7 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks’ 7-4 win, including Colin Blackwell’s 1st hat trick and Connor Bedard’s self-roast

The only thing standing between Colin Blackwell and his first hat trick was Sean Durzi’s outstretched stick and an empty net.

Blackwell made the shot — and some personal history — and hats rained down at the United Center.

“Thank God,” the Chicago Blackhawks forward thought at the time. “(Against) Calgary (on Jan. 7), I had one and I was just a little too antsy.”

Blackwell’s hat trick capped a highlight-filled 7-4 win Sunday over the Arizona Coyotes that also featured two goals by Connor Bedard and four assists from Seth Jones.

Blackwell had sports hernia surgery in late March 2023. He had a difficult recovery and didn’t play in a game until Dec 19.

“It was a long road,” Jones said. “We saw him in here all the time, working and grinding. I know he was here all summer, working to try to get better. He did and he’s been a big part of that (Jason) Dickinson line” with Joey Anderson.

“Especially at home when we match them up against top lines, they shut down those guys and they do a phenomenal job playing that role. Dicky and him, to have a hat trick (for that line) tonight, they’ve been scoring a lot this year, creating offensively as well.”

Coach Luke Richardson seconded Jones’ thoughts.

“(Blackwell’s hat trick) was great, and he’s been in all the right spots,” Richardson said. “And he’s still doing the job that him and Dickinson’s line have been doing since he’s been back.”

Blackwell seemed to downplay the hat trick — or at least his role in it.

“It’s nice to get a couple dirty ones,” he said. “I’m grateful playing with Dicky and Andy. They just play the game the right way and they put me in really good situations to succeed. They did a lot of the hard work on the majority of those goals.”

Meanwhile, Bedard’s pair of markers snapped an eight-game goal drought.

“As an offensive guy I want to produce, and I probably had better games than this one where it wasn’t going in,” he said. “But it’s nice to get a couple tonight for sure.”

Here are seven takeaways from the win.

1. Connor Bedard sparked the rally but missed the hat trick.

Clayton Keller staked the Coyotes to a 2-0 lead with goals in the first and second periods.

Bedard launched the Hawks comeback in the second with one of the uglier goals of his young career. He skated below the goal line and his shot bounced in off J.J. Moser’s shin.

“I knew I needed a miracle to put one in, so that was nice,” he said.

Later in the second, Bedard scored on a five-on-three power play to give the Hawks their first lead, 3-2.

During a third-period two-on-one, Blackwell tried to assist Bedard on what would’ve been the rookie’s first hat trick, but he couldn’t handle the pass.

Blackwell couldn’t resist tweaking Bedard about the two-on-one chance with Bedard sitting within earshot of Blackwell’s postgame interview.

“He’s over there,” Blackwell said, looking over at Bedard. “I can’t say what I want to say.”

“I knew he had two (goals) and was hoping he could get one (more). It was a good job by him driving the net. If we get out there a couple more times, we’ll connect on the next one.”

2. Bedard got another lesson on defense.

Keller slipped by Bedard and past the Hawks defense to score 11 seconds into the second period.

“That’s obviously Connor Bedard’s guy,” Richardson said of the defensive assignments. “We expect our team to pinch up and our two guys press, and he was there originally.”

Richardson acknowledged it was a split-second decision.

“The puck almost got stalled for half a second, so he stalled and Keller didn’t,” he said. “Keller took a chance and kept going, and if that puck squirted the other way, Connor’s gone the other way.”

3. Countdown to Landon Slaggert.

The Hawks signed the Notre Dame forward to a two-year, entry-level deal with a $912,500 annual cap hit. He’s expected to arrive for morning skate Tuesday before the home game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Barring injuries, “he won’t play Tuesday because we want to spend some time and show him some clips of how we play and how we want him to play and fit in,” Richardson said. “Maybe by the end of the week for sure.”

4. Alex Vlasic needs to learn to (penalty) box.

Floyd Mayweather he’s not.

But that’s OK. Sunday’s first-period fight against the Coyotes’ Nick Bjugstad was just the second of Vlasic’s career. The first came Jan. 5, in part retribution against the New Jersey Devils for Brendan Smith’s hit that broke Bedard’s jaw.

During his fight Sunday, Vlasic ducked and took several jabs to his helmet before he wrestled Bjugstad to the ice. Both received fighting penalties.

At least Vlasic has backup in Blackwell.

“Vlasic took a high stick … and might have been accidental, but it was kind of rough,” Richardson recalled. “So Vlasy was upset and took a run at the guy and came to the bench and said something to the referee. So the referee came over, Blackie blasts him.

“He said, ‘It was like a baseball bat to his head.’ He gets a little revved up and the ref wasn’t sure where he was coming from. But it gives us entertainment. We thought it was pretty funny. He didn’t get in trouble for it. He’s the only one who can get away with it.”

5. From the maker of ‘Exercise and wine.’

Richardson seems to have a way with words. He was talking about Blackwell’s frustration with his slow recovery after surgery when the Hawks coach uttered another memorable one-liner.

“He’s a guy that’s a little muscle ball,” Richardson said, referring to Blackwell’s workout ethic. “He’s built, he’s always in the gym, he’s working on his body all the time to be a 100% pro all the time.”

6. The Andreas Athanasiou watch continues.

It has been nearly two weeks since Athanasiou talked about his progress from a hip/groin injury, and he has yet to play in a game. He last played Nov. 9 at Tampa Bay.

Richardson said the forward hasn’t had a setback.

“If there’s one little hesitation, then we’re going to wait that extra day,” he said.

Richardson brushed off the notion the speedster might be having trouble overcoming the mental hurdle of trusting his body again, something the coach has alluded to before.

“I think he feels something but definitely had a really good two days,” he said.

7. Last laugh: Tort-ure chamber?

Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella went on an epic tirade Saturday when referees ejected him and he initially refused to leave the bench against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Richardson had one question: “I just want to know what happened to his thumb. He’s got a cast on his thumb.”

Tortorella told Flyers reporters last month, “Just surgery on the hand, old age.”

Richardson didn’t see the game from which Tortorella got tossed (and later fined $50,000 and suspended two games) but said such rants aren’t “very characteristic of anyone nowadays.”

“Everyone’s pretty calm and knows the rules and abides by them as much as possible,” he said. “But he’s a fiery guy, so I’m sure something got to him that he wanted to make a point.”

Richardson, who was a defenseman when “Torts” coached the 2006-07 Lightning, shared an old story about Tortorella conducting a team meeting.

The players’ change room was nearby, and “someone didn’t turn their cell phone off, and that was a big rule with him,” Richardson said. “They had an AC/DC song programmed into someone’s name and it went off.

“He wore his glasses down on his nose and looked over his glasses, like, ‘Whose phone is that?’ Nobody moved, but then it went off a second time. That was funny because it wasn’t my phone. He was not happy at that point.”