The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” step back into the dusty Rink podcast studio to discuss the prospect camp and the Blackhawks fan convention with staff writers Mario Tirabassi and Aaron Goldschmidt.

• Blackhawks traded Artem Anisimov to Ottawa for Zack Smith
• Thoughts on Development camp
• Fan convention came and went.
• Chris Kunitz retires and joins the Blackhawks player development staff
• New jersey leak?
• Ian Mitchell corner, Brent Seabrook’s trial, Gus’s garage, Sekac street.
• We are only scratching the surface.  Many good things and guests to come!!!!
• We wrap with The-Rink #RinkratPuckBag segment.

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

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 56 – Gus bus to Camp Colliton appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink’s Blackhawks writer and Rockford expert, Mario Tirabassi, was out to catch all the action and report on the latest happenings in camp. Please check out all the pieces from this week, including special daily one-on-one features with MacKenzie Entwistle, Chad Krys and Josiah Slavin.

Please take some time to enjoy our in-depth coverage:

Day 1 (with one-on-one featuring Chad Krys)
Kirby Dach settling into new city and organization
Day 2 (with one-on-one featuring Josiah Slavin)
Blackhawks trade Artem Anisimov to Ottawa for Zack Smith
Alex Vlasic not planning to rush his development
Stan Bowman, Jeremy Colliton address Blackhawks camp on day three
Nicolas Beaudin becoming well-rounded ahead of pro debut season
Day 4 (with one-on-one featuring MacKenzie Entwistle)
Blackhawks development camp wraps up with futures game

Please enjoy this highlight reel set up by Blackhawks defenseman Adam Boqvist, captured by The-Rink’s Aaron Goldschmidt:

.@BoqvistAdam #Blackhawks @BarDown @GoLondonKnights pic.twitter.com/lJffmwpDU2

— Aaron Goldschmidt (@lateinthegoldie) July 19, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The post Full wrap-up of the 2019 Chicago Blackhawks development camp (links) appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks development camp: Day two takeaways

Day two opened with the highlight group of Team A taking the ice first. Alexis Gravel, a 2018 sixth round pick for the Blackhawks was in net for Team A after missing yesterday’s session. Gravel had a breakout season last year with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL, helping the Mooseheads to an appearance in the QMJHL Finals and the Memorial Cup Final, which was held in Halifax. Gravel is the most senior of the goalies in camp this week as far as Blackhawks development camp appearances with two. He will return to Halifax this season for what looks to be his final year of junior hockey.

Deliberate side to side movement as well as returning upright from low saves. Good drill to get the hips and legs warm. https://t.co/bGuzcDI4FG

— Puckin Hostile (@PuckinHostile.bsky.social) (@PuckinHostile) July 16, 2019

Off the ice, the Blackhawks made a long-anticipated trade during the first session, trading Artem Anisimov to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Zack Smith. The move is not a huge upgrade on paper as far as production and usage goes, but will save the Blackhawks $1.3 million in cap space for the next two seasons.

“He’s a versatile player,” said Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman on acquiring Smith. “He’s played wing and center, which we like. He plays with an edge. He has some years in the past where he has scored a lot. The thing we like about him is his versatility.”

Bowman added that he believes that Smith brings a competitiveness and edge that the Blackhawks lacked last season. Smith has played 612 NHL games in his career, all with the Senators.

Getting back to the action on the ice at development camp, missing from Team A’s workout was Jake Wise, who skated in a non-contact sweater the day prior. Instead, Wise skated with Team B for day two. Forwards Kirby Dach, Philipp Kurashev and Alexander Nylander were again standouts during the session. Dach showed more of his agile skating ability for a player of his frame, which is a promising sign early on in his development. Kurashev and Nylander’s speed and accuracy with the puck were on display for the second day in a row, as was Brandon Hagel’s. The depth of the forward group in the prospect system was lacking heading into this summer, and so far, through the draft, trades and offseason development, looks to have become one of the strengths of the farm system for Chicago.

A skating and shooting drill#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/sFUPulNgKg

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) July 16, 2019

Defensemen Nicolas Beaudin, Adam Boqvist and Alex Vlasic again were focal points of the early session. Vlasic’s ability to skate well for his size, much like with Dach, was on display and should bode well for a player who hopes to be on the trajectory of a pre-2016 Brent Seabrook type of player. Chad Krys put on a decent shooting display that get a number of “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd at the Fifth Third Ice Arena as well.

Alex Vlasic blueline drill#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/klTvYzyWpS

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) July 16, 2019

Following the first session, Ian Mitchell met with Blackhawks media and was again asked about his plans as it pertained to playing for Denver University this year. He reiterated his intentions to return to school for his junior season and then sign with the Blackhawks once the Pioneers’ season is finished.

Ian Mitchell after Day 2 of development camp reiterates his intentions to return to Denver for his Junior season and sign with the #Blackhawks following the conclusion of his #NCAA year

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) July 16, 2019

Beaudin and Vlasic also spoke with the media following day two of camp. Both spoke on their abilities to get by the initial jitters of coming into camp for the first time. Beaudin, in his second development camp, says he feels that his game has progressed from being an offensive-style defenseman to a more complete, two-way player on the blueline. He added that his best strength is his skating, but that he can always work on being quicker.

Speaking of skating, Vlasic spoke about his abilities to play at the top-tier pace. For a 6-foot-6 defenseman in an ever-quickening game, he knows that his skating is going to be something he will always have to work on. Vlasic also stated that he plans on heading to Boston University for at least two years and then will figure out his direction from there.

Daily one-on-one: Josiah Slavin

Following the conclusion of day two of Blackhawks development camp, we were able to catch up with Blackhawks prospect Josiah Slavin. A seventh round pick for Chicago in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Slavin is headed for Colorado College this fall after completing three seasons in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars and Chicago Steel.

On the difference between his first camp last year and being prepared for his second camp:

“It’s a different mindset this year compared to last year. I’m mentally prepared for it this time, so it feels good to be out skating with the guys again.”

Is the biggest difference from last year just knowing what to expect?

“Yeah, last year I had no idea what to expect going into it. I knew it was going to be hard but I didn’t know how hard it would be. So, going into camp and knowing what to expect makes it more enjoyable and easier to just have fun out there.”

On going through a trade last year from Lincoln to “Chicago”:

“I came downtown once, visited the area and did some shopping, but Geneva is not really Chicago. It’s a little bit away; it’s quite different. But, being in Chicago was awesome and being with the Steel trying to win the Clark Cup was a great experience.”

Slavin and Olson (red) vs Ess and Saarela (white) #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/B11dooQgjJ

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) July 16, 2019

On being named captain in Lincoln and maturing as a player:

“At the junior level, you are just beginning to develop your leadership skills and develop as a leader. So being named captain was awesome and I definitely grew a lot as a player and as a person. It was challenging at times, but it also had its perks.”

On moving on to Colorado College next season:

“I’m just going to try to go out and do my thing and work hard. I know it’s going to be harder than the USHL. It’s a big jump, but I’m going to do what I can and control what I can and work hard.”

Older brother Jaccob Slavin (Carolina) also played for the Steel and attended Colorado College, what advice has he given you through your career?

“He’s been through it all. He’s been giving me pointers here and there and helping me focus on the right things, making sure I’m doing the right things off the ice.”

On the Blackhawks’ expectations for him in camp:

“They’re always giving us direction and pointers about what we are doing out there: What we’re doing well, what we need to work on. So, it’s always good to have them there to help us throughout camp.”

On what he is specifically working on to improve this summer:

“I’m not the prettiest skater, so I always need to work on that. You can never have too perfect of a stride, so just focusing on that. I have speed, but I just need to keep working on the prettiness of it.”

More tomorrow on The-Rink!

The post Chicago Blackhawks development camp: Day two takeaways appeared first on The Rink.

Smith is a 31-year-old, 6-foot-2, 210-pound left-handed center/left wing who was drafted by the Senators in the third round (79th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He is coming off a season where he played 70 games and had 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in primarily a defensive role. Smith has also been an alternate captain for Ottawa each of the last two seasons. He has two years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $3.25 million, which gives the Blackhawks a savings of $1.3 million on the salary cap.

In 612 NHL games, Smith has scored 94 goals and tallied 99 assists for 193 points.

Anisimov was acquired by the Blackhawks June 30, 2015 with Marko Dano, Jeremy Morin, Corey Tropp and a 2016 fourth round draft pick (Lucas Carlsson). Anisimov enjoyed most of his success between Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin, but seemed to get lost in the lineup when not playing with elite talent on his wings.

Zack Smith

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks trade Anisimov to Senators for Zack Smith appeared first on The Rink.

Prior to the game, the Esposito brothers were honored together for “One More Shift” in a Blackhawks sweater. There is no doubt the moment had to be special for the brothers, players and fans alike, as these two greats, and Top 100 players of all time, were honored before Wednesday’s clash.

Dylan Sikura was sent down to the Rockford on Tuesday. In return, the Blackhawks recalled defenseman Dennis Gilbert for his NHL debut. The lines returned to similar form, with a few exceptions. They were as follows:

Drake Caggiula – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Strome – Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad – Artem Anisimov – Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz – Marcus Kruger – John Hayden

Duncan Keith – Erik Gustafsson

Carl Dahlstrom – Brent Seabrook

Dennis Gilbert – Connor Murphy

Cam Ward

David Kampf is injured with a facial injury and both Gustav Forsling and Slater Koekkoek were healthy scratches on Wednesday night.

First period:

The first period began in pretty quiet fashion for both teams. The early portion of the frame was highlighted by sloppy plays and poor shot attempts. Neither team was able to generate much through the first 10 minutes.

After a slow first half of the period, the Blues found themselves with a golden opportunity to take the lead. With eight minutes left in the stanza, youngster Robert Thomas was sprung on a breakaway. Ward denied the bid and kept the visitors off the board.

With under four minutes remaining in the period, the Blackhawks’ top line created a quality opportunity. Toews carried the puck up the ice and found Kane at the offensive face-off dots in the Blues’ zone. Kane fired what looked like a shot on net that was tipped intentionally by the captain, giving the Blackhawks a 1–0 lead late in the first period.

Captain Jonathan Toews tallied his 35th goal of the season tonight to establish a new career-high!

He tops the 34 he scored in 2008-09. #OCAPTAIN pic.twitter.com/MOabJSamQW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

Not much else happened early, and the Blackhawks took their 1–0 lead into the first intermission against the red-hot Blues.

Second period:

The second period did not begin well for the home team. Gustafsson let a puck get by him on a pinch attempt and sprung Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly on a two-on-one against Keith. Tarasenko elected to shoot from the left wing side and buried a beautiful wrist shot to tie the game at 1–1.

26 seconds through the 2nd period and Vladimir Tarasenko makes it a 1-1 game. pic.twitter.com/JXrZu19HSS

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

A few minutes later, the Blues nearly struck again. This time, the Blues were short handed when Oskar Sundqvist found himself on a breakaway against Ward. Ward made a beautiful save on the play, just getting enough of the puck for it to hit the crossbar and harmlessly float to the corner.

With just under seven minutes remaining in the middle frame, Saad made a great play in his own zone to poke the puck away from David Perron. Saad started the two-on-two up ice with Kahun and Saad quickly passed the puck to his fellow winger.

Saad crashed the net, along with Anisimov, while Kahun pulled up just over the blue line. Kahun skated to the middle of the ice and fired a wrist shot at the net. Anisimov, on a fly by in front of Jake Allen, tipped the puck past Allen and gave the Blackhawks the 2–1 lead.

Anisimov! #Blackhawks take a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period! pic.twitter.com/x3tdRTO4ln

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

A late power play for the Blackhawks would not amount to anything and teams entered the second intermission with the score still 2–1.

Third period:

The early portion of the third period was similar to that of the first, neither team could generate any meaningful offense. With about eight and a half minutes remaining, the Blackhawks started up ice as the forwards went to change.

Strome was all alone on the left wing side of the ice in his own zone. Strome was able to find Kane, who bolted ahead after coming off the bench, for a breakaway from the blue line in. Kane used his dynamic speed and roofed a perfect backhand shot to give the Blackhawks a 3–1 lead. Initially, the referees were unsure if the puck entered the net due to how fast it came out of the net. However, after review, the goal was good and Kane recorded his 42nd goal and career-high 107th point.

Patrick Kane snaps a 10 game goal drought AND sets a new career high in points with 107 pic.twitter.com/9UyoiviTbq

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

The celebration would not last. On the next shift, primary assist getter Dylan Strome was sent to the penalty box, giving the visitors life on the power play. Less than a minute after Kane’s goal, Perron beat Ward blocker side to cut the deficit to just one at 3–2.

A power play goal for the Blues!

Don't go to sleep yet folks, we've got a lot of game left to play! Watch: https://t.co/w77aqOnokG pic.twitter.com/Rknk3kJNqu

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) April 4, 2019

The Blackhawks were able to fend off the Blues for the bulk of the third period. As time dwindled down, Allen was pulled for the extra attacker. Kane missed wide on an open-net chance, sending St. Louis back into the Chicago zone.

The Blues’ third line gave the team new life. Patrick Maroon carried the puck in on the left wing boards with just over 40 seconds remaining. He fired a pass backdoor to a crashing and wide open Tyler Bozak to even the game at 3–3. Bozak was all alone in the blue paint and stuffed the puck past Ward to send the game to overtime.

TYLER BOZAK IN THE LAST SECONDS OF THE GAME! CLUTCH!#STLBlues pic.twitter.com/0SjcO1EhI4

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 4, 2019

Overtime:

The overtime period would not amount to much for either team. Both teams had notable chances, but neither side could capitalize in the five-minute, three-on-three frame.

The best chance of overtime came from Saad. As his linemates changed, Saad carried the puck in, one-on-one, against St. Louis forward Brayden Schenn. Saad made a move to freeze Schenn and created an open chance from the face-off dot in. The power forward brought the puck nicely to his backhand, but was denied by Allen to ultimately send the game to a shootout.

Shootout:

Toews and the Blackhawks elected to go first in the shootout and the captain did not disappoint. Toews skated off to Allen’s left, back to the middle and gave a quick backhand-forehand combination before burying a shot high past Allen’s blocker. Chicago took a quick 1–0 lead in the shootout.

Let's take another look at Jonny's sensational shootout winner, shall we?!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/PRtJsbGPPz

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

Toews’ goal was ultimately the only tally in the “fifth period”. Kane struck iron and DeBrincat beat Allen but could not elevate the backhand shot. Fortunately, Ward stopped all three St. Louis shooters to preserve the 4–3 Blackhawks victory in the shootout.

Quick hits:

• Hey kid, welcome to the show: Gilbert made his NHL debut on Wednesday night against the Blues. The former Notre Dame defenseman has played well for the IceHogs all season, being paired with Henri Jokiharju often as Rockford’s top pairing. With the Blackhawks officially out of the playoff race, it makes sense to give some of their young defenseman a look. The Hawks have a logjam of players on the back end, so sorting out the good from the bad is necessary to clear roster spots if they want young players to come up and contribute.
• Kane’s career high: After scoring his 42nd goal on Wednesday, Kane set a new career high in points for a season with 107. The 30-year-old winger has been sensational all season. Had the Blackhawks made the playoffs, a strong case could have been made for Kane as league MVP. In deciding which player was truly most important to their team, there is no doubt Kane has a better case than Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and possibly Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the award. Nonetheless, Kane looks ageless at this point, and a strong offseason by General Manager Stan Bowman and the rest of the front office could position this team for one more run with Kane and Toews in their primes.
• Saad is worth $6 million: Saad receives a lot of hate from the Blackhawks fan base, claiming he is not worth his contract. However, the 26-year-old has 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) and plays an excellent two-way game. Wednesday night’s game is a prime example of that. Saad was all over the ice making plays at both ends for the Blackhawks. He may not be a 70-point player, but Saad is worth every penny of his contract. If the forward group does not have to babysit the defensemen next year on defense, as they have done so heavily this season, we could easily see Saad erupt for a 30-goal, 30-assist season while still playing that relentless two-way game.

The Blackhawks remain in Chicago after Wednesday’s game, waiting to welcome the Dallas Stars to town on Friday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks defeat the Blues 4–3 in the shootout appeared first on The Rink.

After Saturday’s matchup in Denver, the Blackhawks made a few small tweaks to the lines, but the same personnel remained. The lines were as follows:

DeBrincat – Toews – Kane

Perlini – Strome – Kahun

Saad – Anisimov – Sikura

Kunitz – Kampf – Kruger

Keith – Gustafsson

Forsling – Seabrook

Koekkoek – Murphy

Crawford

First Period:

The first period began precariously for the Blackhawks. Less than five minutes into the game, Colorado forward Sven Andrighetto rang a shot off the post behind Crawford. Luckily, the “goalie’s best friend” saved the day, and the game remained deadlocked at one.

The game proved to be frustrating early for Jonathan Toews. Toews was tripped when the Blackhawks were on the power play—an infraction that was left uncalled by officials. Then, Toews was blocked by the linesman when trying to transition out of his own zone

Ref blocking Toews like an All-Pro NFL Guard. pic.twitter.com/uM5kctfzV3

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 25, 2019

Despite those issues, both teams entered the first intermission with nothing to show on the scoreboard.

Second Period:

The middle frame began with high-paced back and forth from both teams. Neither team was able to crack the opposing goaltender. Corey Crawford stood tall for the Blackhawks while Philipp Grubauer was phenomenal for the Avalanche.

Late in the period, the Blackhawks found themselves in penalty trouble. After being forced to kill a Marcus Kruger holding penalty, Jonathan Toews was called for a hooking penalty giving the Avalanche a 5-on-3 opportunity. Despite Chicago doing their utmost to kill the penalty, a Tyson Barrie blast was eventually tipped home by Alexander Kerfoot to give the Avalanche the 1-0 lead late in the second period.

The Blackhawks were able to minimize any further damage from the late Avalanche power play. The Blackhawks then went on a power play of their own, that would carry over to the third period, when Alex DeBrincat took a borderline dirty hit from Derick Brassard.  Brassard was subsequently called for a boarding minor with only 14 seconds remaining in the second.

Third Period:

The Blackhawks began the third period on the power play. After the first unit could not generate anything, the second unit was deployed by Coach Colliton. Although having struggled with face offs all year, Artem Anisimov won a critical offensive zone draw to give the Blackhawks possession. Brent Seabrook fired a wrist shot from the point that looked to be going wide. However, Anisimov was able to get the shaft of his stick on the shot and redirect the puck past Grubauer to tie the game.

THIS. GAME. IS. TIED!

The #Blackhawks power play makes it 1-1 to start the 3rd period! pic.twitter.com/PsczNk7aEr

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 25, 2019

The momentum was critical for the Blackhawks. They would continue to dominate play late in the game, outshooting the Avalanche 16-3 in the final frame. The lone reason that Colorado remained in the game was the sensational play of Grubauer, who was sensational down the stretch and made some big saves to keep his team in the game.

This Sunday night showdown would require extra time, as the game entered overtime at 1-1.

Overtime:

The Avalanche controlled the puck to begin the extra frame, giving Blackhawks fans flashbacks of their overtime loss to the Canucks less than a week ago. However, no damage was done early and both teams would trade chances.

The Blackhawks had a great opportunity when Brandon Saad was the trigger man on a 2-on-1 with Alex DeBrincat. The shot was stopped by Grubauer and the puck found its way back into the Blackhawks zone.

Duncan Keith gained possession with speed in the Blackhawks zone following the Saad chance. When it looked like Keith would not be able to do much, he dipped his shoulder and took the puck hard to the net. Keith jammed the puck through Grubauer’s five hole before running over the Avalanche goaltender, ending the game with a huge Blackhawks victory. The Blackhawks got the second point and defeated the Avalanche 2-1 in overtime.

Duncan Keith with the overtime winner! #HAWKSWIN pic.twitter.com/mFkfQuUpVD

— Four Feathers Podcast (@FourFeathersPod) March 25, 2019

Quick Hits:

• Duncan Keith is a Man: Duncan Keith’s goal may have given fans flashbacks to 2015. His tenacity with the puck and drive to the net were signs of a leader and grizzled vet who desperately wants to return to the playoffs. It’s safe to say the Blackhawks are bought into making it to the playoffs and it will take performances such as Keith’s in order to get there.
• Corey Crawford Looking Strong: Despite only facing 20 shots, Corey Crawford looked incredibly strong in tonight’s outing. It’s encouraging to see Crawford playing as well as he has been recently, especially in a set of back-to-back games. He will likely be in net for every game possible as long as he isn’t going to burn out. There is no doubt the Blackhawks will need him to continue this play with any hope of a playoff berth.
• Playoffs?: Yes, playoffs are still a real possibility. There are a lot of factors working against the Blackhawks since they will have to jump three teams to get there. But they are certainly not out of it after capturing two points against the Avalanche. These next seven games should be entertaining, as long as the Hawks are not mathematically eliminated.

The Blackhawks travel to the desert on Tuesday, March 26th to take on the Arizona Coyotes in a playoff-like matchup. Puck drop will be at 9:00pm CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Muscle Past Avalanche, 2-1 in Overtime appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks def. Sabres, 5-4 (SO)

After a stalemate opening 15 minutes, the Blackhawks were able to break open the scoring thanks to Duncan Keith‘s extra offensive effort. Keith jumped into the offensive zone and was able to put a backhand shot on net that found its way behind Sabres starter Carter Hutton for the 1-0 goal. Keith’s tally with just under four minutes to play in the opening period was his fourth goal of the season, doubling his total from last season’s two goal campaign. just over two minutes later, Chicago extended their lead thanks to Artem Anisimov’s 12th goal of the season with 1:34 to play in the first. Although giving up a penalty in the final minute, the Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead into the second period.

#Blackhawks lineup vs. Sabres:
Saad-Toews-Hayden
DeBrincat-Strome-Perlini
Kahun-Anisimov-Kane
Kunitz-Kampf-Kruger

Keith-Seabrook
Koekkoek-Gustafsson
Dahlstrom-Murphy

Crawford
Delia

Caggiula (concussion), Forsling, Sikura and Ward (knee) are the scratches.

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 8, 2019

Just as quickly as the Blackhawks took the lead late in the first period, it was gone early in the second period. The Sabres got on the board just under four minutes into the middle frame as Vladimir Sobotka banged in a rebound for his fifth goal of the season to make it a 2-1 game. Just over a minute later, the game would be tied 2-2 thanks to a snap shot goal from Brandon Montour, his seventh goal of the season. To top off the comeback for Buffalo, while on a Blackhawks powerplay, Zach Bogosian was able to out-wait and dangle past Corey Crawford for the 3-2 goal. Bogosian’s third goal of the season capped a three-goal effort over a three and a half-minute span of the second period.

Buffalo took the 3-2 lead into the third period, but it would only last just under five minutes as Anisimov would get on the board for the second time in the game. After ringing a shot off the crossbar, which nearly everyone thought had gone in, even triggering the UC goal horn, Anisimov followed up his rebound and put the puck behind Hutton for the 3-3 tying goal. His 13th of the season would only give Chicago nearly three and a half minutes of relief as the Sabres got behind the Blackhawks defense and Kyle Okposo finished off a two-on-one chance to re-take the lead for Buffalo, 4-3 with over 12 minutes to play in the final period. It would only take 37 seconds for the Blackhawks to respond as Brendan Perlini netted his eighth goal of the season to make it a 4-4 game.

Chicago and Buffalo would remain tied at 4-4 as the final horn sounded, and after a thrilling and seemingly breathless overtime period, the game would head to the shootout. Corey Crawford made 35 saves on 39 shots while Carter Hutton made 41 saves on 45 shots faced. In the shootout, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Alex DeBrincat all found the back of the net, while Crawford was able to stop Sam Reinhart to be the difference maker in getting the Blackhawks the extra point.

With the win, the Blackhawks move to 28-30-9 on the season, good for 65 points in the standings but trailing the Minnesota Wild by nine points for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference. Buffalo falls to 30-28-9 on the year, earning 69 points on the year, ten points out of the Eastern Conference wildcard picture. Both teams have 15 games remaining this season.

Blackhawks Notes

• Patrick Kane tallied 2 assists to move into 4th place on the Blackhawks All-Time points leaderboard, passing Steve Larmer. Kane is 172 points behind Denis Savard in 3rd place.
• Kane played in his 888th career game with the Blackhawks. He is 4 games away from yet again passing Steve Larmer for 9th on the Blackhawks All-Time games played list.
• Brendan Perlini has 3 goals in his last 3 games. He had 3 goals in his first 29 games with the Blackhawks this season.
• Artem Anisimov recorded his first multi-goal game of the season and his first since netting a hat-trick against the New York Rangers on November 15, 2017.
• Corey Crawford earned the win in his first home game since suffering his concussion on December 16, 2018 in Chicago.

What’s Next?

The Chicago Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday as they travel to take on the Dallas Stars. Puck drop on Saturday is set for 7pm CT at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The Stars come into Saturday’s action after topping the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 on Thursday night. Chicago fell 4-3 to the Stars on February 24 in Dallas in their previous matchup. The Blackhawks hold a 1-1-0 record against the Stars this season with one more meeting scheduled (April 5) following Saturday’s contest.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Top Sabres In Shootout, 5-4 appeared first on The Rink.

Anisimov was nursing a potential concussion sustained against the Montreal Canadiens a week ago and was forced to sit out for precautionary reasons. The 30-year-old Russian center has 15 points (6G-9A) in 31 games this season for the Blackhawks.

Forsling has been out since December 6th with a minor shoulder injury sustained against the Anaheim Ducks. The 22-year-old Swedish defenseman has put up 5 points (1G-4A) in 11 games since returning from off-season wrist surgery.

To make room for Forsling, rookie Finnish defenseman Henri Joliharju was loaned to the Finnish World Junior program for the duration of the World Junior Championship tournament. The move makes sense with the Blackhawks struggling and carrying far too many defensemen. Jokiharju can potentially boost his confidence while playing for his country. He will miss as many as eight Blackhawks games and return, at the latest, January 7, 2019 for the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This also means that Jokiharju will not be available for the 2019 Bridgestone Winter Classic in South Bend.

The post Blackhawks’ Anisimov, Forsling Activated, Jokiharju Loaned appeared first on The Rink.

FIRST PERIOD

Forward Tom Wilson wasted no time finding the back of the net at the :54 mark. The Capitals played the 3-on-3 perfectly. A quick give-and-go from forwards Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, resulted in Ovechkin finding Wilson all alone in front of the net for an easy tap in behind Corey Crawford. The goal gave the feisty Wilson his second of the season.

Breaking down the play, Nick Schmaltz found himself watching the pass and then out of position, while Wilson crashed the net uncontested.

TOP LINE WILLY MAKES HIS PRESENCE KNOWN.#CapsHawks #CapsGiving #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/q7z6kcJ1Tn

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2018

After a tripping call on Gustav Forsling, the Capitals were able to capitalize on the ensuing power play. Forward Andre Burakovsky found himself wide open at the right circle and fired a shot passed Crawford. Initially, Crawford stopped a Matt Niskanen shot from the left point, however, the rebound found Jakub Vrana in front, who dished it over to Burakovsky for his third tally of the year. Capitals led 2–0 with just over six minutes gone in the game.

V with the slick backhand pass finds Burkie who cleans up and makes it 2-0 #Caps ! #CapsGiving #CapsHawks #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/J6xIIQzy8n

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2018

Chicago had a chance to generate some momentum with a pair of power plays, during the period, but could not find any sustained pressure on goaltender Braden Holtby. After the first period, Chicago led in shots 14–12.

SECOND PERIOD

Both teams traded punches for half of the second period until the Capitals broke through for a 3–0 lead.

Former Blackhawks’ defenseman Michal Kempny ripped a one-timer from the point past Crawford. Andreas Martinsen lost the defensive zone draw, which found forward Vrana with the puck on his stick, who then dropped a nice pass to Kempny for the marker. The goal gave Kempny his first on the year. Washington took a commanding 3–0 lead.

Czech out this play from V to Kemper for the #Caps 3rd goal of the night! #CapsHawks #Capsgiving #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/OkuRCO6ycn

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2018

Two minutes later, Brandon Saad put the Hawks on the board with his seventh goal of the season. Saad took a feed from Jonathan Toews and whistled a wrist shot by Holtby blocker side. Toews made a nice area pass in which Saad was able to retrieve along the boards.

Saader strikes side netting!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/3XVPvdLhVm

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2018

Chicago trailed 3–1 but held a 24-to-21 shot advantage after the middle frame.

THIRD PERIOD

Just over five minutes into the third period, Erik Gustafsson closed the Capital’s lead to one goal. Gustafsson jumped in on the play and found himself on the backhand to beat Holtby. Artem Anisimov and Nick Schmaltz assisted on the play. The goal gave Gustafsson his second on the season.

Gus goes for it and he's rewarded!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/3EEmLfDoZs

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2018

Any momentum the Hawks built would be short lived. Less than two-minutes later, forward Devante Smith-Pelly extended the lead back to two goals. Center Travis Boyd found Smith-Pelly with a nice cross-crease pass, giving Smith-Pelly fourth on the year.

The play was started by a nice play by Kempny, as he picked a pass out of the air, which would have sprung Anisimov on a breakaway.

Boyd dodges the check to shovel one across to Devo for the #Caps 4th of the night! #CapsHawks #CapsGiving #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/4PQxTfhlzY

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2018

The goal took the wind right out of the visitors. Crawford would be pulled with just under three minutes to play, but the Hawks would not threaten to shorten the gap.

Chicago out shot the Capitals 39-to-27 for the game, however, could not recover from the first six minutes of the game. Trailing 2–0 before even breaking a sweat is never a recipe for success, especially on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions.

THE GOOD

Brandon Saad. The 26-year old winger has goals in three straight games.

39 shots. Chicago generated chances but could only find the scoreboard twice.

THE BAD

Artem Anisimov. The Russian center entered tonight winning 46.7% of his draws, but could only win 2-of-9 tonight. He did assist on Gustafsson’s goal, but has been below average at the dot and has two goals in 22 games.

The power play. Chicago was 0-for-3 on the evening. Even the best teams are going to get blanked on certain nights, however, the Hawks were only credited with three shots on goal with the man advantage tonight.

Alex DeBrincat. The shifty forward now has one goal and one assist in his last twelve games.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall 4–2 to Capitals appeared first on The Rink.

As reported by The-Rink’s John Jaeckel, In recent weeks the Blackhawks have been rumored to have been in talks with their ex-assistant general manager, Marc Bergevin, to acquire the former Canadiens captain. It looks, now, like they Blackhawks were not able (or willing) to offer a comparable package. Not that acquiring a left wing would fill any holes in their lineup, but a solid all-star caliber player certainly would not have hurt them.

As it appears now, the Blackhawks would have had to part with a roster player, a top prospect and an early round pick.  Suzuki is a former 13th overall pick so (suffice to say) it would have taken someone of Adam Boqvist or Henri Jokiharju quality, as a conversation starter.

The second problem the Blackhawks faced is that the Canadiens desperately needed more depth at center (which they got), but the Blackhawks could not offer much help there. One would think that Nick Schmaltz was mentioned in talks, but he still has not proven he can be a full-time top six NHL center and the Hawks can hardly afford to lose him.

Artem Anisimov has also been mentioned as a possibility, which would free up salary and get Anisimov out of his Joel Quenneville purgatory between the second and third lines.  Again, though, it is hard to say if the Canadiens were interested in a 30-year-old middle six center with limited mobility and a decent price tag.

No one really knows for sure if the Blackhawks were really in the running to get Pacioretty, but it is very clear that sitting on their hands is not doing them any favors as they go into training camp with a line-up full of holes and huge question marks.

Update:

Vegas announced that they signed Pacioretty to a four year, $28 million contract extension ($7M cap hit) with a limited no trade clause.

Yearly Breakdown
$10.5M
$7M
$5.25M
$5.25M

The post Blackhawks Lose Out On Potential Trade Target appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and co-host John Jaeckel throw together a last minute episode to address the recent insanity following the end of the NHL season.

Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful fathers out there!

• The “terrible” Michal Kempny is now a Stanley Cup Champ
• The Blackhawks sign Jacob Nilsson, Andreas Martinsen, and Henri Jokiharju
• Corey Crawford is actually alive, ALLEGEDLY
• Then things get interesting as they talk about:
  • Suggestion of a Brandon Saad buyout
  • Talk of a trade involving Marian Hossa for Scott Darling
  • Talk of a trade involving Brandon Saad for Justin Faulk
• 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 24 appeared first on The Rink.

With opening night less than a week away, the Blackhawks are down to some tough decisions with their roster. We talked at length about the options on Tuesday night’s Shoutcast, but there are some real questions. I’m going to break down some of the upcoming roster decisions or at least try to lay them out in a logical manner. This doesn’t mean Joel Quenneville decide to use the logical method. Lastly, we look at the offense:

Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Richard Panik

This is your first line, and it has been since the day the Blackhawks traded Artemi Panarin for Brandon Saad back in June. We all know what we are going to get from Saad and Jonathan Toews. Richard Panik is a bit more of a wild card. No one believed me when I predicted that Panik could easily replace the 34 points that were sent to Montreal with Andrew Shaw. No only did Panik replace the points, but he eclipsed it. By a decent margin. He played all 82 games, and contributed 22 goals, 22 assists for 44 points. These are all better than Andrew Shaw has ever reached in his career. I don’t expect that Panik will have 22 goals again, but it’s really not all that unreasonable. With Saad on the other wing, Panik will have more room to work. As long as he is in the right place, he will have every opportunity to equal that 44 points. This line is light years better now than it was in April. Expect Jonathan Toews to have a bounceback typical Jonny Toews year, and for Brandon Saad to have a career year. Saad is coming off three straight 50+ point seasons, and this year will be no different. 60 points is not unfathomable.

Alex Debrincat – Nick Schmaltz – Patrick Kane

I know, the Debrincat hater has him not only making the team, but playing in the top 6. If you look at the alternatives, there really aren’t any. Unless they move Nick Schmaltz back to wing, no one else fits the position, and they certainly haven’t been playing Schmaltz at center all preseason only to dump him back at the wing. I think Debrincat will hit the wall in ten games and they will need to re-adjust but, for the moment, it won’t hurt to try this combo out to open the season. Speaking of Nick Schmaltz, this kid has impressed me. He was a pouty little brat, last season, once he was sent to Rockford and it rubbed me the wrong way. Granted he still has that pouty look on his face all the time, but his play has grow leaps and bounds. He was “good” last season, after he came back from Rockford, but this preseason he has been excellent. I would have never placed him at second line center, but that is where he has been the entire preseason. He has not looked out of place either. This makes you wonder what the future holds for new third line $4.55 million center Artem Anisimov. Patrick Kane is; Patrick Kane. I don’t want to say too much or the PC Police will come after me.

Patrick Sharp – Artem Anisimov – Ryan Hartman

If we didn’t expect to have Debrincat or Schmaltz on the second line, we certainly didn’t expect to see Artem Anisimov on the third line. If Debrincat makes the team, I’m fine with Sharp on the third line, and if Debrincat doesn’t, then someone like Wingels or Hayden can slide up. Ryan Hartman is a perfect third line player and will have a solid year once again there. Anisimov is a perfectly fine third line center, but I have my reservations about paying a player $4.55 million for the next 4 years to play on the third line. At some point they have to investigate getting him to waive that no trade clause and clear that cap room. For the near future, he is perfectly fine in the third line role. Even if he can’t win a faceoff to save his life. Circling back to Debrincat, Quenneville toyed with playing him on this third line with Anisimov and Hartman, and I’m not a fan whatsoever. He is not really responsible defensively, yet, and he is not a player that drives possession by himself. He needs to be set up for his chances, by skill players. Anisimov and Hartman are good, but they are good straight line players. They are not going to set Debrincat up with beautiful passes, or dazzling moves. I cannot see this experiment working, and you are not putting him in a position to succeed based on his skillset.

Tommy Wingels – Tanner Kero – Lance Bouma
Tomas Jurco, Jordin Tootoo, John Hayden,Vinnie Hinostroza

This fourth line is a complete mystery. You might as well just throw all the names in a hat and randomly pick them out. What you see above is not what I would select, rather what I think Quenneville and Bowman will decide. Tanner Kero is a fine, responsible fourth line center and should have that position locked down. Tommy Wingels, Lance Bouma and Jordin Tootoo are basically the same player in “small, medium, sort-of-large” sizes. If Quenneville wants to keep one of those three players as a 13th forward for the “grit”, that’s fine by me. Keeping all three is simply preposterous. My honest opinion is that they should keep Wingels and Hayden, waive Bouma or Tootoo, and launch Tomas Jurco into the sun. This is not the year to waste roster spots on players that you mistakenly signed or traded for. The problem with this entire scenario is that the Blackhawks rarely ever admit their mistakes, which means Wingels, Bouma, Tootoo, and Jurco will all make the roster. This leaves Hayden and Hinostroza heading due west to Rockford, even though John Hayden has done everything to make this opening night roster. We are only talking about 6-8 minutes a night for this line, but it is just not the best way to maximize your talent. There I go applying logic again. Please allow me to beat any logic out of my brain with a 2×4.

The post Blackhawks Preseason Roster Breakdown: Forwards appeared first on The Rink.