Until Crawford himself gives an in-depth interview, his decision to hang up his skates will be a bit of a mystery to both Blackhawks and Devils fans.

There are several factors that may have led to his surprise announcement. While he showed in the bubble that he can still play the game at a very high level, he has endured several injuries in the last five years. Most recently, he was diagnosed with COVID-19 prior to the Blackhawks’ bubble playoff run. The injury, or illness, that probably affected him the most were his two concussions in 12 months and eventual post-concussion symptoms which kept him out of action for several months in 2017 and 2018.

Long-haul post-COVID-19 symptoms could have led to his decision as well.

A third factor to consider is that moving his wife and children to New Jersey for the next two years may have just been too much stress on the family. Crawford’s wife, Kristy, gave birth to the couple’s second child in April. Kristy is also a Chicago native and that may have figured into the decision. It is reported that Crawford had his heart set on re-signing in Chicago, but Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman indicated that he was not interested in offering the veteran goalie more than a one-year deal just days before free agency was set to open.

Whatever the case, Crawford had a magnificent career with the Blackhawks, which spans back to the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. The young goalie out of Châteauguay, Quebec, was picked 52nd overall, just six slots before current Blackhawks Head Coach Jeremy Colliton (58th overall to the New York Islanders). Crawford was the second goalie taken in that 2003 draft, after first-overall selection Marc-Andre Fleury.

Underdog to NHL starting goalie

Following the NHL Entry Draft, he continued his junior career with his Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) team, the Moncton Wildcats, for both the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons. Crawford still holds the Moncton team record for the lowest goals against average in a season (2.47), most wins in a season (35) and is tied for most shutouts in a season (six).

Crawford’s pro career started in the fall of 2005 when he was assigned to the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, who were the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate at the time. Crawford later made his NHL debut in January of 2006 in relief of Adam Munro. He also made his first NHL start in 2006, but did not get his first NHL win and shutout until 2008.

It seemed as though Crawford was finally going to take over as an NHL backup in 2008–09, but then-Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon chose to sign free agent goaltender Cristobal Huet to split time with incumbent veteran Nikolai Khabibulin. It seemed again like Crawford would make his full time NHL debut in 2009–10, but he lost a tight camp battle with a little-known Finnish free agent named Antti Niemi.

It took Niemi asking for too much money on the free agent market and the Blackhawks finally walking away from Huet for Crawford to finally get an honest shot at playing in the NHL. This time, though, summer free agent signing Marty Turco stood in Crawford’s way, but, luckily, Turco turned in disappointing results.

Crawford took over the Blackhawks crease in late 2010 and never looked back.

Crawford’s final NHL game was a 35-save, 4–3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, in the bubble, on Aug. 18, 2020. So much happened in the decade from 2010 to 2020, though.

Known as “Crow” by his teammates, Crawford began a decade-long run in the crease for the Blackhawks on Oct. 11, 2010, and there were so many great memories he was a part of. Unfortunately, injuries ate into a good portion of his career in the final seasons.

His first notable injury occurred Dec. 1, 2014, while attending a Rise Against concert at the House of Blues in Chicago. As a result, he missed several weeks with a foot injury. The season ended on a much happier note, as the netminder won his second Stanley Cup championship and culminated with this slightly less legendary speech.

Almost two years to the day prior to their game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec. 3, 2016, the team surprised everyone with the news that Crawford had undergone an emergency appendectomy and would be unavailable for an undetermined amount of time. This event led to the now famous Eric Semborski game where a local Philadelphia emergency backup goalie was forced to dress and back up Scott Darling.

Oddly enough, this later became the less famous emergency goalie saga in Blackhawks lore.

Again, almost another year later to the day (Dec. 1, 2017), Crawford was put on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, but was able to return after three games. His return only lasted seven games, though. There has been some debate as to when the concussion was sustained, but, whether it was against the Dallas Stars or his final game of that season against the New Jersey Devils, he missed the rest of the season. It was evident that Crawford was not himself in either game.

In a somewhat controversial move, the Blackhawks flew Crawford to Arizona to try and have him rejoin the team in their game against the Coyotes, but on Feb. 12, 2018, he had a setback and was shelved for the rest of the season. After missing 10 months and 52 games, Crawford made his return to the Blackhawks. It was later disclosed that he suffered from post-concussion symptoms.

It was this concussion that ultimately led to the “more famous emergency goalie” incident. With Crawford on the shelf, then-starter Anton Forsberg was injured in a pre-game warmup routine and rookie Collin Delia was forced into action. As a result, Chicago had to call their scheduled emergency backup into action, Scott Foster, to back up Delia against the high-flying Winnipeg Jets. Leading the game 4–1 in the third period, Delia was forced to leave with severe cramps and turn the game over to Foster, who saved all seven shots he faced to help secure the win.

Just two months later, in December once again, Corey sustained another concussion. This time the injury was at the hands of his teammate Dylan Strome pushing San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane into Crawford. This resulted in the oft-injured backstop missing two months of the regular season, leaving offseason signee Cam Ward and Delia behind the struggling Blackhawks team.

His final injury saga was prior to returning from the COVID-19 pause when it was announced that Crawford contracted the virus and was recovering. He returned and played admirably behind a mediocre Blackhawks team, leading them past the Edmonton Oilers. Ultimately, his effort was not enough and Chicago bowed out with a whimper to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ice Crow

Despite not being offered a contract to his liking by Bowman and the Blackhawks in the offseason, the veteran ended up playing all his NHL games with Chicago. He ranks in the top echelon of all-time Blackhawks goaltenders:

— Third in all-time games played (488)
— Third in all-time wins (260)
— Third in all-time saves (12,778)
— Second in save percentage (.918)
— Third in goals-against average (2.45)
— Seventh in shutouts (26)
— Two-time Stanley Cup winner (2013 and 2015)
— NHL All-Rookie Team (2011)
— Two-time Jennings Trophy winner (2013 with Ray Emery, 2015 with Scott Darling)
— Two-time NHL All Star

There is no disputing that Crawford struggled at times in his first couple of seasons, but he was able to overcome his struggles to become one of the most reliable goalies in the NHL.

His time with Chicago did not come without threats to his net, either. Darling, Emery, Antti Raanta and Robin Lehner all posed significant risks to his starting job at various points in the last decade.

Ultimately, he overcame all of them.

The legend of Corey Crawford

Is Corey Crawford a Hockey Hall of Famer?

In short, maybe.

He was never the top goalie in the NHL, which should be the first question asked. That said, he was top 10 for more than five years and was a top-five goalie for several years. If the group of potential inductees turns out to be less than sensational one year, you may see him get enough votes. Crawford is not a slam-dunk selection, however.

If the “Hall of Very Good” held selections, he would be in.

Should his number be retired?

Probably. He belongs in the top four of Blackhawks goaltenders with Glenn Hall, Tony Esposito and Ed Belfour. Hall and Esposito have their numbers already retired by the Blackhawks and there is an argument for Belfour as well.

A couple of factors may keep Belfour’s No. 30 from ever getting retired. First, his number is the most popular number for goalies. Second, despite his early success and awards, Belfour played less than half of his total NHL games with Chicago and never won a Stanley Cup with the organization.

Crawford’s No. 50, on the other hand, is a relatively unpopular number for players and he is the only goaltender in franchise history to win more than one Stanley Cup championship. His case is solid.

We should all consider ourselves lucky to have witnessed Crawford’s success and all of us at The Rink wish him and his family well. Congratulations, Corey, and thanks for the memories.

The post Blackhawks legend, but is Corey Crawford a Hockey Hall of Famer? appeared first on The Rink.

• Are there any roster surprises?
• What kind of lines would we like, or do we expect to see?
• General musings about the season and what we would like to see.
• We wrap up singing the praises of our (now) retired hero, Corey Crawford.

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Despite signing with the New Jersey Devils this offseason, Crawford opted to hang up his pads for good prior to the season beginning, preserving his stat line of having only played for the Blackhawks. Crawford’s decision comes on the heels of taking a personal leave of absence from the Devils earlier this week to consider his future.

Crawford was a member of the Blackhawks for 10 seasons, appearing in 488 regular season games and 96 playoffs games. He won two Stanley Cups in 2013 and 2015 in addition to 260 regular season wins and a franchise-record 52 playoff wins. Crawford finished with a career save percentage of .918 and his goals against average finished at 2.45.

The Quebec native was drafted by the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. After spending time in the QMJHL and the AHL, Crawford made his NHL debut on Jan. 22, 2006, against Minnesota. He would not assume the starting goalie position until 2010–11, beating out veteran Marty Turco for the job.

Crawford’s legacy includes two William M. Jennings Trophies in 2012–13 and in 2014–15, two NHL All Star appearances in 2015 and 2017 and six 30-win seasons with the Blackhawks. In addition to those awards, Crawford ranks third in franchise history in regular season wins, second in playoff appearances and first in playoff wins, establishing himself as one of the core members of the Blackhawks’ dynasty in the early part of the last decade.

The post Corey Crawford announces retirement from hockey appeared first on The Rink.

The main offseason priority of signing Kubalik has been accomplished. The cap hit and contract length is appropriate for his services as a player, and the term is the best part. With a two-year bridge deal, when Kubalik’s contract expires following the 2021–22 season, he will remain a restricted free agent. Bowman did a nice job of partially controlling his investment in that regard.

Dominik Kubalik’s new contract is good for both him and the Blackhawks. (Photo courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

It is sad that the Crawford era in Chicago has come to an end. It really is. Losing a member of the core and the face between the pipes during the best era in the history of Blackhawk hockey is tough to swallow. He was a tremendous performer in the Windy City, a luxury of a backstop and they do not win two Stanley Cups in three seasons without him. He is not done either, and hopefully will have a nice two-year stint in New Jersey.

This week, the Blackhawks essentially got weaker defensively when Bowman traded Olli Maatta in an effort to give themselves more cap space, and possibly pave the way for younger prospects to step in. In addition, the Hawks declined to qualify a pair of more notable restricted free agents in bottom-pairing defender Slater Koekkoek and winger Drake Caggiula.

Was now really the time to part ways with Crawford? Yes. He is injury prone at this stage of his career, as he will turn 36 on New Year’s Eve. Paying him top dollar while asking him to make 50-plus saves a night on a team in transition with a young and inexperienced defensive unit is ill advised.

So wait, weakening the team on defense as well as in the net is a good thing for the Hawks? Well, if you believe that this team was truly close to making a long Cup run this summer, then stop reading. The reality is they were not, and the Hawks need to find out if their stock of young defensive prospects is for real. Granted, Bowman is not finished making moves and additions, but as it stands right now, prospects Ian Mitchell, Lucas Carlsson, Nicolas Beaudin and Wyatt Kalynuk could all see NHL minutes in 2020–21, and perhaps more than any originally thought. Mitchell and Carlsson are solid prospects and could be regulars if not this coming season, shortly after. Beaudin still has some skating to work on, but stylistically his game is similar to that of Boston Bruins rearguard Matt Grzelcyk. Can Beaudin be that good? It is too early to tell. He is only 20, but he will get a look. Bowman believes he has a steal in Kalynuk, and while many are skeptical of that, myself included, it will be very interesting if the rearguard can live up to the hype.

Can Ian Mitchell and other Blackhawks prospects step into bigger roles next season? (Photograph courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times)

So hold up. The Hawks are just going to put these young guys out there to get ambushed without a seasoned goalie behind them? It is very possible, maybe likely. After showing Crawford the door, and re-signing Subban, the Hawks have a choice. Do they take a leap of faith with Subban, Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen as their goalies, or do they try to usher a trade for a veteran like Marc-Andre Fleury as a last resort, considering most No. 1 free agent goalies have already signed elsewhere? Given the state of the defensive unit, the latter does not make a whole lot of sense. Is it the in the best interest of young player development to trot out a goaltender that will bail them out with 50 saves each night, all while the team is a fringe playoff team at best? Or do the young players need to learn how to defend at the NHL level, knowing they cannot leave their goalie hung out to dry? Yep, Adam Boqvist, this applies to you, too.

If you look back at the rookie seasons of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, the team was dismal. The 2005–06 Blackhawks were not easy on the eyes, and though they had a name in Nikolai Khabibulin as a backstop for 50 games that season, his .886 save percentage was not exactly dashing. So for first-time NHLers Keith and Seabrook, it was, “Guys, here is the fire hose, drink it.” And while I am not suggesting for a second that any of the Hawks’ current prospects will turn into Keith, a future Hockey Hall of Famer, or Seabrook, a long-time Hawks icon, if you were to ask those two about their early years, I would imagine they would indicate they learned a lot during that time. If these young defensemen are fighting for their futures and if they feel they need to take care of their own end of the ice on every shift just to survive night in and night out, thus consequently putting in extra work in practice and off the ice, you cannot tell me that is not good for them. And we will find out one way or the other who can play and who cannot. So, if Bowman does not add to his goaltending depth, I will accept that. If this stands, in one year the Hawks went from having $11 million in rostered goaltending to just under $2 million. Call it a partial, full or whatever kind of rebuild tag or not you want to put on this team, not paying for a big-time goalie, considering the current make up of this group, should not be scrutinized. In the end, it is money saved.

Can Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane and other members of the aging core win again in Chicago? (Photograph courtesy of Raj Mehta / USA TODAY Sports)

The outlook and the eventual results for the 2020–21 Blackhawks will not be good. In fact, it could get real bad. It could be painful to watch. But, they were not a legitimate Cup-contending team at the beginning of this week. If the coming season is the imminent bomb that it appears to be trending toward, veterans may finally see the writing on the wall, and realize their days of winning in Chicago are over. Players like Keith, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews may consider waiving their no-movement clauses and the golden era will come to an end. It will be sad, but it is ultimately necessary, and truthfully, that era has ended already.

I am typically one of the first out of the gate to criticize Bowman for his latter-day sins, but thus far, since the draft, his maneuvering has been responsible, which is encouraging to see.

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There is no doubt Crawford was a warrior for the Blackhawks over his career. He was drafted back in 2003 and had to wait until the very end of 2010 to be given a shot at the starting job. His journey was not without huge roadblocks, either. After a couple of appearances in 2006, he did not get his first NHL win until 2008 against the Anaheim Ducks. Many people, including myself, thought he was ready to take the backup job behind Nikolai Khabibulin for the 2008–09 season, but then-General Manager Dale Tallon went out and signed Cristobal Huet following a hot 2008 playoff appearance with the Washington Capitals.

In 2010, the Blackhawks needed a backup behind Huetm but Crawford had been banged up, so the team decided to go with an unknown Finnish rookie named Antti Niemi. We all know how that went.

Once Niemi was left to hit free agency, the Blackhawks signed veteran Marty Turco to take over for 2010–11 season, but Crawford finally got his shot to play regularly in the NHL as Turco’s backup. It was not long before the Turco experiment took a turn for the worse and then-head coach Joel Quenneville turned to Crawford. All Crawford did was lead the Blackhawks to Stanley Cup championships in 2013 and 2015.

This is 2020, though. Crawford is going to be 36 years old on New Years Eve. He has endured a couple of serious bouts with post-concussion syndrome and, most recently, a bout with COVID-19 prior to the Return to Play postseason tournament. Admittedly, he has overcome those challenges, but athletes’ bodies are not designed to hold up for long careers.

Athletes do not get healthier as they get deeper into their late 30s; they get more injury prone and less productive.

Albeit probably a few months too late, but the Blackhawks made the correct decision to move on. It is hard to accept for everyone, but hanging onto players too long never bodes well for the future of your franchise. As one former NHL general manager once said, “It is better to trade a player a year too soon than a year too late.” This move was not a trade, but the sentiment still stands.

It was time to start moving on from Stanley Cup-winning core members.

Where do the Blackhawks shift to now, though?

Those who know me know that I am a huge supporter of Collin Delia. That said, I am realistic about his current abilities as a goaltender. Delia is ready for a shot at being an NHL backup. He was ready last year, but when you get the chance to sign a Vezina-caliber goalie like Robin Lehner, you jump on it. Delia has earned a shot, at minimum, to be the backup this coming season with the opportunity to compete for the starting job. He may not be ready for a starting job now, or ever, but give him the opportunity. If not, then why are you developing him through Indy and Rockford for three seasons?

Kevin Lankinen is another curious case. He had an excellent showing at the IIHF World Championships in 2019, but that is not the NHL (or even the AHL). He began last season as the starter in Rockford, but lost the job back to Delia and ended up catching the injury bug. Like Delia, he deserves an outright shot at being the backup with the opportunity to compete for the starting job in 2020–21. Keep in mind that Lankinen has never played in the NHL, and it is likely he will struggle.

If the battery of Delia and Lankinen is what the Blackhawks ultimately decide to roll with, there have been worse scenarios—not much worse, though.

Realistically, Bowman will need to find an affordable veteran goaltender on the market to weather the impending barrage of shots because the Blackhawks are going to take a step back before they start crawling forward. Many names are getting thrown around, and some, thankfully, have already been taken off the board, like Matt Murray and Brian Elliott.

Players like Henrik Lundqvist do not fit the mold and should be playing with teams that give him a chance to actually chase a Stanley Cup, not a team that will be closer to the draft lottery once again.

As I see it, there are two players that make the most sense to the Blackhawks at this stage in the team’s rebuild: Thomas Greiss and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Hear me out.

The German-born Greiss is not a flashy goaltender that will put up big numbers, but he does have solid experience with a variety of situations. He is a bigger goalie at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds and has put up solid NHL stats in his career. Teams clamoring for Cup contention will not likely be coming to him with big contracts looking for him to put them over the edge. That does not mean he is not a perfectly acceptable NHL goaltender. Bowman could probably sign him to a reasonable contract for a year or two and offer him the starting job with Delia or Lankinen backing him up.

The Blackhawks are likely to have a rough time keeping the puck out of their zone, much less their net, so a situation where they are not getting completely caved in each night is the best fans can hope for.

Now to my second scenario. This could all be irrelevant by the time this posts, but it has been reported by Justin Emerson of the Las Vegas Sun that the Vegas Golden Knights are offering a sweetener pick to take Marc-Andre Fleury off their hands while retaining half of his $7 million salary. If Bowman can offer them something to get this done, this would not be the worst idea ever. Fleury is a great locker room guy and the Blackhawks would only be tied to him for two seasons at $3.5 million per year.

Of course, this is all contingent on Bowman having anything the Golden Knights want that does not take away from what little the Blackhawks have. Vegas does owe the Blackhawks for handing them Lehner on a silver platter in return for (basically) a second-round pick and some leftover garbage.

Let me know what you think below.

Editors note: The Blackhawks re-signed Malcolm Subban, Friday, but the sentiment and opportunity still stands.

The post ANALYSIS: With Corey Crawford gone, where do the Blackhawks turn? appeared first on The Rink.

Though that could, should and would be the preferred path in Chicago, it is not happening and it will not happen period. It is simply not in the fabric of the organization’s culture to admit recent mistakes or make a splash, whether that means an early departure of a fan favorite or a game-changing acquisition. Rightly or wrongly, the Hawks have decided to reward loyalty of past performances of their players as opposed to forecasting for longer-term success, and consequently, the team is stuck in neutral. So, if any fans have thoughts that the current on-ice product will look drastically different for the 2020–21 season, it is best to leave those expectations locked in the basement somewhere.

Something will give soon though, and it may not be that long of a wait after the Stanley Cup Finals are completed, but more than likely nothing drastic is ahead. With a frozen cap, as it stands right now, the Hawks have just under $8 million in annual cap space to play with. They are assessing unrestricted free agent Corey Crawford and restricted free agents Drake Caggiula, Slater Koekkoek, Domink Kubalik, Dylan Strome and Malcolm Subban. That is a lot of names without much room.

The Blackhawks will have a decision to make on Dylan Strome, but do not have to do it overnight. (Photograph courtesy of the Chicago Sun-Times)

Crawford and Kubalik are the big-named targets of the bunch. Rumors are already swirling that the Hawks have been working with Crawford on a new deal, but it is anyone’s guess as to what is really on the table. The safe bet, considering loyalty points are critical to the Hawks’ brass, would be to assume that the netminder will be back on a short-term deal. What the price point could be is up for speculation, and it should be. It would be frustrating to see the Hawks offer anything north of $3 million annually considering Crawford’s age and health history. There is a real possibility that even if resigned, he may start in half of next season’s games. So assessing his current value is an unenviable task. This certainly is not an easy decision to make, especially considering how weak the Hawks have been defensively the last few seasons.

Kubalik will be looking for a substantial raise, but what General Manager Stan Bowman should look to do—that he unwisely did not wait to do with Alex DeBrincat—is offer Kubalik a “prove it again” two-year bridge deal to the tune of $3 million or less per year. In the harsh reality of this business, a first-time restricted free agent in the NHL has little leverage with their next contract. This somehow eluded Bowman when dealing with 2020 RFA to be DeBrincat, instead rushing to extend him last season for double of his current market value. Assuming the Hawks want Kubalik and he wants to stay, he truly is not in a position to play hardball this offseason.

The other RFAs find themselves in difficult spots and probably nobody more than Strome. If Kubalik and Crawford are inked, then the idea of moving Strome is very realistic. It is difficult to identify how much Strome is worth or how much he is willing to settle for. And while the other names in the RFA group are less attractive, you still need cheap labor and players rostered at $1 million or less per season. Koekkoek should probably be in a different uniform next season and Subban may be out if the Hawks feel Collin Delia is equal in ability, but sneaking in the hard-nosed Caggiula under the cap would bring back some much-needed sandpaper. All three of these RFAs are arbitration eligible as well. Should the Hawks not utilize a buyout option of Zack Smith or Olli Maatta—Maatta seemingly less likely at this point—then there simply may not be the funding to hold on to Strome. Again though, he is an RFA without arbitration rights, so Bowman holds all the cards and should wait for the market to play out well ahead of prioritizing Strome’s fate.

Dominik Kubalik should be a priority for the Blackhawks and they may be lucky enough to sign him for an affordable bridge deal. (Photograph courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

There is also is the argument of whether or not Strome is a good fit in Chicago as well. He lacks speed, is moderately productive offensively, is not good enough defensively to alter his game to be a third-line pivot and has proven that he cannot play the wing. If Jonathan Toews and Kirby Dach are the top two centers heading into 2020–21 season, where does Strome really fit in? Another component factoring into Strome’s value is how some feel that he “compliments” DeBrincat’s game. However, if you commit over $6 million to a winger, there should be ample players he can skate with. Suggest for a moment that Smith is bought out. Should those dollars be used for Strome, or should the Hawks seek to move Strome for assets and go bargain hunting for additional needs with the $2.16 million in savings with a Smith buyout? The latter may be the better play.

The Hawks are committed to Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook as members of the “now-aging” core. Brandon Saad has one year left on his contract with a $6 million cap hit. While many think it is fun to speculate he may be on the move, what are the Hawks looking to get in return? If Bowman and company truly believe they are in some sort of “win-now” mode, then unless they are seeking to blow it up and get picks an prospects in return, dealing Saad may not result in gaining an NHL roster player or players that will drastically improve the club. Plus, Saad is one of Bowman’s “guys” and we know how that goes.

The Hawks’ current defensive unit is not in great shape despite a relatively deep prospect pool. If Maatta is bought out, as some have suggested, then you lose the player who was arguably their best defender in the postseason, therefore weakening your blue line for the upcoming season. Should Bowman wish to trade Maatta or Calvin de Haan, which will be hard, unlikely and ill-advised, the Hawks should expect to retain some salary for either player.

As always, there will be moves people do not anticipate and perhaps Bowman and company have a trick or two up their sleeves. That said, with the recent historical mantra of “we like our team” and the 2010–2015 nostalgia tour still marketable to the casual fan, do not expect the team or their results to be much different next season. Strome may be elsewhere and a nice role player here or there may be added, but this is your team.

Following Sather’s lead from 2018 would be incredibly exciting, but the combination of depreciating assets with no-movement clauses and an administration in denial, the much-needed “blow up” or any radical changes in the make up of the team is unlikely.

The post ANALYSIS: Movement is coming soon, but do not hold your breath appeared first on The Rink.

Currently, the incumbent, Corey Crawford, becomes an unrestricted free agent when the offseason begins. The soon-to-be 36-year-old goalie has been a warrior for the organization and widely underappreciated in Chicago for almost a decade. That said, he has a proven history of serious head injuries and is one swift “doink” on the noggen from another lengthy stint in a dark room. He just wrapped up a six-year, $36 million contract that began the same season he won his second Stanley Cup in three seasons with Chicago.

Despite his COVID-19 diagnosis, lack of training camp preparation and five months off the ice, he made a solid argument for a one or two-year extension to backstop this team…if he can stay healthy, and if his decline does not start rolling downhill at a much quicker rate.

In walking away from Robin Lehner at the trade deadline for a draft pick and a future Rockford IceHogs legend, Bowman left himself few options to keep the puck out of the back of the Chicago net. If it were not for arguably the best goaltending tandem in the NHL at the time, the Blackhawks probably would have been much closer to the bottom of the league and likely would not have been eligible for the play-in round. Losing both goalies would set the team back even further than the flat cap will.

I have to be the bearer of bad news once again, though. Crawford is not coming back for a huge cut in pay, not to play behind a team that will likely take a step back in their defensive coverage before they take a step forward. He is not taking the “hometown discount” fairy tale people love to fantasize about.

First of all, Chicago is not his hometown, he has just played here his entire career, and, second, Chicago will not be his only offer. Most importantly, despite all the naive toxic optimism that has been floating around, this team will not be in the Stanley Cup conversation in the next two or three years.

Bowman needs Crawford more than Crawford needs Bowman and the Blackhawks. This is why some two-year bargain deal is not likely. Crawford has earned more than a fraction of the fair market value he made over his previous contract. Two years at $4-4.5 million is a fair expectation. Any less than that is utterly insulting and he would be well within his rights to walk away offended.

What are Bowman’s other options?

He could stick with two of the goalies currently under contract, but Collin Delia and Kevin Lankinen have a combined 18 NHL games (all by Delia), and the last thing you want behind a young, mistake-prone defense is two goalies that are just trying to find their own NHL legs. Using either as a backup is another story. You can shelter them and play them in situations that help build their confidence.

Another option is to qualify Malcolm Subban and see if the former first-round pick of the Boston Bruins is ready to be a quality NHL starting goaltender, which is a highly unlikely result.

The most likely option, if Crawford is not the answer, would be exploring the free agent market. When considering this, one blatant misconception about the free agent market needs to be debunked. Just because there are a lot of names on the free agent list does not mean there are “good” names. The list of quality free agent goalies is short.

Short, as in five goalies including Crawford.

After you get past the initial four or five goalies, you are already into “nice backup but not a quality NHL starting goalie” territory.

STOP TELLING PEOPLE THE 2020 FREE AGENT GOALIE CLASS IS DEEP!

You are just feeding casual fans incorrect information they will just regurgitate to other fans that will not even bother to look at the actual list.

When/if the Stanley Cup is raised, and the draft has commenced, the list of available free agent goalies is as follows:

After Braden Holtby, Crawford, Robin Lehner, Matt Murray and Jacob Markstrom, this list is a bunch of spare parts that will give you Cam Ward-level production. Most are reaching their mid-30s, and have never been full-time NHL starting goalies or have been passed around and discarded like a bottle of Boones Farm at a high school dance.

You can quickly disqualify Crawford, Lehner and Markstrom. Lehner has reportedly agreed in principle to a five-year, $25 million deal to remain in Las Vegas and Markstrom will be far too rich for the Blackhawks’ flea market budget. This leaves Holtby and Murray, which, as I stated earlier, has really narrowed the pool of good available goalies.

Honestly, Pittsburgh is running Murray out of town because he is wildly unreliable and trends indicate that Holtby is well into his decline as a starting goalie. Neither is going to take less than $4 million to play in Chicago, either.

There are definitely other goalies on the list, but none I would be marching out as the uncontested starting goalie of the mighty Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 1. Craig Anderson, Jimmy Howard, Thomas Greiss, Cam Talbot, Anton Khudobin and Mike Smith are all serviceable backup goalies at this point in their careers. The last thing this young Blackhawks defense needs behind them is a carousel of aging high-risk, low-reward hail marys.

The Blackhawks were gifted an answer in goal and his name is Robin Lehner. They chose to play coy, roll the dice and send him off to a potential Stanley Cup championship with a better and classier organization. Now, they are left with scraps to choose from and have absolutely no discernible plan in net. This is not how a world-class organization builds (or rebuilds) a winner.

The post ANALYSIS: What are Stan Bowman’s realistic options in goal next season? appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the Blackhawks’ latest woes, what went wrong in the last two games, what really needs to change, and what direction this organization needs to head going forward.  You can watch Gate’s segment here:

You can watch the entire program right here (highly encouraged):

The post Rink On The Air: Gate talks Blackhawks with Shawn Sierra and Ivan in the Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The @NHL has announced the 2020 #StanleyCup Qualifiers North American broadcast schedule including a 10-game opening weekend. Full Broadcast Schedule: https://t.co/hmUwsKJdQY pic.twitter.com/kb0XGIzQyC

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 21, 2020

On top of the broadcast schedule, they also announced that NHL Center Ice and NHL.TV will be available for 21 of the Qualifying Round and Round Robin games from Saturday, Aug. 1, through Wednesday, Aug. 5. The Blackhawks’ first game of the Qualifying Round will not be available on these platforms.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers series broadcast schedule with Center Ice and NHL.TV options are as follows:

(Courtesy of NHL.com)

The entire schedule for the first five days of play can be found here.

The Blackhawks are scheduled to leave for Edmonton on Sunday, July 26 ahead of their exhibition game scheduled for July, 29. Today is a scheduled off day for the team so any updates on the status of Corey Crawford or Jonathan Toews for the trip will be delayed until tomorrow.

The post NHL releases Return to Play broadcast schedule appeared first on The Rink.

Crawford was left as the team’s only NHL goalie with playoff experience when Robin Lehner was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights at the trade deadline in February. Former Boston Bruins first-round pick Malcolm Subban was acquired from Vegas in the trade, but has only 66 games of NHL experience as a backup and no playoff games. Behind Subban is Collin Delia with 18 NHL under his belt and, again, no playoff experience. Kevin Lankinen and Matt Tomkins are also in camp, but neither netminder has played an NHL game. Lankinen was called up as an emergency backup for a couple of games this season, but never saw the ice.

Colliton on Corey Crawford, who did not skate today: “Today, Corey is unfit to participate. For now, it’s an opportunity for those guys to compete.” #Blackhawks

— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) July 13, 2020

As Mario Tirabassi mentioned on Twitter, Crawford and his wife just welcomed their second son in March, which may play a factor. Another thing to take into account is his post-concussion issues, which could potentially be back in the mix. Thanks to the NHL’s new injury/illness protocol, Crawford’s reason for absence might not be known until the play-in and playoffs are over.

Either way, the Blackhawks need Crawford if they intend on beating the Edmonton Oilers in the play-in round and making it to the first round of the playoffs. Then, General Manager Stan Bowman will need to decide if Crawford is worth extending for next season. If the team does not extend Crawford, there could be some even darker times in store for the 2020–21 season with no experienced goalies and very limited salary cap money to sign one.

Jeremy Colliton on Corey Crawford and the opportunity for Subban, Delia and Lankinen. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/JKfUt4jKuD

— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) July 13, 2020

The post Blackhawks’ Corey Crawford deemed ‘unfit to play’ on day one of camp appeared first on The Rink.

With the Chicago Blackhawks likely picking toward the back end of the top 10 in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, I would like to unpack why the organization needs—yes, needs—to draft Russian goaltending phenom Yaroslav Askarov.

The current situation

It is no surprise there will soon be a changing of the guard in net for the Blackhawks. Longtime goaltender Corey Crawford is quickly approaching the end of his esteemed career, with likely just another year or two left in his tank, at most. Crawford’s recent injury struggles are well documented, and the netminder could be one collision away from being finished between the pipes.

Additionally, the Blackhawks balked at the opportunity to secure the long-term outlook of the position, trading away Robin Lehner at the trade deadline rather than locking him up to a contract extension.

With Crawford’s playing days likely coming to an end in the near future, the organization will need to answer the question of who will serve as the next Blackhawk great in the crease.

In addition to Crawford, backup goaltender Malcolm Subban is set to be a free agent this offseason. Subban, acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights in the Lehner deal, is 26 years old and will be a restricted free agent. The 2012 Boston first-round pick has struggled to establish himself as a legitimate NHL option, not seeing regular playing time until the 2017–18 season, playing 22 games for Vegas with a 2.68 goals against average (GAA) and a .910 save percentage.

However, since then, Subban’s numbers have steadily dropped off, posting a 3.18 GAA and a .890 save percentage in 20 appearances for the Golden Knights this season before coming to Chicago, where he saw just 70 seconds of action on March 3 against Anaheim while Crawford was momentarily pulled from the game. Though the Blackhawks could choose to bring back Subban, he likely does not factor into the team’s long-term plans between the pipes, as his limited usage while in Chicago seems to indicate, meaning the organization needs to either acquire or develop its next big-time netminder.

The Blackhawks’ history of drafting goaltenders

Of course, some could point to the Blackhawks’ failure to draft and develop quality goaltending talent as a reason to pass on Askarov. Since selecting Crawford (and Mike Brodeur) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Chicago has picked 12 goaltenders. Those 12 netminders have combined to make just one appearance in the NHL, as Kent Simpson played just 20 minutes in a 7–3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 14, 2013, allowing two goals on seven shots faced.

However, on the contrary, of those 12 goaltenders, only three were selected in the first three rounds of a draft, with Simpson being the only second-round selectee (the last of three second-round picks that year) and none being chosen in the first round. The overwhelming majority of those 12 goaltenders could be described as the Blackhawks taking a flier to see if they might become something down the road, an unlikely proposition regardless of position as the draft progresses.

All this to say, the Blackhawks have not invested a high-end draft pick in a goaltender since Crawford, as he was the last netminder selected with one of Chicago’s first three picks in a draft.

Another important thing to note is the quality of player a team would ideally be looking for with a top-10 pick. As The Rink’s own John Jaeckel has pointed out previously, with a top-10 pick, a team should likely be hoping it can acquire a No. 1 center, a No. 1 defenseman or a No. 1 goaltender, or at worst, a future first-line winger capable of producing at a high-end level. Of course, by being at the bottom of the top 10, the likelihood of getting a No. 1 center or defenseman is not as high as it would be with a lottery pick, despite this year’s draft class widely being considered to be fairly deep. The other “No. 1” category? Bingo.

Additionally, many would argue the best draft strategy is to select the best player available, and if that player fills a need, even better. The draft is a valuable tool to restock the cupboards and develop the next great wave of talent for an organization. A team should be selecting players that improve its situation, whatever that may look like, regardless of position, timeline or nationality.

However, with the tandem Chicago was icing in net prior to the stoppage of play pretty clearly not being the long-term answer between the pipes, a thorough analysis of other goaltenders within the organization is warranted before potentially using a first-round pick on a netminder.

In the system

The Blackhawks currently have three goaltenders under contract for next season in Collin Delia, Kevin Lankinen and Matt Tomkins, who split time with the Rockford IceHogs this season. While Delia and Lankinen could prove to be serviceable backups at the NHL level, neither is likely to develop into a legitimate top-end starting goaltender. Tomkins likely does not have much of a future in the NHL, at least not in Chicago, as he is rather comfortably the third-best option of that trio.

Two goaltenders currently hold a minor-league contract or a professional tryout agreement (PTO), as 24-year-old Tom Aubrun was signed out of Norwich University earlier this month while 2014 sixth-round pick Ivan Nalimov signed a PTO with the IceHogs in March just prior to the stoppage of play.

Though Aubrun, a native of Chamonix, France, has boasted impressive numbers thus far in his career, he is likely a wild card at this point, having spent the last four seasons playing at the NCAA DIII level for the Cadets. Aubrun took over the starting job as a junior in 2018–19, posting a 1.70 GAA and .929 save percentage in 28 games before dominating all season long as a senior with a GAA of 0.77 and a save percentage of .967 in 27 outings, highlighted by a remarkable nine-game shutout streak prior to the remainder of the team’s season being canceled.

While Aubrun’s gaudy numbers do warrant attention, he will need to prove himself at a higher level of play before being considered to be a legitimate NHL option down the road. Aubrun will likely spend the 2020–21 season with the Indy Fuel of the ECHL.

Nalimov has been an interesting case since being selected by the Blackhawks in 2014. The Russian has bounced around in his native land, playing for seven teams since the start of the 2016–17 season with mixed results. Though Nalimov does have raw talent, he appears to be a headcase, which likely does not bode well for a chance at NHL stardom, especially at this stage of his career.

Unsigned prospects

Chicago owns the rights to three additional goaltenders on its reserve list, as Dominic Basse, Alexis Gravel and Wouter Peeters all stand without a contract in hand.

After struggling in his first season in North America in the USHL during the 2017–18 season, Peeters has since spent the majority of his time back in Europe, where he will likely remain for the rest of his career. The native of Belgium appears to be nothing more than a failed use of a third-round pick in 2016.

Like Aubrun, Basse is very much an unknown wild card at this point in time. Though possessing raw ability, the 2019 sixth-rounder is also an unproven commodity. Basse will head to Colorado College next season.

At this time, Gravel is likely the goaltender within the Blackhawks’ system with the highest ceiling, having displayed his ability well over the last four seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. Though Gravel may have the potential to become a starting goaltender at the NHL level, that is far from a guarantee. Chicago will need to make up its mind on Gravel in the near future, as the organization will lose his rights on June 1 if he is not signed prior to then.

To summarize, while any one of the netminders currently within the organization could theoretically develop into a serviceable NHL option—after all, anything can happen, as some might claim—the likelihood any of them will become elite, Stanley Cup-worthy talents is extremely slim.

Other avenues for finding the goalie of the future

Of course, the Blackhawks could opt to sign a high-end free agent goaltender. But, by passing on bringing back Lehner, that route likely is not in the cards given the team did not want to spend the required money to do so after the big Swede fell into their lap last summer.

Chicago could also attempt to trade for a goaltender of the future, as it seemed they might have in March when rumors swirled of Russian prospect Ilya Sorokin’s rights heading to the Blackhawks. However, the price to acquire a young goaltender of that calibre in a trade would be high, and the organization has not successfully swung a deal for a goalie of the future since acquiring Jocelyn Thibault in 1998.

So, where does that leave the Blackhawks in terms of finding a long-term answer in the cage? How are the majority of elite goaltenders acquired? The NHL Entry Draft. Cue Askarov.

Why Askarov?

Askarov is widely considered to be the best goaltending prospect since Carey Price in 2005. What does that indicate? Askarov is viewed as a generational type of netminder. His draft stock is higher than other touted goaltenders over the last 15 years, including Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ilya Samsonov and Spencer Knight. In fact, since Price and Tuukka Rask were selected in 2005, just 13 goaltenders have been chosen in the first round, seven of which have been since 2010.

Over the last decade, more and more teams have seemingly decided drafting a goaltender in the first round may not be worth their pick. This philosophy is evidenced by the somewhat drastic change in the number of netminders selected in the first round in the last two decades, as 22 goaltenders were selected in the first round between 2000 and 2009 compared to just seven from 2010 to 2019.

Some may also be leery of the “Russian factor,” as Askarov could theoretically never come over to play in North America. However, in recent years, the likes of Vasilevskiy, Samsonov and Igor Shesterkin have decreased that concern by showing high-end Russian goaltenders can very well make and follow through with the commitment.

Despite all this, Askarov has been considered a slam-dunk first-round pick for this year, with many proclaiming him worthy of a top-10 selection. Again, this is because of Askarov’s obvious talent and his potential to legitimately become a franchise-altering goaltender and annual Vezina Trophy candidate.

Askarov has been nothing short of sensational in nearly every stop of his young career. He has dominated in international tournaments against his age group over the past three seasons and has only come back down to earth in an average showing at the 2020 World Junior Championships, where he posted a 2.71 GAA and a .877 save percentage in five appearances. But, Askarov still had an impressive 2019–20 campaign otherwise, highlighted by a gold medal in the Gretzky Hlinka Cup and a strong showing in his first-ever KHL game for SKA St. Petersburg, a 23-save performance in a 4–2 win.

The stars align

As noted earlier, with nothing of substantial quality looming in the netminder pipeline, now is the time for the Blackhawks to break the trend and finally invest a quality draft pick in a goaltender. By filling that hole, the organization can entirely focus on other gaps in the system, knowing arguably the biggest vacancy is taken care of. And, with the best goaltending prospect in the last 15 years potentially being on the board when General Manager Stan Bowman announces Chicago’s newest draftee, the timing could not be any better.

The post Why the Chicago Blackhawks need to draft Yaroslav Askarov appeared first on The Rink.

It was an evenly matched first period with the Sharks getting the slight edge via a power play goal. Two Blackhawks penalties back to back set up the early deficit. Dylan Strome got two minutes for tripping Evander Kane and 15 seconds into that power play, Ryan Carpenter got called for high sticking Joe Thornton. The Blackhawks were tied for seventh in the NHL on the penalty kill with an 82.3% success rate and they were a mere six seconds away from getting a player back before Kane and Thornton would get their revenge. Thornton hit Kane with a solid pass to Crawford’s side and Kane buried his 26th goal on the season.

The Sharks had 15 shots on net compared to the Blackhawks 14, but San Jose had the one that counted.  Nevertheless, Sharks led 1-0.

The #Blackhawks trail 1-0 after one frame in Chicago.#CHIvsSJS pic.twitter.com/11MwTwrrDX

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 12, 2020

The second period saw the Blackhawks as the beneficiary of the power play as they scored three goals, two of which were with the man advantage. That simple fact is important for several reasons: In the last five games, the Blackhawks were 0–14 on power play chances and the Sharks boasted the number one penalty kill in the league. Despite their elite penalty kill Sharks will probably not make the playoffs this season.

Hockey is weird.

Antti Suomela got called for hooking and the Blackhawks took advantage of the man advantage with some great teamwork from Kirby Dach and Duncan Keith. Dach set a tremendous screen in front of goalie Aaron Dell which allowed Keith to fire a shot a few feet from the blue line for only his third on the season, but the 101st goal of his career. Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat both got an assist on the goal. What is important to know about that goal is Dach may not be filling the stat sheet and is not in a lot of box scores, but he is playing some fantastic hockey this season. He is winning a lot of face-offs and it is not going unnoticed. Hawks tied the game 1–1.

POWER. PLAY. PARTY.

The @NHLBlackhawks find the EQUALIZER. pic.twitter.com/sIrAF34hHM

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) March 12, 2020

The Blackhawks got another shot at the power play when Evander Kane got two minutes for holding Dylan Strome and Strome got a nice chance in the middle of the ice to break the tie, but Dell made a quick glove save to keep the score even.

Towards the end of the second period was when the Blackhawks started to get hot though. Brent Burns got two minutes for roughing Brandon Hagel, who was making his NHL debut, as Burns caught him with an elbow. Thirty seconds later, DeBrincat and Patrick Kane made the Sharks pay.

DeBrincat came down the right side of the ice on the power play and found Kane in motion to the goal for his 32nd on the season. Dell did not see Kane until it was too late. It is always good to see DeBrincat on the box score after he has been having a down season. Alex and Duncan Keith got an assist on the goal.

12 + 88 =

Watch live on the #MyTeams App: https://t.co/mfQ1ZBTGTC pic.twitter.com/BwqlkkT5bt

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 12, 2020

The Blackhawks tallied ANOTHER goal 90 seconds later from Brandon Saad for his 21st goal of the season with an assist from Toews and DeBrincat. The Blackhawks were a lot quicker and more effective in the second period and were showing that previously mentioned flash of greatness many have speculated about. Home team was up 3–1 heading into the third period.

Saad making everyone in the UC happy

Watch live on the #MyTeams App: https://t.co/mfQ1ZBTGTC pic.twitter.com/BZ086ttkoz

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 12, 2020

The third period, much like the second, was all Blackhawks. Alexander Nylander got his skates wet in the scoring pool when he converted a wrister from Strome for his 10th on the season to give the Hawks a 4–1 lead.

Cue Chelsea! Alex Nylander gets in on the fun pic.twitter.com/gvfeFbnjMn

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 12, 2020

Timo Meier converted on an assist from Evander Kane from the neutral zone to cut the lead back to two, but it would be the last time the Sharks would get on the board. Despite the Sharks pulling within two (4–2), from then on, it was simply all Blackhawks. Patrick Kane got his second of the game and 33rd on the season on an assist from Slater Koekkoek and Nylander. Blackhawks were now up 5–2.

Kane you believe?! 5-2!#CHIvsSJS pic.twitter.com/Dm7kLFnizp

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 12, 2020

Then, rookie sensation Dominik Kubalik got his 30th goal on the season fed by a nice drop pass by Dach which Kubalik sniped over Dell’s glove hand.

Goal No. 30 for rookie Dominik Kubalik!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/HC6pRjs3bD

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 12, 2020

Blackhawks won easily 6–2 and the game never seemed in jeopardy. Crawford stopped 34 of 36 shots and earned his 15th win of the season.

The Sharks announced earlier in the day that they would play the remainder of their home games this season without fans in the arena. The Columbus Blue Jackets followed suit and the NHL could make an official announcement after the game or as early as this morning to suspend all play with the NBA suspending their season, following a player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for the Coronavirus. Very scary things going on that surpass the game of hockey. If the virus panic does not do away with the season altogether, the Blackhawks will be playing Friday at 7:30 p.m. CDT at the United Center against the Ottawa Senators.

Whether it be in front of a home crowd is another story as the teams could end up playing with no spectators.

Duncan Keith: “It’s tough to imagine playing games in an empty building. The fans are what make the game… I guess we’ll wait and find out.” #Blackhawks

— Eric Lear (@BHTVeric) March 12, 2020

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks beat Sharks 6-2 amid Coronavirus scares appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks were very shorthanded on the backend for Friday’s game. After news surfaced that Lucas Carlsson had entered concussion protocol after taking a puck to the head in Thursday’s game, Dennis Gilbert was recalled from Rockford. Initially, it seems like Gilbert was merely an insurance policy, as Nick Seeler was slotted to join the lineup instead of Gilbert. However, just before puck drop, it was announced that Adam Boqvist would not play due to a wrist injury, so Gilbert indeed drew into the lineup in place of the young Swede.

Another interesting note ahead of Friday’s game was Corey Crawford getting the start again in net. It is rare for a goalie to play both games of a back-to-back, but Chicago head coach Jeremy Colliton went with the veteran netminder over giving newly acquired Malcolm Subban a chance in net against the league’s worst team.

The first period began well for the Blackhawks, especially for hometown boy DeBrincat. Just over a minute into the game, DeBrincat and Drake Caggiula had a two-on-one opportunity and DeBrincat, who was ultimately the trigger man, was robbed by Red Wings goaltender Jonathan Bernier.

The first period would not yield much else for either side and both teams went into the dressing room with no scoring in the first.

Just 20 seconds into the middle frame, the home team struck. After the puck was being played on the left-wing boards, Dylan Larkin found the puck and dished it from the boards to Tyler Bertuzzi, who was sitting just off to Crawford’s opposite side in the slot. Bertuzzi wasted no time and fired the puck past Crawford for his 19th of the season and a 1–0 Red Wings advantage.

Bert getting the party started! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/wwCGBBt2uA

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 7, 2020

The Hawks had two two-on-one opportunities following the Detroit goal, however neither worked out after a bit of a missed pass from Brandon Saad to Jonathan Toews and a quality save on Dylan Strome by Bernier.

Around the midway point of the second period, the Red Wings found themselves on the power play. Just after the 10-minute mark, there was a huge board battle in the left wing corner of the ice, occupying most of the Blackhawks’ penalty killers. After the puck was freed by Frans Nielsen, Gustav Lindstrom found Robby Fabbri and, with the puck on a silver platter, Fabbri found the back of the net on the one-timer to give the Red Wings a 2–0 lead.

Robby Fabbri.

WHAT. A. LASER. pic.twitter.com/8kSBkkwZK2

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 7, 2020

Both goals were excellent one-time chances for the home club. It is safe to say Corey Crawford did not stand much of a chance on either play. However, on the second goal, Fabbri’s shot actually deflected off of Gilbert, who dove in front of the shot to block it. Gilbert’s attempt changed the angle of the shot on Crawford and made the shot increasingly more difficult to stop.

The Blackhawks almost beat Bernier with around eight minutes remaining, as Kirby Dach thought he put the puck behind the Red Wings goaltender on a DeBrincat shot rebound. However, the puck clanked the post and danced along the line, but never crossed, and play continued.

It took the remainder of the period and a bit of line blending before the Hawks could beat Bernier. With just over a minute left in the period, Colliton threw Toews and Saad out with Patrick Kane to get something going. On their rush up the ice, Saad initially found Toews, but he lost the puck and it dribbled behind Detroit’s net. Toews regained possession and found Saad in front of Bernier. Without missing a beat, Saad quickly moved the puck to Kane, who was backdoor, and he potted his 31st goal of the season to cut the Wings’ lead in half at 2–1.

Toews Saad Kane

That's more like it! pic.twitter.com/0h2oHf54Qg

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 7, 2020

However, despite some good chances in the third period, the Blackhawks could not crack Bernier the rest of the way and saw their winning streak come to a screeching halt, as the Blackhawks dropped Friday’s contest 2–1 in Detroit.

Along the Boards

It is sad when the worst team in the league handles you as if it is nothing. Yes, the Blackhawks had some quality chances throughout the game, such as DeBrincat’s two-on-one snipe, Dach’s rebound chance and Kane’s goal, but this team never sustained any meaningful pressure on the Red Wings for much of the game. It is tough to beat a team on a back-to-back, but this Blackhawks team had a lot of success in the second half of back-to-backs this season.

Now, a big reason for that success was the goaltending duo of Crawford and recently traded Robin Lehner. Lehner started the first half of most back-to-backs and a healthy, strong Crawford cleaned up the second half. It was a sensational combination. However, fast forward to now, Lehner is gone, Malcolm Subban is now the Blackhawks’ backup goalie to Crawford, and this coaching staff refuses to play the new netminder.

Subban may have struggled this season in his time with Vegas, but you would think the young goalie would get a chance against the league’s worst team, right? Wrong. Subban once again watched from the visitor’s bench in Detroit, as Crawford took his second game in two days after helping the Blackhawks defeat the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night at the United Center.

It is also worth mentioning that Boqvist’s wrist injury really hurt the Blackhawks defensively, as did Carlsson’s injury. The two young defensemen were playing very well, and Boqvist was finding his touch as the offensive playmaker fans hoped he would become when the Hawks drafted him eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Due to the injuries, enter Seeler and Gilbert, who both played an average game at best. Gilbert turned the puck over quite a bit and there were a few chances where Crawford bailed out his young defenseman.

It would be easy to blame Friday’s loss on the lack of defensive depth, but it really seemed that this team just looked tired. Fortunately for the Hawks, Friday’s game was only one of four road contests in the entire month of March. The Blackhawks get plenty of home cooking in March, restarting that trend on Sunday night when they welcome the Western Conference leading St. Louis Blues to town.

The Blackhawks are still mathematically in the playoff picture. However, I am going to be the pin that pricks the balloon. This team is not making the playoffs. They do not have enough depth right now to make a meaningful push. If Lehner was still in Chicago, Calvin de Haan and Brent Seabrook were healthy and the Hawks were at full strength coming down the stretch, I’d say there is a chance. However, Lehner is now in Las Vegas, de Haan and Seabrook are done for the year, along with Andrew Shaw and Zack Smith, and this team looks tired because of that lack of depth. They may hang in there down the stretch, but they will likely be picking in the top 10 of June’s draft if the standings stay the way they are. Now, this could be a good thing if the Hawks add another piece such as Boqvist or Dach, who were both top-10 picks over the last two years, but that will be up to Stan Bowman, or whoever the general manager is come June, to make a very meaningful decision for this team’s future.

News

Just before the submission of this recap, the Blackhawks reassigned Gilbert back to the Rockford IceHogs. This may indicate that Boqvist is healthy and will play Sunday since it was confirmed that Carlsson has a concussion.

ROSTER MOVE: Defenseman Dennis Gilbert has been reassigned to Rockford. #Blackhawks https://t.co/qbB18HIbVW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 7, 2020

The Blackhawks return to action on Sunday against the St. Louis Blues. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CDT at the United Center.

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks fall 2–1 to lowly Red Wings appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “Double J” get together with former Chicago Tribune Blackhawks beat writer Jimmy Greenfield to discuss the post-deadline Blackhawks.

• Blackhawks three game winning streak.
• Nick Seeler, Ian Mitchell, Evan Barratt.
• Should the upper management be consulting the cup core?
• More insight on the goalie situation
• Wrap up with some listener questions.
• If you are interested in writing for The Rink for any division, email writefor@the-rink.com

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

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

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 14 – featuring Jimmy Greenfield appeared first on The Rink.

If the Blackhawks wanted to beat the Ducks, they would need to do what they do best and that is to score, preferably first. They did exactly that when Kirby Dach skated to the front of the net and dished the puck of to Adam Boqvist, who found Drake Caggiula to the side of Ducks goalie John Gibson for his ninth goal of the season. Of note, it was the first goal in NHL history involving two players born in the 2000s in Boqvist and Dach, who recorded the assists. The Blackhawks ended the first period up 1–0.

Pass that thing and watch me flex
Behind my back, you know what’s next

Watch #CHIvsANA live on the #MyTeams App: https://t.co/mfQ1ZBTGTC pic.twitter.com/5kvPz80JL0

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 4, 2020

Most people thought the Blackhawks traded the wrong goalie at the deadline and there is evidence on both sides of the argument, but to Crawford’s credit, if the Hawks do by some miracle somehow sneak into the playoffs, it would be in part to his willingness to sacrifice his whole body to keep his teammates in the game. For a goalie that has missed a lot of time the past two seasons due to injury, he gave the Blackhawks everything he had in the first period.

Crawford’s numbers this season only tell one side of the story. The Blackhawks’ defense has been terrible this season so the goalies are saving more shots. The more shots there are, the more likely the opposing team scores. Simple percentages. The home team may have scored the lone goal of the opening period, but the Ducks out shot them 16–6 and were taking better shots due to the Blackhawks’ mismanagement of the puck, a story that has had many chapters this season.

The Blackhawks came out for the second period with a lot more energy and fast-paced play almost as if they knew they were lucky to escape the first period with a lead. A deflected shot off the stick of Duncan Keith took a fortunate bounce off the end boards, right in front of Dylan Strome, who fired it past Gibson’s right side for his 11th of the season for a 2–0 Blackhawks advantage.

Dylan Strome ends a 14-game goal drought and records his 100th career NHL point. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/0PDWMd7lKP

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 4, 2020

Shortly after, however, Christian Djoos fooled everyone, including Crawford, into thinking he was taking a shot and he drew the Blackhawks defenders all away from the net in time to pass it to Danton Heinen, who shot it in the gaping net for his ninth goal of the season. The Blackhawks’ lead was down to just one goal, once again, at 2–1.

Crawford continued his fancy footwork when Adam Henrique had a prime scoring opportunity, but the goaltender stretched wide and got his left leg pad in front of the shot. Henrique had about two or three opportunities before the whistle.

The Blackhawks had two good shorthanded chances from Brandon Saad on a breakaway and later Caggiula, but Gibson was there to hold the deficit at one. That was when the Blackhawks’ best puck handler, Patrick Kane, got just past the Ducks’ blue line and fired a pin-point pass to Strome in stride, who redirected the puck past Gibson for his second goal of the game and 12th overall for a 3–1 Chicago lead. Lucas Carlsson got his first career point on the goal, as he set Kane up with an exquisite lead pass to start the play, as well.

Patrick Kane finds Dylan Strome for his 2nd goal of the night! pic.twitter.com/Y43wDqq4fR

— BlackhaWWWks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 4, 2020

The Blackhawks would waste little time in queuing Chelsea Dagger again in the second period. Heinen went for a backhand shot on goal on a breakaway, but Boqvist scurried back and got his stick in the way to disrupt Heinen’s attempt. The Hawks quickly transitioned the puck for a three-on-one the other way and Alexander Nylander capitalized. Nylander toyed with Gibson by going forehand, backhand, then short side into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season, pushing the Blackhawk advantage to 4–1.

Alex Nylander with a pretty move for his 9th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/CMoQTUZhDt

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 4, 2020

Just 15 seconds later, Nylander would get another point this time on an assist to Kane in front of the goal. This was Kane’s 29th goal of the season. The Blackhawks scored four goals on 18 shots while the Ducks mustered only one goal on 13 shots. This was a very different Blackhawks team in the second period, a team that played both sides of the ice and with a purpose, finishing the second period up 5–1.

Patrick Kane scores 15 seconds after Alex Nylander for his 29th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/yfVbs1bosV

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 4, 2020

The third period opened with a scary moment, as Ryan Getzlaf tried to avoid Crawford after he stopped a shot and accidentally kneed the goaltender in the head. The medical staff and concussion spotter must have seen something they did not like because they brought Crawford to the bench and he was replaced by Malcolm Subban, who was making his Blackhawks debut. It ended up being short lived, however, as Crawford only missed little more than a minute of play and came right back in to guard the net. Crawford, despite a history of numerous head and neck injuries in his career, came back into a game where his team was up late by four goals and in control of the game.

Alrighty then.

Corey Crawford re-enters the game, after originally being pulled by the concussion spotter. pic.twitter.com/Op5TmD3O1z

— BlackhaWWWks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 4, 2020

Just a few minutes later, he got a wellness check on a redirected shot from Carter Rowney and Crawford missed it for the Ducks’ second goal of the game, cutting the gap to 5–2 with Rowney’s seventh goal of the season. The Blackhawks, however, would add one more goal for good measure when Matthew Highmore hit David Kampf for his eighth of the season and a 6–2 lead on Anaheim goalie Ryan Miller, who replaced Gibson for the third period.

What a pass by Matthew Highmore, who connects with David Kampf for team’s 6th goal tonight. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/15ViKUGcGI

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 4, 2020

Crawford allowed two goals on 39 shots and the line of Strome, Kane and Nylander had a combined for 13 shots, four goals and three assists. Not a bad day at the office for the Blackhawks, as they took the 6–2 victory and they would hope the rest of the dominoes in front of them would fall their way.

The Blackhawks get the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at the United Center and puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Do not be surprised if Crawford is not in net for that one and Subban makes his “unofficial” Blackhawks debut. With the season likely lost at this point, there really is no need to push a possibly injured Crawford into his seventh start in a row unless they must. Whoever is scheduled in goal probably wishes they were not, as the Oilers are first place in the Pacific Division and show zero signs of slowing down.

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks take down the Anaheim Ducks 6–2 on the back of Corey Crawford appeared first on The Rink.

Live look at the Tampa Bay Lightning pic.twitter.com/YDCHRxEyBW

— MikeB (@TB_MikeB) February 27, 2020

First period

The game started off with some back and forth, with both teams getting some quality chances in front of each others’ nets before Connor Murphy got called for hooking, which gave the Lightning their first power play of the evening. The Blackhawks killed that off thanks to some good shot blocks and good saves by Crawford. Then, shortly thereafter, the Blackhawks got their first power play of the night on a Yanni Gourde tripping call. Chicago was entirely unsuccessful on the man advantage, not getting many chances on net and giving up another power play to the Lightning on a Patrick Kane hook. That penalty was also killed off, giving way to more even-strength back and forth.

The Blackhawks got another opportunity on the power play with just under seven minutes to go, but once again, the Lightning were able to kill that one off. Sounding like a broken record, the Blackhawks went on the penalty kill right after that when Brandon Saad got his stick up high on Zach Bogosian. The Blackhawks killed that off, and then got their third man advantage of the period on an Alex Killorn trip. The Blackhawks would not score on that power play, but it would carry over to the second period. This period of penalties would end with the same 0–0 tie that we started off with.

Second period

The Blackhawks’ power play again failed to generate a goal, although they did get the best shot on Curtis McElhinney they had to that point, but could not do anything with it. The Blackhawks picked up a gift power play shortly after, as the Lightning picked up a too-many-men-on-the-ice call at the 6:20 mark of the period. Chicago seemed to have the mindset of passing instead of shooting the puck on goal, as their pass total was greater than their shots on goal for all four of their power plays to that point.

This period was not very exciting to watch, as there ended up being more turnovers of the puck than actual chances on net for either side. At the 10:42 mark there was, yes, another penalty called (surprise, surprise), this time on Connor Murphy for tripping, giving the Lightning their next man advantage of the game. Tampa Bay failed to convert on that one due to some great saves by Crawford, leaving the game still knotted at a 0–0 tie.

Then, the Lightning finally broke through, as Brayden Point skated around the defense and let go of a wrister from between the circles that got past Crawford and gave Tampa Bay a 1–0 lead. That is how the period would end, with the Lightning outshooting the Blackhawks by a wide margin, and as a result, taking the lead.

Third period

Things started off roughly for the visitors, as the Lightning doubled their lead on a Nikita Kucherov tap-in goal to make the score 2–0 Lightning just 17 seconds into the frame. At the 2:28 mark of the period, Luke Schenn took an interference penalty that gave the Blackhawks another chance to get the powerless play out on the ice. They did not look good again, but surprisingly were able to keep possession in the offensive zone, which led to Saad getting the puck in front and getting the Blackhawks to within one at 2–1.

Just 26 ticks later, Duncan Keith took a big hit to make a play, getting the puck to Patrick Kane who got it to Dominik Kubalik, who scored on his own rebound, tying the game at 2–2. Slater Koekkoek took an interference call after that, giving the Lightning another power play opportunity. The Blackhawks killed that off and a little while later, the very same Koekkoek got the puck out at the point, skated to the middle and wristed the puck through a sea of legs and into the back of the net, giving the Blackhawks a 3–2 lead.

Once again, the Blackhawks got back on the man advantage on a Kucherov slash on Kane. The puck found its way to the rookie sensation once again, and Kubalik slapped a top-shelf bullet past McElhinney to make the score 4–2 Blackhawks.

The Lightning tried to get back into the game by getting an extra attacker, but that gave Kubalik his third goal of the night for the hat trick, making the score 5–2 Blackhawks. The Blackhawks showed some fight throughout the third period until the end, even getting into some extracurriculars toward the end of things, and pulled out the comeback victory after scoring five third-period goals.

Let’s go along the boards and see what was being talked about during tonight’s action.

I think Stan&Co finally acknowledged it's time to start tearing it down. Problem is all the no move clauses and those predisposed to injury… Not going to be an overnight fix. https://t.co/fATdsno9KT

— Rocky Top Out (@rtopout) February 28, 2020

I agree that it definitely is not going to be an overnight fix at all. There is much work to be done in the offseason, and to start with, I would say this front office and coaching staff need to go. They are not doing anything to get this team turned around and moving in a positive direction. Sitting on your trade chips for too long and barely getting two trades that needed to happen done is inexcusable. I also am someone who sees Jeremy Colliton as a good assistant coach in the league, but definitely is not cut out to be a head coach at this point. There is no fight from him, and that clearly shows with the way the team in front of him plays night by night.

Stats/Takeaways from the 2nd period:

• Corey Crawford with 16 saves in that second period to keep the game 1-0. He’s got 26 on the night.
• Duncan Keith’s already up to 20:21 TOI to lead the #Blackhawks.
• Connor Murphy now has 3 penalties in the last 5 periods. #CHIvsTB

— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) February 28, 2020

Crawford looked good in this game. He made some good saves on some crazy Lightning shots and did everything he could to keep his team in this game. He controlled rebounds well, and was great at keeping the puck away from the opposition. Murphy…yikes; that is not a pretty stat to see.

Enjoyed the Broadcast, the Outcome = Happy Human #Blackhawks

— Jet7111 (@jet7111) February 28, 2020

As did all Blackhawks fans, my friend. A pleasant surprise in what has been a difficult season to watch.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday against the Florida Panthers. The game will start at 5 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks take over in third, beat Lightning 5–2 appeared first on The Rink.

At this point, after the impending third straight year of not making the playoffs and not winning a playoff game since 2016, the “professional” writers are still too terrified to call a spade a spade and call this entire organization out for what it is…

B-R-O-K-E-N

The longer that the Blackhawks fanbase accepts McDonough and his entourage of “yes men”  making awful decisions after terrible moves, the longer Chicago will be just another average NHL team in the middle of the pack just scraping by. The Chicago Blackhawks are a broken organization and no one seems to be holding the front office accountable for it. As much as I love to watch Leafs fans meltdown, at least they are holding the team’s decision makers responsible.

For that, I respect them.

It didn’t have to be this way, though. Last summer, when the Blackhawks (by no actions of their own) were gifted the third overall draft pick, Stan Bowman made the right decision by drafting Kirby Dach. It certainly wasn’t the popular decision but drafting Dach over yet another in a long line of “smallish puck moving defensemen” was the right move. Bringing in Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta for the rights to two players they didn’t want anymore and a middle-six wing (that has since been replaced very nicely by Dominik Kubalik) were sneaky good moves. This brings me to the final move he made which, again, was gifted to him.

Robin Lehner

Late in the day on July 1, when Lehner’s people were scrambling, Bowman had just enough cap space to sign Lehner to a pretty affordable one year deal. Big win! Before Lehner was brought in, Bowman was looking at another season with the fragile Corey Crawford and the inexperienced Collin Delia as his goaltending duo. Fast forward eight months and Lehner has been nothing short of an amazing addition to this team.

Not so fast, though, because it looks as though they are about to screw that up, as well.

If recent reports are correct (and I have no reason to think they aren’t), the negotiations between Lehner and the team have headed south this past week. One might assume that Lehner and his agent are looking to drive his salary into the $9 million or $10 million range, which is something that the Blackhawks certainly should not buy into. Recent reports, though, are that he is looking for a seven-year deal in the range of $7 million to $7.5 million, which is very reasonable for a 28-year-old goalie who was a Vezina Trophy finalist a year ago and is currently (at minimum) a top ten NHL goalie. The same team that is paying $11 million for Lehner and Crawford this season, is allegedly balking at a potential duo (Lehner/Delia) that would be paid $8 million next season.

I’m no math professor, but $8 million sure seems like less than $11 million.

Yes, it’s true that the team could bring back their soon-to-be 36-year-old goalie who has multiple recent major concussions on his resume for a cheaper deal. That is because he’s aging out and has a major head injury history, which are both things you cannot avoid with “hopes and prayers”. Contrary to what one Blackhawks “writer” thinks, the UFA goalie crop this summer is NOT strong. Outside of Lehner and Crawford, the only name on the list that might be able to play at their level is Braden Holtby, who is somehow having an awful season behind one of the best teams in the NHL. You don’t turn that around by playing behind a defense that gives up the most shots in the entire league.

Jeff, surely there have to be more goalies out there, right?

This is the alleged “strong” goalie market they have to choose from July 1:

Craig Anderson
Jaroslav Halak
Anton Khudobin
Thomas Greiss
Mike Smith
Cam Talbot
Jimmy Howard
Pavel Francouz

Francouz is the only one that could potentially be a better-than-Cam Ward level backup. The current Avalanche backup is older than Lehner, though, at 29. Call me crazy, but letting your known asset go to take a huge risk on any of these guys listed above is an enormous gamble with a high likelihood of little-to-no reward. (note – Francouz signed and extension in Colorado)

How has this organization completely screwed themselves like this? The answer? Arrogance.

Last season, when fans had to suffer through Cam Ward and Collin Delia getting their brains beat in on a nightly basis, they kept trying to sell that unrealistic playoff narrative. Stan and company did nothing to open up this roster for a re-tool at the deadline and the team finished with a mediocre draft position. This should have landed them yet another three-year project that could eventually turn into a serviceable NHL player after Kane and Toews were either gone or swiftly riding off into the sunset.

Then, by sheer luck, the third overall pick was dropped into their lap. They got lucky.

None of this happened because Stan Bowman or John McDonough are great at their jobs. How do they follow that up? Another dismal season, potentially reverting their goaltending situation right back into last season’s disarray, One More Shift and more public relations nonsense about the playoffs that they are in no way qualified to compete in.

That is called kicking the can down the road. When will enough be enough? When will fans stop renewing season tickets? When will the fanbase hit the Wirtz cartel where it hurts them most, the pocketbook?

The Chicago organization has been suffocating under a blanket of John McDonough led stupid decisions for at least five years and they just keep getting away with it by spoon-feeding the casual fans with their “just get in the playoffs, anything can happen,” and “anything is possible when you have Toews and Kane on your team” narratives. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, fans, but that’s a bunch of Public Relations nonsense the marketing department is feeding you so you will still spend money on their mediocre-at-best product. You’re all being lied to, treated like idiots, and far too many fans are lapping it up like a big bowl of chicken noodle soup.

You should all be as furious as I am about it!  The time is now, people.

It is time for Rocky Wirtz to put his money where his mouth is and stand firm on this “accountability” he has been preaching about for the last three summers.  Start chopping heads, otherwise, they have just become another franchise repeatedly blowing smoke up everyone’s behinds and they will become victims of their own arrogance.

The post ANALYSIS: Where is this alleged Blackhawks accountability? appeared first on The Rink.

In the first period, the Blackhawks came out fast and furious after a late-night game in Calgary on Saturday. On the other side of the ice, the Winnipeg Jets seemed to come out sluggish. The Jets eventually gained their footing and were able to match the Blackhawks’ level of intensity for most of the first period.

With under five minutes remaining in the first period, Patrick Kane was sprung on a pass in the Jets’ zone. Kane was able to backhand a pass to Ryan Carpenter. Carpenter redirected the beautiful Kane pass under the crossbar for the lone goal of the period and a 1–0 Hawks lead.

Great feed from Patrick Kane and finish by Ryan Carpenter, who scores his third goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/2ExfOvD28l

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 17, 2020

In the second period, the adrenaline wore off for Chicago, and Winnipeg started to impose its will. After winning a significant number of board battles in the first period, the Blackhawks were being beaten consistently on the boards in the second period.

Despite some heroics from Corey Crawford, the Jets eventually broke through with a goal of their own to tie the game at 1–1.

Jets finally get one past Corey Crawford on their 22nd shot of the game. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/L35j3czx4z

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 17, 2020

After a conversational non-goal from Winnipeg, the Jets struck again from the point. This time it was Jack Roslovic delivering a rocket near the blue line for a 2–1 Winnipeg advantage.

Roslovic gives the Jets the lead in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/WjiNpgUU7d

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 17, 2020

After the Roslovic goal, it appeared the Jets would have a one-goal lead after two periods, but with one minute remaining in the second period, the Blackhawks drew even. Jeremy Colliton loaded up a line with Kane, Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kubalik. Toews served Kane a pass on a silver platter in front of a yawning Winnipeg cage and Kane buried it for the 2–2 equalizer late in the second period.

This was a thing of beauty pic.twitter.com/YJ7u9o67mN

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 17, 2020

Despite tying the game late in the second frame, the third period began with the Jets taking the play to the Blackhawks. After Crawford stopped several golden opportunities, Patrik Laine blasted a shot past Crawford from the point to again give the Jets the lead at 3–2.

After the Laine goal, fatigue set in big time for the Blackhawks. The team looked like they were in a slow-mo video from an iPhone late in the third period. With two minutes remaining, Chicago pulled Crawford for a sixth attacker, but was unable to generate one shot on a goal.

When the final horn sounded, the Blackhawks fell to the Jets 3–2. With the loss, Chicago is now six points out of the final wild card playoff spot.

The Blackhawks return to action on Wednesday night against the New York Rangers in Chicago. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST at the United Center.

The post Along the boards: Blackhawks succumb to fatigue and the Winnipeg Jets appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “Double J” get together to discuss the Blackhawks latest slide, and the upcoming trade deadline.

• The Blackhawks play has them falling down the standings.
• Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome.  What is up with Alex Debrincat?
• Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner.
• Blackhawks claim defenseman Nick Seeler from the Wild.
• A few The Rink #Puckbag questions.
• If you are interested in writing for The Rink for any division, email writefor@the-rink.com

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

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

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 12 – “As we’ve been saying…” appeared first on The Rink.

Notably, Adam Boqvist did not dress for the game. Although he was able to practice late in the week after leaving Wednesday’s game early, Head Coach Jeremy Colliton decided to sit the young Swede and allow newly claimed Nick Seeler to make his Blackhawks debut.

The Hawks came out strong to start. After three days off, it was expected they would look well-rested and play hard in the opening period.

Not only did they come out strong, but the Blackhawks also didn’t waste any time finding the back of the net either. Just 15 seconds into the game, after a missed shot, Jonathan Toews found Drake Caggiula who had an excellent look at the net. After being denied, Caggiula slid the puck back to Dominik Kubalik in the slot and he fired home his 22^nd goal of the season.

Did someone order a good start?

This one took just 15 seconds pic.twitter.com/Mtxv4mOVM1

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

Not only did the goal give the Hawks the 1–0 lead early, Toews also recorded his 800^th career point in his hometown of Winnipeg.

O CAPTAIN!

With an assist on Kubalik's tally, Jonathan Toews has recorded his 800th @NHL point! #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/wDohGxbQQH

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

#1 #800 for Jonathan Toews pic.twitter.com/oERc9cGq15

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

The Captain continues to add to his Hall of Fame worthy career with his 800^th point. He is now the fourth player from the 2006 draft class to record 800 points.

Jonathan Toews is the fourth member of the 2006 draft class to reach 800 career points, joining Nicklas Backstrom (915), Phil Kessel (855) and Claude Giroux (800). #Blackhawks

— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) February 10, 2020

The Blackhawks continued to push and played a strong first period. Winnipeg definitely looked like a team who played the day before. Although the Hawks had some great chances, Connor Hellebuyck made some great saves to keep the visitors from extending their lead.

Despite the great goaltending of Hellebuyck, the second line for the Hawks capitalized on an opportunity. Nick Seeler fired a shot toward the net, which completely missed the cage. The puck bounced off the boards behind the net and right to Patrick Kane who was waiting on the right wing red line. Kane made a quick move and dished the puck to the front of the net where the red hot Brandon Saad tipped home his 16^th of the year.

Welcome to the @NHLBlackhawks, Nick Seeler!

The newest member of the squad gets an assist in his first game, on Brandon Saad's goal pic.twitter.com/z26mr5Sjx6

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

Corey Crawford was also excellent. He made two massive saves in the second half of the period to deny the Jets from getting on the board. The first was a great save on Scheifele in the slot and the other was a robbery on Nikolaj Ehlers, who could only look to the heavens after missing on his back-door opportunity.

CROW. MY. GOSH pic.twitter.com/CSSNIYRXIB

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

As the middle frame opened, the momentum did a full 180. The Jets came out as a team with a purpose in the second period, looking to catch up with the visitors.

Although the Blackhawks were on a power play, the Jets got the better of the man advantage situation. Shorthanded, Andrew Copp made a sensational saucer pass to Kyle Connor who effortlessly lifted the shot over Crawford. Connor’s 27^th of the year cut the Hawks’ lead to just one.

Jets get on the board in the 2nd. pic.twitter.com/LgLAdXtSiu

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

The rest of the period was much of the same. The Jets had multiple short-handed opportunities against the Hawks, but Crawford continued to bail out his teammates in front of him. The Hawks looked lackadaisical and were badly outplayed by the Jets. However, they somehow managed to escape the period without any additional damage and held on to the lead.

The third period unfortunately spelled doom for the Blackhawks. The Jets scored four unanswered goals in the third period, two being empty netters, to knock off the Hawks 5–2.

The key to the collapse was a lack of pace. The Hawks couldn’t do anything after their sensational first ten minutes. They could not do anything to outplay the Jets and the Jets took full advantage of the Hawks tonight.

Along the boards

The Hawks looked brutal for the last 50 minutes of the game. They had no urgency, no pace, and no energy. If the Hawks continue to play that way, the “p” word is not going to be in the Hawks’ future at this pace.

This season has been concerning for Alex DeBrincat. It was fair to expect a bit of a slide, as Toews and Kane are both on pace for lower numbers than last season, but still will have good numbers. Saad is on pace for over 20 goals and Kubalik may get to 50 points. The largest drop off is Alex DeBrincat. Just see the following:

Some #Blackhawks numbers coming at you……

Alex Debrincat is on pace for a 20 point slide from last season.

From 41-35-76 to 19-37-56

— Puckin Hostile (@PuckinHostile.bsky.social) (@PuckinHostile) January 30, 2020

That is a large drop-off for a player who just was rewarded a 3 year, $6.4 million AAV deal at the start of the year. A big pickup for the team’s offense would be to get more production out of their young winger.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised by Kirby Dach’s play. He has had a good season, although the offensive numbers aren’t where most would like them to be for a third overall pick. However, guys take time to develop and Dach is developing very nicely. If he continues to develop and get stronger, he’ll be a very good forward for a long time in the NHL.

I’m so excited to see Dach once he starts adding muscle to that huge frame. He’s already solid defensively and shows the offensive flash, just wait until he can start bullying people. #Blackhawks

— Ron Luce (@LuceOnTap) February 10, 2020

One fun note, Seeler was fun to watch tonight. His fight was his highlight of the night, but he played a decent game in his debut.

We like this kid. pic.twitter.com/W8p5qv3Lgm

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

The Blackhawks return to play on Tuesday, February 11 as they take on Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CST.

The post Along the boards: Jets soar, comeback to defeat Blackhawks 5–2 appeared first on The Rink.

Unlike past trade deadlines, we don’t have any information on which way the Blackhawks are leaning—just reading the tea leaves of an organization in flux. As we were this past June, when it was The Rink, and onlyThe Rink, who theorized (on the RinkCast) that the Blackhawks might go after a No. 1 goaltender via the free agency route, which they then did.

Based on the same or similar lines of logic, here are some things you might expect the Blackhawks to accomplish over the next 30 days.

1. Robin Lehner is a Blackhawk for the next handful of seasons, at minimum, with average annual value on the deal of $7-7.5 million.

Some have assumed that Lehner was signed to be this year’s Cam Ward. He wasn’t. The Hawks could have signed another Ward for less money, or even Ward himself, to be, well, Ward. Lehner was signed because the team had serious concerns over how effective Corey Crawford would be and how much load he could carry, this season and going forward. And to take a trial run with Lehner as the team’s future No. 1.

Crawford has been able to split duties with Lehner, and while he has shown flashes of the old Crawford, he also hasn’t been really in the same ballpark as Lehner. Who is much younger, already a fan favorite, and by all accounts really does want to be in Chicago—if he is properly paid.

Shouldn’t be a problem, but extension negotiations and dopey fan narratives being what they are, Lehner’s future in Chicago is somewhat in question.

Some want to trade Lehner at the deadline, either because he potentially returns more than Crawford does, or because they haven’t given up the dream that the oft-concussed Crawford, at age 35, is going to return to Stanley Cup form (probably not happening). But here are the problems with that argument.

First, both players are on expiring contracts, both are healthy for the time being—so the difference in the return on one versus the other is not significant. Second, another argument for dealing Lehner is “why do we need him—we’re rebuilding.” Well, you can sign the 28-year-old Lehner—a legitimate top 10 goalie in the league—and rebuild from the net out (as you’re supposed to), and when you’re contending again in three or four years, you’ve got your goalie. Or you can roll the dice on Collin Delia, Matt Tomkins, Kevin Lankinen or some kid who is 17 years old right now. Feeling lucky? Buy a Power Ball ticket while you’re at it.

2. Erik Gustafsson is in another sweater

Gustafsson is also an impending free agent. So, you really have to either deal him and get what you can, or re-sign him for a lot more money than he’s making now. It should be an easy choice, and if Bowman makes the wrong one, it ought to be grounds for his dismissal.

Some fans love what Gustafsson brings: flash and dash, exciting three-on-three overtime goals, slick passes and a big shot. But the fact is, Gustafsson’s regular season game is a big, fat tease—and completely ill-suited to playoff hockey—where there’s little open ice, few penalties called, no three-on-three overtime and games and series are won through hand to hand combat along the boards and around the net. One mistake—which Gustafsson is always prone to—and you’re on the first tee. Remember Chris Campoli?

Get what you can. Now.

3. If you’re “buying,” buy draft picks and quality prospects for the future, not a veteran “for the playoffs” this year

Some higher-profile Chicago beat writers have theorized that Stan Bowman will be a “buyer” at this year’s deadline—which typically means he would be looking to add a veteran player or two to upgrade the roster for the playoffs. While some writers and fans might espouse such nonsense, it would be GM malpractice.

First, what exactly do the Hawks have to trade that brings back any meaningful value—that doesn’t also simultaneously hurt the team or cut away at a still thin prospect pipeline? No one really has an answer for this. Well, not a realistic answer. Some say, “Saad! Trade him.” Sure, but I’d much rather try to win a playoff series with a Brandon Saad than without one. Some say, “Gustafsson.” Okay, but how much does he bring back? Dylan Sikura, at this point, returns very little. If Bowman really wanted to be a buyer of a quality NHL veteran at the trade deadline, other teams are going to want Kirby Dach, Adam Boqvist and/or a first-round draft pick—not the rest of Gustafsson’s deal.

And here’s the 800-pound gorilla in the room. Let’s say Bowman does the incredibly foolish thing and takes his eye off the future at the deadline, adds a veteran or two (probably on expiring deals), and the Hawks squeak into the playoffs—they are exceedingly unlikely to win more than a game against the top seed in the West. This team is old, slow, banged up and soft—for the most part—and with a terrible defense, which is not a recipe for playoff success, even though some keep tapping their slippers together and saying “anything can happen.”

Bowman had a good spring and summer last year as far as meaningfully rebuilding the Blackhawks toward playoff contention. But there is a lot more work to be done. He needs to continue that progress. Look for—no, hope for—the above to keep the momentum.

Please comment below.

The post Analysis: Stan Bowman’s Blackhawks TDL T-D-L appeared first on The Rink.

As big Lehner fans and the progenitors of the #PayRobin hashtag, we were also quick to cry foul—perhaps temporarily forgetting the true nature of contract negotiations in the NHL, and what’s most likely at work here.

Go ahead #Blackhawks front office: bollocks up re-signing Lehner and it’ll be the deserved END of some careers, while his will go on elsewhere.

— The Amazing Rando (@jaeckel) January 10, 2020

First, it’s all a negotiation.

As much as we want to see Lehner in Chicago long-term, GMs (for the most part) and agents (completely) are not in the business of fulfilling fan narratives. If I’m Lehner’s agent, my job is to get my client the most money and term on his next deal (because that’s also how I make my money) and hopefully in a situation where my client can thrive, win playoff games, and get endorsement deals. Period.

So that said, why wouldn’t I use Sergei Bobrovsky’s 8-year, $80 million contract as a starting point in my conversations with Stan Bowman? Because it’s not nice? Lehner is, fact, going to get paid this summer like he’s one of the top 10 goalies in the NHL—because he is one of them.

All that said, that’s the high end of the market. And if you’re Stan Bowman, you want to frame this negotiation by starting out at the low end of the market—say the deal we heard was initially offered.

And through negotiation, you likely end up somewhere in the middle, which would be about $7-7.5 million per for 5-6 years. Seems reasonable.

“But, but, you can trade Lehner. He doesn’t want to stay in Chicago anyway.”

We believe—and we’ve heard—Lehner wants to stay in Chicago. You don’t want to believe us or our sources? Listen to Lehner then:

Robin Lehner on whether he's open to discussing contract extension with #Blackhawks in-season.

He also said he's not interested in taking a discount, but doesn't want to be overpaid either: "I want to gain some respect that I think I deserve." pic.twitter.com/q0ZnMno1FC

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 10, 2020

No, he’s not going to give the Hawks a hometown discount, nor should he. Can the Hawks trade Lehner for a bucket of pucks at the deadline?

Sure, and then you’re left with Colin Delia, Kevin Lankinen and the shell of Corey Crawford (if he doesn’t retire anyway) next year—and going forward. Unless you decide at some point to pay a top goalie—who wants to be in Chicago—the going rate for his services. And you already have that guy. Let’s be logical, mmmm-kay?

To hesitate on this would be front office malpractice. But, in all likelihood, the Hawks are going about this the right way, for now, even if at the risk of offending Lehner. It’s a negotiation. And it’s between the Hawks and Lehner’s agent. Not just the Hawks and Lehner.

And certainly, the situation can change—the two parties can move toward each other and come together in the middle of the range outlined above—which seems to make a lot of sense. And there is time yet for that to happen.

Or one side or the other can get angry and shut it down, allowing Lehner to go to UFA this summer, or trading him or his rights before then. And that’s the time to panic.

Because #PayRobin is better than the alternative.

What do you think? Sign in and comment below.

Photoshop courtesy of Jeff Osborn / Photograph courtesy of NHL.com

The post #PayRobin: Too early to panic in Lehner negotiation appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” get together for a pre-game Rinkcast just prior to the Blackhawks facing the Arizona Coyotes.

• The Blackhawks play a bunch of overtime and shootout games.
• Injuries to Keith, Shaw, and de Haan.
• Some big announcements regarding The-Rink
• Mario gives us another “award-winning” #Warpigs report.
• More on what the future holds with Jeremy Colliton, Corey Crawford, and Robin Lehner
• Why trading Robin Lehner is not only stupid but unlikely.
• We wrap up with the Blackhawks down 3–0 in the first period.
• We wrap with the Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

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

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The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 7 – Holiday puck bag appeared first on The Rink.

6 p.m. CST
Prudential Center
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

Projected starting goaltenders

Chicago — Corey Crawford (5–7–2, .904 save percentage, 3.04 goals against average, one shutout)
New Jersey — MacKenzie Blackwood (8–8–3, .896 save percentage, 3.17 goals against average, one shutout)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (14.1%, 26th)
New Jersey (13.1%, 28th)

Penalty kill
Chicago (80.7%, 17th)
New Jersey (76.1%, 24th)

Shots for/against
Chicago (31.3, 16th; 35.9, 30th)
New Jersey (30.9, 20th; 30.6, Ninth)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (8.9%, 23rd)
New Jersey (8.1%, 27th)

Face off percentage
Chicago (48.9%, 24th)
New Jersey (47.4%, 28th)

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

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

Slater Koekkoek — Erik Gustafsson
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Olli Maatta — Connor Murphy

New Jersey Devils

Jesper Boqvist — Nico Hischier — Kyle Palmieri
Taylor Hall — Pavel Zacha — Jesper Bratt
Blake Coleman — Travis Zajac — Nikita Gusev
Miles Wood — Jack Hughes — Wayne Simmonds

Andy Greene — P.K. Subban
Sami Vatanen — Damon Severson
Will Butcher — Mirco Mueller

Analysis

Book it, the Blackhawks are going to win the Cup this year. They have won one in a row and that one team is the one with the second overall best record.

Back to reality, Chicago jumped out to a 3–0 lead before the defense fell apart. Luckily for the Blackhawks and head coach Jeremy Colliton, the furious Boston comeback was just a bit too late and they were only able to send the game to overtime, rather than complete the comeback for a win. As a result, Jonathan Toews took advantage of a fallen Bruins defenseman and won the game with a rare, virtually end-to-end, breakaway in the extra frame.

Their opponent tonight, the New Jersey Devils, have had quite a week. They fired head coach John Hynes last week, then promoted bench coach (and former Blackhawks defenseman) Alain Nasreddine to interim head coach. Nasreddine’s first game did not go as he might have hoped, but the team was able to hang with the Vegas Golden Knights. But Jonathan Marchessault‘s third-period hat trick was just too much to overcome.

The Blackhawks expect to go with virtually the same lineup as they did in Boston last night. Corey Crawford will be in goal while Olli Maatta will be a game-time decision with flu-like symptoms. If Maatta cannot go, Dennis Gilbert will draw into his second game in a row since being recalled from Rockford on Wednesday.

Dylan Strome made his return to the lineup in Boston and contributed with a goal and an assist. His designated BFF, Alex DeBrincat, also broke a long scoring drought with a first-period power play goal. If the Blackahwks can continue to get more depth scoring, they will come out ahead before heading to Arizona to face the Coyotes, Sunday.

This is a team the Blackhawks should definitely beat, but they are the definition of Jekyll and Hyde. Which one shows up tonight? Comment below.

The post Preview/Game thread: Chicago Blackhawks vs. New Jersey Devils appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” are back at it to discuss the Blackhawks’ spiral downward and glaring mistakes.

• Thank you for the new review, Darth Hawkey
• We have (not one) but TWO new chapters opening up.  Colorado and Columbus.
• We take a few minutes to address the Marc Crawford/Bill Peters situation.
• The Blackhawks lose badly to the Avs twice and the Blues last night
• What can the Blackhawks do as an organization to fix this endless loop of mediocrity?
• Who is untouchable?  Is anyone untouchable?
• We wrap with the Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

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

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The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 6 – Blackhawks reality check appeared first on The Rink.

After two big losses, several players were either injured or sick, so the Blackhawks would have their work cut out for themselves before ever taking the ice.  In fact, they only dressed seventeen players (eleven forwards, six defensemen) which meant Patrick Kane was going to play virtually half the game.

In goal, the decision could have been a toss-up for head coach Jeremy Colliton, but Robin Lehner came down with flu-like symptoms and was ruled out, thus making Corey Crawford the default starter.  Kevin Lankinen was recalled from Rockford on an emergency basis this morning to back up Crawford.

These were the Blackhawks’ starting lines:
Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Original Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat – Ryan Carpenter – Clone Patrick Kane
Dominik Kubalik – David Kampf – Alexander Nylander
Zack Smith – Kirby Dach – Anton Wedin

Olli Maatta – Connor Murphy
Calvin de Haan – Brent Seabrook
Slater Koekkoek – Erik Gustafsson

First period

It didn’t take long for the Blackhawks to surrender a lead to the Blues. Just over two and a half minutes into the first period, an innocent Blues dump in hit the end board and eluded Corey Crawford and landed in the lap of Mackenzie MacEachern. MacEachern quickly chipped the puck through Crawford’s glove before the fans had all taken their seats.

The bad play didn’t stop there though. Chicago earned a questionable power play but gave up more chances (including a shorthanded breakaway) during the advantage.

With just under six minutes left in the first period (following a bad call on Patrick Kane) the Blackhawks defense left Corey Crawford to fend for himself and fight for position with Jaden Schwartz. Schwartz won the battle and redirected a long shot past the helpless Blackhawks goaltender, giving the defending champs a 2–0 lead.

That was how the period ended, with shots on net tied at ten apiece.

Second period

The Blackhawks came out and played like a competent NHL team in the second period and while they did put any goals up on the scoreboard, they did outshoot their opponents. The good part was that the Blues didn’t score either. Each team had a power play, as well.

When the teams broke for the intermission, the Blackhawks led in shots for the period 11–9 and 21–19 overall.

Third period

At the midway point of the third period, shockingly wide open Blues center Brayden Schenn lined up a slowly approaching puck and one-timed it over Corey Crawford’s blocker side to give his team a 3–0 lead.

David Kampf had a few late chances but couldn’t find the back of the net if his life depended on it.

With 1:49 left in the game, Olli Maatta egregiously turned the puck over to a waiting Tyler Bozak at the Blackhawks blue line and Bozak blew his shot past Crawford to give the Blues a 4–0 lead.

That was all she wrote at the United Center as Jake Allen shut out the home team despite outshooting St. Louis 38–30.

Pluses

• The Blackhawks didn’t lose 6–0 and they actually outshot a far superior opponent.

Minuses

• I hate harping on this but when you General Manager is branded as some kind of salary cap savant, and you’re forced to play one player short because of sloppiness in cap management, the GM is doing an awful job.  Fans paid money to watch a team that couldn’t ice enough players.
• The crowd was absolutely lifeless and they booed the Blackhawks off the ice following the game.
• For all the people crying that Gustafsson needed to be back on the top power play, he played 3:17 of powerplay time and didn’t do a damn thing.  He also played more than every player not named Patrick Kane.  I cannot say I heard his name or saw him do anything productive the entire night.  If you told me he was a healthy scratch, I would have believed you.

The Blackhawks will face the league-leading Boston Bruins at the TD Garden on Thursday. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blues toy with the Blackhawks and easily win 4–0 appeared first on The Rink.

3 p.m. CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

Projected starting goaltenders

Chicago — Corey Crawford (5–4–3, .938 save percentage, 2.38 goals against average)
Colorado — Pavel Francouz (4–2–0, .920 save percentage, 2.55 goals against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (13.7%, 27th)
Colorado (18.8%, 16th)

Penalty kill
Chicago (81.3%, 17th)
Colorado (77.8%, 22nd)

Shots for/against
Chicago (31.0, 19th; 36.8, 31st)
Colorado  (30.8, 19th; 30.4, 27th)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (9.3%)
 Colorado (10.8%)

Face off percentage
Chicago (48.8%, 24th)
Colorado (47.6%, 27th)

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Alexander Nylander
Alex DeBrincat — Kirby Dach  — Patrick Kane
Dominik Kubalik — David Kampf — Andrew Shaw
Matthew Highmore—Ryan Carpenter — Zack Smith

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Olli Maatta — Connor Murphy

Colorado Avalanche

Matt Nieto — Nathan MacKinnon — Joonas Donskoi 
Tyson Jost — Nazem Kadri — J.T. Compher
Valeri Nichushkin — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare — Logan O’Connor
Sheldon Dries — Vladislav Kamenev — T.J. Tynan

Nikita Zadorov — Cale Makar
Calle Rosen — Samuel Girard
Ryan Graves — Ian Cole

Analysis

Entertaining and impressive; those are the two words used to describe the previous two games for the Blackhawks. After defeating the Dallas Stars 3-0, the Blackhawks confidence has been soaring high, especially with their goaltenders. Corey Crawford turned in a flawless effort earning the Blackhawks first shutout of the season. In the unofficial game of one-upmanship, Crawford has taken the game to another level. In Crawford’s last six games, he is 4-1-1 with 1.82 goals against average and .948 save percentage. He will remain in the net to today against the Colorado Avalanche breaking the “goalie every other game” trend. This means Robin Lehner, who currently leads the NHL with a .938 save percentage, will get an extra day off. With the goalie duo of Crawford and Lehner, the Blackhawks are able to play a free-wheeling style of offense which has finally yielded some wins.

One player that has benefited the most from the excellent goaltending on his backend is Patrick Kane, who is currently riding a 13 game point streak featuring nine goals and 13 assists. The last player besides Kane to have a 13 game point streak was Chris Chelios back in the 1995-96 season.  If the Blackhawks want to build off their victory against the Stars, the offense will need more production than from Kane. They will also need Brandon Saad to continue producing points. Saad scored his 100th career goal against Dallas and his seventh on the season.

The next opponent for the Blackhawks is the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs will get real familiar with the Blackhawks as they square off against each other in their next two games. In their last game, Colorado scored three goals against the Edmonton Oilers in a span 2:32. The game went from a 1-1 game to a 4-1 victory. Over their last nine games, they are 6-3-0 and looking to continue rolling down the mountain. With the momentum the Avs are building, Cale Maker is making his mark on the history books. Makar has 25 points in his first 24 games and is the most points since Larry Murphy’s 28 points in 1980-81. In addition to Maker meteoric rise, Nathan MacKinnon continues to play at a high level. He is currently riding a five-game point streak and has 18 points in the month of November.

If the Blackhawks want to win they have to hold down the fourth-ranked offense of the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs average 3.54 goals a game which fourth-best in the NHL.

This matchup will be strength on strength. Who will prevail?

Make sure to follow Aaron Goldschmidt and JJ Seaward with our Colorado chapter on Twitter @TheRinkColorado and Instagram @the_rink_colorado

The post Preview/Game Thread: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Colorado Avalanche appeared first on The Rink.

Saad — Toews — Nylander

DeBrincat — Dach — Kane

Kubalik — Kampf — Shaw

Smith — Carpenter — Highmore

Keith — Gustafsson

De Haan — Seabrook

Maatta — Murphy

Crawford

First period

The Stars got off to a good start against the Blackhawks, putting pressure on Crawford and generally controlling the puck for the first couple of shifts. They continued to press, sending the puck back to the d zone and then back up again. Zack Smith recorded a great opportunity off a steal in the offensive zone, but was stopped by the Stars’ Anton Khudobin. Denis Gurianov got in a good chance on Crawford, but was ultimately shut down and was unable to get much on the shot. Crawford continued to stay sharp, stopping a barrage of shots from Dallas.

Both teams kept things moving, trading chances back and forth, and not allowing really any stoppages in play. Jonathan Toews got a blast in on Khudobin on a pass from Alex Nylander, but that was turned aside as well. Off the face off, Erik Gustafsson took a shot that was redirected by Brandon Saad, who was left all alone in front of the net and redirected the puck past Khudobin for a 1–0 Blackhawks lead.

Brandon Saad's 100th goal with the #Blackhawks was a BEAUT! pic.twitter.com/U9DvVdxZky

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 27, 2019

Just after, the Stars got a good chance with Corey Perry driving to the net, but that was turned aside by Crawford. After that, there was more back and forth, with some big hits being dished out both ways until both sides got some good chances, with Esa Lindell drawing a penalty on his drive to the net, putting the Blackhawks on the penalty kill for the first time in the game. Ryan Carpenter gave him a whack trying to keep him from being able to get a good shot off.

The Blackhawks killed that off without much issue, but with some nice saves made by Crawford. Khudobin had to make a last second save on Andrew Shaw, but did so to keep the score at 1–0 Blackhawks.

Second period

The Stars got off to the same start that they did in the first period, controlling much of the play and getting many shots in on Crawford, even having one go off of the post. Then, things got going back and forth more and more, with few stops for the first few minutes of the period. The Blackhawks got a good chance in front of the net off of a steal by Patrick Kane, but the Blackhawks could not get anything in on goal. Afterward, Alex Radulov got going through the center of the ice and was taken down by Shaw, giving the Stars their second powerplay of the game. Crawford came up with some sensational stops as the Blackhawks were able to kill off the penalty.

The Stars kept the pressure on after that, though, getting more shots on the Blackhawks’ goaltender. Just after the 10-minute mark of the period, the Blackhawks were able to get a couple of good chances from Dach and Kubalik after that which did not get past Khudobin. Calvin de Haan saved a goal for the Blackhawks after Crawford dove to make a stop with the puck sitting behind him without him realizing it. De Haan knocked the puck away, playing goalie with Seabrook to protect the net with Crawford drawn out of it.

The C in Calvin stands for CLUTCH! pic.twitter.com/x8FBWnEiIw

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 27, 2019

Khudobin had to be on his game to keep a Shaw chance out, followed by a DeBrincat chance at around the 15:30 mark of the period. The Blackhawks kept the pressure up, taking the puck away in the offensive zone and allowing for some good scoring opportunities on Khudobin that were turned aside. There was a lot of action, but no more goals to be had. The game went into the intermission with the score still being 1–0 Blackhawks.

Third period

The Stars came out with fire as they had the last couple of periods, stealing some chances and getting a good amount of play in the offensive zone. That is until DeBrincat took the puck down the ice to get a puck in on Khudobin. Shaw and Gustafsson got a couple of good chances in on the Dallas net that were turned aside by Khudobin with some great saves.

Then, there was more back and forth as there was the whole game, with the Blackhawks and Stars trading chances on one side of the ice and then the other. Crawford managed to keep out a flurry of Dallas chances out of the net. The Blackhawks continued to press to add on to their lead, but were stymied by Khudobin with a couple of big saves against the fourth line. Around the nine-minute mark, Crawford answered back on the other end, and then Khudobin would answer at his end of the ice.

Shortly after, Radulov gave the Blackhawks their first power play of the night when he got a stick up high that caught Toews right in the face. DeBrincat started a crazy sequence on the power play, with the puck eventually finding its way to Kane, who waited until some traffic had cleared in front of the net to wrist it past Khudobin, making it 2–0 Blackhawks.

The point streak continues! That's 13 straight games for Showtime pic.twitter.com/5p8iYAaCOG

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 27, 2019

The Stars pulled their goaltender at the 16:27 mark of the period in an attempt to get back into the game, but that backfired when the Stars tried to block a clear from Connor Murphy, which ended up bouncing and rolling down the ice and into the empty net, making it 3–0 Blackhawks. That is how things would finish, with the Blackhawks getting Crawford his first shutout of the year.

The Blackhawks will be heading into a tougher stretch of their season, with back-to-back matchups with the Avalanche on Friday and Saturday night. The first of those two games is on Friday at 3 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks extinguish Stars 3–0 appeared first on The Rink.

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

Projected starting goaltenders

Chicago — Corey Crawford (4–5–2, .914 save percentage, 3.02 goals against average)
Dallas — Anton Khudobin (8–5–1, .926 save percentage, 2.25 goals against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (12.5%, 28th)
Dallas (12.8%, 27th)

Penalty kill
Chicago (80.7%, 18th)
Dallas (85.0%, Seventh)

Shots for/against
Chicago (30.7, 20th; 37.0, 31st)
Dallas (30.8, 19th; 30.4, Fourth)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (9.4%)
Dallas (9.1%)

Face off percentage
Chicago (49.0%, 22nd)
Dallas (52.8%, Fourth)

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

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

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Olli Maatta — Connor Murphy

Dallas Stars

Jamie Benn — Justin Dowling — Tyler Seguin
Denis Gurianov — Joe Pavelski — Alexander Radulov
Andrew Cogliano — Radek Faksa — Roope Hintz
Mattias Janmark — Jason Dickinson — Corey Perry

Esa Lindell — John Klingberg
Jamie Oleksiak — Miro Heiskanen
Andrej Sekera — Roman Polak

Analysis

It is deja vu for the Blackhawks as they once again take on the Dallas Stars. In their last meeting, Robin Lehner turned in another Herculean effort. He made 40 saves on 41 shots during regulation and overtime. Lehner’s Achilles heel reared its ugly head on Saturday night in Dallas. Historically weak in the shootout, Lehner continued that trend this season. Lehner did not stop a single shooter during the shootout. Despite poor shootout results, he now leads the NHL in save percentage with a .938 save percentage.

On a night when the Blackhawks needed their high-octane offense to get off the ground, they sputtered with only one regulation goal, which was Olli Maatta’s first of the season. The Maatta goal did help extend Patrick Kane‘s season-long point streak. The streak now stands at 12 games and he will be looking to continue the streak tonight.

Despite all the impressive numbers from Lehner, though, Chicago will turn to Corey Crawford on Tuesday, as the Blackhawks continue to generally adhere to their goalie rotation. Now, Crawford has not been a slouch in the net. He has played better than his season averages as of late, going 3–1–2 with a 2.50 goals against average and .933 save percentage.

The major difference between the last two meetings will be Crawford in net and rest. While the Blackhawks have not played a game since Saturday night, the Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in Dallas last night and will be playing in their third back-to-back this season.

The troubling thing for the Blackhawks is that the Stars’ offense got rolling against the Golden Knights. Alexander Radulov netted himself two goals and John Klingberg had three assists. With Ben Bishop getting the start against Vegas, the Blackhawks figure to see Anton Khudobin in net again. Khudobin allowed one goal on 39 chances and no goals in the shootout. His 38-save effort tied a career-high for Khudobin and was his second 38-save game this season.

Can the Blackhawks solve Khudobin this time around or will Khudobin continue his impressive play?

The post Preview/Game thread: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Dallas Stars appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks lines and pairings were as follows:

Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Alexander Nylander

Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane

Kirby Dach — Andrew Shaw

Ryan Carpenter — David Kampf — Zack Smith

Duncan Keith — Calvin de Haan

Olli Maatta — Connor Murphy

Erik Gustafsson — Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek

Prior to puck drop, former Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell took the ice for One More Shift. It was an awesome moment no one will ever forget.

What are the chances they're talking about 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘢𝘭 from the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs?#10neGoal #OneMoreShift pic.twitter.com/HGGC8tSe49

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2019

First period

With only 11 forwards for the Blackhawks in this matchup, Patrick Kane took on the task of double-shifting on the third line. Slater Koekkoek and Erik Gustafsson seemed to be alternating shifts on the third pairing with Brent Seabrook.

The game was pretty much even for the Blackhawks and the Lightning in the first 20 minutes. Both teams stifled transition opportunities against each other and whenever one team managed to get some offensive zone time, they didn’t allow many chances. With around 9 minutes remaining in the first period, the Lightning had a couple of great scoring opportunities, but Corey Crawford stood tall and stopped them.

After Slater Koekkoek drew a cross-checking penalty on Alex Killorn, the Blackhawks new power play units got to work. The first unit of Erik Gustafsson, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat, and Andrew Shaw got a couple of good looks. Kirby Dach got his chance on the second unit, but the Blackhawks couldn’t convert on the man advantage.

Directly after the Lightning killed the penalty, Duncan Keith sat for interference on Brayden Point. While the kill looked good to start, Ryan Carpenter blocked Corey Crawford’s view of Mikhail Sergachev‘s point shot and it found its way into the net to give the Lightning the lead.

POWER PLAY GOAL!! @TBLightning's Mikhail Sergachev scores on a Power Play! #GoBolts

Don't miss any more of the action! Watch now on FOX Sports Sun or FOX Sports Go here: https://t.co/8RrQyQUIjk pic.twitter.com/FkmGBrL2mU

— Bally Sports Florida & Bally Sports Sun (@BallySportsFL) November 22, 2019

Within the last five minutes, the Blackhawks put the pressure on the Lightning and earned a power play opportunity with under 15 seconds left. After the first period, Tampa Bay held a 1-0 lead over Chicago and a 14-12 advantage in shots.

Second period

The trends from the first frame continued into the beginning of the second. When each team had the puck, they maintained pressure but couldn’t create prime scoring chances. That changed as the Lightning held onto the puck more as the period continued.

Everything seemed really boring this period, until the Blackhawks coughed up the puck with around five minutes left in the period. Chicago allowed a two-on-one but Crawford stymied Anthony Cirelli before the rebound hit the crossbar. That was the best chance for either team during the second period.

With four minutes remaining, Chicago circled the puck around Tampa Bay and Patrick Kane generated what was the Blackhawks’ best chance of the period. This all led to the Lightning taking their third penalty of the game with four minutes remaining. A good opportunity to tie the game for the Blackhawks was wasted, as they could not find shooting lanes for themselves. While the power play units sustained control in the offensive zone, the theme seemed to be a lack of shots with the advantage.

At the end of 40 minutes, the Lightning continued to lead the Blackhawks 1-0 and shots were 24-20 in favor of the visitors.

Third period

The Blackhawks didn’t get off the greatest start after the puck dropped for the third period. David Kampf was called for boarding around the three-minute mark and Zack Smith left the ice after taking a puck up high. So, Chicago was without one of their penalty-killing forwards, but they managed to kill the minor.

Then came the third-period push for the home team. Puck possession for the Blackhawks actually led to scoring chances when they were in the offensive zone. They circled the puck around the Lightning and it founds its way to Brent Seabrook. He went down low, almost below the goal line, and shot the puck off Curtis McElhinney‘s back to tie the game at one with just over ten minutes left in the third.

Seabrook threads the needle to tie it up pic.twitter.com/Ym9zt0cJJL

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 22, 2019

What looked to be a momentum swing was quickly washed away when the Lightning were able to grab the puck again just over a minute later. Mathieu Joseph and Olli Maatta crashed together and the refs missed a blatant high-sticking call as Joseph got his stick up around Maatta’s face. That allowed the puck to slide past him to Alex Killorn, who found an open Victor Hedman at the point. His shot was tipped by Anthony Cirelli and the Lightning regained the lead.

Although the Blackhawks continued to pressure, the Lightning took advantage of their defensive breakdowns yet again. A puck battle in the neutral zone was lost by the Blackhawks and Ondrej Palat came up with the puck. Maatta, the only defenseman back, slid to his stomach for the stick check, but Palat went around his skates and slipped the puck to an uncovered Brayden Point. He gave Tampa Bay a 3-1 lead with 7:30 left in the game.

It looked as if things were over for the Blackhawks when Brandon Saad sat for hooking, but they pulled Corey Crawford early after the penalty kill pushed momentum their way. With just under three minutes left to play, Chicago won a faceoff with six attackers on the ice. Patrick Kane patiently waited until he found a shooting lane, and the puck found its way through multiple bodies in front. McElhinney stopped the original shot, but Dylan Strome corralled the puck and slipped it above the right shoulder of the Lightning goaltender to bring the Blackhawks within a goal.

The #Blackhawks won't go quiet into that good night!

Strome brings them within 1! pic.twitter.com/Jy7YSYOZMp

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 22, 2019

But all hopes of tying the game were cut short when Anthony Cirelli single-handedly worked the puck out of his own zone and found Cedric Paquette, who buried the empty-net goal to seal the 4-2 win for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Overall, the Lightning outshot the Blackhawks 35-34 in what turned out to be a close game.

Pluses

• Patrick Kane extended his point streak to 11 game with an assist on Dylan Strome’s goal. After a rough start to the season, he’s looking to be back to normal. He was an absolute beast in this game, double-shifting on the second and third lines and accumulating the most time on ice of any player on either team (27:52).
• After a rough game against the Hurricanes, the Blackhawks seemed to put together a better defensive effort this time out. They kept up with the Lightning in terms of shot attempts, scoring chances, and high-danger chances. If they can continue this pattern and score more at the same time, they just might win some of these close games.

Minuses

• I don’t know what Jeremy Colliton was thinking going with 11 forwards and seven defensemen tonight, and it’s clear by the post-game comments from Jonathan Toews the team didn’t get it either. I get that the team struggled against Carolina, but you won four in a row prior to that with the same lineup. Why would you switch something that was working all that time just because it fell short once? This tactic almost never works, and it was obvious the Blackhawks looked extremely disjointed throughout the majority of the game with a disjointed lineup.

The Blackhawks will head to Dallas to take on the red-hot Stars Saturday night at American Airlines Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks drop second straight game, fall to Lightning 4-2 appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” reconvene to discuss the Blackhawks’ recent success and their outstanding goaltending.

• Are the Blackhawks really that good, or is this just a brief spark?
• Adam Boqvist sent down to Rockford.
• Brian Campbell’s “One More Shift”.
• Praise for several Blackhawks players, including Kirby Dach.
• Mike Babcock is fired
• We wrap with the Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

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

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

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 5 – Knott in the Cramarossa! appeared first on The Rink.

7:30 p.m. CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

Projected starting goaltenders

Chicago — Corey Crawford (4–4–2, .914 save percentage, 3.01 goals against average)
Tampa Bay — Curtis McElhinney (2–1–2, .906 save percentage, 3.76 goals against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (13.8%, 28th)
Tampa Bay (29.6%, Second)

Penalty kill
Chicago (80.3%, 18th)
Tampa Bay (78.1%, 21st)

Shots for/against
Chicago (30.1, 20th; 36.9, 31st)
Tampa Bay (31.8, 15th; 33.6, 28th)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (10.0%)
Tampa Bay (11.2%)

Face off percentage
Chicago (48.5%, 26th)
Tampa Bay (51.4%, Eighth)

Average height and weight
Chicago — 6-foot-1, 197 pounds
Tampa Bay — 6-foot-1, 199 pounds

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

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

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Olli Maatta — Connor Murphy

Tampa Bay Lightning

Ondrej Palat — Brayden Point — Steven Stamkos
Carter Verhaeghe — Tyler Johnson — Cory Conacher
Alex Killorn — Anthony Cirelli — Mathieu Joseph
Pat Maroon — Cedric Paquette — Yanni Gourde

Victor Hedman — Kevin Shattenkirk
Ryan McDonagh — Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev — Jan Rutta

Analysis

All good things come to an end. The Blackhawks’ winning streak was ended by the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Jonathan Toews stated the Blackhawks were tired from the arduous schedule. Despite the loss, the Blackhawks had a positive third period, getting goals from Connor Murphy and Erik Gustafsson. In addition to goals from Murphy and Gustafsson, Patrick Kane extended his point streak to 10 games and is second in the league with 17 points in the month of November. Kane needs one assist to hit 600 career assists.

Kane was not the only Blackhawks forward to extend a point streak. Rookie sensation Kirby Dach extended his career-long point streak to five games and became the third 18-year-old player in franchise history to have a point streak of five games or more. Only Bobby Hull (eight) and Eddie Olczyk (11) have longer point streaks in franchise history for 18-year-olds.

The Blackhawks’ goalie tandem continued to stay hot, as Robin Lehner recorded another amazing outing. Despite facing several two-on-zero attacks from the Hurricanes, Lehner recorded 29 saves on 32 shots. However, it will be Corey Crawford‘s turn in the net Thursday against the Lightning. In his last five games, Crawford is 3–0–2 with a .937 save percentage and 2.79 goals against average. The excellent goaltending has the fan base brimming with confidence in both goalies.

The Lightning come into Chicago in the midst of a two-game losing streak and are looking to regain their winning ways. The Blackhawks seem to be a get-well team for the Lightning, as Tampa Bay has swept the series for three consecutive years. If the Lightning want to continue their winning ways against the Blackhawks, they need Victor Hedman to continue to produce at a high level. Hedman is riding high on five-game point streak, his longest of the season.

Can the Blackhawks beat the Lightning during the regular season or will the recent regular-season dominance of the Lightning continue?

The post Preview/Game thread: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning appeared first on The Rink.

With no line changes from Saturday to Sunday, the Blackhawks trotted out the following line combinations:

Saad — Toews — Nylander

DeBrincat — Strome — Kane

Kubalik — Kampf — Shaw

Smith — Dach — Carpenter

Keith — Gustafsson

de Haan — Seabrook

Maatta — Murphy

Crawford

First period

The period began with a buzzing Blackhawks squad showing well early. In the first three minutes alone, the Blackhawks looked like they were ready to play, despite having played the night before.

The Sabres began to pick up their play as the period wore on, specifically almost capitalizing on a Crawford mistake. The Chicago netminder made a desperation save when scampering back to his net after playing a puck. Fortunately, the puck stayed out and Dominik Kubalik had a semi breakaway the other way, but he was ultimately denied by Buffalo goaltender Carter Hutton.

The best chance for the Hawks came after an Alex DeBrincat penalty. As the penalty expired, DeBrincat and Dylan Strome exchanged passes. Strome threw the puck behind the net in the offensive zone to “The Cat” and the undersized winger found Patrick Kane open in the slot. The point-blank bid was denied by Hutton, but could have easily been a goal given the nifty passing from that line.

Not too long after, the Blackhawks capitalized on their momentum following the failed Buffalo power play. A Duncan Keith outlet pass ended up on Kirby Dach’s stick as he skated to the defensive blue line. Dach set up a give-and-go with Kubalik as they passed through the neutral zone. Dach made an outstanding play on his individual effort, lowering his shoulder to shield a defender and put a backhand shot over Hutton’s shoulder for the first tally of the game and a 1–0 Chicago lead.

Kirby Dach going backhand! @NHLBlackhawks lead 1-0. Stream here: https://t.co/jQFUIagZqV pic.twitter.com/E87dXUahCk

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

Despite a late power play for the Blackhawks in the period, Chicago could not add to its lead. However, the Hawks took their 1–0 lead into the first intermission without issue after a fast first period between both teams. 

Second period

The middle frame did not lack any action, beginning in a similar fashion to that of the first period. In the first seven minutes of the period, both teams traded power play opportunities, but neither team could capitalize on their opportunity.

The majority of the period was defined by big saves from Crawford. The Hawks’ goaltender was superb, making numerous big stops on Sabre shooters. 

With about eight minutes remaining in the period, Dach nearly tallied his second goal of the game. Zach Smith tipped a puck at the blue line to open ice. Dach had a free chance from the top of the circles going in, but was denied by Hutton’s spectacular save. 

Under a minute later, Dach indeed picked up his second goal of the game. After the fourth line had a great chance before, head coach Jeremy Colliton sent that line back out there for another possession. Smith found Dach skating in and the rookie made a beautiful move to finish on the breakaway. Dach’s sneaky speed played a key on the play, as he was able to slip behind the Sabres’ defense and generate the open chance. 

Reminder that Kirby Dach is 18 years old… PRAY FOR THE LEAGUE

Stream the game here: https://t.co/eRyV0KGCum pic.twitter.com/G5bNYbnCRJ

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

To the surprise of many, Erik Gustafsson dropped the gloves with Buffalo forward Jimmy Vesey not long after Dach’s goal. One of the last people most Blackhawks fans would expect to fight put up a solid effort against Vesey.

Gloves. Off. pic.twitter.com/JVOVWpcTy5

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

Dach continued his dominance during the game by drawing a penalty. The 18-year-old skated into the offensive zone and nearly beat two Sabres defenders to get off an open shot. As he went to shoot, the Sabres took the penalty to prevent the quality chance and sent the home team to the man advantage. 

Just as the time was about to expire, Dach was called for interference on a strange play. Without a stick, Dach was skating to the bench. On his way back, he lit up Sam Reinhart, drawing the penalty.

The 2–0 lead was safe for now heading into the second intermission. Chicago continued to be outshot by the visitors, but Dach was the difference to that point. 

Third period

The Blackhawks began the third period by killing the Dach penalty with relative ease. To add to the action, the Blackhawks nearly ended the kill with a goal after Jonathan Toews was denied by Hutton on a two-on-one opportunity with Ryan Carpenter. 

Just a few minutes after the kill, the Blackhawks once again had a chance on the power play. The man advantage began with Andrew Shaw taking a face off to Hutton’s left. 

The face off resulted in a 50-50 puck that numerous players for both teams attempted to corral. In normal “Showtime” fashion, Kane used his quick hands to secure the puck, quickly turn around and rip a shot past Hutton to extend the Hawks’ lead to 3–0. The goal extended Kane’s point streak to nine games. 

9-game point streak for No. 88!#Showtime pic.twitter.com/0ewPhurG6x

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

Brandon Saad was denied twice on solid open chances in the period. On the second chance, Jake McCabe tied up Saad when he went to bury the chance with a backhand. To Saad’s credit, he stuck with the play and set up Toews to extend the Blackhawks’ lead to 4–0.

Toews from the slot. 4-0. #blackhawks #sabres pic.twitter.com/3lwb1dMf5J

— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) November 18, 2019

The third period had quite a pace to it. Just as Gene Honda was announcing the Toews goal, Calvin de Haan turned a puck over at the Hawks’ blue line and Jack Eichel had an open chance on Crawford. Eichel was able to capitalize and beat Crawford to give cut into the Blackhawks’ advantage at 4–1. 

Jack Eichel steals the puck and gets one on the board! #Sabres50 | @Jackeichel15 pic.twitter.com/F7GOoTdHol

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 18, 2019

The momentum was then in favor of the Sabres. Following the Eichel goal, Evan Rodrigues went to the net and nearly scored again, but the Sabres did draw a penalty, so they returned to the power play looking to close the scoring gap even further.

The Blackhawks controlled the Sabres on the man advantage. The Hawks generated the best chance of the Sabres’ man advantage when Saad had a breakaway from his own blue line in. Unfortunately, Saad could not get off a quality chance when trying to tuck the puck past Hutton.

The game had plenty of action for the rest of the game. In the last two minutes, Colliton threw Kane out on the ice with Dach to try and get the rookie his first career hat trick. Dach had a great backhand chance, but the shot sailed wide.

Despite the lack of a hat trick, the Blackhawks pick up their fourth consecutive win, downing the Sabres 4–1. 

Quick hits

• Someone call a Dach-tor: Kirby Dach was spectacular in this game. I am not underselling that either. He was all over the ice, using his speed, creating chances with effort and was a difference maker in this game. Dach has proven he belongs in the NHL, and, in his first season, could be a surprise that many fans did not expect as his confidence continues to grow each game.
• The Crow: Corey Crawford had another great game for the Blackhawks. The goaltending for the Hawks has been arguably the biggest strength for this team and Crawford continued that effort against the Sabres. He is 11–0 in his career against the boys from Buffalo and he and Robin Lehner put on a show over the course of the weekend back-to-back.
• This team is fun again: Not only was Connor Murphy a welcomed addition to the lineup against Nashville, but this team is beginning to play with confidence and swag. The Blackhawks are fun to watch again. There I said it. Are they perfect? No. Are they the teams of old? No. Are they fun to watch and giving fans a sense of hope for something positive in the future? Absolutely. At this point, the Blackhawks are trending toward being the hottest ticket in town once again, especially with how the Bears and Bulls are playing.

The Blackhawks will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday at the United Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks flying high, down Sabres for fourth straight victory appeared first on The Rink.

Drake Caggiula was held out of tonight’s game for concussion protocol, while Corey Crawford started in net, attempting to win the franchise’s first game against Vegas (0–5–2).

Chicago Blackhawks lines and pairings

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

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Olli Maatta — Adam Boqvist

First period
Within the first minute of action, Zack Smith was awarded a penalty shot, which rang off the crossbar after beating Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The penalty shot was followed up by an excellent save by Crawford on forward Reilly Smith’s backhand attempt. Only 90 seconds into the first period and both teams had top-notch chances to take the early lead.

Zack Smith hits the crossbar on a penalty shot 44 seconds into the game. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/5BYjFmK81j

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 14, 2019

At the 2:58 mark, Vegas fourth-line forward William Carrier deflected a shot from defenseman Nicolas Hague in front, beating Crawford for the first goal of the game. The goal, Carrier’s third goal of the season, was assisted by Hague and center Nicolas Roy for a 1–0 Vegas lead.

Chicago’s Andrew Shaw was called for a hooking violation at the 5:31 mark, resulting in the Golden Knights’ first power play of the game. Vegas took advantage. Forward William Karlsson scored his fifth goal of the season, doubling Vegas’s lead to 2–0.

Only 16 seconds later, Patrick Kane put Chicago on the board after he beat Fleury with a pretty one-time goal. The goal extends Kane’s point streak to seven games. Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat assisted on the tally, which cut the Vegas advantage in half at 2–1.

The Great 8-8#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/s8MeHvtvEb

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 14, 2019

A few moments later, Jonathan Toews had a breakaway that was denied by Fleury. Toews’ five-hole attempt to tie the score continued a wave of offensive chances for both teams, as both struggled to show any signs of defensive responsibility. After an entertaining first period of play, Vegas led in shots 16–7.

Second period
After a Calvin de Haan turnover, Vegas forward Alex Tuch beat Crawford for what appeared to be the Golden Knights’ third goal of the game. However, after video review, it was determined that the puck did not cross the goal line, hitting the crossbar and then left post. The video review was an obvious call even to the most casual viewer.

At the 15:51 mark, de Haan ripped a shot past Fleury, beating the goaltender glove side. The goal gave the first-year Blackhawks’ defenseman his first marker on the season and evened the score at 2–2. Zack Smith and Kirby Dach assisted on the play. The assist gave Smith 100 helpers for his 12-year career.

Calvin de Haan took the elevator all the way to the ROOF!

We're TIED. @NHLBlackhawks #CHIvsVGK

: NBCSN
: https://t.co/GHTKRT60oM pic.twitter.com/9A95xwrhkR

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) November 14, 2019

Erik Gustafsson gave Chicago its first lead of the game at 3–2 after beating Fleury for his first goal this season. Gustafsson did an excellent job of finding ice in the middle of the defense in the offensive zone, allowing Strome to feed him with a slick pass.

Erik Gustafsson’s first goal of the season is a beauty. Top shelf. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/BnBCxqHZ4A

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 14, 2019

Adding to the wildness of the first 30 minutes of the game, a questionable penalty given to Crawford for throwing his stick at Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault resulted in the second penalty shot of the game. However, Marchessault could not beat Crawford after a half-hearted fake and shot.

Corey Crawford denies Jonathan Marchessault on a penalty shot. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/DeacHLBebT

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 14, 2019

After two periods of play, Chicago led the game 3–2 while being outshot 31–17.

Third period
Chicago’s fourth consecutive goal came off of the stick of Dach at the 3:57 mark of the period. The 18-year-old rookie took an errant shot from Ryan Carpenter and beat Fleury for this third goal this season, doubling Chicago’s lead at 4–2. Smith earned his second assist of the game on the play.

Lucky Dach!

Kirby throws the puck in the net on the rebound. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/O6lOxBxNRQ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 14, 2019

Not much action occurred until Adam Boqvist was called for interference at the 11:20 mark in the period. The ensuing power play gave Vegas a jump in their step and some momentum, but the home team could not solve the Chicago penalty kill.

Strome extended the Chicago lead after taking a nice saucer pass from DeBrincat before beating Fleury over the glove for Strome’s fourth goal this season, putting the game out of reach at 5–2. Kane also assisted on the play.

Calm, cool and collected#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/eto5ROa8GA

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 14, 2019

In what could have been the most entertaining game of the season, the craziness was not over quite yet, as Vegas cut into the Chicago lead at the 18:59 mark when Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt beat Crawford to bring the score to 5–3.

Vegas pulled Fleury for the extra attacker, but Chicago held tough and defeated Vegas for the first time in their short existence.

The good
Chicago came back from a 2–0 deficit and scored five unanswered goals.

Head coach Jeremy Colliton had mentioned in past weeks about the importance of playing well in the second period. Crawford was outstanding with 15 saves and the defense chipped in with two goals from the back end.

Kirby Dach, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, Zack Smith and Dylan Strome had multi-point games.

Crawford was spectacular tonight. The 34-year-old veteran stopped 39 shots. This performance gives him three straight strong appearances.

The bad
The defense allowed 31 shots through two periods and allowed 42 for the game. With average goaltending, this game could have had a completely different outcome.

Please comment below.

The post RECAP: Chicago defeats Vegas 5–3 in entertaining fashion appeared first on The Rink.

The big news with the lineup going into Saturday’s game was Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist being healthy scratches. There was a lot of confusion from Blackhawks fans upon the news. With the two youngsters sitting, the lineup was as follows: 

Saad – Toews – Nylander

DeBrincat – Strome – Kane

Kubalik – Kampf – Shaw

Smith – Carpenter – Caggiula

Keith – Gustafsson

de Haan – Seabrook

Koekkoek – Maatta

Crawford

First period

The opening frame started with the Penguins generating numerous quality chances. However, Corey Crawford stood tall and looked great once again after a very good game against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. 

Crawford not only looked good in net, but he was also not taking anything nonsense from the Penguins. Just after the halfway point of the period, Alex Galchenyuk took a puck to the net and ended up making contact with Crawford. The Blackhawks’ goaltender came up swinging and words were exchanged between a number of players.

The best chance of the period may have been a Brandon Saad shot that caught the post behind Matt Murray. Outside of that, neither team was able to crack the opposing goaltender. 

The Blackhawks and Penguins entered the first intermission tied at zero. There were solid chances for both sides, but neither team could find the back of the net. The Blackhawks showed good energy in the period, but couldn’t translate that energy into results. 

Second period

The middle frame proved to be a much better period for the visitors. The Blackhawks were finally able to crack the code against Matt Murray.

Just after the seven-minute mark, Chicago had a three-on-one rush with Brandon Saad, Slater Koekkoek and Dominik Kubalik. Saad carried the puck into the zone before dropping the puck back for Koekkoek. Rather than shooting or passing the puck to Kubalik, Koekkoek returned the pass to Saad, hitting Saad in the skate. The winger kicked the puck to his stick and quickly found Kubalik on the other side of the ice for a beautiful goal. 

Tic. Tac. Toe.

Good guys jump in front. Stream: https://t.co/gnXSKgjn5h pic.twitter.com/Zthx8PCcMc

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 10, 2019

Not long after the opening goal, the ‘Hawks struck again. Calvin de Haan deposited the puck to Patrick Kane, who led a two-on-one into the zone with Brandon Saad. Kane held on to the puck the whole way and wired a shot under the left arm of Matt Murray, giving the Blackhawks a 2–0 lead. The goal was Kane’s sixth of the year.

Showtime extends his points streak to five games, and the #Blackhawks extend their lead to 2-0: pic.twitter.com/qk52VcEn59

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 10, 2019

Crawford was continually spectacular throughout the period. However, it is tough to defend a perfect chance when your defenseman turns the puck over. Slater Koekkoek turned a puck over and gave Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel a two-on-one chance. Malkin found Guentzel all alone, wide open in front of Crawford and the Penguins winger buried the pass to cut the ‘Hawks’ lead in half. 

Beautiful pass. Beautiful goal. pic.twitter.com/tMbVVAhDOs

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 10, 2019

Fortunately, the rest of the period yielded no damage to the Blackhawks and they took their 2–1 lead into the second intermission, looking to put away the Penguins and pick up two critical points in Pittsburgh.

Third period

Although the ‘Hawks had the lead, they would ultimately lose that lead. After some good chances for both teams, the Blackhawks failed to clear a puck just after the ten-minute mark of the period. After the Penguins cycled the puck and had some looks at Crawford, defenseman John Marino threw a puck over to a wide-open Bryan Rust for a big game-tying goal. 

Bryan Rust extends his point streak to six games (5G-2A), a career high. pic.twitter.com/HaACSds4A9

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 10, 2019

Unfortunately, the Blackhawks could not add a third goal and the game ultimately required overtime. Both teams had numerous quality chances, but the goaltenders continued to put together great games for their respective clubs. 

The biggest news to note from the third period was the departure of Sidney Crosby. After blocking a shot in the period, Crosby then left the game and did not return. The Penguins were without their captain for the remainder of the game. 

Overtime

Overtime was very high paced for both teams. The Blackhawks had great possession during the extra frame, ultimately winning the time of possession battle. However, the Blackhawks could not generate anything and the game was forced into a shootout.

Shootout

• The Penguins’ first shooter was Jake Guentzel, who already had a goal earlier in the game. Guentzel made a sweet move on Crawford and snuck the puck through his five-hole.
• Jonathan Toews led off the shootout for the Blackhawks. Unfortunately, Toews was denied on his bid and opened the door for the Penguins.
• Evgeni Malkin shot second for the Penguins and was denied by Crawford. Crawford made an excellent save with his left toe to deny the elite center.
• Patrick Kane was the Blackhawks’ second shooter, and in typical Kane fashion, snuck the puck blocker side to knot the shootout up at one.
• Jared McCann was up the third shooter for the Penguins. McCann snapped off a wicked shot to beat Crawford blocker side and give the Pens the 2–1 shootout lead. 

Guentzel and McCann score in the shootout to lock down the two points. pic.twitter.com/Bo5Bqlf3Ev

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) November 10, 2019

The final third Blackhawks shooter was Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat was denied by Murray, giving the Penguins the shootout victory.

Quick hits

• Energy was good: The energy was solid for the Blackhawks on Saturday night. They played an overall solid game, despite losing a 2–0 lead in the contest. This game is certainly one with a lot of good that the team can build on, so it will be interesting to see how they respond against Toronto.
• Crow is back?: Corey Crawford was very good once again after his great performance on Thursday night. If the Blackhawks can continue to get that type of goaltending from Crawford, then the Blackhawks may have the best goaltending duo in the league with Lehner and Crawford.
• Why sit the kids?: A big question mark in this game was sitting Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist. In a game where youth and speed could have been useful, the Blackhawks decided to sit the two young promising stars. I think Blackhawks fans, like myself, would much rather see Boqvist playing defense than Slater Koekkoek, who cost the Blackhawks a goal in this game.

The Blackhawks return home on Sunday to welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs to town. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST. As Eddy Olyczk would say, “One of those great six o’clock starts!”

The post RECAP: Blackhawks spoil two goal lead, lose to Penguins 3–2 in shootout appeared first on The Rink.

6:00 p.m. CST
PPG Paints Arena
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

Projected starting goaltenders

Chicago — Corey Crawford (2–4–1, .901 save percentage, 3.50 goals-against average)
Pittsburgh — Matt Murray (8–3–1, .914 save percentage, 2.40 goals-against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (14.6%, 23rd)
Pittsburgh (13.3%, 25th)

Penalty kill
Chicago (80.0%, 19th)
Pittsburgh (86.8%, fourth)

Shots for/against
Chicago
-30.5, 21st
-35.8, 30th
Pittsburgh
-34.7, fourth
-29.1, third

Shooting percentage
Chicago (6.18%, 30th)
Pittsburgh (8.95%, 12th)

Face-off percentage
Chicago (48.1%, 25th)
Pittsburgh (50.5%, 11th)

Average height and weight
Chicago — 6-foot-1, 196 pounds
Pittsburgh — 6-foot-1, 193 pounds

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Alexander Nylander
Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane
Dominik Kubalik — David Kampf — Zack Smith
Drake Caggiula — Ryan Carpenter — Andrew Shaw

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Olli Maatta — Slater Koekkoek

Pittsburgh Penguins

Alex Galchenyuk – Sidney Crosby – Jake Guentzel
Jared McCann – Evgeni Malkin – Bryan Rust
Dominik Simon – Nick Bjugstad – Dominik Kahun
Zach Aston-Reese – Teddy Blueger – Brandon Tanev

Brian Dumoulin – John Marino
Marcus Pettersson – Justin Schultz
Jack Johnson – Juuso Riikola

Analysis

Following a much needed 5–2 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night, the Blackhawks head to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins.  Pittsburgh is coming off a 4–3 overtime win against the New York Islanders, Thursday night.  In the win, the Penguins fell behind 3–0 to the Islanders before screaming back in the third period and scoring four unanswered goals while outshooting New York 39–23 overall.

Chicago also had an exciting Thursday evening.  Corey Crawford and the Blackhawks jumped out to a first period 2–0 lead and scored three more in the third period to beat the Canucks 5–2.  In probably his strongest outing of the season, Crawford made 36 saves.  Patrick Kane (one goal, two assists) and Dylan Strome (three assists) each finished with three points apiece and former Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta had two assists.

The story of the game will rely on the Penguins sitting near the top of the league in shots on goal per game, while also holding opponents to just 29 shots per game. Additionally, the Blackhawks hold a pretty paltry 1–4–1 road record this season while the Penguins are 5–3–1 at the PPG Paints Arena.  Goalie Corey Crawford is 9–1–0 with 1.66 goals-against average and .949 save percentage against the Penguins over his career.  Head Coach Jeremy Colliton stated after the morning skate that rookies Adam Boqvist and Kirby Dach will both be taking the night off as per their “development plan.”

Will the Blackhawks continue to be anemic on the road or will they finally break through against a quality (and better) Eastern Conference opponent?

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

The post Preview/Game thread Chicago Blackhawks at Pittsburgh Penguins appeared first on The Rink.

Jeremy Colliton went with Corey Crawford in net against Vancouver. Crawford came into the game with a career 8–5–4 record, .912 save percentage and 2.59 GAA in 18  regular season games against the Canucks. The lineup was without Dominik Kubalík for the first time this season, and Slater Koekkoek was the other healthy scratch on the night. The lines and pairings were as follows:

Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Alexander Nylander

Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane

Drake Caggiula — Kirby Dach — Andrew Shaw

Zack Smith — David Kampf — Ryan Carpenter

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson

Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook

Olli Maatta — Adam Boqvist

1st Period

The Blackhawks got the first five minutes of the game off on the right foot, out-shooting and out-pacing the Canucks with consistent pressure and pucks on net from every angle. Chicago surpassed their shot total from Tuesday night’s first period against the San Jose Sharks (3) within the first four minutes of action.

Chicago’s efforts were rewarded in the form of a highlight-reel goal from Alex DeBrincat 6:41 into the opening period.

UNREAL GOAL, @Brinksy97! pic.twitter.com/Z81aVsvXXR

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

Falling between a trio of Canucks defenders, DeBrincat threw the puck on net in desperation and it beat Jacob Markstrom for the 1–0 tally, his fifth goal of the season. With the goal, DeBrincat passed Ed Olczyk for the 5th most career even strength goals by a Blackhawks player before turning 22 years old with 52 goals, according to TSN Statscentre. 

Chicago was able to continue the early momentum, turning the tables from Tuesday and putting 15 shots on net to the Canucks’ three shots, through the first 13 minutes of the game.

Duncan Keith nearly put the Blackhawks up by two, but passed up a wide open opportunity to pass to David Kampf, who had to reach well behind him to get the puck and his shot was ultimately blocked before reaching the net.

.@shawz15er makes it 2-0 @NHLBlackhawks!

LOVE TO SEE IT (all caps necessary) pic.twitter.com/myyqzLZMHN

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

As the period wound down, the Blackhawks found themselves on the powerplay late. Andrew Shaw found himself some ice in the middle of the Vancouver penalty-kill and a tic-tac-toe setup from Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome gave the Blackhawks the 2–0 lead on Shaw’s third goal of the season.

The period ended with the Blackhawks on the penalty-kill and the shots on goal even at 17–17, but the score 2–0 in favor of Chicago.

2nd Period

With just over a minute of a penalty-kill left on the clock to begin the period, the Blackhawks were unable to hold the two-goal lead as the Canucks got on the board with the man-advantage on a J.T. Miller goal right on the doorstep. Miller’s seventh goal of the season made it a 2–1 game with 18:57 to play in the second period.

pic.twitter.com/0DMNCaXBoS

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

Arguably, there could have been a review for a kicking motion on the goal, but the puck was deemed to have gone off Miller’s stick. Just a few minutes later, Markstrom made a pair of point-blank saves on Jonathan Toews to keep Vancouver in the game early on in the second period.

Unlike the beginning of the first period, Corey Crawford was forced to make a number of high-danger saves in the second period to keep the Blackhawks one-goal lead alive to the mid-way point of the period. At one point in the game, Chicago led in shots on goal with a 14–3 lead, at the mid-way point of the game, the Canucks had taken the shots on goal lead with 27 to Chicago’s 25.

Book-ending the second period with penalties to kill, Strome took a slashing penalty with just over three minutes remaining in the period. Chicago would be able to kill off the short-handed time and head to the second intermission still holding the 2-1 lead. Shots on goal through two periods favored the Canucks by a 29–27 mark.

3rd Period

The Blackhawks took the ice in the third period to the tune of REO Speedwagon’s “Ridin’ the Storm Out.” While that it is a rocking song, not quite the energy that Chicago may want to channel with a one-goal lead at home.

Jacob Markstrom had an interesting night in between the pipes for the Canucks and nearly had an empty net chance allowed as he went on his second adventure of the game going to play the puck, but the Blackhawks were unable to convert. Drake Caggiula was able to draw a Canucks penalty near the mid-way point of the third period to try to give Chicago a bit of momentum on the powerplay, but nothing would come of it except for a scoring chance for Vancouver.

SHOWTIME on the power play! pic.twitter.com/VtiiygZc5q

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

Truly riding the storm out through the third period, the Blackhawks were on their heels for most of the twenty minutes of action, despite having multiple powerplay chances. But it would be Kane firing a shot from the top of the left circle on the man-advantage that would get by Markstrom and give the Blackhawks a 3–1 lead with just over five minutes to play in regulation. The powerplay tally would tie Kane with Denis Savard for fifth-most powerplay goals (101) by a Blackhawks player 30-years old or younger.

The second powerplay goal of the night marked the first multi-powerplay goal night for the Blackhawks this season. It was also Kane’s fifth goal of the season and his third point on the night. All good things.

David Kampf would get an empty-net goal to make it a 4–1 game and then the Canucks would add a 4–2 goal from ‘Shotgun’ Jake Virtanen with just over a minute to play and in the final moments of the game Brandon Saad added another empty-net goal to finally finish off Vancouver for a 5–2 win.

Brandon Saad pots an empty-net goal to give the #Blackhawks a 5-2 lead with 3 seconds to play in regulation. The over/under was set at 6. #CHIvsVAN

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) November 8, 2019

Blackhawks getting their third regulation win of the season and fifth win of the season. Crawford made 36 saves on 38 shots faced and improved his record to 2–4–1 this season with a .900 save percentage.

Plus

• With the powerplay goal in the first period, the Blackhawks have now scored at least one powerplay goal in three of the their last four games. Chicago holds a 14.6 powerplay percentage this season, good for 23rd in the NHL. Tonight marked the first time since December 9, 2018 that the Blackhawks had at least six powerplay chances in a game.

Minus

• Despite the win, it was another night where the Blackhawks were out-shot and out-chanced by their opposition. With the offense not scoring at the same clip it was last season behind career-best years from Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, Chicago will need to shore up this aspect of their game if they are going to right the ship.

Finally, some postgame fun from Patrick Kane and Andrew Shaw, messing with the local media.

Step Brothers style… Kaner and Shaw went to the interview together pic.twitter.com/okf68Yw3Dw

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

The Chicago Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday night as they travel to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop on Saturday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.

FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS

The post RECAP: Blackhawks ride the storm out, top Canucks 5-2 appeared first on The Rink.

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

Probable starters

Chicago — Corey Crawford (1–4–1, .892 save percentage, 3.74 goals against average)
Vancouver — Jacob Markstrom (5–2–3, .918 save percentage, 2.45 goals against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (11.9%, 28th)
Vancouver (21.9%, 11th)

Penalty kill
Chicago (80.4%, 19th)
Vancouver (88.7%, Third)

Shots for/against
Chicago (30.1, 22nd; 35.6, 30th)
Vancouver (34.0, Seventh; 30.3, 23rd)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (7.8%)
Vancouver (10.2%)

Face off percentage
Chicago (49.2%, 19th)
Vancouver (54.5%, Second)

Average height and weight
Chicago — 6-foot-1, 196 pounds
Vancouver — 6-foot-1, 199 pounds

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Alexander Nylander
Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane
Zack Smith — David Kampf — Kirby Dach
Drake Caggiula — Ryan Carpenter — Andrew Shaw

Duncan Keith — Adam Boqvist
Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook
Olli Maatta — Erik Gustafsson

Vancouver Canucks

Tanner Pearson — Bo Horvat — Adam Gaudette
J.T. Miller — Elias Pettersson —  Brock Boeser
Josh Leivo — Brandon Sutter — Jake Virtanen
Tim Schaller — Jay Beagle — Loui Eriksson

Alexander Edler — Tyler Myers
Quinn Hughes — Chris Tanev
Jordie Benn — Troy Stecher

Analysis

In the Blackhawks’ last contest, against the San Jose Sharks, the team showed all the hallmarks of the Jeremy Colliton era. The team played poorly on defense and did not produce enough offense to defeat an inferior opponent. It has been one year since Colliton took over the Blackhawks and the team has regressed in almost every category. In an offseason filled with genuine optimism, the regular season has produced nothing but angst toward Colliton and General Manager Stan Bowman.

In the loss to the Sharks, Chicago’s confidence seemed to erode. However, there were a few glimmers of hope. Robin Lehner continues to be the one ray of light during these dark times. Lehner notched his 100th career victory against the Sharks and is fourth Swedish goaltender to reach the 100-win milestone. Another positive was the Blackhawks’ penalty kill, which killed off three penalties against San Jose. Since Oct. 29, Blackhawks have killed off 16 of 17 penalties, good for 93.8% during that span.

In returning to the United Center, the Blackhawks look to improve upon their 1–4–1 home record. Their next opponent figures to pose a huge challenge in the resurgent Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks have been a very good road team, going 5–3–1 on the road this season. Coming off their overtime loss to St. Louis, they look to get back to their winning ways in their second of back-to-back games and it is the first time all season Vancouver has played road games on consecutive nights. If the Blackhawks hope to stop the Canucks they need to slow down Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat. Pettersson has 14 points in his last seven games, while Horvat has 11 points in his last seven games.

Despite Lehner playing well of late in the Chicago crease, Colliton is opting for Corey Crawford between the pipes tonight against Vancouver. Also of note is Colliton’s decision to make Dominik Kubalik a healthy scratch for the first time in his career and inserting Zack Smith in Kubalik’s place.

Can the Blackhawks play up to the level of the red-hot Canucks or will this be a similar effort to the one we saw in San Jose?

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

The post Preview/Game thread: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton mixed up the lines and defense pairings once again in hopes of something working out. Erik Gustafsson, Dennis Gilbert, and Drake Caggiula were the scratches tonight. Corey Crawford started in net for the visitors.

These were the Blackhawks’ starting lines:

Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Alexander Nylander

Dominik Kubalik – David Kampf – Patrick Kane

Zack Smith – Kirby Dach – Andrew Shaw

Alex DeBrincat – Ryan Carpenter – Dylan Strome

Duncan Keith – Adam Boqvist

Calvin de Haan – Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek – Olli Maata

First period

The first ten minutes of this game could not have been more brutal for the Blackhawks. The Kings circled the puck around them at the start, and they didn’t wait to score on the visitors. Slater Koekkoek and David Kampf pinched along the boards and the puck found an open Kyle Clifford, who wristed the puck past Corey Crawford.

Less than two minutes later, Olli Maatta and Calvin de Haan left an open gap for Matt Roy to get a clear wrist shit on Crawford. The Blackhawks goaltender barely reacted to the shot and it went past his right shoulder to give the Kings a 2-0 lead. The linesman then headed over to Chicago’s bench, signaling that Crawford was going to be pulled off by the concussion spotter after being hit in the mask with a shot prior to letting this goal in.

Here's where it appeared Crawford may have been injured and why he was probably pulled to be checked pic.twitter.com/O4WbBNKOiO

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) November 3, 2019

Slater Koekkoek then tossed the puck over the glass and took a delay of game penalty. Luckily, Robin Lehner didn’t let a shot past him and the Blackhawks killed the penalty off. In the first 8:25 of the period, the Kings outshot the visitors 10-0.

Kings forward Adrian Kempe then took an interference penalty, and Chicago finally got some consistent time in the offensive zone on the power play. Kirby Dach and Alexander Nylander exchanged passes down low until Nylander tossed the puck to Dach in front of the net. He slipped a backhand pass to Dominik Kubalik, who buried the shot past Jack Campbell and brought the Blackhawks within a goal. This goal also broke the team’s 0-for-21 streak on the man advantage.

The good news continued when Corey Crawford returned from concussion protocol just five minutes after going to the locker room. The Blackhawks continued to pressure the Kings and had good scoring chances. Kings goaltender Jack Campbell made some great saves, one in particular on Jonathan Toews with less than five minutes to go in the period.

What a save by Campbell on Toews pic.twitter.com/otpy2JSyJ3

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) November 3, 2019

Chicago kept pressuring the Kings and eventually, it was too much. Dominik Kubalik, who had an outstanding first period, forced Jack Campbell to turn the puck over to David Kampf. He didn’t miss his chance to score in the empty net.

The Blackhawks and Kings headed into the intermission tied 2-2 with the Kings on the power play after a Calvin de Haan interference penalty. The home team outshot the visitors 17-12, and it was great to see Chicago recover from an abysmal start to the game.

Second period

For everything that happened in the first 20 minutes, the start of the second frame was a bit more calm. The Blackhawks killed off de Haan’s penalty that carried over from the end of the first period. Kirby Dach almost connected with Adam Boqvist for a great scoring opportunity, but the pass was intercepted by the Kings’ defense.

The Blackhawks then got caught in their own zone for what seemed like forever after a botched line change. Los Angeles maintained pressure offensively and none of Patrick Kane, Dominik Kubalik, Adam Boqvist, and Duncan Keith were able to get off the ice for around three minutes. Luckily, Corey Crawford kept every shot out of the net on that long shift.

Penalty trouble hit the Blackhawks as Ryan Carpenter sat for hooking, but the visitors killed it off. Still, they were never able to gain momentum and the ice was heavily tilted in favor of the Kings. Olli Maatta took the second penalty of the period for the Blackhawks with around four minutes to go, but Crawford and the penalty kill units didn’t allow a goal with a man down that time, either. They were also blessed by Alex Iafallo hitting the crossbar.

#GoKingsGo | #HNILA pic.twitter.com/XjkGbkylxN

— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 3, 2019

In the last minute or so of play, the Blackhawks finally got a few decent chances, but nothing went in the net. Chicago and Los Angeles remained tied at 2 heading into the second intermission. The Kings outshot the Blackhawks 18-8 in the middle frame and led 35-20 in shots for the game.

Third period

Bad times continued for the Blackhawks in the final twenty minutes of regulation. The Kings continued to dominate offensively while the visitors generated very few scoring opportunities. They did not even record a shot on goal in the first ten minutes of the period.

Corey Crawford continued to stop chance after chance while his team let the Kings skate in circles around them, but you can’t stop everything when pressure is being put on you like that. Andrew Shaw let Dustin Brown skate right by him along the boards. Brown slid a pass to a wide-open Michael Amadio for an easy tap-in goal to give Los Angeles a 3-2 lead.

The Blackhawks didn’t play like a team down a goal, though. They continued to let the Kings create all types of offense while they scrambled in the defensive zone, forcing Crawford to bail them out time and time again.

With about two minutes left in the third, Jeremy Colliton pulled Crawford to make it 6-on-5. And then it was the Patrick Kane show. He held onto the puck along the boards and searched for a passing lane, specifically eyeing the other side of the ice. Kane found Toews with a cross-ice pass, and the captain didn’t miss burying the snap shot to tie the game at 3.

Jonathan Toews ties the game for the #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/x1O8WhWfx7

— Juliana Nikac (@juliananikac) November 3, 2019

The Blackhawks and the Kings headed into overtime with the Los Angeles holding a 45-25 shot advantage over Chicago.

Overtime

The Blackhawks started 3-on-3 overtime with their usual trio of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith. Chances were exchanged at both ends of the ice, with Campbell and Crawford stopping some great shots.

In the middle of the overtime period, Alex Nylander had a burst of speed and created a 2-on-0 chance, but it looked like he attempted to pass the puck instead of take the shot. The Kings flew the other way and had an opportunity of their own.

With a minute and a half left, Adam Boqvist had himself a great scoring chance, but didn’t get back in time to stop the 2-on-1 the Kings had on Nylander. Corey Crawford made a nice stop on Tyler Toffoli, but had no idea the puck was sitting behind him. Drew Doughty did, though, and he slid the waiting puck home to win the game for the Kings.

Drew Doughty ain't missing from there
LA KINGS WIN #GoKingsGo | #HNILA pic.twitter.com/5ywu17CfhD

— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 3, 2019

The final shot totals were 49-27 in favor of Los Angeles. The Kings also out-attempted the Blackhawks 79-47.

Pluses

• The penalty kill surprisingly looks great. The Blackhawks killed all four penalties they took tonight. With how brutal their defense is 5-on-5, it’s good to see they’ve figured out something when they’re down a man.
• Jonathan Toews had his best game of the season tonight. He drove play, had some edge to his game, and scored the game-tying goal in the final minutes of regulation. The captain had a few great scoring chances and was finally rewarded. Hopefully this game can ignite Toews and get him on a roll. This team really needs him.
• After a tough start to the game, Corey Crawford looked fantastic. He was the sole reason the Blackhawks even got a point out of tonight’s game. That’s a great sign for a player who’s struggled to begin the season.

Minuses

• The line blender from Jeremy Colliton has to stop. I get that they’re struggling offensively right now, but they’re also not going to get anything going if the lines are being switched every game, during practice, and also every game. There’s obvious chemistry between certain players. Figure it out because this team has way too much offensive firepower to be struggling this much night in and night out.

The Blackhawks will head down the highway tomorrow night to face the Anaheim Ducks as they continue this road trip. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall 4-3 to Kings in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

Sitting in 6th place in the Central Division, the Blackhawks now have some work to do on the road. They have been getting mostly stellar goaltending from Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner, but the Hawks can’t seem to prevail in one-goal games.

The Hawks had an opportunity to get back on track Saturday against the Carolina Hurricanes.  Here’s the full recap.

First period

After Chicago’s poor performance against the Flyers on Thursday, Colliton was looking for more work ethic from his team to start the game Saturday.  Almost immediately after puck drop, Corey Crawford was faced with high danger chances.  Andrei Svechnikov found the puck near the side of the net for a shot in close, but Crawford came up with the save.  Brent Seabrook had some issues in the first,  turning the puck over and getting beat by Carolina’s quick forwards such as Sebastian Aho.

But not all was bad.  Although Brandon Saad wasn’t on their line today, Dominik Kubalik and David Kampf continued to be strong on the forecheck, producing good shots on net.  Kirby Dach also showed ability in the transition game, although his strength on the puck in the corners was exposed against big defenseman like Joel Edmundson.

Just five minutes into the first period, Duncan Keith was called for a high sticking minor.  Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, this led to a Svechnikov power play goal.  But just a few minutes later, the Hawks had their turn, when Jake Gardiner tripped Alex Nylander in the Canes zone.  Nothing came of the power play, but the Blackhawks did gain some momentum.  Specifically in the last five minutes, the Hawks had chances from Keith, Alex DeBrincat, and Jonathan Toews, but goaltender Petr Mrazek made all the saves.  The period ended with shots even 12-12 but the Canes up 1-0.

YEAH SVECH!!! pic.twitter.com/DUOB4n08JU

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 26, 2019

Second Period

The Canes started the second period with a heavy forecheck, forcing the Blackhawks to regroup quite often in their own zone.  Dach had more good looks, especially on one strong drive to the net.  He isn’t like other rookies where they just pass to veteran players.  Dach is legitimately trying to make and finish plays on his own sometimes.

Corey Crawford stood strong making big save after big save through the second.  And even though he started the game on the 4th line, Dylan Strome found himself along on a breakaway only to be stopped by Mrazek..

#crOwMG pic.twitter.com/kUlNDz7l99

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 26, 2019

Midway through the period, Dach had the puck in the corner when Svechnikov laid a huge hit on him.  There was no immediate reaction from the Blackhawks, but after the play Erik Gusfasson gave Svechnikov a crosscheck.  The Blackhawks had one power play in the period that came from a Martin Necas hooking call, but the Canes killed it off.

In the final minute of the period, the Canes were putting on serious pressure in the Hawks zone when Nino Niederreiter scored putting Carolina up 2-0 going into the third.

Give me fuel!!
Give me fire!!
Give me Nino Niederreiter!! pic.twitter.com/3kYAgp4xyM

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 26, 2019

Third Period

The third period started poorly for the Blackhawks when Dach got called for a holding minor.  The Canes capitalized on a Sebastian Aho setup to a Jordan Staal goal.  At 3-0, even Crawford was trying to get the offense going by passing the puck from behind the goal up ice to his forwards.

The Hawks couldn’t get much going until late in the period when Nylander drew another tripping minor.  But the Canes killed off the Hawks third power play of the day.  Despite being up late in the third period, Carolina continued to put the pedal to the metal: finishing checks, getting the puck in deep, and giving the Blackhawks no room to skate.

With a minute remaining, Svechnikov scored his second goal of the game.  The final score was 4-0 Carolina with the Blackhawks leading in shots 32-31.  It’s important to note that Carolina blocked 20 shots to Chicago’s nine.

Remember the magic words tomorrow…

"I'M A CANIAC AND IT'S BO TIME"

cc: @Bojangles1977 pic.twitter.com/S1t0VozZQj

— x – Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) October 26, 2019

What’s Next?

The Blackhawks won’t have much time to forget about this loss.  They get on a plane today and head back to Chicago to face the LA Kings Sunday night.  Today was more of the same with the Blackhawks.  Solid goaltending paired with a lackluster defense and non-existent forwards.

Colliton is doing his best to make this a hard-working team, but the chemistry doesn’t seem to be there.  The Hawks went through something similar last year when they lost several games in a row in the middle of the season.  But with a few really good teams in the central pulling away, it looks like Chicago could be battling uphill for the rest of the year with this kind of start.

The post Recap: Blackhawks blanked 4-0 by Svechnikov, Hurricanes appeared first on The Rink.

12:00 p.m. CDT

United Center

TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

Projected starters

Chicago — Corey Crawford (1–3–0, .891 save percentage, 3.58 goals against average)

Carolina  — Petr Mrazek (4–1–1, .888 save percentage, 2.86 goals against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (11.5%, 25th)
Carolina (17.6%, 21st)

Penalty kill
Chicago (76.0%, 24th)
Carolina (75.0%, 17th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.3, 11th; 32.4, 10th)
Carolina (33.1, eighth; 29.1, 26th)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (7.8%)
Carolina (9.7%)

Face off percentage
Chicago (48.7%, 23rd)
Carolina (49.6%, 19th)

Average height and weight
Chicago — 6-foot-1, 198 pounds
Carolina — 6-foot-2, 200 pounds

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

Alex DeBrincat — Jonathan Toews — Andrew Shaw

  Dylan Strome — Kirby Dach — Patrick Kane

Brandon Saad — David Kampf — Dominik Kubalik

 Drake Caggiula — Ryan Carpenter — Alexander Nylander

Duncan Keith — Calvin de Haan

Olli Maatta — Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek — Erik Gustafsson

Carolina Hurricanes

Andrei Svechnikov — Sebastian Aho — Teuvo Teravainen

Nino Niederreiter — Jordan Staal — Warren Foegele

Ryan Dzingel — Erik Haula — Martin Necas

Brian Gibbons — Brock McGinn — Lucas Wallmark

Jaccob Slavin — Dougie Hamilton

Joel Edmundson — Brett Pesce

Jake Gardiner — Trevor van Riemsdyk

Analysis

In their previous game, the Blackhawks were outworked by the Philadelphia Flyers in what turned out to be their worst loss of the season. Head Coach Jeremy Colliton pointed out the team’s lack of effort. The Blackhawks play reached a new low when the Blackhawks were outshot 13–1 in the second period despite having two power-plays.

In addition to the lack of effort, the Blackhawks’ power play continues to struggle. They are 3–26 in their last 29 chances which is good for an 11.5% conversion rate. The lone bright spot in the game Thursday was the play of Brandon Saad. Saad continues to play well this season and scored the lone goal vs Flyers.

Blackhawks fans hope they bring more of an effort against today’s opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are hungry to get back to their winning ways. After winning six in a row to start the season, the Canes are riding a three-game losing streak. Despite the losing streak, the Canes are still a formidable opponent and are led by former Blackhawks forward Teuvo Teravainen. Teravainen has two goals and seven assists on the season and a point in the last eight games. Other stars that are producing are free-agent acquisition Ryan Dinzgel and trade acquisition Erik Huala.

Can the Blackhawks right the ship on the road after a dismal homestand or will the Canes right their ship against the Blackhawks?

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 Chicago Blackhawks vs the Carolina Hurricanes. appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” is joined again by staff writers Ray Napientek and Juliana Nikac to talk about the current state of the Blackhawks.

• The Blackhawks are 2-4-2 after losing to the Flyers, Thursday night.
• Kirby Dach recalled from Rockford and played 3 games thus far.
• Connor Murphy injured against the Vegas Golden Knights
• Aleksi Saarela sent to Florida for Ian McCoshen
• Mario Tirabassi gives us another award-winning #Warpigs report.
• Gate, Ray and Juliana discuss the last 6 games and the state of the Blackhawks.
• We also discuss Corey Crawford, Robin Lehner, Brendan Perlini, Brandon Saad, and much more
• We wrap with the Rinkrat PuckBag segment where we discuss #HongKongClassic jerseys.

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

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 3 – The more things change, the more they stay the same appeared first on The Rink.

Despite Robin Lehner‘s great play against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton decided to go with Corey Crawford in goal.

These were the Blackhawks’ starting lines:
Alex DeBrincat – Jonathan Toews – Andrew Shaw
Dylan Strome – Kirby Dach – Patrick Kane
Brandon Saad – David Kampf – Dominik Kubalik
Drake Caggiula – Ryan Carpenter – Alexander Nylander

Duncan Keith – Connor Murphy
Olli Maatta – Brent Seabrook
Calvin de Haan – Erik Gustafsson

First period

The Blackhawks controlled a good portion of the play to begin the game, as the player of the moment, Kirby Dach, showed the United Center crowd just what talent they have to look forward to for years to come.

Washington took the first lead of the night just over nine minutes into the first period on the power play thanks to yet another Andrew Shaw penalty. Duncan Keith underestimated the pressure on his back, as the Capitals dumped the puck deep into the Blackhawks’ corner, which eventually led to the goal. Evgeny Kuznetsov picked Keith’s pocket and fed a streaking T.J. Oshie, who beat Crawford with a one-timer over the glove.

That goal seemed to take the wind out the Blackhawks’ sails for a few shifts, as they failed on a power play of their own. As a result, the Capitals took a 1–0 lead into the locker room, despite getting outshot 14–12.

Second period

Thanks to a Radko Gudas penalty at the end of the first period, the Blackhawks opened up the second with their third power play of the night. As with the first two power plays, the Blackhawks failed to capitalize, but they were not without some solid chances to tie the game.

At the 11:35 mark of the middle period, following a tremendous steal behind the Washington net by Ryan Carpenter, Alex Nylander found a fat rebound in front of Capitals goalie Braden Holtby and sent a blind pass to Drake Caggiula. Caggiula was wide open on the back door and tied the game at 1–1.

Drake Caggiula ties the game off a sweet pass from Alex Nylander #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/OoxrCphaQ8

— Juliana Nikac (@juliananikac) October 21, 2019

It was not long, though, before the Blackhawks found themselves holding a bag of mixed luck. Dach took a high stick to the face that drew some blood and the home team was given a four-minute power play. That was where the good luck subsided and the bad luck seeped in.

After a bad pass skipped by Patrick Kane less than 30 seconds into the advantage, Nic Dowd finished a two-on-one by beating a helpless Crawford and tallying a shorthanded goal for a 2–1 Washington advantage. This would eventually result in Chicago failing to convert on its fourth power play of the night.

When the teams headed into the intermission, the Capitals held a 2–1 lead but were getting outshot 29–21 by the Blackhawks.

Third period

As the third period opened, a familiar face in Michal Kempny took a penalty, but the Blackhawks’ ice-cold power play remained lifeless.

Shortly after wasting their fifth power play of the night, Capitals defenseman John Carlson fed Alex Ovechkin for a laser beam of a one-timer, which Crawford had no chance to stop. The Washington captain tallied the 664th goal of his illustrious Hall-of-Fame career.

Just a mere couple of minutes after the Ovechkin goal, Dominik Kubalik threw his hat into the ring with his second goal of the season. At that point, Kubalik could have easily had two more goals with the way he was buzzing around the ice. This time he drove to the net following a Brandon Saad shot and shoveled the rebound into the open net to cut the gap to 3–2.

Great shift by the third line and Dominik Kubalik scores to bring the #Blackhawks within one pic.twitter.com/7fx8LAp26f

— Juliana Nikac (@juliananikac) October 21, 2019

Just as the clock approached the halfway point of the third period, Kane gave the United Center crowd some life. The Blackhawks intercepted a pass and quickly headed towards the Capitals end of the ice on a two-on-one. Kane used Alex Nylander to look off the defender and snapped the puck through Holtby to even the score at 3–3.

Patrick Kane ties the game for the #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/oephwNrW5O

— Juliana Nikac (@juliananikac) October 21, 2019

The tie game lasted less than three minutes, when Tom Wilson gave the visitors back the lead. Brent Seabrook lost his footing and Jonathan Toews did a fly-by which left Wilson wide open on the back door. Carl Hagelin tallied his second assist of the game, hitting the big power forward with a pass for an easy goal and 4–3 Washington edge.

After pulling the goalie in the final two minutes, the Blackhawks still could not manage to get the game-tying goal and Lars Eller scored a full-ice-length goal to give the visitors a 5–3 win. Final shot totals were 44–30 in favor of the Blackhawks.

Pluses

• Dominik Kubalik has continued to impress. He had a nice partial breakaway in the second period that he did not convert on, but he also had two follow-up whacks at the rebound. For a guy that was perceived as a slower guy, he finds ways to get behind the defense. His goal later in the game just reinforced this perception behind his team-high 10 shots on net.
• Kirby Dach did not look out of place against NHL talent. He kept up and made a few nice quick plays in his 13:40 of ice time. He did not get on the scoresheet, but he was far from the reason the Blackhawks lost. It looks like we might see Dach for the full nine games, at minimum. The one area Chicago might want to consider getting him out there more is the power play. He did not see a second of time with the man advantage.
• I really wanted to come down hard on Alex Nylander, but his pass to Caggiula brought me back from Hatesville (population me) for the evening.

Minuses

• When you outshoot a team 44–30 at home and have five power plays, you need to win that game, period. They did almost everything right. They won 59% of their face offs. They led in high danger scoring chances 16–9. They led in all possession metrics. The only category they did not dominate was goals scored. It is not fair to blame Crawford, but they needed just one more big save from him and he was not able to hold them in the game.

The Blackhawks will face the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks drop winnable game to Capitals 5–3 appeared first on The Rink.

7:30 p.m. CDT

United Center

TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

Projected starters

Chicago — Corey Crawford (1–2–1, .900 save percentage, 3.40  goals against average)

Edmonton — Braden Holtby (1–1–2, .846 save percentage, 4.27 goals against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (22.2%, 13th)
Washington (21.9%, 14th)

Penalty kill
Chicago (61.5%, 30th)
Washington (84.6%, 10th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.3, 14th; 33.3, Ninth)
Washington (30.4, 19th; 27.8, 30th)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (9.6%)
Washington (10.7%)

Face off percentage
Chicago (47.8%, 24th)
Washington  (52.5%, Seventh)

Average height and weight
Chicago — 6-foot-1, 198 pounds
Winnipeg — 6-foot-1, 204 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

Kirby Dach — Ryan Carpenter — Alexander Nylander

Duncan Keith — Connor Murphy

Olli Maatta — Brent Seabrook

Calvin de Haan — Erik Gustafsson

Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie

Carl Hagelin— Evgeny Kuznetsov — Tom Wilson

Jakub Vrana — Lars Eller — Garnet Hathaway

Brendan Leipsic — Chandler Stephenson— Richard Panik

Jonas Siegenthaler— John Carlson

Dmitry Orlov — Joel Persson

Nick Jensen —Tyler Lewington

Analysis

The Blackhawks notched their second win of the season against Columbus Blue Jackets, Friday night. In the victory, Robin Lehner stood out with another excellent performance. Without Lehner’s performance, the Blackhawks might have been on the wrong side of the score. In addition to Lehner’s play, Calvin de Haan stood out with his solid play on defense along with Jonathan Toews scoring his first goal of the season.

Another positive following Friday night’s game was a late-night roster move. The Blackhawks have recalled first-round draft pick Kirby Dach from Rockford. Dach was on the ice early this morning and figures to get his first NHL action.  If Dach and the Blackhawks hope to continue their winning ways, they need to improve upon their play in their own zone and getting pucks through the neutral zone.

Do not be deceived by the modest offensive numbers the Washington Capitals have currently. This team is still stacked with offensive firepower lead by Alex Ovechkin. Ovechkin, for his career, averages just under 50 goals per season and is coming off yet another 50 goal campaign. He currently has five goals on the season and his team leader.

While the offense appears to be stable, goaltending has become an issue. Braden Holtby, a former Vezina Trophy winner, has struggled this early season. His current numbers suggest he is a below league average goaltender.  If the Capitals want to have any success against the Blackhawks and this season, they need Holtby to play like his former Vezina caliber self. If Holby continues to falter, the entire team could follow behind him.

Winning can be like a massage. Everyone relaxes after you win.  Can the Blackhawks continue to ease our tensions?

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 Chicago Blackhawks vs Washington Capitals appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks entered Monday’s contest still searching for their first victory of the season. Chicago looked poised to beat Winnipeg after taking a 2–0 lead early in Saturday’s game, but ultimately fell short of their first win. Instead, the Blackhawks looked to beat one of the two remaining unbeaten teams in the NHL.

The Blackhawks experienced a heavy line shakeup ahead of Saturday’s contest. The lines set for Monday were as follows:

DeBrincat – Toews – Caggiula

Shaw – Strome – Kane

Saad – Kampf – Kubalik

Smith – Carpenter – Nylander

Keith – Gustafsson

Maatta – Seabrook

de Haan – Murphy

Crawford

Despite a good game from Robin Lehner on Saturday, the Blackhawks opted to go with the veteran Corey Crawford against the league’s top team on Monday night.

First period

The first period started well for the Blackhawks. Not even 15 seconds into the period, Dominik Kubalik fired an absolute rocket at Mike Smith for the game’s first solid chance. 

Despite the fast start for the Blackhawks, not much happened in the period. The Blackhawks managed to fire 10 pucks at Mike Smith in the first compared to the Oilers’ 12. A notable stat from the first period was the Blackhawks’ penalty kill keeping the league’s second-best power play off the scoresheet early. 

The Oilers came up empty on their two power plays in the first period, but Edmonton almost took the lead on the power play after drawing iron on the man advantage. 

However, the post proved to be Crawford’s best friend and ultimately kept the game scoreless through the first period. The Blackhawks not only lost the shots on goal battle in the opening frame, but also were losing in the face off dot with Edmonton winning 56% of the draws. 

Second period

The Blackhawks came out of the first intermission with a sense of purpose, admittedly something they lacked in the last three games. After some pressure early from the Blackhawks, they were rewarded.

Just after the four-minute mark in the period, the Blackhawks and Oilers lined up to Smith’s right for a face off in the Edmonton zone. Dylan Strome won a critical faceoff after a bit of a scrum for the puck. After Strome gained possession, he found Patrick Kane, who had yet to move from his starting position, and Kane buried the puck past Smith after a little backhand-forehand motion.

Patrick Kane (@88PKane) isn't even a center and he owns the face-off dot. pic.twitter.com/DXSSUVsAA7

— NHL (@NHL) October 15, 2019

Not long after, Andrew Shaw set the tone for the period. After defenseman Joel Persson was mesmerized by Kane behind the net, he did not see Shaw coming from his weak side. Shaw delivered a clean, hard hit to Persson, knocking him straight to the ice. Persson’s teammates did not like the Shaw hit and took exception. Ultimately, Jujhar Khaira took a roughing penalty for going after Shaw.

BRUH pic.twitter.com/5ldfitthC4

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 15, 2019

Despite the power play opportunity, the Blackhawks could not capitalize, keeping the score dormant at 1–0. 

Both teams traded power plays for much of the remainder of the period. With about four minutes left in the period, Brandon Saad nearly had a beautiful goal after he danced around an Edmonton defender. Saad took the puck hard to the net after gaining the inside on an Oiler defender, but ultimately hit the post. The goal would have been highlight-reel material for the power forward.

With just under three minutes remaining, the Oilers looked like they tied the game. Despite the optimistic call, the goal was waived off for goaltender interference. Connor McDavid had speed around Connor Murphy and took the puck to the net. Crawford stopped the initial bid, but McDavid continued into Crawford, causing the puck to cross the line, therefore resulting in the no-goal call.

Chicago was able to take their lead into the second intermission. The Blackhawks looked much better in the second period for the first time in this young 2019–20 season. 

NBC Sports Chicago broadcaster Pat Boyle mentioned at the end of the period that Jeremy Colliton challenged his team to be better in the middle frame and it is safe to confidently say they did just that. A 17-shot period for the Blackhawks gave them the 27–18 shots on goal advantage.

Third period

The Blackhawks brought the same energy out in the third period as they did in the second. The Blackhawks’ defense was all over the Oilers early. 

Just under seven minutes into the period, the Blackhawks’ effort paid off. The fourth line was out on the ice against McDavid and young Alexander Nylander made an excellent play against the Edmonton superstar. 

As McDavid went to bring the puck up the ice, Nylander was there to take away the puck from McDavid. Ryan Carpenter pushed the puck up the ice and Nylander was all over it. He gained possession just to the left of Smith and hesitated slightly to get Smith out of position. Nylander made Smith pay, and wired a beautiful shot past the goaltender to give the Blackhawks a 2–0 lead.

Five hole and goal! #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/i8BliaweuM

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 15, 2019

Quickly following the goal, the Blackhawks were sent to the power play after a poor offensive zone penalty by Khaira. However, the Blackhawks were unable to capitalize.

With 8:45 remaining in the period, Strome had an excellent opportunity in front of Edmonton’s crease. As the second line dominated possession in the Edmonton zone, Shaw was able to get the puck to Kane behind the net, as Kane slid the puck away from the scrum and finessed it out in front. Strome had an opportunity after a Kane pass, but Smith beat Strome with an excellent save to keep the deficit at two for the Oilers.

The period was a chippy one, as Calvin de Haan and McDavid exchanged pleasantries after a solid check by de Haan.

No love at all rn pic.twitter.com/XIDDQthFnK

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 15, 2019

With just over two minutes remaining, the Oilers were able to take advantage of a six-on-four power play. James Neal scored his eighth goal of the young season for the Oilers after a nice pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to find him back door. 

It's Real Deal James Neal (@jneal_18) with goal No. 8 on the season. pic.twitter.com/XjE9pHBp5l

— NHL (@NHL) October 15, 2019

With just over 30 seconds remaining, David Kampf made an excellent play on the wall in the Blackhawks zone to get the puck down the ice. With the goalie pulled, Saad gained possession deep in the Edmonton zone and dished the puck back to Jonathan Toews. Toews’ shot was blocked by Nugent-Hopkins and Kampf’s follow up shot was denied too. However, Saad found the puck laying in the blue paint and tapped it into the empty net to give the Blackhawks the 3–1 win.

Brandon Saad seals the deal for the #Blackhawks with a well-deserved empty-net goal. Chicago wins 3-1 pic.twitter.com/CHw3J4IOt2

— Juliana Nikac (@juliananikac) October 15, 2019

Quick hits:

• D-D-Defense! — The defense looked spectacular on Monday night. It finally felt like the pairings were the way they should be. Keith and Murphy played well together (more on that in a minute), Gustafsson found his ideal partner in de Haan and the Maatta-Seabrook pairing continued to play well. This feels like the first time in a while that the defense is actually…good?
• An “A” for effort! — The team’s effort was outstanding against Edmonton. The Blackhawks’ forecheck was constantly in the face of Oilers defenders and made it difficult to play against. That high level of energy is what it is going to take for this team to win games. Now that there are more “grit” and “energy” players in the lineup, this could be an identity the Blackhawks adopt: be aggressive, be energetic and be a pain to play against.
• Oh my Nylander! — Despite looking lost in the first period and barely seeing the ice in the second, Nylander scored the game-winning goal on Monday night. Nylander seemed to find his step on the fourth line in the third period, playing with a lot of energy and being rewarded with a goal on a hustle play that saw him strip McDavid and outhustle defenders to get to the puck. If Nylander can contribute in a limited role, he could prove very valuable to the team’s depth.
• Where’s McDavid? — Fans did not hear McDavid’s name called all that much on the broadcast Monday night. He was almost non-existent. Specifically, the Keith-Murphy pairing did an excellent job against McDavid’s line and played excellent during the 23-plus minutes that both players played. The recipe for success against the Oilers is to shut down their stars and the Blackhawks did exactly that on Monday.
• I love Calvin de Haan — De Haan has brought a lot of assets to the Blackhawks that they have lacked since Niklas Hjalmarsson was traded a few years ago. He plays strong defense, is not afraid of contact, has a great stick in his own zone and can avoid taking big hits that result in players falling out of position. Plainly said, as the author of this piece, I love Calvin de Haan. 

The Blackhawks will be off until Friday when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks win first game, deliver Oilers first loss appeared first on The Rink.

7:30 p.m. CDT

United Center

TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

Projected starters

Chicago — Corey Crawford (0–2–1, .875 save percentage, 4.63 goals against average)

Edmonton — Mike Smith (3–0–0, .907 save percentage, 2.67 goals against average)

Team statistics

Power play
Chicago (33.3%, Fourth)
Edmonton (41.2%, Second)

Penalty kill
Chicago (60.0%, 30th)
Edmonton (94.1%, Second)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (30.0, 21st; 35.0, Fourth)
Edmonton (25.8, 31st; 28.8, 27th)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (10.0%)
Edmonton (16.3%)

Face off percentage
Chicago (46.6%, 31st)
Edmonton  (47.4%, 28th)

Average height and weight
Chicago — 6-foot-1, 198 pounds
Winnipeg — 6-foot-2, 199 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

Edmonton Oilers

Leon Draisaitl — Connor McDavid — Zack Kassian

Tomas Jurco — Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — James Neal

Jujhar Khaira — Riley Sheahan — Alex Chiasson

Joakim Nygard — Markus Granlund — Josh Archibald

Darnell Nurse — Ethan Bear

Oscar Klefbom — Joel Persson

Kris Russell — Matt Benning

Analysis

The Blackhawks fell to 0–2–1 on the season with another crushing loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday. Despite the strong first period, the Blackhawks fell this time in overtime. Chicago was once again were let down by poor defensive positioning late in the game, which has been the theme of all three games thus far.

Despite another loss, the Blackhawks had some positives. Recently acquired Calvin de Haan made his season debut. De Haan had been out with shoulder surgery to start the season as well as a groin problem. The other bright spot for the Blackhawks was the play of Robin Lehner. Lehner kept the Blackhawks in the game with his stellar play. Despite Lehner’s stellar effort in net on Saturday, it will Corey Crawford’s turn in net. Crawford will get another chance to deliver the first win of the season against a very tough offensive-minded opponent.

The Edmonton Oilers pose an explosive offensive threat and have been on a tear early in the season. They boast Connor McDavid and James Neal leading their offensive charge, who have helped Edmonton to an undefeated start to the season. McDavid is the current points leader with 12 and reigning NHL MVP. Neal, who was acquired in a much-maligned trade from the Calgary Flames for Milan Lucic this offseason, is the current NHL goals leader with six. The challenge for the Oilers is can they continue to win on the road? This will be their third consecutive road game.

This game figures to be another wild one for the both teams. Can the Blackhawks muster up enough defense to hold off McDavid and the Oilers? Will the Blackhawks finally get their first win?

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: Chicago Blackhawks vs. Edmonton Oilers appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “Double J” are joined by staff member and Chicago Steel head writer  Ray Napientek to talk about the first two games of the Blackhawks regular season.

• The Blackhawks lay an egg in Prague.
• Some roster moves happen, including Carl Dahlstrom moving to balmy Winnipeg.
• Mario Tirabassi gives us another award winning #Warpigs report.
• The three old guys talk about the Blackhawks loss to San Jose.
• We also discuss Corey Crawford, Robin Lehner, Brendan Perlini, Erik Gustafsson, Dominik Kubalik and much more
• We wrap with Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

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

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 2 – The regular season begins appeared first on The Rink.

Head coach Jeremy Colliton chose to go with veteran Corey Crawford in goal for this first game, but Robin Lehner could have easily made the start as well. Even former Chicago goaltender Dominik Hasek (who dropped the ceremonial puck) looked like he could have suited up.

This was your Blackhawks starting lineup:
Alex Nylander — Jonathan Toews — Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Andrew Shaw
Brandon Saad — David Kampf — Dominik Kubalik
Zack Smith — Ryan Carpenter — Drake Caggiula

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson
Olli Maatta — Brent Seabrook
Slater Koekkoek — Dennis Gilbert

Brendan Perlini and Calvin de Haan were scratches for the Blackhawks.

Period one
Both teams were very sloppy to open their seasons, which might have something to do with the several hour time differences they both experienced. This sloppiness was evident with the Blackhawks’ first power play of the season at the 3:16 mark. They were barely able to get the puck into the Flyers’ zone, much less generate any actual offensive pressure.

The sloppiness was even more egregious with the first goal of the game, scored by Travis Konecny. Defenseman Dennis Gilbert had a rough time breaking the puck out of his own end and panicked. Konecny picked up Gilbert’s flubbed pass and went in one-on-one with Crawford. The Philly forward wasted no time snapping a shot under Crawford’s glove and into the back of the net.

The Flyers lead did not last long, though. A minute and twenty seconds after the Konecny goal, new Blackhawks wing Alex Nylander picked up a Philadelphia neutral-zone turnover and drove up the center of the ice. Nylander changed the angle of his shot by pulling the puck behind the defender’s leg and snapped it past Carter Hart.

The goal was definitely a good sign for Blackhawks fans concerned about the Jokiharju-Nylander trade earlier this summer.

Let’s have another look at that, shall we?#BlackhawksAbroad pic.twitter.com/3GTOrSmEef

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 4, 2019

Toward the latter part of the period, the offense really opened up for both teams, but the goaltenders held their ground, putting on an early-season goaltending show. The Flyers held the lead in shots 13–10 as the teams headed to the locker room for the first intermission.

Period two
Dennis Gilbert did not let the first-period turnover get him down, as he made a few really nice defensive plays in the Blackhawks’ end of the ice to begin the second period. Crawford also continued his goaltending show with a few tough saves early on as well.

At the 4:42 mark, Duncan Keith took a penalty to put the Blackhawks on the penalty kill. Last year’s 31st-ranked penalty kill looked just as bad as it did to finish last season. An odd-man break turned into a power play goal when Oskar Lindblom snapped a nicely placed shot over Crawford’s glove, hitting the post. Unfortunately, the puck hit Slater Koekkoek and bounced into the net for Chicago’s second “sad trombone” moment of the game.

Thanks bud. #FlyOrDie | #NHLGlobalSeries pic.twitter.com/0BByj5s3aR

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 4, 2019

A Brent Seabrook delay of game penalty put the Blackhawks right back on the penalty kill at 9:14. This time, though, the Blackhawks were able to avoid having to dig the puck out of the back of their own net, increasing their penalty kill percentage to 50%.

Both teams took penalties in the final few minutes of the middle period, which treated the fans to some four-on-four hockey. The Flyers were the first to strike with the extra on-ice space. Konecny scored his second of the game as he pulled the puck around Duncan Keith and roofed a backhander over Crawford’s glove.

Just as everyone thought the Blackhawks would go into the second intermission down 3–1, newly extended Alex DeBrincat one-timed a Patrick Kane feed on the power play past Hart to cut the Flyers lead back down to one goal at 3–2 with 12.2 seconds remaining. Shot totals heavily favored the Flyers 15–8 in the second period and 28–18 through two periods.

Feed the Cat#BlackhawksAbroad pic.twitter.com/3WRZxZDxjP

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 4, 2019

Period three
Neither team was shy about pressing the offense as the third period began. The wide-open play made for several tense moments, but the goalies were able to bail their respective teams out. Crawford was the first to buckle in the third period, though.

Just before the 10-minute mark of the third period, Philly’s Michael Raffl made the Blackhawks pay for some soft defense by wrapping around the net and banking the puck off the inside of Crawford’s leg and into the net. Chicago was actually leading in shots on net 7–5 at this point.

With two minutes remaining and the goalie pulled, Kane used a screen by Andrew Shaw to beat Hart and cut the Flyers lead down to one goal. Unfortunately, this would all the Blackhawks could muster, as they ran out of time and closed out their trip with a 4–3 loss after getting out shot 38–31.

The Blackhawks return to the United Center to face the San Jose Sharks at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Pluses

• Alex Nylander scoring his first Blackhawks goal in his first game with Chicago will keep the fans off his back for a little bit.

Minuses

• The face off problems continued for the Blackhawks, as they won only 38% (22–58). Jonathan Toews and David Kampf were a combined 12–23.
• It only took until the third period for Jeremy Colliton to fire up his line blender. He swapped Nylander and Drake Caggiula and rearranged the defensive pairs as well.
• Corey Crawford was hot and cold. He gave up several glove-side shots that he probably should have made.
• The defense and the penalty kill look eerily similar to the terrible ones that finished last season.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks drop opener to Flyers in Prague appeared first on The Rink.

Projected starters

Chicago — Corey Crawford (2018–19 statistics: 14–18–5, .908 save percentage, 2.93 goals against average)

Philadelphia — Carter Hart (2018–19 statistics: 16–13–1, .917 save percentage, 2.83 goals against average)

Team statistics (2018–19 season)

Power play
Chicago (20.2%, 15th)
Philadelphia (17.1%, 23rd)

Penalty kill
Chicago (72.73%)
Philadelphia (78.48%)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.5 12th; 34.8, 30th)
Philadelphia (31.5, 17th; 32.5, 10th)

Shooting percentage
Chicago (10.1%)
Philadelphia (9.3%)

Face off percentage
Chicago (49.4%, T-20th)
Philadelphia (54.7%, first)

Blackhawks projected lineup

Alexander Nylander — Jonathan Toews — Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Andrew Shaw

Brandon Saad — David Kampf — Dominik Kubalik

Zack Smith — Ryan Carpenter — Drake Caggiula

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson

Olli Maatta — Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek — Dennis Gilbert

Corey Crawford

Flyers projected lineup

Claude Giroux — Kevin Hayes — Jakub Voracek 

Oskar Lindblom — Sean Couturier — Travis Konecny

James van Riemsdyk — Scott Laughton — Carsen Twarynski

Michael Raffl — Connor Bunnaman — Samuel Morin

Ivan Provorov — Justin Braun

Travis Sanheim — Matt Niskanen

Robert Hagg — Shayne Gostisbehere

Carter Hart

Analysis

The Chicago Blackhawks are kicking off their 2019 season in Prague against Philadelphia Flyers. If the Blackhawks are going to fulfill the promise this offseason brought, the team needs a strong showing in their season opener.

Stan Bowman had a good offseason addressing holes on the back end with additions of Calvin de Haan and Olli Maatta. Bowman also had a Vezina finalist in Robin Lehner fall into his lap. With all the new pieces in place, it is time for Blackhawks to show the NHL the moves improved the team’s defense. Bowman also took a chance in trading away from his defensive prospect pool to acquire Alex Nylander.
The Blackhawks will start Corey Crawford in net with Lehner backing up in Prague. This could be the last time Crawford starts a season in net for the Blackhawks. With Crawford playing out the last year of his contract and his recent injury history, it makes sense that the Blackhawks may move on in net after this season. The Blackhawks’ long-term answer in the crease could be their backup for today’s game in Lehner.

It is time to see what head coach Jeremy Colliton’s system looks like for a full season. A win today for the Blackhawks puts them on the right track in a season full of hype and promise.

The post Preview/Game thread: Blackhawks vs. Flyers in Prague appeared first on The Rink.

It was clear to most that Stan Bowman was envisioning a future goaltending battery of Lehner and Collin Delia. Many fans and media members, though, continue to hang on to the delusion that Corey Crawford is ageless and unaffected by at least two major concussions. As a result (and to my surprise), there have been mentions of potentially extending Crawford when his contract is up July 1, 2020.

This would prove to be a huge mistake.

I should not have to preface this, but I have been a huge Crawford apologist for years. Ever since he arrived on the scene in 2010–11, I was a vocal leader of the Crawford support group and fought the good fight for No. 50. I felt like he never truly got the recognition he deserved, even after winning two Stanley Cup championships. People would poke holes in his accomplishments because Scott Darling, Ray Emery and Antti Raanta played well behind him. While Raanta has been a good NHL starter, none of those backups were able to go on and accomplish what Crawford has done with the Blackhawks.

This was because Crawford was quite simply a better goalie.

I love the guy, but this is the time to start planning for life without him as the Blackhawks’ primary starting goalie.

No smart general manager commits to a 35-year-old athlete with a history of serious head injuries, especially when they just signed a younger (and better) player. This would just be nostalgia clouding basic common sense. I have seen people attempt to bring up that Tim Thomas had success at a later age. Thomas was an anomaly. You are better off betting that lightning will strike the same tree twice.

Thomas did not even make the Bruins full time until he was 31 years of age. His last truly successful year was in 2011–12 when he was 38 years old. He burned hot and bright for seven seasons, but faded away quickly. Crawford, on the other hand, took over the Blackhawks crease at 25 years of age, which means he has six more seasons of wear and tear on top of his concussion problems.

No goalie in the modern NHL has been re-signed at the age of 35 and had long term success. It just does not happen. While Crawford had a decent season last year, until he was injured again, his statistics were considerably lower than the “top 10” goalie that everyone remembers. He was playing behind a very porous defense, but his even strength save percentage (.913) was the lowest of his career and his overall save percentage (.908) was below league average. It could be argued that he will start a steep decline in ability soon, if he has not begun already.

There is this strange “walking on eggshells” mentality surrounding Crawford that also complicates the situation. We have heard things like “I have not talked to Corey about the goaltending situation,” which is highly unusual. Each of the past two summers, it has been widely reported that no one from the organization, short of Jimmy Waite, has had any contact with Crawford. He just simply disappears. He was a guest at the 2018 fan convention, but that was largely a public relations stunt to keep fans from mass panic since he had not been seen nor heard from for the equivalent of a full-term pregnancy. I cannot put my finger on the issue, specifically, but this is not normal behavior between an organization and one of their alleged leaders.

Seriously, though, who is running this Mickey Mouse operation? Corey Crawford or Stan Bowman?

Shifting gears, Bowman just signed a very successful, considerably younger goalie to a $5 million contract in July and (despite the nonsense the public has been spoon fed) it was not to be Corey Crawford’s backup. Lehner is in Chicago to audition for the starting spot next fall and he deserves every chance to seize the opportunity. Like Crawford, he did not blossom until his mid-20s, which means he is in the prime of his career rather than riding off into the sunset. Lehner proved that he could be an NHL starter in Buffalo, and followed it up by proving he could be a top-tier level netminder with the Islanders last season. He has that Scott Darling “feel good” comeback story and comes with a high pedigree. He is primed and ready for the Chicago spotlight. This is not some unproven fringe AHL kid. This guy has 275 NHL games and 101 wins to his credit. Why is everyone completely dismissing this? The only two possibilities are ignorance or denial.

Also lost in this whole situation is my guy, Collin Delia. There is no question that he is ready to be, at minimum, an NHL backup. He is young, affordable and now long overdue. Is he ready to be a full-time starter? Probably not. He has paid his AHL penance and deserves an honest shot at being and NHL player for a full season, though. If not, then send him somewhere that he can get an honest shot, instead of this shroud of uncertainty. Wasting this kid’s potential because the organization cannot make up their mind is borderline criminal.

In short, unless Robin Lehner spirals into some kind of Anton Forsberg–type downfall, Stan Bowman needs to find a way to extend Lehner before he hits free agency and start preparing everyone for a Lehner-Delia duo to start the 2020–21 season. Corey Crawford has been a warrior and will go down as a Blackhawks legend, but his expiration date has been approaching for quite some time.

The post ANALYSIS: Time for the Blackhawks to focus on the Robin Lehner era appeared first on The Rink.

Nylander-Toews-Caggiula
Debrincat-Strome-Kane
Saad-Kampf-Kubalik
Wedin-Carpenter-Shaw

Keith-Gustafsson
Maatta-Seabrook
Koekkoek-Boqvist

First period:

The Blackhawks and Capitals treated last night’s game as a dress rehearsal for the regular season.  After the first period, it appeared only the Capitals are ready for the regular season, as the home team came out flat and remained that way for virtually the entire game.

Despite adding prospects and veterans to the defensive pool, the Blackhawks still had major issues on the back end. The defensive shortcoming reared its ugly head early in first period, when top prospect Adam Boqvist was caught out of position on a Capitals rush. The bad positioning by Boqvist lead to a tip-in goal from forward Liam O’Brien, giving the Capitals a lead 1–0 early.

After slogging their way through two lifeless power plays, the Chicago defense failed yet again.  Following a lost a defensive zone face off by the Blackhawks, the Capitals cycled the puck to the point for a shot. John Carlson unleashed a one-timer that sizzled past Corey Crawford for the goal.  At end of the first period, the Capitals led 2–0.

Second period:

The second period had a better start for the Blackhawks, but it would prove fruitless. They drew their third power play of the game at the 3:31 mark, however, bad positioning on the power play from Erik Gustafsson led to a back breaking Tom Wilson shorthanded goal. The Wilson goal made the score 3–0 Capitals, and the air was completely sucked out of the United Center crowd.

The defensive woes for the Blackhawks continued as the middle period wore on. Lars Eller added the fourth goal for the Capitals at roughly the midway point of the second period. Eller went to the net after a shot from the point and outworked Gustafsson for a tip-in goal.

The period mercifully ended with the score Capitals 4, Blackhawks 0.

Third period:

The trend of bad defensive play continued in the third period. Late in the third period, after a nice outlet pass from Braden Holtby from his own end, Lars Eller fed a backhanded pass to Jakub Vrana, who snapped a quick shot past Crawford. The Vrana goal made the score 5–0 Capitals.

With 5:02 left in the third period, Eller scored his second goal of the game on a rebound from Crawford. The rebound was generated by a TJ Oshie shot. The Eller goal made the score 6–0 in favor of the Capitals.

The Blackhawks had clearly mentally left for Europe early, as the game was never close.

Chicago will play their final preseason game on Saturday, taking on the Bruins in Boston at 3 p.m. EDT.

Quick hits:

Net front presence: The Capitals had someone in front of Crawford on three out of four goals.

Dominik Kubalik: Kubalik had a solid night with five shots on goal.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks lose big to Washington Capitals appeared first on The Rink.

A look at new #Blackhawks scoreboard with live in-game stats: pic.twitter.com/I0tdIPNEFP

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) September 19, 2019

In typical preseason fashion, more of the stars play in the home games than in the road games. Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat both played last night in Detroit, so they were off tonight. The lines were as follows:

Nylander – Toews – Kane

Saad – Kampf – Kubalik

D. Sikura – Highmore – Saarela

Hakkarainen – T. Sikura – Hagel

Keith – Boqvist

Maatta – Seabrook

Gilbert – Holm

Crawford

First period:

As fans settled into their seats and continually gazed at the brand new scoreboard, the Blackhawks trotted out the top line to start the game. Alexander Nylander won the lottery for the game, starting on the left wing with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. 

Roughly five minutes into the contest, Toews had the best opportunity of the early minutes with a partial breakaway. Unfortunately, after a spectacular forehand backhand move, Toews could not finish and the game remained deadlocked at 0–0.

Later in the period, with about five minutes remaining, the Red Wings earned a power play after a Dennis Gilbert hooking penalty. However, the Blackhawks were able to escape without any damage from the Red Wings’ man advantage. 

But, another power play chance for the Red Wings spelled trouble for the Blackhawks. With just under two minutes remaining in the period, Detroit forward Filip Zadina placed a shot toward the net from the right slot. The shot never made it to the net. Instead, after a Seabrook block, the shot bounced perfectly onto the stick of Taro Hirose at the left face off dot. Hirose finished the play and scored the opening goal of the game for the visitors. 

The Red Wings took their 1–0 lead, as well as a 10–6 shots on goal advantage, into the first intermission at 1901 W. Madison St. 

Second period:

Right out the gate, the Red Wings generated the first good opportunity of the period. Joe Veleno found himself wide open on Crawford’s right side. Valeno placed a shot up near Crawford’s shoulder, but the Chicago netminder was able to make a solid save and keep the young forward off the scoresheet.

Roughly two minutes after the Veleno chance, the Blackhawks finally took advantage of a Red Wings mistake. After Tyler Sikura dumped the puck in deep, Detroit goalie Jonathan Bernier mishandled the puck behind the net. Brandon Hagel was able to steal the puck below the goal line after an aggressive forecheck and jam the puck toward the net. The puck squeaked through Bernier, who was not completely set in his net, and tied the game at 1–1.

Cleanup crew cleans up!#CHIvsDET pic.twitter.com/56Cf5QWnhk

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 19, 2019

Just after the halfway point of the period, the Blackhawks struck again. A Toews outlet pass from the defensive zone found Nylander at the near blue line. Nylander gave the puck to Kane at the red line and Kane found some space in the offensive zone. The Red Wings were concentrating on the three Chicago forwards and completely forgot about Duncan Keith, who jumped into the play. Kane found Keith and the two time Norris Trophy winner found the back of the net with his shot to give the Blackhawks the 2–1 lead.

88 and 2… feels like these two are developing some chemistry.#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/UDSrcPM3hj

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 19, 2019

The Blackhawks entered intermission with the one goal lead over their Original Six foe.

Third period:

The best chance of the third period came at around the seven minute mark. Adam Boqvist danced around a defender in beautiful fashion—dragging the puck between his legs in the process—and placed a light shot toward Bernier’s glove side, but was unable to capitalize on the attempt.

Adam Boqvist is a defenseman: Part 2 pic.twitter.com/Tkv9sxTzlg

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 19, 2019

The Blackhawks continued to pepper Bernier with shots all night long. Detroit had a few quality chances, but each time Crawford stood tall and made the big save. 

The Red Wings tried to tie the game late in the third with the extra attacker but could not find a way past Crawford. The Blackhawks sealed the 2–1 lead and captured their first preseason win at the United Center.

Quick hits:

• The Crow’s nest: Corey Crawford looked really strong in his first preseason action. He is certainly still a question mark, given his recent injury history, but if he can sustain his top level of play for roughly 40 games, then he and Lehner will be the best goaltending duo in the league. After allowing only one goal on 24 shots, it is safe to say Crawford made an impact in his first preseason outing. 
• The lottery spot: Alexander Nylander hit the jackpot on Wednesday, flanking Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on Chicago’s top line. The young Swede picked up this third point of the preseason on Duncan Keith’s goal and is continuing to make the front office’s decision very hard in about 10 days or so. He has played very well and will likely get a chance to prove himself on the opening day roster for the Blackhawks. Maybe a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered for the younger Nylander brother.

The Blackhawks remain in Chicago and await the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST and can be seen on NBCSCH+.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks defeat Red Wings 2–1 in preseason home opener appeared first on The Rink.

And now is when decisions that look good on paper transition toward being put to test on ice.

To my eye, it is not just a matter of additions and subtractions, however. It is also Jeremy Colliton’s first full season as Blackhawk head coach—with his imprimateur on an unusually eventful offseason—and his first training camp and preseason slate.

Broadly speaking, the Blackhawks expended a lot of energy (and resources) this summer trying to accomplish two things.

First, they clearly wanted to become better defensively, especially in their own end, with the additions of Olli Maatta and Calvin deHaan. Both players are young, yet experienced; both are definitely defense-minded blueliners. Both battled injury last year. Both, to varying degrees, should probably be considered reasonable bets to improve the Hawks’ defensive play to some degree.

How much is an important question, because storied veterans Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith are both, also to varying degrees, on the downsides of their careers and abilities: Seabrook clearly more so than Keith. Erstwhile “fourth forward” Erik Gustafsson showed some marginal improvement defensively late last season after being put on a leash somewhat by Colliton—which also corresponded, not surprisingly, with a brief dip in his offensive output. Which Gustafsson will we see in 2019–20? Hard to say, but it is probably a safe bet his defensive reliability will continue to be an “adventure” (putting it charitably) this season.

Connor Murphy, for all that he is and is not, sort of falls in line with Maatta and deHaan, and may be more part of the solution than the problem this year.

Add in Carl “Don’t call me Calle” Dahlstrom and Slater Koekkoek—and possibly even 2018 first round selections Adam Boqvist or Nicolas Beaudin in their professional rookie seasons—and it is fair to say Colliton has more pieces around which to fashion pairings that will, at minimum, block more shots, win more 50–50 pucks in the defensive zone and provide more responsible coverage. While still generating that transition and push up the ice that drove a very good offensive year for Chicago last year.

The other thing the Hawk brass seemed to want to achieve this summer was to get a lot tougher to play against.

Now, let’s not kid ourselves: seemingly every summer, there has been a Lance Bouma or two brought in to add some more “jam,” with typically crappy results. So, how is this summer any different?

Hard to say, but looking more closely at Ryan Carpenter (UFA acquisition), Andrew Shaw and Zack Smith (trades), a pattern emerges. All can play center or wing, a couple of them (at least) are pretty good faceoff options (an underappreciated part of being a good defensive team), all can kill penalties, all have a bit of nasty to their games.

All of which, on paper, adds some elements the Hawks sorely needed last year. But again, as with deHaan and Maatta, the question is “how much.”

Shaw and Smith have battled injuries. Reports out of Ottawa are that Smith has lost a step the last couple of years. Regardless, when the option for bottom-six and penalty-killing forward roles have been either proven has-beens or developing players better suited to top-six roles in Rockford, Bowman’s summer additions should provide some improvement in subtle, yet important, ways.

So all that provides at least some reason for encouragement.

The other thing that the Hawks apparently set out to do was meaningfully reinforce the goalie position—in a way that few expected (but we predicted might happen here at The-Rink).

The addition of Robin Lehner matters this year to the extent that Corey Crawford cannot play due to injury, or if Lehner simply outplays him (also a possibility). In our opinion here at The-Rink, all things considered and in spite of the “smooth it over” rhetoric of the Hawk front office, Lehner will probably have to prove he is not ready to take over the Hawk No. 1 goalie job long-term.

Sure, the “best one-two punch in the league” narrative sounds great, and may publicly placate Crawford and his camp and those fans who thought “Crow” was going to keep “bouncing back” from concussions and play until he is 45, but this season, especially if the Hawks are still giving up 40–45 shots most nights, it may not matter.

The other thing to consider is that you cannot assume anything going into this season, based on last season.

For example, you cannot assume that Dylan Sikura will not start scoring some goals and end up as an actual offensive weapon this year. Or, you cannot assume that Kirby Dach will not play more than nine games in Chicago and provide some kind of additional contribution, which would be great.

But, you also cannot assume either of the above will happen, or that Jonathan Toews might not regress from a statistical upward deviation in production last season or that Dylan Strome will not either.

You cannot assume relative team health or, on the other hand, a season wracked by injuries.

The truth is, while the Hawks continued a now three-to-four-season-long nosedive defensively, they excelled last year offensively.

But, because the defensive trend is longer term, it is safe to assume that is more the norm (setting aside the offseason changes), while the offensive uptick was likely more of an exception.

Time and, at minimum, 82 games will tell.

But where does that leave this team in April 2020?

Hard to say because, unfortunately, the Hawks also play in what is, top to bottom, arguably the best division in hockey. That said, the first three teams in the division will likely be some combination of St. Louis, Dallas, Winnipeg, Nashville or Colorado. It is hard to envision this (albeit somewhat improved) Hawk team edging in to that conversation and finishing as one of the top three teams in the Central Division. The other Central teams are just too good, younger and either bigger, faster or both.

So then the target becomes one of two wild card spots. And this is where the Hawks’ improvement over the offseason puts them—in the playoff conversation, potentially in contention for a spot. And even if the Hawks finished say, ninth in the conference and a point or two out of playoff contention, it would be measurable improvement over last year, when they were never realistically in playoff contention, in spite of a lot of breathless hype for about six weeks or so.

But, let’s say the Hawks make the playoffs. They are still going to win a lot of overtime three-on-three games and will probably have a good power play in the regular season. But, if they have to rely too heavily on those factors for points to get them into the playoffs, they likely will not last long once there, as those factors matter less or not at all in the postseason. And remember, the wildcards have to face the division winners in the first round.

Safe to say then, with some margin for error, the Hawks end up this season somewhere between a strong, improved ninth or 10th in the conference and losing in the first round of the playoffs in five or six games.

Likely improved, but, again, how much?

What must happen:

Team defense and penalty kill must improve, a lot. If not, it would not matter if your “one-two punch” was Ken Dryden and Dominik Hasek, the team will struggle to improve over the last two seasons’ miserable performances.

What cannot happen:

Regressions by and/or significant injuries to Toews, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat or (less so) Strome.

What should happen:

If Gustafsson wants to appear in the playoffs in a Hawk sweater, and if the Hawks want to extend his contract after this season, he needs to show he can become a consistently better player defensively—even if his numbers suffer somewhat offensively as a result.

What does not have to happen:

Although the annual pressure to elevate rookies or prospects to the Hawk lineup is as strong as ever, there is no rush to insert Adam Boqvist or Kirby Dach this year.

If Dach or Boqvist are measurably better in all phases of the game than the players the Hawks have, then this is truly a rebuilding season. And where either or both players play this year should not be dictated by what fans or team pr would like to see, but purely by what is best for the development of two 18- and 19-year-old kids.

All we have for now. Comment below.

The post Examining the goods: What to expect from the 2019–20 Blackhawks appeared first on The Rink.

7 p.m. CST
Bridgestone Arena
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (16–11–4, save percentage: .896, goals against average: 3.68)
Nashville – Pekka Rinne (29–19–4, save percentage: .917, goals against average: 2.43)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.3 percent, 15th)
Nashville (12.7 percent, 31st)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (72.8 percent, 31st)
Nashville (81.9 percent, Seventh)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.5, 11th; 34.6, 30th)
Nashville (32.4, 12th; 30.0, 9th)

Shooting Percentage
Chicago (10.1 percent, Seventh)
Nashville (8.8 percent, 21st)

Faceoff Percentage
Chicago (49.4 percent, T-20th)
Nashville (51.6 percent, Fifth)

Average height and weight
Chicago 6-foot-1, 197 pounds
Nashville 6-foot-1, 199 pounds

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

Nashville Predators

Filip Forsberg–Ryan Johansen–Viktor Arvidsson

Mikael Granlund–Kyle Turris–Craig Smith

Colton Sissons–Nick Bonino–Austin Watson

Brian Boyle–Calle Jarnkrok–Wayne Simmonds

Roman Josi–Ryan Ellis

Mattias Ekholm–P.K. Subban

Dan Hamhuis–Dante Fabbro

Analysis

The Blackhawks put a damper on the Stars’ chances of maintaining the first wild card position Friday night. If the Stars fail to capture at least one point and the Avalanche win, the Avalanche will move into the first wild card position and face the winner of the Central Division. The other will face the Calgary Flames in the opening round of the playoffs.

Tonight presents another big game for a Blackhawks opponent. The Blues’ matchup against the Blackhawks could have tied them for first place. Last night’s game could have captured the top wild card spot for Dallas, and now tonight, a Predators’ win would capture the Central Division. A title would mean the raising of another banner to the rafters of Bridgestone Arena to join their existing “Regular Season Champions” banner.

The Blackhawks will have Ward starting in net this evening with Kevin Lankinen backing him up in Nashville. Corey Crawford did not travel with the team after leaving last night’s game with a groin injury. It’s unlikely that we see Lankinen make his NHL debut tonight, but with his call up, it allows Collin Delia and Anton Forsberg to help Rockford push toward the playoffs in these final, very meaningful, games.

A Predators win tonight clinches the Central Division title. A Predators loss, and this division can be captured by any one of the Predators, Blues or Jets depending on Saturday’s outcomes.

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 at Predators appeared first on The Rink.

7:30 p.m. CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (14–18–5, save percentage: .907, goals against average: 2.96)
Dallas – Anton Khudobin (16–16–5, save percentage: .926, goals against average: 2.47)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.5 percent, 12th)
Dallas (20.5 percent, 14th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.1 percent, 31st)
Dallas (82.4 percent, Fifth)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.6, 11th; 34.6, 30th)
Dallas (30.5, 21st; 31.7, 18th)

Shooting Percentage
Chicago (9.9 percent, Ninth)
Dallas (8.4 percent, 28th)

Faceoff Percentage
Chicago (49.4 percent, T-20th)
Dallas (51.9 percent, Fourth)

Average height and weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197 lbs.
Dallas 6’2”, 207 lbs.

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–Marcus Kruger–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Dallas Stars

Jason Dickinson–Tyler Seguin–Alexander Radulov

Jamie Benn–Roope Hintz–Mats Zuccarello

Andrew Cogliano–Radek Faksa–Blake Comeau

Mattias Janmark–Jason Spezza–Tyler Pitlick

Esa Lindell–John Klingberg

Miro Heiskanen–Roman Polak

Taylor Fedun–Ben Lovejoy

Analysis

Coming off their 4—3 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, the Blackhawks look to continue playing the role of spoiler as they welcome the Dallas Stars to the United Center.

The Stars enter play on Friday firmly cemented in one of the two wild card positions in the West. The Stars can’t move up, but they can certainly fall to the second wild card spot if the Colorado Avalanche continue to collect points.

The Blackhawks can play spoiler and aid in setting the Stars up to play the top seed in the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames. A tough matchup such as this one could spell a quick end to the Stars’ playoff run.

At this point, this game is essentially meaningless for the Blackhawks. They are too high in the standings to get a lottery pick (unless they luck out), so they will probably pick somewhere between 10 and 15.

That said, a team with nothing to lose is a dangerous team. The Stars need to be cautious on Friday night, otherwise, they could fall into the second wild card spot and be set for a date with the talented Calgary Flames, who may be the most complete team in the Western Conference.

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. Stars appeared first on The Rink.

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

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (14–18–5, save percentage: .907, goals against average: 2.96)
St. Louis – Jordan Binnington (22–5–1, save percentage: .928, goals against average: 1.85)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.7 percent, 11th)
St. Louis (20.3 percent, 15th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.2 percent, 31st)
St. Louis (81.6 percent, Ninth)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.5, 12th; 34.5, 30th)
St. Louis (31.6, 15th; 28.5, Fourth)

Shooting Percentage
Chicago (10.0 percent, Eighth)
St. Louis (9.3 percent, 18th)

Faceoff Percentage
Chicago (49.4 percent, T-20th)
St. Louis (51.4 percent, Sixth)

Average height and weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197 lbs.
St. Louis 6’2”, 203 lbs.

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

St. Louis Blues

Brayden Schenn–Ryan O’Reilly–Vladimir Tarasenko

Jaden Schwartz–Oskar Sundqvist–David Perron

Pat Maroon–Tyler Bozak–Robert Thomas

Zachary Sanford–Ivan Barbashev–Alex Steen

Vince Dunn–Alex Pietrangelo

Jay Bouwmeester–Colton Parayko

Carl Gunnarsson–Robert Bortuzzo

Analysis

“Technically still alive.” That was the expression fans everywhere were using to describe the Blackhawks’ playoff chances. However, on Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche took care of business and officially eliminated both the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks from playoff contention. The season is officially over for the Blackhawks.

On Tuesday, Dylan Sikura was sent back to Rockford to try and help them save their season by sneaking into the AHL playoffs. After being down 2–0 early in the game, the IceHogs pulled off the big win over the San Antonio Rampage with a 5–3 victory. Dylan Sikura and William Pelletier both scored two goals in the win.

This morning, defenseman Dennis Gilbert was recalled from Rockford and will potentially get a look in the last three games.

The baby Blackhawks are still alive. However, the Blackhawks front office now turns to the draft in June. This offseason is a huge opportunity for the Blackhawks to improve either via trade or free agency. The fan base will find out how this team is trending based on the moves made this offseason.

Although the Blackhawks’ playoff hopes are dead, they can still play spoiler to two of their division rivals in these last three games. Tonight, the St. Louis Blues will be in a three-way tie for first if they capture a win. The Blackhawks can force the Blues into a “visitor’s position” in the playoff bracket and give the Predators (who they will face on Saturday) an advantage with home ice in the first round.

The Blues are still very hot heading into the playoffs. They have won six of their last seven games, with their only loss coming to the New York Rangers last weekend. This team is arguably one of the deepest teams in the league with an incredible defense and a surprising star in net. The Blues have everything it takes for a quality playoff run.

The Blues have been quite a surprise. As of late January, this team was last in the NHL. Now, this team is destined for one of the top five or six records in the league. Credit is due to Craig Berube behind the bench and Jordan Binnington in net. Binnington leads the NHL in numerous categories for qualifying goaltenders and is arguably the leading candidate for rookie of the year. There are some great rookies who will be favored over Binnington in voting, but it is undeniable the impact he has had since being called up earlier this season.

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. Blues appeared first on The Rink.

9:30 p.m. CST
STAPLES Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (14–18–3, SV%: .908, GAA: 2.94)
Los Angeles – Jonathan Quick (15–22–7, SV%: .890, GAA: 3.31)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.8 percent, T-11th)
Los Angeles (16.0 percent, 27th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (72.8 percent, 31st)
Los Angeles (75.1 percent, 29th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.5, 12th; 34.6, 30th)
Los Angeles (28.6, 30th; 31.2, 14th)

Shooting Percentage
Chicago (10.0 percent, Eighth)
Los Angeles (8.4 percent, 28th)

Faceoff Percentage
Chicago (49.5 percent, T-20th)
Los Angeles (50.5 percent, 12th)

Average height and weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195 lbs.
Los Angeles 6’1”, 206 lbs.

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks
Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–Dylan Sikura
Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun
Brendan Perlini–Artem Anisimov–Patrick Kane
Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger
Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson
Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook
Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

Los Angeles Kings
Alex Iafallo–Anze Kopitar–Dustin Brown
Carl Grundstrom–Adrian Kempe–Tyler Toffoli
Kyle Clifford–Jeff Carter–Trevor Lewis
Austin Wagner–Mike Amadio–Jonny Brodzinski
Derek Forbort–Drew Doughty
Alec Martinez–Matt Roy
Sean Walker–Dion Phaneuf

Analysis

The Blackhawks playoff hopes are ever-dwindling as the season enters it’s twilight. The Blackhawks sit seven points out of a playoff position. Although not mathematically eliminated, the Blackhawks would need to win every game from here on out, and hope that the Avalanche, Wild and Coyotes all hit a late season skid. It’s not impossible, but it’s very unlikely that the Blackhawks will be playing in the postseason.

However, the Blackhawks will continue to play with that mindset, and try to win every game down the stretch. The final week of the season begins tonight as the Blackhawks visit the lowly Kings.

The Kings, who sit last in the Western Conference, may be without notable winger Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk is not hurt, he has been a healthy scratch in many recent games for the Kings. The former-star winger has had a tough first season of his three-year, $18.75 million contract.

The Kings focus as an organization is more likely focused on the NHL Entry Draft in June than the 78th game of a disastrous season for the team. Jack Hughes or Kappo Kakko would be welcomed additions to the Kings lineup. Odds are, the Kings will get a top two pick with their second-to-last record in the entire NHL.

Just because the Kings front office may have switched their focus, the players surely have not. This is the perfect opportunity for a lowly Kings team to more-or-less officially end the Blackhawks playoff dreams. Saturday night’s matchup sets up well for a trap game.

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 at Kings appeared first on The Rink.

9:30 p.m. CST

SAP Center at San Jose

TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (13–18–3, SV%: .909, GAA: 2.91)

San Jose – Martin Jones (34–17–5, SV%: .898, GAA: 2.91)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play

Chicago (20.5 percent, T-11th)

San Jose (23.8 percent, Sixth)

Penalty Kill

Chicago (73.1 percent, 31st)

San Jose (79.7 percent, 19th)

Shorts for/against

Chicago (32.6, T-11th; 34.7, 30th)

San Jose (33.4, Fourth; 28.4, Second)

Shooting Percentage

Chicago (9.9 percent, Ninth)

San Jose (10.6 percent, Sixth)

Faceoff Percentage

Chicago (49.4 percent, 21st)

San Jose (50.4 percent, 13th)

Average height and weight

Chicago 6’1”, 195 lbs.

San Jose 6’1”, 200 lbs.

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Alex DeBrincat–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Brendan Perlini–David Kampf–Dylan Strome

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dylan Sikura

Chris Kunitz–Marcus Kruger–Dominik Kahun

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

San Jose Sharks

Timo Meier–Logan Couture–Joe Pavelski

Evander Kane–Tomas Hertl–Gustav Nyquist

Marcus Sorensen–Joe Thornton–Kevin Labanc

Melker Karlsson–Barclay Goodrow–Joonas Donskoi

Marc-Edouard Vlasic–Brent Burns

Brenden Dillon–Justin Braun

Joakim Ryan–Tim Heed

Analysis

The Blackhawks began writing their eulogy on Tuesday night in Arizona as the Blackhawks dropped the contest 1–0. An offense that has been very good all season decided not to show up in a game that could ultimately seal their fate for the season. The Coyotes kept themselves very much in the hunt after Tuesday’s win.

Chicago now may focus on young players getting better looks and the impending draft lottery coming up. Perhaps the Blackhawks can luck out and sneak into the top five and draft a player who may be able to help the roster now, if not sooner than later.

The Sharks are on the complete opposite end from the Blackhawks in the playoff picture. The Sharks have already clinched their trip to the postseason and currently sit second to the Calgary Flames in the Pacific Division standings. Despite losing six straight games, the Sharks are still a much better team than the Blackhawks and should likely be able to use this game to get back to their winning ways.

The Sharks weak point this season has been goaltending. Although he has 34 wins, Martin Jones has struggled this year, posting a .898 save percentage and a 2.91 goals against average (GAA), which is identical to Corey Crawford’s GAA. This is one area the Blackhawks may be able to exploit and aid in continuing the Sharks bad losing streak.

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 at Sharks appeared first on The Rink.

9:00pm CST
Gila River Arena
TV/Radio: WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (13–17–3, SV%: .908, GAA: 2.97)
Arizona – Darcy Kuemper (24–19–7, SV%: .921, GAA: 2.45)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.6%, 11th)
Arizona (16.7%, 23rd)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.3%, 31st)
Arizona (85.5%, 1st)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.6, 11th; 34.7, 30th)
Arizona (30.4, 22nd; 30.7, 12th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.1%, 8th)
Arizona (8.4%, 26th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.5%, T19th)
Arizona (47.4%, T29th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Arizona 6’1” 194lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Alex DeBrincat–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Brendan Perlini–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dylan Sikura

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

Arizona Coyotes

Richard Panik–Christian Dvorak–Clayton Keller

Lawson Crouse–Derek Stepan–Josh Archibald

Michael Grabner–Brad Richardson–Vinnie Hinostroza

Alex Galchenyuk–Nick Cousins–Conor Garland

Oliver Ekman-Larsson–Niklas Hjalmarsson

Alex Goligoski–Jason Demers

Jakob Chychrun–Jordan Oesterle

Analysis

The Blackhawks will pay a visit to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night, giving rise to yet another playoff-like match-up for the Blackhawks. After taking two valuable points on Sunday against the Avalanche, the Blackhawks are setting up for a chance, although very slim, at the playoffs.

The Blackhawks perfect scenario over the weekend would have been to take all four points from the Avalanche. Instead, the Blackhawks only took two points, while the Avalanche took three of a possible four and maintained a nice gap between themselves and the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have dug themselves a pretty deep hole.

A wing and two points are critical against the Coyotes on Tuesday night. Otherwise, this team is as good as dead in the playoff race and can start focusing on a hopeful draft lottery surprise.

The Coyotes value this game just as much as the Blackhawks do. Sitting two points back of Colorado, the Coyotes need a win to keep pace with the Avalanche. Minnesota is nipping at the Coyotes’ heels, as are the Blackhawks, so the Coyotes need all the cushion they can get while trying to catch Colorado.

Darcy Kuemper, although very good this season, was lit up the last time the Coyotes played the Blackhawks. It will be intriguing to see which version of Kuemper shows up. If it’s the version who showed up in Chicago two weeks ago, the Blackhawks could be looking at another victory to keep their playoff dreams alive.

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 at Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

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

DeBrincat – Toews – Kane

Perlini – Strome – Kahun

Saad – Anisimov – Sikura

Kunitz – Kampf – Kruger

Keith – Gustafsson

Forsling – Seabrook

Koekkoek – Murphy

Crawford

First Period:

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 25, 2019

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

Second Period:

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

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

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

Third Period:

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

THIS. GAME. IS. TIED!

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 25, 2019

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

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

Overtime:

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

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

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

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

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

Quick Hits:

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

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

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

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews started on the same line for this match-up, with Carl Dahlstrom slotting into Slater Koekkoek’s spot in the lineup being the only body to switch out. Corey Crawford got the start in goal, with Cam Ward still taking on the backup role.

Patrick Kane – Jonathan Toews – Dylan Sikura
Dylan Strome – Brendan Perlini – Alex DeBrincat
Dominik Kahun – Artem Anisimov – Brandon Saad
David Kampf – Marcus Kruger – Chris Kunitz

Erik Gustafsson – Duncan Keith
Gustav Forsling – Brent Seabrook
Carl Dahlstrom – Connor Murphy

Corey Crawford

First Period
The Blackhawks came on strong in the first four minutes of the game, peppering Carter Hart with a bunch of quality chances. Brandon Saad had the best one of the bunch, taking the puck in the corner, with a great individual effort to get through multiple defenders and get a shot off that ultimately missed the net. Travis Konecny had the best opportunity for the Flyers at around the 5:35 mark of the period, putting the puck past Crawford but ultimately drawing iron.

Gustav Forsling was called for a hold at the 7:15 mark of the period, giving the Flyers the first power play of the game. Crawford made a great stop, which led to a David Kampf clear. The start of the penalty kill made it look as though they were the ones on the powerplay for much of the first minute, with Saad, Kampf, and Marcus Kruger exchanging shots on Hart. The last minute had the Flyers coming fast and furious, with Crawford having to come up big with a couple huge saves.

At the 10:39 mark of the period, Scott Laughton made a turnover right to Patrick Kane, who skated around with the puck. He went out to the point, passing the puck around before it came to Erik Gustafsson, who shot and scored, giving the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.

A Goal for a Gus #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/6FUgKZZorO

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 22, 2019

The Flyers put on a passing clinic with just under seven minutes to go, getting off plenty of good chances on Corey Crawford, who stopped all of their shots. Sean Couturier flipped the puck out of the Flyers’ zone to Justin Bailey, who got a breakaway in on Crawford that was steered aside, as was the rebound.

Just half a minute later, the Blackhawks failed to put pressure on the incoming Flyers, leaving Corban Knight wide open in the middle of the ice as he came from the bench to snap it past Crawford, tying the score at 1-1, where the period would end.

Second Period
Just :59 into the period, the Blackhawks got their first power play chance of the game, as Shane Gostisbehere was called for a hook in front of the net. The Hawks didn’t generate a ton of chances, and mostly ended up passing the puck from their own zone, and the time that they did spend in the offensive zone was mostly passing the puck around.

Both teams tightened things up considerably in this period, not allowing many shots on their goaltenders, and mostly keeping one another at bay. The Blackhawks’ first really good chance of the period came when Dylan Sikura missed a rebound off a Jonathan Toews chance.

Gustav Forsling stopped a Konecny chance by stripping him of the puck after he got it inside in front of Crawford, stopping a breakaway opportunity from happening, and stopping another Flyers opportunity after that as well with a good stick. The second period ended the same way that it started, with a 1-1 tie.

Third Period
The period generally started the same way the second period did, with both teams generating chances against the opposing goaltender, but coming up short. Dylan Strome had the first good shot on goal of the period less than three minutes in, getting in a wrister that passed Carter Hart, but drew iron, keeping the score knotted up.

The Flyers’ Myers rang the puck off of the post at the 7:01 mark of the period, marking the first great chance for the Flyers. The Flyers’ Radko Gudas and the Blackhawks’ Chris Kunitz got into a skirmish in front of Hart after some good Blackhawks chances, but no penalties came of the play for either side.

With some traffic in front, James van Riemsdyk put on the brakes and lifted a backhand shot from forty feet out, putting the puck past a screened Crawford to give the Flyers their first lead of the game, 2-1 Philadelphia.

JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK GIVES THE FLYERS THE LEAD!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/5lubxEYSHE

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2019

Ryan Hartman held Gustav Forsling at the 11:08 mark of the period as both teams were battling for the puck in the Blackhawks’ defensive zone, giving the Blackhawks another powerplay in the game. They didn’t end up generating many chances at all, with the Flyers’ defense stifling what few ones were generated.

The Flyers had another really good chance to score, but Ryan Hartman missed the opportunity as the puck eluded him. The Blackhawks pulled Crawford with over two minutes left in the game, hoping to come back and tie the game up at 2. Couturier managed to push past the Blackhawks and score an empty-net goal, giving the Flyers the 3-1 lead. Even with a flurry of chances, the Blackhawks weren’t able to tie the game up, and the Flyers left the United Center with a win.

The Blackhawks play a home and home series versus the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s game is at Colorado, with puck drop at 2 pm CT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Let Two Points Fly Away appeared first on The Rink.

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

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (12–15–3, SV%: .907, GAA: 3.06)
Philadelphia – Carter Hart (14–10–1, SV%: .919, GAA: 2.73)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.8%, 12th)
Philadelphia (16.7%, 23rd)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.1%, 31st)
Philadelphia (78.6%, 25th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.4, 12th; 35.1, 30th)
Philadelphia (31.5, 18th; 32.4, T21st)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.3%, 7th)
Philadelphia (9.6%, 12th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.3%, T21st)
Philadelphia (54.9%, 1st)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Philadelphia 6’1” 197lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Dylan Sikura–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

Philadelphia Flyers

Oskar Lindblom–Sean Couturier–Jakub Voracek

James Van Riemsdyk–Nolan Patrick–Claude Giroux

Michael Raffl–Scott Laughton–Travis Konecny

Phil Varone–Corban Knight–Ryan Hartman

Ivan Provorov–Travis Sanheim

Andrew MacDonald–Shayne Gostisbehere

Robert Hagg–Radko Gudas

Analysis

After dropping a heart-breaker against the Canucks on Monday, the Blackhawks return to game action on home ice against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. The Blackhawks left a big point on the table against the Canucks and there’s little doubt the players are feeling the regret of not capturing that second point.

The Canucks presented the perfect “trap game” scenario for the Blackhawks who, on paper, are clearly the better team. However, despite playing the night before, the Canucks came out as the better team for most of the game.

The Blackhawks currently sit four points back of the Coyotes for the final wild card spot. There is no doubt that Thursday’s game is important, especially with the two games this weekend on the horizon against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Philadelphia Flyers are in a similar position to the Blackhawks. The Flyers are six points out of the final wild card spot in the East and, despite being sellers at the deadline, have continued to play well enough to remain in the hunt.

A pleasant surprise for the Flyers has been young goaltender Carter Hart. The 20-year old goalie has given stability to the Flyers’ goaltending situation, after the team set the record for most goalies used in a season with eight.

The Flyers have just as much to play for as the Blackhawks do. There is no doubt the Flyers and former Blackhawks forward Ryan Hartman will come out “guns-a-blazing” on Thursday. It’s up to the Blackhawks to play the way they did in the final ten minutes of regulation against Vancouver in order to win these meaningful games down the stretch in hopes of making the playoffs.

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 Flyers appeared first on The Rink.