The Blackhawks proved big winners both on and off the ice Friday night.
On it, they finally posted their first home victory of the season, burying the New York Islanders with a four-goal first period and prevailing 5-0 before a crowd of 16,722 at the United Center.
Off it, serious progress was made in the Boris Mironov stalemate, and the restricted free-agent defenseman is close to agreeing to terms on a three-year contract. Mironov will arrive in Chicago on Saturday with agent Paul Theofanous to put the finishing touches on a deal worth close to $9.6 million.
This comes on the heels of Theofanous flying to Chicago late Thursday to meet personally with General Manager Bob Murray. The two spent most of Friday in Chicago resuming the talks that had broken off in acrimony last week. Theofanous then flew back to New York late Friday to finalize his counterproposal to Murray.
“It has been a lot of hard work, but it’ll be good to get it done,” Theofanous said.
Mironov, who has been training outside Toronto, likely will be signed by the time the Hawks face Edmonton, his former team, on Sunday.
Speaking of home ice, after such a desultory showing Wednesday against Nashville, the Hawks to a man had vowed to come out with more emotion and intensity against the Islanders. It worked.
Steve Passmore, starting again in place of the struggling Jocelyn Thibault, posted his first career shutout with 24 saves.
Josef Marha scored just two minutes after the opening faceoff, one-timing a rebound of an Eric Daze shot past Felix Potvin that had ricocheted to him off the end boards.
Tony Amonte made it 2-0 at 4:35 of the first, also one-timing a shot past Potvin from the slot. Steve Sullivan dug the puck out behind the net and fed Doug Gilmour, who slid a perfect pass to Amonte out front.
The Hawks chased Potvin at 7:17 of the first on Blair Atcheynum’s goal, set up by a nifty drop pass by Bob Probert. The goal started on a lead pass from Sylvain Cote as the Hawks displayed a rush lacking in previous outings.
Later in the period, Probert fought Eric Cairns, stoking the raucous crowd and the Hawks’ momentum. That, too, worked.
Sullivan fed a streaking Cote in the mid-slot and his wrist shot beat Wade Flaherty at 16:42 of the first for a power-play goal. The Hawks now have scored at least one power-play goal in four of their previous five games.
Potvin returned for the second period, but he didn’t last long. Amonte greeted him with his second goal of the game and seventh of the season at 3:09, which brought Flaherty back in.
In the third period, the only question was whether Passmore would get his shutout. He got plenty of help from the Hawks’ penalty killers again. The Hawks snuffed out four Islanders power plays and now have killed 31 straight over a span of nine games.
Passmore came up with several spectacular saves in the third period.
“Anytime you face adversity, a positive attitude is the best way out of it,” coach Lorne Molleken said. “There’s frustration in our dressing room, but there’s also a lot of pride.”
And soon, there also will be Mironov.
