TAKEAWAYS: Kane, Domi Lead Blackhawks Second Straight Comeback Win

The Blackhawks closed a difficult back-to-back against the Western Conference's top two teams - the respective leaders in the Pacific and Central Divisions - with a second-straight come-from-behind victory, 4-3 on Wednesday night against the Dallas Stars.
Chicago, who erased a third-period deficit to earn a shootout win over Vegas just over 24 hours earlier, erased a 3-0 hole in Dallas at the midpoint of the game with four unanswered tallies courtesy of Patrick Kane and Max Domi, each netting a pair.
"I thought we took over that second period and, you know what we, pushed," head coach Luke Richardson said postgame. "You know, Domi's line and with Patrick and [Philipp Kurashev] were really exceptional tonight and stole pucks and made some really high-end plays. So that was a that was a difference. I thought we kept pushing into third. And, you know, we just played above them and made them work."

POSTGAME LINKS
GAMECENTER: CHI 4, DAL 3
GALLERY: Blackhawks at Stars
Not only did the team face two of the West's best, they did so with a three-hour overnight flight in between, arriving to the hotel in Dallas at nearly 3:30 a.m.
"Not the easiest back-to-back," Kane said. "(We) got in pretty late last night, so maybe we're just fighting our legs a little bit to start, but yeah, we found them and never looked back."
"Some of these young guys (on the roster) that are coming in, I mean, that's a great test," Domi added of the challenging 48 hours. "We just found a way to beat two of the best teams in the West on a back-to-back with traveling, very limited sleep - that's mental toughness. You need that to win in this league and I think they're getting first hand exposure to that, so it's great for our group."
With the victory, Chicago now has four straight wins, matching a season-high set in mid-October.
"Any time you win, it's a lot of fun," Domi said. "That's what we play hockey for, right? So it's certainly fun to come the rink every day, boys are all playing for each other and that's we want to see this time of year. Despite everything we've been through as a group, I think we're still finding ways to grow every single day. So it's great to see what a positive takeaway from from every game. I mean, you look at the last four games, we've beat some pretty good hockey teams."

POINT PRODUCERS

Trailing 3-0 entering the middle frame, Patrick Kane (2G, 1A) and Max Domi (2G, 1A) sparked the Blackhawks comeback that deadlocked things 3-3 after 40 minutes and had the visitors in front at the final whistle.
Both Chicago forwards tied season-long point streaks on the night with the explosive finish, Kane bringing his four-game streak total to 10 points (7G, 3A) over the last six days and Domi bringing his five-game run to 11 points (3G, 8A).
"I think we're getting a lot of bounces that we didn't get early on," Domi explained of the top-line success. "I know. It sounds kind of like whatever, but it's true. And when when Kaner is feeling it, and he's burying the puck like that, it's fun to watch, fun to play with. He obviously just puts energy in our group and I think everyone really feeds off of that. He's leading with his play right now and it shows."
"I think so," Kane replied when asked if he personally is playing his best hockey this season. "I think our line in general, even if we have shifts where nothing happens, that's okay. We just stick with it. We know, sooner or later, something's gonna happen. And all three of us have a chance to make good plays, and capitalize when we get those chances. So it's been good playing with those guys lately."
Kane's assist on the night also put him two helpers behind Brian Leetch (781) for third all-time among American-born skaters.

STAUBER STABALIZES

While the 3-0 hole wasn't completely on his shoulders, rookie Jaxson Stauber continued to showcase his young composure over the back half of the game, stopping 18 straight Stars shots as the visitors found their scoring touch.
Stauber is now 5-1 in his first six NHL starts, taking wins over Toronto and Dallas during the team's current four-game streak.
"He played great. Obviously, just in general, being down 3-0 and, you know, staying with it and he made some big saves for us. It's exciting to see. I was talking to him and I think is 5-1 now, so it's a pretty impressive start to his career."
"Nothing fazes him," Richardson added. "He's down 3-0 on the road against a really strong team with a lot of big bodies that that play heavy in the crease - I don't think anything fazed him. I thought he was really solid. Even on the one that they checked (the clock) at the end, I thought he was holding his post really strong there. That's a sign of maturity for a young goaltender."

PREGAME DEALING

With a week and change until the NHL trade deadline on March 3, the Blackhawks made their first move just before puck drop on Wednesday night,
acquiring defenseman Nikita Zaitsev, a 2023 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick
from Ottawa in exchange for future considerations.
"We are getting an NHL caliber defenseman and acquiring very valuable draft capital in this upcoming draft and beyond," Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson said. "Nikita gives us added depth on the right side and we anticipate him joining us soon."
Zaitsev, a veteran blueliner, brings nearly 500 games of NHL experience to the Blackhawks organization, while the team picked up a pair of all-important picks in exchange for taking on his $4.5 million cap hit through the end of next season. The 31 year old has skated in 28 games with Ottawa this season with five assists to his name, while also dressing in five games for the Senators' AHL affiliate in Belleville.