Driedger’s numbers were awful coming into the game, but Philipp Grubauer played the night before and this was a great time to harness some #RevengeEffects. This wasn’t just a milestone game for Driedger, though. Veteran wing Jordan Eberle was playing his 800th career NHL game and would also figure big in the final score.

the force is strong with @ChrisDriedger pic.twitter.com/ZAU2l4sh9o

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 27, 2021

In what is becoming strangely familiar, the Kraken were outplayed fairly significantly in the first period, getting outshot 14–9 and pinned their own end for much of the period. Like their game against the Hurricanes, the Kraken weathered the storm and came out ahead at the first intermission. Florida sandwiched a goal by Patric Hornqvist between ones by Kraken forwards Eberle and Ryan Donato which shockingly had the visitors up 2–1.

After a scoreless seconds period where Driedger turned away all 13 shots he faced, the Kraken nursed their one goal lead and a little bit of momentum long enough for Eberle to score his second goal of the night which was the backbreaker.

Jordan Eberle with the hot hands pic.twitter.com/TtFFJNS18n

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 28, 2021

Hakstol’s troops seemed to take the motto “the best defense is a good offense,” because they kept the pressure on Florida for most of the third period. This pressure resulted in Eberle’s second goal and, eventually, Jamie Oleksiak’s first goal as a Seattle Kraken into an empty Florida net in the final minutes of the game.

When the final horn sounded, the Kraken were 4–1 winners after breaking the Panthers’ home winning streak. They also finished a streak of games where they faced teams in the top-10 for seven of their previous 8 games and pulled out a respectable 3–5 record. Letting your goalie get pummeled and forcing him to carry you on his back is not a recipe for long-term success but a couple to jumpstart your team never hurt.

Anchor points

Grubauer had his night to shine against Carolina and this was Driedger’s turn. He harnesses some kind of voodoo revenge magic and showed a little of what General Manager Ron Francis picked him from Florida for, in June. Driedger stopped 33 of 34 total shots on net, including a Jonathan Huberdeau breakaway and eight of nine high-danger chances.

the video speaks for itself. pic.twitter.com/kJjnr7pppT

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 28, 2021

The hot power play was back like it never left. Eberle scored his first goal of the night early in the first period with just a few seconds left on the penalty to Gustav Forsling. 50% is just fine on the night.

  Everyone but the line of Morgan Geekie (55%), Jared McCann (62%), and Brandon Tanev (56%) were underwater in 5-on-5 shot metrics (63% overall).  How do you not love Brandon Tanev?

The advanced possession and analytics metrics were in favor of Florida but the Kraken hit them where it hurt, in the faceoff dots, the high danger area, and goal columns. Those numbers were as follows:

5-on-5 Corsi (total shot attempts) 62% – 38%
5-on-5 Fenwick (Unblocked shot attempts) 59% – 41%
5-on-5 Scoring Chances For 58% – 42%
5-on-5 High Danger Chances For 53% – 47%
5-on-5 Expected Goals For 55% – 45%
Faceoff Percentage 62% – 38%

After an extremely challenging road trip, the Kraken head up to Buffalo to face the lowly Sabres Monday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PST.

The post RECAP: Driedger shines in return to Florida – beats Panthers 4–1 appeared first on The Rink.

I got two picks for tonight to get the Tommy Train back on track. Let’s get into it.

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

Washington Capitals (-125) @ New Jersey Devils (+108)

O/U: 6 -122

My pick: Over 6. The Capitals did not lose to the Devils last season. Dominance on the ice. And no Jack Hughes for the home team tonight is not good news to break that streak. The Capitals seem like the no-brainer pick but I’ll ride the slightly better odds with the total. The Capitals should mainly cover it but the Devils still have plenty of guys who can rip some twine. Take the Over and do not look back!

Colorado Avalanche (+112) @ Florida Panthers (-130)

O/U: 6.5 -122

My pick: Avs ML. This is some great value for Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche. Gabriel Landeskog has served his suspension and will be back in the lineup tonight. This is going to be one heck of a game. Stars all over the ice. Avalanche ends their two-game skid and stop the Panther’s perfect start to the season in Sunrise.

BONUS PARLAY

Ducks/Jets Over 5.5 + Oilers/Coyotes Over 6.5 +274

Happy gambling and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

Basics of hockey betting Money line — Winning team Puck line — Team wins by at least two goals (-1.5 when placing a bet) Three-way line — Team wins in regulation  Over/under — Total goals scored during a game including overtime but not a shootout  Parlay — A combination of two or more bets

The information contained on this website is for entertainment purposes only. Please confirm any wagering regulations in your jurisdiction, as they vary from state to state, province to province and country to country. Using this information to contravene any law or statute is prohibited. The Rink is not associated with or endorsed by any professional league, association or team.

The post Tommy’s Puckline Picks — Oct. 21, 2021 appeared first on The Rink.

What team would shown up in Dallas and Florida after such an up-and-down showing? It ended up we got to see both.

Tuesday, March 9 — Chicago left seeing stars in Dallas

Blackhawks forward Mattias Janmark scored against his former team, which ended up being the only bright spot in a 6–1 beating at the hands of the Dallas Stars. Janmark’s goal gave the crafty winger nine markers this season but would cap off an otherwise difficult evening for the Stockholm, Sweden, native as he finished the contest with a -3 on the scoresheet.

Chicago starting goaltender Malcolm Subban displayed his regular lack of rebound control, his inability to find the puck in traffic on a regular basis and stopped only 31 of the 37 shots he faced. His defense in front of him was nothing to write home about either, but Subban spotted Dallas two goals before the Chicago tally shrunk the Dallas lead to 2–1. However, four unanswered goals later and Dallas finished off the Blackhawks 6–1.

With the lackluster showing this evening, this looked like the Blackhawks team many thought fans would watch on a more consistent basis at the beginning of the season, not the potential playoff team we have seen. A bounce-back game was a must, as the Stars chase the Blackhawks for that fourth place spot or the Central Division. 

Thursday, March 11 — Blackhawks do a lot with a little

“It’s not how, it’s how many,” said Chicago television analyst Eddie Olczyk on Thursday night about Chicago’s surprising four goals in eight shots at the time. The Blackhawks showed they could take advantage of poor goaltending by Stars’ netminder Anton Khudobin when scoring scoring on half their shots. As impressive of a stat as that can look, those eight shots came in the first 34 minutes of the game. Sometimes the game of hockey is unexplainable, but the Blackhawks were ecstatic to take two points from Dallas in this evening when they were able to hang on for a 4–2 victory.

Chicago jumped on the board when forward Dominik Kubalik scored his 10th goal on the season. First-year Blackhawk Carl Soderberg, a forward with excellent hockey IQ and has shown to be more than just a late signing to fill the void when Kirby Dach was injured, tipped home a shot by defenseman Adam Boqvist from the point, screening Khudobin and adding another power play goal to the impressive Blackhawk special teams this season.

Duncan Keith fired his first goal of the season, while the highly offensively skilled Alex DeBrincat buried his 15th of the season late in the second period to give Chicago a lopsided 4–0 lead. The Blackhawks looked to be in control of the game despite being outshot by more than three times by the Stars.

Boqvist gets it on net and Soderberg tips it past Khudobin!

2-0 Chicago! #CHIvsDAL pic.twitter.com/hVQ8RVcR1e

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 12, 2021

The feel of the game changed dramatically when Dallas scored two goals midway through the third period to cut the Chicago lead in half at 4–2. Dallas registered a late push that a young Chicago team looked like it may crack, but goaltender Kevin Lankinen turned aside all the Dallas chances. At the end of the day, after a loud sigh of relief could be heard all the way back in Chicago, the road team won a game that was nothing if not underwhelming for the visitors. 

Lankinen stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced on the evening. A victory like Thursday night’s is proof that Chicago will continue to lean on their Finnish goaltender to stay in playoff contention. It was expected to see Lankinen back in net against Florida, and that is exactly what happened when Colliton faced off against former Chicago bench boss Joel Quenneville in south Florida.

Saturday, March 13 — Florida figures out Lankinen

Chicago jumped out to an early lead when winger Brandon Hagel finished off a nifty give-and-go with Kubalik finishing with Hagel’s second goal this season. The early lead would not last long, as Florida scored four straight goals—three coming in the second period of play—to give the visiting Blackhawks the 4–2 loss.

Imagine not loving hockey. #CHIvsFLA pic.twitter.com/wOAeOHpPSy

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 14, 2021

Boqvist scored Chicago’s late third period goal when the game seemed out of reach, giving the second-year Swedish native his second goal this season. Chicago’s late push would come up empty and Chicago did not have an answer for Panther goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

Analysis

The middling Blackhawks stand as middle-of-the-pack as they could at 14–9–5—some would say 14–14 overall—and continue to struggle at 5-on-5 to generate much offense. Without solid goaltending from Lankinen, a dynamic duo of DeBrincat and Patrick Kane scoring nightly and an inconsistent defensive group, Chicago may not cling onto fourth place in the Central Division.

Chicago’s next five games consist of one more game against the Florida Panthers before traveling across Florida for another two-game series with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Chicago then travels home for two more games in Chicago against the Panthers to close out a difficult stretch of games. If the “Jekyll” Chicago team shows up each night, Chicago should have some success against teams that are more talented against them. The “Hyde” Blackhawks would probably be an indication that the last playoff spot in the division could slowly be slipping away.

The post RECAP: Chicago sneaks out lone victory in three underwhelming efforts appeared first on The Rink.

Blackhawks outclassed against Tampa Bay Lightning

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

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

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

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

Joel Quenneville revenge game

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

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

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

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

Chicago’s major issues through three games

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

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

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

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

What’s next?

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

The post Blackhawks drop three in a row to start season appeared first on The Rink.

Denis Malgin was acquired in a trade with the the Florida Panthers. In return, the Panthers picked up Mason Marchement. This trade follows a dismal effort against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night. Malgin is primarily a centre, but can play on the wing as well. He will likely be playing centre, particularly if Alexander Kerfoot, who was acquired to centre the third line, continues to play on John Tavares’ wing. Malgin has four goals and 12 points in 36 games. This season, the 23-year-old Swiss native has a low expected goal share, has been great in the past and decent recently at managing shot quality and has been good in transition. Malgin carries a cap hit of $750,000 and is scheduled to be a restricted free agent in July.

https://twitter.com/chartinghockey/status/1230163103461056512?s=21

Marchement has established himself as a reliable, skilled AHL forward. The forward has appeared in four games with the Leafs this season. He was undrafted and joined the Toronto Marlies in 2016. Marchement has played 24 games with the Toronto Marlies this season and has amassed 18 points. The reason he has struggled at the next level is that his skating is under average, and facing better competition, he has not been able to keep up.

It is important to note that Marchement has not been able to regularly make it into the Leafs lineup, while Malgin, who is two years younger than Marchement, has considerable NHL experience.

Later that day, Kyle Dubas acquired Max Veronneau in exchange for Aaron Luchuk and a conditional 2021 sixth-round pick. Veronneau has played four games with the Senators this season, and 33 with their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Veronneau is due for a new contract in July. He is set to join the Marlies as soon as he is in Toronto. On the other hand, Luchuk has spent the majority of his time in the ECHL. Although he has played three games with the Marlies this season, Luchuk has spent 45 games with the Newfoundland Growlers, amassing 19 goals and 31 assists for 50 points. Luchuk has been assigned to the Belleville Senators. As for the conditional pick, the Senators receive the pick if Veronneau plays in 10 games for the Maple Leafs in 2019–20 or 10 games for the Leafs in 2020–21 if he re-signs with the club.

The post Leafs make a series of depth moves appeared first on The Rink.

First period

There was a good amount of back and forth to begin the period, with the Panthers getting some good chances in on Robin Lehner with their fourth line in particular putting good pressure on. Brian Boyle generated a couple of good shots on goal in the frame, and defenseman Mark Pysyk, playing on that line as well, also made some noise for Florida. The Blackhawks had a few good chances of their own, getting guys in front of the net and getting pucks there. Just when it looked like the Blackhawks may get a power play because the Panthers had too many men on the ice, Adam Boqvist put the puck right into the crowd, putting the Blackhawks on the penalty kill instead. They killed it off with relative ease, with players like Ryan Carpenter and Zack Smith laying out to block shots and get the puck back out of the zone. The period would end just as it started, with no score but a lot of action.

Second period

The second period began with a lot more action down on the Panthers’ side of the ice with the Blackhawks controlling the play for much of the first few minutes. It eventually swung the other way, with the Panthers getting more and more opportunities on the Blackhawks’ net. This eventually led to two quick goals for the Panthers, with Evgenii Dadonov managing to sneak one past Lehner to make it 1–0 Panthers. Then, a minute and a half later, Frank Vatrano put a wrister right past the glove side of Lehner on a good feed from behind the net to make it 2–0 Panthers. The Blackhawks got a power play when Dominik Kubalik was tripped up taking the puck up the ice. Chicago was unable to put the puck in the net, but did get some good opportunities even still. As soon as the Panthers had killed off the power play, Aaron Ekblad came out of the box and took a pass from a teammate, finding Vatrano again streaking up the wing. He skated in an wristed the puck five hole on Lehner to make it 3–0 Florida. Just over three minutes later, Kirby Dach, celebrating his 19th birthday, took a pass from Alex DeBrincat, skated in and put a backhander over the shoulder of Sergei Bobrovsky in Kane-esque fashion, drawing the Blackhawks within two and making the score 3–1 Panthers. Late in the period, DeBrincat got called for a trip, putting the Blackhawks back on the penalty kill again. After several good sequences for the Blackhawks, the Panthers took advantage of a failed clear by Carpenter, making the score 4–1 Panthers and giving Vatrano the hat trick, as the puck went off of him in front of the net before going in. That is how the period would end, with the Panthers getting out to a big lead.

Third period

The period started off well for the Blackhawks, gaining a power play with just over two minutes gone by in the period on a Keith Yandle hold. Erik Gustafsson put a one-timer on net late in the power play and Drake Caggiula got a tip out in front to put it past Bobrovsky, cutting the score to 4–2 Panthers. After a couple more good Blackhawks chances, David Kampf got taken down by Noel Acciari to give the Blackhawks another man advantage in the period. They got some good opportunities, along with a Brandon Saad shot after, but they were not able to put anything past Bobrovsky. With five minutes left, the Blackhawks got yet another power play on a high stick from Mike Hoffman. Chicago was unable to generate much offense and needed more puck movement to try to get things going. With just over two minutes left in the game, the Blackhawks pulled Lehner, hoping to spark something and mount a comeback. They did, with Kane scoring his 25th goal of the year on a nifty cross-ice pass from Dach to get within one and make the score 4–3 Panthers. However, the Panthers got a power play again in the last 30 seconds of the game and just played keep away to get the win. Let’s go along the boards and see what was being talked about this game.

One more 'Thank Q'.

Full tribute to Joel Quenneville from the #Blackhawks and the fans at the United Center pic.twitter.com/HNW57tuahf

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 22, 2020

This was a cool thing to see. Not only did the Blackhawks put up a tribute to Kane for his 1,000-point milestone, but they also welcomed “Coach Q” back with a montage as well. Some would argue that Quenneville never should have been let go, but hey, that may just be me.

Joel Quenneville is all of us during Patrick Kane’s 1,000th point celebration. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/3DFEOlNm9X

— Paul Roumeliotis (@PaulRoumel) January 22, 2020

Yeah, that beam was a mile wide. And it definitely was for all Blackhawks fans who were able to watch Kane score point No. 1,000 on Sunday night. What a special moment, and who better to share it with than the coach who was with him to score so many of his 1,000 points.

Patrick Kane extends his point streak to 11 games and picks up career point No. 1,001. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/J7DyLWWThl

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 22, 2020

Sadly, it was too little, too late. The Hawks did not look good tonight and gave up too many opportunities from turnovers, with bad passes and poor decisions, along with Lehner not playing up to his usual standard.

The Blackhawks now have a week and a half off until Feb. 1 when they are back in action against the Arizona Coyotes. That game will be at 7 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Along the boards: Blackhawks drop last game before break, lose to Panthers 4–3 appeared first on The Rink.

The move comes almost five months to the day after the future Hockey Hall of Fame coach was relieved of his duties by General Manager Stan Bowman. His new General Manager, Dale Tallon, was the same person that hired him in Chicago, originally as a pro scout in September 2008.

Joel Quenneville coached 797 games (701 regular season and 96 playoff) with the Blackhawks from 2008 until his dismissal in November. His record was 452–249–96 in the regular season and 76–52 in the playoffs and his led the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup titles.

According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, the deal is very similar to the $6 million/year deal he had in Chicago.

The new head coach of the Panthers, Quenneville, will be introduced at a media press conference on Monday at 12 p.m. Eastern.

Quenneville has arrived.

Welcome to South Florida, Coach Q » https://t.co/RDTreMCKac pic.twitter.com/sxnl8oVa6L

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 8, 2019

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The post BREAKING: Panthers hire ex-Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville appeared first on The Rink.

After three quality wins against divisional opponents, the Blackhawks were going for their fourth straight win on Sunday against the Panthers. Chris Kunitz made his first appearance in the Blackhawks lineup after numerous games as a healthy scratch. Young forward Jacob Nilsson also made his NHL debut after being recalled from Rockford on Saturday. The lineup was as follows:

Saad – Toews – Kahun

Anisimov – Strome – Kane

DeBrincat – Kampf – Sikura

Kunitz – Nilsson – Perlini

Keith – Gustafsson

Forsling – Seabrook

Dahlstrom – Murphy

Ward

First Period:

The first period began well for the home team on Sunday night. Cam Ward looked strong in his own net after a few goal posts headlined the only quality chances for the Panthers early on. The Blackhawks’ forecheck looked good early as well, generating numerous chances on James Reimer.

Notable “almost” chances included a Brendan Perlini shot right outside the blue paint, that Reimer barely caught a piece of to send it over the top of the net, and two consecutive posts from the Panthers prior to their powerplay mid-way through the first period.

With about 6:40 remaining in the first, Brendan Perlini found Dylan Strome down low behind the Panthers’ net. Strome sat and set up, scanning the ice before sending a pass to his left, finding Connor Murphy. Murphy put the puck top shelf and gave the Blackhawks the late period lead.

Connor Murphy doesn't let two black eyes keep him out of the net! pic.twitter.com/rkLyfWbGxO

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) December 24, 2018

As time was ticking down on the first period, with under four minutes remaining, the Blackhawks looked like their old selves this season. After a bad turnover by the Blackhawks in which Carl Dahlstrom blew a tire, Cam Ward tried to clear after leaving his net and the puck ended up on Jayce Hawryluk’s stick with a wide-open net, tying the game, 1-1.

Second Period:

With less than three minutes gone to begin the period, the Blackhawks would get another dose of Jayce Hawryluk. The young forward had a breakaway from the blue line in after an incredible stretch pass from defenseman Michael Matheson. Hawryluk put a great shot past Cam Ward to give the visitors the 2-1 lead early in the middle frame.

Less than two minutes after the Panthers took the lead, the Blackhawks looked to capitalize on the power play and even up the game. After only about 15 seconds gone on the man advantage, Alex DeBrincat sent a pass to the slot looking for Dylan Strome. The puck glanced off of Strome’s foot, hit the post, and bounced back into the blue paint toward an oncoming DeBrincat. “The Cat” tapped home the rebound for his 17th of the season and tied the game at 2-2.

The Cat pounces on a loose puck and it's all tied up!

2-2 in Period 2. #CHIvsFLA pic.twitter.com/DIjKvUYnpK

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 24, 2018

There were a few good chances throughout the “meat” of the period, but neither team could break the tie. With under four minutes remaining, the Panthers headed to the power play after a Duncan Keith cross check. On the power play, big offseason addition Mike Hoffman scored from the right wing face-off dot to give the Panthers the 3-2 lead late in the period. However, the action wouldn’t stop there…

Less than a minute later, what looked like a harmless Mackenzie Weegar shot, ended up taking a difficult bounce off of Cam Ward and right onto the stick of Jared McCann. The young center would further extend the Panthers lead, 4-2, as the contest went into the second intermission.

Third Period:

The third frame started in very similar fashion to how the second frame ended. After a defensive zone turnover by Jonathan Toews, Jared McCann found an open Denis Malgin for the Panthers’ fifth tally of the game. The Blackhawks looked like the team they were prior to their three-game winning streak, turning over pucks, taking stupid penalties and ultimately, just not playing good hockey.

In a valiant attempt at a comeback, the Blackhawks added their third goal at roughly the mid-way point of the third period. After Connor Murphy carried the puck into the offensive zone, he found Patrick Kane on the right wing boards. With perfect precision, Kane found Dylan Strome backdoor for the tap-in goal to cut the Florida lead to two. It was Dylan Strome’s third point of the game.

DYLAN STROME TAPS HOME PATRICK KANE'S PASS ON THE DOORSTEP!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/DjLLWkSiO7

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 24, 2018

Despite some quality looks for the Blackhawks, they could not crack James Reimer for the remainder of the period. Frank Vatrano added the empty net goal to give the Panthers the 6-3 lead and, by that score, the game was over. Florida wins 6-3 at the United Center.

Quick Hits:

• Dylan Strome had himself a game. After only one goal in his last five games, the young centerman scored one goal and added two assists. Strome now has nine points (six goals, three assists) since joining the Blackhawks after the Nick Schmaltz trade. It’s safe to say the change of scenery and quality opportunity to play in the top six has helped the former third-overall pick regain some confidence and play his game.
• Cam Ward did not look like the same goaltender we saw against Nashville and Dallas. He looked tired, wasn’t playing with confidence, and let in some goals that should not have gone in. It’s safe to say that both Hawryluk tallies were very preventable, which could have given the Blackhawks a chance to extend their win streak to four games.
• Many fans may be calling for Collin Delia to have a shot and play more games now after the NHL returns from Christmas break. Delia looked great against the Avalanche on Friday night and, at this point in the season, what do the Blackhawks have to lose by giving Delia a quality look in Corey Crawford’s absence?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! The Blackhawks will be back in action on Thursday, December 27th at home against the Minnesota Wild. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30pm CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Fall to Panthers at Home, End Three-Game Win Streak appeared first on The Rink.

6:00pm CST
United Center
TV/Radio: WGN/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (6–5–4, SV%: .890, GAA: 3.82)
Florida– James Reimer (5–7–3, SV%: .887, GAA: 3.48)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (12.5%, 31st)
Florida (28.1%, 3rd)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.8%, 31st)
Florida (78.1%, 21st)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.8, T-15th; 34.1, 28th)
Florida (34.7, 3rd; 31.0, 14th)

Shooting %
Chicago (8.9%, T-25th)
Florida (9.1%, T-22th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (50.0%,17th)
Florida (49.9%, 18th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197lbs
Florida 6’1” 199lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks
Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–Dominik Kahun
Artem Anisimov–Dylan Strome–Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat–David Kampf–Dylan Sikura
Chris Kunitz–Jacob Nilsson–Brendan Perlini
Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson
Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook
Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Florida Panthers
Jonathan Huberdeau–Aleksander Barkov–Evgeni Dadonov
Frank Vatrano–Henrik Borgstrom–Mike Hoffman
Denis Malgin–Jared McCann–Troy Brouwer
Micheal Haley–Colton Sceviour–Jayce Hawryluk
Keith Yandle–Aaron Ekblad
Mike Matheson–MacKenzie Weegar
Bogdan Kiselevich–Mark Pysyk

Analysis

The Blackhawks take their home ice tonight riding a three-game winning streak, the first of the season. Florida has won three of four games, winning in Detroit last night 2 – 1.

During the streak, Chicago is averaging 3.00 goals for and only 1.33 goals against. That goals against average is unattainable for a whole season, but is a great showing of improvement on the blue line and in the net.

Forward Jacob Nilsson makes his NHL debut tonight for Chicago. The 25-year old from Swede played thirty-one games in Rockford, this season, before the call up. This is Nilsson’s first year playing in North America.

Panthers forward Evgeni Dadonov scored the game winning goal last night, in Detroit. The 29-year old Russian leads the Panthers in goals (17) and second in points (34) behind only forward Jonathan Huberdeau (42) in points.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

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

Head Coach Jeremy Colliton decided that Corey Crawford took enough of a beating in Tampa, and started Cam Ward in net.  Chris Kunitz, Luke Johnson and Jan Rutta all took the night off, as well. Prior to the game it was announced that Brandon Davidson will undergo surgery on Tuesday for his knee, and would be out and undetermined amount of time.

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

Duncan Keith – Gustav Forsling
Erik Gustafsson – Henri Jokiharju
Brandon Manning – Brent Seabrook

The Blackhawks came out with much more urgency than they had the night previous, getting a solid chance just a minute into the game. James Reimer shut the door, although this pressure was a welcomed sight.

As it turned out, the pressure didn’t last much longer.

At the 14:12 mark of the first period, the Panthers took the first lead of the game. Mike Hoffman found a soft area across the Blackhawks zone and Keith Yandle set the shot up on a tee for him. The Hoffman laser beat Cam Ward, who really didn’t have a chance.

Brandon Manning tried to fire his team up following the goal by engaging in some fisticuffs with former Blackhawk Troy Brouwer but that did nothing to swing the momentum.

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead at the 6:20 mark of the first period when Erik Gustafsson failed to get a puck deep into the Cats’ zone and it quickly came back the Blackhawks way. The Hawks actually had decent numbers back in their defensive zone, but all three players went to the puck carrier, Colton Sceviour. Sceviour dished the puck to Jared McCann who stopped, went forehand/backhand and beat Ward.

That was all of the action in the first period, and the Panthers headed to the locker room leading in shots 16-8.

Just 49 seconds into the second period David Kampf took matters into his own hands to put the Blackhawks on the scoreboard.

Yes, THIS David Kampf.

Kampf touch this#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/hnAYGDJFJZ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 25, 2018

Kampf channeled his inner vintage Jonathan Toews driving around and through Panthers defenders, eventually tucking the puck around Reimer’s right skate for a highlight-reel goal.

At the 14:26 mark of the second period, the Blackhawks fought back to tie the game. Brandon Saad drove the puck up the right Panther’s half boards. Once Saad cleared the defenseman, he saucered a backhand pass towards the crease. Patrick Kane was driving to the net and redirected the pass over the Cats’ goalie.

Roughly three minutes after Kane tied the game, his defensive miscue gave the Panthers the lead back. Kane left his man (Aaron Eckblad) to lazily float through the neutral zone which allowed Eckblad to take a nice feed back in the Blackhawks’ zone from Mike Hoffman and beat Ward.

Soon after the Cats recaptured the lead, they were assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which us usually a good sign for an opposing hockey team. Teams not named the Chicago Blackhawks.

Shortly into the power play Colton Sceviour lost his stick and was forced to defend without one for the remainder of the Hawks man-advantage. In typical Blackhawks fashion, they failed to get more than a dribbler or two in the area of the net.

The problems didn’t stop there, though.

Following the unsuccessful power play, the Panthers held possession long enough to forced a couple of tired (and old) Hawks defenders to attempt to keep up. Eventually, Frank Vatrano tipped a puck past Cam Ward to put the Panthers back up by two goals.

As a result, the Blackhawks went into the second intermission down 4-2 and were out shot 18-10 in the period.

At the 10 minute mark of the third period, some solid shorthanded forechecking by Alexandre Fortin led to a break-a-way. Reimer made the original stop but the puck went off Fortin’s skate and into the net. Since there was no distinct kicking motion, the goal stood as called on the ice.

A little pick-me-up for Alex #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/eKEnTbp1bm

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 25, 2018

With 5:43 left in regulation the Blackhawks thought they tied the game off the stick of Brandon Saad but puck ricocheted off the crossbar. Much like the rest of the season, the visiting team was snakebitten.

Clock ticked down to 1.2 seconds remaining in regulation before the Blackhawks managed to tie the score. Alex Debrincat found himself just outside the Panther’s crease after a nice no-look pass from Brandon Saad behind the net and muscled a puck through Reimer to send the game to overtime.

In overtime, the teams traded some excellent opportunities until the 2:32 mark of the extra period. Erik Gustafsson circled in the Florida zone, turned and fired a puck past a surprised James Reimer to win the game.

GAME WINNER#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Nn64mSjSVz

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 25, 2018

Pluses

• Who doesn’t like a comeback?  The Blackhawks came back from two goal deficits twice.
• Gustav Forsling has been sort of invisible; in a good way.  He had two assists but with this team, if you’re not being noticed for a bad goal or play, you’re doing pretty well for yourself.
• in addition to Forsling, David Kampf, Brandon Saad, and Patrick Kane also had two points a piece.
• Some of the goals weren’t pretty but Cam Ward made 34 saves and faced the majority of the high danger chances.
• Nick Schmaltz led the Blackhawks in most possession metrics, but he also started in the offensive zone almost three out of every four starts.

Minuses

• With the multiple comebacks you have the multiple deficits that the Blackhawks originally gave up.
• Just because he scored the game winner doesn’t mean we all forget the terrible Erik Gustafsson rush and resulting turnover that led to the second Panthers goal.
• That terrible 5-on-3 1/2 power play that eventually ended in the Panthers scoring was inexcusable.  Find a lane and shoot the puck.  If there is no lane, MOVE THE PUCK FASTER!
• The high danger chances favored Florida 16-10.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Beat Panthers in OT Thriller appeared first on The Rink.

6:00 p.m. CST / 7:00 p.m. EST
BB&T Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (3–2–4, SV%: .891 GAA: 3.81)
Florida– James Reimer (3– 5 –1, SV% .896, GAA 3.27)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (13.0%, 30th)
Florida (25.3%, 7th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (75.4%, 24th)
Florida (74.2%, 29th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.7, T-8th; 32.9, 26th)
Florida (35.5, 2nd; 30.7, T-8th)

Shooting %
Chicago (8.0%, T-26th)
Florida (9.0%, T-24th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (50.1%,17th)
Florida (50.3%, 15th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Florida 6’1” 200lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane
Nick Schmaltz–Artem Anisimov–Alex DeBrincat
Alexandre Fortin–David Kampf–Dominik Kahun
Chris Kunitz–Marcus Kruger–Luke Johnson
Duncan Keith–Gustav Forsling
Erik Gustafsson–Brent Seabrook
Henri Jokiharju–Jan Rutta

Florida Panthers

Evgeni Dadonov–Aleksander Barkov–Mike Hoffman
Jonathan Huberdeau–Nick Bjugstad–Denis Malgin
Frank Vatrano–Jared McCann–Troy Brouwer
Dryden Hunt–Juho Lammikko–Colton Sceviour
Mike Matheson–Aaron Ekblad
Keith Yandle–Mark Pysyk
Bogdan Kiselevich–MacKenzie Weegar

Analysis

The Blackhawks have given up a goal in the first minute of the past two games. This team cannot play from behind. A better start is needed.

Chicago takes on the Florida Panthers, tonight, after losing to the Lightning 4–2 yesterday. Florida lost to Carolina, on the road, 4–1.

Goaltender Roberto Luongo left the game in the first period, for Florida, with a lower body injury and did not return. Expect James Reimer in net.

Since Jeremy Colliton took over, the Hawks have collected 6 out of a possible 16 points. As the schedule heats up over the next three weeks, the road does not get any easier for the Blackhawks. Tonight’s two points are a must if the Hawks hope to stay afloat in the Western Conference.

With that being said, is it time for Chicago to start shooting for a top 5 pick in next year’s draft? It’s becoming clear, as currently constructed, this team lacks the playoff talent management is selling.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

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