Lenny Arquilla, Author at The Rink https://www.the-rink.com/author/lrarquilla/ Chicago Blackhawks and NHL Salary Cap Information Thu, 30 Jul 2020 12:21:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://i0.wp.com/www.the-rink.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/cropped-FavIcon_v3.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Lenny Arquilla, Author at The Rink https://www.the-rink.com/author/lrarquilla/ 32 32 136660061 Along the Boards: Blackhawks shutout Blues 4–0 in exhibition warm up https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-shutout-blues-4-0-in-exhibition-warm-up/ https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-shutout-blues-4-0-in-exhibition-warm-up/#respond Thu, 30 Jul 2020 12:16:55 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=17479 The Chicago Blackhawks looked to use their lone tune-up game against the St. Louis Blues Wednesday night to prepare for what could be a one and done playoff appearance this... Read more »

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]]> The Chicago Blackhawks looked to use their lone tune-up game against the St. Louis Blues Wednesday night to prepare for what could be a one and done playoff appearance this season against the Edmonton Oilers. This was the first time the Blackhawks would play a team other than themselves since March 11.

Corey Crawford, who had Covid-19, got the start in the exhibition game despite potentially needing to take it slow ahead of Saturday against the Oilers. The defense, which was always to be desired, looked sloppy early as the Blackhawks clearly were shaking the rust off. Adam Boqvist, especially, looked lost out there and had trouble passing the puck. Hopefully, the Blackhawks were just attempting to not exert themselves in a “meaningless” game, but some aggressiveness would be welcomed.

The Blackhawks had a couple of good looks early on including a power play, five minutes into play, when Jonathan Toews shoveled a pass to Dominik Kubalik on the left side of Jordan Binnington. A quick shoulder save kept the Blackhawks off the board in the first.


Some positives in the period, however, were the Blackhawks prevented the Blues from a shot on goal over two power plays. A scoreless first period to start the game.

The Blackhawks looked more like a cohesive unit in the second period. Dominik Kubalik gave Jonathan Toews a reverse pass along the boards and Toews came from behind the goal to flip the puck to Brandon Saad giving the Blackhawks the first goal of the night.


Less than two minutes later, the Blackhawks scored again off another turnover by the Blues. Dylan Strome prevented the Blues from clearing the puck and he redirected the stolen puck to Patrick Kane.  While two Blue’s players focused on Kane, Strome slid in front of the net for the 2–0 lead.


Crawford started the second period but did not finish it as Malcolm Subban took over for Crawford at the mid-way point in a move that will surely be praised over most social media. If Crawford is going to be a big factor in the play-in series, then it was smart to give him some time in front of competition but there was no need to have him out there longer than needed. He saved 11 of 11 shots and was as good as the team could have hoped for. He played a little over 30 minutes and left with a lead. That is about all you could hope for in a tune-up game.


The Blackhawks took a 2–0 lead into the final period of the game. Jake Allen would start the third period for the Blue’s, but the goalie change provided the same results. Allen had 2.15 goals against average in 24 games for St. Louis and that was the second best mark in the league. Unfortunately for him, the Blackhawks would hit that number on the head. Well, one Blackhawk in particular.

Following some four on four play, the Blackhawks had 75 seconds with a man advantage, but they would need only 17 seconds of that to get their point across. Patrick Kane dished the puck to Kirby Dach, who had the wherewithal to spot Kubalik in front of the net for the power play goal.


The Blackhawks were up 3–0, and went back to the Kubalik well for one more wish. Following a Zach Sanford penalty, Kubalik took a feed off a Blues turnover from Toews that the Calder trophy finalist put in the back of the net for his second power play goal of the night. Nothing new from the man who scored 30 goals in the shortened regular season. A welcome sight for the Blackhawks as they finish the Blues 4–0.


Overall, the Blackhawks played good enough to win but if they want to make a push to the impossible, they will need the team to be a lot quicker and a lot smarter with the puck against an Oilers team that rightfully earned a playoff spot.

The puck drops at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Rogers Place in Edmonton in front of an empty crowd. Hockey in August, we will take what we can get.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-shutout-blues-4-0-in-exhibition-warm-up/feed/ 0 17479 Along the Boards: Blackhawks beat Sharks 6-2 amid Coronavirus scares https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-beat-sharks-6-2-amid-coronavirus-scares/ https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-beat-sharks-6-2-amid-coronavirus-scares/#respond Thu, 12 Mar 2020 12:09:58 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=16729 Wednesday’s game saw two teams relatively out of the playoffs face off for the last time this season. Both teams have shown flashes of greatness this season, but neither have... Read more »

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]]> Wednesday’s game saw two teams relatively out of the playoffs face off for the last time this season. Both teams have shown flashes of greatness this season, but neither have been able to reach their ultimate potential. Corey Crawford got the start for the Blackhawks in what felt like his 100th start in a row, while Aaron Dell was in net for the Sharks.

It was an evenly matched first period with the Sharks getting the slight edge via a power play goal. Two Blackhawks penalties back to back set up the early deficit. Dylan Strome got two minutes for tripping Evander Kane and 15 seconds into that power play, Ryan Carpenter got called for high sticking Joe Thornton. The Blackhawks were tied for seventh in the NHL on the penalty kill with an 82.3% success rate and they were a mere six seconds away from getting a player back before Kane and Thornton would get their revenge. Thornton hit Kane with a solid pass to Crawford’s side and Kane buried his 26th goal on the season.

The Sharks had 15 shots on net compared to the Blackhawks 14, but San Jose had the one that counted.  Nevertheless, Sharks led 1-0.

The second period saw the Blackhawks as the beneficiary of the power play as they scored three goals, two of which were with the man advantage. That simple fact is important for several reasons: In the last five games, the Blackhawks were 0–14 on power play chances and the Sharks boasted the number one penalty kill in the league. Despite their elite penalty kill Sharks will probably not make the playoffs this season.

Hockey is weird.

Antti Suomela got called for hooking and the Blackhawks took advantage of the man advantage with some great teamwork from Kirby Dach and Duncan Keith. Dach set a tremendous screen in front of goalie Aaron Dell which allowed Keith to fire a shot a few feet from the blue line for only his third on the season, but the 101st goal of his career. Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat both got an assist on the goal. What is important to know about that goal is Dach may not be filling the stat sheet and is not in a lot of box scores, but he is playing some fantastic hockey this season. He is winning a lot of face-offs and it is not going unnoticed. Hawks tied the game 1–1.

The Blackhawks got another shot at the power play when Evander Kane got two minutes for holding Dylan Strome and Strome got a nice chance in the middle of the ice to break the tie, but Dell made a quick glove save to keep the score even.

Towards the end of the second period was when the Blackhawks started to get hot though. Brent Burns got two minutes for roughing Brandon Hagel, who was making his NHL debut, as Burns caught him with an elbow. Thirty seconds later, DeBrincat and Patrick Kane made the Sharks pay.

DeBrincat came down the right side of the ice on the power play and found Kane in motion to the goal for his 32nd on the season. Dell did not see Kane until it was too late. It is always good to see DeBrincat on the box score after he has been having a down season. Alex and Duncan Keith got an assist on the goal.

The Blackhawks tallied ANOTHER goal 90 seconds later from Brandon Saad for his 21st goal of the season with an assist from Toews and DeBrincat. The Blackhawks were a lot quicker and more effective in the second period and were showing that previously mentioned flash of greatness many have speculated about. Home team was up 3–1 heading into the third period.

The third period, much like the second, was all Blackhawks. Alexander Nylander got his skates wet in the scoring pool when he converted a wrister from Strome for his 10th on the season to give the Hawks a 4–1 lead.

Timo Meier converted on an assist from Evander Kane from the neutral zone to cut the lead back to two, but it would be the last time the Sharks would get on the board. Despite the Sharks pulling within two (4–2), from then on, it was simply all Blackhawks. Patrick Kane got his second of the game and 33rd on the season on an assist from Slater Koekkoek and Nylander. Blackhawks were now up 5–2.

Then, rookie sensation Dominik Kubalik got his 30th goal on the season fed by a nice drop pass by Dach which Kubalik sniped over Dell’s glove hand.

Blackhawks won easily 6–2 and the game never seemed in jeopardy. Crawford stopped 34 of 36 shots and earned his 15th win of the season.

The Sharks announced earlier in the day that they would play the remainder of their home games this season without fans in the arena. The Columbus Blue Jackets followed suit and the NHL could make an official announcement after the game or as early as this morning to suspend all play with the NBA suspending their season, following a player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for the Coronavirus. Very scary things going on that surpass the game of hockey. If the virus panic does not do away with the season altogether, the Blackhawks will be playing Friday at 7:30 p.m. CDT at the United Center against the Ottawa Senators.

Whether it be in front of a home crowd is another story as the teams could end up playing with no spectators.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-beat-sharks-6-2-amid-coronavirus-scares/feed/ 0 16729 Along the Boards: Blackhawks take down the Anaheim Ducks 6–2 on the back of Corey Crawford https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-take-down-the-anaheim-ducks-6-2-on-the-back-of-corey-crawford/ https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-take-down-the-anaheim-ducks-6-2-on-the-back-of-corey-crawford/#respond Wed, 04 Mar 2020 14:31:41 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=16649 With the Blackhawks just barely having one skate left in the doorway of the playoffs, they looked to go on a run at home against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday... Read more »

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]]> With the Blackhawks just barely having one skate left in the doorway of the playoffs, they looked to go on a run at home against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night. Chicago was only six points out of an inadvisable playoff spot, but they had the difficult task of leapfrogging four other teams to get there. They also had Corey Crawford in net for his sixth straight start after trading away Robin Lehner in a baffling front office move. The home team was officially in feast or famine mode.

If the Blackhawks wanted to beat the Ducks, they would need to do what they do best and that is to score, preferably first. They did exactly that when Kirby Dach skated to the front of the net and dished the puck of to Adam Boqvist, who found Drake Caggiula to the side of Ducks goalie John Gibson for his ninth goal of the season. Of note, it was the first goal in NHL history involving two players born in the 2000s in Boqvist and Dach, who recorded the assists. The Blackhawks ended the first period up 1–0.

Most people thought the Blackhawks traded the wrong goalie at the deadline and there is evidence on both sides of the argument, but to Crawford’s credit, if the Hawks do by some miracle somehow sneak into the playoffs, it would be in part to his willingness to sacrifice his whole body to keep his teammates in the game. For a goalie that has missed a lot of time the past two seasons due to injury, he gave the Blackhawks everything he had in the first period.

Crawford’s numbers this season only tell one side of the story. The Blackhawks’ defense has been terrible this season so the goalies are saving more shots. The more shots there are, the more likely the opposing team scores. Simple percentages. The home team may have scored the lone goal of the opening period, but the Ducks out shot them 16–6 and were taking better shots due to the Blackhawks’ mismanagement of the puck, a story that has had many chapters this season.

The Blackhawks came out for the second period with a lot more energy and fast-paced play almost as if they knew they were lucky to escape the first period with a lead. A deflected shot off the stick of Duncan Keith took a fortunate bounce off the end boards, right in front of Dylan Strome, who fired it past Gibson’s right side for his 11th of the season for a 2–0 Blackhawks advantage.

Shortly after, however, Christian Djoos fooled everyone, including Crawford, into thinking he was taking a shot and he drew the Blackhawks defenders all away from the net in time to pass it to Danton Heinen, who shot it in the gaping net for his ninth goal of the season. The Blackhawks’ lead was down to just one goal, once again, at 2–1.

Crawford continued his fancy footwork when Adam Henrique had a prime scoring opportunity, but the goaltender stretched wide and got his left leg pad in front of the shot. Henrique had about two or three opportunities before the whistle.

The Blackhawks had two good shorthanded chances from Brandon Saad on a breakaway and later Caggiula, but Gibson was there to hold the deficit at one. That was when the Blackhawks’ best puck handler, Patrick Kane, got just past the Ducks’ blue line and fired a pin-point pass to Strome in stride, who redirected the puck past Gibson for his second goal of the game and 12th overall for a 3–1 Chicago lead. Lucas Carlsson got his first career point on the goal, as he set Kane up with an exquisite lead pass to start the play, as well.

The Blackhawks would waste little time in queuing Chelsea Dagger again in the second period. Heinen went for a backhand shot on goal on a breakaway, but Boqvist scurried back and got his stick in the way to disrupt Heinen’s attempt. The Hawks quickly transitioned the puck for a three-on-one the other way and Alexander Nylander capitalized. Nylander toyed with Gibson by going forehand, backhand, then short side into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season, pushing the Blackhawk advantage to 4–1.

Just 15 seconds later, Nylander would get another point this time on an assist to Kane in front of the goal. This was Kane’s 29th goal of the season. The Blackhawks scored four goals on 18 shots while the Ducks mustered only one goal on 13 shots. This was a very different Blackhawks team in the second period, a team that played both sides of the ice and with a purpose, finishing the second period up 5–1.


The third period opened with a scary moment, as Ryan Getzlaf tried to avoid Crawford after he stopped a shot and accidentally kneed the goaltender in the head. The medical staff and concussion spotter must have seen something they did not like because they brought Crawford to the bench and he was replaced by Malcolm Subban, who was making his Blackhawks debut. It ended up being short lived, however, as Crawford only missed little more than a minute of play and came right back in to guard the net. Crawford, despite a history of numerous head and neck injuries in his career, came back into a game where his team was up late by four goals and in control of the game.

Alrighty then.


Just a few minutes later, he got a wellness check on a redirected shot from Carter Rowney and Crawford missed it for the Ducks’ second goal of the game, cutting the gap to 5–2 with Rowney’s seventh goal of the season. The Blackhawks, however, would add one more goal for good measure when Matthew Highmore hit David Kampf for his eighth of the season and a 6–2 lead on Anaheim goalie Ryan Miller, who replaced Gibson for the third period.

Crawford allowed two goals on 39 shots and the line of Strome, Kane and Nylander had a combined for 13 shots, four goals and three assists. Not a bad day at the office for the Blackhawks, as they took the 6–2 victory and they would hope the rest of the dominoes in front of them would fall their way.

The Blackhawks get the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at the United Center and puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Do not be surprised if Crawford is not in net for that one and Subban makes his “unofficial” Blackhawks debut. With the season likely lost at this point, there really is no need to push a possibly injured Crawford into his seventh start in a row unless they must. Whoever is scheduled in goal probably wishes they were not, as the Oilers are first place in the Pacific Division and show zero signs of slowing down.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-take-down-the-anaheim-ducks-6-2-on-the-back-of-corey-crawford/feed/ 0 16649 Along the Boards: Blackhawks overwhelmed late in 6–3 loss to the New York Rangers https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-overwhelmed-late-in-6-3-loss-to-the-new-york-rangers/ https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-overwhelmed-late-in-6-3-loss-to-the-new-york-rangers/#respond Thu, 20 Feb 2020 15:48:10 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=16407 With the Chicago Blackhawks’ playoff odds all but at 0%, the team needed to make some serious ground up against an Original Six opponent, the New York Rangers, on Wednesday.... Read more »

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]]> With the Chicago Blackhawks’ playoff odds all but at 0%, the team needed to make some serious ground up against an Original Six opponent, the New York Rangers, on Wednesday. The Blackhawks and Rangers both sat eight points out in the West and East wild card standings, respectively, entering the contest.

In the first period, the Hawks looked like a team that knew they were going to be sellers come Monday’s trade deadline. Within 90 seconds, the Hawks were already down 1–0 due to an apparent allergy to playing defense. Adam Boqvist was easily beat by Filip Chytil up the side boards and Chytil put the puck through the five hole of Chicago goalie Robin Lehner. It was very apparent that the Hawks’ biggest weakness in the first period—much like this season—was puck control and they could not seem to accomplish it on either side of the ice.

The Blackhawks only had a few good shots late in the first and it was because of a slashing penalty on Rangers wing Brett Howden. Alex DeBrincat had a shot that hit the side post for what would have been the game-tying goal. The Blackhawks got most of their 12 first-period shots on goal on that power play alone while the Rangers spread their 12 over the length of the period. As always, Lehner needed some help. New York led 1–0 after 20 minutes.

In the second period, the Blackhawks did something they have not done in a while: looked like a team that wanted to play playoff hockey. They came out with speed and looked more eager to resuscitate a season that at many times has looked dead on arrival. That glimmer of hope would come in the form of captain Jonathan Toews and rookie phenom Dominik Kubalik. As New York was putting a lot of pressure on Lehner with back-to-back chances, the puck slid between the legs of the Chicago netminder for what looked to be a 2–1 Rangers lead. But alas, enter Toews. He got to the net just in time to poke the puck away from crossing the goal line. The home team looked hungry in the second and they would get fed shortly after.

The Hawks pulled out an old classic with a new twist as Patrick Kane slid the puck across the ice to Duncan Keith who then slung it to Kubalik who just beat the skate and pad of goalie Igor Shesterkin to tie things up at 1–1. This goal was Kubalik’s rookie leading 24th goal and Keith’s 500th career assist. A very nice look at both past and present coming together for this team in transition. Not only did the Blackhawks look more agile and determined, but they also were not afraid to get physical.

On the other end of the ice, Lehner earned a roughing penalty for shoving Rangers forward Brendan Lemieux after Lemieux pushed David Kampf following the whistle. However, that would be all of the action for the rest of the frame. The Blackhawks outshot the Rangers 16–10 in the second period and seemed poised to chip away at the Western Conference wild card standings tied 1–1 heading into the third period.

What goes up, unfortunately, must come down, at least for the Rangers. The third period saw seven goals scored, but the Blackhawks were not the benefactor of most of them. Almost three minutes in, Pavel Buchnevich buried a solid pass from Chris Kreider in front of the net to put New York ahead 2–1 and the Rangers would not trail ever again. New York scored again, 90 seconds later, in the form of a power play goal from the elder Strome brother, Ryan. Olli Maatta was hit with a holding penalty and the older Strome scored his 15th on the season to put the Rangers up 3–1. Kubalik picked up his 25th goal of the season, and second of the night, two minutes later to pulling the Hawks within one again at 3–2, but the Rangers just refused to let up.

Kreider scored his 24th on the season for a 4–2 Rangers lead and Artemi Panarin got an unassisted goal for his 30th on the season to push the gap to 5–2 to get his revenge on his former team. The younger Strome, Dylan, could not handle a pass from Maatta and it ended up in the Panarin’s bread basket.

Drake Caggiula tried to keep the dwindling home crowd invested when he buried a crisp pass from Toews off the boards for his seventh on the season to make the score 5–3 New York, but it was too little, too late. Two minutes later, Mika Zibanejad just barely squeaked a nice pass from Buchnevich to the left side of Lehner for the Rangers’ sixth goal of the game and fifth of the period. Chicago lost this one 6–3 late and the “For Sale” sign was firmly nailed up at the United Center. This one was over well before the final horn sounded, but it did not make the loss any less devastating. The Blackhawks needed a miracle on the 40th anniversary of “Miracle on Ice,” but it was not to be.

The Blackhawks return to action on Friday night against the Nashville Predators in Chicago. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-overwhelmed-late-in-6-3-loss-to-the-new-york-rangers/feed/ 0 16407 Along the Boards: Blackhawks lose 2–1 in overtime to Original Six foe Boston Bruins https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-lose-2-1-in-overtime-to-original-six-foe-boston-bruins/ https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-lose-2-1-in-overtime-to-original-six-foe-boston-bruins/#respond Thu, 06 Feb 2020 16:33:41 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=16197 Coming off Tuesday night’s overtime loss, the Blackhawks were looking to chip away at a three-point deficit in the wild card standings with a win against an Original Six opponent,... Read more »

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]]> Coming off Tuesday night’s overtime loss, the Blackhawks were looking to chip away at a three-point deficit in the wild card standings with a win against an Original Six opponent, the Boston Bruins. On paper, the Hawks were severely outmatched by the Bruins due to their comparatively poor defensive numbers. As of late though, Chicago has been able to win games with great goaltending, and they would have veteran goalie Robin Lehner (15–8–4, 2.86 goals against average) in net against Boston.

Early on, the game had a very “David vs. Goliath” feel, so the Hawks would need all they could get from Lehner. Chicago’s shaky defense led to 16 shots on goal in the first period. At one point, Lehner had to borrow a play primarily seen in soccer to block a shot from David Krejci, as the net minder went full extension to his right to keep the 0–0 tie.

The Hawks only had five shots on goal in the frame, none of them being quality looks. At times, it seemed like Boston was just toying with the home team. Chicago also went over 10 minutes without a shot on goal. The Blackhawks would need to dig deep to stay in this game.

It was very clear that Lehner was going to need some help in the second period and if the Hawks did not manufacture their own luck, they needed to rely on Boston making mistakes. That lone glimmer of hope would come in the form of Adam Boqvist taking one for the team at the 6:13 mark, as Krejci checked him into the boards to set up the two-minute power play. However, Boqvist would not return because of a shoulder injury. The Hawks were 29th in capitalizing on the power play compared to the Bruins, who were third in the penalty kill, so things were not looking good…or were they?

Black cats and the No. 13 are known as bad luck, but Alex DeBrincat struck for goal No. 13 in front of the net off a blocked shot from Kirby Dach. Boston’s Brad Marchand failed to clear the puck after the Dach block and the Cat took advantage. Patrick Kane and Dach got an assist on the power play goal as Chicago went up 1–0.

The Bruins would tie the game, however, when the Hawks made a costly mistake at the 12:49 mark. Sean Kuraly scored his fifth goal by beating Duncan Keith on the boards and skating out for separation before sending one between Lehner’s legs. Lehner simply missed this one. He moved his stick to the right at the last moment expecting a pass and paid for it. Anders Bjork and Matt Grzelcyk each got an assist on the goal. Lehner was doing everything he could to keep the Hawks in it. He was seeing double the amount of shots Jaroslav Halak was at this point (Lehner 26 for 27 and Halak 12 for 13.) The score remained 1–1 heading into the third period.

A very sloppy third period from both teams resulted in several penalties that opened the door for either team to take advantage. It would be easier to switch to list form for this:

  • 5:53 — Brandon Saad gets two minutes for slashing Bjork
  • 11:41 — Alexander Nylander gets two minutes for tripping David Pastrnak. Then, Pastrnak gets two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct on Nylander.
  • 14:41 — Chris Wagner gets two minutes for slashing Dach
  • 17:34 — Zach Smith gets two minutes for illegal check to the head of Torey Krug
  • 17:48 — Ryan Carpenter gets a penalty for arguing a call from the bench
  • 18:55 — Krug gets two minutes for tripping Olli Maatta

What an absolute mess.

The Hawks thought they had the game won late in the third period from a shorthanded goal from Drake Caggiula, but it was overturned because of a suspected hand pass from Maatta. It was later revealed by the officials that they had the call wrong. But, at the time, that did not stop the game from remaining 1–1 and the Blackhawks would have to see their second overtime game in as many days. They did, however, have over a minute left on a power play.

Unfortunately, it would not matter. Charlie McAvoy scored his first goal of the season despite the one-man disadvantage when he beat Dach and fooled Lehner for the overtime victory for the Bruins.

The Hawks were lucky to get out of that game with a point in the standings due to being severely outplayed by Boston in the early going. Lehner did all he could blocking 38 of 40 against a team that was rightfully better. Chicago still could have stolen one, but that matters little now.

The Blackhawks now begin a four-game road trip against teams they are competing with for a playoff spot—starting with the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CST and the Blackhawks are now 25–21–7 on the season.

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]]> https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-lose-2-1-in-overtime-to-original-six-foe-boston-bruins/feed/ 0 16197 Along the Boards: Blackhawks avoid season sweep with 3-2 shootout win over Coyotes https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-avoid-season-sweep-with-3-2-shootout-win-over-coyotes/ https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-avoid-season-sweep-with-3-2-shootout-win-over-coyotes/#respond Sun, 02 Feb 2020 16:19:46 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=16152 Coming off the 10-day hiatus for the NHL All-Star Break, the Blackhawks entered tonight’s game already down in the season series 0–2 and on the verge of being swept for... Read more »

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]]> Coming off the 10-day hiatus for the NHL All-Star Break, the Blackhawks entered tonight’s game already down in the season series 0–2 and on the verge of being swept for the first time by the Arizona Coyotes.

The Hawks faced an already depleted Coyote team without defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson and goalie Darcy Kuemper and they took full advantage in the first period. Mid-first period, Corey Crawford deflected a shot and the puck ended up in front of Patrick Kane who pushed it to Brandon Saad up the left side for his 14th goal of the season. This allowed Kane’s point streak to reach 12 games.

The first period was all Hawks and Corey Crawford used his whole body to block 12 shots on goal and give the Coyotes a 1–0 deficit to end the first period.

The Hawks would face a different animal from the Coyotes in the second period, however.

The away team started the second period off with a little déjà vu. Kane hit Saad for his second of the game (15th this season), putting the Hawks up 2–0. This time, Kirby Dach gets credited with an assist for his eighth on the season. Kane takes advantage of yet another defensive mistake by the Coyotes as they have four guys behind the goal line with Saad in front to flip one over Antti Raanta’s shoulder for the goal. Hawks up 2–0 and look to be cruising to a road “W”.

As previously stated, however, the Coyotes adjusted their game accordingly.

Halfway through the second period, Crawford stops an initial shot from Carl Soderberg, but the puck ricochets in front of an open Brad Richardson for his 4th goal this season. The Coyotes cut the deficit in half.

Then, Slater Koekkoek had Connor Garland one on one up the side, but he decided to switch at the last minute to block the net instead of staying the course allowing Garland to tie the game with a top-shelf goal for his 17th on the season. Surprisingly, Garland leads Arizona in goals. The Blackhawks and Coyotes were tied 2-2 at the end of two.

The third period was sloppy for the Hawks early on. Jonathan Toews got called for hooking and Olli Maatta got called for holding giving the Coyotes two big advantages. The Hawks weathered the storm though and both goalies did not break the whole third period. Hats off to both Crawford and Raanta for coming up with some spectacular saves to send it to OT.

Raanta at one point was on his stomach and had to kick his legs up to save a goal. 13 for 13 saves in the third. A heck of an adjustment for the Coyotes from the beginning of the game.

SHOOTOUT TIME BAYBAY!

Toews started it off with a slowdown goal to put the Hawks up 1–0 in the shootout. He is 4 for 7 this season now and 49 for 100 in his career. After a save by Crow on a Nick Schmaltz shot, it was showtime at the Gila River Arena. Kane, much like Toews, hits a chef’s kiss of a slow burn goal (5 for 7 on the season, 46 for 109 in his career) to put the Hawks up 2–0 with all the pressure on second-period villain Garland.

Crawford gets his revenge with the stop and the game that should have never seen more than three periods ends with a Hawks 3–2 win. Hawks now sit two points out of a playoff spot. Crawford improved to 10–13–2 on the season and 13–4–2 against the Coyotes in his career. Chicago’s very own stand at 25–21–6 heading into the rest of February.

The Blackhawks look to continue their after-break win streak as they lineup to play Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. CST. Happy Groundhog Day to all.

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks avoid season sweep with 3-2 shootout win over Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

]]> https://www.the-rink.com/along-the-boards-blackhawks-avoid-season-sweep-with-3-2-shootout-win-over-coyotes/feed/ 0 16152 Around the Boards: Blackhawks trounce the Leafs 6–2 with Kane stuck at 999 https://www.the-rink.com/around-the-boards-blackhawks-trounce-the-leafs-6-2-with-kane-stuck-at-999/ https://www.the-rink.com/around-the-boards-blackhawks-trounce-the-leafs-6-2-with-kane-stuck-at-999/#respond Sun, 19 Jan 2020 16:01:14 +0000 https://www.the-rink.com/?p=15991 The Chicago Blackhawks traveled to the Great White North to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs and they did not waste any time taking the Leafs down for the second... Read more »

The post Around the Boards: Blackhawks trounce the Leafs 6–2 with Kane stuck at 999 appeared first on The Rink.

]]> The Chicago Blackhawks traveled to the Great White North to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs and they did not waste any time taking the Leafs down for the second time this season. Unlike the 5–4 shootout victory over the Leafs on November 10th, the Hawks had full control of this one from the opening puck drop. Behind a four-point effort from Captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks took down the Maple Leafs 6–2.

Good ole Eddie Olczyk said the player to watch was Drake Caggiula and within 20 seconds of play, he proved why that was the case. Caggiula scored his fifth goal of the season with an assist from Dominik Kubalik (11) and Connor Murphy (9) and just like that the Hawks were already humming Chelsea Dagger. They would do so two more times in the first period thanks to Toews with his 13th (he would add his 14th in the second period) and Brandon Saad with his 12th, in his first game back in a month. Saad injured his right ankle on December 19th in the 4–1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Patrick Kane got his 999th point with the assist, but alas the 1000th point will have to wait another day.

The Hawks took a 3–0 lead into the second period, but a late penalty by Kane for hooking (18:48) in the first had the Maple Leafs with a one-man advantage and William Nylander scores his 11th goal in 14 games. He ties his career-high 22 and he looks to be a real threat at only 23 years of age. As stated previously, the cornerstone of the Hawks Jonathan Toews says that is cool kid, but I am still here and scores his second of the night to put the Hawks up 4–1. Toronto netminder Frederik Andersen is really having trouble keeping the puck in front of him. Around the 9:02 mark, Kubalik puts the Hawks up 5–1 on the assist from the captain for his third point of the game. Spoiler alert: Toews and Dom will appear in the same paragraph again soon enough.

Toronto pulled within three with a 4:43 goal from Pierre Engvall for his eighth of the season. Alexander Kerfoot dod a great job of using Hawks Adam Boqvist to block Corey Crawford’s view and set Engvall up for the blind goal.

But we are not here for Maple Leaf highlights folks. Come to think of it, this next one might need even be a HOCKEY highlight. Roll footage!

I TOLD YOU THESE TWO WOULD SHOW UP AGAIN! With a little over two minutes remaining in the second period, Toews hit Kubalik with a line drive pass and Dom did not miss this one. Kubalik makes his best case to play in the MLB and not the NHL as he teed off on this one in midair right into the back of the net. Does anybody have the Cubs phone number?! Eddie Olczyk says it is the goal of the night and who am I not to believe the man. No sign-stealing required to set up this dinger.

Hawks headed into the third period up 6–2 and that is the way it stayed. A quiet third for both teams, but Toronto was averaging 3.6 goals a game and Crawford keeps them to only two goal.  Not a bad day at the office for the away team. Crawford saw 33 shots and saves 31 of them so, again, no complaints from the Blackhawks faithful. He improves to 9–13–2 and drops his goal average just hair below 3.00.

Small side note: If you happen to catch the postgame interview with Toews, he has nothing, but respect for every player on his team. He is a man very much aware of his role on the team, but also aware of how important it is to promote and showcase the younger players behind him. Here is what he said regarding his pass to Kubalik in the second: “I was trying to get the puck a foot or two lower on the ice and that was my intention, but I just kind of floated one in there and you know as they say you can’t give a good player a bad pass and I tried my best on that one and he still found a way to get his stick on it.” A veteran who gives credit to the younger players while also remaining a star himself. Have yourself a day, Jon boy.

Like the cult 1993 Disney classic, the Hawks are homeward bound to take on division rival Winnipeg Jets at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Madhouse on Madison. Maybe it will be Saad’s revenge game. Who knows? Hawks have won three in a row and go into Sunday 22–20–6, which is good for fifth in the Western Division. Never say never on a playoff run. Let us know what you think below.

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