The Hawks won just once in eight tries against Nashville this season after losing Friday’s finale 3-1.
Between Nov. 27 and Dec. 3, 2019, Malcolm Subban enjoyed one of the best stretches of his up-and-down NHL career.
He made four consecutive starts for the Golden Knights and went 4-0-0, stopping 127 of 135 shots for a .941 save percentage. But then he lost his next two starts, Marc-Andre Fleury returned from injury and Subban found himself traded a few months later.
That had been the last time the career backup made four or more consecutive NHL appearances — until this week.
Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton turned to Subban again Friday for his third start and fourth appearance in the last four games. Subban was fine, but not as sharp as earlier in the week, as the Hawks lost 3-1 to the Predators.
The loss puts the Hawks back against the ropes after Wednesday’s comeback win and the Stars’ loss Thursday briefly breathed life into their playoff hopes. They finished the season series against Nashville with just one (miraculous) win in eight tries and now trail the Preds by five points for the last playoff spot, with a game in hand but no more head-to-head opportunities.
The Hawks rained chances on Nashville goalie Juuse Saros for the first half of the game, leading in shots on goal 23-9 at one point, and were unlucky to fall behind 2-0 on Ryan Johansen and Luke Kunin’s second-period goals.
But their effort dropped off a cliff over the second half of the game, producing only two shots on goal during a nearly 20-minute stretch and only denying Saros a shutout with a relatively meaningless late goal.
As much as 2021 is about trying to make the playoffs, though, it’s even more about building for the future.
At this point, Hawks management has developed a fairly conclusive — and encouraging — idea of what they have in Kevin Lankinen: a goalie with clear long-term No. 1 potential. But they still need to determine where Subban, whose playing time has been generally sparse, fits in.
That’s why this recent reliance on the 27-year-old Canadian is so important. And Subban has done well, going 2-1-0 with a .933 save percentage (98 saves on 105 shots) despite giving up two soft goals in Friday’s loss.
“It feels pretty good,” Subban had said Wednesday. “The most important thing is that we’re getting wins, so I’m happy I can contribute. ‘Lanks’ has done that a lot this year and I’m happy I can contribute to it as well.”
Younger defense
Rookie defenseman Nicolas Beaudin replaced injured Calvin de Haan but the Hawks rolled with seven defensemen and 11 forwards again Friday, keeping Dylan Strome a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game.
Colliton said he wants to add another “option” to the mixture of defensemen he relies on to “play minutes” and hopes Beaudin, who was a regular earlier this season but had appeared just thrice since Feb. 20, can become that again.
“When he’s at his best, he’s moving the puck, he’s skating the puck, he’s getting us out of D-zone,” Colliton said. “He can give us something on the offensive blue line.”
Adam Boqvist also played Wednesday and Friday after missing almost four games in concussion protocol, although he clarified Thursday that “doesn’t mean I had a concussion” confirmed.
With 21-year-old Beaudin and 20-year-old Boqvist — the Hawks’ two 2019 first-round picks, coincidentally — both in, the average age of the Hawks’ seven dressed defensemen Friday was a measly 25.6. The average age of the six defensemen not named Duncan Keith was 23.7.
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