Ryan Hartman keeps producing, and the Chicago Blackhawks keep winning.

The rookie scored for the third straight game Wednesday night against the Minnesota Wild, helping the Blackhawks earn their third consecutive victory.

Hartman's goal was his 13th of the season, maintaining his position as the Blackhawks' fifth-leading scorer behind Marian Hossa, Artemi Panarin, Artem Anisimov, and Patrick Kane.

The 22-year-old also ranks fifth on the Blackhawks in shots on goal with 113 in 50 games.

This would be impressive enough if Hartman was skating in Chicago's top six, but he's been doing it lately while lining up on the fourth line with Tanner Kero and Vinnie Hinostroza.

Hartman is on pace to have a 20-goal season, and while he's not quite in the Calder Trophy conversation thanks to one of the best rookie classes ever, he's still making a name for himself while contributing to one of the league's best teams.

All of Hartman's goals have come at even strength, but he's in impressive company nonetheless.

The Blackhawks are frequently searching for secondary scoring by virtue of their litany of salary cap casualties over the years, but getting this kind of production from a rookie on the bottom line provides the club with balance on offense that they can afford.

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What a game for Jonathan Toews, and what a finish for the Chicago Blackhawks.

The center followed up a pair of assists with the game-winner in overtime Wednesday night, banging home a rebound on the power play and lifting the Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild.

Watch: Toews sets up Schmaltz goal with perfect centering pass

Toews had five shots on goal in the contest, an output surpassed only by teammate Patrick Kane and Wild forward Zach Parise.

The Blackhawks captain posted a 55.56 percent Corsi For in all situations and a 50 percent figure at even strength, according to HockeyStats.ca.

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The Minnesota Wild appeared to catch a major break Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

It all started when Zach Parise scored to tie the game in the second period.

(Courtesy: NHL.com)

But hold the phone ... literally. The Blackhawks challenged the play, claiming Parise was offside while Charlie Coyle had the puck on his stick entering Minnesota's offensive zone.

The officials used a smartphone to communicate with the league office in Toronto during an extensive review of the play.

Here's the sequence in its entirety, at the end of which the NHL upheld the on-ice crew's ruling due to inconclusive evidence to the contrary:

"Review was not conclusive in determining whether Parise had tagged up at the instant the puck touched Charlie Coyle's stick," the league explained in a statement shared by Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Lazerus.

"According to Rule 78.7, 'If a review is not conclusive and/or there is any doubt whatsoever as to whether the call on the ice was correct, the on-ice official(s) will be instructed to confirm their original call," the NHL added.

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Jonathan Toews isn't scoring goals at his typical clip, but he's still one of the best at creating them.

The Chicago Blackhawks captain feathered a beautiful pass to Nick Schmaltz for a goal Wednesday night against the Minnesota Wild.

Toews has only 10 goals so far this season, but the helper was his 21st of the campaign.

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The St. Louis Blues understand this whole Twitter thing.

One of the better team social media accounts was at it again Wednesday, as the club prepares to play the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Thursday, while riding back-to-back - the title of one of Toronto icon Drake's songs - shutouts.

Considering how bad the Blues' goaltending has been this season - they're dead last with an .892 save percentage - you can forgive them for really milking the back-to-back clean sheets.

Carter Hutton shut out the Flyers on Monday, while Jake Allen followed up with one of his better games Tuesday, stopping all 30 shots the Senators threw at him.

Toronto was pasted by the Blues last week, 5-1 in Missouri. Like Drake in the summer of 2016, the Maple Leafs will be out there looking for revenge, we presume.

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The Boston Bruins still haven't improved their backup goaltending situation, and Don Sweeney knows that's a major reason why the club has underachieved.

“It’s an area that has put a tremendous amount of pressure on our group," the general manager said Tuesday, according to CSNNE's Joe Haggerty, at the press conference addressing the firing of former head coach Claude Julien.

The revolving-door crew that's played behind starter Tuukka Rask is comprised of veteran Anton Khudobin as well as rookies Zane McIntyre and Malcolm Subban. The trio is a collective 1-10-2 with respective goals-against averages over 3 and save percentages south of .900.

Sweeney admitted that expediting McIntyre's and Subban's development wasn't in the original plans.

"Anton didn’t get off to a great start, and then got injured," Sweeney said. "That hurt us a little bit. We weren’t looking to accelerate either Zane or Malcolm in that situation. We’ve always had an eye towards the development for both of those players.

“Malcolm('s) injury last year impacted him a little bit, I believe, and where he is at today. But that’s the depth of the organization. That’s what you want to see. Is there a right time? You’ve seen players from the American Hockey League have the success they’ve had, and they’ve been able to do it at the next level. It hasn’t necessarily materialized at this point for Zane, but he’s undefeated (in the AHL) going in."

The Bruins' backup woes have been an issue for months, but Sweeney said Tuesday their inability to fix the problem is not due to a lack of trying. He told reporters that he has looked outside the organization to address the problem, but a sensible solution hasn't presented itself.

Rask has played 44 of Boston's 55 games so far, and he's allowed nine goals combined in his last two starts - both losses - after reeling off three straight wins.

"Tuukka is our No. 1 and he’s established that," new head coach Bruce Cassidy said at the same press conference Tuesday.

"(But) it would be great if your No. 2 (goalie) can come in and push your No. 1. (Giving) him the appropriate and that internal competition I think is always great,” said Cassidy. “We haven’t had that as much as we’d like this year, and we’re all aware of that."

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It's a new day.

The Boston Bruins bench now belongs to Bruce Cassidy, who was promoted from assistant coach to head coach after Claude Julien was fired Tuesday. And it appears things are going to be different, beginning Thursday.

First, a bit about Cassidy:

• He's 51 years old, from Ottawa, Ontario, and is a product of the Bruins system.
• He joined Boston's AHL team in Providence as an assistant coach in 2008, taking over as head coach in 2011-12. From 2012-13 through 2015-16, the baby Bruins won 50, 40, 41, and 41 games, respectively.
• Cassidy has run an NHL bench before, serving as head coach of the Washington Capitals in 2002-03. That team won 39 games, and made the playoffs, but was punted in the first round. Cassidy was fired after 28 games in 2003-04, after Washington won only eight of them.

With general manager Don Sweeney coming out and saying that Boston's next three games will serve as a "key period of assessment," the pressure's on Cassidy and co. immediately. The club faces the Sharks on Thursday, the Canucks on Saturday, and the Canadiens on Sunday before its league-mandated bye week begins.

Quality, not quantity

And Cassidy's got a plan, writes The Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa. In particular, the new boss wants more pucks directed towards the net from quality scoring areas, as opposed to players automatically sending the puck back to the point.

Owning the puck and firing the puck aren't issues for Boston. The Bruins are the league's top possession team, and average more than 34 shots a game, but they're coming from the outside. Cassidy wants that to change immediately. He wants more goals from around the net, more havoc down low.

Line changes

And come Thursday, it appears more than just philosophical changes are in store. Cassidy's going to tinker with his lines, and he may break up his top line of Patrice Bergeron between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak - one of the best lines in hockey, with a ridiculous 63.14 percent Corsi For rating.

David Backes practiced with Bergeron and Marchand on Wednesday, and Cassidy wants to get Backes going. He needs to get Backes going. Because Backes isn't going anywhere, thanks to poor numbers - 11 goals and 11 assists in 47 games - and and a massive free-agent contract worth $30 million over five years, signed over the summer.

Backes, for his part, is looking forward to it, saying he's never seen two players read and complement each other like Bergeron and Marchand.

"It seems whoever they put there has been complementary and been able to help them have a lot of success," Backes said. "Hopefully it will be no different with me."

That's not all. Ryan Spooner will play center Thursday, if Wednesday's practice is any indication, as Cassidy looks for the 25-year-old to pick up his game. Spooner has only eight goals and 27 points in 54 games, after it was expected he'd continue to break out after a career year (49 points) in 2015-16. And his struggles may be due to the fact he was moved to the wing this season.

"I think he'd prefer to be a center iceman," Cassidy said, adding that only Spooner could truthfully answer the question. "That's what he's been."

Not only is Thursday a fresh start for Cassidy, it's an important reset for Backes and Spooner, too, along with the rest of their teammates.

Here's what we know for sure: The next three Bruins games are must-see hockey.

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Paul Maurice has an interesting sense of humor, particularly when it comes to the status of his rookie superstar, Patrik Laine.

“Pat's been sent down to the minors today,” the Winnipeg Jets head coach joked to reporters Wednesday, according to Paul Friesen of the Winnipeg Sun. “He's been returned to the Moose.”

Laine won't be demoted, but he struggled in Tuesday's loss to the Minnesota Wild, making a costly giveaway that led to a Wild goal and watching as Minnesota scored another while he was on the ice.

Maurice demoted the 18-year-old to the fourth line after his first-period woes, but the coach insisted Wednesday that the move shouldn't be blown out of proportion.

“He had a rougher night. That's going to happen,” Maurice said. “I love the guy. I also know what he's going to mean to this franchise. If I shaved three minutes off his game, I apologize to Manitoba.”

Laine understands why he was banished to the bottom six.

“It was a tough game,” he said. “I wasn't playing my best. So it was a good decision from him. I've been sitting on the bench before. It's not new to me. That kind of stuff happens."

Laine ranks second among rookies with 23 goals to Auston Matthews' 25 markers. He also sits third in the rookie class, narrowly behind Mitch Marner and Matthews with 43 points despite playing four fewer contests than both of them due to a concussion he suffered earlier in the season.

More importantly for Jets fans' collective sanity, Laine's logging more average ice time than every rookie forward not named Mikko Rantanen, even taking into account the 12:58 he played Tuesday night.

That was his lowest ice time of the season, and judging by Maurice's sarcastic remarks, it's clearly an anomaly that isn't likely to continue.

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