NASHVILLE, Tenn. — New Blackhawks center Joe Veleno couldn’t quite find the right words Saturday to explain the change in vibe going from a playoff-bubble Red Wings team to a bottom-tier Hawks team.
The gist is obvious, though: Every Wings game has huge implications; every Hawks game does not.
But the Hawks’ 3-2 overtime loss Saturday to the Predators did matter a little bit.
Had the Hawks won in regulation, they would have pulled within three points of the Predators for 30th in the NHL standings and increased their chances of passing them down the stretch and changing their odds in the draft lottery.
With the Predators’ victory — on a overtime goal by Steven Stamkos that completed his hat trick — widening the gap to six points, however, that becomes unlikely.
The Hawks — and even most of their fans — are focusing much more on individual (and team) development and improvement than on maximizing their draft position this season, especially because of the relatively minimal buzz about this draft class. But a top-four pick still would be pretty valuable.
Mood change
Despite the loss, the Hawks extended their point streak to five games, having gone 3-0-2 since trading defenseman Seth Jones for goalie Spencer Knight.
It’s their longest such streak since February 2023, and it either has created or accompanied — it’s difficult to tell which is the case — a happier mood.
‘‘We’re all just playing for each other,’’ defenseman Alex Vlasic said. ‘‘Having the young guys here has helped bring that energy. It feels like a different environment.’’
Great goaltending is the biggest reason for the surge. Not only has Knight dazzled in his first two starts for the Hawks, but Arvid Soderblom also delivered one of his better performances Saturday.
Soderblom, who always plays well in Nashville, stopped all 17 shots he faced during an exhausting first period and saved 38 of 41 overall. He agreed it felt like a similar game to the one Jan. 16, when he saved 39 of 41 shots in an eventual shootout loss.
Knight and Soderblom already are rubbing off on each other in certain ways, such as handling pucks behind the net.
‘‘He’s good at that,’’ Soderblom said of Knight. ‘‘He’s taking his time; he’s looking where the options are. That’s the fun thing with a new guy coming in: You can pick up small details and put them in your own game. I felt today my puckhandling was pretty good.”
On the other end of the ice, Ryan Donato set up Ilya Mikheyev to tie the score with 7:38 left in the third period. But then Donato miscommunicated with the bench on an overtime line change that led to Stamkos’ winning goal.
Crevier comeback
After getting hit hard into the boards Feb. 1 in Florida, Hawks defenseman Louis Crevier knew he was concussed when he began having trouble controlling his emotions, laughing for no reason.
During his recovery process, his head felt fine soon enough, but he had to retrain his eyes to process lots of stimuli coming from different angles. Hawks physical therapist Patrick Becker helped him with that.
“We did a lot of eye movement and training where I had to move around to disorient me a little bit,” Crevier said.