The Blackhawks announced on Monday the team had signed Erik Gustafsson to a one-year, $800,000 contract to rejoin the squad after spending last season between the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens.

Welcome back @ErkanGustafsson pic.twitter.com/OtCv2mwBm0

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) October 11, 2021

Gustafsson had been competing in the New York Islanders’ training camp on a professional tryout, but was released from the team and subsequently signed with the Blackhawks. According to NBC Sports Chicago Blackhawks Insider Charlie Roumeliotis, the team contacted Gustafsson expressing interest on Friday, and the deal came together fairly quickly from there.

The move came in light of two Hawks defenders, Caleb Jones and Wyatt Kalynuk, sustaining injuries last week. The two were expected to land spots on Chicago’s opening night roster, but their injuries have now temporarily opened a pair of openings on the blue line. While many assumed those spots would be taken by players like Nicolas Beaudin, Jakub Galvas or Ian Mitchell, General Manager Stan Bowman opted to return to the former player well instead and came up with Gustafsson, who will likely slot in on the opening night roster in one of the open spots.

Chicago fans are quite familiar with the much-maligned Gustafsson, as the Swede spent parts of four seasons with the Blackhawks, accumulating 116 points (28 goals, 88 assists) in 214 games during that stretch.

Gustafsson, originally a 2012 fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers who signed as a free agent with the Blackhawks in 2015, was dealt to the Calgary Flames at the 2020 trade deadline in exchange for a third-round pick in 2020, which the Hawks used to select defenseman Wyatt Kaiser.

Gustafsson will wear the same number, 56, that he wore during the majority of his first stint with the Blackhawks.

The Blackhawks announced three other roster moves on Sunday, assigning Alexander Nylander to the Rockford IceHogs and placing goaltenders Collin Delia and Malcolm Subban on waivers. Delia and Subban both cleared waivers on Monday, but Nylander’s assignment came as a sudden surprise to many, as it had been assumed the Swede required waivers to be sent to the IceHogs. However, the NHL ruled Nylander’s waivers exemption status was allowed to slide to this season after missing all of last season due to injury.

While keeping both Delia and Subban in the organization obviously provides solid depth in net, it also creates a potentially ugly logjam in the crease for the IceHogs, as Rockford already has Cale Morris and Arvid Soderblom in the cage. Even if Morris is sent to the Indy Fuel, a three-headed monster in Rockford featuring both Delia and Subban is likely not an ideal situation, as it would be taking playing time away from the younger netminders.

The Blackhawks finalized their opening night roster on Monday afternoon, announcing their final training camp transactions. In addition to sending Delia and Subban to Rockford, the team also assigned MacKenzie Entwistle and Philipp Kurashev to the IceHogs. The Hawks also placed Jones on long-term injured reserve and Kalynuk and Alec Regula on season-opening injured reserve.

The season-opening injured reserve designation is important, as it alters both players’ cap hits for the season. The calculations vary based on a player’s experience, but for both Kalynuk and Regula, being players with two-way contracts with less than 50 games of NHL experience, their 2021–22 cap hit is multiplied by the total NHL accrued days in the previous season and then divided by the total number of days in the previous season. So, essentially, their cap hits are pro-rated based on their time spent on the Blackhawks’ roster last season. According to CapFriendly, Kalynuk will now carry a cap hit of $422,629, while Regula will carry a cap hit of just $37,356.

With the transactions, Chicago’s opening night roster is set. However, it is important to note the roster can (and likely will) change prior to the team’s first game of the season. But, in the meantime, here are the 23 players on the Blackhawks’ opening night roster.

Forwards (12)
Henrik Borgstrom
Ryan Carpenter
Kirby Dach
Alex DeBrincat
Adam Gaudette
Brandon Hagel
Tyler Johnson
Patrick Kane
Jujhar Khaira
Dominik Kubalik
Dylan Strome
Jonathan Toews

Defensemen (7)
Calvin de Haan
Erik Gustafsson
Seth Jones
Jake McCabe
Ian Mitchell
Connor Murphy
Riley Stillman

Goaltenders (2)
Marc-Andre Fleury
Kevin Lankinen

Season-opening injured reserve (2)
Wyatt Kalynuk
Alec Regula

The Hawks will open their regular season on Wednesday, traveling to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche. Puck drop is slated for 9 p.m. CDT.

The post Blackhawks bring back Gustafsson, announce additional roster moves appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “Double J” get together with HockeyBuzz Blackhawks writer Tyler Cameron to discuss the Blackhawks highly disappointing trade deadline.

• Nathan Noel to the Philadelphia Flyers for TJ Brennan
• Robin Lehner to the Vegas Golden Knights in a three way deal (including Toronto) for Malcolm Subban, Stanislav Demin, and 2020 second round pick
• Erik Gustafsson to Calgary for a draft pick
• 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 13 – Trade deadline “fizzle-ure” appeared first on The Rink.

Gustafsson was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round (93rd overall) of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He was signed by the Blackhawks as a free agent in 2015 after his draft rights expired and he was not able to come to terms with Edmonton. He played 41 with the team in 2015–16 and 35 games in 2016–17, but his big break was last season when he 60 points (17 goals, 43 assists) in 79 games with Chicago. His numbers have significantly dropped off this season and he will become an unrestricted free agent following this season. It was unlikely that the Blackhawks would make a significant offer to keep him.

In return, the Blackhawks acquired a third-round draft pick. More detailed info to come.

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks trade Erik Gustafsson to Calgary Flames appeared first on The Rink.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Erik Gustafsson is in another sweater

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

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

Get what you can. Now.

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

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

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

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

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

Please comment below.

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

The Blackhawks lines and pairings were:

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

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

First period

The Blackhawk Express basically derailed at the start of this game. Action was fairly even in the early going, though it was evident that that Carolina came to play. The Blackhawks struggled to clear their end at times while, at the other end of the ice, the Canes seemed to have little difficult getting pucks out.

After an Erik Gustafsson blowout and turnover at the Carolina blueline, and an ensuing two-on-zero break on Lehner, Martin Necas put the Canes ahead 1–0 at 5:36, which was how the period would end. Shots were 13–4 Carolina for the period.

Second period

Bad fortune would continue for Chicago in the second period when Andrei Svechnikov caught Lehner unaware and beat him at just 53 seconds in with a quick, knuckle-balling shot from the right circle for a 2–0 Carolina lead.

The Hawks finally got something going when Dominik Kubalik and Andrew Shaw appeared ready to go on a two-on-zero themselves, but Kubalik was pulled down by Dougie Hamilton at 8:14. However, the two best scoring chances of the ensuing power play would be for the Canes’ Sebastian Aho, who got in on Lehner twice.

Sure enough, not too long after the Canes killed the penalty, Nino Niederreiter absolutely abused Gustafsson, beating him wide at center ice and flipping a puck up over Lehner in close at 11:54 to extend the gap to 3–0 Carolina.

Making matters potentially worse, Patrick Kane took a tripping call at 13:33. The Hawks were able to kill the penalty off, however. The period ended with the Canes up by three. Shots for the second were 14–8 Carolina.

Third period

The Blackhawks brought the pressure in the third with defensemen well up the ice—which finally paid off at 12:05 when Gustafsson gathered a pinpoint Patrick Kane pass right in front of Mrazek and buried it, cutting the score to 3–1.

Less than a minute later, Connor Murphy was the recipient of a Kane dish as he jumped into the slot. Murphy had all day and did not miss, bringing Chicago to within one at 3–2.

At this point, the building was jumping in anticipation of an epic comeback, shots were 20–6 Chicago for the period, but the Hawks simply were unable to solve Mrazek one more time. Head coach Jeremy Colliton pulled Lehner for an extra attacker late‚ but that turned into an Aho empty-net goal to make the final 4–2 Carolina.

The good

Not much. When you have Patrick Kane and enough other offensive talent—as the Hawks do—you can always mount a late comeback by pulling all the stops. But, this is a high-risk strategy that you should only utilize to get back into a game as Chicago did in the third.

The bad

It is fair to say the Hawks may have been reading their own press clippings a bit of late and did not come into the game with the requisite intensity needed against a quality foe like the Hurricanes.

The ugly

He may have scored a goal when defense did not matter, but Gustafsson continues to be a massive liability as a defender whenever he is on the ice. End of story.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks return to reality, fall to Carolina 4–2 appeared first on The Rink.

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

Saad — Toews — Nylander

DeBrincat — Strome — Kane

Kubalik — Kampf — Shaw

Smith — Dach — Carpenter

Keith — Gustafsson

de Haan — Seabrook

Maatta — Murphy

Crawford

First period

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

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

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

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

Second period

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

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

Gloves. Off. pic.twitter.com/JVOVWpcTy5

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

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

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

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

Third period

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

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

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

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

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 18, 2019

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

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

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

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

Quick hits

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

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

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

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.

What I uncovered was pretty revealing.

When Colliton took over the Blackhawks last season, one of his pet projects was the polarizing subject of just how to use Gustafsson. Gustafsson was signed to a two-year deal and imported from the Swedish Elite League in April of 2015, at 23 years old, after failing to make headway with the Edmonton Oilers organization. His draft rights expired while playing for Swedish powerhouse Frolunda and the Blackhawks swooped in.

In his first year with the franchise, he split time between Chicago and Rockford, amassing 14 assists in 41 NHL games and 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in the AHL, also winning Rockford’s Defenseman of the Year award. He seemed like he might have a future as a middle or bottom-pair two-way defenseman with an offensive edge.

The following season, head coach Joel Quenneville never showed confidence in the then-24-year-old and he spent the entire season in Rockford. Gustafsson has 40 points (five goals, 25 assists) in the AHL for then-Rockford IceHogs head coach, Ted Dent. After sliding down the organizational depth chart and with his contract expiring, it seemed as though Gustafsson’s time with the Blackhawks might have been over.

To the surprise of most, the Blackhawks announced on July 14, 2017 that they had agreed to a one-year extension to keep him in the organization. Despite his decent numbers in both the AHL and NHL, it seems as though the market for his services was not quite what he (or his agent) had hoped for.

With the defensive depth in the organization on the thin side, Gustafsson split his time between Chicago and Rockford once again and worked his way back into the Blackhawks’ lineup for 35 games. Not only that, but he was named an alternate captain for the IceHogs and their new head coach, Jeremy Colliton, despite only playing 25 games.

Colliton just missed facing Gustafsson in both the SHL and Allsvenskan while Colliton was the head coach of Mora IK and, briefly, while he played for Rögle BK in 2009–10, but it can be assumed that Colliton was well aware of one of the top five defenseman in the SHL during his stint there.

Fast forward to last season, following another two-year contract extension, when Gusfasson made the Blackhawks out of training camp and was given an expanded role with the team. Exit Joel Quenneville and enter Gustafsson’s old buddy, Jeremy Colliton. Colliton immediately jumped on the “Gus Bus,” which was a departure from Quenneville’s strict evaluations of players that seemed to be slacking in their own end.

To put it bluntly, the Blackhawks’ defense was the wild, wild west last season.

Looking for something positive to hang onto, with the defense and the penalty kill in the basement, the power play began to breathe new life in the new year. Much of this was attributed to the newest member of the power play unit, new power play quarterback Erik Gustafsson.

This is not totally without merit. He certainly helped them be a better power play: A league-average power play for the season and an elite power play for roughly six weeks.

For those under the impression that the #Blackhawks PP was “fixed” by Erik Gustafsson, you might want to look at this. I’m pretty certain he was still the PP QB in MAR/APR (when they needed it most). pic.twitter.com/OaSC8kAXCF

— G8 (@PuckinHostile) July 12, 2019

As you can see, the Blackhawks’ power play was red hot for a portion of the season when some teams coast. They rest tired players for the playoffs, and this time is when teams also have their bye weeks. It is a strange part of the NHL season. They seized and opportunity, though, and it put them back into playoff contention for a few fun weeks…until the course corrected and they came screaming back down to Earth.

I dug into these statistics even more deeply, though.

Drilled down into the “fixed” power play of the #Blackhawks last season. They rode hot 7 weeks in 3 months and went back to below league avg (19.78%) for the final month and a half.

But hey #AllHailGus pic.twitter.com/RYknhhQmDw

— G8 (@PuckinHostile) July 12, 2019

The Blackhawks’ power play was never “fixed.” The Blackhawks’ power play was “hot.” Not only did this occur in a small portion of the season, but this was, often times, against teams that were simply not good. Florida, Buffalo, Detroit and Ottawa finished as the bottom four teams in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers and New Jersey were the bottom two in the Metropolitan Division. The Oilers and Canucks were two of the four bottom teams in the Pacific. Dallas, Colorado and Minnesota joined the Blackhawks at the bottom four teams in the Central Division. Mind you, they also faced Washington, Pittsburgh, Calgary, Nashville and Vegas, but the point still stands. The Blackhawks got hot against teams that were not.

This is not an indictment on Gustafsson, though. He racked up 60 points and got himself noticed by the rest of the league. Unfortunately, with that notoriety came the realization that he was one of the worst defenders in the league in his own zone. He led the entire NHL in high-danger chances against. He is a liability defensively and should be handled as such. Putting him on the ice against some of the best players in the league has cost the Blackhawks countless goals.

So 6 hot weeks (more specifically 14 games, because there were stinkers in there, too) elevated the Blackhawks all the way up to…league average powerplay.

— G8 (@PuckinHostile) July 12, 2019

The mind can play tricks on you and make you remember things that did not actually happen. It is called the Mandela effect. Just google the Shazam movie conspiracy theory or the “Scott Darling won the Cup for the Blackhawks in 2015” fallacy.

The post ANALYSIS: Was the Blackhawks’ power play really elite last season or just briefly hot? appeared first on The Rink.

Can’t remember, not important.

I was feeling good, young, care free wheeling and dealing, and that is when I was rear ended making a right turn. The radio shut off, my sunglasses fell into my lap and my heart jumped out of my chest. I had made a right turn from the center lane of traffic and did not see a van in my blind spot as I made the move. I was slammed into, but luckily both cars were not damaged extensively and the other driver and myself were unharmed.

Why am I telling this story?

Well, it equates to what Adam Boqvist‘s career feels like at this moment in time. He has all the confidence in the world on the ice, and has immense talent with the puck on his stick. He is currently vibing out. As is much of the Chicago Blackhawks’ fan community on his skills and the highlights he has provided this summer through prospect camp, Traverse City and his action with the Blackhawks during the preseason.

All for good reason, too. Boqvist possesses tremendous offensive talent as a defensman. At just 19 years old, his skillset is enviable by a larger portion of NHL players at his position. But like myself driving down Roosevelt Road and the van in my blind spot, Boqvist has much more to learn about the NHL game, what it takes to succeed through his development and come out with all of your important parts in one piece. I had much to learn about driving responsibly.

Blackhawks first practice group
Beaudin
Boqvist
Carlsson
Delia
Entwistle
Fortin
Hakkarainen
Highmore
Holm
Johnson
Knott
Krys
Kurashev
Lankinen
McLaughlin
Noel
Nilsson
Ramsey
Ryczek
Saarela
D. Sikura
T. Sikura
Soderlund
Tomkins
Tuulola
Versteeg

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) September 19, 2019

After the opening three games of the Blackhawks preseason, head coach Jeremy Colliton worked with the training camp roster in two groups and Boqvist was listed in the above group, populated entirely with players one would safely assume were going to the Rockford IceHogs. Just mere hours after providing the highlight of the night at the United Center against the Detroit Red Wings/Grand Rapids Griffins, Boqvist was placed with the minor leaguers.

And that is where he needs to be.

Return on investment

The Blackhawks defensive group heading into the 2019–20 season is pretty much locked up. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Olli Maatta, Erik Gustafsson, Connor Murphy, Slater Koekkoek, Carl Dahlstrom and a now nearly healthy Calvin de Haan leave very little wiggle room on the blue line. None of the eight players here are waivers exempt and that makes it a difficult decision to roll the dice on leaving Boqvist with the NHL club. The Blackhawks made the decision to leave Boqvist behind, for the time being, with the Rockford IceHogs. Has he shown enough to knock any of those players out of contention for their spot? Offensively, yes, but as a whole, his game and himself still need development time.

Just casually watching this play until the end of time pic.twitter.com/Yh9gmec4uk

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 19, 2019

It is in the best interest for the Blackhawks on their investment in Boqvist as the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft to make sure he is physically and mentally ready to play a full 82 game schedule in the NHL and play heavy minutes. It is more than likely that once Boqvist does stick with the Blackhawks in the NHL lineup, he will be relied on to play near or above the 20 minute threshold and see time on special teams with the power play units. With Gustafsson on the final year of his current contract and well more than likely expecting a raise this offseason, the Blackhawks could very well save a ton of money and not lose any production from letting Gustafsson go if Boqvist is ready to take his place, and then some, at the NHL level.

Could he do it now, making the jump from playing in the OHL with the London Knights to the NHL full time? Perhaps. Would it go well? That is still a crapshoot.

Adam Boqvist (right) talks with Ian Mitchell (left) at Chicago Blackhawks’ development camp. (Photograph courtesy of the Chicago Blackhawks)

His size benefits him in certain aspects of his game, like his mobility with the puck on his stick. But it also is a concern in the bigger, faster world of the NHL. Boqvist has dealt with concussions in his past and the game is much different when men are flying around at 20 miles per hour on the ice. It is something he can learn at the AHL level.

While the AHL and NHL are different speeds themselves, the AHL still provides an environment where Boqvist can adjust to the professional game speed playing against older, more experienced competition. He will need to learn to avoid the unnecessary contact as well as give his body time to catch up to his skill development and be able to endured the next level of physicality in the game.

Get the ‘junior’ out of him

There is no crystal ball to see just how long Boqvist would need before he becomes the NHL ready defenseman the Blackhawks want him to be, but the tools are there. Offensively, one cannot rave about Boqvist enough. Defensively though, the same cannot be said. He has been spotty when it comes to his defensive responsibilities this summer, but working with Brain Campbell this past year in London did a lot to help him develop his game in his own end and it showed on the ice. The improvements are there, but they are not there consistently. He will always be the offense first threat from the blue line, but he cannot be all gas all the time for the Blackhawks. They already had that experience with Gustafsson last season and while it provided a spark offensively, the risk reward aspect of a player like that ultimately ends up burning you too often.

Chicago needs Boqvist to do the burning against the opposition, not his own defensive partner. Time will tell on his development, but Colliton and IceHogs head coach Derek King have raved enough about Boqvist to know what they have in the Swedish prospect.

The comment coming from my discussion with King last month continues to stick out when watching Boqvist play: “You have to get the ‘junior’ out of him.”

It could be a year, it could be two years, it could be two months. Whatever the timeline ends up being for Boqvist on his development stage, the Blackhawks must know they cannot rush him. What helps is the position defensively that they put themselves in heading into this season after a dismal 2018–19 campaign. The offseason moves bought Chicago time on Boqvist and it could very well pay off royally for the next decade or so. At least that is the hope.

The post Sending Adam Boqvist to the IceHogs is the right move for Chicago appeared first on The Rink.

In usual preseason fashion, the Blackhawks only dressed a few regulars for the road matchup against the Capitals. The lines were as follows:

Quenneville – Carpenter – Perlini

Nylander – Kampf – Saarela

D. Sikura – Highmore – Wedin

McLaughlin – Nilsson – Versteeg

Gilbert – Boqvist

Koekkoek – Gustafsson

Dahlstrom – Beaudin

Delia

First period:

The early portion of the first period was not full of much excitement. Neither team was able to generate any meaningful offense. With both teams sitting many key players and it being the first game of the season, it was expected that the game would begin slow. 

However, at the 7:20 mark in the first period, the Blackhawks finally got it going. A nice play on the boards by the highly controversial winger Alexander Nylander led to an open pass from the young Swede to fellow Swede Erik Gustafsson. Gustafsson ripped a big slap shot on net and Aleksi Saarela got just enough on the shot to redirect the chance and get credit for the tally. 

The Blackhawks' first (preseason) goal of the 2019-20 season belongs to Aleksi Saarela! pic.twitter.com/9idGOa5q6c

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) September 16, 2019

The Blackhawks took the 1–0 advantage into the first intermission in Washington without anything getting past goaltender Collin Delia. The Blackhawks also took their 11–6 shots on goal advantage into the intermission as well. 

Second period:

The second period opened up with the Capitals finally putting a shot past Delia. After the Capitals dug a puck out from behind the net, the puck ended up on the stick of defenseman Tyler Lewington. Lewington was only able to get a weak shot off toward the net, but Washington first round pick Connor McMichael slid a beautiful backhand pass to Damien Riat, who tied the game.

About two minutes after the opening goal for the home team, Nylander scored his first goal in a Blackhawks uniform. Adam Boqvist put a shot on net with no net front presence of any kind, possibly looking for a rebound. Right before the puck made it to the net, Nylander was able to get a stick on the low shot, corral the puck and finish off a backhand shot to give the Blackhawks the lead once again. 

Nylander gets on the board for #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Racqd8GeTd

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) September 17, 2019

Sadly, the 2–1 lead did not last for long. Roughly three minutes after Nylander’s tally, the Capitals capitalized (pun fully intended) on a power play opportunity. After a failed clearing attempt by the Blackhawks’ penalty kill, Washington kept it in and put the puck into the slot. Aliaksei Protas, from the slot, found a wide open Travis Boyd on the left wing faceoff dot and he buried the chance to tie the game at two apiece.

The 2–2 draw did not last either, as both teams traded goals in the early half of the period. This time, Protas was the beneficiary of a rebound chance from Beck Malenstyn and recorded his second point of the night to give the home team a 3–2 lead. The Capitals’ third goal came just over a minute after the equalizer. 

Despite the rally from the Capitals, the Blackhawks refused to go away easily. Just before the 13 minute mark of the period, Matthew Highmore was able to get a pass to Dylan Sikura in the offensive zone. Sikura attempted a shot on net, but the puck bounced toward the right wing boards where Boqvist picked it up. Boqvist batted the puck a few times in mid air, brought the puck under control and walked out from behind the net to Copley’s right side and fired a rocket over Copley’s left shoulder. The goal was Boqvist’s first of the preseason and tied the game at three each.

.@BoqvistAdam is a defenseman pic.twitter.com/A8NnM68CgJ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 17, 2019

The Blackhawks showed resilience, responding after two quick goals by the home team, which is an excellent sight to see, even in the preseason. Not only was the score deadlocked, but each team had 19 shots on goal through two periods as well.

Third period:

The final frame of regulation played out very differently than that of the second period. Rather than both teams trading goals as they did in the middle frame, both teams buckled down defensively and did not allow the opposing team to score the potential game winning goal. 

There were a few quality chances during the period. However, neither team capitalized on power play chances or at five on five. The game required overtime to decide a winner. 

Overtime:

The overtime frame was just as exciting as one would hope. Early in the frame, the Capitals had a two on one opportunity but could not capitalize on the chance.

The best chance of the night for the Blackhawks came via a stretch pass from Nylander, who was very involved in this game. Nylander found Gustafsson at the opposing blue line before he found an open Ryan Carpenter, who had a breakaway from the blue line in. However, Carpenter could not convert on the chance.

Later in the overtime frame, after some sustained pressure by the Capitals, bulldozing forward Tom Wilson was able to dip his shoulder on Sikura and tuck the puck past Delia to give the Washington Capitals the 4–3 overtime win against the Blackhawks.

Quick hits:

• The kid with the blonde hair: Alex Nylander was very good in this game. He was all over the ice offensively, contributing a goal and an assist, and also showed off a beautiful stretch pass during the overtime period. Despite a brutal showing at the Blackhawks’ prospect camp, Nylander seems to have rebounded nicely entering actual game action. If Nylander continues to look like this during the preseason, there is a very good chance he gets a chance on the opening night roster. 
• Boqvist will be the real deal: The young Swede looked like a superstar with the puck on his stick. His goal said it all, as Boqvist was able to bat the puck out of mid air, control it and walk to the front of the net before ending the play with a snipe to the top corner of the net. There is zero doubt Boqvist is going to be a star in the NHL, but the moral of the story is that he should not be rushed. Let him do that all year in Rockford and, if need be, bring him up if he earns it or due to injury.

The Blackhawks jet off to Detroit to take on the Red Wings on Tuesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST and will be broadcasted on NBCSCH+.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall to Capitals in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

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

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

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

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

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by NBC  Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis to talk about this dead-man-walking week for the Blackhawks.

• Mario Tirabassi has a lengthy #Warpigs report
• Where do the Blackhawks go with defensemen?
• Where do the Blackhawks look for depth scoring?
• Gate looks to fire up the Erik Gustafsson fan club
• How realistic is this Kevin Hayes stuff?
• We examine many different trade and free agent scenarios
• We have a new review (thanks “The Cyto”)
• We answer some listener and reader questions

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

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

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 50 w/ NBCSN’s Charlie Roumeliotis appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks had Corey Crawford in net, facing Jack Campbell for LA.  Drake Caggiula made his return to the lineup while Slater Koekkoek, John Hayden and Brendan Perlini all took a mulligan for the night.

This was your Blackhawks starting lineup:
Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Dylan Sikura
Drake Caggiula – Dylan Strome – Dominik Kahun
Alex DeBrincat – Artem Anisimov – Patrick Kane
Chris Kunitz – David Kampf– Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith – Erik Gustafsson
Gustav Forsling – Brent Seabrook
Carl Dahlstrom – Connor Murphy

Period One
Not more than a minute and a half into the game, the Kings nearly took a fast 1-0 lead when Anze Kopitar found an errant puck in the Blackhawks slot area and beat Corey Crawford, but drew iron. The visitors could hardly afford to give up the Kings the lead that early on.

With 8:35 remaining in the first period, Marcus Kruger was caught hooking a Kings forward and ended up in the penalty box. Boasting the last ranked penalty kill in the NHL, the Blackhawks forced the Kings to spend most of the power play in their own end.

After holding an early shot lead, the Blackhawks were bending but never breaking. They were down 12-7 in shots when they drew their first power play of the night with four minutes left in the opening period. Their fate was only slightly better than the King on their first power play.

For that matter, only slightly better than the Kings second power play, as well, which LA drew shortly after they killed off the Blackhawks initial power play.

As a result, the teams were still tied at zero heading into the first intermission. The Kings were the shots on net leaders, 14-9.

Period Two
A minute and thirty-eight seconds into the second period, their forty goal sophomore Alex DeBrincat drove to the Kings net and swept the puck into the crease. Kings defensemen Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez were charging into the crease and ended up putting the puck into their own net. This was certainly a case of “puck luck” but the Blackhawks could use as much help as possible.

We’ll take it!#Purr pic.twitter.com/teVJeNa29Z

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 31, 2019

The physical play ramped up as the second period went on, with Drake Caggiula and Brent Seabrook getting into altercations. Eventually, Jeff Carter took a penalty for slashing, which put the Blackhawks back on the man advantage. The Blackhawks failed on that power play as well.

With four minutes remaining in the second period, Kings forward Austin Wagner turned on the jets and blew past a flat-footed defenseman Carl Dahlstrom, eventually also beating goaltender Corey Crawford and tying the game for the Kings.

.@Austinwagner97 has wheels. pic.twitter.com/DYmfTivhV0

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) March 31, 2019

As the teams headed into the second intermission, the Blackhawks worked their way back in shots on net, leading 14-6 and thinking a 23-20 edge overall.

Period Three
Three minutes into the third period the Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead. Following a Marcus Kruger offensive zone faceoff win, Duncan Keith feathered a pass right into Erik Gustafsson’s wheelhouse, who surprised Jack Campbell. This was Gustafsson’s 17th goal and 56th point to match his sweater number.

GUS IS FIRING LASERS OUT HERE!

: https://t.co/K9UHgdx4tA pic.twitter.com/fHhN28ODnf

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 31, 2019

The Kings were able to cause enough chaos in the Blackhawks zone that the defense turned it over and gave center Michael Amadio a clean look at Corey Crawford, with plenty of time. Amadio snapped a shot into the top self, tying the game at two goals apiece.

This was how regulation play ended and the two teams went to overtime.

Overtime
Despite some solid action up and down the ice, neither team was able to score on their combined four combined shots until Jonathan Toews took a late penalty. The Blackhawks were not able to get the puck out of their end and Drew Doughty beat Corey Crawford with a cannon of a shot to win the game. Chicago really needed to win the game in regulation to gain any ground.

Pluses

• Alex DeBrincat and Erik Gustafsson continue to have storybook seasons. Of the two, I would predict that DeBrincat will be the one that has the potential to repeat.
• Drake Caggiula’s physical presence was noticeable and he nearly took a bad spill deep in the LA end of the ice after a battle with Kurtis MacDermid
• Corey Crawford continues to play amazing hockey, and continues to get little help.
• Patrick Kane was doing everything he could to try and “will” this team to a win, with a game high eight shots on net.

Minuses

• The Blackhawks out shot the Kings 35-29 and were 1-for-3 on the power play.  Earlier that was a recipe for success, but the law of averages have caught the Blackhawks and penalized them harshly.  They also only gave up 15 shots in the final two period and overtime.
• David Kampf was hit in the face in the first period and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
• Twice in the second period, the Kings just imposed their physical will on the Blackhawks and Chicago looked pretty gutless outside of some minor sparks from Brent Seabrook.
• Artem Anisimov won only 5 of 20 faceoffs.  That’s unacceptable.

The post RECAP: Kings beat Blackhawks in overtime 3-2 appeared first on The Rink.

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews started on the same line for this match-up, with Carl Dahlstrom slotting into Slater Koekkoek’s spot in the lineup being the only body to switch out. Corey Crawford got the start in goal, with Cam Ward still taking on the backup role.

Patrick Kane – Jonathan Toews – Dylan Sikura
Dylan Strome – Brendan Perlini – Alex DeBrincat
Dominik Kahun – Artem Anisimov – Brandon Saad
David Kampf – Marcus Kruger – Chris Kunitz

Erik Gustafsson – Duncan Keith
Gustav Forsling – Brent Seabrook
Carl Dahlstrom – Connor Murphy

Corey Crawford

First Period
The Blackhawks came on strong in the first four minutes of the game, peppering Carter Hart with a bunch of quality chances. Brandon Saad had the best one of the bunch, taking the puck in the corner, with a great individual effort to get through multiple defenders and get a shot off that ultimately missed the net. Travis Konecny had the best opportunity for the Flyers at around the 5:35 mark of the period, putting the puck past Crawford but ultimately drawing iron.

Gustav Forsling was called for a hold at the 7:15 mark of the period, giving the Flyers the first power play of the game. Crawford made a great stop, which led to a David Kampf clear. The start of the penalty kill made it look as though they were the ones on the powerplay for much of the first minute, with Saad, Kampf, and Marcus Kruger exchanging shots on Hart. The last minute had the Flyers coming fast and furious, with Crawford having to come up big with a couple huge saves.

At the 10:39 mark of the period, Scott Laughton made a turnover right to Patrick Kane, who skated around with the puck. He went out to the point, passing the puck around before it came to Erik Gustafsson, who shot and scored, giving the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.

A Goal for a Gus #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/6FUgKZZorO

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 22, 2019

The Flyers put on a passing clinic with just under seven minutes to go, getting off plenty of good chances on Corey Crawford, who stopped all of their shots. Sean Couturier flipped the puck out of the Flyers’ zone to Justin Bailey, who got a breakaway in on Crawford that was steered aside, as was the rebound.

Just half a minute later, the Blackhawks failed to put pressure on the incoming Flyers, leaving Corban Knight wide open in the middle of the ice as he came from the bench to snap it past Crawford, tying the score at 1-1, where the period would end.

Second Period
Just :59 into the period, the Blackhawks got their first power play chance of the game, as Shane Gostisbehere was called for a hook in front of the net. The Hawks didn’t generate a ton of chances, and mostly ended up passing the puck from their own zone, and the time that they did spend in the offensive zone was mostly passing the puck around.

Both teams tightened things up considerably in this period, not allowing many shots on their goaltenders, and mostly keeping one another at bay. The Blackhawks’ first really good chance of the period came when Dylan Sikura missed a rebound off a Jonathan Toews chance.

Gustav Forsling stopped a Konecny chance by stripping him of the puck after he got it inside in front of Crawford, stopping a breakaway opportunity from happening, and stopping another Flyers opportunity after that as well with a good stick. The second period ended the same way that it started, with a 1-1 tie.

Third Period
The period generally started the same way the second period did, with both teams generating chances against the opposing goaltender, but coming up short. Dylan Strome had the first good shot on goal of the period less than three minutes in, getting in a wrister that passed Carter Hart, but drew iron, keeping the score knotted up.

The Flyers’ Myers rang the puck off of the post at the 7:01 mark of the period, marking the first great chance for the Flyers. The Flyers’ Radko Gudas and the Blackhawks’ Chris Kunitz got into a skirmish in front of Hart after some good Blackhawks chances, but no penalties came of the play for either side.

With some traffic in front, James van Riemsdyk put on the brakes and lifted a backhand shot from forty feet out, putting the puck past a screened Crawford to give the Flyers their first lead of the game, 2-1 Philadelphia.

JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK GIVES THE FLYERS THE LEAD!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/5lubxEYSHE

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) March 22, 2019

Ryan Hartman held Gustav Forsling at the 11:08 mark of the period as both teams were battling for the puck in the Blackhawks’ defensive zone, giving the Blackhawks another powerplay in the game. They didn’t end up generating many chances at all, with the Flyers’ defense stifling what few ones were generated.

The Flyers had another really good chance to score, but Ryan Hartman missed the opportunity as the puck eluded him. The Blackhawks pulled Crawford with over two minutes left in the game, hoping to come back and tie the game up at 2. Couturier managed to push past the Blackhawks and score an empty-net goal, giving the Flyers the 3-1 lead. Even with a flurry of chances, the Blackhawks weren’t able to tie the game up, and the Flyers left the United Center with a win.

The Blackhawks play a home and home series versus the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s game is at Colorado, with puck drop at 2 pm CT.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Let Two Points Fly Away appeared first on The Rink.

After winning two of their last three games in the last week, the Blackhawks traveled to “Mo-town” to battle with the Red Wings for the final time of the season. Brendan Perlini was sick and missed morning skate, giving way to John Hayden on the fourth line. The Blackhawks were also without Brent Seabrook for the second straight game. The lineup was as follows:

Caggiula – Toews – Kane

DeBrincat – Strome – Kahun

Saad – Anisimov – Sikura

Kunitz – Kruger – Hayden

Keith – Gustafsson

Dahlstrom – Murphy

Koekkoek – Forsling

Ward

First Period:

The first period began with an abnormal set of events. Within the first two minutes of the game, there were three center-ice face-offs, quite the abnormal scene for such a short amount of time.

In a similar fashion, it only took a short amount of time for the Blackhawks to get on the board. Only 1:39 into the first, Jimmy Howard stopped a puck behind his net for Filip Hronek to pick up. When Hronek went to pick up the puck, Artem Anisimov stole the puck, wrapped around on his backhand, and squeaked the puck past Jimmy Howard to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.

The Artful scorer#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/qSl2i4TDfl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 21, 2019

The Blackhawks only enjoyed their lead for about five minutes before the Red Wings struck back. After winning a battle behind the Blackhawks net, Anthony Mantha threw the puck out to linemate Tyler Bertuzzi in front. The puck bounced away from Bertuzzi, as well as Slater Koekkoek, before landing on Dylan Larkin’s stick. Larkin set up and slipped a shot through Cam Ward’s five hole to tie the game. The goal marked number 25 for Larkin on the season.

Dylan Larkin nets his 25th #LGRW

Also shout-out to @MikeTirico making his NHL broadcasting debut! pic.twitter.com/r273nWOGOw

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 21, 2019

After play continued to pace, the offense would not stop. Cam Ward broke out the puck to Dylan Sikura in the Blackhawks own zone. Sikura, once corralling the puck, sent a cross ice pass all the way to Brandon Saad at the far right-wing blue line. The play sent Saad and Anisimov in on a pseudo 2-on-1. Saad made the Red Wings pay by firing a sweet wrister past Jimmy Howard’s blocker to give the Blackhawks the lead once again.

Brandon Saad's 21st goal of the season gives the #Blackhawks a 2-1 lead!

Coincidence? Yeah, probably. pic.twitter.com/0SVr3GHaFV

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 21, 2019

After Saad’s 21st of the season, the Blackhawks found a little life a few minutes later. With roughly three minutes remaining in the period, Patrick Kane carried the puck into the Detroit zone, dropping it back for Erik Gustafsson at the right-wing point. Gustafsson found Dylan Strome entering the zone with speed and after a split second, Strome dished the puck to fellow former Erie Otter, Alex DeBrincat. DeBrincat received the puck, took one stride and fired home a beautiful top shelf goal to extend the Blackhawks lead to 3-1. DeBrincat’s goal was his 33rd on the year.

Strome to DeBrincat

Where have we heard that before? #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/ocw9H9TBAB

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 21, 2019

The Red Wings did not go away quietly. A late power play for the Red Wings gave them some life before the first frame came to an end. The Red Wings drew iron on their best chance of the power play, and allowed the Blackhawks to squeak into the first intermission still up 3-1. Although the Blackhawks dominated on the scoreboard, they were out shot 15-7 in the first period.

Second Period:

The beginning of the second period had a sense of “deja vu” for Blackhawks fans. After a good defensive play in front of Cam Ward, Patrick Kane picked up the puck with a head of steam. Kane’s speed quickly turned the end-to-end rush into a 2-on-1 with Jonathan Toews. Although looking for Toews, Kane ultimately kept the puck and fired home a perfect wrist shot to once again extend the Blackhawks lead to three goals.

Kaner keeps on keeping on!

He extends his point streak to 19 games and the #Blackhawks lead to 4-1! pic.twitter.com/DeHGblQzoI

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 21, 2019

The Patrick Kane goal was the last shot goaltender Jimmy Howard saw for the rest of the night, as he was pulled for backup Jonathan Bernier after going down 4-1.

The rest of the period featured quality back and forth, but nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. Notably, Drake Caggiula was confirmed out for the remainder of the contest in the second period after taking an inadvertent Toews’ stick up high. The Blackhawks were down to eleven forwards for the rest of the game.

Third Period:

The Red Wings came out firing in the third period against the Blackhawks. Once again, one of Detroit’s most dangerous players would prove to be too much for the Blackhawks defense.

After about four minutes of play, Detroit skated into the Blackhawks zone with a chance to do some damage. The puck ended up on Trevor Daley’s stick, as he took the puck around the net on the left-wing side. Before skating behind the net, Daley dished the puck to Dylan Larkin out in front, who muscled through the Blackhawks defense and fired a shot under Ward’s glove to cut the Blackhawks lead to two.

WHAT A SHIFT! #LGRW pic.twitter.com/tolOrCgKFY

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 21, 2019

Following that goal, Detroit found momentum. After a possible botched call on the Gustafsson delay of game penalty, the Red Wings were sent to the power play. Anthony Mantha found the puck high in the zone and fired a shot toward the net. The shot ultimately missed wide right, but took a funny hop to the left-wing side of the ice. Sitting on the doorstep of the blue paint was Andreas Athanasiou, who quickly controlled the puck and lifted a shot off of Ward and in. The Red Wings were all of a sudden in striking distance down only one.

Double A has us within 1. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/cKhevan9aZ

— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) February 21, 2019

Following the power play goal, the Red Wings were sent to yet another power play thanks to a Kane tripping penalty on Danny DeKeyser. Fortunately, the Blackhawks penalty kill came up strong and held the Red Wings off the board.

The Red Wings had no luck as the period wore on, but eventually found some luck with under two minutes remaining in the period. After Bernier was pulled for the extra attacker, the top line for Detroit came onto the ice. As Detroit set up in the zone, Mike Green whiffed on a slap shot attempt only for it to land right on Anthony Mantha’s stick. Mantha fired the puck from the left-wing side of the blue paint to the right-wing side with a no-look pass. The pass ended up landing perfectly on Athanasiou’s stick and he buried the wide-open chance to tie the game at four.

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/1098419213851652096

The game would end up requiring extra time, as the Red Wings scored three in the third to send the game to overtime. Shots were 32-16 in favor of the Red Wings.

Overtime:

From the get go, overtime was full of entertainment. Numerous quality chances for both teams certainly made fans’ hearts skip a beat at least once. Arguably the best chance came via Brandon Saad narrowly missing Anisimov on the doorstep. The play resulted in a 2-on-1 that Cam Ward stopped as he lost his mask.

Just before the 2:42 mark in the extra frame, Jonathan Toews skated up ice looking to create a chance for himself. Toews was able to execute a nice move but could not finish coming from right to left on Bernier. Toews re-gained possession of the puck and found Gustafsson open in the low slot and, without hesitation, “Gus“ one-time a pass over to Kane who was wide open backside for the game-winning goal. Blackhawks win in overtime 5-4.

Did you expect anything else?

Patrick Kane GAME WINNER! pic.twitter.com/I6F0GBx7g0

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 21, 2019

Quick Hits:

• It wasn’t pretty: Early on it looked as if the Blackhawks were going to run away with this game. However, a strong comeback from Detroit certainly made things interesting late. Fortunately, Patrick Kane is playing like the MVP this year and had another outstanding night, netting the game-winning goal on a sweet feed from Gustafsson. However, in this case, a win is a win and the Blackhawks can take a wildcard position on Friday if they beat the Avalanche.
• A bunch of Otters: The Dylan Strome to Alex DeBrincat duo has been spectacular since Strome was acquired from Arizona. The play of the Strome line has allowed the Blackhawks to have balance throughout their offensive lineup. It’s safe to say that DeBrincat may have more than 33 goals this year had Strome been his center all season long.
• Playoffs?!: That’s right… the Blackhawks sit tied with the Avalanche for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Colorado has one less game played, so they hold the spot. The Blackhawks can leap into a playoff spot on Friday when they welcome the Avalanche to the United Center for a 6:30pm puck drop.

The Blackhawks will host the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night at the United Center. The battle for a playoff spot will begin at 6:30pm CST.  Also, look out for tonight’s pre-deadline Rinkcast.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Win Overtime Thriller 5-4 appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks starting lines were as follows:
Drake Caggiula – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Strome – Dominik Kahun
Brandon Saad – David Kampf – Marcus Kruger
Chris Kunitz – Artem Anisimov – John Hayden

Duncan Keith– Brent Seabrook
Slater Koekkoek – Erik Gustafsson
Carl Dahlstrom– Connor Murphy

First Period

Shortly after the opening faceoff, a great shift from the Blackhawks center Dylan Strome line lead to Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins taking a slashing penalty against Alex Debrincat less than two minutes into the game. Only a few seconds later, after an offensive zone face-off win by Toews, Erik Gustafsson, fired a wrist shot from the point to beat Talbot through traffic.  Gustafsson now has three goals in his last two games.

The first five minutes saw the Hawks hustling to loose pucks, winning board battles, and exiting their zone cleanly. They generated five shots on goal in the first six minutes of the game and were dictating most of the pace early. At 9:30 Kyle Brodziak took a holding penalty on John Hayden, sending the red-hot dangerous Blackhawks power play out for the second time in the opening frame. Though the power play looked good again, an extra and errant pass from Debrincat below the hash marks squandered the Hawks second man advantage, Oilers with their first successful penalty kill of the game.

The ice started tilting towards the Oilers side as the momentum shift led to Leon Draisaitl taking advantage of a Blackhawks defensive breakdown. Luckily for the visiting team, Ward was in position to make the save in close. The situation did not improve for the Hawks who were sent to the penalty kill at 3:58 after Connor Murphy gets called for a questionable boarding penalty. Much like the first Chicago power play the Oilers scored only moments after Murphy’s infraction.  At 18:45 Darnell Nurse sent a one-timer on Ward, who could not control the rebound. Connor McDavid found the puck and got it to Draisaitl who buried it in the open net to tie the game at one.

Shortly after, and potentially on their way to letting the game get out of hand, the Blackhawks took yet another penalty late in the period. Carl Dahlstrom tripped Ty Rattie sending the Oilers back to the power play less than a minute after the Hawks failed to kill the previous one. A minute into the penalty kill, Marcus Kruger took what could be argued as a good hooking penalty on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who was in close and alone on Ward. Two minutes after allowing the Oilers to tie the game the Hawks face a five on three penalty kill situation.

Jonathan Toews won the crucial face-off in the defensive zone but the Hawks could not control the puck. Connor McDavid fed Draisaitl with an absolutely beautiful no look pass for Draisaitl’s second of the game. In two minutes the Hawks went from up one to down one.

Still on the penalty kill, the Blackhawks committed yet another penalty when McDavid entered the zone with speed on Dahlstrom and Seabrook. Beaten by the best player in the league, Dahlstrom hooked McDavid, giving the Oilers another five on three advantage that would eventually carry over into the second period.

Shots were 16-9 in favor of the Oilers in the first period, and the Oilers led 2-1.

Second Period

The Blackhawks opened the second period killing the final 30 seconds of a five on three penalty kill.  After stifling Draisaitl and McDavid, the Hawks resume five on five play, and started to pressure the Oilers in their zone. Former coach Joel Quenneville, always said something to the effect of ‘whoever wins the 5 on 3 situation usually wins the game’ the Blackhawks would heed those old words in the second period.

Forward Patrick Kane, under the threat of ending his point streak, started to wake up as the top line was an offensive threat almost every shift.

At 13:11 Drake Caggiula had a three-on-one odd-man rush with Patrick Kane but fired a shot that Talbot gloved. Caggiula has been effective on that top line and it was good to see him take the shot when that’s the best choice instead of defaulting to passing it to Kane and squandering a good scoring chance.

The Hawks dictate most of the play in the remaining half of the second period but Talbot kept the Oilers in front. The second period concluded with an incredible save from Cam Ward on Ty Rattie. McDavid drove up the wall and fed Rattie directly in front of the net but Cam Ward went post-to-post and made the pad save, his best of the night.

Shots were 12-7 in favor of the Blackhawks in the second period. Oilers still led 2-1, though.

See what we mean?!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/1l9dmjLv2a

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 6, 2019

Third Period

Carrying the momentum from the second period, the Blackhawks looked to even the score in the final frame. At 16:10 Chris Kunitz knocked the puck off the wall, Marcus Kruger picked it up and fed John Hayden in front of the net with a slick backhand. Hayden buried the puck and the Hawks, after controlling most of the play for the last 20 minutes, tied the game early in the third period.

The Blackhawks continued to press the gas pedal as, a minute and a half later, center Dylan Strome scored using Darnell Nurse as a screen and sniped the puck short side over the glove of Cam Talbot, set up by Alex Debrincat and Dominik Kahun. 3-2 Blackhawks.

We anticipate a tweetStrome after this wrister#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/O3BUue1VEh

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 6, 2019

On the very next shift, Artem Anisimov gained the zone and fired a wrist shot on the Oiler goaltender.  Ward fumbled the rebound, and defenseman Oscar Klefbom got his stick lifted by Patrick Kane.  Kane stole the puck in close and fired it into the open net with Talbot down and out.

Oiler Head Coach Ken Hitchcock challenged the goal claiming goalie interference, as Brandon Saad made a great drive to the net and his foot was in between Talbots legs.  Saad’s leg was out of the blue paint and not interfering with Talbot’s ability to make the save, so the goal stood.

As a result, the Blackhawks had now scored three goals in the last two minutes of play, and Cam Talbot’s night was over. Hitchcock sent in Mikko Koskinen, who on November 1st stopped 40 Hawks shots in a shutout win.

At the 13:22 mark of the final frame, Jonathan Toews entered the Oilers zone off of a Pat Kane feed and drifted between the circles.  He continued below the goal line, maintaining possession from the outstretched stick of defender Kris Russell.  Toews then found Caggiula all alone between the hash marks and Caggiula buried the shot, his second goal in the last week.

Caggiulove to see that!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/gOjAIgEGb7

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 6, 2019

With 9:34 left in the game, Jonathan Toews drew a high sticking infraction from Leon Draisaitl which led to another Blackhawks power play. Toews and Debrincat had a couple of opportunities on the resulting man advantage but they could not solve Koskinen initially. After an Oilers clear, Duncan Keith moved the puck to Brandon Saad, who sent the puck to Brent Seabrook along the wall.  Seabrook threw a saucer pass in front of Dominik Kahun, who redirected the puck out of the air and roofed it for his ninth goal of the season. The Hawks now led 6-2 with 7:48 left in the game, and the locals decide to call it a night. The Oilers had decent pressure but the score stayed the same for the remainder of the game, which gave the Blackhawks a convincing 6-2 win

Final Thoughts

The Hawks have now won five in a row.  They have 21 power play goals in the last 16 games and now sit three points out of the final wildcard spot with five teams to jump. They play the team that currently occupies the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, an important two points for the Blackhawks.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Win Fifth Straight in Edmonton 6-2 appeared first on The Rink.

8:00pm CST
Rogers Place
TV/Radio: WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Collin Delia (5–2–3, SV%: .922, GAA: 2.99)
Edmonton – Mikko Koskinen (14–11–2, SV%: .908, GAA: 2.84)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.5%, 16th)
Edmonton (21.4%, T10th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (74.0%, 31st)
Edmonton (75.5%, 29th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.3, 17th; 35.1, 30th)
Edmonton (29.0, 27th; 31.2, 17th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.0%, 12th)
Edmonton (9.8%, 14th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.8%, 17th)
Edmonton (47.9%, 27th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197lbs
Edmonton 6’2” 204lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Brandon Saad–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Brendan Perlini–Artem Anisimov–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Gustav Forsling–Erik Gustafsson

Edmonton Oilers

Milan Lucic–Connor McDavid–Ty Rattie

Tobias Rieder–Leon Draisaitl–Alex Chiasson

Jujhar Khaira–Ryan Nugent-Hopkins–Zack Kassian

Colby Cave–Kyle Brodziak–Jesse Puljujarvi

Darnell Nurse–Adam Larsson

Kris Russell–Matt Benning

Brandon Manning–Kevin Gravel

Analysis

The red-hot Blackhawks are riding a four-game winning streak heading into the freezing-cold city of Edmonton on Tuesday night. Temperatures will rival what we saw in  Chicago just less than a week ago. The Blackhawks will look to make it five straight against Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

Although Patrick Kane is having an MVP season, talk of the town of late has been Erik Gustafsson’s offensive play. On Saturday night, “Gus” registered two goals, with the second being the power play overtime game-winner against the Minnesota Wild. Despite his struggles in the defensive zone this season, the limited minutes of the third-pairing and power play time have suited well for the Swedish defenseman of late. Another notable point-getter on Saturday night was Dylan Strome. Strome now has 29 total points this season in 49 games. However, 23 of those points have come in 29 games with the Blackhawks and it seems that Strome’s change of scenery has played out well for the young center.

The Edmonton Oilers are a franchise looking for an identity. After numerous questionable moves (to say the least) over the last few years, Peter Chiarelli was finally relieved of his duties at the end of January. One such move will play his first game against the club who gave him a two-year contract his offseason, as Brandon Manning will suit up against the Blackhawks for the first time in the 2018-19 campaign.

The Oilers have struggled of late, losing their last five games dating back to January 19th. The Oilers currently sit only two points ahead of the Blackhawks in the Western Conference standings and would surely love to climb back into the playoff picture. However, it remains to be seen if Connor McDavid can carry this club on his back all the way to the promised land. Many will say that is improbable.

One fun matchup to watch will be Patrick Kane and Connor McDavid. Although not necessarily going head-to-head on each shift, both players currently have 31 goals (tied for second in the league) and 76 points (also tied for second in the league). It will be fun to see who can edge out the other in the goal and point standings en route to a possible Richard/Art Ross trophy.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

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

I’ve read the articles about how they’re only five points back of a playoff spot but what some writers fail to tell the fans is that the Blackhawks have played 1-3 more games than the six teams between them and that last spot. That is a lot of teams to leapfrog over considering their foes could amass as many as six points in those three games in hand.

A more telling story is how the team sits 14 out of 15 teams in the Western Conference and are tied for the 5th least amount of points in the entire NHL. Creeping, backdooring or limping your way into the playoffs is never something a team wants to do but that’s how the Blackhawks would make the playoffs.

The Blackhawks made the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 with statistically more balanced and overall better teams than this season but were subsequently eliminated both years. They didn’t make the playoffs in 2018 but the previous two seasons were no less disappointing than that. That leads them right back to the same situation they’re looking at right now.

If fans want to see the team just make the playoffs then the Blackhawks might as well start putting banners up for that. Because we’re just headed down that road year after year.

Mathematically it’s still possible but they’re also mathematically playing themselves out of a potential lottery pick. The chance to draft a player like Jack Hughes who has drawn comparisons to Patrick Kane or Kaapo Kakko who has been compared to Patrik Laine becomes less likely the more the Blackhawks win.

There is no guarantee that these players will live up to the hype but the Blackhawks do have a good track record of drafting number 1 overall. What they do not have is a solid track record of drafting and developing any other first round draft picks.

Kyle Beach, Dylan Olsen and Mark McNeill never made any impact with the Blackhawks. Kevin Hayes decided to head to free agency instead of signing with the organization while Philip Danault, Teuvo Teravainen, Ryan Hartman and Nick Schmaltz were all traded for various reasons and are solidly contributing to their current teams.

Some would say that Stan Bowman and his regime are unfit for a complete rebuild but that’s a topic for another day. Be on the lookout for an article by our own John Jaeckel.

Currently the organization has three first rounders in Henri Jokiharju, Adam Boqvist and Nicolas Beaudin who may develop into great defencemen but they are a few years off from really contributing. Jokiharju has already showed growing pains in his first NHL season and has been reassigned to Rockford.

Time is not on Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane’s side and players that can contribute immediately are in demand. This doesn’t mean that the organization should go out and blow all of their cap space on one player. It would be much more desirable to hit the lottery with Hughes or Kakko especially if they are as advertised. They could add depth to an extremely top-heavy scoring team and would also carry a relatively small cap hit leaving them with room to bolster their horrific team defense.

There have been some highs and more lows but either way they’re destined to disappoint long-term with the current team makeup. Kane, DeBrincat, Toews, Saad and Gustafsson have combined for 107 of the team’s 166 goals and the team is giving up an average of .50 more goals than they’re scoring per game.

The team has had bright spots and have gotten better under Coach Colliton but their mediocrity is leading them into no man’s land for now and into the future. The goal is to be consistently good but that hasn’t been the case this season so they might as well be consistently bad. If they continue along their current path they’ll be back in the same position for years to come.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks and general hockey musings.

This is why I want the #Blackhawks to rebuild. I want the organization to be strong, consistent and not meddle in mediocrity like they are doing right now. #LoseForHughes #CrappoForKaapo pic.twitter.com/ioEGMKckQx

— MLP (@Pappy_Hour) February 5, 2019

The post Mediocrity Is Killing The Blackhawks Future appeared first on The Rink.

The past four years have been difficult for a fan base that has come to expect so much in the last decade.  The Chicago Blackhawks took the sport by storm and created a frenzy in the city of Chicago.  We all know about the championships, the parades, and the rings.  But just like that, those moments seem so far away.  Two first round exists, missing the playoffs, and now the possibility of missing the playoffs again is imminent.

The Blackhawks have tried everything to keep this train moving, but nothing has worked.  They have tried bringing in new players and coaches, and have parted ways with people that were the heart and soul of the team.  What’s left is what the front office talked about for years, the core and nothing more.

The Chicago Blackhawks franchise has an opportunity right now to recreate what they had in 2008.  They had a young, energetic team who was fun to watch and on the verge of NHL history.  But on the tail end of a dynasty, do the Hawks have the guts to announce a true rebuild, starting with trading Patrick Kane?

Kane is 30 years old and is on pace to score over 100 points this season.  With no signs of slowing down and a clean bill of health, Kane is a valuable asset to every NHL team in the league.  The question is if any of those teams could put together a package large enough to persuade Chicago to deal their franchise player.

Here’s something that could work.

Colorado Avalanche

The first thing you’re probably thinking is “why would the Blackhawks trade Kane in the division?”  The answer is that Colorado could offer the best package.  The Avs currently have Ottawa’s first round pick that is unprotected.  Ottawa is one of the worst teams in the league so there is a chance they could be in the running for a lottery pick at the end of the season.  They also have a premier defensive prospect in Cale Makar, the 4th overall pick in the 2017 Draft.

To Avalanche fans, a trade involving the Ottawa pick and Makar may seem like a lot, but they would be getting a top 5 player in return.  The Pepsi Center would be sold out every night to watch Patrick Kane in the mile high city for the next four years.  But are the Avs ready to contend for a cup?  With Nathan MacKinnon cost-controlled at six million the next four years and a blossoming Mikko Rantanen, Kane would catapult the Avs past the first round of the playoffs.  Will losing out on a generational talent like Hughes and a future top defenseman like Makar hurt?  Absolutely.  But at what point do you stop building and simply go for it?

Here’s what I propose could be a deal that wows the Blackhawks:

Colorado receives:

Patrick Kane, Erik Gustafsson, & 2019 4th

Chicago receives:  OTT 2019 1st (only #1 or #2), Cale Makar, & Tyson Barrie

Now, the only way Chicago moves Kane is if they get elite, blue chip prospects back.  The deal starts with the Ottawa pick and the Hawks need to know that they have landed either Jack Hughes or Kappo Kakko.  The addition of Cale Makar further bolsters the Hawks blue line, giving them the ability to deal one of their top defensive prospects for a top forward.  Taking on Tyson Barrie for one year helps make the money work in exchange for Erik Gustafsson who could be just as effective on the powerplay and just as effective on defense…

Is it an overpay for Colorado?  Probably, but doesn’t it have to be?  It’s not often that you have the opportunity to trade for the best American born hockey player who is a lock for the Hall of Fame with three cups under his belt at 30 years old.

And for the Blackhawks, you hopefully get the next Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith.  You have players like Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome to build around too.  By the time some of these top prospects are ready, they will be in their mid-twenties ready to win.  Sure it will be a hard couple of years, but Chicago fans have seen this kind of rebuild work.  The Bears just made a huge trade for a franchise player and it has turned their franchise around.  The Cubs won a world series by building their team from the ground up.  The White Sox are on their way to trying the same thing.

And if you trade Patrick Kane, you might as well sell off Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Brandon Saad.  If Chicago can accumulate top draft picks and prospects, they will have one of the best farm systems in the league almost overnight.  They will continue to be bad for a couple more seasons and pick in the top 5 or top 10.  Those players will be developed by Jeremy Colliton, a very young coach with a knack of getting the most out of young players.

Many of you will believe that the Hawks will never go through with trading their star player which may be true.  It’s hard to imagine the United Center full of Kane jerseys with #88 playing 1,000 miles away for another team.  It’s also difficult to imagine the team that stuck with Kane through difficult times part with the star that has given them so much.  But where are the Blackhawks really going?  Can they squeeze one more Stanley Cup out of this core?  With every year that passes, it gets harder and harder to say yes.

It just feels like one of those corny moments where if you love something, you should set it free.  Let’s let Patrick Kane ride off into the sunset and watch him thrive in the playoffs where he deserves to be, not playing golf.  Let’s go to sleep at night knowing that in two years, we’ll have Jack Hughes playing first line center.  These difficult decisions differentiate the franchises that sustain success and the ones that are a flash in the pan.  And I’m pretty sure Chicago doesn’t want to wait another 50 years to hoist Lord Stanley’s cup again.

The post Could the Colorado Avalanche Trade for Patrick Kane? appeared first on The Rink.

Head coach Jeremy Colliton had lots of decisions to make entering Wednesday’s contest. Brent Seabrook was a game time decision (and later a scratch) with illness and Chris Kunitz took a seat in favor of the young winger John Hayden. Collin Delia also drew the start against the Predators. The lines combinations were as follows:

DeBrincat – Toews – Kahun

Anisimov – Strome – Kane

Saad – Kampf – Caggiula

Hayden – Kruger – Perlini

Keith – Gustafsson

Dahlstrom – Murphy

Davidson – Jokiharju

Delia

Davidson drew his second game in a row as well thanks to Gustav Forsling landing on the IR and Seabrook sitting as mentioned before.

First Period:

The early portion of the first period was highlighted by chances for both teams. Early on, the Blackhawks’ fourth line had an excellent opportunity. Brendan Perlini carried the puck in on the left wing boards, dumped it to John Hayden and found Marcus Kruger. Without hesitation, Kruger found Perlini wide open for a big one-timer that Pekka Rinne absorbed with no problem. However, it was encouraging seeing the bottom six get going.

Despite the quality chances early for the Blackhawks, it was the Predators who drew blood first. A great keep-in by defenseman Mattias Ekholm led to a great pass from below the goal line by Kevin Fiala. Fiala found Colton Sissons all alone in the slot for a quick snap shot goal to give the visitors the 1-0 lead seven minutes into the period.

The overall action of the period remained quiet until late in the period. After Dan Hamhuis hooked Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks went to the power play with under three minutes remaining in the opening frame.

On the same power play, Patrick Kane set up on his right wing boards as he always does. Kane found Alex DeBrincat on the opposite side of the ice with a perfect pass through the slot. “The Cat” ripped a quick shot, narrowly squeaking the puck through Rinne’s blocker side to tie the game.

88 + 12 = #Purr pic.twitter.com/9cceqhIFwR

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 10, 2019

Before the United Center fans could settle back into their seats after Chelsea Dagger rang throughout the stadium, the Predators re-gained the lead. Eight seconds later (yes, you read that correctly), Viktor Arvidsson collected his 13th goal of the season. The visitors took that lead into the first intermission, 2-1 Predators.

Second Period:

The second period was similar to most of the first frame. Neither team could crack the opposing goaltender. Pierre McGuire commented that the Predators were frustrated, while the Blackhawks were positive and optimistic on the bench during a stretch of the second period. Nashville was creating quality chances for themselves but could not capitalize on any of those opportunities.

However, the Predators’ persistence would pay off. Fresh off of the IR, Filip Forsberg fired an absolute rocket from the top of the circles on the right wing side. The shot was perfectly placed, top-shelf on Collin Delia. The play was created by Roman Josi walking to the middle of the ice, drawing the defender with him after the face-off win by the Predators. Josi’s move opened Forsberg up for the big shot. The Predators extended their lead with just under four minutes to play in the middle frame.

After the Predators extended their lead, they went to the power play after a David Kampf tripping penalty. When all looked grim for the Blackhawks, the penalty kill would turn the momentum around. After Jonathan Toews took the puck away from the Predators on the power play, he fired a pass out of the zone to an open Marcus Kruger. Kruger picked up the puck with only one defender to beat, however Kruger pulled up and found the Captain in the slot. Toews fired a high shot to the top corner to beat Pekka Rinne and cut into the visitor’s lead.

Toews with a shorty on #ToewsDay pic.twitter.com/dUj21UnHxJ

— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) January 10, 2019

Toews’ play ended a stretch of momentum for the Predators. The visitors had a chance to blow the game open, however, the Blackhawks went into the second intermission only down one goal to the second place team in the Central Division.

Third Period:

Neither team had much to show for throughout the early portion of the third period. Both teams had their chances, but could not find the back of the net.

The best opportunity the Blackhawks had was a power play with about thirteen minutes remaining in the period. The two best chances on the power play both were not able to find the net as both Patrick Kane and Erik Gustafsson missed on big slapshots. The Predators had a quality chance of their own but Viktor Arvidsson hit the goalpost on the chance.

As the time was winding down, the Blackhawks began to create some pressure in the offensive zone. Late in the period, the Predators failed to clear a puck out of the zone and Duncan Keith jumped on the puck at the left wing half-wall. Keith found Kane cross-ice where he set up on the face-off dot and found Artem Anisimov in the slot to tie the game at three-a-piece. Both teams collected a point as the contest required a fourth frame of hockey to determine the winner.

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/1083204662193463296

Overtime:

Overtime began with the Predators gaining possession on a face-off win. However, the Blackhawks would not control the puck in the one minute of overtime that was played. The Nashville Predators looked like the Harlem Globetrotters with the puck, retaining possession and making changes while looking for a chance to beat Delia and win the game.

At exactly the 1:00 mark, Filip Forsberg beat Jonathan Toews, one-on-one, to the net and finished on a power move against Collin Delia. The Swede’s second goal of the game gave the Predators the extra point as the Blackhawks fall 4-3 in overtime.

Quick Hits:

• Patrick Kane continued his hot streak. He is still in the NHL’s top 10 scorers and does not look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon. Kane’s two assists gives him 58 points in 45 games played this season. The last time Patrick Kane was playing this well, he celebrated his summer with a lot of hardware from the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.
• Collin Delia once again was solid in net for the Blackhawks. Despite a record of 0-1-2 in Delia’s last three outings, the Blackhawks have continually been in each game as they continue to let Delia face an average of 41 shots per game. Delia made 27 saves on 30 shots in the loss to the Predators. If the Blackhawks can limit shots more going forward, Delia can probably steal a few games in the dog days of the season.
• Erik Gustafsson did not look good against the Predators. Notably, Gustafsson was caught watching on the opening goal of the game from Colton Sissons. Gustafsson admitted in his post game press conference that he didn’t play well, although the team as a whole did. He’s been great offensively, but he needs to clean up his play in the defensive zone if he hopes to ever be considered a top 4 defenseman in the NHL.

The Blackhawks remain in Chicago with two days off before the red-hot Vegas Golden Knights visit the United Center on Saturday, January 12th. Puck drop will be at 7:30pm CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Fall in Overtime 4-3 to the Predators appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn, John Jaeckel and The Rink Feature NCAA Writer Aaron Goldschmidt get together to talk about the latest developments in Blackhawks land heading into the holidays.

• Corey Crawford is out with another serious concussion
• Marcus Kruger joins him as the walking wounded increase
• Collin Delia, Dylan Sikura, Carl Dahlstrom and Luke Johnson all get recalled
• The Gustafsson delusions
• Addressing the Panarin nonsense again.
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

As a special holiday gift, we close out with “On My Side” from The-Rink friend and huge Blackhawks fan Patrick Judge with his bandmates in Demon Hunter.

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

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

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 39 – Injuries Aplenty appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks found a winning combination on Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. After scoring six goals and getting the win, head coach Jeremy Colliton trotted out the same lines on Friday night against the Jets:

Saad – Toews – Kahun

DeBrincat – Strome – Kane

Sikura – Kampf – Perlini

Hayden – Kruger – Martinsen

Keith – Jokiharju

Gustafsson – Seabrook

Dahlstrom – Murphy

Crawford

The only change to the lineup vs the Jets was the insertion of Erik Gustafsson to replace Brandon Manning.

First Period:

Early in the period, the Blackhawks allowed a quality chance, giving fans the impression it might be another long night, similar to Tuesday in Winnipeg. The potential agony continued when Brandon Saad missed a wide open tip-in on an errant pass.

In spite of the chaotic early minutes, the Blackhawks looked good. The team brought a lot of energy early, pacing play against the loaded Jets. However, numerous missed chances and bad plays almost cost them. One such play included a Connor Murphy turnover right in front of Corey Crawford that led to a grade A chance for the visitors. Crawford made the big save to cover up for Murphy’s error.

https://twitter.com/johndietzdh/status/1073757918749700096

Late in the period, Jonathan Toews took a hooking penalty, sending the potent power play unit out onto the ice for the Jets. Roughly forty seconds into the man advantage, Blake Wheeler set up on the right half wall looking for an open teammate, and sent a screaming pass through the middle of the ice, finding teammate Mark Scheifele, who gave the Jets the 1-0 lead.

The goal marked the 12th time in 13 games where Blackhawks’ opponents scored first.

Despite some quality chances from Winnipeg in the waning minutes of the period, it looked like the contest would enter the first intermission with the Jets leading 1-0. But as the Jets tried to make a pass to their point in the offensive zone, Brandon Saad intercepted and began up ice on the left wing. After crossing the Winnipeg blue line, Saad dropped a pass to Duncan Keith who quickly found Jonathan Toews in the high slot. Toews made a quick move to create an open shot and fired a high wrister to tie the game with ten seconds remaining in the period. The period would in fact enter intermission tied 1-1 against the Jets.

Second Period:

The opening half of the second period was marked by some near misses and good defense. Dylan Sikura had an opportunity for his first goal after a Keith wrister took a funny bounce off of Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit. The puck bounced just out of Sikura’s reach, otherwise the young forward would have had a wide open net for his first career goal.

The two most notable players for Chicago were Brandon Saad and John Hayden. Hayden was strong on the puck and playing his role consistently all night. Saad was making plays on both ends of the ice, saving what could have been a goal in the latter half of the middle frame by not quitting on a play and getting a stick on a wide open shot from the Jets.

Another defensive play led to the Blackhawks’ next tally. Murphy made a huge block on a quality chance from the Jets that sent the Blackhawks down the ice the other way. Carl Dahlstrom found Saad, after a bad pinch by a Jets’ defenseman, before Saad found Toews once again on a beautiful saucer pass, setting up a one-timer to give the home team the lead.

Jonathan Toews has his second goal of the game … and it was a beauty. 2-1 #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/3dd2bIZifr

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) December 15, 2018

The lead didn’t last for long. A little over two minutes later, Jets winger Patrick Laine ripped a deadly top shelf snapshot from the mid slot to beat Crawford high blocker side. The tally was Laine’s 23rd of the season and tied the game at two goals a piece.

.@PatrikLaine29 ties the game. pic.twitter.com/N1lH0eGyHz

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) December 15, 2018

Things began looking up for the Blackhawks as Brandon Saad drew a late penalty on Mathieu Perreault. The Hawks would ultimately waste the power play and give the Jets a late opportunity after a defensive breakdown. Perreault was able to sneak behind a Chicago defensemen on a breakaway. The Jets forward capitalized on the chance and gave the away team the lead, 3-2, with seventeen seconds remaining in the period. 

Third Period:

The third period featured a steady pace of play. Neither team could crack the opposing goaltender and the scored remained at 3-2. Chicago did find some momentum early, after killing two consecutive Jets power plays in the first five minutes of the third period. The Jets could have put the game out of reach, but the Blackhawks hunkered down and killed two big penalties.

With under four minutes remaining, the Blackhawks went to the man advantage looking to capitalize on a late Jets penalty and send the game to overtime. However, John Hayden high sticked Tyler Myers in front of the Jets net around forty seconds into the power play, negating the advantage for Chicago. The Blackhawks had to kill the penalty and make something happen with under a minute remaining.

… And it happened…

The Blackhawks were able to pull Corey Crawford for the extra attacker with about twenty-five seconds remaining in the contest. The home team set up in Winnipeg’s zone and tried to find the open shot. Duncan Keith put a perfect pass on a platter for Erik Gustafsson, who walked into a one-timer and tie the game with seven and a half seconds left. Redemption for Gustafsson, who made a poor decision leading directly to Perreault’s earlier goal.

The game went to overtime with the teams tied 3-3.

OT ahead thanks to this blast! pic.twitter.com/ut6ogd4aIy

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 15, 2018

Overtime:

Extra time started well in favor of the Blackhawks. Patrick Kane, Toews and Duncan Keith were able to occupy the offensive zone for a solid shift before the Jets re-gained possession.

After a puck got in deep behind Crawford, a two-on-two scrum ensued along the boards. The Jets won the board battle and Mark Scheifele was able to walk out in front of Crawford and fire a laser to win the game for the Jets.

Final score, 4-3 Winnipeg.

Quick Hits:

• John Hayden and Brandon Saad both looked very good in this game. Although taking a penalty late, Hayden was effective along the boards, handled the puck well and sparked some energy for Chicago. Saad was everywhere, making plays all over the ice on both offense and defense while picking up two assists along the way. Seeing these two be that noticeable was an encouraging sign for Blackhawks fans everywhere.
• The defense looked better than usual, but the Perreault mistake really cost them. The defense allowed him to slip behind them after the Jets killed the penalty on Perreault. If that doesn’t happen, who knows how this game goes. The Carl Dahlstrom insertion seems to be paying some dividends.
• This team finally is starting to look like a team with purpose. Despite the loss tonight, they had more fight in them than they did the last time they played in Winnipeg on Tuesday night. The Penguins game on Wednesday could be a glimpse of how this team will play under Colliton in the future. Their largest problem was coming out of the gate slow and playing from behind. This game, they came out firing and competing hard without falling behind by a huge margin early, which is quite the improvement over past games as mentioned before. If they can add more talent this offseason, there’s a chance this team can begin to compete again sooner rather than later.

The Blackhawks will remain at home as the San Jose Sharks come to town on Sunday, December 16th. Opening puck drop is scheduled for 6:00pm CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Tie It Late, Grounded by Jets 4-3 in Overtime appeared first on The Rink.

FIRST PERIOD

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

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

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

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2018

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

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

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2018

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

SECOND PERIOD

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

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

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

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2018

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

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

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2018

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

THIRD PERIOD

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

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

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2018

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

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

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

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 22, 2018

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

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

THE GOOD

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

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

THE BAD

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

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

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

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

Back in Black#WinterClassic https://t.co/Bg2IkLFc0y

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 8, 2018

Trying to fill the void behind the bench left by Joel Quenneville is nearly an impossible task for Colliton. If he is going to make a difference for the club, he would have to be himself and do what made him successful in his previous two coaching jobs. Problem is, he didn’t previously have the less-than-desirable quality of roster he has now with the Blackhawks.

Before most could finish their first beverages of the night at the United Center, Chicago trailed the Hurricanes 3-0. While they finally woke up about half-way through the game, the comeback was too little too late and the Hurricanes were able to hold on for the 4-3 win.

The Jeremy Colliton Era Begins With A Whimper

The Blackhawks defense has been a focal-point so far this season, causing headaches and heartaches for many as they watch a once dynamic blue-line duo of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook age and decay (by NHL standards), and live with defensemen playing roles that they otherwise would not be forced into if they were playing on a more skilled roster.

Blackhawks lineup:
DeBrincat-Toews-Kahun
Schmaltz-Anisimov-Kane
Saad-Kampf-Fortin
Kunitz-Kruger-Martinsen

Keith-Jokiharju
Gustafsson-Seabrook
Davidson-Rutta

Crawford

Erik Gustafsson, seemingly forgetting which team he was playing for early in the first period, made a number of poor decisions with the puck that led to high-danger scoring chances early for the Hurricanes. Eventually it would be Andrei Svechnikov getting the game’s opening goal on a rebound chance, his fourth of the season.

At the mid-way point of the first period, with Carolina on the powerplay, it would be Jaccob Slavin with another rebound goal for the Hurricanes to make it a 2-0 game on his second goal of the year. The poor play in their own zone continued in the first period for the Blackhawks as they gave up the 3-0 goal with just over four minutes remaining in the opening period. A turnover led to Phil Di Giuseppe netting his first goal of the year and it looked to be a long night for the Blackhawks.

The second period would begin much like the first for Chicago, sloppy and seemingly disinterested. Missed assignments in their own zone led to another high-danger chance for the Hurricanes and this time it was Calvin de Haan, sneaking in from the blue-line, to bury his first goal of the year to give Carolina a 4-0 lead early in the second period. Corey Crawford smashed his stick in half after the 4-0 goal and who could blame him after being continuously left out to dry by the guys in front of him?

Blackhawks Comeback Falls Short

When it seemed like all might be lost on the opening night of the Colliton regime, the Blackhawks caught a break in transition in the second period. After Brent Seabrook broke up a 3-on-1 chance for the Hurricanes, Patrick Kane and Artem Anisimov charged on a 2-on-1 the other way. Kane tried to set-up Anisimov but the pass was broken up by former Blackhawks Stanley Cup Champion Teuvo Teravainen. Hurricanes starter and former Blackhawks Stanley Cup Champion Scott Darling made the initial save on the loose puck, but Kane followed up by lifting the stick of former Blackhawks Stanley Cup Champion Trevor van Riemsdyk and was able to bang home the loose rebound chance to stop the bleeding at 4-1 with his 12th goal of the year. How about that?

Chicago began to turn up the pressure on the Hurricanes after getting on the board, leading to Brandon Saad putting the puck on net and David Kampf coming away with a deflection goal to cut the Carolina lead in half at 4-2. Kampf’s second goal of the year and Chicago had life again.

FINAL: Hurricanes 4, #Blackhawks 3.

Shot attempts: 71-50 CHI
Shots on goal: 38-34 CHI
5-on-5 scoring chances: 37-24 CHI
5-on-5 high danger chances: 15-9 CHI pic.twitter.com/HHd6qfFRJn

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 9, 2018

The Blackhawks were able to cut the Hurricanes’ lead down to 4-3 early in the third period on Nick Schmaltz‘s second goal of the year. With Chicago putting more and more pressure on Carolina and Crawford shutting the door, it seemed like the epic comeback was in the cards on this night. But, ultimately it was not meant to be as time ran out on the Blackhawks and they came away the 4-3 losers of the night.

Stats For Your Consideration

A couple of things stood out from the score-sheet in the first game under Jeremy Colliton for the Blackhawks:

• Erik Gustafsson led all Chicago defensemen in ice-time with 24:15 minutes played
• Artem Anisimov and Brent Seabrook led the team in shots on goal with five each
• Chicago was 23-for-45 on faceoffs with Jonathan Toews going 16-for-24 on his own
  • Toews took 24 faceoffs, while David Kampf was second on the team with seven (2-for-5)
• Patrick Kane led the team in ice-time with 27:43 minutes played
  • Kane’s second-highest time played in his career in the regular season (1st – 28:48)
• The Blackhawks were able to out-shoot the NHL’s leader in shots-per-game, 38-34

Hard Times Ahead

The regulation loss sees Chicago’s record fall to 6-7-3, extending winless streak to six games, going 0-5-1 over that stretch. With 15 points in the standings, the Blackhawks sit in sixth-place in the NHL Central Division, two points ahead of the St. Louis Blues with three fewer games played. The Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers for a Noon CT puck drop.

After that, the Blackhawks are on the road against these same Hurricanes in Carolina, then have a three-game home-stand against the St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, and Minnesota Wild.

While the Kings and Blues currently sit behind the Blackhawks in the Western Conference standings, there are no “easy games” ahead for Chicago. The coaching change made away from Joel Quenneville and forward with Jeremy Colliton will bring changes and hopefully positive ones. But, it is the roster construction, not coaching techniques and strategies, that is holding this Blackhawks team back. The players have to execute on the ice for the team to have success. It’s a simple statement, but it’s true. Jeremy Colliton, nor Joel Quenneville, are the ones turning over pucks in the defensive zone that lead to high-danger scoring chances against Corey Crawford and Cam Ward. If those mistakes on the ice do not change, shortly the Blackhawks will become the “easy game” on the schedule of the NHL.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Comeback Falls Short Against Hurricanes appeared first on The Rink.

Last season, the term “youth-movement” emerged in the offseason and translated through the summer and into the season with players like Nick Schmaltz and Alex DeBrincat making names for themselves with the organization. This year, the “youth-movement” may yet again be a common theme throughout the Chicago Blackhawks and Rockford IceHogs organizations.

Questions surround the NHL club at every position and the Traverse City Rookie Tournament will give the team and the Blackhawks fan community a chance to see what the future holds. Heading into tomorrow’s opening day, here a some players and storylines to watch for at the Rookie Tournament.

Chicago Blackhawks Rookie Tournament: Players To Watch

Last Summer’s Rookie Tournament was headlined by a number of players who would eventually make their NHL debuts last season including Matthew Highmore, David Kampf, Carl Dahlstrom, and Collin Delia. But no other player had as much attention on him as Alex DeBrincat did. He finally had the summer showcase that prospect camp was supposed to be and went on to have one of the best Blackhawks rookie seasons since Patrick Kane won the Calder Trophy in 2008.

This Summer, the Blackhawks rookie roster is loaded on defense with high-end draft picks looking to showcase the future of the organization’s blue-line, as well as a number of forwards who will be looking to crack into Chicago’s regular lineup.

Forwards

• Dylan Sikura – RW/C (23, 5-11, 160lb) – 2014 6th Round Pick (CHI #178)
  • Sikura was a highly touted NCAA prospect coming out of Northeastern last season. A late-bloomer in the Chicago system, Sikura made his way to the Blackhawks late last season and showed promise in a Top-9 role. Although a small sample size, Sikura looks to be the most promising forward prospect that the Blackhawks have heading into the 2018-19 season. Look for him to be a focal point offensively in Traverse City.
• Victor Ejdsell – LW/RW (23, 6-5, 215lb) – Acquired via Trade (NSH)
  • Acquired as part of the Ryan Hartman trade with the Nashville Predators, Ejdsell made a quick name for himself within the organization as part of the Rockford IceHogs late last season. Again, a small sample size of work, but Ejdsell showed that he can shoot the puck at a high-level and knows how to use his size to his advantage. A key factor in the IceHogs’ run in the Calder Cup Playoffs, Ejdsell will be a key forward in Traverse City and could play his way into the Blackhawks regular lineup with a solid showing and training camp.
• Dominik Kahun – C/LW (23, 5-11, 175lb) – Acquired via International Signing
  • Kahun is an interesting project for the Blackhawks organization. Signing a contract after an impressive showing during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang with the German National Team, Kahun comes into the summer as one of many player sitting on the NHL/AHL fence for the organization. In four seasons with EHC München in the DEL (Germany), Kahun has racked up 111 points in 157 games and skated in 18 games with Germany at the Olympics and World Championships last season, tallying 12 points. A two-way style center, Kahun could be a surprise for the Blackhawks this season as the depth at Center is thin behind Jonathan Toews.
• Alexandre Fortin – LW/C (21, 6-0, 175lb) – Acquired via Undrafted Signing
  • It seems like a long time ago that Fortin was the summer darling of the Blackhawks organization. Signing as an undrafted free agent, Fortin made a huge splash two summers ago and was nearly on the Blackhawks roster to begin the 2016-17 season. But now, after a full season with the Rockford IceHogs last year that saw him deal with injuries, and the luster has washed away a bit from him. Still young and still having a considerable upside to his game, Fortin will be a ‘veteran’ on the Traverse City roster and could be a dark horse to make the Chicago lineup with an overly impressive showing.
• MacKenzie Entwistle – RW/C (19, 6-3, 175lb) – Acquired via Trade (ARI)
  • Another player that came to the Blackhawks by trade this season, Entwistle is a largely unknown commodity to the organization. A 3rd round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2017, Entwistle is coming off his second season in the OHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs which saw him skate in 49 games and tally 38 points during the regular season and 21 OHL playoff games with 17 points racked up. Entwistle has a large frame at 6-foot-3 and 175-pounds at the age of 19, but his game still needs refining. Keep an eye out for him to be the player to lay a big hit in the Traverse City tournament and hopefully give the organization the idea to play Entwistle in Rockford once Hamilton’s season ends this Spring.

The future

Hillman and Sikura putting in work pic.twitter.com/T2fkyIABUe

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) September 6, 2018

Defense

• Adam Boqvist – RHD (18, 5-11, 170lb) – 2018 1st Round Pick (CHI #8)
  • It’s only a matter of time before the Chicago Blackhawks fan community will be introduced to the “Adam Boqvist Era.” The highest selected player for the Blackhawks since Patrick Kane went 1st overall in 2007, Boqvist has been referred to as the next Erik Karlsson in the NHL. A fast, puck-moving defenseman who is not afraid to jump into the offensive zone and produce points, Boqvist will be the highlight of the Traverse City tournament for the Blackhawks. His first real North American showcase comes at the Rookie Tournament and watch for him to make a play or two that will definitely jump off the page. Playing with the London Knights in the OHL this year, the Blackhawks organization will be able to keep an eye on his development and could bring him into the fold in Chicago or Rockford once the season ends for him with London.
• Nicolas Beaudin – LHD (18, 5-11, 175lb) – 2018 1st Round Pick (CHI #27)
  • Not to be out-done by his fellow 2018 1st round draft pick in Boqvist, but Beaudin is no slouch on the blue-line himself. Much like Boqvist ahead of him, Beaudin is a small-bodied, mobile, puck-moving defenseman that can drive the offense. Playing with the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the QMJHL, Beaudin looks to build on his breakout second season last year in which he tallied 69 points in 68 games played in the regular season and 11 points in 10 QMJHL playoff games. There is a very real chance that Beaudin and Boqvist could make-up the Blackhawks top defensive pair in the near future and that should excite the Blackhawks fan community.
• Henri Jokiharju – RHD (19, 6-0, 180lb) – 2017 1st Round Pick (CHI #29)
  • Who else might be the next best top-pairing defenseman for the Blackhawks? Look no further than Jokiharju. Last year’s top draft pick out of Portland of the WHL, Jokiharju may be the most NHL-ready defensive prospect in the Blackhawks system or he may take years to be top-pairing material. While the latter seems to be way less likely, Jokiharju has a lot to show at the Traverse City Tournament. After tallying 71 points in 63 games with the Winterhawks in the WHL, Jokiharju is currently thought to be on the fence between starting the season in the NHL or in Rockford in the AHL. With an impressive showing in Traverse City, followed up by a quality training camp, Jokiharju could very well be in the Chicago Top-6 defensive group on opening night in Ottawa.
• Blake Hillman – LHD (22, 6-1, 180lb) – 2016 6th Round Pick (CHI #173)
  • Another player last season to make his NHL debut with the Blackhawks out of the NCAA, Hillman is coming off of three very productive years with Denver University that saw him play in two Frozen Fours in 2016 and 2017 and win a National Championship with the Pioneers in 2017. Hillman played in a handful of games with Chicago late last Spring and even scored his first NHL goal. A decently sized defenseman, Hillman plays a more stay-at-home style on the blue-line and looks to start the season with the IceHogs, but that could change if he impresses enough in the Traverse City Tournament and in training camp. There is little to say he won’t have a decent look at quality ice-time this preseason to make his mark.
• Joni Tuulola – LHD (22, 6-3, 180lb) 2015 6th Round Pick (CHI #181)
  • Much like Victor Ejdsell did last year, Joni Tuulola joined the Rockford IceHogs late last season for his first taste of Hockey in North America and jumped right into the mix. After his third full season in Liiga (Finland), Tuulola joined the IceHogs late in the regular season and played in just two regular season games before being edged-out of ice-time as the Calder Cup Playoffs began. But, as has been noted by IceHogs head coach Jeremy Colliton, Tuulola continued to impress the coaching staff and played his way into the lineup during the Western Conference Finals for the final three games. Now heading into what will be his first full season in North America, Tuulola will have a chance to be a focal point of the IceHogs’ defensive core and could eventually provide a mobile, large-bodied defensive presence for the Blackhawks one day.

Chicago Blackhawks Rookie Tournament: Storylines

This season is already shaping up to be one of the more intriguing of the last decade, if only for the fact that there are so many unanswered questions heading into the preseason. The Blackhawks did very little to make major improvements to their forwards group, high-end defensive depth, or address the looming question of what their long-term solution would be in net if goaltender Corey Crawford does not return to the level he has played at for the last handful of years.

Heading into the Traverse City Rookie Tournament, the Blackhawks will have an opportunity to showcase a few players that could answer a number of these questions. Here are a few storylines to follow at the Traverse City Rookie Tournament and preseason training camp begin.

Loaded Defensive Depth

As stated before, the Blackhawks did not address their need for HIGH-END defensive depth this offseason. What they did do is back-load themselves with potentially NHL-ready defensive prospects and veteran NHL players who are now on the NHL/AHL fence themselves. Players like Brandon Manning, Brandon Davidson (PTO), and Andrew Campbell joined the Blackhawks this offseason and will be in the mix with Jan Rutta and Erik Gustafsson for the bottom-pairing spots in Chicago.

While it’s more likely that Rutta and Gustafsson are the defacto 5th and 6th defensemen on the Blackhawks roster, players like Manning, Davidson (PTO), and potentially Henri Jokiharju, could all push for NHL ice-time this season. Not to be forgotten is defenseman Gustav Forsling, who will miss the opening month of the season after having wrist surgery over the summer.

The 6th/7th defenseman log-jam that the Blackhawks roster moves created then slides into what the Rockford IceHogs will have to deal with for their defensive core. Last season the IceHogs finished with Forsling, Carl Dahlstrom, Cody Franson, Darren Raddysh, Adam Clendening, Viktor Svedberg, and Luc Snuggerud rotating through the defensive group on a regular basis. Gone are the likes of Franson, Svedberg, and Clendening, and added to the fray are players like Andrew Campbell as mentioned above, and Joni Tuulola, Blake Hillman, Dennis Gilbert, Lucas Carlsson, and potentially Henri Jokiharju. It will be interesting to see how Jeremy Colliton navigates his first-world problem of having too many quality AHL defenders on his roster.

NHL-Ready Forwards?

On the flip-side of the defense, the Blackhawks NHL-depth at forward is thin. Adding veteran winger Chris Kunitz this offseason did little to move the needle on the spectrum of “franchise changing” but it filled one hole in the Chicago Top-12 forward group. Kunitz will play in a bottom-6 role, but questions still loom in the top-9 of the group. Who will play the top-line wing position with Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad? Will Nick Schmaltz be a reliable second-line option at center? Who fills out the bottom-6 forward positions? All of these are still on the table for discussion by the Blackhawks heading into the preseason and training camp.

The blessing the Blackhawks have is that they at least have a number of decent options to fill the gaps, but those options may not fall under “franchise changing” either.

As mentioned above, players like Victor Ejdsell and Dylan Sikura could more than likely earn themselves opening night roster spots with quality camps and showings in the preseason. Other names in the mix would be John Hayden, David Kampf, and Matthew Highmore. While it may be the most open competition the Blackhawks have this summer, forward depth is going to be hard-stretched to fill for Chicago by only looking in-house.

Options do remain in Rockford as well as players like Anthony Louis, Tyler Sikura, and Luke Johnson could push for NHL ice-time, but the Blackhawks will need strong showings from the forwards group to quell the doubts perceived by the Blackhawks fan community.

Schedule

Here’s the full schedule for the Traverse City Rookie Tournament:

Traverse Cityt2018 Rookie Tournament Schedule

The Blackhawks will look to defend their 2017 tournament championship against the Columbus Blue Jackets, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars. Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and New York Rangers.

The championship game will take place on September 11 between the winners of the Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay divisions.

The post What To Watch For: Chicago Blackhawks Rookie Tournament appeared first on The Rink.

My first task is to break down the Blackhawks defensive corps, which was a chore. The first thing most people were concerned about coming into this season was the inexperience of the defense, and those concerns were proven to be valid as this season went on. The easy thing to do would be pile on these players and write them off. There were positives and faint glimmers of hope that can easily be overshadowed by the dark cloud of doom and gloom.

That said, despite what General Manager Stan Bowman has fed the media and fans, the Blackhawks will need to upgrade the defense in the offseason, somehow. Rolling out the same exact defense and expecting a different result is, as the cliché goes, the definition of insanity.

The good news is that Bowman will have cap space to play with and can clear up even more with some minor moves. There is potential to turn this rickety old ship around with a trip to the dry dock this summer to look under the hood and pull the right strings. Coming from me, you might all be surprised, but I see light at the end of the tunnel and this team; without a painful tear down.

Let’s jump into this murky pool and work our way up from the filthy silt to fresh air:

Michael Kempny (D+) – Maybe one of the most enigmatic, misunderstood and maligned defenseman the Blackhawks have had in quite a while. He has the size, the speed and the raw talent, but seemed to get into the black hole of Joel Quenneville’s doghouse early in his Hawks career. As we all know very well, that dark place is somewhere that players rarely return from.

Kempny was no different.

When he played, his numbers were better than average. One goal, six assists and a plus 13 (one of the few plus players) in 31 games is a respectable stat line. Kempny had a respectable 53.9% even strength Corsi and 52.6% Fenwick. All signs point to this guy deserving more of a chance.

I really had high hopes for this Czech defender, but once he was banished to “Pay-No-Mindland” his Blackhawks career was ostensibly over. He had stretches of solid play, once he was actually allowed to dress, but then would be excommunicated to the Joel Quenneville Shrimp Cocktail suite for weeks at a time. I hope he continues to grow in Washington, or some other city, and make the way he was handled in Chicago look even worse.

Gustav Forsling (C-) – With Ville Pokka finally jettison this year, Gustav Forsling is looking more and more like he is taking that title on. Of course he is younger and quicker that Pokka, but he seems to be stuck in that frustrating purgatory between the NHL and AHL. He has some really impressive talent but he has yet to really figure out the NHL game. He is still really young, though, and he has time to develop.

The problem is that Stan Bowman keeps retaining these other middling defenders like Rutta and Gustafsson which keep Forsling in the AHL. My fear with Forsling is that next year will be another lost year because he is probably at least 7th on the organizational depth chart, not counting Carl Dahlstrom, Blake Hillman, Dennis Gilbert, Henri Jokiharju or any of the other young prospects or pending draft choices.

Forsling played 41 games before the Blackhawks finally had enough and sent him down to Rockford for some seasoning. Both his Corsi (49.1%) and Fenwick (45.7%) numbers were the worst on the team for any regular defenseman. His three goals and ten assists were certainly commendable, but the possession number really need to improve.

His development and possession metrics could have been hindered a bit by the fact that Joel Quenneville did not shelter him excessively as far as zone starts, which were fairly even.

It is crucial that Forsling has a good summer and forces the Blackhawks hand or he may very well end up the next defenseman that ends up as an extra player in future trade.

Connor Murphy (C) – If it were not for Brent Seabrook, Connor Murphy would probably hold the infamous irrational hatred award. Murphy is a young, big, third or fourth defenseman. His biggest crime, though, is not being Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Niklas Hjalmarsson is not even Niklas Hjalmarsson anymore, but Murphy will unfortunately always be held to that unattainable standard.

As the season began, it is no big secret that the young defenseman struggled to adjust. Once Quenneville started playing mad-scientist and moved Murphy over to the right side (which he had never played) something clicked in his lizard brain, and he turned a corner. He still isn’t (and probably never will be) Hjalmarsson but, then again, who is? Stop comparing him to the player he was traded for, and life will be much easier.

Jordan Oesterle (C) – Of all the surprises in 2017-18, on the defensive side of the house, Jordan Oesterle might be the biggest of them all. When he was signed last summer, the impression was that he was a depth tweener that could be shuttled between Rockford and Chicago. He boasted a grand total of 25 NHL games over three seasons with an organization that had mostly been a mess in their own end. Oesterle’s numbers were comparable to Erik Gustafsson in Rockford, while the defenseman was with Oklahoma City and Bakersfield.

He started the season sitting in the press box for a majority of the first couple of months and seemed to be that elusive “never seen nor heard from 8th defenseman.”  The fact that he eventually dressed and played significant minutes for 55 regular season games of pretty remarkable. Playing with Duncan Keith a vast majority of the season probably helped his numbers a bit, as well. Those numbers are not as gaudy as you might recall, but 5G-10A-15P is decent.

Certainly more than most might have expected from Oesterle.

As the season wore on, we began to see the true holes in his game. Like a lot of the other average sized, mediocre, puck moving defenseman in the organization Oesterle was an adventure in his own end of the ice, and this became more evident as the book got out on him.

As far as possession metrics go, he was only better than Brent Seabrook, Jan Rutta and Gustav Forsling on defense. Oesterle’s 52.4% Corsi and 51.1% Fenwick at 5v5 look alright on the surface, but the entire Blackhawks team had really good shot metrics overall.

Again, much of that was the fact that he played with the best defenseman in the organization for most of the year. Oesterle is another fine tweener defenseman, but the Blackhawks still need to add some meat to the middle of their depth chart if they want to turn things around next season.

Brent Seabrook (C+) – We go from one of the misunderstood players to (possibly) the most irrationally hated Blackhawks player. Brent Seabrook is a warrior; a leader; a long time under rated player in this league because of the flash of his old partner Duncan Keith.

And he makes too much money.

Fans need to get used to the fact that Brent Seabrook will not be going anywhere unless he retires or is bought out through some kind of compliance/amnesty buyout. Learn to forget his salary cap hit. Get one of those “Men In Black” flashy doohickeys.

His overall numbers were just “OK” and he clearly has lost a step; or five.

Seabrook is still one of the few defenseman on the Blackhawks that can get a cannon of a shot through to the net, especially on the power play, though. It is really unfortunate that the coaching staff will need to work around him but this is the hand their general manager has dealt them.

Carl Dahlstrom (C+) – Dahlstrom is an interesting case, and his long trip to the NHL has been well documented by Chris Block of The Third Man In. He was forgotten about and virtually cast away, but has fought back and played some significant NHL minutes this year. That was all after having an excellent AHL season and being selected as an AHL All-Star.

My notes on him in prospect camp over the past few years were as follows:

• 2013 – Looks bigger than his size, and big shoulder pads make him look very broad shouldered. Lumbering. More slow and smooth. Would get walked at the pro level.
• 2015 – Tall, has size and some bulk. Not overly quick. Seems like an adventure in his own end when pressured.
• 2016 – Moves like Frankenstein. Has great size, but struggles to keep up. Looks like a younger Rozsival with equivalent speed.

His footwork has definitely improved over the years, and his size is something the Blackhawks have lacked on the back end. With new confidence to jump into the play, he has turned himself into a pretty surprising borderline NHL player. At 6’3” and 240 lbs he is never going to be a speedster, especially next to players like Gustav Forsling and Duncan Keith.

Those players are carrying at least 50 lbs less meat around, though.

As far as his numbers go, Dahlstrom only registered three assists and a -3 in his 11 games. His Corsi (52.9%) was right in the middle of the pack and his Fenwick (49.8%) was in the bottom third. Part of this can be attributed to his usage. Joel Quenneville gave him a healthy 53.4% of defensive zone starts which was the most of Blackhawks defensemen.

Going forward, with the crowded clown car of mediocre defensemen, I really cannot see where he fits in, but Dahlstrom’s size and the proof that he can hang against NHL players might make him an enticing trade piece. Personally, I would like to see them clear out some of the carbon copy smaller guys and develop some of the bigger guys.

Erik Gustafsson (C+) – Nobody, including me, thought that we would be seeing Erik Gustafsson logging 35 games with the Blackhawks this year, but that is exactly what transpired. Gustafsson was the “forgotten guy” after not playing a single game for the Blackhawks and spending all of 2016-17 in Rockford. During that season with the Icehogs he had pretty solid offensive numbers (5G-25A-30P), but had a horrid -27 hung around his neck.

When the season began, he was probably looked at as an 8th or 9th option, but a solid start to his 2017-18 season (3G-14A-17P in 25 games) and a mediocre Blackhawks defense forced management’s hand. Gustafsson was recalled on January 9th never to return to Rockford.

He never went back to Rockford because of his impressive offensive numbers. In only 35 games, the 26-year-old Swedish defenseman put up 16 points (5G-11A). His 5v5 Corsi was 5th best on the team (55.4%) and his Fenwick was 2nd best, after Cody Franson, at 54.9%. This might lead you to believe that Quenneville was sheltering him with offensive zone starts but, shockingly, his zone starts were relatively even (57.4% offensive).

This unexpected jump in production eventually led to a two-year extension for Gustafsson. Like so many of the others in this group, I’m not entirely sure where he fits into this cast of misfits, but it will be a crowded group. He would be fine as a 5th/6th/7th guy but, as a top four defenseman, the Blackhawks may be in trouble.

Cody Franson (B-) – I told everyone in the interwebz that Cody Franson would surprise them with what he could provide, and he did; for a little while. He came into camp on a PTO and clearly had an “under the table” deal with Stan Bowman, once the Marian Hossa LTIR room kicked in. If you watch hockey and do not just judge players from a stat line with no context, you probably would have had a good idea of what Franson could bring.

He is a big commanding veteran presence that has a booming shot from the point. He knows his limitations and adjusts for them. Joel Quenneville was clearly aware of Franson’s limitations too. He gave Franson a team high 65.8% offensive zone starts. As a result, the 30-year-old defender had the team best 5v5 Corsi (59.9%) and Fenwick (60.2%).

On the offensive side of the ice, in his 23 games, Franson had 1G-7A-8P and half of his points were on the power play. These are all respectable numbers for a guy that came in on a try out and only made $1M this season.

As the season went on and the Blackhawks continued to take on water, Franson was sent to Rockford to mentor that group and allow some of the younger kids at the NHL level to get some long looks. Frustrating, for certain, but Franson went to Rockford like a good soldier and was eventually voted the Icehogs best defenseman.

Overall, he played within his means and did what was asked from him. His examples of how to be a pro will probably reflect on those young Rockford kids for years to come, which was well worth his $1M price tag.

Jan Rutta (B-) – While Michal Kempny might have left a bad taste in your mouths regarding Czech defensemen, Jan Rutta might bring you back to the other side of the tracks.  Kempny played in that World Cup of Money that the NHL held two years ago, and played a lot. Unlike Kempny, Rutta came in as a relatively unknown player.

Rutta is slightly bigger and came in a year older. Right away he showed that he can fit in the NHL. He was more reliable than his countryman, and showed an added offensive element. As a result, the Blackhawks coaching staff appeared to take a real liking to this rookie defenseman. So much so that Bowman signed him to a pretty large raise after only 57 games in North America.

In Rutta’s 57 games, he amassed six goals and 20 points, which is good for 3rd overall with Blackhawks defenseman. It is easy to see why the Blackhawks would want to keep him, but it is certainly curious as to why Bowman overpaid for Rutta.  His possession number certainly left a lot to be desired, and I cannot imagine that teams were breaking his door down.

It remains to be seen whether he will just be another face in the sea of average defenders next season, or if he will be worth the large raise.

Duncan Keith (B+) – There has been much angst regarding Keith this season. A lot of “dat Keith stinkz”, and questions about whether he has dropped off significantly.

Honestly, Blackhawks fans should not be worried, just yet. If you look at the cast of no-name partners he has dragged up and down the ice all year, he should get a free pass. One player, no matter who he is, can only cover for his partners so much before it starts to affect his own production.

Much like Jonathan Toews, it also might be time the Blackhawks stopped leaning on Duncan Keith so much and let him settle into a more relaxed role. Clearly, Keith is a freak of nature and can handle a physical beating, but if the organization expects him to be the mentor to all of the young defensemen coming through the system then they need to lighten the load. Otherwise, he will burn out, and it will come quickly. Keith’s ice time and zone starts have shifted in that direction (lowest since 06-07) but when he is the designated babysitter, the shift needs to probably happen a little more succinct.

The first thing they need to do is get him off the power play. Keith is not a necessity on the power play, and is not all that helpful there anyway. Some of the reason their power play was rancid was that when they put Keith out there, he just was not effective. He cannot get his shots through to the net, and has turned into more of a liability than anything. When Jordan Oesterle or Cody Franson are more effective, it is time to make a personnel change for good.

As far as his stats are concerned, of course they dipped. Dragging around unproven wild cards for most of the season will take a toll. His 2 goals and 32 points were still good enough for 6th on the team in scoring, though. His Corsi was right in the middle of the pack (52.4 %) and his Fenwick was in the bottom 3rd of the team (50.4%) at 5v5.

Honestly, anyone that suggests they trade Duncan Keith and his absurdly affordable contract better be ready for a full tear down and rebuild, because that would be the Blackhawks’ only choice. Even on the decline, as slow as it is, Duncan Keith is still far and away the best defenseman on this team.

The post Blackhawks Year End Reviews: The Defense appeared first on The Rink.

As we mentioned on last night’s Rinkcast, this sets the Blackhawks up with six defensemen for next season, not counting Gustav Forsling. It is expected that Forsling will make the full-time jump to the NHL after two previous partial seasons.

This begs to question, though, is this the group of defensemen that Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville really want to go into battle with in September? Corey Crawford, if healthy, can mask many of the defensive lapses, but Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook will be another year older.

The Blackhawks need experienced NHL talent to help solidify this current gaggle of defenders and, to steal a quote from Jaws, they are going to “need a bigger boat”.

Henri Jokihaju will be one year closer to the NHL, and Ian Mitchell will be on the horizon, but it remains to be seen if they are even close to prime time action.

This, of course, does not take into account the NHL entry draft in June, or pending UFA Jan Rutta.

The race to re-sign Gustafsson, in early March, is utterly bewildering. The money aside, Bowman is clogging up the roster with the same middle-of-the-road defenseman that have the Blackhawks missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

To be blunt, if there are teams clamoring to sign an Erik Gustafsson, then it is probably acceptable to let him go. He is a replaceable player that could probably easily be upgraded.

I have nothing against Gustafsson, or even Rutta. These guys are fine depth defenseman. One thing has become blatantly obvious with the season this organization is having; the Blackhawks need upgrades on defense. This is the organization’s biggest pressing need.

The last thing they need is a logjam of mediocre defenseman that they cannot do anything with before they have even gotten to the draft, much less well before the free agent period on July 1st.

Unless Stan Bowman already has a deal cooked up to unload one or two of these guys, we could all be in for another long season in 2018-19.

UPDATE: The deal was formally announced this morning.  No financial terms were disclosed.

The post Defenseman Erik Gustafsson and Blackhawks Agree to Extension appeared first on The Rink.

Highmore, Dahlstrom Step Into AHL Spotlight For IceHogs

In December, the Chicago Blackhawks recalled Hinostroza from the IceHogs after posting 22 points (9G, 13A) in 23 games and has since posted nine points (3G, 6A) in 15 games since his call-up. For Gustafsson, his recall came earlier this month after playing in 25 games and scoring 17 points (3G, 14A) for the IceHogs this season. After the recalls, the IceHogs were left without representation in the AHL Central Division for the All-Star Weekend.

There was little question as to who would be called up for replacements, though, as Highmore leads the team in scoring with 26 points (17G, 9A) through 41 games and leads all AHL Rookies in shots on goal with 102 and Dahlstrom has already notched a career-high 19 points (3G, 16A) through 39 games this season, tied for the team lead for defensemen with Ville Pokka.

"It's a great opportunity to pick some guys' brains…it's an exciting time and we'll make the most of it"

Hear from #IceHogs points leader, @MHighmore15, on his All-Star selection! pic.twitter.com/5PXevVr2rr

— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) January 18, 2018

This marks the first AHL All-Star appearances for both Highmore and Dahlstrom, as well as the first major All-Star nod for either player in their young careers.

The AHL All-Star Weekend takes place on January 28 and 29 in Utica, New York. The AHL Skills Competiton will take place on Sunday the 28th before the AHL All-Star game on Monday the 29th. Both competitions will be broadcast on the NHL Network in the United States and on Sportsnet and Sportsnet NOW in Canada.

The post IceHogs: Highmore, Dahlstrom Named AHL All-Star Replacements appeared first on The Rink.

IceHogs Working to Get Through “Dog-Days” of January

The month started out with a hard grind with a three games in three days stretch for Rockford, in which the IceHogs were able to get three points with a 1-1-1 stretch over those three games. Including a loss to the Cleveland Monsters to begin the season, the IceHogs have started off 1-2-1 to begin the new year and have a 4-5-1 record over their last ten games as of January 9. Not ideal considering that the Manitoba Moose are 17-1-3 since November 15 and the Chicago Wolves are 12-0-2 over their last 14 games as of January 9. Needless to say, if the IceHogs want to climb the standings, they too will need to string wins together.

Easier said than done, of course. Coming off of their three games in three days stretch, Rockford will head out on a six game road trip that will take them to the Pacific time zone for three games against the Ontario Reign, San Jose Barracuda, and Bakersfield Condors before heading back to the Midwest for three games against the Cleveland Monsters (twice) and the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Still playing with two goalies that started the season with the Indy Fuel in Collin Delia and Matt Tomkins, and with a plethora of players heading into and out of Rockford this week, the IceHogs have a tall task in January to keep up in the Central Division.

Roster Shakeups Galore

The IceHogs have had one heck of a second week of January as far as transactions go. It was a long stretch to begin the season before the IceHogs and Blackhawks had any major movement.

Throughout the month of December, the IceHogs and Blackhawks moved the likes of Ville Pokka, Tanner Kero, Vince Hinostroza, David Kampf, and Jeff Glass with the latter three still playing in Chicago as of January 9. But in just the last few days there have been a number of players moving up and down within the organization as Tomas Jurco and Erik Gustafsson head from Rockford to Chicago and John Hayden and Cody Franson from Chicago down to Rockford. Additionally, the IceHogs sent Robin Press to the Indy Fuel and recalled Alex Wideman.

For Hinostroza, Kampf, Jurco, and Gustafsson the opportunity to make an impact for the organization at the NHL level is surely welcomed. Hinostroza led the IceHogs in scoring when he was recalled and has tallied eight points in 11 games with Chicago. For Kampf in his North American debut season, being one of the top-players that Head Coach Jeremy Colliton trusted in Rockford was a large stamp of approval and led to his recall in December. Since joining the Blackhawks, Kampf has two assists in six games and has played major minutes on the penalty-kill.

Tomas Jurco of the Rockford IceHogs (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

Jurco and Gustafsson are the most recent call-ups from the IceHogs and have opportunities to make, potentially, one last impression for the Blackhawks as the NHL trade deadline approaches. Jurco, a trade deadline acquisition last season for Chicago, left a lot of people wanting a lot more out of him in his short stint with the Blackhawks. Starting the season with the IceHogs, Jurco seems to have found more confidence in his game as he ranked second on the team in scoring with 25 points in 36 games played before being recalled.

Gustafsson is in a similar boat as he has not made an impact for the Blackhawks since playing in 41 games during the 2015-16 season. He spent all of last season with the club in Rockford and aside from an injury that sidelined him for just about a month’s time, Gustafsson has been the most reliable defenseman for the IceHogs this season. While it’s possible both of their time with the NHL club will be short, it goes without saying that with both players becoming restricted free-agents at season’s end, the time to “show me” may be now.

Finally, with all these moves, the two top names that are heading down to the AHL are veteran Cody Franson and kinda-rookie John Hayden. As of late, both players have left a little to be desired from the Blackhawks, but their paths out of Rockford may be very different.

For Hayden, playing in a fourth-line grinder role fits his style of play as a big-body power forward. But, to stick in the NHL as a fourth-line grinder is not what the Blackhawks should have in mind for the 22-year old out of Yale. Hayden developed his game at the NCAA level and netted 21 goals in 33 games as a Senior Captain for the Bulldogs. Watching Hayden in the Summer at Prospect Camp and seeing his game at Yale, the scoring touch is very much there for him. He has not had the opportunity to showcase that very much this season, so the plan for him needs to be playing quality minutes and be more skill-oriented in his role. The hope is that time with the IceHogs will give Hayden more confidence and make him more effective when the time comes to bring him back to the Blackhawks, much like the organization did with Nick Schmaltz last season.

Franson’s case has become a bit murky. He joined the team out of training camp on a fairly team-friendly one-year, $1M deal for an NHL vet of over 500 games and 200 points as a defenseman. Franson started the season off well and his contribution were a welcome surprise to fans and the organization. But as of late, his lack of foot-speed and production on the score-sheet have not been the best for the Blackhawks. After clearing waivers and being sent to the IceHogs, Franson becomes a player buried in the AHL that could still make a nice addition to an NHL organization out there. He has always been an analytics-favored defenseman, but for some reason, teams felt that passing on him through waivers was all fine and good. His last stint in the AHL was just six games with the Milwaukee Admirals in the 2009-10 season and with the NHL trade deadline approaching, Franson’s stint with the IceHogs could be short-lived as a deal could be made with the Blackhawks defensive core emerging beyond him.

New All-Stars?

With both Vince Hinostroza and Erik Gustafsson being recalled by the Blackhawks, the IceHogs have effectively lost both of their AHL All-Star’s just two and a half weeks away from the All-Star break. It’s possible that Gustafsson’s stay with the Blackhakws could be short enough to have him return to Rockford before the AHL All-Star weekend on January 28-29, but Hinostroza will most likely not be returning to the IceHogs that quickly, or at all for that matter. With his play providing a jolt to the Blackhawks lineup, Hinostroza could have potentially played his last games of the season with the IceHogs already.

Matthew Highmore of the Rockford IceHogs. (Courtesy: Todd Reicher)

In their absence, the IceHogs have at least one player that has a very compelling argument to be a replacement in the AHL All-Star weekend. Rookie Matthew Highmore has been quite the addition to the IceHogs and the Blackhawks organization as a whole.

An undrafted free agent signing in the spring of last season, Highmore’s rookie season with Rockford has led the way for the IceHogs’ rookie class. With 26 points in 37 games played, Highmore leads the team in scoring and leads all AHL rookies in goal-scoring with 17 goals so far. His 26 points also rank him in the top-ten of rookie scoring overall. IceHogs Head Coach Jeremy Colliton has found yet another rookie on his roster that he can play in every situation as Highmore has played top-line center along with major minutes on both the penalty-kill and powerplay units.

If Hinostroza and/or Gustafsson don’t make their ways back to the AHL in time, Highmore should be an easy addition to the AHL Central Division All-Star roster.

What’s Next?

As mentioned before, the IceHogs are staring at a tough test as the next six games will all be away from the BMO Harris Bank Center. The good news for Rockford is that every team they play on this upcoming six game road trip are below them in the AHL Western Conference standings. Granted no game is easy in the AHL, but for the IceHogs, the games right in front of them all fall into the “winnable” category. It all begins on Wednesday, January 10 when the IceHogs roll into Ontario, California to take on the Ontario Reign.

After Rockford returns from the six game road trip, they will have back-to-back homes games before finishing the month of January on the road for a game against the Grand Rapids Griffins before taking some time off for the AHL All-Star Weekend.

The post IceHogs: January To Be Critical Month For Rockford appeared first on The Rink.

Gustafsson joining the already jam-packed Blackhawks defensive corp can be seen as somewhat surprising. Most of the defensemen were playing well and some, like Jan Rutta, were fighting to get back in the lineup despite playing well before injury. Even Cody Franson was not playing badly, per se. What this move does is give the Blackhawks better breakouts from their own end. Gustafsson might not necessarily bring the powerplay prowess that Franson did, but he moves the puck well from his own end and has better footspeed than Franson. Quenneville might simply be just trying to get quicker, after the Golden Knights exposed them Friday night.

It has also been floated that the Blackhawks may be showcasing Michal Kempny and/or Erik Gustafsson for a move in the near future, and the Senators have been linked as a potential trade partner.

This morning, our very own John Jaeckel brought up that the Blackhawks may simply be resting Seabrook, with four games in six nights before the CBA mandated bye week. Personally, I think this is all just getting blown out of proportion, and that letting an aging vet take the first night of a back-to-back off is reasonable.

The post Blackhawks Recall Gustafsson, Assign Franson, Sit Seabrook appeared first on The Rink.

Hinostroza, Gustafsson selected to represent IceHogs

The IceHogs will more than likely have just one representative at the AHL All-Star weekend, despite having two players selected. Hinostroza began the year with Rockford, tallying 22 points (9G, 13A) in 23 games before earning a call-up to the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 8. Since joining the Blackhawks, Hinostroza has played in nine games and has four points (2G, 2A) in his time. It’s more than likely that his play as of late will cause him to miss the AHL All-Star Weekend at the end of January, but he’d probably be alright with that.

For Gustafsson, his injury-plagued stretch of the season did not stop his productivity and his play since returning to the lineup shows his worth to the IceHogs. In 22 games played this season, Gustafsson has tallied 14 points (3G, 11A) despite missing nearly a month of action in November and December. Gustafsson was the IceHogs’ Defenseman of the year after leading the team in scoring for defensemen, and is already on pace to break last year’s point total (30).

What’s Next?

The IceHogs have a busy weekend ahead of them as they will play three games in three days, starting on Friday night. On Friday, Rockford travels to take on the Grand Rapids Griffins in Michigan. Puck drop for Friday’s game is set for 7pm ET.

After their contest with the Griffins, the IceHogs return home for two games to close the weekend. On Saturday, Rockford hosts the Cleveland Monsters for a 6pm CT puck drop. Finishing the weekend of action, the IceHogs host the Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday afternoon for a 4pm CT puck drop.

Heading into the final three games in three days stretch of their season, Rockford sits in a tie for second-place in the AHL Central Division with the Iowa Wild. Both teams have 38 points and a .559 points percentage, trailing the Manitoba Moose at the top of the Division with 51 points and a .773 points percentage.

The post IceHogs: Hinostroza, Gustafsson Named AHL All-Stars appeared first on The Rink.