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 Connor Bedard with Shawn and Maya in the Morning appeared first on The Rink.

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 and Maya in the Morning appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks outclassed against Tampa Bay Lightning

To start off their 2021 campaign, the Blackhawks had the unfortunate pleasure of playing the defending Stanley Cup Champions on the road in Tampa Bay. With a healthy Steven Stamkos, the Lightning overwhelmed the Blackhawks to the tune of a 5–1 outcome on opening night. Stamkos recorded one goal and two assists in the victory.

The lone Blackhawks goal was on a pass attempt from Dylan Strome that deflected in off of two Lightning players to beat goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Despite the loss, there were some positives for the Blackhawks. Pius Suter looks to be a promising NHL player and Ian Mitchell looked like an NHL defenseman. Mitchell is among the most notable prospects to watch with Kirby Dach being out of the lineup.

In their second meeting, the Vasilevskiy stole the show by making 35 saves to seal a 5–2 victory for the defending champs. The Bolts’ line of Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde and Barclay Goodrow combined for six points, while Stamkos chipped in another goal and assist.

The Blackhawks’ goals were scored by Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat, and Collin Delia made 32 saves in the loss. Even though Chicago lost, it was an improvement over their first game of the season. The team showed some resilience cutting the lead to 3–2 in the second period, but talent won the day in this matchup. Of note, Philipp Kurashev had a solid NHL debut in the losing effort.

Joel Quenneville revenge game

In their final game of the week, the Blackhawks squared off against the Florida Panthers. It is the third meeting between the Blackhawks and Panthers since Joel Quenneville took his coaching talents to Florida.

Early in the game, Quenneville challenged a Patrick Kane goal assisted by Suter. Suter set up Kane with a spin-o-rama pass for the goal. However, the challenge revealed that Kane was offside, negating the highlight-reel tally and what would have been Suter’s first NHL point.

Despite playing their best game of the season, the Blackhawks still allowed five goals for the third straight game and fell to the Panthers 5–2. The Panthers got goals from Aaron Ekblad, Keith Yandle, Eetu Luostarinen, Patric Hornqvist and Jonathan Huberdeau.

The Blackhawks got goals from Connor Murphy and DeBrincat in the loss. In addition, the Blackhawks got promising play from Suter and Kurshaev again. Kurashev looks to be on the brink of recording his first NHL point, while Suter continues to bring energy and skill to the Blackhawks.

Chicago’s major issues through three games

After three games this season, the Blackhawks are faced with some tough decisions about Adam Boqvist. Boqvist appears to be showing little to no improvement defensively from last season and looks to perhaps even be regressing. His play has gotten so bad that in the game against Florida, Boqvist was replaced by Duncan Keith on the power play and saw reduced ice time as a whole, playing just 13:36 in the loss. If Boqvist cannot be used on the power play, his current value greatly diminishes. In a season where development for the future is one of the primary goals, Boqvist regressing is not promising.

Another issue facing the Blackhawks is Dominik Kubalik’s lack of ice time. After having a breakout rookie season in 2019–20, Kubalik has been reduced to playing bottom-six minutes. He is currently averaging a full minute less of ice time this season compared to last season.

Head Coach Jeremy Colliton said after the first game that Kubalik needed to play better and he will play better. When his ice time did not significantly change after the third game of the season, Colliton stated the ice times were out of whack on the stat sheet and that’s why Kubalik’s line was so low. This is something to watch in future games.

The last major issue plaguing the Blackhawks is their lack of quality goaltending. Everyone knew goaltending would be an issue this season. After three games, two starts by Delia and one by Malcolm Subban, the Blackhawks’ current save percentage is .848 and the goals against average is 5.00. The Blackhawks have to find some consistent goaltending to not get embarrassed in every game this season.

What’s next?

The Blackhawks will resume action Tuesday against the Panthers in Florida before returning home to face the Detroit Red Wings on Friday in Chicago’s home opener at the United Center.

The post Blackhawks drop three in a row to start season 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.

The post ANALYSIS: Stan Bowman’s moves have been responsible…so far appeared first on The Rink.

You can watch Gate’s segment here:

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

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1745736142249077

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

Some 𝗗𝗼𝗺 good news

Forward Dominik Kubalik has inked a 2-year contract extension that runs through the 2021-22 season! #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/z31ES8m8d8

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 9, 2020

Winger Dominik Kubalik has signed a two-year deal contract extension that runs through the 2021-22 season ($3.7 million AAV). After the expiration of the deal, Kubalik will remain a restricted free agent with the Blackhawks.

In his first season with the Blackhawks, Kubalik record 30 goals and 16 assists. He also earned third place in the Calder Cup Trophy awards. His 30 goals were first among NHL rookies and the second on the Blackhawks behind Patrick Kane. He also earned the Rookie of the Month award in January of 2020 with 10 goals and 14 assists.

In addition to re-signing Kubalik, the Blackhawks also re-signed goaltender Malcolm Subban to a two-year deal worth $850,000 against the salary cap after not tendering a qualifying offer to him. Subban had an .890 save percentage and 3.17 GAA in 21 games last season with the Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks.

The post BREAKING: Chicago Blackhawks re-sign Dominik Kubalik and Malcolm Subban appeared first on The Rink.

Join your fellow Rinkrats below to discuss what the Blackhawks accomplished (or didn’t accomplish) this year as the market opened.

Player	Pos	Previous Team	Age	Ht / Wt	Term/Dollars	Notes
Malcolm Subban	Goaltender		26	6'2" / 215	2 years / $870K AAV
Dominik Kubalik	Forward		25	6'2" / 179	2 years / $3.7M AAV	RFA - extended
						---

These are Blackhawks trades relevant to this offseason

Team	Departing Assets	Incoming Assets	Notes
	Dylan Sikura	Brandon Pirri
	Olli Maatta	Brad Morrison

The post Blackhawks 2020 Real-Time Free Agency Ticker 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.

Rookie sensation and pending restricted free agent Dominik Kubalik took third place behind winner Cale Makar, from Colorado, and runner up Quinn Hughes, from Vancouver. Kubalik didn’t receive any first place votes, but he did get two second and 75 third place votes. These are the final voting results:

Tight vote for the Calder but a clear preference. pic.twitter.com/zBOKkxUski

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) September 21, 2020

Kubalik was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on January 24, 2019, for a 2019 fifth round pick in the NHL entry draft after he won the scoring title in the Swiss National League with 57 points (25 goals, 32 assists) in 50 games. He made the Blackhawks out of training camp, last October, and went on to score 46 points (30 goals, 16 assists) in 68 games, winning the rookie of the month honors in January. During the Blackhawks unexpected postseason appearance, he added eight points (four goals, four assists) in nine games.

Arguably, one of the most important jobs for Stan Bowman during this upcoming condensed offseason is getting Kubalik re-signed to an affordable contract so that they can also sign a starting goalie and, potentially, extend some more of their depth players like Drake Caggiula and Slater Koekkoek.

The post Blackhawks’ Kubalik takes third in Calder Trophy voting 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.

Kubalik was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 24, 2019 in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in the 2019 NHL draft (previously acquired from the Arizona Coyotes) after it became clear that he would not be signing an entry-level contract with the Kings and the team would lose his rights. Kubalik was a 2013 seventh-round draft pick of Los Angeles but failed to participate in any of their prospect camps and had played several seasons with Ambrì Piotta and HC Plzen of the Czech Extraliga. Prior to that, he played for the Sudbury Wolves and Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League for two seasons.

CALDER TROPHY FINALISTS

Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar (@Cmakar16) and Dominik Kubalik, but who will win? #NHLAwards

MORE: https://t.co/YAl04TkcKw pic.twitter.com/JZ4nb67r4N

— NHL (@NHL) July 15, 2020

The 24-year-old Kubalik had a great rookie season with the Blackhawks, ranking third on the team in scoring behind Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews with 46 points (30 goals, 16 assists) in 68 games. Kubalik ranked third overall in points as a rookie behind Vancouver defenseman Quinn Hughes and Colorado defenseman Cale Makar and led all rookies with his 30 goals.

He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent in mid-October following the completion of the playoffs and the NHL Entry Draft, which will add a whole new level of complexity to the Blackhawks cap problems.

2019-20 Calder Memorial Trophy finalist: Dominik Kubalik

Kubalik paced NHL rookies with 30 goals in 2019-20, including 19 in 29 games since Jan. 1. https://t.co/VlqtIs9RXe #NHLAwards #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/4hKTAq4yrL

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) July 15, 2020

The post Blackhawks’ Dominik Kubalik named Calder Trophy finalist 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.

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.

In the first period, the Hawks looked like a team that knew they were going to be sellers come Monday’s trade deadline. Within 90 seconds, the Hawks were already down 1–0 due to an apparent allergy to playing defense. Adam Boqvist was easily beat by Filip Chytil up the side boards and Chytil put the puck through the five hole of Chicago goalie Robin Lehner. It was very apparent that the Hawks’ biggest weakness in the first period—much like this season—was puck control and they could not seem to accomplish it on either side of the ice.

The Blackhawks only had a few good shots late in the first and it was because of a slashing penalty on Rangers wing Brett Howden. Alex DeBrincat had a shot that hit the side post for what would have been the game-tying goal. The Blackhawks got most of their 12 first-period shots on goal on that power play alone while the Rangers spread their 12 over the length of the period. As always, Lehner needed some help. New York led 1–0 after 20 minutes.

DeBrincat strikes the post on the #Blackhawks power play and the period comes to an end. Chicago trails 1-0 after twenty minutes of play.#CHIvsNYR pic.twitter.com/l1BykbDbaL

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2020

In the second period, the Blackhawks did something they have not done in a while: looked like a team that wanted to play playoff hockey. They came out with speed and looked more eager to resuscitate a season that at many times has looked dead on arrival. That glimmer of hope would come in the form of captain Jonathan Toews and rookie phenom Dominik Kubalik. As New York was putting a lot of pressure on Lehner with back-to-back chances, the puck slid between the legs of the Chicago netminder for what looked to be a 2–1 Rangers lead. But alas, enter Toews. He got to the net just in time to poke the puck away from crossing the goal line. The home team looked hungry in the second and they would get fed shortly after.

Jonathan Toews appreciation tweet #OCaptain pic.twitter.com/NCTmtHzgLs

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2020

The Hawks pulled out an old classic with a new twist as Patrick Kane slid the puck across the ice to Duncan Keith who then slung it to Kubalik who just beat the skate and pad of goalie Igor Shesterkin to tie things up at 1–1. This goal was Kubalik’s rookie leading 24th goal and Keith’s 500th career assist. A very nice look at both past and present coming together for this team in transition. Not only did the Blackhawks look more agile and determined, but they also were not afraid to get physical.

Yahtzee!#CHIvsNYR pic.twitter.com/Vyqps4cm9Z

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2020

On the other end of the ice, Lehner earned a roughing penalty for shoving Rangers forward Brendan Lemieux after Lemieux pushed David Kampf following the whistle. However, that would be all of the action for the rest of the frame. The Blackhawks outshot the Rangers 16–10 in the second period and seemed poised to chip away at the Western Conference wild card standings tied 1–1 heading into the third period.

Robin Lehner isn’t in the mood for shenanigans. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/KqOKibZGSD

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 20, 2020

What goes up, unfortunately, must come down, at least for the Rangers. The third period saw seven goals scored, but the Blackhawks were not the benefactor of most of them. Almost three minutes in, Pavel Buchnevich buried a solid pass from Chris Kreider in front of the net to put New York ahead 2–1 and the Rangers would not trail ever again. New York scored again, 90 seconds later, in the form of a power play goal from the elder Strome brother, Ryan. Olli Maatta was hit with a holding penalty and the older Strome scored his 15th on the season to put the Rangers up 3–1. Kubalik picked up his 25th goal of the season, and second of the night, two minutes later to pulling the Hawks within one again at 3–2, but the Rangers just refused to let up.

Make it 2⃣for Dominik Kubalik!

Is the Calder in the @NHLBlackhawks rookie’s future? #NYRvsCHI

: NBCSN
: https://t.co/xFg9MuaGSV pic.twitter.com/V4tZGrTirV

— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) February 20, 2020

Kreider scored his 24th on the season for a 4–2 Rangers lead and Artemi Panarin got an unassisted goal for his 30th on the season to push the gap to 5–2 to get his revenge on his former team. The younger Strome, Dylan, could not handle a pass from Maatta and it ended up in the Panarin’s bread basket.

Drake Caggiula tried to keep the dwindling home crowd invested when he buried a crisp pass from Toews off the boards for his seventh on the season to make the score 5–3 New York, but it was too little, too late. Two minutes later, Mika Zibanejad just barely squeaked a nice pass from Buchnevich to the left side of Lehner for the Rangers’ sixth goal of the game and fifth of the period. Chicago lost this one 6–3 late and the “For Sale” sign was firmly nailed up at the United Center. This one was over well before the final horn sounded, but it did not make the loss any less devastating. The Blackhawks needed a miracle on the 40th anniversary of “Miracle on Ice,” but it was not to be.

Here lies the obituary for the 2019-20 #Blackhawks.

They are survived by star Patrick Kane.

There were many fallen soldiers including Andrew Shaw, Brent Seabrook, and Calvin de Haan.

There will be a lottery player in Chicago next season. Hopefully the draft will be kind.

— Blackhawk Up (@Blackhawk_Up) February 20, 2020

The Blackhawks return to action on Friday night against the Nashville Predators in Chicago. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks overwhelmed late in 6–3 loss to the New York Rangers 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.

The-Rink.com host “Gatekeeper” gets together with Blackhawks and Steel writer Ray Napientek to discuss the state of the team at the all-star break.

• What are the Blackhawks at the 51 game mark?
• Coach Q returns to feed the Blackhawks a little of their own familiar medicine.
• Dominik Kubalik, Kirby Dach and Adam Boqvist are all some great positives.
• Brandon Hagel gets a shot, hopefully.
• More #PayRobin talk: How incredibly dumb it would be to let a guy of this talent go.
• 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 11 – “Mid” season discussion appeared first on The Rink.

Good ole Eddie Olczyk said the player to watch was Drake Caggiula and within 20 seconds of play, he proved why that was the case. Caggiula scored his fifth goal of the season with an assist from Dominik Kubalik (11) and Connor Murphy (9) and just like that the Hawks were already humming Chelsea Dagger. They would do so two more times in the first period thanks to Toews with his 13th (he would add his 14th in the second period) and Brandon Saad with his 12th, in his first game back in a month. Saad injured his right ankle on December 19th in the 4–1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Patrick Kane got his 999th point with the assist, but alas the 1000th point will have to wait another day.

Drake Caggiula scores 21 seconds into the game and #Blackhawks-Maple Leafs is officially underway. pic.twitter.com/NGO6festN2

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 19, 2020

The Hawks took a 3–0 lead into the second period, but a late penalty by Kane for hooking (18:48) in the first had the Maple Leafs with a one-man advantage and William Nylander scores his 11th goal in 14 games. He ties his career-high 22 and he looks to be a real threat at only 23 years of age. As stated previously, the cornerstone of the Hawks Jonathan Toews says that is cool kid, but I am still here and scores his second of the night to put the Hawks up 4–1. Toronto netminder Frederik Andersen is really having trouble keeping the puck in front of him. Around the 9:02 mark, Kubalik puts the Hawks up 5–1 on the assist from the captain for his third point of the game. Spoiler alert: Toews and Dom will appear in the same paragraph again soon enough.

Toronto pulled within three with a 4:43 goal from Pierre Engvall for his eighth of the season. Alexander Kerfoot dod a great job of using Hawks Adam Boqvist to block Corey Crawford’s view and set Engvall up for the blind goal.

But we are not here for Maple Leaf highlights folks. Come to think of it, this next one might need even be a HOCKEY highlight. Roll footage!

Where did this come from, Dominik Kubalik!? pic.twitter.com/RkImg1UJfG

— NHL (@NHL) January 19, 2020

I TOLD YOU THESE TWO WOULD SHOW UP AGAIN! With a little over two minutes remaining in the second period, Toews hit Kubalik with a line drive pass and Dom did not miss this one. Kubalik makes his best case to play in the MLB and not the NHL as he teed off on this one in midair right into the back of the net. Does anybody have the Cubs phone number?! Eddie Olczyk says it is the goal of the night and who am I not to believe the man. No sign-stealing required to set up this dinger.

Hawks headed into the third period up 6–2 and that is the way it stayed. A quiet third for both teams, but Toronto was averaging 3.6 goals a game and Crawford keeps them to only two goal.  Not a bad day at the office for the away team. Crawford saw 33 shots and saves 31 of them so, again, no complaints from the Blackhawks faithful. He improves to 9–13–2 and drops his goal average just hair below 3.00.

Small side note: If you happen to catch the postgame interview with Toews, he has nothing, but respect for every player on his team. He is a man very much aware of his role on the team, but also aware of how important it is to promote and showcase the younger players behind him. Here is what he said regarding his pass to Kubalik in the second: “I was trying to get the puck a foot or two lower on the ice and that was my intention, but I just kind of floated one in there and you know as they say you can’t give a good player a bad pass and I tried my best on that one and he still found a way to get his stick on it.” A veteran who gives credit to the younger players while also remaining a star himself. Have yourself a day, Jon boy.

Like the cult 1993 Disney classic, the Hawks are homeward bound to take on division rival Winnipeg Jets at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Madhouse on Madison. Maybe it will be Saad’s revenge game. Who knows? Hawks have won three in a row and go into Sunday 22–20–6, which is good for fifth in the Western Division. Never say never on a playoff run. Let us know what you think below.

The post Around the Boards: Blackhawks trounce the Leafs 6–2 with Kane stuck at 999 appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host “Gatekeeper” goes solo and gets together with our old buddy Tyler Cameron from HockeyBuzz.

• Recorded prior to the Sens and Habs games.
• We discuss the pending Robin Lehner contract situation.
• Dominik Kubalik is red hot and looking like a steal.
• Who are our picks for a new Blackhawks GM?
• What might happen around the trade deadline?
• If you’re interested in writing for The-Rink about  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 10 – Tyler Cameron of HockeyBuzz appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the Blackhawks’ latest woes, what is wrong with them, what really needs to change and what direction this organization needs to head.

The post Rink On The Air: Gate talks Blackhawks with Shawn & Maya in the Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” usher in the new year during the first period of the Blackhawks / Predators game with even more Blackhawks injuries.

• Blackhawks down 3–0 to the Preds while we recorded.
• Talk about the latest injuries.
• Some positive things to say about Adam Boqvist and Dominik Kubalik.
• It wouldn’t be a Rinkcast without more goalie praise.
• It also wouldn’t be a Rinkcast without some realism.
• We wrap with a short Rinkrat PuckBag segment.
• Check out our friend and former writer’s blog http://fansfronchroom.wordpress.com
• If you’re interested in writing for The-Rink about the Chicago Wolves (or 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 9 – Dance of the Walking Dead appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Hawks actually dominated action, outshooting Calgary 14–6 in the period, with Dominik Kubalik getting rewarded at 19:28 with his 13th goal of the season. Kubalik went and fought to stay in front of the net, getting a nifty tip on an Adam Boqvist shot, which was probably more of a pass. That put the Hawks up 1–0 at intermission.

Second period

Calgary came out blazing, as you would expect they might after giving up a goal in the last minute of the previous period. However, the Hawks were not ready and revealed their Achilles heel, sloppy defensive zone play, resulting in a turnover and a quick Elias Lindholm goal just 14 seconds in.

Another Hawk turnover, this one off a weak clear by Connor Murphy, led to Calgary’s second goal later in the period when Matthew Tkachuk found Lindholm flying up the left wing, and he buried it for a 2–1 Flames lead. Adding insult, Tkachuk decided to plaster Kirby Dach hard into the end boards well after the goal light went off.

And making matters worse: Strome. While the Hawks gave their usual vague injury update after the game, take a look:

Don't like to see this. Dylan Strome headed to the locker room after this play. pic.twitter.com/jXgZfGhf0h

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 8, 2020

Third period

Did I mention the Hawks did a lot of things right? I did, and one of those was by one Hawk in particular, Corey Crawford. You can argue both Calgary goals were stoppable, but Crawford came up big on several Flames chances, including one absolutely spectacular stop on Johnny Gaudreau on the Flames’ second five-on-three of the night.

Patrick Kane was electric and seems to have ignited linemate Dylan Sikura (we will see how long that lasts). But, Calgary goalie Cam Talbot was also outstanding on a night when the Hawks actually outshot the opposition 31–28.

All I have on this one.

What do you think? Comment below.

The post Along the Boards: Flames hold on to beat Blackhawks 2–1 appeared first on The Rink.

The contest did not start pretty for the Blackhawks. By the end of the opening frame, the Blackhawks were down 3–0 with tallies from Michael Grabner, Clayton Keller, and Brad Richardson.

Grabner’s tally was an excellent display of speed, he dipped his shoulder and released a backhand shot that had eyes, finding it’s way past Robin Lehner’s blocker side. Keller’s was a result of a defensive breakdown, as he had a semi-breakaway after an excellent pass from Jordan Oesterle. The third goal was a result of excellent net-front presence from Richardson, as he was able to tip a nice Jacob Chychrun shot through Lehner’s five hole.

There was hope in the second, as the captain, Jonathan Toews, tallied his seventh goal of the season to cut the Coyotes’ lead down to just two. The goal was a result of a well-placed shot from Dominik Kubalik that resulted in a perfect rebound for Toews to hammer home.

Finders keepers#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/bTzxEOuQfU

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 13, 2019

However, the lead would be extended for the hometown team, this time by a familiar face. After a Coyotes’ face-off win, Nick Schmaltz walked to the slot and sniped a shot over Lehner’s left shoulder to give Arizona the 4–1 lead. 

The Blackhawks opened the scoring in the third period, however, it was too late. With right around seven minutes remaining, Dylan Strome tapped home an Alex DeBrincat shot to cut back into Arizona’s lead. The power play tally was Strome’s seventh of the season. 

Dylly Dylly!

Strome strikes on the power play. #CHIvsARI pic.twitter.com/F8L9pLcKPS

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 13, 2019

With two minutes remaining, the Coyotes added insult to injury. After a puck was dumped in, Christian Dvorak, the Chicagoland native, retrieved the puck behind Lehner. Erik Gustafsson was caught down low, leaving Keller wide open in the slot and he tucked a roof shot past Lehner to give the Coyotes the three-goal lead and the final score, 5–2. 

Three points

The Hawks looked terrible: There is no nice way to say it. The Hawks were badly outplayed. They just have not looked good recently. This team, earlier in the season, showed moments of brilliance. Now, this team is relying on Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford to keep them in games. They’ve done a great job doing that, but it hasn’t been enough to yield wins.

Injuries suck: You can tell that the Blackhawks miss Duncan Keith and Calvin de Haan. I’d even argue they miss the likes of Andrew Shaw. They need good players. In years’ past, circa 2015, this team had the depth to accommodate injuries. Now, this team is S.O.L without one or two players in the lineup. Did someone say tank?

Give me the top three: What does this mean? Well, it means if you’re going to change the franchise for the better, you need top 3 picks in the draft. Although no guarantees, these players are what it takes to change a franchise. I think Kirby Dach is a part of the long-term solution, as is Adam Boqvist, but the Hawks need a continuing influx of talent in order to fill the holes. With big contracts against their cap, that’s the only way to improve, young, cheap talent. 

The Blackhawks return to action on Saturday, paying a visit to the defending Stanley Cup champions. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall on their face, lose to Coyotes 5–2 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.

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.

While there are positives (Dominik Kubalik, Robin Lehner, the return of the “real” Brandon Saad and the possibility of an improved defense—if everyone can get and stay healthy), there are some obvious issues, not least of which is a puzzling weakness in scoring goals (30th in the league). Sure, it is only after six games. And you have to take both of those points together in order to really understand what is going on.

While most fans probably expect that the Hawks will fight for every point in every game in order to make the playoffs, the truth is, despite an almost universal belief that Stan Bowman had a good and productive offseason—the Hawks came into the season with more questions than answers.

So, if you are wondering, for example, why Dylan Strome is being “experimented” with at wing, why the lines really are not clicking, etc., understand the Blackhawks are trying some things out to see how they will work—at the risk of losing points.

Some assume that because he was drafted third overall this past June, 18-year-old Kirby Dach playing second line center in the NHL is “perfectly natural.” Well, it is on a rebuilding team, not so much on a contending team. By the way, the Hawks were absolutely destroyed in the face off dot (34%) yet again last night—and at the risk of re-litigating the stupid “face offs don’t matter” argument, they do, especially if you project yourself as a puck-possession team. But I digress. The good news there is Dach’s percentage (40%) was not the team’s worst. The bad news? 40%.

Hence the title of this blog. Now, some of you will say, “Okay, enough already, JJ, we get it, the Hawks are rebuilding.” To which I respond, “Okay, so then do not expect much, especially not right now and maybe all year.”

Honestly, I believe the Hawks, as they have tried and basically failed at the last few seasons, are trying to engineer lightning in a bottle over the course of 82 games. If—IF—Dach matures through on the job training (like Alex DeBrincat did two years ago and Saad did in 2013), IF Calvin de Haan and Connor Murphy and everyone else can get and stay healthy, IF Strome can adjust to wing, IF we get more good Alex Nylander than bad Alex Nylander, IF Lehner continues to look like an elite (or near elite) netminder, then perhaps the playoffs will be a real possibility.

But, we are working through the IFs right now; answers to be determined.

All I have for now. Comment below.

The post ANALYSIS: Adjust your Blackhawks expectations appeared first on The Rink.

The only major change to the line combinations was the insertion of Slater Koekkoek for Connor Murphy on defense. 

DeBrincat — Toews — Caggiula

Shaw — Strome — Kane

Saad — Kampf — Kubalik

Smith — Carpenter — Nylander

Keith — de Haan

Maatta — Seabrook

Koekkoek — Gustafsson

Lehner

First period

The first period started off pretty well for the home team. The Blackhawks were flying around early, and two excellent scoring chances for Dominik Kubalik and Andrew Shaw came via cross-ice passes from Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews. 

Just over six minutes into the period, it appeared the Flyers took the early lead after an excellent tip from Kevin Hayes, who beat Robin Lehner five hole. However, excellent eyes from the Chicago video coaches spotted Hayes offsides before the puck entered the zone. After official review, the goal was deemed no good and the score remained deadlocked at 0–0.

Unfortunately not long after the no goal, the Blackhawks were caught in a bad situation after a pinch by Duncan Keith. The puck was poked ahead by Travis Konecny and created a two-on-one. The play could have easily been a free breakaway for the two Flyers’ forwards if not for Calvin de Haan’s hustle. Once de Haan committed to Konecny, Konecny found Oskar Lindblom wide open and he put the puck top shelf to give the Flyers the 1–0 lead.

Top cheese and no review necessary. #PHIvsCHI | #FlyOrDie pic.twitter.com/DFcGTdO0fK

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 25, 2019

Late in the period, the Toews line had arguably the best passing sequence this team has had all season, but unfortunately an Alex DeBrincat one-timer from the slot was denied by Brian Elliott. 

The Blackhawks entered the first intermission down 1–0 to the Flyers despite outshooting the Flyers 7–5 in the opening frame.

Second period

The beginning of the middle frame did not start well for the Blackhawks. Not even a minute in, Travis Sanhiem setup Claude Giroux in front of Lehner and the elite goal scorer quickly put the Flyers up 2–0 early on a redirect.

G breaks through. #PHIvsCHI | #FlyOrDie pic.twitter.com/IO1aJhk7i5

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 25, 2019

The best chance for the Blackhawks in the early portion of the period was generated by the Kampf line, which has undoubtedly been the best line of the season. Kubalik charged up the ice and found Saad crashing the net. Unfortunately, Saad’s shot went wide and the opportunity was wasted. 

The Blackhawks’ power play was certainly still a huge problem during the second period. The Blackhawks could not get anything going with the man advantage, allowing the Flyers to hang on to their two-goal lead.

Chicago entered the second intermission only registering one shot on net the entire period. The Blackhawks offense reverted to their ways the fans witnessed in the first few games this season. The Flyers completely dominated the period and left the Blackhawks in a bad spot entering the third period.

Third period

The third period began surprisingly well for the Blackhawks. The team had tons of momentum coming out of the intermission and finally found a sense of urgency. That exact energy led to the Blackhawks being rewarded.

Just a minute into the period, Andrew Shaw was on the left wing and received the puck after Kirby Dach won a board battle at center ice. Shaw found an open Saad at the blue line for an excellent opportunity. Saad was in all alone against Elliott and, with a nifty backhand-forehand move, Saad found the back of the net to cut the Flyers’ lead in half at 2–1.

Kneel before Saad! @NHLBlackhawks are on the board! #AuthenticFan pic.twitter.com/TxEKDT8fvd

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 25, 2019

However, the Flyers responded. Four minutes later, Hayes found himself on a breakaway after beating Brent Seabrook up ice. Hayes buried the puck behind Lehner and once again gave the Flyers a two-goal lead at 3–1. The play was a tough break for the Blackhawks as they looked to regain momentum.

RARE TONIGHT: A Philly goal that *wasn’t* overturned. #PHIvsCHI | #FlyOrDie pic.twitter.com/4Vaau0cYIk

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 25, 2019

Two minutes later, it appeared that Joel Farabee registered the first goal of his young career. However, the Blackhawks challenged again. For the second time in this game, Hayes was offside on a potential goal for the Flyers. The lead remained at two for the visitors.

The Blackhawks finally found some momentum and were controlling play for most of the period. However, with just over three minutes remaining, Erik Gustafsson turned the puck over in the defensive zone and it ended up on the stick of James Van Riemsdyk. Van Riemsdyk found himself on a breakaway and completely fooled Lehner with a nifty move to give the Flyers the 4–1 lead late in the third.

He’s back. #PHIvsCHI | #FlyOrDie pic.twitter.com/ioYJRQQEEt

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 25, 2019

The Blackhawks were unable to generate anything else the remainder of the period, and ultimately fell to the Flyers by a 4–1 final. 

Quick hits

• Where is the energy? The Blackhawks simply did not show up in the first two periods. They look lazy, tired and pathetic. Eight shots on goal through two periods is not a recipe for winning hockey games in the NHL. They finally showed up in the third period, but it was too late.
• Saadfather: Brandon Saad continues to look like one of the best players night in and night out. He is playing with that same energy and relentlessness that made a deadly force before being traded to Columbus. Now in his third season since returning from Columbus, he is finally starting to look like his old self. He could be on pace for a career year if his play remains at this level. It also does not hurt that the only goal of the night came via Saad and it was a beauty.
• Missing the Murph: It is interesting to say, but the Blackhawks miss Connor Murphy on the back end. John Dietz tweeted the Blackhawks’ goals against average with and without Murphy. It is 4.4 to 2.2, respectively. That is a big difference and it especially helps that he and Duncan Keith had become a formidable top pair. Now, the depth is not as strong with Calvin de Haan playing on the top pairing.

The Blackhawks will fly to Raleigh, North Carolina, to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. The game will be the first of back-to-back games for the Blackhawks. Puck drop is scheduled for 12 p.m. CDT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks refuse to show up, lose to Flyers 4–1 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.

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

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

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

— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) October 19, 2019

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

DeBrincat – Toews – Caggiula

Shaw – Strome – Kane

Saad – Kampf – Kubalik

Smith – Carpenter – Nylander

Keith – Murphy

Maatta – Seabrook

de Haan – Gustafsson

Lehner

First period

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

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

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

Drake Caggiula's first goal of the year is NICE

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 19, 2019

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

Second period

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

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

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

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

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

Third period

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

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

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

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

pic.twitter.com/oApg048srb

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 19, 2019

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

Overtime

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

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

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

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) October 19, 2019

Quick Hits

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

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

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

As expected, long-time Blackhawk Corey Crawford took the net for Chicago’s home opener in the second game of the season. There continues to be speculation as to how head coach Jeremy Colliton will split up the games in net between Crawford and Robin Lehner.

Here was the starting lineup for tonight’s matchup:

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 — Connor Murphy

Brendan Perlini and Calvin de Haan were the scratches.

First period

In the first five minutes, the Blackhawks did not get many chances. Newly signed Sharks forward Patrick Marleau got the first shot on net 21 seconds in and the Corey Crawford made some great saves early on.

The chances the home team did get were grade A about five minutes in. The third line maintained offensive zone time and simply threw the puck on net, generating a flurry of chances. Eventually, Brandon Saad retrieved a rebound off San Jose goaltender Aaron Dell and found a passing lane for Dominik Kubalik, who buried the puck in the wide-open net for his first NHL goal and a 1–0 Chicago lead.

Dominik Kubalik scores his first NHL goal and the first of the game for the #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/pnDkt78SiP

— Juliana Nikac (@juliananikac) October 11, 2019

A penalty by Ryan Carpenter in the offensive zone allowed the San Jose power play to get going and they did not let it go to waste. The Blackhawks lost the faceoff and Kevin Labanc scored off an impossible angle to tie the game at 1–1.

The tie did not last long, though. Just under two minutes after the Labanc goal, Olli Maatta retrieved a pass from around the boards and took a slap shot that Dell saved. But, with Andrew Shaw in his kitchen, Dell could only stop the puck so many times before it was shoved in. And boy, was Shaw excited to score his first back in a Blackhawk sweater and to give the home team the lead at 2–1.

Once again, another brutal offensive zone penalty for the Blackhawks led to another tie near the end of the first period. And you just had to know Marleau would score in his 1,658th career game. After one frame, the Blackhawks led the Sharks 14–11 in shots with the game tied at 2–2.

Second period

To start the second frame, the Blackhawks had a power play thanks to Shaw being himself and drawing a penalty against Brenden Dillon at the tail end of the first period. However, Chicago got nothing going on that man advantage. Kubalik continued to look fantastic and was rewarded with a promotion from the third line to the top line with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews.

The Blackhawks did convert on a prime scoring chance later on, though. After chasing the puck into the offensive zone, Alex DeBrincat stole it away from Erik Karlsson along the boards and fed it to Shaw. From the left faceoff dot, Shaw’s wrist shot found a path into the net behind Dell. The Blackhawks regained the lead for the third time in the game at 3–2 around nine and a half minutes into the second period.

Andrew Shaw scores his second of the game to give the #Blackhawks a 3-2 lead pic.twitter.com/yzr9XUXnz3

— Juliana Nikac (@juliananikac) October 11, 2019

Of course, that advantage did not last long. Just 33 seconds later, San Jose defenseman Brent Burns slid along the boards and put a shot in front of the net from right above the goal line. The puck bounced off Blackhawk defenseman Connor Murphy and directly behind Crawford, tying the game at 3–3.

Both teams exchanged chances for the next few minutes. After Crawford stopped a shot the Sharks put on net, the puck found its way to Kane, who slid it up to Dylan Strome on a two-on-one with DeBrincat. The Sharks’ defense just continued to watch the puck while Strome and Kane tossed it back and forth until Strome shot it home to give the Blackhawks a 4–3 edge.

San Jose continued to pressure the Blackhawks in the Chicago zone for the remainder of the period. With about two minutes left, a shot from Burns at the blue line tipped off the stick of Timo Meier to Crawford, who could not control the rebound. Maatta lifted his own stick off the ice to tie up Marleau, but that did not stop the forward from scoring yet again, tying the contest at 4–4.

After two periods, the Blackhawks and Sharks found themselves tied at four goals apiece with the visitors leading 23–22 in shots.

Third period

The Blackhawks did not look like they wanted to win in the third period. San Jose had the majority of the chances, and, luckily, Crawford stopped almost all of them.

Almost is the keyword there. Five minutes into the final frame, the Sharks circled around the Blackhawks for much too long. The puck found Joe Thornton behind the net and he spotted a wide-open Barclay Goodrow directly in front of the net. There was no defender on him, as Alex Nylander and Erik Gustafsson were both tied up with the same player along the boards. The Sharks had their first lead of the game at 5–4 and the Blackhawks looked dead on their feet.

What a Goodie. pic.twitter.com/kaziUNMO9Q

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 11, 2019

In the final minute or so of the game, Chicago did have a decent amount of chances. None of them made their way into the net behind Dell and the Blackhawks lost 5–4, as San Jose earned their first win of the season. The Sharks outshot the Blackhawks 34–30 in the game.

The Blackhawks will remain at home Saturday night to face the Winnipeg Jets at 6 p.m.

Pluses

• Dominik Kubalik was the best player for the Blackhawks. He scored the first goal of his NHL career and controlled play when on the ice. He looks like a steal so far.

Minuses

• The penalty kill picked up right where it left off last year: looking terrible. San Jose scored two power play goals and now the Blackhawks are only 50% (three of six) on the penalty kill. That is not good enough at all.
• After a good first game and stellar preseason, Alex Nylander was invisible tonight. He was bumped off the first line and moved to the third line, then eventually switched in for a double-shifting Patrick Kane.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall 5-4 to Sharks in home opener 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.

Debricant-Strome-Shaw
Caggiula-Entwistle-Smith
Kubalik-Nilsson-Perlini
Fortin-Johnson-Wedin
Dahlstrom-Murphy
Holm-Koekkoek
Carlsson-Krys-Beaudin

First period:
The Wings dominated the first period with physicality and many shots. New Blackhawks goalie Robin Lehner was tested early and often. The defense did Lehner no favors early, allowing a three on one chance in the opening minutes of the game.

Detroit would get the lone tally on a shot from Matt Puempel that Lehner would have liked to have back. Aside from Lehner not allowing more goals, there was nothing really positive for the Blackhawks in the first. The score was 1–0 Red Wings and the shots were 12–5 in favor of Detroit.

Second period:
The second period was better for the Blackhawks. After their lackluster first period, up was the only direction to take for this team. The Blackhawks did face a huge scare to start the second. Alex DeBrincat had went knee to knee with a Wings players in the first period. He would return to bench later in the second period.

The Blackhawks would finally get on the board when Andrew Shaw won a board battle and fed Dylan Strome. Strome made a beautiful pass to Philip Holm, who sniped home the equalizer.

In our best Eddie voice, Philip Holm went “RIGHT DOWN MAIN STREET”! pic.twitter.com/hFcbSGHJai

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) September 18, 2019

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The good feelings from the Holm goal would be short lived. Matthew Ford would beat Lehner on a fluky goal to re-establish the lead for Detroit at 2–1.

Lehner would be removed close to the 30 minute mark. Kevin Lankinen replaced Lehner and was not eased into the game. He faced several high danger chance right off the bat. The Wings would increase their lead to 3–1 on goal late in the period from Chris Terry.

However, the Blackhawks answered back with a goal from Dominik Kubalik.

Consider us big Domink Kubalik fans pic.twitter.com/B16i72mhBb

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) September 18, 2019

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The second period ended with the Red Wings up 3–2.

Third period:
The Hawks would tie the game on a power play goal early in the period. Kubalik was assisted by Holm on the goal. The shot was a laser past Detroit goalie Calvin Pickard.

Dominik Kubalik is firing lasers tonight! Goal #2 ties the game at 3! pic.twitter.com/BDFYVbQQxu

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) September 18, 2019

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Lankien was tested a couple of times in the third. He looked very good in net, but allowed a late third period goal. To be fair, he had faced 20 shots in 29 minutes of play before allowing the power play goal from Michael Rasmussen.

An empty goal with less than one minute remaining left in intermission sealed it for the Red Wings. The goal was scored by Luke Glendening.

When the final seconds ticked off the clock, Detroit had earned a 5–3 victory.

Quick hits:

A defensive challenger: Philip Holm has been impressive during camp. After a disastrous first period, he responded with a better second period. He tallied the first Blackhawks goal. He also had the assist on the second Kubalik goal.

Dominik who?: Dominik Kubalik looks like he could be a useful player for the team this season. He had two goals on the night.

The Blackhawks’ next game will be on Wednesday, as they host the Red Wings in Chicago. It can be seen on NBCSCH+ and puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The post Chicago Blackhawks fall to the Detroit Red Wings 5–3 appeared first on The Rink.

Parts of the series

Introduction

Tiers one and two

Tier three

Tier four

Tier five

Tier six

Complete tier listings with our panel’s original average tier ratings (* represents a unanimous rating from the panel)

Tier one

Adam Boqvist (1*)
Kirby Dach (1*)

Tier two

Ian Mitchell (1.833)
Nicolas Beaudin (2.333)

Tier three

Alex Vlasic (2.833)
Alex Nylander (3)
Dominik Kubalik (3.167)
Philipp Kurashev (3.167)
Chad Krys (3.333)
Jake Wise (3.5)
Alexis Gravel (4)

Tier four

Evan Barratt (3.5)
MacKenzie Entwistle (3.667)
Aleksi Saarela (3.833)
Josiah Slavin (3.833)
Dennis Gilbert (4)
Matthew Highmore (4)
Kevin Lankinen (4)
Niklas Nordgren (4)
John Quenneville (4*)
Michal Teply (4)
Lucas Carlsson (4.167)
Tim Soderlund (4.167)
Alexandre Fortin (4.333)

Tier five

Brandon Hagel (4.333)
Antti Saarela (4.333)
Dominic Basse (4.5)
Artur Kayumov (4.5)
Josh Ess (4.667)
Jakub Galvas (4.833)
Mikael Hakkarainen (4.833)
Reese Johnson (4.833)
Cole Moberg (4.833)
Andrei Altybarmakyan (5.167)
Ivan Nalimov (5.167)
Joni Tuulola (5.167)

Tier six

Mathias From (5.333)
Roope Laavainen (5.333)
Ryan Shea (5.333)
Parker Foo (5.5)
Jake Ryczek (5.5)
Nathan Noel (5.667)
Graham Knott (5.833)

Note: Our panel discovered at a later date Jack Ramsey had been omitted from the series and agreed Ramsey falls into tier six.

The post RECAP: The-Rink’s Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers appeared first on The Rink.

Our series continues today with tier three, defined as a prospect seen as a middle six forward, second pairing defenseman or backup goalie.

As explained in the introduction piece, each eligible prospect in the system was rated by our staff panel before ultimately being debated to agree on a tier. Each prospect’s original rating average is listed in parentheses after their name, along with a brief synopsis of why they fell in the tier they did.

Players are listed in order of original rating average, with any ties being sorted alphabetically by last name.

Alex Vlasic (2.833)

The cousin of San Jose’s Marc-Edouard Vlasic, the Wilmette, Illinois, native was selected by his hometown team in the second round this June. Vlasic boasts a massive frame for someone his age being listed at 6-foot-6 and 198 pounds. Vlasic has shown an ability to use his size to his advantage, especially in terms of breaking up plays with his reach and blocking shots. As part of the high powered US National Team Development Program over the past two years, Vlasic was relied on more so as a defensive defenseman. However, the big blue liner does have the ability to chip in from the back end thanks to his good vision and slap shot. Vlasic will head to Boston University to join the Terriers, where he will likely spend at least a couple of years before turning pro. Vlasic, who some considered to be a bit of a steal at the draft, could slot into Chicago’s top four in the future if he can develop into a bonafide shutdown defenseman. While he has a bigger frame than former Blackhawk Niklas Hjalmarsson, Vlasic could be the long awaited replacement for the three-time Stanley Cup champion.

The Blackhawks selected Wilmette, Illinois, native Alex Vlasic in the second round in 2019. Vlasic will play at Boston University in 2019–20. (Photograph courtesy of Hickling Images)

Alex Nylander (3)

Nylander, who is the brother of William Nylander of Toronto and son of former Blackhawk Michael Nylander, was acquired by Chicago earlier this summer from Buffalo in exchange for 2017 first round pick Henri Jokiharju. Alex was the eighth overall selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and has spent the majority of his time since then playing for the Rochester Americans in the AHL. The Calgary-born Swede possesses an undeniable amount of offensive skill and flair, but has been surrounded with questions about his intensity and desire. Nylander joins a growing list of recent reclamation projects for Stan Bowman, who hopes the Nylander experiment will turn out more like Dylan Strome than David Rundblad. Nylander’s style is clearly suited for a top six role, but, if he is unable to put his game together, could end up being more like Dylan Sikura has been recently in not quite being able to handle the top six load but also not fitting in as a bottom six player. Though the Blackhawks have a wealth of young talent on the back end, Nylander will need to prove his services were worth jettisoning Jokiharju, who seems primed for a lengthy career as a top four NHL defenseman.

Chicago acquired Alex Nylander from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Henri Jokiharju this summer. (Photograph courtesy of the NHL)

Dominik Kubalik (3.167)

Kubalik joins Chicago’s organization for 2019–20 after being acquired in January from Los Angeles in exchange for a fifth round pick. Originally a 2013 seventh round pick of the Kings, Kubalik tore up the Swiss National League in 2018–19, leading the league with 57 points in 50 games. The Czech Republic native will look to translate his production to North America, where he has not played since 2013–14 in the Ontario Hockey League. Kubalik has been a mainstay on Czech teams at international tournaments, including representing his country in the 2018 Winter Olympics. The 6-foot-2, 179-pound winger also enjoyed a breakout showing at the 2019 World Championships, scoring six goals and adding six assists in 10 games. Kubalik, who is on a one year contract with the Blackhawks, is expected to be in Chicago’s lineup this season. While he could become a standout player if he is able to produce as he did in Switzerland, Kubalik will likely be more along the lines of this year’s Dominik Kahun if he pans out, being someone who can play up and down the lineup and contribute offensively in a supporting role.

Dominik Kubalik will make his North American professional debut in 2019–20 after dominating the Swiss National League in 2018–19. (Photograph courtesy of Getty Images)

Philipp Kurashev (3.167)

Kurashev has been a pleasant surprise thus far in his development, quickly rising up the ranks in Chicago’s system. The Blackhawks drafted Kurashev in the fourth round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and the Switzerland native has since done nothing but impress regardless of the level of play. In 59 games for the Quebec Remparts, he scored 29 goals and added 36 helpers for career best marks in both goals and points in his junior career. Kurashev particularly stood out on the international stage, with the World Junior Championships highlighting his showings for his country. A regular for Swiss national teams, Kurashev lit it up to lead the tournament with six goals in seven games and finished with seven points. Following his junior season coming to a close, Kurashev made the jump to Rockford, where he played three games for the IceHogs. Kurashev is expected to return to Rockford’s lineup for 2019–20, where he will likely be among the team’s go-to offensive weapons. Though Kurashev has not yet proven himself professionally, his development is trending in the right direction and it appears he could have a successful middle six role in the NHL down the road.

Philipp Kurashev will play in his first full professional season in 2019–20 after finishing last season with the Rockford IceHogs. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Chad Krys (3.333)

Like a couple of other players already covered in the series, Krys may be a player who would best be suited by moving to another organization. The offensive defenseman was once at the top of Chicago’s blue line prospects, but has since dropped down the list with the drafting of other high end defensemen who excel offensively. Drafted in the second round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Krys spent three seasons playing at Boston University to continue his development. In his time as a Terrier, the Connecticut native posted 58 points in 105 games, including 20 points in 30 games last season as an alternate captain. Upon finishing his collegiate season, Krys signed with the Blackhawks and joined the Rockford IceHogs, playing nine games while tallying four assists. The 5-foot-11, 185 pound defender boasts strong skating and passing abilities, but would likely need to be paired with a reliable partner at the NHL level to cover for his defensive deficiencies. The majority of our panel believes Krys will become an everyday NHL player, but, as mentioned previously, his path would likely be easier in another organization. Krys will return to Rockford for the 2019–20 season on a stacked IceHogs blue line.

Chad Krys joined the IceHogs late in the 2018–19 season after spending three years at Boston University. (Photograph courtesy of the Rockford IceHogs)

Jake Wise (3.5)

Wise is among the Blackhawks’ most intriguing forward prospects both because of his skill but also because of a seeming mystique around him. The Naples, Florida, native has missed time with injuries in each of his last two seasons—2017–18 with the US National Team Development Program and 2018–19 at Boston University—which has prevented him from showing what he is capable of when at full health. Once considered a potential first round pick option in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Chicago scooped up Wise in the third round. Wise is hard to miss on the ice for that reason: He is good at making defenders miss. He uses his speed and high end stickhandling to elude defenders in tight spaces. Additionally, Wise is responsible defensively, which will help his cause as he moves up the ranks. While our panel was a bit mixed on Wise, his talent is undeniable, and, if he can stay healthy and progress in his development, could turn into a draft day steal in a middle six type of role in the future. The 5-foot-10 centerman will return to the Terriers for 2019–20.

Jake Wise will return to Boston University for 2019–20 looking to put together a full season after playing just 12 games last year. (Photograph courtesy of Boston University Athletics)

Alexis Gravel (4)

Gravel’s initial vote rating indicates a spot in the fourth tier, but upon reconsidering our tiers in terms of goaltenders, our panel decided Gravel was better suited for tier three, as the group believes Gravel will be in NHL blue paint in the future. Once considered a top goaltending prospect for the 2018 draft class, the Blackhawks snagged the German native in the sixth round after a somewhat disappointing 2017–18 season with the Halifax Mooseheads. However, Gravel has done nothing but impress since being drafted, putting together a breakout 2018–19 campaign with Halifax, posting a goals against average of 2.49 and save percentage of .913, both of which were career best marks. Gravel then upped his game in the postseason, recording a .917 save percentage in 23 games, guiding his squad to second place finishes in both the QMJHL’s President’s Cup and the Memorial Cup. Boasting massive size in the goal at 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, Gravel is still quick and tracks pucks well in addition to being technically sound. Though still relatively early in his progression, Gravel looks as though he could be among the better goaltenders the Blackhawks have drafted and developed in the 21st century. The right handed netminder will return to the Mooseheads in 2019–20.

Alexis Gravel will return to the Halifax Mooseheads for the 2019–20 season. (Photograph courtesy of Vincent Ethier/CHL Images)

Stay tuned as The-Rink progresses up the ladder in its Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers.

The post The-Rink’s Blackhawks prospect pyramid: Blood, sweat and tiers, part four appeared first on The Rink.

The article references Kubalik’s contract and the “out clause” that allows him to return to Europe if he does not make the Blackhawks out of training camp. This is similar to reported clauses in the entry-level contracts for former Blackhawks players Artemi Panarin and Dominik Kahun. According to the author, Kubalik has said he has no intention of exercising the clause if he does not make the opening night roster. This puts to rest any speculation that the organization would be forced to keep him in the NHL to avoid losing his services later this season. As a result, he would join the Rockford IceHogs.

Kubalik was acquired by the Blackhawks from the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 24. He was a 2013 seventh round pick (191st overall) of the Kings, but has been playing in the Swiss National League. He led the league in scoring last season with 57 points (25 goals, 32 assists). Former NHL player Mark Arcobello and former Rockford IceHogs player Chris DiDomenico were also in the league’s top 10 scorers.

The 23-year-old left wing will continue his off-ice training this week with other Blackhawks prospects at the organization’s development camp.

The post REPORT: Blackhawks’ Kubalik will not exercise out clause appeared first on The Rink.

If you have not checked out previous videos please take a look:

Highlight video of Victor Ejdsell
Highlight video of Dominik Kahun
Highlight video of Lucas Carlsson
Highlight video of Jacob Nilsson
Highlight video of Kevin Lankinen
Highlight video of Adam Boqvist

In the second video this spring, feature writer Jeff Osborn worked long and hard to bring you a highlight video of one of the Blackhawks’ top forward prospects, Dominik Kubalik.

The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Czech-born left wing had a breakout year in the the Swiss National League with HC Ambrì-Piotta (25 goals, 32 assists) in 50 games, where he was also the team’s top scorer. He continued his success in the Swiss Cup playoffs, scoring five points (four goals, one assist) in three games. He also played in the 2019 IIHF World Championships, scoring 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 10 games. On January 24, 2019, Kubalik’s rights were acquired by the Blackhawks from the Los Angeles Kings for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft.

EDIT – On 5/29, The Blackhawks announced they had officially signed Kubalik to a one-year $925,000 entry level contract

Please enjoy our highlight reel, share with your friends on social media and feel free to let us know if you enjoy this kind of content.

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The post Chicago Blackhawks prospect spotlight: Dominik Kubalik (VIDEO) appeared first on The Rink.

Kubalík is a 23-year-old former 7th round Kings draft pick (191st overall) in the 2013 NHL draft. The same draft that the Blackhawks drafted Anthony Louis ten picks earlier (181st overall) and Robin Press later in the seventh round (211th overall).

The 6’2″ 180 lbs left wing has been playing for HC Ambrì-Piotta of the Swiss National League. Coming into Thursday evening, he is leading the league in scoring with 43 points (18G-25A). The native of Plzen, Czech Republic, represented his country at the 2018 Olympic Games and World Championships as well as the 2015 World Junior Championship.

He is currently under contract with his Swiss team and cannot sign a contract with the Blackhawks until his deal with HC Ambrì-Piotta has expired. The Kings tried to pry Kubalík out of Europe in 2017 but, without player compensation, Ambrì-Piotta blocked the deal from happening.

Kubalik 2017-18 Season Highlights from HC-Ambri Piotta https://t.co/tb35J5ri2z#Blackhawks #NHL

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) January 24, 2019

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks Make Trade With Kings appeared first on The Rink.