It was right there for the taking. Or for the giving, more like.
The Blackhawks had an opportunity to squander another lead, perhaps give away another game, Sunday against the Wild at the United Center. After Zach Parise’s power-play goal cut the Hawks’ two-goal lead in half less than halfway through the second period, it seemed the Wild — second in the Western Conference standings — might have been ready to take over.
By the time the Hawks’ 3-1 victory was in the bag, though, the picture looked different. They battled the Wild on mostly even terms the rest of the way, winning pucks, attacking in the offensive zone, killing penalties and — big ‘‘and’’ — getting a star’s performance from goalie Corey Crawford, who made a season-high 39 saves.
How do you answer an eight-game losing streak? By grabbing five points in three games at home. That’s what the Hawks did in raising their record under coach Jeremy Colliton to a modest — yet encouraging — 2-2-2.
‘‘I think more and more we just seem to be on the same page,’’ captain Jonathan Toews said. ‘‘Guys are thinking the same way. All five guys are kind of in the [same] picture. Forwards are doing a better job of helping our D-men out. It’s a lot of little details of our game that we’re working on tightening up. It’s still a process, but we’re making some good headway.’’
It was the first in a stretch of 15 games out of 21 — right up to the end of 2018 — against teams that, entering play Sunday, would’ve been in the playoff field. Next up: road games against the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals, the Eastern Conference-leading Lightning and the Panthers.
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Maybe Colliton is right and it really is about how the Hawks play, not whom they play. Either way, nothing about the weeks to come will be easy.
‘‘But we’re playing better,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘It’s nice to see us get rewarded with some points. That just helps us keep momentum going, keep the belief going that, hey, we’re on the right track.’’
It’s plain to see things beginning to click. Toews opened the scoring on a power play by planting himself on the back post and punching home a cross-crease pass from Patrick Kane. It was the sort of simple physical presence the Hawks often have lacked in the last season-plus. It also gave Toews 10 goals in 21 games, the second-fastest he has gotten to double digits in his career.
‘‘I’m getting opportunities, finding pucks around the net,’’ he said. ‘‘Going into every game, it’s wanting the puck in every scenario and trying to get sticks on the puck and just be dangerous around the net. It’s nice to see them go in.’’
Speaking of physical, Brandon Saad upped the ante with a goal that made it 2-0. He outwrestled the Wild’s Matt Dumba for a loose puck near center ice, blew in on goalie Alex Stalock, brought the puck from his forehand to his backhand and scored his sixth goal of the season.
And there was Crawford, who allowed one goal or fewer for the third consecutive game.
‘‘Yeah, it’s no secret that he’s great,’’ Colliton said. ‘‘He makes those saves that can keep you in a game. Or, if things are going against you, he holds the fort. We’ve got some old guys, but we’ve got some young guys, too, and they need that. They need that security blanket. It’s great to see.’’
