The Chicago Blackhawks poured it on the San Jose Sharks on Monday night, relentlessly cruising to a 6-3 victory at the United Center.

The Chicago Blackhawks came ready to play on Monday night. After a bit of a snoozer on Friday against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Hawks had two days off over the weekend prior to Monday’s tilt against the San Jose Sharks. The time off clearly paid dividends as the Hawks showed up and showed out in front of 20,000+ at the United Center.

The Hawks kicked off the scoring party. With just over 30 seconds remaining on their power play, Chicago kicked it into gear. A beautiful, triangular passing play set up Connor Bedard for the one-timer from an awkward angle. The goal gave the Hawks early momentum.

With the goal, Bedard became the all-time leader for points as a Blackhawk before the age of 21, passing Eddie Olcyzk’s record of 180 points with the 181st point for Bedard.

Entering intermission, Chicago held on to the one goal lead. That said, another Connor kickstarted the scoring early in the second period. Connor Murphy fired a shot through traffic from the right point, finding twine behind Yaroslav Askarov and giving the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead.

Story continues below.

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A Dominant Show from the Vets

The Hawks were far from done for the frame. Roughly seven minutes after going up 2-0, Ryan Donato’s silky mitts gave the Blackhawks more breathing room. Donato’s fancy move set up his 12th goal of the season.

One minute and one second later, it was Sam Rinzel’s turn. The recently-recalled defenseman snuck into the high slot and took an Ilya Mikheyev pass and buried his second of the season. The 4-0 lead was tied for the Hawks’ largest of the night.

The Sharks answered a few minutes later as Macklin Celebrini found Will Smith for the goal. However, the Hawks didn’t slow down. Mikheyev tipped in a pass from Jason Dickinson after some incredible forechecking that started with No. 95. The Hawks’ four-goal lead was restored.

Before the close of the period, Celebrini’s spectacular shot made it a 5-2 game. The Sharks scored quickly in the early third to make it a two-goal game.

Putting the Sharks Away

The Blackhawks battled in the third period, keeping the Sharks at bay. With around five minutes to go, Ryan Donato netted his 13th goal of the season to effectively seal the victory. Once again, the veteran line of Mikheyev, Dickinson, and Donato was special on Monday. They accounted for four of the team’s goals via primary assist or goal.

The Hawks held on and picked up the 6-3 victory over the Sharks. It was a fantastic display to close out the home slate prior to the Olympic break.

Author Notes and What’s On Tap Next?

The Hawks were FUN on Monday night. They capitalized on the Sharks’ aggressiveness with great breakouts and relentless forechecking. The Hawks were the more aggressive team and used their leverage to secure an important win. It isn’t over quite yet, but the Hawks are certainly in a position to make a big push in March toward a possible playoff spot. They’ll need some help too, but having something to play for is far more important to the young players on the roster than playing for draft position.

The Hawks have one final game before the Olympic break on Wednesday. The team will venture to Columbus, Ohio for another duel with the Blue Jackets. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT. The NHL’s Olympic trade freeze will kick in a few hours prior to Wednesday’s tilt.