THREE THINGS: Halfway Home, Power-Play Vet and Rookie Rotation

The Blackhawks got back to their winning ways on Thursday night in Dallas, racing out to a 4-0 lead over the Stars and holding on for a 4-2 victory to snap a two-game losing skid.
In 13 instances of playing the same team a second time in a row this season, Chicago improved their record to 10-1-2 in the rematch.
Dominik Kubalik scored his 10th of the season in the first, followed by a three-goal second period with power-play tallies from Carl Soderberg and Alex DeBrincat with a point blast from Duncan Keith at even strength in between. Kevin Lankinen hit double-digit wins on the year with 28 saves on the night, including all 15 he faced in the opening frame.

"Big win. Important win," head coach Jeremy Colliton said. "We knew they were going to be a desperate team again, so certainly wasn't perfect but we found ways to defend. The special teams was big for us and Lanks made a couple big saves early, especially in the first period, that allowed us to take control of the game… We'll take two really important points and carry on."
"I thought it was a good win overall. It was a big win," Keith said. "We need the points against Dallas and we're going to be competing with them all year the rest of the year for playoffs. At the end of the day, probably wasn't our best game, but we got the two points… We found a way to win."

Here are three takeaways from the win:

HALFWAY HOME

With Thursday's win, the Blackhawks are officially halfway through the shortened 2020-21 campaign, posting a 14-9-5 record in the opening 28 games and firmly holding onto a playoff spot in the Central Division as the back half begins.
"We're improving," Colliton said of the strides his team has made. "We need to continue to have the hunger to get better and realize that we want to get to a higher level. We want to be able to go head-to-head with the top teams in our division and hopefully be able to compete in a playoff series. We've got to earn that. Overall, I like our mentality, I like the work ethic, we're willing to skate, we're willing to play for the team and we've just got to keep building on our experience and confidence that we're good enough."
"There's been a lot of games without a lot of rest. It's important we get our rest when we can," Keith added of the busy slate. "I think we're at our best when we're skating and we're relentless on the forecheck and backcheck and we're doing a good job of getting breakouts and breaking the puck out. We've just got to continue to keep building. We started out having a good training camp and had a tough couple first games there against Tampa Bay and I think we've settled in there pretty good. I think we believe in ourselves as a group and we're going to continue to need that."

POWER-PLAY VET

Chicago's power play found twine in the middle frame as Soderberg tipped home an Adam Boqvist shot in front for a 2-0 lead. The goal was Soderberg's fifth of the season and third on the man advantage, a role he's held for exactly one month (Feb. 11). No Blackhawk had more than one power-play goal in that span until DeBrincat notched his second 13 minutes later, courtesy of a Soderberg screen in front.
"He goes to the net. Not everyone wants to be there. Not everyone wants to stand in front of the goalie," Colliton said. "He's created some goals that he hasn't got any points on because he's there, an opportunity that you're not even sure it's a chance -- it's a half-chance -- becomes a great opportunity. Brinksy's goal was a perfect example. He's willing to go there and when you're willing to go there, you get some rebounds and deflections, pucks go in off you and he's been a nice addition, for sure.
"If we move the puck quickly, something's going to open. That's been the biggest thing, and attack the net," Boqvist said pregame. "Sody's been good in front screening goals. I think we have to get movement, move our feet and move the puck better and I think we can score even more out there."
Last season in Arizona, Soderberg notched a career-high six power-play tallies.

ROOKIE ROTATION

As the team reached the halfway point of the season, Colliton has rotated between rookie defensemen this week, most notably sitting Ian Mitchell for both outings in Dallas while allowing both Lucas Carlsson and Nicolas Beaudin to draw back into the lineup and Wyatt Kalynuk to make his NHL debut over the last three games.
"Especially on the road, it's an opportunity to spend time with him, show him some clips," Colliton said of Mitchell specifically. "Obviously you can get a little extra work in whether it's on the ice or off the ice and just reset, get ready to go. We believe in him. He's been really good for us. It has been a lot of games and tight schedule. Sometimes you just need a break."
Carlsson, who missed the final four games in February with a groin strain, appeared in one AHL game last week and returned to NHL action on Sunday and Tuesday. Beaudin, who played four games for the Rockford IceHogs during Chicago's last homestand with six assists to his name, made his first NHL appearance in nearly a month on Thursday replacing Carlsson.
"We have a lot of young defensemen and it's fun," said Boqvist, who himself was a healthy scratch several times during his rookie campaign. "We're competing every day, every practice. We want to be in the lineup, so you have to be on your toes all the time. that's what makes us pretty good. Us young guys, we're competing every night and obviously we have the older guys to help us out off the ice and talk to, things like that.
"I feel, yeah, especially for me, I've learned a lot from last year. Even I can talk to the other guys and give them some tips and tricks and stuff and they can give me (some). Everyone's learning from everyone, so I think that's really good."