Blackhawks topple Lightning with goals by Landon Slaggert, Connor Bedard

TAMPA, Fla. — If young Blackhawks forward Landon Slaggert proves he can generate some offense at the NHL level, he might stick around for a long time because his game is solid in many other regards.

He got off to a good start with that quest Tuesday, scoring in the Hawks’ 4-1 victory against the Lightning.

‘‘[He] brought a lot of energy,’’ center Connor Bedard said. ‘‘Obviously, it was great to see him put one in. But his whole game, he was buzzing around and making stuff happen, making them turn it over.’’

It’s ironic Slaggert scored how he did — a snipe off the rush from the top of the faceoff circle — because he talked hours earlier about knowing his surest route to productivity is predicated on scrappy plays in tight around the net. He’s right about that, too, although accurate distance shooting won’t hurt.

‘‘My dad always has a saying, ‘Where do the goals hide?’ ’’ Slaggert said. ‘‘The answer is, they don’t. They’re around the blue paint. You’ve just got to get there and get to the net. And then [it’s about] having poise within those situations, being able to pull it around the goalie or find a pass back-door.’’

Slaggert’s tally gave the Hawks a one-goal lead at the second intermission against the Lightning for the second time in a week. After falling in overtime at home Friday, they built on that advantage this time and earned only their second road victory since early November.

  ‘Baby Driver’ actor Hudson Meek, 16, dies in a fall from a moving vehicle

Scouting report

Slaggert had a goal and three assists in 16 NHL games down the stretch last season, but he has been developing in Rockford for most of this season. After fellow forward Frank Nazar’s NHL call-up, Slaggert began shouldering more offensive responsibility and had 13 points in his last 16 AHL games.

Everything else about Slaggert is likable, from his amiable personality to his defensive reliability to his active stick, which he used to intercept a pass in the neutral zone just before his goal Tuesday. Rockford interim coach Mark Eaton recently praised his work ethic.

‘‘He has a good foundation,’’ Eaton said. ‘‘It’s the learning process with every young player. He’s had some turnovers in the neutral zone that have ended up in our net. But he’s a smart kid, and he’s able to learn from those mistakes.’’

Bedard dazzles

It felt as though Bedard had to create another highlight to remind the hockey world, which has obsessed over Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini and laughed at the Hawks this season, how good he is.

He did that with an absurd tying goal over Lightning goalie Jonas Johansson, picking the top shelf from 32 feet out with only about five feet of separation from the goal line. He evidently enjoys Amalie Arena, considering he notched four points in the building last season.

‘‘You don’t know till it’s in, but you can feel if it’s a good shot, and it felt good leaving my stick,’’ Bedard said.

Goalie update

General manager Kyle Davidson said Monday he remains ‘‘hopeful’’ goalie Laurent Brossoit, who has yet to play for the Hawks because of consecutive knee surgeries, will return before the end of the season. If he does, Davidson implied the Hawks would carry three goalies on their roster.

  Trump says Microsoft is one of the companies eyeing TikTok

It will be interesting to see how they handle the situation this summer, however. Brossoit and Petr Mrazek will have one year left on their contracts, and Arvid Soderblom — who has been the Hawks’ best goalie this season and stopped 34 of 35 shots against the Lightning — is a pending restricted free agent.

(Visited 1 times, 1 visits today)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *