Dach was all of 7 years old when his fourth-line winger, Smith, made his NHL debut for the Ottawa Senators nearly 11 years ago. After 193 points (94G, 99A) as a Senator - where he spent his entire career until this summer - the 31-year-old had somewhat struggled to find his footing in his new home in Chicago during his first 10 games. No. 11 was a different story.
With his assist on de Haan's second-period equalizer, Smith not only found the scoresheet for the first time as a Blackhawk, it was the 100th assist of his career. He wasn't done there, adding another on Dach's goal in the third.
"I think he's been really good ever since he returned to the lineup (in) the Vancouver game and he's been great," Colliton said of the veteran. "Very, very happy with how he's played and he's a professional with his approach to the game. He finds a way to win puck battles and advance it and goes to the net and I think he's really helping his linemates right now. That's really helps the depth of our team."
The fourth-line duo also had a T-Mobile Arena savant alongside them, as former Golden Knight Ryan Carpenter picked up his sixth assist of the season with the primary helper on Dach's tally and now sits fourth on the team in assists.
"It's huge. As a young guy, you're always trying to find that way to have success in and around the net to produce points," Dach said of finding his confidence offensively. "Obviously playing with two great linemates with Carp and Smitty, they're good in the corners and they get me the puck."
"Just amazed. I can't imagine me playing in that position at his age," Smith said, praising his centerman. "He's a big, strong kid and the sky's the limit with his skill. He's nice to play with because he's a big guy, he can go in the corners and pick pucks out and he's a guy you want to get the puck to because he's going to make plays too. He's come a long way and I'm just enjoying playing with him and Carpenter right now."
