With a 3-point performance that included a milestone goal and 2 assists, Patrick Kane became the 100th player in NHL history to score 400 goals in the Blackhawks’ 7-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings last night.
The Blackhawks jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first period, compliments of defenseman Nikita Zadorov and forward Ryan Carpenter. Zadorov potted his first goal as a Blackhawk, wristing a snap shot past Red Wing goalie Thomas Greiss. Carpenter would follow suit, scoring a greasy goal with less than three minutes left in the frame, only for Detroit’s Sam Gagner to cut the lead in half seconds later.
After a scoreless and uninspired second period, Chicago would open the flood gates in the third. Rookie Pius Suter began the barrage, capitalizing on a nice backhand feed from Kane. The goal marked Suter’s 7th of the year, which currently leads all NHL rookies. Ryan Carpenter would net his second goal of the game six minutes later, snapping the puck by Greiss’ glove hand while on the power play.
With a comfortable 4-1 lead, Kane would finally make history midway through the third. After being sprung on a two-on-one by Alex Debrincat, Kane performed a beautiful curl-and-drag move around a prone Filip Hronek, flinging the puck past Greiss for his 400th career goal.
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💯Check out Patrick Kane's 400th career goal. It's a beauty. #SHOWTIME pic.twitter.com/CSVm7fUpHk
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 1, 2021
Detroit’s Evgeny Svechnikov would cut the lead to 5-2 while on the power play, only for Dominik Kubalik and Debrincat to score late for the Hawks. Brandon Hagel would assist on Kubalik’s goal with a fantastic play, winning a puck battle against Frans Nielsen along the boards. In addition to his late goal, Debrincat would finish the game with 3 assists and earn the second star of the game.
Along with Kane, Carpenter, and Debrincat, goalie Kevin Lankinen also had a huge night, making a career-high 44 saves on 46 shots. After his last two performances in which he gave up 9 goals, Lankinen’s ability to bounce back was impressive, especially for a rookie. With an extremely tough March schedule looming, it was imperative for the Blackhawks to have a successful February, which they did — finishing the month with a 9-3-1 record.
In addition to becoming the 100th NHL player to score 400 goals, Kane is the 9th American-born player and 10th active player to ever do so. Kane is also the 5th fastest American-born player and only the 4th player in Blackhawks history to ever reach the 400-goal milestone (Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Steve Larmer).
“I think the biggest thing is once you start reaching these types of milestones, 400 goals and 1,000 games coming up, it leaves you wanting more,” Kane said. “It’s exciting to achieve them.”