Chicago Blackhawks forward Andre Burakovsky is thankful to head coach Jeff Blashill, who helped him out of a bad scoring slump.
The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Utah Mammoth on Monday night, and they earned an overtime win thanks to a Frank Nazar power play goal.
In the win, Andre Burakovsky ended a 19-game goal drought with an incredible-looking lacrosse-style goal. It wasn't quite "The Michigan" as some people know it, but he certainly scooped it up and put it past Vitek Vanecek.
After the game, Burakovsky was in a great mood. He admitted that it was his first lacrosse goal scored at any level. He joked: "If you want to call it that".
The goal tied the game at two, setting up the overtime victory for his team. He went a long time without scoring, but he picked the perfect time to break the bad streak.
Throughout the slump that saw him record just one assist over the 19 games played without a goal, Burakovsky remained on the top line with Connor Bedard. This was met with criticism, but Jeff Blashill never wavered. Based on his words, Andre Burakovsky is incredibly grateful.
“It means a lot," Burakovsky said. "He's been amazing to me all year and shows a lot of trust, and it's really great. I enjoy playing for him.”
It was apparent with his words and facial expressions that there is a tremendous amount of gratitude towards his coach for believing that he deserves to be on the top line, despite being in a scoring slump.
The NHL is not entirely about producing points for every player. For some, a good work ethic and tenacity can keep earning certain roles. Jeff Blashill believed that Burakovsky had these qualities, even when the puck wasn't finding twine.
"Guys have to produce, I get it," Blashill said. "There's a lot more that goes into it. If he wasn't working as hard as he's worked, caring as much as he's cared, maybe we don't keep him up there (on the top line). I just felt like he was working and competing hard. He cares a ton, and eventually, it felt like it was going to happen for him. I'm glad it did. He's a good person and a big part of our group."
Blashill deflected all of the credit back onto the player for earning the right to be given chances to break out of the slump while playing on the top line. It is the sign of a healthy relationship between the coaching staff and the players in general.
Now, Burakovsky is not out of the woods yet. He needs to continue working hard and playing well if he wants to stay in the position that he's in. Every game is an audition for next season's roles, and he could be a part of things if he continues to bring the effort that he has on a nightly basis.
Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay up to date on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.