Following a 5–0 shutout by the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night, the Chicago Blackhawks returned to the United Center on Sunday evening looking to bounce back against the San Jose Sharks, who entered the game with the league’s worst record. The Blackhawks, owners of the second-worst record in the NHL, started Petr Mrazek in net against San Jose’s Devin Cooley, who was making his NHL debut. Additionally, the game marked the returned to Chicago of Lukas Reichel, who was sent down to Rockford, where he appeared in nine games and registered seven points (one goal, six assists).
First period
The Sharks opened the scoring when former Blackhawk forward Ryan Carpenter pounced on a rebound to give the visitors a 1–0 lead. For Carpenter, it was his fifth of the season at 10:33.
With 3:28 left in the opening frame, San Jose took a 2–0 lead on Klim Kostin’s fifth of the season. Mikael Granlund patiently held the puck in “Gretzky’s office” behind the net and fed a wide-open Kostin on the doorstep, who buried it. San Jose would take a two-goal lead into the locker room after 20 minutes.
Second period
The Blackhawks got on the board with 5:58 remaining in the second when Philipp Kurashev scored his 14th of the season. Connor Bedard led the rush into the Sharks’ zone as he went cross-ice to Tyler Johnson, who fed a streaking Kurashev, who deflected it in to cut the deficit to 2–1, which would remain the score after two periods.
Philipp Kurashev scores after a couple of nifty passes from Connor Bedard and Tyler Johnson and the Blackhawks pull within one! pic.twitter.com/yJuqNEKvIm
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 17, 2024
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Third period
The Hawks tied it on a broken play on Ryan Donato’s 10th of the season. From the right point, Jarred Tinordi made a diagonal pass into the stomach of Donato, who let the puck fall to the ice and he slapped it past Cooley at 10:39.
Three goals in 83 seconds, pt. 1: pic.twitter.com/98rIdS30T2
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 18, 2024
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The Blackhawks grabbed their first lead of the night at 3–2 on a Kevin Korchinski slapshot from the point at 11:51 of the third. Lukas Reichel retrieved the puck along the half boards and found Korchinski, who fired it in off a Sharks defender for his fourth of the season.
Pt. 2: pic.twitter.com/RTWTKvVwKB
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 18, 2024
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Just 11 seconds later, the Hawks took a two-goal lead at 4–2 on Joey Anderson’s third of the season. Off the draw following Korchinski’s goal, Alex Vlasic stole the puck in the neutral zone, skated in the San Jose zone and fed Colin Blackwell. A pass by Blackwell to Anderson was slightly ahead but Anderson controlled it on the doorstep, spun around and fired it through his legs and it trickled through for the goal. The goal was the Hawks’ third in a span of 83 seconds.
And pt. 3! pic.twitter.com/EJiq62UoWX
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 18, 2024
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The Hawks added the exclamation point when Bedard scored his 21st of the season into an empty net off a feed from Kurashev with less than a second remaining in the game. The Hawks scored their fourth goal of the period to win the finale of their four-game homestand 5–2.
Any #Bedard goal is a good one in the #Blackhawks eyes
pic.twitter.com/5HWe2vGPgV— BangtheBook (@bangthebook) March 18, 2024
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Analysis
After a slow first two periods, the Blackhawks finally peppered the Sharks’ rookie goaltender and the flood gates opened en route to a win. Reichel had a positive first step in his return to the NHL as he looked more aggressive with and without the puck and his efforts were paid off with an assist on the game-winning goal. The Blackhawks head west for a three-game road trip beginning Tuesday night against the Kings. Puck drop is at 9 p.m. CDT on NBCSCH with the radio call on WGN 720.