Whether the Blackhawks make a miracle run to the playoffs or not, veteran center Kevyn Adams believes the intensity of a playoff race is going to benefit the team’s young players in the long run.
“These are huge games in terms of a learning experience for so many of these young guys,” Adams said. “It’s not the playoffs, but it’s the mentality of every shift being so important. That experience is going to go a long way. That’s almost as important as the game itself.”
The Hawks are faced with the daunting task of winning at least seven of their remaining eight games just to have a shot at the playoffs. The Hawks twice have won four games in a row this season and their best stretch was in mid-February when they won six of eight.
“The reality is we’ve had to play pretty desperate hockey for the last two months,” Adams said.
Their 5-0 victory Wednesday night over the Capitals was a good starting point, but back-to-back games Saturday in Nashville and Sunday at home against St. Louis will indicate whether the Hawks really have a shot at the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot or whether they will start another early vacation.
“Any time you look at the big picture you get in trouble,” Adams said. “It’s so much easier to break it down game by game and then even smaller, period by period. It sound cliche-ish, but it’s really the truth. You don’t win eight in row unless you win one in a row and then two in a row.”
Rookie center Jonathan Toews agrees.
“We have to show up to work and be ready to go at the start of every game,” he said. “Then if we have a bad period we’ll always be able to regroup and identify what went wrong.”
35 and counting
Forward Patrick Sharp has set his sights on the 40-goal plateau, which would double his mark of last season.
“I want to get to 40, no doubt about that,” said Sharp, who scored his team-leading and career-high 35th goal Wednesday night. “I’m not going to change the way I’ve played all year. I’m going to continue to work hard and do the things that make me successful on an individual level. If it comes it comes and if not, next year.”
Live from the United Center
Comcast SportsNet and the Hawks announced an additional home game will be broadcast on CSN after NBC picked up the Hawks-Red Wings game in Detroit on April 6 as its national “Game of the Week.”
The 6 p.m. Blue Jackets-Hawks game March 30 at the United Center will air on CSN. The switch brings the total of home games broadcast this season to 12.
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ckuc@tribune.com
