with the NHL in 2011 but returned as video coach in 2012. A year later, another goalie injury put him back in uniform.

Neuvirth was injured during warmups for a game against the Canadiens. started the game, and since the Capitals had no time to get an AHL goalie to town, Leonhardt signed a second ATO.

This time, Leonhardt spent the whole game on the bench but wasn't exempt from his off-ice duties, which included breaking down video for coaches while in his goaltending gear.

CSNChicago.com

Five Things to Watch: Blackhawks Rematch with Rangers Tonight On CSN

Charlie Roumeliotis Dec. 12, 2016

Five Things to Watch:

1. Scott Darling vs. Antti Raanta, Part II?

In one of the best goaltending duels you'll see this season, the pair of former Blackhawks teammates put on an amazing show in Friday's game which ended in a 1-0 overtime victory for the New York Rangers. Raanta stopped all 26 shots he saw while Darling recorded a season-high 36 saves, prompting this cool exchange after the game acknowledging one another. Both goalies have been terrific lately, with Raanta earning the NHL's first star of the week honors by going 3-0-0 with a 0.33 goals against average, .984 save percentage and two . Darling has been great as well, allowing only one goal in regulation over the last three games. We might be in for another fun battle. Or, you know, since we're all expecting a low-scoring affair, it probably will be the exact opposite this time around.

2. Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews return.

Seabrook has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, but will return tonight, giving the Blackhawks a significant boost in all areas on the blue line. The other somewhat shocker is that Toews, who was sidelined for nine games, has also been cleared to play from the back injury he had been dealing with. Considering the Blackhawks said they wouldn't rush him back, this is great news knowing he's back to being 100 percent healthy. He was centering the top line with Ryan Hartman and Marian Hossa in morning skate.

3. Duncan Keith climbing in Blackhawks' all-time points rankings.

After registering his 18th assist of the season in Sunday's 3-1 win over Dallas, Keith is now one point away from tying Pierre Pilote for fourth-most by a Blackhawks defenseman — and 20th in franchise history — with 477. It would be nice to see him reach that total with a goal, something he surprisingly hasn't done yet this season through 30 games.

4. Can Ryan Hartman make his presence felt again?

While the rookies have struggled to find the back of the net lately, Hartman made his presence felt in Sunday's win over Dallas by logging an assist and four shots on goal. He should have had two assists when he drove hard to the net straight from the penalty box and created a scoring chance, which was rebounded home by Artem Anisimov. That turned out to be the game-winning goal, and it started because of Hartman despite him not being rewarded on the scoresheet. If we're in for another 1-0 game, the goal will likely be a gritty one and that's right up Hartman's ally.

5. Is the power play back?

The Blackhawks' power play has been searching for consistency pretty much all season, going on spurts here and there along with lengthy droughts. In their previous nine games, the Blackhawks were 1-for-22 in that department, a .05 percent success rate. In the last three games, they're 2-for-7 (28.6 percent). But both of those goals came against the lowly Coyotes and Stars, so it's not exactly safe to say they're out of the woods. Perhaps that will serve as a mini confidence boost, though.

CSNChicago.com

Artemi Panarin Joins Elite Company with Latest Accomplishment in NHL

Charlie Roumeliotis Dec. 12, 2016

Artemi Panarin has had a fantastic start to his NHL career, and his latest accomplishment only validated that.

The 25-year-old Russian winger became the 27th player in league history to score 100 or more points in his first 110 games, and is the first player to do it since Blackhawks teammate Patrick Kane, according to hockey-reference.com.

He's one of six active players on the list, joining Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Paul Stastny and Kane.

Nine of those 27 players are currently in the Hockey Hall of Fame, with a handful of others likely to join them, such as Crosby, Kane, Ovechkin and Teemu Selanne.

That's some elite company.

The best part for Chicago is, it feels like Panarin is just getting started.

CSNChicago.com

Blackhawks' Tyler Motte Still Waiting For His Offense to Catch Up With Defense

Tracey Myers Dec. 12, 2016

Tyler Motte’s defensive game remains steady.

The Blackhawks rookie forward has been good in that area, be it before or after the lower-body injury that cost him five games in November. Where Motte has felt the brunt of his injury, however, is with points. After recording six to start the season, he has none since returning.

Motte has been a good find for the Blackhawks, but he would definitely like to get back to his pre-injury production. He had some good opportunities, especially early, in the Blackhawks’ 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Sunday night but couldn’t capitalize.

Every player goes through a slump, and that could be what Motte is experiencing with his scoring. But there’s definitely frustration that his injury slowed momentum he was building.

“It’s always tough to go down at any point, especially when you’re playing well. I definitely think I can contribute more,” Motte said. “I want to be back to a position like I was contributing early on; but most important thing is we continue to get wins, continue to get points, whether that’s me playing at my best or not. But it’s my job to get back contributing the way I was before the injury.”

Coach Joel Quenneville said Motte was better against the Stars on Sunday. But he would love to see more out of the forward.

“I think he can be better. Some nights he gets a little more responsibility, more quality ice time and his line’s been fine,” said Quenneville of Motte, who’s played with Dennis Rasmussen and Richard Panik. “We trust him killing penalties and put him in good situations as well. But the other side of the game, where he can contribute more offensively, he’s got some skills we’d like to see a little more.”

Motte has been fine on the defensive side. That, and the penalty kill, were a big part of his repertoire at the University of Michigan and helped make for a smoother transition to the Blackhawks.

“Coach [Red] Berenson and his staff really stress defense,” Motte said. “That stress on the defensive end, the details of the game, the special teams, learning at that age and the three years I was there drilled into my mind that that’s the right way to play. The systems might be a little bit different but the details, the understanding, those little things really do matter. Those have transitioned into my game here.”

Motte got off to a great start this season. He came back on the Blackhawks’ Circus Trip and most of his game returned with him. He’d like the offense to come back, too.

“It was good to hop right back. [It was a] long road trip, and good to get a taste of it, good to get my legs under me,” Motte said. “Now it’s time to contribute a little bit more.”

CSNChicago.com

Blackhawks Receive Good News as Toews, Seabrook Travel to New York

Tracey Myers Dec. 12, 2016

Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook, who have been sidelined by injuries, will travel with the Blackhawks when they head to New York on Monday.

The status of Toews (back) and Seabrook (upper body) for Tuesday’s game against the New York Rangers is unknown right now. But it’s a good sign that they’re traveling with the team.

Toews, who has missed nine games, skated for the first time in more than a week on Sunday. He’s been frustrated at the progress – in some cases, the lack thereof – of his injury but was encouraged by Sunday’s skate.

“Sometimes you feel good and all of a sudden you do some little movements here or there that seem to just fire everything up. So yeah, I guess in that sense it is frustrating,” Toews said. “It is unique in that way but as they say it is what it is and you have to deal with it anyway you can, and just be as good as you can when you’re ready to come back.”

Seabrook, who has missed two games, skated for the second consecutive day on Sunday morning. He said he felt better but still wasn’t quite there.

“Talk to the doctors again and go over that stuff and do what I need to do to get cleared,” Seabrook said on Sunday. “And hopefully I’m ready to roll in New York and try to get back in the lineup and help these guys out.”

NYTimes.com

Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa, an Elder Statesman, Adapts to Run With a Younger Crowd

Jeff Arnold Dec. 12, 2016

Marian Hossa arrived in Trencin, his hometown in Slovakia, in May, returning to family and friends months earlier than he had in recent memory.

At 37, Hossa, the Chicago Blackhawks right wing, had completed his 19th N.H.L. season, one that presented plenty of scoring chances but netted only 13 goals, his fewest for a full season in his career. The season ended suddenly and unceremoniously when the St. Louis Blues ousted the Blackhawks, the defending Stanley Cup champions, in seven games in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

In his younger days, Hossa would have continually analyzed his statistical shortcomings to determine where his game had broken down. But only a year removed from helping guide the Blackhawks to their third Stanley Cup since 2010, Hossa found himself staring into his longest off-season in four years — a grueling stretch that encapsulated 329 games, including 71 in the playoffs.

Just 29 games into this season, though, Hossa has experienced a renaissance. He enters Tuesday’s game against the Rangers with 15 goals, tied for fourth in the N.H.L., among a group that includes his former Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Sidney Crosby; 20-year-old David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins; and 18-year-old Patrik Laine of the Winnipeg Jets.

Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson surmised that Hossa had discovered the fountain of youth. Hossa’s agent, Ritch Winter, cited a different source for Hossa’s resurgence.

“It’s not like’s he’s found the fountain of youth,” Winter said. “To me, it’s kind of like he went to the spa. He rejuvenated.”

During his time in Chicago, Pittsburgh and Detroit, Hossa became accustomed to going home to Slovakia in late June or early July, only to return to the a short time later.

But the Blackhawks’ run of success — including Stanley Cup titles in 2013 and 2015 and a loss in the Western Conference finals sandwiched in between — had taken its toll, perhaps more than Hossa realized.

He signed a 12-year, $62.8 million deal with Chicago in 2009 after back-to-back Cup finals appearances with the Penguins and the Red Wings. Winter calculated that Hossa was pushing 42 in hockey years because of the bevy of punishing postseason minutes he had logged during recent seasons.

Worn down, Hossa was determined to discover a silver lining for an aging survivor competing in a league headlined by young talent.

After allowing himself time to recuperate, Hossa shifted his attention to preparing for a bounce-back season. Rather than following the power-centric off-season workouts of his past, Hossa changed course. He replaced heavy lifting with a cardio-heavy program designed by the Blackhawks’ strength and conditioning coach, Paul Goodman, and executed by a coach he hired in Slovakia.

“I think every athlete wants to be successful and try to go for the prize,” Hossa said in an interview last week. “But after so many years, I enjoyed it. I knew it was going to benefit me.”

Hossa regularly pushed his limits through demanding workouts with only short breaks to keep his heart rate elevated, replicating the shifts, and often double shifts, he would experience on the ice.

Hossa trained with his brother, Marcel, a wing with HC Plzen in the Czech Extraliga, who had spent time with the Canadiens, the Rangers and the Coyotes. He visualized keeping pace in a league that has increasingly become faster and left older players in its wake. Although his role in Chicago was not what it once was because of an abundance of young scorers, Hossa was not willing to allow his game to slip in ways last season’s numbers suggested.

“I don’t think there’s ever really been a drop-off in his game,” Blackhawks Coach Joel Quenneville said. “He has always had a consistent approach to his game. You notice the speed, you notice his competitiveness and his professionalism.

“Obviously, the production last year was not at the rate he is accustomed to. But he kind of recaptured that feeling of scoring goals and scoring big goals.”

Quenneville added, “He seems like he hasn’t lost a step at all and looks like he’s got a little more jump to his game.”

In a 7-4 win over Philadelphia in October, Hossa scored his 500th goal and is fourth among active players on the career goals list. His season also includes four game-winners, and the meaningful goals have bred confidence and left any residual frustration behind.

“When the season is starting and the puck is going in for me, I’m more calm and using more instinct,” Hossa said. “All of a sudden, you don’t squeeze your stick so tight, and everything feels more natural.”

In addition to being the Blackhawks’ top goal scorer, Hossa has also upheld his duties as elder statesman. Hossa does not speak up much these days, leaving such responsibility to the captain, Jonathan Toews, and others. Hossa’s voice resonates in his work ethic, including his off-ice training sessions, when doing extra little things to maintain a high standard of play has become exceedingly necessary.

Chicago’s young stars marvel at Hossa’s commitment and the way he blends natural speed and strategic body positioning to beat opponents to the puck and down the ice. They also take note of the effort Hossa exerts to ensure he is contributing, even when the goals do not come.

“A guy like that could be complacent and take it easy,” said his rookie linemate Ryan Hartman, 22. “He doesn’t.”

Hossa plans to play out his contract, which will expire after the 2020-21 season, when he is 42. Then he will contemplate if the time is right to return to a house he is building in Trencin for himself, his wife, Jana, and his daughters, Mia and Zoja.

For now, Hossa’s expectations do not fluctuate with age. He dedicates himself to working smarter and harder while skating with purpose as he always has. Hossa realizes in hockey, nothing is guaranteed. That, like the age differential separating Hossa from the N.H.L.’s rising stars, will not deter him.

“You come to a certain age, and you never know what can happen,” Hossa said. “I don’t try to look too much ahead. I take it year by year. That’s how I keep it fresh.”