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Patrick Kane’s return to action comes at a perfect time

By Michael Whitlow

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After missing the last 21 games to end the regular season, the Chicago Blackhawks will get their most exciting player back on the ice for the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which is just a nightmare for the other 15 teams in pursuit of Lord Stanley’s Cup.

A gigantic reason why the Chicago Blackhawks have won two of the last five Stanley Cups and have advanced to the Western Conference Finals in at least four of the last six seasons, is because of the clutch play of Patrick Kane.

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In the two postseasons the Blackhawks have won the Cup — 2010 and 2013 — Kane has scored 19 goals and dished out 28 assists, along with winning the Conn Smythe Award in 2013 as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Kane’s fantastic 2014-15 season ended abruptly after suffering a broken clavicle on Feb. 24 and missed the last 21 games of the season.

At the time of his injury, Kane led the NHL with 64 points and was on pace to not only win the Art Ross Trophy — given to the NHL’s leading point-getter — but the 26-year-old superstar was on his way to his first Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Blackhawks and their rabid fan base received some wonderful news heading into their first round series against division rival Nashville on Wednesday night:

There’s no official word as to whether Kane will play in Game 1 against the Predators, but the fact he’s not wearing the “Don’t touch me!” jersey in practice is a great sign for the ‘Hawks heading into the postseason.

Kane was asked on Tuesday if he thinks Nashville will take a little run at him coming off the injury during their series, and said:

"“It’s like nothing else I’ve faced since I’ve been 7, 8 years old,” Kane said. “I’m used to it by now. Just try to roll off the checks, try to get back to the net. Hopefully they’ll try to be over-aggressive, (and) we can roll in on them and get some scoring chances.”-Patrick Kane, DailyHerald.com"

The news couldn’t come at a more perfect time for the Blackhawks, who were expecting Kane to miss up to 12 weeks. The fact that their dynamic puck-handler has only missed seven weeks and looks great on the ice should scare the rest of the NHL for the next few weeks.

Will ‘Hawks fans see this Patrick Kane again? There’s no guarantee of that, but if they do, you can start painting the Stanley Cup Final logo in each offensive zone on the United Center ice.

Despite Patrick Kane only racking up one assist with 10 shots in the four games he skated in against Nashville this season, the Blackhawks won three of those four contests.

Kane’s presence alone will open up the ice for others, including fellow linemate Kris Versteeg, who has just three points since Kane’s injury in February.

Once Kane finds a comfort on the ice, ‘Hawks fans should expect him to do his usual duty of “double-shifting” and open up the offensive burst the Blackhawks possess when No. 88 is on the ice.

Before Kane’s injury, the Blackhawks were averaged just under three goals a game (2.95). Since Feb. 24, the ‘Hawks are averaging just 2.36 goals per contest.

When asked if he was playing on Wednesday night, Kane replied:

MULLETMANIA IS RUNNIN’ WILD.

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Next: Brace Yourselves, The Playoffs Are Coming

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