There were a couple milestones to note as Patrick Kane participated in his 900th NHL game and Artem Anisimov his 700th. While the Blackhawks have not been mathematically eliminated yet, they are still making some changes to the lineup to take a look at next season. John Hayden and Brendan Perlini were inserted into the lineup while David Kampf and Chris Kunitz were scratched.

First period

There was some feeling out and back and forth play to start the game until Mathieu Perreault was called for holding Patrick Kane at 3:29. It took less than a minute for the Blackhawks to capitalize on the power play. Jonathan Toews (34) scored on a shot that redirected off of Jacob Trouba’s stick and snuck through Connor Hellebuyck’s five-hole.

The Blackhawks would start to take control in the shots category but it was the Jets who struck next at 10:49. Adam Lowry (12) beat Corey Crawford short side after a nice drop pass from Brendon Tanev (15) to even the game up 1–1.

The Jets would head to the power play less than two minutes later as Duncan Keith was called for tripping Nikolaj Ehlers. The Blackhawks were able to kill the penalty without giving up any quality chances to the Jets.

It was more of the same as the Blackhawks held the shot advantage as the period went on. Once again the Jets were able to come through. At 19:26 Jack Roslovic was able to strip Gustav Forsling and score from an improbable along along the goal line for his eighth goal of the season. The period would end there 2–1 Jets.

Second period

The second period started with some excitement as Toews was called for hooking Mark Scheifele on a breakaway which resulted in a penalty shot. Scheifele was unable to convert on his first career penalty shot as he tried to go five-hold on Crawford.

Only 10 seconds later, Erik Gustafsson was called for delay of game after putting the puck over the glass. A little more than halfway through the penalty kill Patrik Laine was called for slashing Keith. Neither team was able to convert on their shortened power plays.

Roslovic was able to tally his second of the game and ninth of the season at 5:13 by beating Crawford top-shelf glove side. That snipe made the score 3–1 in favor of the Jets.

Just over a minute later at 6:23, the Blackhawks were able to respond. Dylan Strome made an errant pass to Patrick Kane that actually came back to him in front of the net. Strome (18) was able to sneak it past Hellebuyck to cut the Jets’ lead to one at 3–2.

The Jets really started to pick up the pace of play and took advantage in the shots column for the game. Forsling was called for holding Andrew Copp at 11:40 as the Jets continued to pepper Crawford but were unable to convert on any chances.

At 18:36, the Blackhawks headed to their third power play of the game following a Blake Wheeler high-sticking of Alex DeBrincat. They were unable to take advantage before the end of the period but would have 36 seconds remaining to start the third period.

The Jets doubled the Blackhawks shots on goal in the second period 14–7 to take a 23-19 advantage in the game. It was 3–2 Jets going into the final frame.

Third period

The Blackhawks were unable to convert on the remaining power play time from the second period. Both teams started to tighten things up in the final period and there were only a combined six shots on goal through eight minutes of the period.

At 8:23, Gustafsson was called for hooking Ehlers and the Blackhawks headed to the kill. They would once again kill off the penalty, the fourth of the night.

The Jets looked to have extended their lead to two at 3:00 on a Scheifele goal, but it was waived off for interference. It was still 3–2 Jets with 3:14 to play in the game. Crawford was pulled for the sixth attacker at 3:00.

The Blackhawks got the puck into the offensive zone and the Jets could not clear it. After a couple chances with no success, the Blackhawks were able to get it back to the Keith at the point. He passed it to Gustafsson who made a nice fake-shot pass to Toews net-side and then got it to Strome (19) for his second of the game. That tied the game at 3–3 with 2:20 left.

That was it for the scoring but with 12 seconds left, Dustin Byfuglien dummied Drake Caggiula with a check at the blue line. This resulted in a little fight that ended in Byfuglien getting the best of Caggiula some more.

Regulation ended 3–3 and headed to overtime.

Overtime

It was fast and furious for both teams but Crawford stood on his head until he could not thwart the Jets’ attack anymore. He made four A+ saves until Kevin Hayes (19) was able to sneak one past for the game-winning goal with 1:22 remaining in overtime to hand the Blackhawks a 4–3 loss.

Notes

• Toews tied his career high in goals (34) and with that goal reached his career high in points as well (77). He added an assist later in the night.
• Crawford was pelted with shots all night and made 35 saves on 39 shots.
• The Blackhawks successfully killed all four penalties on the night.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks lose to Jets 4–3 in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

First Period

The game started slow as both teams were feeling each other out. The Blackhawks had a decent opportunity but the Alex DeBrincat short-side shot was put into the corner by Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Corey Crawford made a nice save on a Lawson Crouse redirect and the shots were even 4–4 a little over seven minutes into the game.

The Coyotes took the shot advantage as the period went on but both goaltenders were doing a fine job of thwarting the shot attempts. It was a game with not much pace despite there not being many stoppages, a far cry from the Blackhawks games we have become accustomed to over the last few months.

Shots were 12–10 in favor of the Blackhawks to end the scoreless first period.

Second Period

It was more of the same game in the second period. Arizona had the edge in shots in this frame as they evened them for the game halfway through.

The first power play of the game came at 11:55 in favor of the Blackhawks as Clayton Keller was called for interference on Connor Murphy. DeBrincat had a good look early but could not get all of the shot as the puck jumped on him a bit. He registered another shot with a good screen, but the Blackhawks were unable to capitalize on the man advantage.

The contest remained scoreless throughout the period and that’s where it ended. The shots were 17 apiece as the Coyotes were lulling the Blackhawks into their type of low-scoring game. Kane and Toews only had one shot each in five-on-five play.

Third Period

Each team registered some shots early and then Brent Seabrook was called for tripping Crouse at 4:35. A minute into the Coyotes power play, Nick Cousins was able to dangle around Duncan Keith and get a shot off. Crawford made the initial save, but Cousins was able to get his own rebound and put it past Crawford. The Coyotes took the lead at 1–0 with 5:40 remaining.

The game continued on as it did through the first two periods with each team registering shots but not having any luck as a result of good goaltending. Keith was called for tripping Crouse at 18:13 after Crawford had already been pulled. Chicago kept him out of the net for a fifth forward, but it did not matter either way.

The Blackhawks were unable to register a goal to tie the game and the Blackhawks were shut out 1–0. What little hopes they had of making the playoffs have become even more slim.

Notes

Do not be fooled that the Blackhawks played a good defensive game. The Coyotes are 28th in the NHL in goals for. They played to their strengths defensively by stymieing the Blackhawks’ shooters and relying on the solid goaltending of Kuemper.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks and general hockey musings.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks shut out by Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

The Ducks play good team defense and don’t score a lot while the Blackhawks score a lot but don’t play very good team defense. It’s an interesting match-up especially since this will be Corey Crawford’s first start since December.

First Period

It was a slow start for both teams as there was only one shot on goal through the first five minutes of the game. They registered two more shortly after. None of which were great opportunities.

It took the Ducks just short of eight minutes to register a shot. Corey Crawford made a nice save on a Carter Rowney wrist shot from point-blank and followed it up with a pad save on Nick Ritchie. From there the game continued at consistent pace. There weren’t many shots or stoppages as the game moved with a nice flow.

The Blackhawks headed to their first power play at 5:23 as Hampus Lindholm was called for holding Patrick Kane. He registered the only two shots of the power play and the Blackhawks were unable to convert.

The period ended 0-0 with the Blackhawks having the edge in shots on goal 13-8. This was the first time the Blackhawks had a scoreless first period, by either team, since November 16, 2018. A streak of 43 games.

Second Period

Just :35 seconds into the first period Drake Caggiula was thrown into the boards face first by Rikard Rackell. It was a scary moment as Caggiula did not get up right away and both trainers came out to escort him off the ice. Rakell received a five-minute boarding major for the hit.

It only took :14 for the Blackhawks to capitalize on the power play. Alex DeBrincat (35) was able to walk it up from the left side while measuring up Ryan Miller and then fired a wrister over Miller’s glove side to make it 1-0 Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks still had close to 5 minutes left of the power play because of the major. They had a few shots but it would actually be the Ducks who scored next.

At 15:38 Devin Shore scored a short-handed goal for the Ducks. Erik Gustafsson laid and blocked Shore’s first attempt with his stick but the puck squeaked through and Shore was able to sneak it past Crawford who was moving the other way anticipating the first attempt. That evened the game at 1.

It was a disappointing five-minute power play for the Blackhawks as they ended up even with the Ducks following it.

The game continued to be back and forth for much of the period again but then the Ducks headed to their first power play of the night. At 4:12 Connor Murphy was called for the first Blackhawks penalty of the game while hoooking Corey Perry.

Crawford made a nice save off of a Max Jones snap shot that went to Duncan Keith who then passed it to Artem Anisimov. He carried the puck all the way up the left side of the ice and was able to snipe a shot short side over Miller’s shoulder. Anisimov’s (11) short-handed goal made the game 2-1 Blackhawks.

The Ducks were able to get a couple more shots off during the power play but did not convert. Shortly after the power play expired Carter Rowney was able to tip one under Crawford’s right pad following a pass from Ryan Kesler.

After a fast-paced second period the score was tied 2-2 with both teams registering 23 shots on goal.

Third Period

The final period started with action like the first two going back and forth. It was consistent until Crawford made a big mistake while attempting to play a puck behind the net and couldn’t get back. He was wasn’t able to move it fast enough as Derek Grant took control and made a nice pass to Troy Terry who buried the shot on a wide open right side of the net. 3-2 Ducks 5:35 into the period.

It took awhile for anymore action but it was DeBrincat once again for the Blackhawks. Jonathan Toews carried the puck all the way up the ice, circled the net and made a brilliant pass through the goal mouth to DeBrincat (36) for the goal. The game was tied at 3 with only 4:54 to play.

The late game heroics wouldn’t come until there was only :16 left on the clock as Toews made a nice outlet pass from the corner to Brandon Saad who then fed it to Kane. Kane (40) made the game winning goal look easy as he sniped it over Miller’s blocker side.

Recap

It was an evenly played game for two evenly matched teams. In the end the Blackhawks firepower was too much for the Ducks. The overall look of the game was of the typical style for the Blackhawks of late with spotty team defense and a majority of the scoring from the top six.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks and general hockey musings. 

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Shoot Down Ducks In Closing Seconds appeared first on The Rink.

First Period

It was a slow start for the Blackhawks and Slater Koekkoek was called for slashing just 1:15 into the game. The Senators immediately took advantage as Bobby Ryan took a pass from Matt Duchene and scored with an unlikely shot by just putting the puck on net. The puck trickled under Collin Delia’s right pad.

Only :34 later Rudolfs Balcers of the Senators stuffed one past Delia after a nice tic-tac-toe play. Mikkel Boedker to Chris Tierney to Balcers to make it 2-0 Senators at 2:40.

A minute later Cody Ceci was called for hooking Marcus Kruger. The red hot Blackhawks power play capitalized :31 seconds later with another solid play from who else but Patrick Kane to Jonathan Toews to Alex DeBrincat. He put it in from just outside the blue paint to cut the Senators’ lead in half

DeBrincat tied the game at 2 at 5:07 in the period. After a tape-to-tape pass from Dominik Kahun all DeBrincat had to do was have his stick on the ice with blade open to put it top shelf over Anders Nilsson.

The Senators took a 3-2 lead at 7:55 aftern Colin White whacked home a Mark Stone rebound. Delia was pulled after the goal and replaced by Cam Ward.

In what seemed like an eterinity, another four and a half minutes passed before the next goal of the game. A very sneaky Kane caught the Senators in the midst of a change and snuck behind Ryan. He received a nice pass from Duncan Keith and sniped it far side to even the game at 3.

Dylan Strome got in on the goal scoring action and redirected an errant puck near the goal line towards the net. It snuck under Nilsson’s arm stick side to give the Blackhawks their first lead of the night at 4-3. Nilsson was replaced by Craig Anderson in net following the goal.

The change didn’t matter much because at 14:53 Dylan Sikura hit Brandon Saad right on the tape for an easy redirected goal to make it 5-3 Blackhawks.

The scoring wasn’t over for the period as Stone got the Senators within one goal before the end of the first period. Stone sniped the one-timer from the slot after a perfect pass from Brady Tkachuk.

The first period would end 5-4 Blackhawks and was the first time they scored 5 goals in a period since the 2017-2018 season opener agains the Penguins.

Second Period

The second picked up just where the first left off. White tallied his second goal of the game to tie it up at 5 just 1:32 into the period. He sniped home a Tkachuk one-time pass from the top of the circle that beat Ward high glove side.

Dylan DeMelo was called form holding Kruger a minute later but the Blackhawks did not capitalize this time.

Cam Ward made some nice saves and kept the Senators from scoring on some nice opportunities until the next Blackhawks goal.

At 8:19 DeBrincat sniped home a one-timer for the hat trick. A patient Dylan Strome gathered a long rebound and took his time to find DeBrincat cross-ice to give the Blackhawks a 6-5 Lead.

Shortly thereafter Connor Murphy and Ryan got into a little scuffle following the play and were both given two minutes for roughing. During the 4-on-4 Kane looked like he was shot out of a cannon down the right side but the puck slipped away before he could get a shot or pass off.

There was so much scoring in this game that even Gustav Forsling got in on the action. He fired a Saad backhand one-time pass past Andersen to extend the Blackhawks lead to 7-5.

At 11:14 Ryan was called for another penalty while hooking Murphy. The Blackhawks did not make very good use of the power play and had one of their worst displays in over a month.

Four minutes later Kahun, who has played in every game this season, committed his first penalty of the season. The Blackhawks had no issues killing it and headed back to even strength.

The period would end 7-5 Blackhawks and there weren’t any goals for 9:29 to end the period.

Third Period

The final period started out very slow compared to the first two without very many shots by either team. DeMelo was called for delay of game after sending the puck over the glass in the defensive zone sending the Blackhawks power play.

After a less than stellar on performance on their previous power play the Blackhawks made up for it in style. Kane to DeBrincat to Toews for the eighth Blackhawks goal of the game. That combination in any order is becoming lethal on the power play.

The Senators were not giving up in a game that was proof that anything can happen. Thomas Chabot wheeled around the defense and roofed a goal from an improbable angle on a delayed Blackhawks penalty to make the game 8-6 with 11 minutes left.

Chabot added his second goal of the game as he made his way in from the point to put a rebound past Ward. That made the score 8-7 Blackhawks with 5:17 left to play in the game.

Koekkoek was called for hooking Zack Smith with 1:40 left in the game. The Senators pulled Anderson following the faceoff but they were unable to even register a shot in 6-on-4 action to end the game. A 8-7 Blackhawks win

Highlights

• DeBrincat tallied 5 points with 2 assists and 3 goals for his 4th career hat trick.
• Kane with 2 assists and 1 goal extends his point streak to 18 games and assist streak to 16 games.
• Toews tallies 1 assist and 1 goal.

Lowlights

• Giving up 7 goals against the worst team in the NHL further exposing their poor team defense.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for Blackhawks and general hockey musings. 

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Survive Barnburner With Senators appeared first on The Rink.

I’ve read the articles about how they’re only five points back of a playoff spot but what some writers fail to tell the fans is that the Blackhawks have played 1-3 more games than the six teams between them and that last spot. That is a lot of teams to leapfrog over considering their foes could amass as many as six points in those three games in hand.

A more telling story is how the team sits 14 out of 15 teams in the Western Conference and are tied for the 5th least amount of points in the entire NHL. Creeping, backdooring or limping your way into the playoffs is never something a team wants to do but that’s how the Blackhawks would make the playoffs.

The Blackhawks made the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 with statistically more balanced and overall better teams than this season but were subsequently eliminated both years. They didn’t make the playoffs in 2018 but the previous two seasons were no less disappointing than that. That leads them right back to the same situation they’re looking at right now.

If fans want to see the team just make the playoffs then the Blackhawks might as well start putting banners up for that. Because we’re just headed down that road year after year.

Mathematically it’s still possible but they’re also mathematically playing themselves out of a potential lottery pick. The chance to draft a player like Jack Hughes who has drawn comparisons to Patrick Kane or Kaapo Kakko who has been compared to Patrik Laine becomes less likely the more the Blackhawks win.

There is no guarantee that these players will live up to the hype but the Blackhawks do have a good track record of drafting number 1 overall. What they do not have is a solid track record of drafting and developing any other first round draft picks.

Kyle Beach, Dylan Olsen and Mark McNeill never made any impact with the Blackhawks. Kevin Hayes decided to head to free agency instead of signing with the organization while Philip Danault, Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Hartman and Nick Schmaltz were all traded for various reasons and are solidly contributing to their current teams.

Some would say that Stan Bowman and his regime are unfit for a complete rebuild but that’s a topic for another day. Be on the lookout for an article by our own John Jaeckel.

Currently the organization has three first rounders in Henri Jokiharju, Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin who may develop into great defencemen but they are a few years off from really contributing. Jokiharju has already showed growing pains in his first NHL season and has been reassigned to Rockford.

Time is not on Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane’s side and players that can contribute immediately are in demand. This doesn’t mean that the organization should go out and blow all of their cap space on one player. It would be much more desirable to hit the lottery with Hughes or Kakko especially if they are as advertised. They could add depth to an extremely top-heavy scoring team and would also carry a relatively small cap hit leaving them with room to bolster their horrific team defense.

There have been some highs and more lows but either way they’re destined to disappoint long-term with the current team makeup. Kane, DeBrincat, Toews, Saad and Gustafsson have combined for 107 of the team’s 166 goals and the team is giving up an average of .50 more goals than they’re scoring per game.

The team has had bright spots and have gotten better under Coach Colliton but their mediocrity is leading them into no man’s land for now and into the future. The goal is to be consistently good but that hasn’t been the case this season so they might as well be consistently bad. If they continue along their current path they’ll be back in the same position for years to come.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks and general hockey musings.

This is why I want the #Blackhawks to rebuild. I want the organization to be strong, consistent and not meddle in mediocrity like they are doing right now. #LoseForHughes #CrappoForKaapo pic.twitter.com/ioEGMKckQx

— MLP (@Pappy_Hour) February 5, 2019

The post Mediocrity Is Killing The Blackhawks Future appeared first on The Rink.

Period 1

Patric Hornqvist opened the scoring early for the Penguins just 2:43 into the first to make it 1-0 Penguins. Dominik Simon grab a loose puck along the boards, got it down low to Evgeni Malkin who found him wide open in the right circle for a clear shot over Cam Ward stick side.

Less than two minutes later Jake Guentzel put in a rebound off of a Kris Letang shot from the point. The Blackhawks went down 2-0 less than five minutes into the game.  Both goals came off of quality cycling around the boards by the Penguins.

Action was fast-paced with the Penguins making good entries and taking the puck into the offensive zone. The Blackhawks weren’t able to carry the puck in much and were playing more of a dump and chase game until Malkin was called for hooking new Blackhawk Drake Caggiula at 16:02.

Only :20 later Alex Debrincat finished off a Patrick Kane pass for a one-time power play goal at 16:23. Debrincat’s 19th goal of the season cut the Penguins lead in half to make the score 2-1.

Connor Murphy was called for cross checking Bryan Rust at 17:03 and then :49 later Duncan Keith was called for slashing Malkin. The Blackhawks were able to stop the 5 on 3 for over a minute as well as kill the second penalty. This was a large feat against the NHL’s fourth best power play unit to end the first period.

Period 2

The second period started out like much of the first period went with the Penguins controlling pace of play and the shots advantage. It went this way for a little more than the beginning quarter of the period.

It changed quickly when Carl Dahlstrom found Marcus Kruger up the left boards. He was able to find a streaking Chris Kunitz streaking up the slot who snuck a shot over Casey DeSmith’s glove hand to tie the game at 2.

From there both teams picked up the pace with the Blackhawks closing the gap in the shots department and showing some fire. There were quality scoring chances by both teams.

Derick Brassard came through first after the flurry to take back the league for the Penguins. He sniped home a one knee one-timer with a perfect pass from Phil Kessel at 9:49.

At 14:57 Tanner Pearson tripped Murphy to send the Blackhawks to their second power play of the night. They did not covert on the power play but Keith fired home a slap shot just :02 after the penalty expired to tie the game at 3.

Letang was called for tripping David Kampf with just :19 in the period. The Blackhawks were unable to covert before the period ended up would still have 1:41 left on the power play in the third.

Period 3

The Blackhawks were unable to convert on the power play but it ended up much like the previous one. Just :07 after the power play expired Dylan Strome was able to find the open side of the net from a sprawling DeSmith to make it 4-3 Blackhawks. He was assisted by Kane with his third assist of the night.

Brendan Perlini was called on a delayed penalty for hooking Sidney Crosby. Crosby was able to find Guentzel cross-ice but he whiffed on the one-timer. The Blackhawks went to the kill at 8:02 and were subsequently able to kill it successfully without giving up any quality chances.

It sounds redundant but the pace of this game continued to be off the charts. The action was back and forth from the previous penalty right up until the 19:05 mark when Jonathan Toews put the nail in the Penguins coffin. He sealed the game with an empty net goal to make it 5-3 Blackhawks.

This was a game of two halves for the Blackhawks. The first half was reminiscent of the beginning of the Jeremy Colliton era with a slow start but the second was quite different. They played with high energy.

Though they only had one power play goal officially it was more like three. Two of the their other goals came within 10 seconds of power plays expiring.

Kane tallied three assists, Debrincat and Toews each had a goal. They’re the top three scorers on the team and it is almost a requirement for them to be on the board for the Blackhawks to win.

This was the tenth straight victory against the Penguins dating back to 2014.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and general hockey musings. 

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Rally Back After Slow Start Against Penguins appeared first on The Rink.

Prior to the game the Blackhawks loaned rookie defenseman Henri Jokiharju to Finland for the World Junior Championship and activated Artem Anismov and Gustav Forsling from the IR. Corey Crawford was moved to the IR on Monday for concussion protocol as the result of getting bowled over on Sunday night against the Sharks.

Period 1

Ryan Hartman started strong on his first tilt at the United Center since being traded to the Predators last season. In the first 20 seconds he blocked a shot and had Cam Ward one-on-one but Ward came out and cut Hartman’s angle off to make the save. Shortly thereafter Jonathan Toews made a nice pass to Kahun who whiffed on the one-timer while Pekka Rinne left the side of the net open.

Brandon Saad also started out well with a couple of quality opportunities but did not cash in on either of them. The flow of the game was non-stop and fast with very few stoppages in the first 10 minutes of play.

At 9:30 in the period Colton Sissons was taking some late whacks at Ward and only Patrick Kane came to his defense. He’s not the player that should be handling that business but he gave a crosscheck to Sissons and grabbed him by the collar. No penalties were called on the play and nor should there have been.

The period continued to be fast paced and well-played by both teams. The shots were almost 50/50 throughout the period but the Predators struck late. With only :32 left in the period Ryan Johansen dug the puck out from along the boards and got it to Kevin Fiala who went top shelf over Ward’s blocker. This was the fifteenth consecutive game with giving up a goal in the first period.

Period 2

Just :45 into the period Dominik Kahun was tripped by Fiala the Blackhawks to the first power play of the game. It was much of the same for the league’s worst power play as they circle the puck around the offensive zone with little movement as shooting lanes closed up.

The Blackhawks did not convert but Kahun brought the puck up almost the entire length of the ice on the ensuing rush. He was able to get a hard backhand off but did not have an angle on Rinne who took it right in his chest.

Gustav Forsling was called for holding at 6:48 as he wrapped up Nick Bonino along the boards. The Blackhawks were solid and killed the penalty without any quality chances by the Predators.

After the back and forth play that the game featured all night, Forsling was able to tie the game at 1 with 4:38 left in the period. He brought the puck into the offensive zone and across the ice to the top of the left circle where he fired a wrist shot for the goal.

In an unfortunate event, Marcus Kruger ran into Hartman’s elbow as he went to play the puck. Kruger’s face was bloodied and he left the ice immediately.

Rocco Grimaldi tripped Brent Seabrook at 16:59 to send the Blackhawks to their second power play of the night. Jonathan Toews won the ensuing faceoff, passed it to Kane who then got it to Erik Gustafsson at the blue line and was able to ricochet his shot off a couple bodies and in. The goal made it 2-1 Blackhawks and that’s where the period ended.

Period 3

The game kept moving along in the third without any notable action until Ryan Ellis was called for tripping Saad at 6:12. The power play was uneventful as the Blackhawks were unable to convert.

Only :23 after the Blackhawks power play expired, Cam Ward was called for tripping. The penalty was served by Brendan Perlini and the Blackhawks were able to kill it. The highlight of the penalty kill was David Kampf showing some speed on a drive for a short-handed opportunity but once again Rinne cut off the shooting angles.

Both goaltenders continued to play stellar in the third period as the game stayed 2-1 Blackhawks throughout. With 2:49 left the Predators pulled Rinne for the extra attacker. They put some pressure on Ward but he stood strong.

The Predators called their timeout with 1:27 left to get their best offensive players a rest and draw up a play. The Blackhawks were able to get the draw and clear the zone without icing the puck ended up doing so :40 later. They were able to hang on from there to close out the 2-1 victory.

The young Blackhawks defenseman Forsling and Gustafsson were able to show their offensive prowess and each chipped in a goal. Ward was able to fight the Predators off with 30 saves and everyone contributed even if it didn’t show on the stat sheet.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and general hockey musings.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Fend Off Predators appeared first on The Rink.

There were a few changes to the Blackhawks roster ahead of the game. Forward Dylan Sikura and defenseman Carl Dahlstrom have been recalled from the Rockford IceHogs and Alexandre Fortin has been reassigned. Artem Anisimov was moved to the IR retroactive to December 9 for concussion protocol.

Period 1

The Blackhawks registered their first shot on goal only :19 into the game. A much better showing than the 17 minutes it took them the previous night in Winnipeg. They looked to have a lot more life early in the game than what has been displayed in the last month.

The Blackhawks kept up pace with the Penguins early. Both teams got shots on net but not any high percentage chances through the first half of the period. After the 10 minute mark the Blackhawks really started to show some spunk and created some space to skate with the puck.

It was the fourth line that came through by getting the puck down low and then causing some traffic in front of the net. Marcus Kruger hit the crossbar on a shot but the puck ricocheted out to Carl Dahlstrom. He fired a shot that deflected off of Andreas Marinsen’s upper body and into the goal at 14:14 to make it 1-0 Blackhawks.

Late in the period Brent Seabrook did a great job to keep a play alive as the team showed a lot of determination as they were able to control the puck. Seabrook was rewarded at 17:51 as his slap shot went over Casey DeSmith’s glove to make the game 2-0 Blackhawks.

The excitement didn’t last long as the Blackhawks couldn’t get the puck out of their own zone as the Penguins wore them down. Bryan Rust snapped a shot over Corey Crawford’s glove only :49 later to cut the lead in half going into the second period.

Period 2

Brendan Perlini was called for tripping 2:35 into the period to send the NHL’s ninth best power play unit to the ice. The Penguins were able to control the puck and register a couple shots on goal early but the Blackhawks were able to clear the zone. This kept the attack away for the second minute resulting in a penalty kill.

Two minutes later Derek Grant forced a Seabrook turnover which resulted in a one-on-one situation where he was able to get off a low slap shot. The rebound went directly to Rust who was able to get another one past an outstretched Crawford at the opposite post to tie the game at 2.

At 15:06 Jean-Sebastien Dea was called for holding on Henri Jokiharju to send the Blackhawks to their first power play of the night. Alex Debrincat cashed in with a rare Blackhawks power play goal :22 later. He took an awkward pass from Kane, dangled through the defense and went top shelf from just in front of DeSmith to give them the lead 3-2.

Unfortunately the Blackhawks could not finish the period with the lead. Rust completed his hat trick with only :57 to go in the frame after his pass deflected off of Seabrook’s stick and over Crawford. The period ended with the game tied at 3.

Period 3

Evgeni Malkin got the period started with a hooking penalty on Perlini :39 in. The Blackhawks did not score on the power play but made it 4-3 just :10 after it expired. The fourth line came through again as Martinsen was able to get control of the puck behind the net and get it to Kruger in front for the goal.

Corey Crawford continued to keep the Blackhawks in the game late with some great saves. It was highlighted by a point blank stop of Tanner Pearson.

The Penguins pulled DeSmith with a little over two minutes to play in the game. A scary moment for the Blackhawks as Kane dove in an attempt to put in an empty net goal and crashed into the boards. It took him a long time to get to the bench while grimacing.

Toews and Saad eventually added two empty netters to seal the game at 6-3 for the struggling Blackhawks.

This was one of the best team games for the Blackhawks this season. There were contributions from every line, the defense, special teams and Crawford who had 40 saves. There is plenty to build on as they clawed their way out of the bottom spot in the league with two points in the win.

Hopefully the win doesn’t come at the cost of Kane. The-Rink.com will keep you updated on his status.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and general hockey musings.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Send Penguins Home Waddling appeared first on The Rink.

This didn’t leave much to look forward to except the fact that the Ducks were wearing their throwback-inspired Mighty Ducks sweaters

Period 1

The game started with Ryan Kesler and Jonathan Toews exchanging some words before the opening faceoff which isn’t surprising. Less than two minutes later John Hayden, in what may have been an attempt to fire up the boys, dropped the gloves with Jake Dotchin. It was uneventful with no real punches being landed as they wrestled to the ice in just a few seconds.

If that was Hayden’s plan, it backfired. At 5:41 Brandon Montour fired a wrist shot past a well-screened Corey Crawford to make it 1-0 Ducks. Just :20 later Daniel Sprong made it 2-0 Ducks with a goal from an improbable angle along the goal line.

At 13:09 Patrick Kane took a high-stick from Jacob Larsson for the first power play of the night. Alex Debrincat and Dylan Strome each had a good chance but neither could help the Blackhawks capitalize.

With 3 minutes to go in the period there was a flurry in front of the Ducks net with some great Blackhawks chances, Brandon Manning came in and steam-rolled Pontus Aberg much to the dislike of Josh Manson. Manson dropped his gloves but Manning turtled and wanted no part of him. Manson received a roughing penalty for defending his teammate.

It was more of the same for the Blackhawks’ league worst power play unit as they did not even register a shot on goal for the 2 minutes.

Period 2

The second period started out with pretty good flow. A few chances each side and few stoppages in play until 4:19 when Duncan Keith was called for interference. Ondrej Kase put a hard shot on Crawford but there was no screen in front of him and he made an easy save. Shortly after Toews had a short-handed opportunity but did not convert. The Blackhawks were able to kill off the rest of the penalty without much action.

Erik Gustafsson tallied his fifth goal of the season on a one-timer from Keith at 7:16. That goal cut the Ducks lead in half to make it 2-1. Gustafsson had a another good slap shot that hit the outside of the post with a little more than 2 minutes to go in the period. He continues to play well offensively but still turned the puck over a few times earlier in the game.

Alex Debrincat tied it up at 19:33 in the period from a desperation Toews pass. Debrincat showed great concentration to shoot this puck after in bounced off of him while being unbalanced. The goal tied the game at 2 going into the third period.

This was a well-played period by the Blackhawks with some good scoring opportunities, solid defense as well as good goaltending by Crawford.

Period 3

Strome and Debrincat had a nice give and go play early in the period but Debrincat hit the outside of the post with his backhand. The Blackhawks did not feed off of that nice play and a minute later the Ducks went ahead 3-2. Kase beat Crawford high on his glove side at 4:03 after taking a pass of the boards and beating Manning wide.

Debrincat lost an edge and went back first into the boards hard. He went to the bench slowly but did not miss his next shift.

Forsling drew a penalty at 5:00 in the third after being tripped by Sprong in a one-on-one situation. The Blackhawks registered yet another uneventful power play as they moved to 0 for 3 on the night.

The Blackhawks continued to fight in this game and came on with quality opportunities after the halfway point in the period. Toews hit yet another post for the Blackhawks which was one of Gibson’s best tools in this game.

Crawford was pulled at about 18:20 but the timing couldn’t have been worse. Just as he was on his way to the bench there was a rare Kane turnover as he tried to fake a shoot in to the zone and put it right on Jakob Silfverberg’s stick. He skated it in for the easy empty net goal to extend the Ducks lead to 4-2. That’s where the game would end.

After a lackluster first period the Blackhawks recouped very well and played a couple of their best periods since Jeremy Colliton took over behind the bench. The team defense looked solid but it should be mentioned that the Ducks are one of the lowest scoring teams in the NHL. It didn’t help that they didn’t have much puck luck tonight considering they hit three posts.

They face the Vegas Golden Knights tomorrow night and hopefully they have better luck this time after get rolled 8-3 last week.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks coverage and general hockey musings. 

The post RECAP: Ducks Hold Off Blackhawks appeared first on The Rink.

There was some anticipation ahead of the game with the addition of Dylan Strome and Brandon Perlini in the Nick Schmaltz trade but the Blackhawks were also without Henri Jokiharju due to illness.

First Period

Daniel Carr got the Golden Knights on the board first with his first goal of the season at 2:10. A 3 on 2 turned into a 2 on 1 and he went top shelf over Corey Crawford’s glove side after a beautiful backhand saucer pass by Tomas Nosek.

For a minute it seemed like the Blackhawks responded as Dominik Kahun tapped one past Fleury who lost his net. Unfortunately, the goal was overturned on a Vegas challenge and Kahun was clearly offsides as he came into the offensive zone. A couple minutes later the Kahun-Anisimov-Kampf line had another solid opportunity but Fleury made a great save to stop Kampf.

At 12:14 Alex Tuch put the Golden Knights up 2-0 with an assist from Crawford. Crawford tried to play the puck but his pass went off the boards to Tuch who sniped it top shelf.

The Blackhawks couldn’t convert on terrific chances by Strome or Toews but the Golden Knights had no problem extending the lead 3-0. Cody Eakin snuck in behind the defense and pulled out a nice forehand-backhand move to freeze Crawford.

A minute later Shea Theodore was called for Interference but it was more of the same for the Blackhawks as they could not convert on the power play.

Second Period

Gustav Forsling got the Blackhawks on the board :29 into the period on a long shot from the blue line that was redirected by the Golden Knights.

After 5 minutes of back and forth play Patrick Kane was called for a high-sticking on Theodore. The Golden Knights were able to capitalize on the power play as William Karlsson sniped a shot over Crawford’s glove hand again as the result of a good screen by Ryan Reaves to make it 4-1.

Strome as was able to get one back for the Blackhawks at 11:16 after Kane slid a pass in front of the net that ended up on his stick. The new Blackhawks center did a good job of getting to the front of the net and was rewarded.

Just two minutes later Strome lost a faceoff to Reaves that went directly to Deryk Engelland who snapped one that redirected off of Reaves and past Crawford to extend the lead to 5-2.

With just :06 seconds left in the period Theodore scored with a shot that was redirected in between John Hayden’s legs to make the score 6-2 Golden Knights and that’s where the period ended.

Third Period

Crawford was pulled and Cam Ward started the final period for the Blackhawks and made a few saves. Forsling was called for a delay of game at 4:38 as he shot the puck over the glass. Just one minute later Karlsson was called for tripping Saad to create some 4 on 4 hockey.

Ten seconds later the Golden Knights capitalized on the spacious ice as Theodore coralled a puck on edge and knuckled one past Ward. Vegas extended the lead 7-2 and things were spiraling out of control for the Blackhawks.

It didn’t get better as an Eakin shot redirected off of Saad and then off of Keith’s skate right past Ward to make it 8-2. Erik Gustafsson was able to put home a Strome pass at 15:15 as Vegas was clearly in cruise control. The Hawks trailed 8-3.

That’s where it ended as the Vegas Golden Knights extended their winning streak to 4 games in dominating fashion over the Blackhawks.

There wasn’t much positive to build on and there is no use harping on all of the things that went wrong. There were too many and though it wouldn’t have made much difference, the Blackhawks had no puck luck. This is one of the games the team has to just put behind them and more forward.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for Blackhawks news and random hockey musings.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Thwarted By Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

First Period

Luke Johnson had a good look for the Blackhawks 1:50 into the game from the right circle but it was sucked up easily by Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Shortly thereafter the Blackhawks headed to the power play as the result of a Antoine Roussel high-sticking penalty. It was more of the same for the Blackhawks power play unit as they registered 0 shots on goal during the two minutes.

After some back and forth play for a few minutes Saad was able to split two Canucks defenders with his speed and power one through Markstrom to make it 1-0 Blackhawks. He was assisted by Kunitz and Anisimov.

Just nine seconds later Brent Seabrook was called for interference. After an early scoring chance the Blackhawks were able to kill the penalty. As both teams returned to full strength there wasn’t any notable action until the Hayden-Kruger-Kampf line had a great shift which saw a few shots, significant time in the offensive zone but not a goal.

An errant pass by Nick Schmaltz led to an unassisted breakaway goal for Jake Virtanen at 15:33 in the period to make it a 1-1 game. With a couple minutes left in the first Kunitz made his second nice pass of the night to Anisimov whose backhand was stopped by Markstrom to keep the game tied at 1.

The Blackhawks headed to the power play with :34 left but recorded no shots on goal before the period ended.

Second Period

As the Blackhawks began the second on the power play- Toews was able to capitalize and put the team up 2-1 with a wicked wrist-shot. It was career goal number 299 for The Captain and moved him into sixth all-time for the Blackhawks moving past Dennis Hull. He was assisted by Johnson and Erik Gustafsson but it should be noted that Saad did a great job of screening the goalie.

Seabrook took his second penalty of the game at the 11:39 mark as he tripped Bo Horvat who was starting to take the edge on him heading to the goal. While on the penalty kill Saad was able to breakaway but hit the crossbar on his snapshot. It looked like he put the rebound in for a goal but it was deemed he put it in with a kicking motion. That was the correct call and the Blackhawks went on to kill the penalty.

Virtanen scored his second goal of the night to tie the game at 2 with 7:36 left in the second. He beat Crawford high blocker side with a snipe after Brandon Davidson hesitated slightly to give him a clear shooting lane. 

The remainder of the period went on with both teams having some lower percentage chances but ultimately no goals.

Third Period

Saad opened the period with another great power move to the net but couldn’t finish with the backhand. Shortly after Gustafsson was called for hooking in the defensive zone. The Canucks controlled the play for the next two minutes with a few good chances but the Blackhawks were still able to kill the penalty.

In what looked like an incidental play Brandon Manning collided with Troy Strecher and looked to hit him in the head. There was no penalty called but Strecher did leave the game.

With 10:37 left in the game Brendan Gaunce put the Canucks up 3-2 with their first lead of the game. In an unfortunate play of events Toews won a board battle and tried to pass it to John Hayden who had no stick because he gave his to Henri Jokiharju who lost his. Toews’ pass was right on the tape of Gaunce who beat Crawford high glove side.

The Canucks went up 4-2 with 3:27 left in the game when a Roussel pass was tipped by Manning into his own goal. A minute later the Blackhawks pulled Crawford for the empty net but were unable to capitalize as the game ended 4-2.

Positives

• Saad looked like the man-child again. 1G 5 SOG
• Kunitz had a few nice passes and one that led to a goal.

 Areas For Improvement

• Nick Schmaltz is still looking lost and a bad pass of his led to a breakaway goal.
• DeBrincat was almost invisible in this game.
• Scoring is still only coming from top two lines.

Please comment below and follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks news and hockey musings.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Fall To Canucks 4-2 appeared first on The Rink.

The trio has accounted for 72% of Blackhawks goals with a combined 13 of the team’s 18 total while also assisting on 50% of the team’s goals. Toews is on pace to score 164 points with Debrincat and Kane chipping in with 147.

Let’s be serious though, those would end up being absurd numbers even if they were playing in the 80s.

KANE

Kane is the only one of three who has scored 100 points in a season and has only done so once in his 11 previous seasons. He accomplished the feat in 2015-2016 when he led the league with 106 points and won the Hart Trophy. A season where he had Artemi Panarin on the left wing and was centered by Artem Anisimov—a career year.

Kane is capable of scoring 90-100 every year but it’s going to be hard with the linemates he’s been dealt this season. Brandon Saad hasn’t cut it on the left wing and it looks like rookie Alexandre Fortin will be slotted in there for at least a night.

Nick Schmaltz was thought to be the guy to end the clown car of players centering Kane, but looks to be regressing. He has looked timid this season and has only won a pathetic 28% of faceoffs, which is down from a still awful 40% in 2017-2018. The Blackhawks just can’t find that guy to get Kane the puck more consistently and therefore develop chemistry.

TOEWS

It will be very interesting to see the trajectory of Toews’ season since he has never scored more than 76 points and that was way back in 2010-2011. Many measure his success in points but in reality he has never been a prolific scorer in the NHL. He is the ultimate team player and offers value in ways other than points.

That being said, Toews is the model of consistency when it comes to his goal scoring. He has tallied 20 or more goals in the first 11 years of his career and is on pace to eclipse that number once again. It may come as little surprise if he surpassed his career high in points after having been rumored to be working with skills coach guru Adam Oates. Fourteen of the hall of famer’s pupils registered NHL career highs in points during 2017-2018.

DEBRINCAT

Another contributing factor to the renaissance of Toews just may be Debrincat being moved up to the first line to start this season. The wild card in this trio of Blackhawks goal scorers does not have the resume’, nor was he as highly touted coming out of amateur hockey as Kane and Toews were.

After a 28g 24a rookie season many assumed Debrincat would encounter the “sophomore slump.” Instead he has picked up right where he left off last season, with 4g and 3a through the first four games. He has one of the quickest shots in the league that he can snap off from anywhere on the ice. Pair that with a center like Toews who is one of the best at the dot, can get him the puck and you’ve got a dynamic top line.

Kane and Toews are paid to be the guys and they’re performing as would be expected. Debrincat is a confident player with skills, who is just sticking it to all the teams that passed on him two years ago. It’s fun to joke about the paces all three are currently on—but that’s not reality.

The reality is that these guys need support. Sketchy team defense and only three players scoring all of your goals is not a winning formula. Each of them have the ability to be in the 75-80 point range with Kane closer to 90, but they’re going to need consistent scoring from the bottom 6 if this team is going to contend for a spot in the playoffs.

It’s too early to tell if this team is a legitimate playoff contender yet, so I wouldn’t expect the organization to look into trades. I would expect more pressure to be put on players with more significant contracts such as Saad and Anisimov.

Please comment below.

The post Top Heavy Blackhawks In Need Of Support appeared first on The Rink.

Check out what these The-Rink writers expect to see in the NHL for this upcoming season.

Eric Andrews:

Stanley Cup: San Jose Sharks
Western Conference: San Jose Sharks
Eastern Conference: Tampa Bay Lightning
Conn Smythe: Brent Burns
Last Place: Ottawa Senators

Awards:

Hart – Connor McDavid
Art Ross – Connor McDavid
Rocket Richard – Patrik Laine
Norris – Erik Karlsson
Vezina – Andrei Vasilevskiy
Calder – Elias Pettersson
Jack Adams – Phil Housley

Biggest Surprise Team – Arizona Coyotes
Biggest Disappointing Team – Boston Bruins
Breakout Player – Ty Rattie
Disappointing Player – John Tavares – He will be good, just not MVP level how some think.

Central Division predictions:
WPG
NSH
STL
DAL
COL
MIN
CHI

Blackhawks player to watch: Dominik Kahun. I really liked what I saw when making the highlight video of him this summer and think he has brought good effort and energy to the top line with Toews and DeBrincat.

Mario Tirabassi:

Western Conference Champ – Winnipeg Jets
Eastern Conference Champ – Toronto Maple Leafs
Stanley Cup Champion – Toronto Maple Leafs
Conn Smythe Winner – Auston Matthews
Last-Place Team – Ottawa Senators

Awards

Hart – Connor McDavid
Art Ross – Connor McDavid
Rocket Richard – Patrik Laine
Norris – PK Subban
Vezina – Connor Hellebuyck
Calder – Casey Mittelstadt
Jack Adams – Phil Housley

Biggest Surprise Team – Buffalo Sabres
Biggest Disappointing Team – LA Kings
Breakout Player – Brock Boeser
Disappointing Player – Marc-Andre Fleury
1st Coach Fired – Guy Boucher
GM Fired – Pierre Dorion

Over/Under

Vegas Golden Knights Points (93.5): Over
Connor McDavid Points (109.5): Under
Rocket Richard winner goals (50.5): Over
Fortnite-related controversies (5.5): Over, there’s already 1 on the board

Ron Luce:

Western Conference Champions – Winnipeg Jets
Eastern Conference Champions – Tampa Bay Lightning
Stanley Cup Champion – Winnipeg Jets
Conn Smythe Winner – Mark Scheifele
Last-Place Team – Ottawa Senators

AWARDS:

Hart – John Tavares
Art Ross – Connor McDavid
Rocket Richard – Alex Ovechkin
Norris – Alex Pietrangelo
Vezina – Connor Hellebuyck
Calder – Elias Petterson
Jack Adams – Bob Boughner

Biggest Surprise Team – Florida Panthers
Biggest Disappointing Team – San Jose Sharks
Breakout Player – Auston Matthews
Disappointing Player – Pekka Rinne
1st Coach Fired – Guy Boucher
GM Fired – Pierre Dorion

Over/Under:

Florida Panthers Points (94.5): Over
Connor McDavid Points (109.5): Under
Rocket Richard Winner goals (50.5): Over
Fortnite-related controversies (5.5): Under

Jeff Osborn:

Stanley Cup – Tampa Bay Lightning
Western Conference – Winnipeg Jets
Eastern Conference – Tampa Bay Lightning
Conn Smythe – Victor Hedman
Last Place – Ottawa Senators

Awards:

Hart – Connor McDavid
Art Ross – Connor McDavid
Rocket Richard – Patrick Laine
Norris – Victor Hedman
Vezina – Andrei Vasilevskiy
Calder – Rasmus Dahlin
Jack Adams – John Cooper

Biggest Surprise Team – Buffalo Sabres
Biggest Disappointing Team – Minnesota Wild
Breakout Player – Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Disappointing Player – Cam Talbot/Devan Dubnyk

Central Division predictions:
Winnipeg Jets
Nashville Predators
Dallas Stars
St. Louis Blues
Colorado Avalanche
Chicago Blackhawks
Minnesota Wild

Blackhawks player to watch: Even though he did not make the team, I have a feeling Victor Ejdsell will finally break through and become a useful NHL player.  Also, Collin Delia continues to push forward.

Marc-Louis Paprzyca

Western Conference Champ – San Jose Sharks
Eastern Conference Champ – Tampa Bay Lightning
Stanley Cup Champion – San Jose Sharks
Conn Smythe Winner – Joe Pavelski
Last-Place Team – Ottawa Senators

Awards

Hart – Nikita Kucherov
Art Ross – Nikita Kucherov
Rocket Richard – Alex Ovechkin
Norris – Victor Hedman
Vezina – Connor Hellebuyck
Calder – Andrei Svechnikov
Jack Adams – Phil Housley

Biggest Surprise Team – Arizona Coyotes
Biggest Disappointing Team – Dallas Stars
Breakout Player – Sam Reinhart
Disappointing Player – Marc-Andre Fleury
1st Coach Fired – Todd McLellan
GM Fired – Pierre Dorion

The post The-Rink NHL Predictions for ’18-19 appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel discuss the Blackhawks pending start of the regular season with Rink Rockford Icehogs writer Mario Tirabassi .

• Blackhawks finish the preseason
• The Corey Crawford saga continues
• The opening night lineup, what are our thoughts?
• What happens now?
• We have added a “@Pappy_Hour” to The-Rink’s coverage
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 31 – Season Preview appeared first on The Rink.