Blackhawks snap seven-game skid with seven-goal explosion against Flyers

Many of the wackiest games in any NHL season occur either near the beginning or near the end.

In October, some teams haven't quite gelled yet or figured out their defensive systems, allowing individual skill to take over. In March and April, some basement-dwelling teams with nothing on the line can become equally loose.

That's exactly what transpired Sunday. The Blackhawks snapped their seven-game losing streak with a chaotic 7-4 victory over the equally aimless Flyers, who have now lost 10 of 11.

The Hawks had scored just 10 total goals in those seven consecutive losses — and zero even-strength goals in their last two — before nearly matching that number in one afternoon.

"We haven’t been scoring lately, and we found ways everywhere to get a goal tonight," forward Pat Maroon said.

Hawks goalie Spencer Knight and Flyers goalie Ivan Fedotov both struggled during the first period, during which the Hawks rallied from 1-0 and 3-2 deficits to head into the intermission tied 3-3.

Only Knight, who earned his third Hawks win, managed to lock in as the game progressed. That wasn't terribly surprising, either. Out of 65 qualifying goalies around the NHL this season, three of the bottom nine in terms of save percentage are all Flyers: Samuel Ersson (.886), Fedotov (.877) and Aleksei Kolosov (.870).

Ryan Donato buried two power-play goals in the second period to help the Hawks pull away and reach the 25-goal plateau for the first time. His production continues to be an impressive story within this dull Hawks season.

"[Ryan is] a really upbeat but also really intense person, and I think that's why he's having some success," interim coach Anders Sorensen said. "[With] the feedback part, he wants to know what's good and bad, and he doesn't shy away from it. He's got a sneaky way to find [goals]. He's around the net a lot. He gets his shot off a lot. And those things usually work well."

Plenty of other Hawks got on the scoreboard. Maroon scored one day after announcing he’s retiring at season's end, Connor Bedard scored in a third straight home game, trade-deadline acquisition Joe Veleno scored his first goal as a Hawk, Tyler Bertuzzi matched a season high with three points (including one goal) and Lukas Reichel snapped his 10-game goal drought.

The victory barely altered the Hawks' hideous 21-41-9 record, and even a respectable closing stretch during the 11 remaining games wouldn't affect their place in the standings. There really is nothing on the line from that standpoint.

But with so many young players on the roster, a respectable closing stretch would allow them to build confidence entering the summer and potentially begin the lengthy process of learning how to win together.

So is there anything sustainable from Sunday's game that the Hawks could try to build on moving forward? Sorensen did bring up one interesting thing.

"We made a lot of plays, but [we also] had a lot of good puck support, and that was probably the biggest thing I noticed," he said. "We were closer to the puck and able to break pressure, [whether] it was up the ice or in our own zone."

Veleno's first-period goal provided the best example of that puck support. Veleno supported Kurashev in a battle along the defensive-zone boards; Kurashev won the battle and passed to Bertuzzi in transition. Then Veleno supported Bertuzzi just inside the offensive blue line; when Bertuzzi bobbled the puck and got hit by a Flyer, Veleno was there to take possession and skate into acres of space.

Building on positives has proven to be easier said than done for this team, especially against more talented, engaged opponents. But it's worth trying, at least.