After being embarrassed in their games against the Utah Mammoth, the Chicago Blackhawks brought some heart on Saturday. Sadly their heart and swagger wasn’t enough to secure a victory against the Buffalo Sabres.
By falling to the swords, the Hawks are now 0-3-0 for the first time since 2020-21.
First period
In the first period, Chicago jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a goal from Ryan Donato.
Ryan Donato breaks the ice and gets the @NHLBlackhawks on the board! 🚨 https://t.co/OU2buBWLIz
— NHL (@NHL) October 3, 2026
Less than five minutes later, veteran forward Tyler Bertuzzi made it 2-0 in favor the Hawks. The tape-to-tape passing led to the Bertuzzi goal.
GOAL: A great passing sequence leads to a Tyler Bertuzzi tap-in. 2-0. https://t.co/8aASnUruEj
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) October 3, 2026
This was the biggest lead of the game for either team. Before the end of the second period, Buffalo cut the lead in half. Jack Quinn netted the Sabres first goal of the game.
Second period
Early in the second, Tage Thompson potted the equalizer to tie the game at 2-2.
Chicago responded with a nifty give-and-go from Anton Frondell to Oliver Moore for the goal.
GOAL: Oliver Moore scores on a 2-on-1 break. Nice pass by Frondell. https://t.co/PXWHAa3LmO
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) October 4, 2026
The period ended with the Hawks up 3-2.
Third period
In the final frame, the Sabres tied the game up with a goal from Rasmus Dahlin.
With the Hawks clinging to dear life, Buffalo broke through again with the game-winning goal from Jiri Kulich.
Buffalo defeated the Hawks 4-3.
Analysis
Despite the better efforts, the Hawks’ list of question marks continue to grow. The team still has issues clearing its own zone. The forward group still needs to do a better job of back checking.
On defense, Kevin Korchinski and Ethan Del Mastro got their first starts of the season. Sam Rinzel earned his first healthy scratch and Bowen Byram was out due to a personal matter. Rinzel had struggled in his first two appearances this season.
Whether it’s Korchinski, Del Mastro or Rinzel, the Hawks need these young defenders to take the next steps their development.
Chicago needs to shore up some of its issues before their home opener on Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CDT.