Sunday, Jan. 31: Hawks win 3–1 behind Kane, Kurashev

With Kevin Lankinen back in net, the rookie stopped 32 of 33 shots against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Patrick Kane and Philipp Kurashev each had a goal and an assist to lead the offense. Pius Suter added his fourth goal of the season, and Mattias Janmark added two assists.

Tuesday, Feb. 2: Hawks lose 4–3 in shootout vs. Carolina

Lankinen was in the net once again, making 37 saves in the loss to the Hurricanes. Kurashev, Kane and Dylan Strome each scored a goal for the Hawks. Dominik Kubalik and Alex DeBrincat both added two assists. Lankinen made a point-blank save with seconds left in overtime to send the game to a shootout. The Hawks went 0-for-3 in the shootout. Andrei Svechnikov scored the lone goal of the shootout for the Hurricanes.

Thursday, Feb 4: Hawks’ special teams lead the way in 6–4 victory

Lankinen made his fifth straight start in net for the Hawks, making 30 saves against the Hurricanes. The Blackhawks’ special teams were the bright spot during this game. The penalty kill negated all four opportunities for Carolina and Chicago scored three power play goals out of five chances. All three power play goals came in the first period. Janmark, Kubalik and Andrew Shaw all tallied the goals for the Hawks in the first frame. The Hurricanes scored two goals, just eight seconds apart, in the early going of the second period to tie the game at 3–3. The Hawks then exploded for another three goals in the third to secure the victory. DeBrincat scored twice, including the empty netter at the end to seal the win. Kane tallied one goal and three assists for his 14th career four-point game. Kane now has 1,037 career points, which moves him into sixth place among U.S.-born players.

Patrick Kane (1-3—4) recorded his 14th career four-point game as the @NHLBlackhawks improved to 4-1-1 at home in 2020-21. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/0NDvtiDoGK

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 5, 2021

Going forward

It looks like Lankinen has taken over as the No. 1 goalie—for now. He has started in the last five games in a row for the Hawks. The defense has been allowing a lot of shots the past three games, 33, 41 and 34, respectively. Lankinen has been standing tall so far, getting a lot of work in the crease with that many shots coming his way.

Next week, the Hawks travel to Dallas for two games against the Stars. Then they come back home for two more games against Columbus.

The post Hawks battle Columbus, Carolina to finish week 2–0–1 appeared first on The Rink.

While there have been whispers for a while regarding Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois’ discontent in Columbus, the issue really came to a head in the Blue Jackets’ Thursday night overtime loss to Tampa Bay, when a noticeably “detached” Dubois drew the ire and eventual benching of head coach John Tortorella.

Friday, the rumor mill jumped into overdrive, with an emerging report of the Winnipeg Jets leading the pack in pursuit of the big, talented pivot.

Saturday morning, just a few minutes ago, in fact, the two teams completed a deal, with the Jets sending scoring winger Patrik Laine and forward Jack Roslovic to Columbus for Dubois and a third-round draft pick.

Almost immediately, Twitter accounts were leapfrogging one another to proclaim the deal a win for one side or the other. The Rink’s flash poll of its writers suggests this appears (on paper and in theory anyway) to be a win-win for both clubs. As with any trade, the true winner(s) are always somewhat “to be determined” based on a myriad factors: Adjustment to new coaching staffs, teammates and cities, injuries, etc.

The fact is, these were both good, typically playoff-quality teams—each missing a part or two. The Jets gain the second-line center they have been struggling to nail down. And Dubois also brings a lot of the on-ice qualities the Jets like: Big, nasty, skilled. The downside? The Jets add a guy who has now shown he can be a petulant troublemaker in the dressing room—as if they had not seen enough of that with Evander Kane.

Some want to blame Dubois’ unhappiness in Columbus on Tortorella and his old-school, red-ass style of coaching. But there was scuttlebutt that Dubois did not really care for Columbus as a place to live, either. How will he feel about living on the windswept tundra of Winnipeg? Meh, at least there is a French-speaking community in the ‘Peg.

In Laine, the Jackets somewhat backfill the prolific goal scoring from the flank that left town with Artemi Panarin heading to New York. The knock on Laine is average mobility and maybe not enough nasty, but he is plenty effective in tight spaces—and his shot is both lethal and amply proven. And he has been criticized at times for a lack of focus. However, few NHL general managers have as much or more familiarity with Laine than fellow Finn Jarmo Kekalainen.

Columbus native Roslovic is the lucky strike extra here, and could very well eventually tip the equity in this trade toward the Blue Jackets—giving Tortorella yet another high motor, coachable, skilled and versatile middle-six forward to go with the likes of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Liam Foudy.

The Blue Jackets have extended Roslovic’s contract for two years at $3.8 million total. Laine becomes a restricted free agent on July 28. However, Columbus has significant cap flexibility due to this trade and other factors.

What do you think? Comment below.

The post TRADE BREAKDOWN: Columbus acquires Laine and Roslovic for Dubois, pick appeared first on The Rink.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were coming off of being shut out in game one, and were desperate to break Columbus goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.

Blue Jacket blue liner Dean Kukan left game after a big hit by Kyle Clifford on the first shift.

Kyle Clifford making his presence on the ice known early pic.twitter.com/KyTP86Xp4c

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 4, 2020

The Leafs had some good chances early, as well as an unsuccessful power play.

Nylander finds Tavares who heads to the net on Korpisalo pic.twitter.com/n7LIS5CCgh

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 4, 2020

Maple Leaf netminder Fredrik Andersen was forced to make a big save on a shorthanded two-on-one rush from Columbus.

First big stop by Andersen as the Blue Jackets get a chance shorthanded pic.twitter.com/buk5MdKhS3

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 4, 2020

With Kukan still out, Columbus defender Zach Werenski took an awkward fall and needed his hand taped up. However, both defenders would end up returning to the game.

Werenski getting his hand taped up pic.twitter.com/QKVM26w3d5

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 4, 2020

For the first part of the second, the Blue Jackets and Leafs traded power plays, and despite a number of chances, neither goalie was broken.

William Nylander came so close to scoring here pic.twitter.com/zdMPRccyyV

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 4, 2020

Late in the period, Auston Matthews finally broke Korpisalo, tipping in a Zach Hyman pass for a 1–0 Toronto lead. 

The dam breaks!
Auston Matthews scores his first! pic.twitter.com/wbn2xk1Snh

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 4, 2020

Following the second period, shots were 28–8. In fact, throughout the period, the Blue Jackets were held to only four shots at five-on-five action.

Four minutes into the third period, John Tavares buried a breakaway chance to extend the Maple Leaf advantage.

“When the chances are there, the goals will come”
LEAFS 2-0 #LeafsForever | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/2MPgujZ9r5

— Jacqueline Taylor (@jxcquelineoh) August 4, 2020

Tavares was arguably the best Leaf player during that game and was definitely playing much better than he had been on Sunday. 

With just under two minutes left in the game, Toronto defenseman Jake Muzzin went down after being cross-checked from behind by Blue Jacket forward Pierre-Luc Dubois. 

Muzzin goes down. His head clips Bjorkstrand’s knee pic.twitter.com/1uimOKF4Qc

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 4, 2020

Muzzin was then stretchered off the ice. He was in contact with medical staff and moving his limbs the entire time, which is a good sign. It appeared as though the medical staff was most concerned about the state of Muzzin’s neck. 

With 42 seconds left, Toronto blue liner Morgan Rielly hit the empty net from his own end to seal the game. 

Morgan Rielly puts it into the empty-net all the way from his own end pic.twitter.com/OHJ6qZkHLD

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) August 4, 2020

After the game, Maple Leaf head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed that Muzzin had been brought to a nearby hospital and was responsive. Keene also mentioned that he does not know the protocol, considering Muzzin had left the bubble. 

Andersen with the first Leaf playoff shutout since Ed Belfour against the Senators on April 16, 2004 at SBA.

— Lance Hornby (@sunhornby) August 4, 2020

Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski: “First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with Jake Muzzin. … No hockey game is as important as someone’s health so we’re thinking of him right now.”

— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) August 4, 2020

Game three

The Maple Leafs entered game three missing a key defenceman in Muzzin. Muzzin was released from the hospital the day prior, but will not be available for the rest of the play-in series. Martin Marincin drew in for the first time this postseason in Muzzin’s place.

Toronto defender Cody Ceci opened the scoring late in the first period, his shot bouncing off of a skate and in for a 1–0 Leaf lead.

An absolute rocket #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/2AdSuMUqhq

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 7, 2020

This goal was Ceci’s first shorthanded goal as well as his first postseason goal.

Midway through the second, William Nylander converted on the power play. This was the Leafs’ first five-on-four goal of the series, and it was in a large part due to Mitch Marner.

this Marner seam pass was, as the kids say, extremely accuratepic.twitter.com/HbbVPPfv3W

— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) August 7, 2020

Shortly after, Nick Robertson notched his first NHL goal. A fun record, Robertson is the first 18-year-old to score a playoff goal for the Leafs in 76 years.

Let it rip, Nick!#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/UMg5ujUCuW

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 7, 2020

Following the Robertson goal, Elvis Merzlikins replaced Korpisalo in net.

Dubois would shorten the Leafs’ lead on the power play late in the second, and the period ended with a score of 3–1.

The Leafs became sloppy and careless in the third period, something which was a theme throughout this entire season, which lead to a number of odd-man rushes and other good chances for Columbus. Blue Jacket defenseman Seth Jones jumped on a loose puck after a scramble in front of the Leafs’ net to bring the Jackets to within one at 3–2.

Dubois then closed the gap by finishing off a two-on-one to tie the game at 3–3.

The game went into overtime, and Dubois, with his third goal of the night, on a partial breakaway, ended it.

This game looked like almost every regular season Leaf game. The Leafs have a strong first and second period, but absolutely fall apart in the third. As Keefe remarked after the game, the team did not have “any purpose or plan to (their) game.”

The Leafs and Blue Jackets return to the ice Friday at 8 p.m.

The post Toronto Maple Leafs: Games two and three recap appeared first on The Rink.

After seven seasons in North America, across the QMJHL, AHL and two NHL teams (Buffalo and Colorado), Grigorenko returned to Russia in 2017, joining CSKA Moscow, where he has averaged nearly a point per game the last two seasons.

During a media conference today, Columbus General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen pointed to the 6-foot-2, 215-pound centerman’s improvement over that time, while Columbus has apparently scouted him heavily in that timeframe.

Now 25 years old, Grigorenko potentially adds some of what the Blue Jackets need: playmaking and scoring from the center position.

We will have more on where Grigorenko fits into the Blue Jackets’ lineup as we hear it. Please comment below.

The post Blue Jackets sign KHL star Mikhail Grigorenko appeared first on The Rink.

After eliminating everyone’s favorite to take the Stanley Cup last spring, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in a punishing four-game sweep, then giving eventual conference champions Boston a bit of a scuffle, the Blue Jackets were supposed to regress, and regress mightily without the two Russian superstars.

But, then a funny thing happened.

In spite of those losses—and a spate of injuries to remaining key players—the Blue Jackets sit today at 81 points with 70 games played and in the second wild card spot, and on their current pace over a full 82 games would finish with about 94 points. Now, there are three teams vying for that second wild card spot (including Columbus), but for the sake of argument, let’s say they stay in that spot.

By comparison, last season, Columbus also finished in the second wild card spot, but with 98 points. Hmmm. So, theoretically at least, the subtraction of $21 million per year worth of Russian talent has cost the Blue Jackets four points. Additionally, that is with fairly lengthy injuries to Seth Jones (who has played 56 out of 70 games), Josh Anderson (26 out of 70), Ryan Murray (27 out of 70) and Cam Atkinson (44 out of 70).

Wait a minute, how does this happen?

Well, there are likely a number of factors, including the possibility that the Eastern Conference is just not as good this year, or that other Blue Jackets players over performed relative to their average seasonal output. Or, they have just been crazy lucky this year. The first is plausible, the second is unlikely. The third may be because you make your own luck.

By specific and meaningful metrics, even without Panarin and Bobrovsky, the Blue Jackets have done some things well this season. For one, shots versus shots against, where Columbus is sixth in the league at +2.6 per game. Second is the team’s 1,060 blocked shots, good for fifth in the league. Their penalty kill stands at 81.7%, placing 12th in the league. And, perhaps even more important, the squad has totaled just 458 penalty minutes, the second fewest in the league.

Those are all things that help keep the puck out of your net, which is important when you have gone from the likes of Bobrovsky in net to Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins.

At this point, you might think we are going to drop some sneaky good offensive numbers for Columbus, but not really. In fact, the Blue Jackets were not an overly productive offensive team this year.

But then let’s go back to the goalies.

Korpisalo started out the season as the heir apparent, and was somewhat up and down, but good enough you keep the Blue Jackets in the postseason picture or close. Then, Korpisalo got hurt in a late-December game against Chicago, thrusting Latvian rookie Merzlikins into the starting role. And that was at that point that even diehard Blue Jackets fans thought the team had finally hit its high-water mark for the season.

But, again, that is not how it worked out.

It remains to be seen how good Merzlikins is and will be over his NHL career, but his numbers for the year (in a relatively limited sample size) are compelling: 13–9–8, .923 save percentage, 2.35 goals against average and five shutouts in 31 games started. For that matter, Korpisalo’s overall numbers are not terrible, either, at 19–12–5, a .911 save percentage and a 2.60 goals against average.

And one thing is certain: when Korpisalo went down, the Blue Jackets circled the wagons around Merzlikins, in whose first start after the Korpisalo injury, the team blocked 24 shots to the opponent’s 10 (a 4–1 Columbus victory over Florida). Two nights later, on the road in Boston no less, the Blue Jackets blocked 15 shots to the Bruins’ two for another win.

That’s the how, but the real story is the why—which it can be argued is due to the leadership of the team: Jones, David Savard, Boone Jenner, Nick Foligno, Pierre Luc Dubois, Anderson and Zach Werenski—all big, physical players who are tough to play against and seemingly will do anything to win, and who are in tight lockstep with head coach John Tortorella.

And credit also has to go to General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen, who has either gone out and acquired or retained those players.

The same physical willingness that has helped carry the Blue Jackets this year, in spite of significant challenges, is the one that helped them dominate Tampa Bay last April. That is a quality that did not decrease with the losses of Panarin and Bobrovsky, and it suggests that the Blue Jackets’ system of player acquisition and on-ice play is one that can overcome temporary adversity—serving the organization well, if not this year, then in seasons to come.

We will be back with more on the Columbus Blue Jackets—with or without actual hockey. Thanks for reading; sign in, comment below and please follow @TheRinkColumbus. Stay healthy, everybody!

The post Season or no season: Columbus Blue Jackets have much to be happy about appeared first on The Rink.

Dave Bolland standing with the Blackhawks starters while being honored for his One More Shift. (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/NHLI via Getty Images)

Prior to Friday’s game, the Blackhawks honored two-time Stanley Cup Champion and former Chicago Blackhawks forward Dave Bolland for his One More Shift. Bolland received a warm welcome from the home town faithful at the United Center.

A loud and well-deserved ovation for the return of Coyotes legend Dave Bolland. pic.twitter.com/0LogK0XTKc

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 19, 2019

The famous saying “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” was in order for head coach Jeremy Colliton ahead of the game. The only lineup change made was at goalie, as Robin Lehner was starting in goal:

DeBrincat – Toews – Caggiula

Shaw – Strome – Kane

Saad – Kampf – Kubalik

Smith – Carpenter – Nylander

Keith – Murphy

Maatta – Seabrook

de Haan – Gustafsson

Lehner

First period

After everyone settled into their seats, the third line did what they have done best throughout this young season: be a force to be reckoned with. Roughly fourty seconds into the period, Brandon Saad and Dominik Kubalik started a rush up ice with Saad dishing over to Kubalik. After the Czech winger crossed the opposing blue line, he dipped his shoulder and fed a pass to Saad in front. Unfortunately, the bid was denied.

Early in the opening frame, the Blue Jackets did a good job of controlling the pace of play. They generated numerous quality scoring chances early, including on the power play, but Robin Lehner stood tall. 

After very little action to touch on, the Blackhawks struck first. Calvin de Haan fed a pass up the left wing boards to Alex DeBrincat in the Blackhawks’ zone. DeBrincat subsequently fired a pass off the glass and down the ice. The feed perfectly found Drake Caggiula at the opposing blue line, waiting for the dish. Caggiula skated in on the two-on-two and wired a perfect shot to the top right corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

Drake Caggiula's first goal of the year is NICE

Stream the game here: https://t.co/heSdrKpFnT pic.twitter.com/4UMWQE1ceq

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 19, 2019

After the impressive tally by Caggiula, the Blackhawks took their lead into the first intermission, despite being outshot by the Blue Jackets 15–10 and badly out possessed. 

Second period

The middle frame against Columbus felt awfully familiar. The Blackhawks seemed to come out flat, unlike they did against Edmonton. The game Monday finally seemed like the Blackhawks improved in the middle frame. They didn’t play bad, but they were still outshot and out possessed.

The best chance of the early minutes came from Chicago. Calvin de Haan found the puck behind the net and dished it out in front to Patrick Kane. Kane was able to get a good shot off, but Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made an excellent save on the play.

About five and a half minutes into the period, the Blue Jackets’ top center took over. Pierre-Luc Dubois was fighting for the puck against the Blackhawks’ top pairing and was able to wiggle his way around Connor Murphy for the loose puck. Upon gaining possession, Dubois out-waited Robin Lehner, forcing him out of position, and fired a bad angle shot into the back of the wide open net. The game-tying goal felt inevitable after Columbus had dominated possession.

The Blackhawks’ best chance of the period came about a minute after the Dubois goal. Merzlikins attempted to move the puck up ice but the pass was picked off by Andrew Shaw. Shaw found Kane down low to Merzlikins’ right side as he waited for one of his linemates to get open. Dylan Strome ended up being open back door, but could not connect on the one-timer that would have given Chicago the lead.

The Blackhawks survived the middle frame without yielding any more damage. Columbus outshot Chicago once again in the period and was the better possession team again. 

Third period

The opening minutes of the third period did not look great for the Blackhawks. They looked sluggish and behind in comparison to their opponent. Around three minutes into the period, a Blackhawks turnover led to a Columbus rush up the ice. Defenseman Markus Nutivaara fired a shot on net and followed his own rebound. The rebound shot wasn’t as strong as the first, but he got just enough on the puck to float it into the back of the net and give the visitors the 2–1 lead.

https://twitter.com/NHL_fi/status/1185518584627367937

Following the goal, the Blackhawks found more of a pep in their step. They seemed to turn it on after going down a goal in the third period. With about 12 minutes remaining, the Blackhawks had an important power play but nearly cost themselves. Nick Foligno had a shorthanded breakaway and the puck squeaked through Lehner. However, the whistle had already been blown before the puck trickled out from under Lehner and into the back of the net. Chicago lived to see another day.

The reason that power play was so important is because about forty seconds later, Gustafsson set up at the point on that power play and found Patrick Kane at his usual right wing spot on the man advantage. Kane gifted a perfect pass across the ice to DeBrincat, who was set up at the left wing face-off dot. DeBrincat wasted no time, one-timing the puck into the back of the net to tie the game at two-a-piece. 

pic.twitter.com/oApg048srb

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 19, 2019

For the remainder of the third, the Blackhawks penalty kill stood tall and Lehner looked good. The Blackhawks were able to generate a power play themselves, thanks to Ryan Carpenter, but they could not capitalize on the opportunity. The game required overtime to determine a winner at 1901 W. Madison St. 

Overtime

Columbus won the opening face-off of the extra frame and proceeded up ice. Despite having possession for the first forty seconds, the visitors could not do anything with the opportunity. 

Instead, the dynamic Kane-Toews duo proceeded up the ice with Toews feeding Kane as the trigger man. Kane put a shot on net, that ultimately hit Toews’ shin pad, and it found its way into the back of the net to secure the Blackhawks 3–2 victory. 

Jonathan Toews overtime winner for his first goal of the season. He’ll take it. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Cwjr2pASuC

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 19, 2019

Quick Hits

• Day late, but not a dollar short: The Blackhawks lacked meaningful energy until the Blue Jackets took the 2–1 lead early in the third period. After that, the Blackhawks were by far the better team. However, one player’s energy that stuck out was Alex Nylander. He was constantly back checking and was almost always one of the first player up ice when he was out there. Other players had great energy too, but you could see Nylander embracing the fourth line role and making the most of it. 
• Is he a backup?: Robin Lehner, the “backup” goalie, looked sensational for the Blackhawks on Friday night. Despite giving up two goals, he made many big saves throughout the game, especially early in the first when the Blue Jackets were badly outplaying the Blackhawks. If the Crawford/Lehner duo look like they did on Monday and Friday, respectively, then the Blackhawks have something they can be proud of in net.
• Top shelf/top line: The Blackhawks “first line” was responsible for all three goals Friday night, as Alex DeBrincat scored on the power play and both Drake Caggiula and Jonathan Toews registered their first goals of the season. If the top line can get going and the second line follows suit, then the offense will continue to look like it did last season and, potentially, even better.

The Blackhawks will remain home as they wait for the Washington Capitals. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday, October 20.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks come from behind, beat Blue Jackets in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

7:30 p.m. CDT
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

Chicago — Robin Lehner (0–0–1, .909 save percentage, 2.96 goals-against average)
Columbus — Elvis Merzlikins (1–0–1, .825 save percentage, 7.00 goals-against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (22.2%, 13th)
Columbus (16.7%, 23rd)

Penalty kill
Chicago (61.5%, 30th)
Columbus (73.7%, 22nd)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.3, 14th; 33.3, Ninth)
Columbus (33.3, Ninth; 29.0, 27th)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (9.6%)
Columbus (7.0%)

Face-off percentage
Chicago (47.8%, 24th)
Columbus  (47.7%, 27th)

Average height and weight
Chicago — 6-foot-1, 198 pounds
Columbus — 6-foot-1, 198 pounds

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

Alex DeBrincat — Jonathan Toews — Drake Caggiula

Andrew Shaw — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane

Brandon Saad — David Kampf — Dominik Kubalik

Zack Smith — Ryan Carpenter — Alexander Nylander

Duncan Keith — Connor Murphy

Olli Maatta — Brent Seabrook

Calvin de Haan — Erik Gustafsson

Columbus Blue Jackets

Gustav Nyquist — Pierre-Luc Dubois— Cam Atkinson

Nick Foligno  — Alexander Wennberg — Oliver Bjorkstrand

Alexandre Texier —  Boone Jenner— Emil Bemstrom

Sonny Milano — Riley Nash — Jakob Lilja

Zachary Werenski — Seth Jones

Ryan Murray — Markus Nutivaara

Vladislav Gavrikov— David Savard

Analysis:

The Chicago Blackhawks finally notched their first win of the season against the Edmonton Oilers, Monday night, and played its first full solid game of the season. They were solid in all three phases of the game despite not getting many minutes out of their fourth line composed of Alex Nylander, Zack Smith, and Ryan Carpenter. Both Nylander and Carpenter played less than 10 minutes in the contest. If the Blackhawks want to have continued success, they need more contribution from all four lines.

In tonight’s matchup, the Blackhawks are making one significant change to their lineup, which is replacing Corey Crawford with Robin Lehner. Lehner was impressive in his only start this season and is looking to continue the Blackhawks winning away against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Blue Jackets are coming into the United Center riding a two-game winning streak and one forward Sonny Milano highlight-reel goal. Despite the losses of Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky in free agency, the Blue Jackets, led by head coach John Tortorella, are looking to prove their critics wrong. The Jackets have defeated the lowly Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes in their last two wins.

With the Blackhawks having discovered their winning formula, the real question is can they sustain it?

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And, be sure to look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game on The-Rink.com.

The post Preview/Game Thread: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Chicago Blackhawks appeared first on The Rink.

7:30pm CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (12–8–4, SV%: .898, GAA: 3.60)
Columbus – Sergei Bobrovsky (23–17–1, SV%: .903, GAA: 2.90)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.8%, 14th)
Columbus (16.1%, 25th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.4%, 31st)
Columbus (84.5%, 2nd)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.5, 18th; 35.4, 30th)
Columbus (31.8, 15th; 29.9, 8th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.3%, 8th)
Columbus (10.1%, 10th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.6%, T17th)
Columbus (49.6%, T17th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Columbus 6’1” 198lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Brandon Saad–Marcus Kruger–Dylan Sikura

Brendan Perlini–Artem Anisimov–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson

Columbus Blue Jackets

Artemi Panarin–Pierre-Luc Dubois–Cam Atkinson

Nick Foligno–Boone Jenner–Josh Anderson

Anthony Duclair–Alexander Wennberg–Oliver Bjorkstrand

Lukas Sedlak–Riley Nash–Markus Hannikainen

Ryan Murray–Seth Jones

Zach Werenski–David Savard

Scott Harrington–Markus Nutivaara

Analysis

The Blackhawks returned to their winning ways on Thursday night as they scored five unanswered goals to beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2. The Blackhawks look to make it two-straight wins as they welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets to the United Center for a rare Saturday night home game.

Patrick Kane has continued his sensational play this season with a goal and two assists on Thursday night. Look for Patrick Kane to continue his 16-game point streak tonight against their talented Eastern Conference opponent.

The story swirling around the Blue Jackets coming to town is the return of former fan-favorite Artemi Panarin to Chicago. With free agency looming, many Blackhawks fans are hoping that “the Bread Man” will return to the team where he started his NHL career just a few short years ago.

The Blue Jackets are a strong team. Their defense is arguably one of the best in the league, and they have talent up and down their entire lineup. This will certainly present a tough task for the playoff-hopeful Blackhawks. The Blue Jackets may be all out for a Stanley Cup this season, especially with Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky destined to hit the free agent market this offseason.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game tomorrow morning on the-rink.com.

The post Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks vs Blue Jackets appeared first on The Rink.

Both teams came into this game with the same amount of points (8), but got those points in (almost) opposite manners.  The Blackhawks game results were all decided in overtime games (minus one), while the Blue Jackets games only finished one game in overtime.

Coach Joel Quenneville decided to stick with Corey Crawford in goal, who was making his second start since battling 10 months of post concussion symptom rehabilitation.  Elsewhere in the lineup, Andreas Martinsen made his return from injury (replacing John Hayden), and Brandon Davidson finally made his regular season debut (replacing Brandon Manning).  Jonathan Toews, and Alex DeBrincat were trying to continue their points streaks, as well.

This was your Blackhawks starting lineup:
Alex DeBrincat- Jonathan Toews – Dominik Kahun
Nick Schmaltz – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane
Chris Kunitz – David Kampf – Brandon Saad
Alexandre Fortin – Marcus Kruger – Andreas Martinsen

Duncan Keith – Henri Jokiharju
Erik Gustafsson– Brent Seabrook
 Brandon Davidson – Jan Rutta

The possibly the biggest change in the opening lineup was Nick Schmaltz being moved to left wing with Patrick Kane, while Artem Anisimov moved up between to the two young phenoms. With Schmaltz winning only 36.9 of his face-offs and coming in with just 4 assist, it was time to try to jump start his production.

After the Blackhawks gave up a couple of grade A chances in their own end, they went down and took a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the game. After a nice feed from Dominik Kahun, Alex Debrincat used a generous screen from Blue Jacket Markus Nutivaara to sneak a softie through the legs of the normally solid Bobrovsky.

DeBrincat extends his point streak to seven games with tonight’s tally! #Purr #CHIvsCBJ #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/kXeTdBvENQ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 20, 2018

The chances didn’t stop there, though. Some good wheels by Duncan Keith on a good break-a-way chance by Cam Atkinson helped keep the score at 1-0 in favor of the visitors. At the other end of the ice, the Blackhawks were able to eclipse the Columbus shot total, after the Blue Jackets took an early lead.

Just past the halfway point of the period, Blackhawks defenseman Henri Jokuharju got turned around by Artemi Panarin and ended up in the penalty box, while Cam Atkinson took a bad penalty of his own to even play back up at 4-on-4.

Moments into the 4-on-4, Blue Jackets center Zach Werenski danced right up the middle of the Blackhawks zone, uncontested, and used a screen from defenseman Jan Rutta to beat goalie Corey Crawford tying the game. Crawford may have misplayed the shot, but his defense did no favors for him.

At the 3:47 mark, after a very soft penalty call on Andreas Martinsen, the Blue Jackets looked like they may have taken the lead but the goal was waved off by the referee, who maintained that the play was dead before the puck ended up in the net.

With under two minutes left in the period, former Blackhawks Anthony Duclair got behind the Hawks defense but mishandled the puck as he tried to tuck it around Crawford’s right foot. As a result, the teams finished the first period tied at 1-1, with the home team leading 12-10 in shots on net.

Under a minute into the second period, Corey Crawford was forced to bail out his defense, which had turned the puck over and allowed a high danger chance by Pierre-Luc Dubois right in the slot. No doubt Duncan Keith was thanking his goaltender for the assistance.

Each team took penalties, first by Jokiharju and then Wennberg, in the first five minutes of the period but neither power play yielded any goals.

The rest of the second period was fairly tame, until the Blue Jackets hit the gas pedal with under two minutes remaining. Corey Crawford kept the game tied in pretty remarkable fashion. He showed no ill effects from his down time, as the Columbus forwards peppered him and crashed the net.

Shots in the second period were 16-5 favoring Columbus.

The third period began with the Blackhawks back on the powerplay, but they surrendered two egregious chances to Columbus in the first few rushes, while collecting no shots on net themselves. Once gain, Corey Crawford bailed his team out in spectacular fashion. It was honestly a criminal offense how badly the Blackhawks left their goaltender to fend for himself.

With twelve minutes remaining in regulation, a simple play by Alexandre Fortin with the fourth line turned into the Blackhawks second goal of the game. Fortin threw a pretty innocent shot towards Bobrovsky and Marcus Kruger slightly redirected the puck past the surprised Columbus goalie. Fortin didn’t get the goal, but he did collect his first NHL point.

Yahtzee! #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/yUKkFZc46H

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 21, 2018

The Blackhawks took a two-goal lead with just over four minutes remaining when the Blue Jackets turned the puck over to Nick Schmaltz at center ice. Schmaltz pushed the puck to Patrick Kane, who played catch with Brent Seabrook and was left with a gaping net. That is an opportunity Kane will rarely miss.

We love a gorgeous passing play#Blackhawks #CHIvsCBJ pic.twitter.com/NhHHPNsSFz

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 21, 2018

Speaking of not missing chances, Patrick Kane wrapped up the win by getting an easy empty net goal late. Columbus fans were left scratching their heads, as their team rigorously out played the Blackhawks and lost by three goals.

Shots were 38-25 in favor of Columbus. High danger chances also favored the Blue Jackets 11-4.

Pluses

• Many, including myself, have been repeating for months that Corey Crawford wasn’t going to magically return to the ice and be dialed in, but it looks like we were all wrong.  He has stepped in and looked like the same guy that left the team in December.  It is really amazing that a 33-year-old guy can pull this off.  Now this does not mean he can single handedly carry this team for 77 games, but they are a more confident and better team with number 50 in net.  What this does do, though, is shut the meatball Crawford haters up.  His affect is undeniable.  His high danger save percentage was 100%.  This is in-sane!
• Patrick Kane had himself a nice third period with three points.
• For a guy that seemed like he was headed to healthy scratch-ville Alex Fortin had a nice night with the fourth line, even though he played only 9:46 (second only to Andreas Martinsen’s 5:52)
• The Blackhawks were generally good at the faceoff dot minus Artem Anisimov, who won just three of thirteen.

Minuses

• The Blackhawks need to thank their lucky stars that Corey Crawford exists.  He single handedly stole this win.  The were stomped in every major statistical category except goals.
• Every single Blackhawks player was under water in possession numbers. Kane was on the ice for three third period goals and was still under 50%.
• Brandon Davidson had himself quite a first Blackhawks game.  His 17.86% corsi and 14.29 % fenwick were, by far, the team worst.  They gave up 23 shots while he was on the ice while generating only five.
• The power play continues to look like this team is coached by a bunch of nearsighted deaf mutes.  They gave up more shorthanded chances against than they had power play chances.  For that, I pull one out of the old treasure chest:
  

  Photoshop creation by Jeff Osborn

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Steal a Win in Columbus appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Blackhawks (3-1-2) at Columbus Blue Jackets (4-2-0)

6:00pm Central/7:00pm Eastern

Nationwide Arena

TV/Radio: WGN,FS-Ohio/WGN

PROJECTED GOALIES:

Chicago:

Corey Crawford (.900 SV%, 3.15 GAA)

Arizona:

Sergei Bobrovsky (.875 SV%, 4.04 GAA)

Team statistics:

Power Play

Chicago (10.0%, T-26)

Columbus (16.0%, 22)

Penalty Kill

Chicago (64.7%, 30)

Columbus (68.4%, 29)

Shots for/against per game

Chicago (36.3, 3 – 34.0, 24)

Columbus (33.0, 9 – 31.5, 14)

Shooting%

Chicago (10.6%, 14)

Columbus (1.1%, 13)

Faceoff%

Chicago (49.1%, 22)

Columbus (49.2%, 21)

Avg. height/weight

Chicago

6’1” 195lbs

Columbus

6’1” 197lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS:

Chicago

DeBrincat-Toews-Kahun

Schmaltz-Anisimov-Kane

Kunitz-Kampf-Saad

Hayden-Kruger-Martinson

Keith-Jokiharju

Gustafsson-Seabrook

Davidson-Rutta

Columbus

Panarin-Dubois-Atkinson

Foligno-Wennberg-Duclair

Jenner-Nash-Anderson

Milano-Sedlak-Bjorkstrand

Werenski-Savard

Murray-Nutivaara

Harrington-Kukan

Analysis:

Corey Crawford starts his second consecutive game after returning to the lineup this past Thursday. Crawford looks to build off his 27 save performance, in which, he looked in excellent game shape.

The Chicago defense will see an adjustment to its pairings tonight. Brandon Davidson, seeing his first action of the regular season, will be inserted into the lineup for Brandon Manning. The 27-year old Davidson was inked to a one-year deal after impressing Hawks’ management during training camp.

On offense, Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat, both riding six-game point streaks, have gelled well together as the top offensive threats early this season. Toews and DeBrincat have 10 points each, which leads the Hawks.

Alexandre Fortin will watch tonight from the press box. In turn, Andreas Martinson will be back on the fourth line. Fortin missed a golden opportunity last game in the first period to put the Hawks on the scoresheet but came away empty when his shot attempt missed the net. Joel Quenneville’s move to put Martinsen into the lineup comes with some scrutiny as Fortin played well versus Arizona.

Two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky starts in goal for the Blue Jackets. Bobrovsky has been shaky in net early this season with an .875 save percentage. With that being said, the Russian netminder is capable of an excellent performance on any given night.

All eyes will be on Blue Jacket’s forward Artemi Panarin as he faces his former team. Panarin had 30 and 31 goal seasons for the Blackhawks before being traded to Columbus for Brandon Saad. Even after a full season since the trade, the move continues to be a hot topic amongst Chicago faithful.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

And look for the internet’s most robust recap of the game early tomorrow from our very own Jeff Osborn on the-rink.com. 

The post Preview/Game Thread: Blackhawks at Blue Jackets appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks goalie Cam Ward got his third start of the preseason with Anton Forsberg as his backup.  Coach Joel Quenneville decided to give Dylan Sikura, and Luke Johnson, Jan Rutta and goalie Collin Delia the night off before final cuts came for the regular season.  The Blue Jackets left most of their star players at home, so they were ripe for a regular season worthy Blackhawks lineup.

This was your Blackhawks starting lineup:

Alex DeBrincat- Jonathan Toews – Dominik Kahun
Brandon Saad – Nick Schmaltz – Patrick Kane
Chris Kunitz – Artem Anisimov – David Kampf
John Hayden – Marcus Kruger – Andreas Martinsen

Duncan Keith – Henri Jokiharju
Brandon Manning – Brent Seabrook
Erik Gustafsson – Brandon Davidson

The opening five minutes of the first period was played at a slog of a pace, overall.  That said, the Blackhawks had plenty of early scoring chances from the top line of DeBrincat-Toews-Kahun, as well as a two-on-none in front of Joonas Korpisalo but the Columbus goalie made an outstanding desperation paddle save on Saad.

Paddle. Save. pic.twitter.com/TR8PnqLQO0

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) September 30, 2018

Just before the teams hit the halfway point of the first period,  the Blackhawks power play stepped on the ice thanks to a penalty from Jonathan Davidsson. The Hawks had some really nice pressure around the net-front area, but Korpisalo came up with some great saves again. Eventually, Brent Seabrook used a moving screen from David Kampf to fool the Columbus netminder and give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.

Twisted wrister#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/l4tLcCTshx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 30, 2018

Center Artem Anisimov gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead with just over three minutes left in the opening frame.  A makeshift, middle of a shift change line of Kunitz-Anisimov-Martinsen did a nice job of dragging the puck through the neutral zone and into the Blue Jackets zone.  After Martinsen lost control, Anisimov picked up a loose puck at the top of the circle and faded towards the goal line just to Korpisalo’s left and snapped it high over the goaltenders shoulder.

If at first you don’t succeed…#CHIvsCBJ pic.twitter.com/vwcYcIq9QJ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 30, 2018

The period ended with the home team leading 2-0, and leading in shots on goal 12-4. Of those twelve shots, five of them were quality high-danger chances, while the Blue Jackets managed to “efficiently” make two of their four total shots of the high-danger variety.

As the second period began the play was, again, pretty sloppy on both ends.  None of the players from either team looked like they wanted to be out on the ice, quite honestly.  Pat Foley took to ranting about the Artemi Panarin/Sergei Bobrovsky contract saga for a good couple of minutes, which should tell you all you need to know about the pace of this game.

As the clocked ticked towards the nine minute mark, Brandon Saad finally got the monkey off his back with a little help from Nick Schmaltz and Erik Gustafsson.  The Hawks had a boat load of traffic in front of Korpisalo and the puck found its way from Schmaltz to the stick of Saad, and he was able to sweep it under the Columbus netminder to give the home team a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Saader on the doorstep aka the hockey equivalent of a ding dong ditch#CHIvsCBJ pic.twitter.com/56Wr8SzQ7e

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 30, 2018

Four minutes after the Saad goal, Patrick Kane made his presence known to the young Columbus team. He led a 2-on-1 with Nick Schmaltz cocked and loaded across the slot. Kane took it himself and beat Korpisalo with a change-up of a shot, which ended the night for the young Columbus netminder. Former Blackhawks goalie J.F. Berube made his way into the game.  Berube saved all nine shots he faced.

As the teams hit the second intermission, the Blackhawks held a very comfortable 4-0 lead, and also led in shots 29-9.

Know any tailors who can thread a needle like that? #ThatsHockeyBaby pic.twitter.com/31Y3Ugoaag

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 30, 2018

The third period was a mere formality, as the players just tried to get out of this game without any injuries.  To their credit, the Blue Jackets failed to roll over and die, though. At the mid-way point of the final period, Jackets forward Kevin Stenlund ripped a shot over Cam Ward’s blocker on the powerplay which spoiled the shutout. The shots on net favored Columbus 8-7, but they could not whittle the lead down any more.

A 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒆 goal from Kevin Stenlund.

I’m sorry, I had to. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/QQcenHXCVZ

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) September 30, 2018

The game wrapped up with a final score of 4-1 to end the 2018 preseaon.  The Blackhawks dominated in shots 36-17, and high danger scoring chances 12-5.

The Blackhawks open their regular season Thursday night against a team they have become very familiar with, recently, the Ottawa Senators. The team also announced their last roster moves shortly after the final horn sounded.

ROSTER MOVES: Collin Delia and Dylan Sikura have been assigned to Rockford. #Blackhawks https://t.co/3fblF2eKBX

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 30, 2018

Pluses

• The top two lines played really well.  It is very encouraging to see Jonathan Toews playing well, and Dominik Kahun looks to be the right flank to open the season.
• Cam Ward did not stink but, then again, he also faced very few shots.
• Patrick Kane gave the Blue Jackets defense fits.  He is regular season ready.
• Nick Schmaltz.  He looked pretty good with Saad and Kane, setting up Saad’s goal.
• The game was entertaining but take it with a grain of salt.  This is not the caliber of competition that they will be seeing once the season begins.  They might as well have played the Icehogs, it would have been a tougher game.

Minuses

• Nick Schmaltz.  How can a guy be both a plus and minus?  He was good on the offensive end of the rink, but watching him half-ass it back into the Hawks end and then let a Columbus freely pick up a loose puck, all while the Jackets were short-handed is maddening and lazy.
• For some reason, Marcus Kruger only played 9:26 and David Kampf only played 9:19.  One would have thought that with such a dominating performance, players like Kampf and Kruger would have been sent over the boards every other shift.
• Chris Kunitz does nothing for me.  The fact that this guy in on the team taking up a spot just baffles me.
• Alex Debrincat has been invisible in the preseason.  They need him to start taking a bigger role.

The post Preseason Recap: Blackhawks beat Blue Jackets 4-1 appeared first on The Rink.

The 27 year old Schroeder is 5’9″ 170 lbs and spent most of last season in Cleveland playing with the Blue Jackets AHL affiliate.  In Cleveland, he had 36 points (14G, 22A) in 48 games.  He also played 21 games with the NHL club, registering only one goal and one assist.

Most likely, Schroeder will be spending the season in Rockford as a possible replacement for departed veteran leader Chris DiDomenico

Berube’s time with the Blackhawks seemingly came to an end, following the regular season, when he was sent home rather than to Rockford to join the Icehogs in their quest for the Calder Cup.  A December knee injury derailed a good start to his season, and he was never able to completely regain his form.  The Rockford goaltending duties were handled by Collin Delia and Jeff Glass.

Once Delia passed Berube on the organizational depth chart and Finnish goalie Kevin Lankinen was signed this spring someone had to go.  Don’t rule out another goalie getting moved, either, with the reports this morning of Cam Ward possibly signing with the Blackhawks on July first.

The post Blackhawks Acquire Jordan Schroeder For JF Berube appeared first on The Rink.

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks came back from a 0-3 deficit and defeated the University of Denver Pioneers 5-4 Friday night

DENVER, CO– On Friday night at Magness Arena in Denver, it was hard to tell who was the home team because both Denver and North Dakota’s fans were so loud.  Such is life when the No. 3 college hockey team takes on the No. 1.  Much like Denver’s battle with St. Cloud State last weekend, the start to this series lived up to the hype.

Denver jumped ahead 2-0 after the first period with goals from Jake Durflinger and Jarid Lukosevicius, then they scored a short handed goal by Logan O’Connor to make it 3-0 in the second period.  The Pioneers were playing well defensively against a pesky North Dakota forward group.  But before the end of the second, Tanner Jalliet let in a couple of goals to Zach Yon and Joel Janatuinen and suddenly North Dakota was back in it.

? Bullseye!

Colton Poolman goes bardown to tie the game and complete a 3-goal comeback for @UNDmhockey at @DU_Hockey. #NCHCHockey pic.twitter.com/BH9hp18XGv

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) November 18, 2017

A few minutes into the third period, the Pioneers got caught in a bad change and defenseman Colton Poolman made them pay with a great wrist shot past Tanner Jalliet.  Christian Wolanin scored shortly after giving the Hawks the lead.  Troy Terry tied the game up for the Pioneers halfway through the third, but Johnny Simonson scored the go-ahead goal for North Dakota in the final minutes of the game to knock off the No. 1 ranked Denver Pioneers.

The-Rink caught up with North Dakota netminder and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Peter Thome after the game.

Interview with the University of North Dakota’s Peter Thome

It sure felt like No. 3 vs No. 1 out there, didn’t it?

Yeah, you could just tell it was a heavyweight bout.  They came out swinging.  I thought we did a pretty good job of weathering the storm with just two goals after they came out with 21 shots in the first period.  Even in the second when they went up 3-0 I think there was no panic from us.  The boys really rallied and we just fought.  It was an ugly road-win against the best team in the nation, but we’ll take it.

What did your team tell you after being down 2-0 in the first period?

We were obviously not happy in the locker room, but we don’t panic.  We’ve been a group that teams can’t seem to put down all year.  Even when we’re behind we’re level-headed and just playing our game.  Eventually bounces come and we get back in the game.  So there’s really no panic in our locker room, even when we’re down two or three goals like tonight.

What’s made you so successful playing in Cam Johnson‘s absence, and what have you learned from him?

First things first, the team has been great in front of me.  They’ve done a really good job of limiting grade-A chances in front and clearing rebounds.  And Cam’s been great.  I texted him yesterday because I thought the lighting (at Magness Arena) was a little weird.  I asked him if he ever had any trouble with it.  He texted me back saying, “yeah it is a little weird, but you won’t notice it during the game.”  That’s just one example of stuff he’s been doing for me.  He’s been great even in practice.  If I get beat on a play, he would come over and tell me things he notices.  Obviously he’s a guy that when he speaks, you listen because he’s such a great goalie.

Any reason why North Dakota is a slow-starting team?

I don’t know if I have an answer for you.  Obviously we’re playing urgent hockey in the third, but like I said before it’s urgent but we’re not panicking.  We’re not gripping the stick too hard or thinking we have to score.  We trust our abilities because we’ve got a team that’s got some unbelievable players.  No matter what the score is, we will find a way to come back.

What’s the game plan for tomorrow?

Come out strong.  Hopefully this time we can try to get a lead and go from there.

The post North Dakota Netminder Peter Thome Will Take An ‘Ugly Road Win’ vs No. 1 Denver appeared first on The Rink.