There are a lot of words that you can use to describe Patrick Kane; such as elusive, fast, determined, skilled, or even just plain AMAZING; at least as of late. You could also call him clutch, but the name of choice around Chicago during these playoffs is “Showtime”, and boy has he put on a show.
During the last two playoff games against the Los Angeles Kings, he has registered seven points. In the first do-or-die elimination game for Chicago he tallied four assists. In game six, he added another assist on top of two goals, one of which was the game-winner with just under six minutes to go in the third period and the score tied at three.
In 18 total games played so far in these playoffs Kane has registered 18 total points, on 8 goals and 10 assists. He is also tied with teammate Jonathan Toews for the most game-winning goals in the playoffs, with four apiece. He also has three multi-goal games in these playoffs, more than any other Blackhawk.
Kane has made countless clutch plays for the Hawks in key situations, and even if he is not scoring a game winning goal, he adds excitement and speed to the ice for the Hawks. Whenever he is on the ice, the other team should be worried, as he is so dangerous with the puck that he can draw three defenders to him at once, opening up other opportunities for his line mates. His line, which he’s been on in the last two games with Andrew Shaw and Brandon Saad, has been lethal. What they are calling the “Mullet Line” has tallied a total of 14 points in the last two games. This line demands extra defensive attention which could open up the game for others.
One of the most impressive plays he has made in these playoffs came in game one of the second round against the Minnesota Wild. He received a cross ice pass from Patrick Sharp, then proceeded to split three Minnesota players and put a shot top shelf past Ilya Bryzgalov. That was one of his three multi-goal games and that goal was also one of his four game-winning goals in the playoffs. Oddly enough, every game that Kane has scored two goals in a single game, he has also scored the game-winner.
The first game-winner came against St. Louis in the first round in game 4 in Chicago. His second was the top shelf beauty against the Wild in the second round in game one. His third game-winning goal came in the series clinching game against the Wild to send the Blackhawks to the Western Conference finals. That goal came in overtime, which brings his career playoff overtime game-winning goal count to seven. Of course, his fourth game-winner came in last night’s game to force a game saven against the Kings.
If the Kings want any chance of eliminating the Blackhawks and advancing to the Stanley Cup final to face the New York Rangers, they are going to have to find a way to stop not only “Showtime” Patrick Kane, but all of the Hawks second line. If not, Kane’s magic will help the Hawks make it back to the Stanley Cup final for the second year in a row and third time in the last five years. Kane and the Hawks will look to become the first team to repeat since the 1997 and 1998 Detroit Red Wings. The power of the mullet is real, and it’s coming back to the Madhouse on Madison in Chicago for at least one more show this post-season.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @HawkTalkLWOS. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter –@LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
