First period

In the first period, Vegas jumped on the Blackhawks early. Pavel Dorofeyev scored a power-play goal to give the Knights an early lead.

Three minutes later, Rasmus Andersson scored his 12th goal of the year and his second with Vegas. Under 30 seconds later, Keegan Kolesar scored the Golden Knights’ third goal of the period.

Very late in the first, Bedard got into a shoving match with Kaedan Korczak.

Connor Bedard still isn’t taking any you-know-what from anyone. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/aAyR8YqEGl

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 15, 2026

Second period

In the second period, Vegas tacked on another power-play goal from Dorofeyev. The Knights’ lead was 4-0 after two periods.

Third period

As the period began, it appeared that Artyom Levshunov had gotten the Blackhawks on the board. The scoring play was reviewed. Ultimately the goal was waived off because of a hand pass committed by the Blackhawks.

Midway through the period, Vegas continued to harass Bedard. Jeremy Lauzon delivered a big hit on Bedard, which drew the ire of teammates.

Bertuzzi and Del Mastro jump in after Bedard took a big hit: pic.twitter.com/dMnQafguQB

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) March 15, 2026

Tyler Bertuzzi and Ethan Del Mastro rushed to Bedard’s aid. Del Mastro drew two penalties on the play including  a game misconduct.

Bedard continued to stay fiesty despite the score. Bedard got into a verbal altercation with Mitch Marner in the period. Sadly, Bedard’s feistiness was not enough for the Hawks in this one.

Analysis

The Hawks were not ready for the start of this game. Did the young Hawks have too much fun in Vegas the night before? Either way, this was not an acceptable effort from the Blackhawks. The Hawks have to learn you need a consistent effort in the NHL to win game on a nightly basis.

Scoring goals is still an issue for the Hawks. While Nazar has gotten hot as of late, the team appears to be one goal scorer short on offense. The Hawks need to get more scoring from secondary players to finish out this year.

Reinforcements coming

With the end of Boston University season, it is expected that 2024 draft pick Sacha Boisvert will sign his entry-level contract soon. Once the contract is signed, the expectation is that he will join the Hawks for the duration of the NHL season.

The Hawks’ next game is on St. Patrick Day against the Minnesota Wild on TNT. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks embarrassed by Vegas 4-0 appeared first on The Rink.

Sunday’s victory was powered by a hat trick from Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi has emerged a real leader in Connor Bedard’s absence and is having arguably the best season of his career. Ironcially enough, Bertuzzi’s previous best season came under Jeff Blashill in Detroit.

The victory also broke the Blackawks’ winless streak in back-to-back games this season.

First period

The scoring in this game was started by former Blackhawks forward Brandon Saad. Saad was able to bury a puck loose in front of the Hawks net.

The Hawks tied the game on Bertuzzi’s first goal of the contest.

GOAL: Tyler Bertuzzi rips a shot from the circle to tie the game! pic.twitter.com/NyeaexIjPi

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 5, 2026

The first period ended with the score knotted at 1-1.

Second period

In the second period, Mark Stone scored to give the Knights a 2-1 lead.

Third period

At just past the midway point, Bertuzzi struck again for the second time.

GOAL: Tyler Bertuzzi jams in his second of the game off a feed from Ryan Greene pic.twitter.com/9TGHstxhzv

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 5, 2026

Ryan Greene, who had been denied on several great chances, was able to find Bertuzzi for the second goal.

After several great chances by the Hawks to end the period, this game went to overtime.

Overtime

The Hawks had a great scorong chance when Artyom Leshunov won a board battle. The win sent Ilya Mikheyev and Bertuzzi down the ice. After a near miss, Mikheyev wheeled around the net and found a wide-open Bertuzzi for the winner.

Tyler Bertuzzi OT WINNER FOR THE HAT TRICK! pic.twitter.com/JPnXHuyzgB

— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) January 5, 2026

Vegas challenged the goal-scoring sequence for offside. Ultimately the goal was upheld for the Blackhawks victory.

Analysis

The Hawks have won three in a row and continue to play excellent for their goalies. While Bertuzzi will get a ton of credit for this victory, we should also recognize the play of Arvid Soderblom. Soderblom denied Colton Sissons on three seperate occassions in this contest. He has gotten really good at stopping 1-on-1 chances.

In addition to Soderblom, Greene continues to get himself in great scoring position. He appears to have at least one A+ chance per game. Hopefully some of those pucks will go in the net.

The offensive hero of the contest, Bertuzzi, has been a godsend for this team. Bertuzzi continues to find ways to help this team out night in and night out. He has really stepped up his offensive game since Bedard’s injury. The Hawks need Bertuzzi and company to continue to play well  before the Olympic break. With Bedard and Frank Nazar still out, the Hawks must continue to ride this wave of positive vibes.

The Hawks’ next game is Wednesday against the St. Louis Blues on TNT at 8:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Bertuzzi powers Blackhawks to victory over Vegas with hat trick appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks had lost five of their last six games, but were coming off a strong comeback against the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday at the United Center.

First period

It was a “blink and you’ll miss it” beginning to the game. The Golden Knights took the early lead after Ivan Barbashev banked a pass off Wyatt Kaiser 27 seconds into the game.

The lead did not last even a minute. After an effective neutral-zone transition, Frank Nazar found Oliver Moore, who buried a laser above Carter Hart’s right arm to tie the game less than two minutes into the contest.

early equalizer pic.twitter.com/2U5MKr3LRg

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

The remainder of the period contained no goals. Despite this, the Blackhawks got on the power play twice, only managing one combined shot.

The Blackhawks noticeably took control of the game in the second half of the period, leaving Vegas without a shot in the last 7:45 of the period.

The period ended tied at 1-1, with both teams managing eight shots on goal.

Second period

A far more frantic period than the first, both teams netted a goal this period.

The first goal of the period went Chicago’s way. Taking advantage of Hart’s misplay of the puck, Tyler Bertuzzi made an aggressive play to take a 2–1 lead.

ope just gonna sneak past ya there pic.twitter.com/ckFaolbPRn

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

Following Bertuzzi’s goal, Vegas challenged for offside. That challenge failed, leading Chicago to the power play. That power play was quickly ended by a hooking call on Nazar. Both penalties were eventually killed.

Near the end of the period, Golden Knights defenseman Ben Hutton took a shot that bounced off Chicago defenseman Matt Grzelyck, tying the game and giving Vegas their second goal off of a Blackhawks defenseman.

The period ended at a 2-2 tie, with shots of goal tied at 17.

Third period

The third period gave Connor Bedard one of his best goals of the season. After a breakout pass from Andre Burakovsky, Bedard danced around a Vegas defender and sniped a shot over Hart’s right shoulder to take a 3-2 lead.

ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh my goodness pic.twitter.com/jwIzJUJtF1

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

As the game picked up near the end, the Golden Knights refused to go out quietly. On a strong rush to the net, Vegas rookie Braeden Bowman followed his own shot up to tie the game at 3-3, which would hold for the remainder of regulation.

Overtime

It was a classic overtime with chances back and forth. The highlights came from both teams’ goaltenders, especially Hart, who saved six shots in the overtime.

After five minutes of overtime, neither team scored. A shootout would decide the game.

Shootout

The Blackhawks shot first in the shootout, with Teuvo Teravainen being stood up by Hart.

Vegas’s first shooter, Pavel Dorofeyev, succeeded on his attempt on a deceiving backhand on Spencer Knight.

Bedard followed Dorofeyev’s attempt with a beautiful shootout goal, outlasting Hart’s patience.

The next four shooters failed to convert, leaving Shea Theodore the chance to walk it off for Vegas. Like Dorofeyev, he placed a backhand shot passed Knight to end the game. Final score, 4-3 Vegas.

Final thoughts

It was an unfortunate game of unfortunate bounces. Vegas’s first two goals deflected off Blackhawks defensemen. A game where Chicago seemed to control play got away from them at the end.

Notably, the Blackhawks went 0 for 5 on the power play. Chicago never looked comfortable on the power play, with Vegas hounding the puck holder and breaking up neutral-zone entries.

Chicago will look to get back in the win column on Thursday when they take on the Los Angeles Kings at 9 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: No dice for Chicago in shootout loss in Vegas appeared first on The Rink.

Once again, Ryan Donato rose to the moment, recording his first career hat trick. Sadly, the Donato heroics were not enough to overcome the white-hot Golden Knights.

First period

In the first period, the Hawks’ forwards were buzzing on offense. Pat Maroon had a dangle in the offensive zone. The score remained knotted at 0–0 until Donato broke it open. Donato got a great pass from Ethan Del Mastro to set up the goal.

OH MY GOODNESS RYAN DONATO pic.twitter.com/CN5V8hMY19

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) March 29, 2025

The Hawks ended the first period up 1–0.

Second period

Vegas responded in the second period. Mark Stone got Vegas on the board with his 19th goal this season. While Spencer Knight has been good, this game was not his best. Stone caught Knight napping for the goal. Vegas scored their second goal on a blown play by Korchinski. The young defenseman was burned at the blue line on a 2-on-1. Victor Olofsson potted the goal. 

Later in the period, Chicago responded with a pair of goals from Donato.

the second goal from Ryan Donato… pic.twitter.com/NzfsKD5dyN

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) March 29, 2025

Donato did not waste time on the hat trick, scoring his third goal of the night off the ensuing faceoff.

…AND THE THIRD!!!

HATTY FOR DONO pic.twitter.com/PrXhJOXIcg

— Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) March 29, 2025

At the end of two period, the Hawks led 3–2.

Third period

While the Hawks were playing well on offense, their defense and goaltending had a rough game. Vegas scored three goals to bury the Hawks. Olofsson added his second to tied the game. Pavel Dorofeyev scored on a Vegas power play to seal the game up. Brett Howden added an empty-netter to make the final 5–3 Vegas. 

Analysis

Despite the outcome, there should be genuine excitement around the Hawks. The Hawks had Korchinski, Connor Bedard, Ethan Del Mastro, Artyom Levshunov, Frank Nazar and Landon Slaggert in their lineup. All of these guys are under the age of 23. The fans are finally starting to see the fruit of Kyle Davidson’s labor and more are on the way.

To the game itself, Knight had another tough game. This was third stinker in a row since his hot start. Knight could not be used to seeing this many shots on a nightly basis. Hopefully he will adjust before this season ends.

Donato continued his breakout year. Donato has 28 goals on the season, which is 12 more than his previous career high. He recorded his first NHL hat trick in the game, accounting for all of Chicago’s goals.

Korchinski’s return signaled that the kids are starting to force their way up from Rockford. Despite his relatively poor game, it was great to see him back in the NHL.

The Hawks’ next game is Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. CDT.

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Petr Mrazek started in net and had a fairly good history versus Vegas in his career (5–3–2, 2.74 goals against average, .911 save percentage), but would not replicate that history this evening.

First period

Chicago would fall behind at the 1:06 mark of the game when Keegan Kolesar took a cross-ice feed from forward Brett Howden and fired a slick wrister past Mrazek.

Nick Foligno tied the game at the 6:58 mark of the opening frame, firing a wrist shot past Vegas goaltender Ilya Samsonov for his 12th goal of the season. Foligno found his own rebound and snuck the puck past Samsonov as the netminder sprawled to his right but could not stop Foligno’s second effort.

#17 is right on the money pic.twitter.com/cSqmDQfgiU

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2025

The rest of the period was a complete disaster for the Blackhawks. Vegas would score four straight goals to take a 5–1 lead into the first intermission. Vegas scored two power-play goals when forwards Ivan Barbashev and Tomas Hertl each beat Mrazek. Nicolas Hague and Pavel Dorofeyev each scored at even strength.

The Blackhawks took three penalties in the opening frame as the Golden Knights stayed out of the box and this was the obvious momentum that spurred the four-goal explosion by the home team. Chicago spent much of the first period chasing the puck, even at even strength.

Second period

The Blackhawks regrouped after the first intermission and scored at the 1:01 mark of the middle frame when forward Colton Dach scored his second goal of the season. Dach was rewarded after finishing his check, something the Blackhawks did none of in the first period, and went to the net and tipped home a Frank Nazar shot from the point.

we stand corrected: this goal is Colton Dach’s! https://t.co/K6NpPnhJNb pic.twitter.com/nEKtSdkNfl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2025

This is prime example of how successful teams win games doing the “little things,” as Dach stepped up to make a play and then was rewarded for going to the front of the net.

Ethan Del Mastro scored at the 5:30 mark of the period for his first career goal as Ryan Donato took the puck to the net and found a pinching Del Mastro, who found himself wide open 30 feet from the net and fired a wrist shot past Samsanov. Del Mastro did an excellent job of reading the play and finding open ice to generate a scoring chance and was rewarded for his efforts.

and what a goal it was pic.twitter.com/6LWadi1cwt

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2025

Kolesar scored at the 13:38 mark to extend the Vegas lead back to four goals at 6–2.

Third period

Chicago jumped out of the intermission again and scored two straight goals to cut the Vegas lead to one goal at 6–5 as forwards Ilya Mikheyev and Philipp Kurashev scored three minutes apart. Mikheyev fired a wrist shot behind Samsanov and Kurashev a snap shot.

Barbashev scored his second of the night at the 15:45 mark of the final period and the Golden Knights would hang on for a 7–5 victory on home ice.

The Blackhawks skate into Anaheim for a 9 p.m. CST puck drop at the Honda Center on Saturday.

Analysis

Chicago does not have the talent to spend half the first period in the penalty box and think they are going to compete with Vegas, and that was evident early on. This Blackhawks would have to play a near-perfect game just to stay in the contest against a far superior Knights team.

Watching Dach make a play on the forecheck and then find himself in front of the net for a screen and tip-in shot is something fans should cherish. This team is not built right now to take the body (even when they do, they are usually late or do not finish the check), so in order for Dach to make that play gives fans something to hold on to as we watch this team struggle to the season’s finish line.

Chicago looks like they are always playing on pins and needles. The offense has been opened up a little bit in the past few weeks to make plays and show their skills but the team as a whole always look like they are one step behind in making plays. That will come with time and confidence, fans hope.

The post RECAP: Vegas fends off Chicago comeback in 7–5 decision in the desert appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks took on the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas came into this game with a playoff berth clinched. The Knights sat at 96 points coming into this game. That put them one point behind the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific and three points behind the Nashville Predators for the top wild card spot.

The Hawks entered this game with similar lines that they put out in their previous game against the Carolina Hurricanes. On the other side, the Golden Knights were playing without Alex Pietrangelo, William Carrier, Chandler Stephenson and Anthony Mantha. 

First period

The first period of this game was a lot of cardio for both teams. Neither team tallied a goal in the opening frame. Both teams had their chances. The Golden Knights had a few rushes that required an impressive stop by Petr Mrazek. The Blackhawks had a few chances, including a power play, but could not convert.

The shots on goal for the first ended in a 11–9 advantage for Vegas. The Knights also won 75% of face-offs in the first, had 10 hits compared to Chicago’s five, and had six blocked shots to Chicago’s five.

Second period

The second period went along in a similar way to the first. Chicago and Vegas had chances throughout the period, but not many of quality.

There was scoring late in this period. After 16 minutes of play, following a shot from the point, Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb found the puck when no one else could and snuck the puck into the net. McNabb was assisted on the goal by Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl. The goal was McNabb’s fourth of the season.

The late-period goal was the only scoring of the period. The Knights held a 1–0 lead over the Hawks following two periods. In the second, the Knights outshot the Hawks 10–5.

Third period

Both teams saved their best for last. The third period finally saw the ice open up, which allowed both teams to score.

The third period scoring was started by the Knights. After a puck battle with Frank Nazar, Michael Amadio created his own fast break. With a laser above Mrazek’s left shoulder, Amadio was able to extend the Knights’ lead to 2–0. The goal was Amadio’s 14th of the season. He was unassisted on his goal.

With only a few minutes left in the game, the Hawks were able avoid the shutout. After a solid pass by Connor Bedard and a tie-up in front of the Vegas net, Jason Dickinson was able to cut the deficit in half. The goal was Dickinson’s 22nd of the season. He was assisted by Bedard and Philipp Kurashev.

With the score at 2–1 with two minutes left in the game, Mrazek was lifted to add another skater for Chicago. The extra skater attempt failed for Chicago, as Nicolas Roy was able to score his 13th of the season to seal the game at 3–1. He was assisted by Jack Eichel and Brett Howden.

Analysis

It was one of those games that reminds everyone what a rebuilding team looks like against a playoff team. Chicago did put up a solid effort for a team locked into second-worst in the league, but Vegas outclassed the Blackhawks throughout. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the game was the fact that the Hawks were able to score at all.

The Blackhawks’ season finishes in California on Thursday, playing the Los Angeles Kings at 9:30 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks roll snake eyes, lose 3–1 against Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

The Hawks rolled out the following lines:

Blackhawks in warmups:

Foligno-Bedard-Kurashev
Dickinson-Reichel-Raddysh
T. Johnson-Donato-Perry
Katchouk-Entwistle-R. Johnson

Korchinski-Jones
Vlasic-Murphy
Kaiser-Tinordi

Mrazek
Söderblom

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 27, 2023

The notable change to the lineup was the absence of Andreas Athanasiou. He was healthy scratch for the first time this season.

Head coach Luke Richardson was not happy with the team’s compete level in their last game, so the Blackhawks had their most intense practice of the season on Thursday. Sadly, the practice energy did not translate to a good start for the Blackhawks.

The Golden Knights got on the Hawks early and often. Pavel Dorofeyev got the scoring started for Vegas with the first goal of the game. He got a nice feed from teammate Michal Amadio and put the home side up 1–0. Less than three minutes later, Shea Theodore bombed a shot from the point that was deflected in by William Karlsson for the Knights’ second goal and a quick 2–0 lead.

After chasing the game for more than half of the period, the Hawks got some momentum going with a goal from Ryan Donato. Wyatt Kaiser fired a puck from the point, and Corey Perry was able to get the puck to Donato for the goal.

Ryan Donato beats Adin Hill five-hole and scores his second goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/WnmPumYkXl

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 27, 2023

After the Donato goal, Alex Vlasic made a solid play in his own zone to get the puck to Nick Foligno, who was able to poke the puck ahead to a streaking Connor Bedard, who made no mistake in sniping one past Adin Hill for the second time already this season.

Connor Bedard scores his third goal of the season, and what a pass by Nick Foligno to get him the puck. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/3SczZMnEms

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 27, 2023

Despite the poor start on the road, the Blackhawks’ response with two goals sent the game to intermission tied at 2–2.

At the start of the second period, Philipp Kurashev was called for hooking. On the penalty kill, Jason Dickinson took a shot off his leg that hobbled him before Petr Mrazek had to make several A-plus saves, including a doozy on Paul Cotter on the doorstep.

With 12:35 left in the period, Vlasic took a high hit and had to be taken back to the locker room. Dickinson did return later in the period while Vlasic remained in the locker room for the rest of the night.

Despite both team trading chances, the score remained tied at 2–2 after 40 minutes.

To start the third period, Theodore whiffed on a puck in his own end, which led to Taylor Raddysh 1-on-1 with Hill. Raddysh was able to beat Hill glove side for the go-ahead goal. It was Raddysh’s second goal of the season.

Shea Theodore fans on the pass, and Taylor Raddysh takes advantage with his second goal of the season.

Chicago leads 3-2 after trailing 2-0 against Vegas. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/tCzr4UNW0i

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 28, 2023

After the Hawks were carrying the play, the Knights responded with a goal of their own. Theodore redeemed himself with a laser from the high slot that tied the game at 3–3.

The Blackhawks survived two costly penalties late to get the game to overtime.

In overtime, Bedard drew a penalty to put the visitors on the power play. The Blackhawks’ power play has been abysmal this season, but it capitalized when it mattered most tonight. With Corey Perry camped out in front of the net, Karashev wired a shot past Hill for the Blackhawks’ game-winning goal.

Analysis

The Hawks were punched in the mouth early in this game by the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who had yet to lose this season entering the contest. After chasing the game for more than half of the first period, the Hawks responded with goals from Donato and Bedard. The Hawks are showing their resiliency especially after being called out by Richardson earlier in the week.

Kaiser recorded his first point of his young NHL career with a secondary assist on the Donato tally. While struggling to adjust to the NHL, Kaiser will make a good play and then make several egregious plays to put the Hawks in bad spots. He would benefit from being sent down to Rockford for some more seasoning.

Vlasic left the game after a blind-side hit during the second period. This is a big blow to the Blackhawks because Vlasic was playing the best of their young defensemen. He was having another solid game before the hit. Vlasic most likely will be replaced by Isaak Phillips from Rockford on the roster.

The fourth line was a positive tonight with MacKenzie Entwistle, Reese Johnson and Boris Katchouk. They were driving play and generating scoring chances. Kurashev scored the game winner and has been good since his return from an injury.

The Hawks showed some resiliency after playing their worst 10 minutes of the season, and in the end, they turned in one of their best performances of the season. This was a big win for this team.

The Blackhawks’ next game is against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. CDT.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Oct. 27 vs. Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

After walking the red carpet, the Blackhawks, led by Connor Bedard, got to take the United Center ice for the first time in the regular season.

Blackhawks lineup in warmups
Hall-Bedard-Raddysh
T. Johnson-Reichel-Athanasiou
Foligno-Dickinson-Perry
Katchouk-Donato-R. Johnson

Korchinski-Jones
Vlasic-Murphy
Tinordi-Kaiser

Soderblom
Mrazek

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) October 21, 2023

In the first home game, Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson made some tweaks to line combinations and defensive pairs. He moved Taylor Raddysh to the top line and moved Andreas Athanasiou to the second line. On defense, Richardson split up the top two pairs, moving Kevin Korchinski with Seth Jones while pairing Alex Vlasic with Connor Murphy.

Early in the first period, Vegas were caught with too many men on the ice. After losing the face-off, the Hawks were able to recover the puck. Taylor Hall fed Bedard, who was lurking wide open in the middle of the ice. Bedard wired a shot past Adin Hill for the first goal of the game.

CONNOR BEDARD PUTS THE HAWKS ON THE BOARD FIRST pic.twitter.com/nGec4IyKnq

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 22, 2023

Sadly, the Blackhawks’ lead would not last long. Lukas Reichel was called for high sticking against Kaedan Korczak. While on the power play, Vegas able to get the equalizer from William Karlsson.

The Blackhawks’ penalty kill was put to the test in the first period, as they committed two additional penalties in the first period. Despite giving up four penalties, the Blackhawks only surrendered one goal in the period.

The first period ended with the Blackhawks taking four penalties and Vegas committing two of their own. Despite all the penalties, the first period ended with the scored tied at 1–1.

The second period began with Vegas still on the power play from the first period. After killing off the penalty, the Blackhawks got some momentum in the period. Seth Jones made a pass to Hall, who fed Raddysh for a near miss. After Raddysh was denied, the Knights went down the ice and scored the go-ahead goal. Jonathan Marchessault fired a shot that squeaked through Arvid Soderblom.

Vegas’ first lead of the game was short-lived as the Blackhawks’ fourth line responded with a goal of their own to the tie the game. The hardworking Reese Johnson tied the game at 2–2 with a nifty deflection off a point shot.

REESE JOHNSON TIES IT UP pic.twitter.com/4KUaEmvi8Z

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 22, 2023

The second period ended with the score knotted at 2–2.

The third period started with a flash from the Knights. Vegas’ fourth line center Nicolas Roy potted his first goal of the game and Knights’ third goal of the game off the opening face-off. After the Knights’ goal, the Blackhawks struggled to generate any chances 5-on-5 against Vegas.

After the Blackhawks failed to score on their second consecutive power play late in the third period, Michael Amadio drove the net hard with a wraparound attempt that was saved, but Mark Stone put in the rebound for the goal. After the Stone goal, the Knights led 4–2.

With under four minutes left in the third period, the Knights scored their fifth goal of the game, as Paul Cotter beat Soderblom with a great shot. Corey Perry scored a late goal to make it a 5–3 final. It was Perry’s second goal of the season.

Analysis

The Blackhawks rode the energy of the crowd and the goals of Bedard and Johnson to a 2–2 tie for two periods. In the third period, the Knights’ talent and positioning shut the young Hawks team down. With the win, Vegas becomes the first defending champ to win their first six games in regulation in the following season.

Bedard got the scoring starting early with a laser past Hill. It was his first goal at home this season and the best look he has had all season. In addition to Bedard having an electric night, Kevin Korchinski turned in a solid performance. His skating and passing ability was on full display. While not a flashy player, Alex Vlasic is starting to recognized for becoming a solid defenseman.

Sadly, not everyone had a solid night. Wyatt Kaiser turned in another rough performance with several mental mistakes. While Kaiser is still a solid prospect, he would very likely benefit from seasoning at the AHL level, much like Vlasic did. Kaiser was not the only Hawk to have a tough night. Soderblom surrendered three goals in the third period to give up five total on 24 shots.

The Blackhawks are young team but they battled hard. The Hawks will be in a lot of games because of their effort. The Hawks’ next game is Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CDT.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Oct. 21 vs. Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

– The first period started off slowly, but the Hawks looked strong in the first few minutes of play, not allowing many chances for Vegas. Then, Keegan Kolesar took a beautiful feed from Nicolas Roy and put it past a diving Mrazek to make the score 1–0 Golden Knights.

– The Blackhawks came back in the frame, though, at the 12:39 mark. Taylor Raddysh blocked a shot, Tyler Johnson made a beautiful pass of the boards and Cole Guttman got a breakaway, beating Laurent Brossoit five hole to tie things up at 1–1. Guttman has looked good so far in his young career. The first period would end in a 1–1 tie game.

– After trading power plays and chances through the first 10+ minutes of the second period, Seth Jones stole a pass that looked like it would lead the Blackhawks to an offensive zone opportunity. Instead, it got turned right back over, with Johnson missing his assignment, and Jack Eichel skating into the right circle, looking pass, but wristing it past Mrazek to give the Golden Knights the 2–1 lead. For once, Jones got left out to dry and could not do anything besides trying to break up the pass, letting Eichel have the clear shot.

– Both teams traded chances throughout the third, with the Blackhawks getting a final power play opportunity to tie it on an Alex Pietrangelo delay-of-game penalty. After a couple of chances throughout the first minute of power play time, Max Domi won the face-off, with Patrick Kane getting the puck across to Johnson, who one-timed it past Brossoit to tie everything up at 2–2 and force overtime.

– In overtime, a missed Pietrangelo pass with 10 seconds left led to a Kane breakaway, and he blasted it past Brossoit to give the Blackhawks the victory. Well, at least it should have, but the goal was waved off as time had expired before the puck had fully crossed the line, meaning the game was headed to the shootout.

– Scoreless through two rounds in the shootout, Jonathan Marchessault missed on his opportunity, giving Johnson the chance to finish it off. He did just that, giving the Blackhawks the shootout victory, and their third win in a row.

The Blackhawks will be in action again on Wednesday night in Texas to face the Dallas Stars. Coverage begins at 8:30 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Feb. 21 vs. Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

— Special teams let the Blackhawks down in this contest. Chandler Stephenson scored the game’s first goal on the power play in the first period. In the second period, Reilly Smith extended the lead with a shorthanded goal. In the third period, Phil Kessel scored to make the game 3–0 Vegas.

— The Blackhawks’ lone goal came from Taylor Raddysh on an assist from the rejuvenated Jonathan Toews.

— Smith would add another goal in the third period to make the final score 4–1 Vegas.

The Blackhawks get back at it on Friday against the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, at 7 p.m. CST.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Dec. 15 vs. Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

— Goaltender Alex Stalock made 36 saves on 37 shots, which should be more than enough to win. The only goal he gave up was a wicked shot on a 2-on-1. This one is on the Blackhawks’ offense.
— Speaking of offense, the Blackhawks had 27 shots on Vegas goalie Logan Thompson, which should have generated at least one goal. Props to the letfy in the Vegas net.
— The Blackhawks had their chances. Andreas Athanasiou had a breakaway, and there were quality chances from Tyler Johnson, Connor Murphy, Taylor Raddysh, and several others.
— The Blackhawks did not give up any more power-play goals after giving up four the night before in Colorado.
— Chicago led in face-off percentage, this time by a more slim margin at 51%.
— Those baby-poop colored Vegas jerseys stink.

The Blackhawks will have today off to travel to San Jose, California, to face the Sharks on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. CDT.

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First period

A slow pace to start the game, but after several strong saves by Lankinen, Taylor Raddysh scored his 10th of the season when he skated in and banked the puck off Thompson to give the Blackhawks a 1–0 lead at the 16:01 mark.

how? just how? @Raddy1998 pic.twitter.com/Nkp69UFxAC

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 28, 2022

The Hawks’ lead lasted just 98 seconds, as Michael Amadio scored his 11th of the season to tie it at 1–1. Shea Theodore skated the puck down the slot and found a wide open Amadio nearly parallel to the goal line and to the right of Lankinen and he fired a one-timer into the net.

With one second left in the period, the Hawks regained the lead on Raddysh’s second of the game and 11th of the season. Philipp Kurashev skated into the Vegas zone and made a nice backhand feed to a wide open Sam Lafferty, whose point-blank shot was stopped by Thompson. Lafferty picked up his own rebound and skated behind the Vegas net and fed it to Raddysh on the doorstep to the right of Thompson and took two swats at the puck before it went into the back of the net for a 2–1 Hawks lead.

this guy is rad pic.twitter.com/jQhFI8xlWQ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 28, 2022

After one, the Hawks also had a 16–15 lead in shots on goal.

Second period

At 3:57 of the frame, Alec Martinez fired a shot from the point past Lankinen for his third of the season off a face-off win by Chandler Stephenson to tie the game at 2–2.

The offensive flurry continued at the 5:03 mark when Caleb Jones intercepted a clearing attempt by Jack Eichel and skated to the top of the left circle and sniped one over Thompson’s blocker. The Hawks were back on top, 3–2.

It’s a 3-2 game folks pic.twitter.com/VdwzFjtvi8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 28, 2022

Once again, the Golden Knights tied it off a face-off win. Stephenson won another draw cleanly to Max Pacioretty, who fed Brayden McNabb at the point. McNabb’s shot was deflected in by Pacioretty for his 18th of the season at 17:12 to tie it at 3–3.

In the middle period, the Hawks outshot Vegas 11–9 and led 27–24 through 40 minutes.

Third period

Despite playing their second game in as many nights, Vegas looked like the fresher team. While they were not able to break the tie, they had the advantage in both play and shots on goal, 14–8, and held a 38–35 edge in regulation.

Overtime

Each team had its share of chances with the Hawks outshooting Vegas 4–2, bringing the game total to 40–39 in favor of the Knights.

Shootout

It took seven rounds to break through and it was the Hawks’ Tyler Johnson who beat Thompson high blocker side.

pic.twitter.com/FDCMCEMmyp

— HockeyClips (@hockeyclip) April 28, 2022

Amadio had a chance to tie it, but Lankinen, who was stellar for the Hawks, especially in the shootout, made the save to give the Blackhawks a 4–3 shootout win in their home finale and officially end Vegas’ playoff chances.

The good, the bad, the ugly

The good

Caleb Jones: One of his best games of the season, Jones scored a goal on a nice interception of a clearing attempt and made several strong defensive plays.

Taylor Raddysh: He continues to impress since his arrival, but the bigger question might be whether or not he can build on this success next season and beyond. Expectations will certainly be higher following his strong play since arriving ahead of the trade deadline.

The bad

Henrik Borgstrom: He went from being dubbed by Stan Bowman as one of the “best players he’s ever seen in college hockey” to a forward who played just over six minutes in the second to last game of the season for a team with nothing to play for except pride. With roster spots to be had next season, his lack of ice time is not a good sign for his future in Chicago.

The ugly

Face-offs: The Knights had the advantage in face-off winning percentage by a small margin (50.9–49.1), however, this is one where the stats do not really tell the full story. Two defensive zone face-off losses by the Blackhawks led directly to Vegas goals. Assuming Toews returns to the Hawks next season (and it is not a certainty that he will be back), the team will need to develop another player who is reliable in the dot.

Analysis

If this was the final home game for Kane and Toews, they went out as winners. Do not let the players’ comments about a quick rebuild make you think that Kane and Toews are locks to return. That mentality is, in some ways, what got them into this current mess. And last I checked, neither Kane nor Toews are part of the Hawks’ management. Sure, they hold a lot of cards with their no-movement clauses, but those things tend to work themselves out at the right time.

For now, let’s enjoy a solid effort by the Hawks against a team that was fighting for their playoff lives. The Blackhawks play their season finale on Friday night in Buffalo against the Sabres at 6 p.m. CDT on NBCSCH with the radio call on WGN 720.

The post Blackhawks deal Vegas 4–3 shootout loss to end Knights’ playoff hopes appeared first on The Rink.

Saturday’s affair with the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights (23–13–1) provided Knights’ fans with the return of their Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender and franchise icon Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury returned to the Vegas ice with a special video presentation before the game. Fleury mentioned to the press that he felt goose bumps coming back to Vegas.

Fleury tears up after watching video montage from Vegas Golden Knights pic.twitter.com/jO5dP0MPuP

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 9, 2022

Vegas started former Blackhawks goaltender Robin Lehner in the opposite net. For a fan of good goaltending, this was a fun matchup to get excited about.

Vegas did not waste much time taking the 1–0 lead after center Ryan Carpenter lost a draw in his own end, and defenseman Ben Hutton scored his first goal of the season past Fleury. This is a great place to mention that face-offs do in fact matter in the NHL, contrary to what some would claim. A win at the dot by Chicago does not lead to Vegas getting a shot that found the back of the net. Seems pretty simple.

https://twitter.com/ATTSportsNetRMW/status/1480016887417389056

Chicago’s best highlight was their lack of production in the offensive zone. The visitors were able to go over 12 minutes without a shot on goal. In the Sin City, sleep-walking through the first period is a common issue for visiting teams. Unfortunately, this is from a lack of offensive talent up and down the Bowman-constructed lineup.

In the second period of action, Jujhar Khaira scored in his third game back from injury after beating Lehner blocker side for his third goal of the season. Khaira found a loose puck on his stick just over the Vegas blue line and buried the wrist shot home to tie the game 1–1.

Jujhar Khaira scores his third goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/r7HKubIc7a

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 9, 2022

Chicago’s energy and battle for loose pucks were noticeably better in the middle frame. Interim Head Coach Derek King has mentioned on numerous post-game interviews that this team has not played a full 60 minutes of hockey much since he has taken over behind the bench this season, and once again, you can see this in only 30 minutes of action against Vegas.

Not to go unnoticed, King did shake up his first period lines.

With 5:39 left in the second period, defenseman Riley Stillman fired a shot from the left point that deflected off Brett Howden and passed Lehner to give Chicago a 2–1 lead. Having only managed to muster 11 shots to that point, Chicago somehow found themselves on top of Vegas. The goal was Stillman’s first this season.

Riley Stillman gives Chicago its first lead of the night after his shot goes off Brett Howden and in. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/ol2z4gBtAP

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 9, 2022

Vegas started the third period with the sense of urgency one would expect from the top team in the West, peppering Fleury without any luck into the first commercial break. The Blackhawks needed to show they believe in themselves and understand the importance of executing the small details that help protect a one-goal lead.

Chicago executed a simple plan of making safe exits out of their own zone and playing a solid five-man effort in the defensive zone. Offensively, Chicago got pucks in deep and did well to clog up the neutral zone and not overcommit too deep into the Vegas zone. With this defensive effort, Chicago allowed only six shots on net the final dozen or so minutes.

With Lehner pulled, Vegas could not muster much pressure, and Chicago held on for the one goal victory behind Fleury’s 30-save effort.

Analysis

It was awesome to see Khaira score after his return from a scary concussion.

Stillman found the back of the net after throwing a puck on net. Fans hear it all the time that pucks need to be put on net and good things happen.

How about the sport of hockey? Chicago lost to the worst team in the NHL a few days before winning at the home of the Western Conference’s top team. That is why we come back to watch.

The Blackhawks return to action on Tuesday, traveling to Ohio to face the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 6 p.m. CST puck drop.

The post Fleury comes up aces in return to Vegas as Chicago wins 2–1 appeared first on The Rink.

Jeremy Colliton inserted forward John Quenneville into the lineup, sitting Alexander Nylander in the press box. Such a small move would usually not bring much fanfare, but Nylander is a trade acquisition by General Manager Stan Bowman that has not quite panned out, even after his “change of scenery” from Buffalo.

First period

The first few minutes of the contest did not generate much action other than Vegas getting extended zone time after a Brandon Saad turnover near his own blue line. Saad’s attempt to stickhandle his way into the Vegas zone, instead of dumping the puck to a corner, only to have his pocket picked which turned into a rush for forward William Carrier. Carrier made a nice drive to the net and found forward Ryan Reaves in front of the net with a nifty pass. Duncan Keith made a recovery and broke up the high-scoring chance in front of the net. Such a small detail like dumping the puck in instead of trying to make a play at the blue line nearly cost Chicago at the other end.

A few minutes later, Crawford stoned forward Reilly Smith in deep with a sprawling save. What appeared to be an early goal for the Golden Knights was turned aside. Luckily for the Hawks, Crawford carried over his excellent play from Sunday night into Tuesday’s game since midway through the first period, Chicago’s defense was non-existent at best.

Corey Crawford remains good. Deflection goes right to Smith's stick and he makes the stop. First dangerous chance for #VegasBorn this game. pic.twitter.com/jNna45z0ZH

— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) August 19, 2020

Chicago caught what you can only say was a “huge” break when Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner gave up a juicy rebound after a soft backhand shot by Dominik Kubalik that resulted in Jonathan Toews pounding home the rebound for a 1–0 Blackhawk advantage. The goal, the Chicago captain’s fifth goal of the playoffs, was assisted by Kubalik and Brandon Saad. Kubalik did an excellent job of getting the puck to the net, rewarding Toews for getting to the front of the net, a recipe for success in the playoffs.

Crawford kept Vegas off the scoreboard after a few grade-A chances, allowing Chicago to extend their lead to 2–0 after Alex DeBrincat found himself in front of the net by himself and tapped home a pass from Dylan Strome. Strome delayed just enough time to allow Lehner to slide out of position. The goal came after a spin-o-rama by Connor Murphy inside the blue line, reminiscent of Chicago great Denis Savard.

Connor Murphy… pic.twitter.com/K9PJnbVgQY

— Eric Lear (@EricLear312) August 19, 2020

Vegas forward Max Pacioretty cut the Chicago lead in half at 2–1 after he buried a quick wrist shot into an empty net, as a shot from Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb was tipped by Toews on its way to the net, finding Pacioretty to the right of Crawford with nothing standing in front of him.

After being outplayed for the first half of the period, Chicago led on the scoreboard 2–1 while being outshot 14–10.

Second period

Within the first minute of the period, Vegas forward Mark Stone beat Crawford after a bad change by Chicago. Stone’s goal was an early backbreaker for Chicago, a team trying to hang onto some momentum from having the lead after one period of play. The goal tied the game 2–2. Keith made a poor decision at center ice allowing Vegas an odd-man rush into the Chicago zone.

At the 4:02 mark in the period, Patrick Kane found himself alone in front of Lehner after a Vegas turnover at the blue line, and beat the Vegas goalie five-hole after a nifty forehand-to-backhand move. Drake Caggiula assisted on the play, saucing the biscuit through the Vegas defense to a wide-open Kane. Kane’s second goal in the playoffs gave Chicago a 3–2 lead.

#AllforOne #CHIvsVGK #Blackhawks #VegasBorn

pic.twitter.com/QveJr1xvoQ

— The Rink — Chicago Blackhawks (@TheRinkChi) August 19, 2020

Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez scored his first goal of the playoffs—and first playoff goal since scoring the Stanley-Cup winning goal in 2014—at the 7:28 mark in the period. The goal came on the power play after Adam Boqvist was called for holding the stick of Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault. Midway through the affair the game was tied 3–3.

Vegas has established a sizable lead in the stats yet again tonight, but this feels like a much more evenly matched game. Stats through 40 min:

Goals: 3-3
Shot attempts: 45-32 VGK
Shots on goal: 28-19 VGK
Scoring chances: 22-14 VGK

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) August 19, 2020

Third period

Early in the period, Vegas forward Alex Tuch tucked home a rebound under Crawford giving the designated home team the lead at 4–3. Tuch beat Boqvist to the outside and scored off his own rebound. Tuch’s fourth goal of the playoffs was assisted by Marchessault and defenseman Shea Theodore.

Alex Tuch scores to give Golden Knights their first lead of the game. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/gJOKjpSQkE

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) August 19, 2020

After falling behind, Chicago could only muster three shots on goal through 10 minutes of play in the period. Vegas clamped down on the Blackhawks, playing a smart, simple style of hockey. This type of game was remindful of when the Stanley Cup Blackhawks could turn a one-goal contest into a sure-win outcome.

Chicago’s season appeared over when Tuch appeared to have scored his second goal of the period. Tuch scored into another empty net while Crawford was interfered with by forward Nick Cousins in the crease. Following a Blackhawks challenge, the referees determined there was contact with Crawford, therefore disallowing the goal. With just over four minutes left in the game, Vegas clung to a one-goal lead.

With 1:14 left in regulation, Colliton pulled Crawford for the extra attacker. When Chicago was finally able to settle into the Vegas zone with 20 seconds left in the game, a few shots on net did not end up in the back of the net. After 60 minutes of play, Vegas held onto the 4–3 lead to claim a 4–1 victory in the first-round playoff series.

The taste of playoff hockey, during a season in which Chicago would not have qualified during a non-pandemic year, was a huge plus for the youngsters on the roster. Before the season’s stoppage of play, the Blackhawks were going to play out the final 12 games of the season and head home to golf. The change in playoff format saw Chicago defeat Edmonton was a pleasant surprise for the youngest team in the 2020 NHL postseason before ultimately succumbing to Vegas. However, the experience did come with the price of the possible first overall pick, or at the least, a higher draft pick in the NHL Entry Draft, as the Blackhawks will be selecting either 16th or 17th instead of in the top 10. Time will tell which would have been better.

The post Along the Boards: Vegas wins series after 4–3 victory appeared first on The Rink.

Game Four began with the Knights returning to Robin Lehner between the pipes, while center Paul Statsny missed his second game in a row, ruled “unfit to play.” Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton returned to the Brandon Saad-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane combination to start the game in the hopes of igniting his offense. The Hawks would later shift Kane back to a line with Kirby Dach and Drake Caggiula.

Just over four minutes into the first, Caggiula got the Hawks on the board. Olli Maatta joined the rush with Kane, and from behind the net, found Caggiula open in front of the cage. Caggiula wasted no time, smacking it low and hard behind Lehner for a 1–0 Chicago lead.

#AllforOne #CHIvsVGK #Blackhawks #VegasBorn

pic.twitter.com/ajSLE9ezT2

— The Rink — Chicago Blackhawks (@TheRinkChi) August 16, 2020

The Knights kept pushing and carried the play throughout the period. With 6:20 on the clock, the Hawks caught a break and extended their lead when Matthew Highmore threw the puck to the net from a near impossible angle. The puck banked off of Lehner’s mask and into the back of the cage, doubling the gap to 2–0.

Tough angles?

No such thing. #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/fJTaBdGZuQ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 16, 2020

But, just 18 seconds later, Vegas got that goal right back on a blast from the point, off the stick of Shea Theodore, making it 2–1.

https://twitter.com/Kingsgifs/status/1295139105269927936?s=20

In the second frame, the Vegas onslaught continued, as did Crawford’s brilliance in net. Chicago killed off a Adam Boqvist holding penalty and a Saad slash, while Crawford kicked away 16 shots. The Hawks were unsuccessful in their one power play attempt in the second and rarely challenged Lehner, registering a mere seven shots on net.

Corey Crawford's glove save on Shea Theodore. #Blackhawks #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/3XGQmKMDuu

— Brandon Cain (@brandonmcain) August 17, 2020

The third period provided more of the same. The Hawks failed to convert yet again on a power play, finishing 0–3 on the night with the man advantage. Crawford fended off a furious final push from the Knights, who tested him in the final minute and a half with an extra attacker. After missing two grade-A chances earlier in the period, Alex DeBrincat finished off the game with an empty-net goal with 10 seconds remaining to push the score to 3–1. Crawford finished his sublime performance with 48 saves.

NBC rewarding Corey Crawford for his incredible Game 4 performance pic.twitter.com/TChAQLmUG8

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) August 17, 2020

The Blackhawks will need to replicate this gutty performance should they wish to keep the series going. Game Five will be Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. CDT in Edmonton.

The post Along the Boards: Crawford’s brilliance keeps series alive, Hawks win 3–1 appeared first on The Rink.

Prior to the start of the game, there was an interesting turn of events in warmups. Marc-Andre Fleury was announced as the starter for Vegas instead of former Blackhawk Robin Lehner.

Additionally, Paul Stastny and Tomas Nosek were ruled “unfit to play” for Vegas, while Max Pacioretty returned after missing Game Two. For the Blackhawks, Adam Boqvist, who turned 20 on Saturday, returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Thursday.

Despite the decent start to the first period, the Blackhawks let a poor play put them down a goal. On the power play, Duncan Keith mishandled the puck at the blue line and Mark Stone was right there, ready to grab possession. Stone skated along the boards, dished a pass over to a wide-open William Karlsson and the Swede backhanded the puck over Corey Crawford‘s blocker to give the Golden Knights a 1–0 lead.

Wild Bill

It's a #VegasBorn shorty. #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/tWaaHkuqye

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 16, 2020

After falling behind early on, the Blackhawks played better the rest of the first period. Kirby Dach had a great shorthanded opportunity and then drew a penalty with five minutes remaining. Alex DeBrincat had a few great chances on the power play. Patrick Kane hit the post despite having a wide-open net.

DeBrincat had another fantastic opportunity to score on the power play in the second period, but barely missed on the backhand. Halfway through the period, Crawford robbed Nate Schmidt on a Vegas power play. A few minutes later, the Hawks’ goaltender made another great save on Nicolas Roy‘s backhand to keep Chicago in the game.

Big glove save by Corey Crawford. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/OpyMLdy7zd

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) August 16, 2020

Once again, DeBrincat had more chances to get the puck in the net, but Fleury stoned him twice in a span of 30 seconds. DeBrincat had six shots on goal through two periods.

As the second stanza progressed, the Golden Knights began to turn their game up a few notches. They had ample opportunities to score in the last 10 minutes of the period. With 4:37 left, the Blackhawks turned the puck over in the offensive zone, leading to a Vegas rush up the ice. While Alex Tuch could not put the puck past Crawford, Patrick Brown did on the rebound and doubled the Golden Knights’ lead to 2–0 heading into the third period.

The first career #StanleyCup Playoff goal for Patrick Brown.

Have a night! #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/XGRZDBBavG

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 16, 2020

The Blackhawks put on the pressure during the third period, creating chance after chance and maintaining offensive zone time. It all paid off when Drake Caggiula sent a pass to Olli Matta to create a rush up the ice six minutes into the final frame. Maatta simply threw a wrist shot at Fleury, and it squeaked through the goaltender’s arm to cut the lead for Vegas to 2–1.

*screams*
HOLY MAATTA

Watch live on @NBCSChicago: https://t.co/mfQ1ZBTGTC pic.twitter.com/DbckosxRri

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 16, 2020

Despite all the pushes to tie the game throughout the rest of the period, the Blackhawks could not get another puck past Fleury. The Golden Knights won the game 2–1 to claim a commanding 3–0 series lead.

Along the Boards

Patrick Kane. Goalpost. That's five for him and 14 for #Blackhawks this postseason.

Unreal. https://t.co/B2fqQfwRLt

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) August 16, 2020

It is not that the Blackhawks are not getting their chances this series, especially in the last two games. Throughout the entire postseason, they have missed the net a lot and hit a lot of posts. Tonight, Kane hit the post twice and brought the total for Chicago to 14. If only they could hit the net instead of a post more often.

Blackhawks PK keeps rolling. 11-for-11 since Game 4 against Edmonton.

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) August 16, 2020

While the power play as been horrid so far, the penalty kill has been a highlight for the Blackhawks during this series. They had multiple good kills in the game and did not allow many chances for the Golden Knights. It is good to see at least one of their special teams doing well.

Alex DeBrincat will have nightmares about this game. #Blackhawks

— Slavko Bekovic (@SBekovic) August 16, 2020

Will he ever. Outside of maybe Crawford, DeBrincat was the best player for the Blackhawks in Game Three. He was doing everything, from stick checking to solid passes to actually putting the puck on net. DeBrincat had a team-high eight shots on goal. He did everything right and just was not rewarded. Hopefully, he can cash in during Game Four.

The Blackhawks will face elimination on Sunday, as they take on the Golden Knights in Game Four at 5:30 p.m. CDT.

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks defeated by Golden Knights 2–1, fall behind 3–0 in series appeared first on The Rink.

In the early portion of the period, the Golden Knights dominated play, although the score stayed tied at goose eggs for both teams. However, the scoring silence did not last long. 

Right around the midpoint of the period, Jonathan Marchessault made a perfect pass from below the goal line to Paul Stastny out in front of Corey Crawford. The pass evaded numerous skates and sticks on its way to Stastny’s stick, who easily banged home the feed and gave Vegas an early 1–0 lead. 

Hi, I'm Paul! #VegasBorn | @Raising_Canes pic.twitter.com/Z59nVC8oTv

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 13, 2020

The Golden Knights continued to dominate play in the first period. Just around five minutes after the Golden Knights took a 1–0 lead, Vegas added more. Tomas Nosek, who was inserted into the lineup because Max Pacioretty was deemed unfit to play, rifled a perfect shot past Crawford and gave the home team the early two-goal advantage at 2–0. 

great time of year for GOALS #VegasBorn | @Raising_Canes pic.twitter.com/sMdAGbFBTD

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 13, 2020

The Hawks took their two-goal disadvantage into the intermission and regrouped. Just three minutes into the middle frame, Patrick Kane set up Calvin de Haan for a shot on Vegas goaltender Robin Lehner. However, the blue liner’s first shot was blocked, his second was stopped, but the rebound found Kirby Dach at the side of the net and the youngster cut into the Golden Knights’ lead at 2–1. The goal was the rookie’s first ever postseason goal. 

Eh, what's up Dach?

Watch live: https://t.co/mfQ1ZBTGTC pic.twitter.com/UFz9tEUxl2

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 13, 2020

The Hawks continued their push on the power play. After being set up by Kane, Dominik Kubalik fired an absolute missile of a wrist shot past Lehner to tie the game at 2–2. The shot from Kubalik was placed perfectly where Lehner could not stop it, grazing the pipe before finding the back of the net. 

Kubalik ties it up with a nifty wrister!

Watch live: https://t.co/mfQ1ZBTGTC pic.twitter.com/BI5pyzq7dO

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 13, 2020

However, the Golden Knights flexed their muscles and showed why they are the better team. With about three minutes remaining in the second period, Mark Stone tapped home a loose puck around the net to give the home team the one-goal advantage once again at 3–2. The goal was Stone’s third of the postseason. 

yep. we like this. #VegasBorn | @Raising_Canes pic.twitter.com/BCfES9mVvS

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 13, 2020

One thing Blackhawks’ fans are learning about this team is that they really do not quit. Just before the end of the period, Chicago turned into the Harlem Globetrotters, as Kane received a cross-ice pass before slinging the puck to Dylan Strome, who was back door in the blue paint. In one fluent motion, Strome tapped home the perfect feed from Kane and tied the game at 3–3 just before the end of the period. 

tic tac GOAL!

Watch live: https://t.co/mfQ1ZBTGTC pic.twitter.com/XgdMcRN0kk

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 13, 2020

There was not much action in the third, as both teams were scoreless despite the Golden Knights brutally outshooting the Hawks. However, the score remained knotted at 3–3 and Game Two was heading for overtime. 

Despite pushing the game to extra time, the Blackhawks ended up falling short. After a great sequence by the Golden Knights in the Blackhawks’ zone, Stastny threw a perfect pass to Reilly Smith in front of Crawford and the Vegas forward tipped the puck past Crawford to give the Golden Knights the 4–3 win for a 2–0 series lead. 

YOU SIMPLY LOVE TO SEE IT #VegasBorn | @Raising_Canes pic.twitter.com/8nVZyRbdZe

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 14, 2020

Around the boards

BREAKING NEWS @NHLBlackhawks…

SHOOT THE PUCK!#AllforOne #CHIvsVGK #Blackhawks #VegasBorn

— Puckin Hostile (@PuckinHostile.bsky.social) (@PuckinHostile) August 13, 2020

The Blackhawks missed many key opportunities to shoot the puck in this game. There were two opportunities alone for Strome and Dach where they elected to pass instead of shoot. Who knows what may have happened had those passes been shots in this one. The post was the Blackhawks’ best—or worst—friend as well, continuing the “what if” movement offensively for this one. 

If you’re looking to get a #Blackhawks sweater, with a non-One Goal Dynasty player, go with Dach #77. Kid’s going to be a great player for Chicago for a long time. Book it.

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) August 13, 2020

Get your jerseys folks; despite a Vegas victory, Dach looked very good once again for the Blackhawks tonight, scoring the first postseason goal of his career. He continues to play strong games in the playoffs and is not afraid to try and carry a line at times. Look for Dach to be a star for a very long time. 

Honestly I don’t hate Slater Koekkoek. He works hard. Has some offensive talent. Not a bad 5-6 guy if you have a decent top 4. #AllforOne #CHIvsVGK #Blackhawks #VegasBorn

— Puckin Hostile (@PuckinHostile.bsky.social) (@PuckinHostile) August 14, 2020

How about Slater Koekkoek? The former first-round pick was dogged by fans, myself included, for a long time. However, he seems to have found a home opposite of Olli Maatta and as a third-pairing defenseman for the Blackhawks. If the Blackhawks only have two young defensemen ready to step into the big-league roster next year, Koekkoek may have found a home on the third pairing for the Hawks.

The Blackhawks will return to action against the Golden Knights as the home team on Saturday at 7 p.m. CDT. 

The post RECAP: Golden Knights take commanding lead in series with OT win appeared first on The Rink.

“Awkward alert” –@RobinLehner pic.twitter.com/f0llBU2mDg

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 12, 2020

Chicago made the simple decision of starting two-time Stanley Cup champion Corey Crawford, creating a great storyline amongst former goalkeepers.

First period

Midway through the first period, both teams threw four shots on net, none that would be considered a high scoring chance. Vegas played a quick game early, only to be matched by Chicago’s well-structured start. This was a best-case scenario for the Blackhawks, as Vegas could play a heavy game at times that the Blackhawks would not match.

As Mike Emrick and Pierre McGuire mentioned a few different times during the broadcast, this period was a “feeling out” process for both teams. At the end of the first period, Vegas led in shots 9–5, holding Chicago without a shot for over a nine-minute stretch toward the end of the frame.

It's pretty clear that the #Blackhawks are trying to maintain control of the middle of the ice in the defensive zone, if the heat map on shots is any indication. pic.twitter.com/uBcB1F3Fdk

— James Neveau (@JamesNeveau) August 12, 2020

Second period

Chicago started the period with a few early chances by Jonathan Toews and Dylan Strome, both whom brushed the pipe behind Lehner. Strome’s attempt came as Lehner lost a skate blade, forcing the former Vezina Trophy finalist to make an awkward attempt on the shot.

no blade

no prob

¯_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/e6AiM2qYw6

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 12, 2020

The uneventful period turned a little physical between teams, as Ryan Reaves played his physical style and Toews and Jonathan Marchessault tussled along the benches as Toews was not happy about being pinned along the open door along the bench.

Things picked up quickly after the 7:22 mark of the period, as Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore scored the first goal of the game after firing a wrist shot past the glove of Crawford for a 1–0 Golden Knights lead. Theodore’s third goal of the playoffs was assisted by forward Reilly Smith and defenseman Alec Martinez.

Just over two minutes later, Vegas forward William Carrier bulled himself to the net, shoving Chicago forward Matthew Highmore to the ice, and pounced home a rebound shot from Reaves from the corner. The goal, Carrier’s second of the postseason, was assisted by Reaves and center Nicolas Roy, doubling the gap to 2–0. Chicago’s bench boss Jeremy Colliton challenged the play for offside only to be awarded a two-minute penalty when the goal was upheld.

While shorthanded, Chicago forward Brandon Saad made an excellent play stripping the puck from Theodore and finding forward David Kampf, who beat Lehner glove side, cutting the Vegas lead to 2–1. The goal gave Kampf his first goal of the postseason.

David Kampf scores shorthanded for his first career playoff goal, but this play started with Brandon Saad. What an effort. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/eN9N5sahlp

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) August 12, 2020

At the end of the period, Vegas led 2–1 on the scoreboard and 21–14 in shots. Chicago was lucky to find the back of the net while shorthanded since Vegas clamped down on the Blackhawks in their own zone for much of the first two periods of play.

Third period

Vegas extended their lead to 3–1 when Smith beat Crawford for his first goal of the postseason. Crawford made a half-hearted attempt at a blocker save only to find the puck bounce over his shoulder and into the net. The “soft” goal was an early backbreaker for the Blackhawks.

You can never shoot the puck too hard #VegasBorn | @Raising_Canes pic.twitter.com/JYitH6a4ES

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 12, 2020

After some end-to-end action, Smith scored his second goal of the period at the 8:14 mark of the period. The Etobicoke, Ontario, native beat Crawford with a slick backhand over the glove hand of Crawford on a break to the net. The goal extended the Vegas lead to 4–1 and showed the top seed in the Western Conference could turn up the heat on the Blackhawks in a blink of an eye.

Classic NHL20 goal…#CHIvsVGK #StanleyCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/dIW5gi6MmZ

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) August 12, 2020

At the end of the day, the only thing that was “awkward” about the matchup between Lehner and his former mates occurred when he lost his skate blade on two separate occasions. Vegas played a simple game and forced Chicago to generate their own offensive chances, which the eighth-seeded team could not accomplish. Vegas did not make many mistakes and outclassed the Blackhawks over the course of 60 minutes.

Chicago will look to even the series on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. CDT at the Rogers Place in Edmonton.

The post Along the Boards: Vegas outclasses Chicago 4–1 in series opener appeared first on The Rink.

Records

Vegas 39–24–8
Chicago 32–30–8

Season head-to-head

Vegas 2–1–0
Chicago 1–2–0

Special teams (Power play, penalty kill)

Vegas 22.0% (Ninth), Chicago 82.1% (Ninth)
Chicago 15.2% (28th), Vegas 76.6% (27th)

Shots for, Shots against

Vegas 32.3 (Seventh), 26.3 (Third)
Chicago 30.5 (13th), 34.3 (21st)

Goals for, Goals against

Vegas 224 (10th), 209 (14th)
Chicago 208 (19th), 214 (16th)

Faceoffs

Vegas 50.0% (16th)
Chicago 49.9% (17th)

Average height, weight, age

Vegas 6-foot-2, 203.5 pounds, 27.5
Chicago 6-foot-1, 191.5 pounds, 25.4

Projected lineups

Vegas Golden Knights
Max Pacioretty — William Karlsson — Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault — Paul Stastny — Reilly Smith
Nick Cousins — Alex Tuch — Nicolas Roy
William Carrier — Tomas Nosek — Ryan Reaves

Brayden McNabb — Nate Schmidt
Alec Martinez — Shea Theodore
Nick Holden — Zach Whitecloud

Robin Lehner
Marc-Andre Fleury

Chicago Blackhawks 
Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Dominik Kubalik
Alex DeBrincat — Kirby Dach — Patrick Kane
Alexander Nylander — Dylan Strome — Drake Caggiula
Matthew Highmore — Ryan Carpenter — David Kampf

Duncan Keith — Adam Boqvist
Calvin de Haan — Connor Murphy
Olli Maatta — Slater Koekkoek

Corey Crawford
Malcolm Subban

Analysis

As it goes with a No. 8 seed, the Blackhawks would appear to have their work cut out for them in their first round playoff matchup against the No. 1 seed Golden Knights.

Fresh off a “play-in” upset of Edmonton—where the only people who picked the Hawks would pick them against the ‘83 Oilers (or really “anyone”)—the Blackhawks can certainly make the ol’ “anything can happen” argument.

And, they could be right.

However, the Knights are not the Oilers. Not just in the composition of their team, but also in that they just performed strongly in the round robins against the best competition in the West. But, let’s look at why some hope might be justified for the Hawks.

Above all, their first line is as hot and as potent as any in hockey. Jonathan Toews is playing again like THE Jonathan Toews, same for Brandon Saad, and Dominik Kubalik is a quick-strike lethal weapon. I doubt the Knights will stop this line, and as the saying goes, their best hope is to contain them.

The Hawk defense is also playing pretty well. Not perfectly, but well enough to get past Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Fortunately for the Hawks, no one else on Edmonton posed much of a threat.

Compounding that relative positive is…another relative positive. For the first three games of the Edmonton series, Corey Crawford appeared to be, at best, finding his game. In the decisive Game 4, he was once again “Corey Crawford.” A lot of Hawk fans are counting on, or assuming, they will see “Game 4 Crawford” throughout the Vegas series, and not “first three games Crawford.” We shall see.

Because, again, the Knights are not the Oilers.

As we all know, Vegas went to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season two years ago. They do not really have what you would call a lot of (or any) household names. But, they are built to win in the playoffs, and, in that regard, more so than the Hawks.

Vegas has a lot of players who can both put the puck in the net and defend. They are big, but they can play however you want. Add to that, their goaltending is, if not better than the Hawks’, certainly deeper with Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Hawks likely will not get a “bye” in Game 1 due to a Mike Smith meltdown—and the likes of Mikko Koskinen to decode the rest of the way.

Vegas head coach Pete DeBoer has a true luxury in picking between the hotter hand of two top NHL goaltenders. Another luxury is adding top scorer Max Pacioretty into a lineup that did not have much difficulty scoring in the round robin.

The Hawks’ play-in round featured two teams with plenty of flaws. You can argue the Hawks won because they outworked the Oilers and thereby overcame their flaws, where Edmonton seemed to never quite show up, exaggerating their own.

Chicago probably will not be so lucky with Vegas, who both showed up and prevailed in the round robins—and have shown in the recent past they know how to win in the playoffs.

In this matchup, the special teams look stunningly even, but the numbers suggest the Knights are a better five-on-five team than Chicago, which they are, and that matters significantly in the playoffs, where penalties generally get called less and overtime is five-on-five, with no three-on-three or shootout.

Sure, there is a compelling Crawford vs. Lehner subtext. I am going to assume (if Lehner and not Fleury starts for Vegas) both players will give it all they have. And with that in mind, the series will be won or lost between the goal lines. But, here is another very compelling stat: Vegas is 8–1 since 2017 against Chicago.

Keys to victory

Vegas

Keep rolling. Vegas looked very strong in the round robins. They have the scoring, depth, goaltending and physicality to go deep in the playoffs.

Chicago

Stop Vegas from continuing its roll. Winning Game 1 would not only be a minor upset for the Hawks, but it might also start to get inside the Golden Knights’ heads. Vegas has to have a fairly high confidence level coming in against a Chicago team they have dominated recently. The Hawks’ best hope may be to damage that confidence early in the series.

Prediction

When you look at all the variables, both teams’ depth (or lack thereof), size and recent playoff success, it is really hard to objectively pick the Hawks in this series. So, we are not going to.

Vegas in six games.

Comment below.

The post Series Preview: Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

Head Coach Jeremy Colliton started Corey Crawford in net and inserted rookie defenseman Adam Boqvist into the lineup in place of Slater Koekkoek. Olli Maatta remained out with flu-like symptoms and Matthew Highmore was a healthy scratch.

Marc-Andre Fleury started in net for Vegas.

Blackhawks’ Starting Lines and Pairings:

Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews —  Dominik Kubalik
Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane
Zack Smith— David Kampf —  Dylan Sikura
Alexander Nylander — Kirby Dach — Ryan Carpenter

Connor Murphy—  Erik Gustafsson
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Dennis Gilbert — Adam Boqvist

PERIOD ONE:
Vegas spent much of their time playing a heavy game, leading in hits 12–3, but Chicago answered their physicality with sound tape-to-tape passes that generated offense in the Vegas zone.

Golden Knights’ forward Mark Stone took the game’s first penalty, interfering with Calvin de Haan at the 17:46 mark. de Haan went off to the Blackhawks’ dressing room after the play with an apparent injury. The Chicago power play could not generate much sustained pressure and did not capitalize.

Stone, fresh out of the penalty box, tried to go forehand-backhand on a breakaway on Crawford, only to be denied.

In what was an exciting period of play, the goaltenders stole the show. Crawford stopped all 13 shots he faced in the period while Fleury turned aside 12 Blackhawks’ shots.

Both Kirby Dach and Ryan Carpenter generated five shots for the period. The two forwards, along with Alexander Nylander, played solid hockey for seeing less than 3:45 of ice time for the frame.

PERIOD TWO:
If the first period was considered a draw, the second period was controlled by Vegas. To make matters worse, de Haan was ruled out with a right shoulder injury.

Vegas received their first power play opportunity after Dennis Gilbert went off for hooking against Paul Stastny. With three seconds left on the man advantage, forward Reilly Smith beat Crawford to give the Golden Knights the 1–0 lead.

Chill, @GoldenKnights pic.twitter.com/JlLPvdb9o5

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) December 11, 2019

After a Chicago turnover, Vegas defenseman Deryk Engelland extended the Vegas lead to 2–0. Engelland’s goal beat Crawford top-shelf, giving the 37-year old his first goal of the season.

Chill, @GoldenKnights pic.twitter.com/JlLPvdb9o5

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) December 11, 2019

Chicago’s best sustained pressure in the period resulted in Adam Boqvist hitting the goal post with a little under seven minutes to play. At this point in the period, Vegas had outshot the visitors 11–2.

With just over two minutes in the period, Dominik Kubalik chased town a loose puck and fed Jonathan Toews with a nice cross ice pass that finished with an excellent save by Fleury. Toews’ rebound attempt was also smothered by Fleury.

The good news late in the period was Chicago’s second power play opportunity, coming when forward Alex Tuch slashed Erik Gustafsson. The bad news, Vegas scored a shorthanded goal when forward William Karlsson had a wide-open net after a nice fake shot and drag play from Smith pulled Crawford out of his crease. The goal gave Vegas the 3–0 lead.

Not nice. pic.twitter.com/gKxz9ErMGV

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) December 11, 2019

Vegas scored an even strength, shorthanded and on the power play in the period and outshot Chicago 16–8.

A frustrated Corey Crawford after Golden Knights score three straight in second period. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/hMZkap74vR

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 11, 2019

THIRD PERIOD:
Vegas took a 4–0 lead when Stone found forward Max Pacioretty at the door step, slipping a pass by a sliding Brent Seabrook. The goal was Pacioretty’s eleventh goal for Vegas this season.

A beautiful goal with a side of #ExpressiveMarkStone pic.twitter.com/BQaiKZhrGw

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 11, 2019

To add insult to injury, forward Ryan Reaves beat Crawford to give Vegas a 5–0 lead with a tick under seven minutes to play in the game. Reaves’ goal was his third this season.

Kubalik scored his eighth goal of the season at the 19:33 mark in the period. The goal spoiled Fleury’s bid for a shutout and gave Chicago fans, those that may have still been watching, something to enjoy during the 5–1 loss.

Dominik Kubalik won't let the #Blackhawks leave scoreless in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/3WdP9Aszkq

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) December 11, 2019

THE GOOD:
The hockey game ended.

THE BAD:
Kirby Dach totaled 13:00 of ice time. The young man has shown he can play at this level. Give him an opportunity to play alongside someone that can generate offense with him. Carpenter and Nylander are not those guys.

Calvin de Haan was the only Blackhawk not to finish in the minus (yes it’s a poor stat overall but this one tells a funny story). de Haan only played 7:35 but that is quite the feat for Chicago.

Chicago was mediocre at best when healthy. The growing list of injuries seems to be highlighting a lack of depth.

Comment below.

The post RECAP: Vegas too much for Chicago in 5–1 beatdown appeared first on The Rink.

9 p.m. CST
T-Mobile Arena
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

Projected starting goaltenders

Chicago — Corey Crawford (6–7–2, .912 save percentage, 2.89 goals against average)
Vegas — Marc-Andre Fleury (6–6–2, .919 save percentage, 2.54 goals against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (15.7%, 24th)
Vegas (22.0%, eighth)

Penalty kill
Chicago (79.6%, 18th)
Vegas (84.0%, Tenth)

Shots for/against
Chicago (31.2, 18th; 36.1, 30th)
Vegas (33.6, 10th; 31.6, 17th)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (8.80%)
Vegas (8.40%)

Face off percentage
Chicago (49.0%, 22nd)
Vegas (50.3%, 14th)

Average height and weight
Chicago — 6-foot-1, 194 pounds
Vegas — 6-foot-2, 201 pounds

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews —  Dominik Kubalik
Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane
Alexander Nylander— David Kampf —  Dylan Sikura
Ryan Carpenter — Kirby Dach — Zack Smith

Connor Murphy—  Erik Gustafsson
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Dennis Gilbert — Adam Boqvist

Vegas Golden Knights

Brayden McNabb — Nate Schmidt
Shea Theodore — Nicolas Hague
Jon Merrill —Deryk Engelland

Analysis

The rollercoaster ride continues. After two wins in a row, the Blackhawks fell to the Arizona Coyotes in the shootout Sunday. The Blackhawks took a 3-1 lead after the first period. The lead evaporated in the second period and the third period and OT were scoreless. Robin Lehner has gone on record saying he hates the shootout and he does tend to struggle in them. Lehner’s issues continued against the Coyotes. Sadly, Lehner’s 44 save effort may be forgotten because of the end result.

Despite the loss, Jonathan Toews showed signs of coming out of his season-long slump. Toews had one goal and two assists in the Hawks’ loss to Arizona. It was Toews’ first multi-point game since November 16th against Nashville and only his third multi-point game of the season. The Blackhawks need more from their captain to sustain any success going forward. Another guy who is hopefully heating up is Alex Debrincat. Debrincat extended his scoring streak to three games and Patrick Kane got another point in the contest to increase his point total to 36.

The Blackhawks continue to make roster moves as the team recalled Matthew Highmore and Adam Boqvist from Rockford. Highmore and Boqvist join recently recalled Dylan Sikura at the NHL level. All three figure to have substantive roles going forward.

Chicago’s next opponent, the Vegas Golden Knights, figure to get back their goalie Marc-Andre Fleury from leave. Fleury had been out mourning the death of his father. It will be an emotional return to the ice for Fleury tonight. In their last contest, the Golden Knights were spanked by the New York Rangers 5—0, the loss snapped the Knights five-game point streak. If the Knights want to get back to their winning ways, they need their points leader Max Pacioretty back on the scoresheet. In his last two games, Pacioretty has been held scoreless.

Can the Blackhawks improve their Odds of winning in Vegas or will the Knights defend the Castle?

The post Preview/Game thread: Chicago Blackhawks at Vegas Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.