#Blackhawks morning skate lineup:
Greene-Bedard-Dach*
Bertuzzi-Dickinson-Mikheyev
Donato-Moore-Lardis
Lafferty-Foligno-Slaggert

Vlasic-Crevier
Kaiser-Levshunov
Grzelcyk-Murphy

Knight
Soderblom

Not on the ice: Burakovsky*
Out: Nazar, Teravainen (upper-body)

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 19, 2026

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First period

For a period without scoring, the first period had some good action. Both teams managed 12 shots apiece, with some decent chances for both squads, but nothing too dangerous for either goaltender. The Blackhawks got the game’s first power play, and a 5-on-3 opportunity at that. They were unable to convert, with Tyler Bertuzzi getting the best chance right in front of the net, but he was unable to get the puck past Connor Hellebuyck. The period would end in the same 0-0 tie that it started with.

Second period

The Jets got their first big chance on a play set up by Toews. He made a great pass in front to Cole Perfetti, who got a great opportunity in tight, but could not convert. A few minutes later, Dylan Samberg skated right in with the puck. The puck was loose in the crease after his shot, but Knight was able to keep the puck out, despite the crowd forming in front of him. In what seemed like a harmless play, Ryan Donato hoisted the puck out of the defensive zone. Jason Dickinson picked it up in the offensive zone, taking it away from the Jets’ defense. He ripped a wrister past Hellebuyck, making it 1-0 Blackhawks.

lamp: lit pic.twitter.com/3ZAQwc3itr

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 20, 2026

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The Blackhawks got a late power play in this period as well. Connor Bedard had a tremendous chance from the right circle that was saved by a diving Hellebuyck to keep it a 1-0 game. The period would end with the Blackhawks holding onto that slim lead.

Third period

With two and a half gone in the third, the Blackhawks got their best opportunity arguably all game. Nick Lardis had a beautiful feed from the back of the net in front. Landon Slaggert got his stick on it, but could not raise it over the pad of Hellebuyck, who kept it out to keep it a one-goal game. Despite 11 more shots in the third, the Jets could not really get anything going. Bedard would end things with an empty-netter to ice the game, giving the Blackhawks the 2-0 win.

Analysis

This game seemed to be played by two decently matched teams. The Blackhawks are a young team on the beginning part of the upswing, and the Jets are definitely a veteran team in decline. Toews had a couple great plays in his return to the United Center ice, coming out first to cheers and applause for all of his efforts in a Blackhawks uniform over the years. Knight stood tall in this game, but did not appear to be tested too many times. Chicago did a good job winning faceoffs and blocking shots defensively to take the victory in this game.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Thursday night in Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on ESPN+ and Hulu.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks ground Jets, win 2-0 in Toews’ return to Chicago appeared first on The Rink.

Davidson had given Kane the option of finishing the season with the Blackhawks or Davidson could try to work out a trade to the team of his choice. Kane decided to be traded and requested the New York Rangers be the destination. The Blackhawks traded Kane to the Rangers on Feb. 28, 2023.

Post-trade statements

At the end of the season, the Blackhawks announced that Toews would not be re-signed to the team. These moves ended the Kane and Toews for with the Blackhawks. Since last season, Kane has been on record that he had not considered returning to the Blackhawks because their rebuilding, while Toews has taken the year off due to his health.

Davidson has been on record on why he chose to move on from Kane and Toews:

“I don’t know if it’s necessarily putting the past behind us,” Davidson said. “It’s moreso clearing the deck to some extent to allow the organic growth for young players into leadership roles and offer this new era of Blackhawks players the same opportunity that Toews, Kane, (Duncan) Keith, (Brent) Seabrook were all offered when they came into the league.”

Young Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic on playing with Kane and Toews: 

“I definitely didn’t feel too comfortable right when I came out of college and signed (in the spring of 2022),” Vlasic said. “Just being in the locker room was weird, I was the youngest guy by far; there weren’t too many guys around my age. I didn’t really feel like I necessarily fit in. But now, with a bunch of young guys, it’s fun. I can talk a little more and be myself, which is always nice.”

Despite all of this, the recurring theme on X (formerly known as Twitter) is that whenever the Blackhawks have any adversity, the solution is bringing back Kane and Toews. While we at The Rink have told people on X multiple times that Kane and Toews are not coming back, these people refuse to believe it and continue to try to push the narrative online.

Kane, Toews and Davidson gave their reasons for not getting the band back together. People continue to refuse to believe in the truth. In case all the other reasons are not enough for you, here is another major reason on why Kane and Toews will not be brought back to the Blackhawks: Neither player is fully healthy.

Toews’ health

Before the 2023–24 season, Toews announced that he was “taking some time away from the game this season,” but did not announce his retirement. This is the third time in the last three years Toews has had to step away from the game due to his health. The first time was when Toews missed the entire 2020–21 season due to suffering from a chronic immune response syndrome in addition to suffering from long Covid. Toews played 71 games in 2021–22, recording the lowest point totals of his career.

Last season with the Hawks, Toews only appeared in 53 games due to feeling the effects of chronic immune response syndrome and long Covid. He recorded career lows in goals and points. Toews appeared in his last game with the Hawks on April 13, 2023.

Even if the Blackhawks decided to re-sign Toews, the probability of him being able to play this season or any seasons in the future has to be very slim. So, from a roster construction standpoint, you want players on your roster that you can somewhat count on to dress. If you want a perfect current example of the lack of this certainty, look no further than Taylor Hall’s disastrous season.

In addition to Toews’ health, based on his statements, he clearly did not embrace the type of rebuild the Hawks were going to undertake. Toews was very outspoken on when Brandon Hagel was traded away for draft picks ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. Toews believed, along with many fans, that Hagel was a peak rebuild player.

Despite the comments, Toews and the Blackhawks appear to be on good terms, as his jersey is still being sold at the United Center.

Kane’s health

While Toews’ health situation is pretty cut and dry, Kane’s situation a little bit murkier. Before being traded, reports had surfaced that Kane was dealing with a hip injury. In the offseason, Kane had hip resurfacing surgery.

While Kane and his agent are reporting that he is healthy and skating again, there are some troubling reports about the procedure. The hip resurfacing surgery has only been had by three other NHL players. Defenseman Ed Jovanovski had the procedure in 2013; he played in 36 games after the surgery before retiring. Ryan Kesler had the procedure done in 2019 and never played again. The most recent example is Nicklas Backstrom. Backstrom had the procedure in 2022 and played in 39 games while rehabbing from the surgery. He has appeared in eight games this season and has now taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team. It is widely believed that Backstrom is done playing hockey.

So, even if Kane comes back this season, there is no guarantee he will be able to play many more NHL games. Despite the uncertainty of his future, Kane has reportedly been interested in signing with the Rangers, Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs. Recently, Larry Brooks of the New York Post ruled out a Kane return to the Rangers, stating the team is not in on the Kane “sweepstakes” this time around, so Kane’s options appear to be dwindling. Despite this, the Blackhawks are still not his radar.

So, I am begging you, please stop saying Kane and Toews should come back or are coming back to the Blackhawks. Both players and the organization have firmly and publicly moved on. It is time for the fans holding on to to false hope to move on as well.

The post ANALYSIS: Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are not coming back appeared first on The Rink.

This team wound up in a literal race to the bottom in the final weeks, as the Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks and Columbus Blue Jackets were all waiting to see who would wind up with the least amount of points and the best odds for getting the first overall pick in the upcoming 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Jonathan Toews would be playing in his final game in a Chicago uniform, and possibly his final game as a professional hockey player, as he has been contemplating retirement after this season since dealing with the lingering effects of long COVID. His goodbye was one of the few highlights of the season, as it was good to see him get back on the ice, and at the very least, leave Chicago on a celebratory note.

— The Flyers came out firing on all cylinders, as Travis Konecny would get the first two goals of the game, one in the first 26 seconds of the game, and the next one at the 6:28 mark of the period. The Blackhawks would strike back, though, with a Jujhar Khaira backhander and an Anders Bjork tap-in tallying two for the Blackhawks before the period would end.

— The second period would start much the same, with the Flyers coming out first and getting two very quickly. Owen Tippett took a giveaway from Seth Jones and buried it past Alex Stalock. Then, a few minutes later, the Flyers struck on the power play, with Noah Cates burying a shot from in between the circles, giving the Flyers a 4–2 lead. The Blackhawks would get one back, on a Toews redirection off of an Andreas Athanasiou shot to get the Blackhawks back to within one at 4–3. Toews celebrated in style, with an old-school one-kneed fist pump that Toews made iconic after numerous big goals earlier in his career.

— The Blackhawks would continue to generate chances in the third period, trying their best to compete for Toews’ final game and play well for him. It would take until the final few minutes of the period for them to make good on that. With an empty net, Athanasiou would tuck a pass from Tyler Johnson into the Philly net, tying things up at 4–4.

— In overtime, it looked as though Toews would get a complete storybook ending, as he got a breakaway chance that trickled inches wide of the post. On the ensuing rush toward the Blackhawks net, Ivan Provorov worked his way through the Blackhawks’ defense, putting a backhander into the net and winning the game for the Flyers 5–4.

Although this was a disappointing end to a disappointing season, we at The Rink would like to thank you for joining us for it. Without your readership, it would not be nearly as enjoyable to write, watch and cover this Blackhawks team. Thank you for making this worth it! Now, all eyes turn to the draft lottery on May 8 and later June 28, as one of the pillars of the next era of Blackhawks hockey will put on the Indiana head for the first time.

And, of course, thank you, Tazer.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — April 13 vs. Philadelphia Flyers appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast staff members Andy Campbell, Jeff Osborn, and Sean (Goldstein) Fitzgerald discuss the ever-changing Blackhawks’ position for the NHL trade deadline:

— The New York Rangers acquisition of Vladimir Tarasenko

—What is going on with this Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews situations?

—Thanks to Landon on Youtube and Matt Pyz on Facebook for joining the talk.

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook live right here:

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Twitter right here:

Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 6, Episode 8 – Is Patrick Kane Staying Put? https://t.co/PpBiXDH9nV

— Hockey Rinkcast Channel (@TheRinkcast) February 11, 2023

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 6, Episode 8 – Is Patrick Kane Staying Put? appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Rinkcast staff members Andy Campbell, Sean (Goldstein) Fitzgerald, and Andrew Bard discuss recent trade rumors around the lowly Blackhawks, the anticipation of Connor Bedard as the consensus number one overall pick, and a look at Blackhawks’ prospects from the World Junior Tournament.

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook live right here:

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Blackhawks Rinkcast – S6Ep7 – Trade Winds, Connor Bedard, and WJC Prospects https://t.co/UyNZNhC4AD

— Hockey Rinkcast Channel (@TheRinkcast) January 6, 2023

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Chicago Rinkcast staff members Andy Campbell, Sean (Goldstein) Fitzgerald, and Andrew Bard to discuss the Blackhawks slide towards the bottom, the re-uniting of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews on the same line, as well as a look around the NHL.

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook live right here:

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Blackhawks Rinkcast – S6Ep5 – The slide is on, Kane/Toews and a look around the league.” https://t.co/mTkRU35SbF

— Hockey Rinkcast Channel (@TheRinkcast) November 30, 2022

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A great Captain but a better teammate. #ChicagosCaptain pic.twitter.com/PqC8gYK8Cx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 3, 2022 

In the game, the Blackhawks took on the maligned Arizona Coyotes. After getting outclassed on their Florida road trip, the Blackhawks looked to get back on track in the first period.

First period

In the first period, the Blackhawks rode the energy wave of the Toews ceremony into an early goal. DeBrincat picked up a loose puck at center ice and got it to Dylan Strome, who charged toward the net and snapped off a shot for the game’s first goal. The tally was Strome’s 20th goal of the season, a new career high.

Later in the period, Riley Stillman made a nifty move in the offensive end and nearly dangled home the game’s second goal. Sadly for Stillman and the Hawks, he could not finish the move.

For the period, the Blackhawks outplayed the Yotes and lead by one goal. During the first period intermission, the Blackhawks named Chris Vosters as the replacement for Pat Foley as the new TV play-by-play voice. Foley will be calling his last game next Thursday.

Chris Vosters will be the next voice of Blackhawks hockey! pic.twitter.com/nWupsfX8NH

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 3, 2022

Second period

The Blackhawks have been a horrible second-period team this season and Sunday’s game was no different. The Coyotes came out fast and furious to start the second period while the Blackhawks looked sluggish.

The Coyotes tied the game up at one with a goal from Michael Carcone. Anton Stralman recovered a Blackhawks defensive zone turnover and fired a shot at the net. Carcone deflected the Stralman shot attempt for the Coyotes’ first goal of the game.

Later in the period, Shayne Gostisbehere took the puck in from center ice and then flung a pass over to Travis Boyd, who scored the Coyotes’ second goal of the period. Boyd walked through the Blackhawks’ defense for the goal. Gostisbehere was lucky to be on the ice after taking a puck to the throat early in the period.

Third period

In the third period, the Blackhawks finally capitalized on a power play opportunity. Coming in the third period, the Blackhawks were 0–2. On the power play, Seth Jones fed a pass over to Kane. Kane snapped a long-range wrist shot past Karel Vejmelka for the equalizer.

After the Kane goal, the third period ended with a whimper with neither team able to find the back of the net again.

Overtime

In overtime, the Blackhawks and Coyotes traded odd-man rushes for the majority of the time. With less than a minute left in overtime, Kane was charged with a high sticking penalty on Gostisbehere. The replay showed that Gostisbehere was actually hit in the face with his own stick, but, since it was not a double-minor, it could not be reviewed or challenged.

The game-winner was scored on an errant pass from Gostisbehere that deflected off of Toews’ skate, giving Arizona a 4–3 victory.

Analysis

The game was secondary to the Toews ceremony and the announcement of Vosters becoming Foley’s replacement. It is obvious that the Blackhawks are now focused on other things besides winning games. The focus will be on the development of prospects, trades before the draft and moves in the front office.

The Blackhawks return to the ice when they take on the Seattle Kraken on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. CDT.

The post Blackhawks fall in OT on Toews Night, name Vosters as Foley’s replacement appeared first on The Rink.

But, as usual, there are those ready to say “Da Hawks are back, baby,” “Anything can happen,” etc.

(Insert heavy sigh and eye roll here)

Let’s be clear: As a Hawks fan, and definitely as a member of the Blackhawks organization, your ultimate goal for the team should be regular contention for the Cup, i.e. being in the top 6–8 teams in the league every year.

One thing that probably needs to be agreed upon, at minimum, is that the current team is at least a couple of years away from that level, and could be more like 3–5 years away from it. So what needs to happen? What are the necessary next steps the team needs to take to reach that level?

There is a very simple, yet not widely understood issue that General Manager Stan Bowman and his staff desperately need to address going forward, and that is improving 5-on-5 play. More specifically, this means acquiring more of a certain type of prospects and players—that the organization currently does not have—who can make this happen.

Chicago is “succeeding” right now entirely due to goaltending, power play and 3-on-3 overtime

Again, it is fun to watch.

The problem is, aside from the improved power play, the Hawks have iced bad overall teams—with mostly very good goaltending and 3-on-3 overtime play—since 2018.

Since 2017–18, the Hawks are -29 at 5-on-5, and much of that was with very good 5-on-5 players like Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad.

This year, so far, the Hawks are -9 at 5-on-5—by far the worst out of the eight teams comprising their current division. So, one might ask, why are they in “first place” then?

Well, first off, they are really not in “first.” At 18 games, the Hawks have played four more games than Florida (also with 22 points), Tampa Bay (21 points) and tonight’s opponent, Carolina (21), and six more than Dallas (14 points).

And it should be noted, all those teams, who are better at 5-on-5 play than the Hawks, were playoff teams last year, as was Columbus, who, also at 18 games played, is just two points behind Chicago.

Why does 5-on-5 matter so much? The Hawks are winning, right?

Most hockey is played at 5-on-5—which is especially true in the playoffs, where less penalties are called and overtime is played at 5-on-5 for as long as necessary to determine a winner. Hence, why a great 3-on-3, but bad 5-on-5 team can make the playoffs, like the Hawks did last year (sort of), and then get crushed (ditto).

And as pointed out above, good 5-on-5 play is a typical hallmark, if not a necessity, of a playoff team, let alone a successful one.

The best 5-on-5 teams are able to score and defend when there are 10 skaters on the ice—makes sense, right—as opposed to when there are nine (5-on-4), eight (4-on-4), seven (4-on-3) or six (3-on-3) skaters total.

The more players there are on the ice—at even strength—the harder it is to get the puck into scoring position and get shots off. There are more bodies, and thus more traffic and more contact. Also, more loose pucks, stacked blue lines and blocked shots. Alternately, there is less wide-open ice and pretty plays. There are also far more loose or “50-50” pucks. In this setting, more physical players tend to become more valuable.

And, I am not talking about “fighting.”

I am not talking really even talking about hitting (although that factors in some here).

I am talking about winning loose pucks, occupying your opponent’s crease and defending your own, winning battles around the nets and winning the blue lines at both ends of the ice.

And why are the Hawks not a good 5-on-5 team?

Before you say: “Here you go again, JJ. The game has changed, move on,” let me say this: The rules of the NHL, in fact, have not really changed. And facts are facts.

Four of the Hawks’ 22 points at present have come in 3-on-3 overtime (most in the league). They are third in the league in power play percentage at 32.7%. And yes, they are getting crazy good goaltending from rookie Kevin Lankinen. At present, Lankinen’s 2.29 goals against average and .931 save percentage rank fifth and third respectively among goalies with 10 games or more played.

These are the reasons why they are 9–5–4 (which is, by the way, essentially 9–9) at 18 games. That, and maybe more than a little luck. Let’s break that down.

And we will even assume that Chicago’s league lead in 3-on-3 goals will carry through the rest of the season. After all, they have been a good to very good 3-on-3 team for the last few seasons.

The Hawks’ power play improvement is legitimate, without question. There is more player movement, resulting in more and better opportunities versus years’ past. But, the question is how much difference it will make going forward this year, and, more importantly, in future seasons.

For example, even if Chicago ends up leading the league in power play percentage this year, they would still fall likely to around 25–27% (a typical league-leading power play percentage) by season’s end.

So, even in a best-case scenario going forward, the amount of power play goals per game they will be able to rely on is going to go down, and by somewhere between 20 and 25% from their current level—best case. So, they have had some meaningful improvement—and measurable luck so far on the power play.

Can Lankinen continue on his torrid pace for the rest of his season and throughout his career in Chicago? Eh, maybe?

But, that would also make him arguably one of the greatest rookie netminders of all time, and a surefire Hall of Famer (even with some rebound control issues, at minimum).

No, Lankinen may emerge from this season as a top 10–15 netminder for Chicago for the next decade—which would be great—but he is also very likely going to regress and settle in somewhere among mortal goalies at some point this year and going forward.

Point being, the Hawks have been lucky in net so far this year, too, probably very lucky. And like their 3-on-3 performance, good goaltending has been something the team has been able to rely on year after year, regardless.

The big point here is, these three factors are, for now, masking a big problem the Blackhawks have had for going on four seasons: Bad 5-on-5 play. And, if they are going to return to being a playoff team, much less a consistent Cup contender, that will have to change.

But what about Dach, Boqvist, Suter, Kurashev, Kubalik, Mitchell, Beaudin and The Cat?

Let me answer that this way: What about Nick Foligno and Boone Jenner, for example?

(What?!)

Right, the Hawks have a lot to be encouraged by as far as their future—but let me caveat that. They seem to have, with the exception of Dach, a raft of talented young players who weigh in well below 200 pounds, and are best described—and more importantly projected—as skilled, more perimeter-style players.

This is not an “either/or” issue. It is not whether smaller skilled players are better or worse than bigger players, so please do not go there.

But, here is another important statistic: Presently, the average weight of players on the Hawks’ roster is 6–10 pounds less than every team in their division.

Most or all of those young players—that everyone (myself included) is enjoying the bloody hell out of watching this year—may end up being “plus” players for the Blackhawks for years. But, that would probably still leave a problem when it comes to “big boy” hockey, or more specifically, 5-on-5 play.

Because, for all the reasons already discussed, there is a logical, demonstrable correlation between physicality, willingness to go into and win in the dirty areas and style of play—if not sheer size—and 5-on-5 play.

Here is some recent evidence: Late in the broadcast of a third period of a recent 3–2 overtime win against Columbus, Eddie Olczyk touched on something I was noticing as well (because I also watch Columbus play a lot).

Leading 2–1 with the clock ticking down in the third, Columbus—mostly Foligno and Jenner—were winning every 50-50 puck, and thereby keeping the biscuit away from the less-physical Hawks. The game was slipping away.

But, with under two minutes left, Carl Soderberg, not coincidentally one of the Hawks’ biggest and more physical players, found himself with the puck on his blade in the slot, and used a Columbus defenseman as a screen, putting a puck past Joonas Korpisalo (who had been excellent most of the night)—forcing the game to overtime, where Chicago promptly picked up one of their four overtime wins.

Five-on-five play matters, and this is just one case where the Hawks suffered and then later benefited—or maybe just got a bit lucky. By forcing the game to overtime, when it easily could have ended in a 2–1 loss, what might have been a weekend that gave Columbus four points and the Hawks none, ended up 3–2 for Columbus instead.

Hockey is still a contact sport. And the “unsexy” things that do not make the scoresheet but contribute hugely to winning hockey games, like 50-50 pucks, blocking shots, winning special teams face offs and just being a pain to play against, matter as much as ever, over the course of a season and especially in the playoffs.

The difference between 2009–15 and now—and maybe the future

A lot of fans mistakenly assume the Hawks won three Cups from 2010–15 due simply to an obscenely high talent, speed and skill level. But, those teams also delivered the lumber and excelled at 5-on-5 play, especially at the top 6–9 forward positions.

2010: Brouwer, Byfuglien, Hossa, Ladd, Toews

2013: Bickell, Frolik, Handzus, Hossa, Saad, Toews

2015: Bickell, Hossa, Saad, Toews

And, those 5-on-5 numbers were supported by smaller players who nonetheless over-indexed on willingness, like Dave Bolland and Marcus Kruger.

What about Dach and Toews?

Without giving any credence to rumors, the fact is, Toews’ lingering, mysterious health issue, at minimum, raises a question on when—or if—he will be back on the ice, in what condition and for how long.

And what about the “heir apparent?” Again, a lot of people seem to be getting way out over their skis with the “Dach is the next Toews” stuff.

We really do not know yet—even though some have made a massive leap to this conclusion—if Dach is going end up as a “power player” or even a full-time center in his NHL career.

Just because he was drafted by the same team Toews was—even though the Hawks will need a No. 1 center as well as more all-terrain forwards at minimum—does not mean that is the player Dach will be.

A couple of the knocks on Dach in his draft scouting (just 18 months ago) were that he was pretty unphysical for his size, and might be better at wing than center in the NHL.

The point is, he may end up being a different style of player than Toews was—more along the lines a “better” Jason Spezza (for example)—than “the next Toews.” But, maybe he will become another Toews. Hard to say right now.

But, either outcome is at least “good,” and Dach should become more a part of the 5-on-5 solution than the problem, regardless.

More broadly, the problem is this: The Hawks’ NHL roster, and even their pipeline, is overall fairly bereft of those all-terrain forwards who come up bigger (no pun intended) in 5-on-5 play. And again, let me be clear, the kinds of players we are talking about here can also score some goals and make plays, like Toews, Hossa, Saad, Mark Scheifele, Alex Tuch, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Anderson, Anze Kopitar, Jamie Benn, Nathan MacKinnon and there are many more.

Dach, if he continues to work and mature, is a start. But after him?

(Crickets)

Yet, with the lone recent exception of Tampa Bay, typically, Stanley Cup winners and most contenders have at least 3–4 of these players in top-nine roles. And let’s not forget how, before winning the Cup—in a shortened season—last year, Tampa Bay failed spectacularly more than once in the playoffs, despite annual lofty expectations, including getting swept in round one two years ago by exceedingly unsexy, but nasty as you-know-what Columbus.

“So is this it? Are you just trying to poop everyone’s party again, JJ?”

The intent of this article is to place the Hawks’ “unlikely” success so far this year in a real-world context, and also help readers maintain the right perspective and expectations going forward.

The last couple of off-seasons, Bowman seemed to finally get the memo. He had drafted “small, yet skilled” for almost a decade, and needed an upgrade on size in the pipeline (hence the picks of Dach and Alex Vlasic in 2019). But, a couple of draft picks is not nearly enough when you have almost literally ignored the need for a certain profile or style of player for so long.

Big, physical and skilled players do not grow on trees. You can always get a Ryan Carpenter or Zack Smith in free agency, or trade for a banged-up retread in Andrew Shaw—but the need is not fourth-line, 12-minute-a-night bangers.

What’s going on with the Hawks over this season’s first 18 games is traceable to a certain extent to luck and 3-on-3 overtime points—hiding (for now) some bad tendencies that are continuing from the last few seasons: Poor team defense and, more broadly, really weak 5-on-5 play.

Bowman still has a lot of work cut out for him. Although this year has been fun so far, fans are going to need to be patient in waiting for the next parade or more long runs of playoff hockey in Chicago.

The post ANALYSIS: The big missing piece in the Hawks’ rebuild appeared first on The Rink.

In this first podcast of season 4, the Rink staff members John Jaeckel, Sean Fitzgerald, and Andy Campbell to talk about the latest Blackhawks news considering the absence of Jonathan Toews to open the new year.

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook live right here:

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The news on Toews is scary. It is, and from his statement on Tuesday, there is so much unknown as to his condition. This does not seem like your typical NHL “undisclosed” situation, either. The truth is not being hidden; neither Toews nor the organization know what is contributing to his ailment, and they are actively trying to figure it out. Many have been critical of Toews’ play in recent years, and that is fine, but this has been the Hawks’ best 200-foot player over the last 13 seasons, period. He is their leader, a three-time Stanley Cup Champion, Conn Smythe winner and his name and number will be stitched on a banner and hung from the rafters of the United Center. His contributions to what has been the best era in Chicago Blackhawks hockey are immeasurable, and whether you had high hopes for the Hawks this season or if you were hoping for failure and a rebuild, it is really hard to envision the team without Captain Serious. Let’s just hope that they can pinpoint his ailment and he can successfully recover.

Without captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks begin the season with more questions than answers. (Photograph courtesy of the NHL)

As for the 2020–21 season; now what? Circumstances have changed, the team is weaker and picturing the Hawks jumping into the playoff mix come springtime is unrealistic. In fact, this could get ugly. The defensive unit is a weak spot, they are unproven between the pipes and without Nylander, Dach and Toews, the offense is significantly affected. General Manager Stan Bowman’s half-hearted “rebuild” has just been put into overdrive. Regardless of the message to fans or the organization’s intentions for the 2020–21 season, the Hawks will not be very good. There is a real possibility that without so many key ingredients, that they will finish towards the bottom of the barrel in the league and will have a lottery pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Whether or not Bowman and company elect to re-sign Dylan Strome will not change this team for the better, and if they can move him for futures or picks, they are wise to do so.

New/old acquisition Brandon Pirri will play more than many expected early on. Centers Carl Soderberg and Mattias Janmark, originally thought to be third- and fourth-line fixtures, may now be ticketed for first- and second-line duties. While the Hawks may not win many games with those two players in those roles, all fans should be rooting for them. On one-year deals, if either Soderberg, or the one-time 19-goal scorer, Janmark, are productive, come the April 12 trade deadline, either or both could see a decent return for the Hawks’ future. Newly acquired center Lucas Wallmark may also fall into that category.

Newly acquired forward Mattias Janmark could now have a more pivotal role entering the season. (Photograph courtesy of the NHL)

Before the injuries, there are some fans that unwisely may have thought the Hawks’ were contenders heading into this season, while others were beating the “play the kids” drum as loudly as possible. Well, the latter is here. The kids will play. You will not see a complete youth movement, as the Hawks will mettle with their more experienced depth early on, but as the season chugs along, be ready to see a revolving door between Chicago and Rockford.

Some prospects may now be locks out of mini camp. Barring disappointment, it is possible or likely, that Pius Suter may be in a top-six role right away, and fans should be excited because of the tools he brings to the table. Winger Brandon Hagel had a decent 19-goal run in Rockford last season and at some point will see some NHL action. Hagel has been on loan to Thurgau in the second-tier Swiss League (SL) this season and has tallied 15 points in 14 games. Prospect MacKenzie Entwistle brings his 6-foot-3 size, speed and energy to the table. Entwistle is starting to figure out a professional game and with 26 points in Rockford in 2019–20, he is another to keep an eye on. Responsible center prospect Philipp Kurashev, fresh off a loan to Lugano in the Swiss-A league, could use more time in Rockford, but if the Hawks wisely shed some center depth at the trade deadline, he could get his first taste of the NHL in mid-April. Evan Barratt may have a longer road to being a true NHL impact player, but his skillset and hockey sense are there. He will most likely be in Rockford for the bulk of the season and rightly so, but injuries and/or trades could see him in Chicago for some games. Lastly, considering he is currently in North America playing in the World Junior Championship, inviting Czech prospect Michael Teply to camp should be something to consider.

The blue line, though not one to brag about, has a little more stability than it did a year ago—for now.  It is expected that Ian Mitchell will get his shot, and it will be interesting to see if he is as good as advertised. Nikita Zadorov, acquired in the Brandon Saad trade, will be a regular, as will Calvin de Haan, Connor Murphy, Adam Boqvist, Duncan Keith and yes, Brent Seabrook; remember him? Will the Hawks be able to unload the hefty contracts of Seabrook, Keith, de Haan or Murphy come the trade deadline? Seabrook, never, and the others, probably not in this economic climate unless the Hawks eat a big chunk of salary and cap hit.

Considering how much this unit will be playing in their own end of the ice though, injuries will happen and the combination of that and what may be inconsistent play from some will result in call ups and some younger kids getting a crack in the lineup. Wyatt Kalynuk, Lucas Carlsson and Nicolas Beaudin could all factor into that. Alec Regula is an intriguing prospect with high upside, but he is likely to see the entire season in Rockford. Another rearguard worth noting is Anton Lindholm. The lesser name in the Saad trade has played NHL minutes in Colorado and has been coveted by Bowman for some time. At 26, Lindholm knows a pro game and, should younger prospects be better served with time in Rockford, Lindholm could provide support in the back.

Coming back from injury, Brent Seabrook and others will be busier than ever in their own zone. (Photograph courtesy of NBC Sports)

A season of change is ahead, that is for sure. The number of different players and combinations that will be in and out of the lineup is impossible to predict, but if you are betting, take the over. At this point, anything is in play. Limit your expectations in the win column, as some games will not be much fun to watch. That said, keep an eye on the lineup as pieces of the Blackhawks’ future may be on the ice, and earlier than expected.

The post ANALYSIS: The Blackhawks’ kids will play appeared first on The Rink.

Earlier today, Darren Dreger of TSN and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported Jonathan Toews will not be at the Blackhawks’ training camp and will miss the start of the 2021 NHL season due to illness. The Chicago Blackhawks made the news official later in the morning. In the release, the organization says the captain will be out indefinitely due to a medical condition. In his statement in the release, Toews said he has been feeling drained and lethargic due to his symptoms and does not have a timetable for his return.

Captain Jonathan Toews will not join the team for training camp while dealing with medical issue; no timetable set for return.#Blackhawks https://t.co/6YutfvyisX

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 29, 2020

General Manager Stan Bowman provided the following statement in the release:

“Jonathan’s health is our top priority as he deals with this medical issue. The Chicago Blackhawks organization and our medical staff will provide all necessary resources to help him return to playing hockey. While he will not report to training camp on January 3 and will be out indefinitely, we will continue to support him as he is an important part of our family. I’ve been in regular communication with Jonathan recently and will continue that as he takes care of his health.

The health and privacy of all our players is paramount to the Chicago Blackhawks organization. We care about Jonathan, and we know how badly he wants to be with his teammates competing on the ice. We will provide further updates on his status as circumstances change and do not have a timetable for his return.”

It is the latest bad news for the Chicago Blackhawks. Just a few days ago, Kirby Dach underwent surgery to repair a wrist fracture he suffered during an exhibition game at the World Junior Championships. The 2019 third overall pick will be out for four to five months. Last week, the team announced Alex Nylander had surgery to repair a torn meniscus suffered during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and will be out for four to six months.

The Blackhawks still have not signed restricted free agent center Dylan Strome, leaving major holes down the middle of the ice for the team. Toews had 60 points in 70 regular season games in 2019–20 and had nine points in nine postseason games.

The post Blackhawks announce Jonathan Toews out indefinitely with medical issue appeared first on The Rink.

Now enters Swiss forward Pius Suter.

After personally having watched close to 300 video clips of Suter in action in the top-tier National League in Switzerland, it is quite apparent that he has the offensive talent to make his mark in the National Hockey League. As a youngster, Suter had two prior opportunities to crack the lineup with the Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders, as both offered the undrafted forward invitations to their respective training camps. For whatever reasons, Suter did not earn a contract and returned back home.

In his first season in the National League during the 2017–18 season, he helped guide the ZSC Lions to the league’s championship. He paced the team with 28 assists in the regular season. He also lead the league in points during the 2019–20 season when he registered 30 goals and 23 assists in 50 games. Suter was awarded the Most Valuable Player for his effort during the regular season.

After exercising the exit clause in his ZSC Lions contract, he inked his name to a one-year, $925,000 entry-level NHL deal, which will allow him to become a restricted free agent after this upcoming season. During the current stoppage of action in the NHL due to COVID-19, Suter has skated in 12 games in the Swiss National League and the second-tier league, registering 10 points.

Suter’s game is definitely one that leads to plenty of strong rushes up the ice into the offensive zone. His skating is very good and shifty. He can beat his defender to the outside, but shows keen decision-making, allowing him to work into the center of the ice if his defender crosses him. His ability to make plays at top speed makes him difficult to defend for slower opponents.

The center/left wing’s shot is sneaky quick and very accurate. Suter does not need a lot of time and space to get his shot off and shows a love for the top shelf like most professional players. He creates space for himself with the puck on his stick and does a nice job finding open teammates. During views, he did not make many bad decisions, often making the “simple” play most of the time.

One aspect of his game that will help the Blackhawks is his nose for the net. For several years, Chicago has lacked players that are willing to get to the net and make plays in “tough” areas. He keeps his feet moving, which makes him hard to keep track of in his own zone. Although not the biggest of forwards, Suter’s heat maps over the past few seasons show a ton of action inside of 10 feet of the net—definitely a good sign for this offense.

One area that bears watching in camp and throughout the season is his ability to play in the best league in the world when the game gets quicker, harder and on a smaller ice surface. Suter does a nice job avoiding contact, though, because he is so active. His shiftiness should remind one of Patrick Kane’s ability to miss checks and keep himself out of harm’s way on most nights. With that being said, the 5-foot-11, 176-pound Suter is strong on his skates.

With the news of Jonathan Toews being out indefinitely with a medical condition, Suter’s chances increased even more than they had when it was announced that forwards Kirby Dach and Alexander Nylander would miss significant time following surgeries. Someone has to play the 50 minutes a night left open by the three subtractions from the opening night lineup.

Suter’s ability to play alongside Kane is something that will be interesting to watch shake out in training camp and into the early season. With all the current forwards out (Toews, Dach, Nylander, Zack Smith and Andrew Shaw all injured and Dylan Strome still unsigned), the opportunity could be his for the taking. If the 24-year-old Swiss native shows he has some chemistry with Kane, this would be an opportunity of a lifetime for him. However, as we have seen in the past, not everyone has the talent to play with Kane.

One aspect that should fit with Kane is Suter’s ability to get the puck to his linemates and make his way to the net to make plays. His north-south ability is something that works with Kane’s creativity and vision. This would be a best-case scenario for the Blackhawks organization since Strome ‘s status and role remains unclear, and some other bottom-six forward would not be forced to play bigger minutes than they are probably ready for.

At the very least, head coach Jeremy Colliton should be able to deploy Suter on the penalty kill and work him into the lineup for 12–15 minutes a night, if he shows he needs some time to adjust to the better league. Anything worse than this would be a complete letdown on this depleted roster. If forwards Lucas Wallmark, Ryan Carpenter, Brandon Pirri, Matthew Highmore and David Kampf are outplaying Suter, then this would be a complete disaster for Suter and he will be on his way back overseas.

As a defender, Suter shows an active stick and a willingness to play with a high motor in his own zone. He does a nice job of taking away space for his opponent. Suter is responsible and understands his responsibilities and can play within a system. His speed and tenacity are something that should play out for him if he is playing bottom-six minutes.

To wrap things up, Suter has the talent to be another Bowman signing that makes fans wonder why the Hawk GM cannot draft like he finds European talent. However, I would temper comparisons to Panarin and Kubalik. Suter is in the right situation on a “rebuilding” team that has been ripped apart by recent injuries and medical conditions. If given the opportunity by Colliton, Suter will show he is a trusted two-way forward who can chip in offensively and figure in the team’s future plans if he is re-signed next summer.

Please comment below.

The post Breaking down newcomer Pius Suter before the upcoming season appeared first on The Rink.

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

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

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

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

(Courtesy of NHL.com)

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

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

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

There is no hockey. There are no sports. The news is no fun. We are stuck inside. We need good news and good stories during this Coronavirus pandemic.

The Chicago Blackhawks provided a bit of that good news on Thursday morning, when it was announced that Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews was donating $100,000 to the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund through his foundation.

Some positive news to start your day: Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews donated $100,000 (through his foundation) to the Chicago Community Covid-19 Response Fund.

That money will go to local nonprofits serving the most vulnerable residents in Chicago.

— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) March 26, 2020

Toews is a noted community activist and leader, advocating for healthy lifestyles and practices through his foundation and partnerships. He also made a national appearance on the Today Show, wishing a young Blackhawks fan a happy birthday after missing out on seeing the team play on his birthday.

There are so many health care professionals we love, and we have some #WithYouTODAY messages to share, including one from Sharon. She sent us a shoutout for her sister, who’s a nurse in Illinois. pic.twitter.com/aUeCaojoPK

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 26, 2020

Or as Hoda Kotb said, “Jonathan Tayvits.” (It is a hard name, after all.)

Toews’ donation comes on the heels of the Blackhawks’ home arena, the United Center, announcing on Wednesday that the facilities will be used as a logistics hub during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Our arena and outside campus will be transformed into a logistics hub where we will be assisting front line food distribution, first responder staging and the collection of critically needed medical supplies.

For updated info, please visit: https://t.co/zqaVAtWV17 pic.twitter.com/i88Yx34St5

— United Center (@UnitedCenter) March 25, 2020

The NHL season is still in limbo, and the Blackhawks may or may not return to the ice to complete the 2019–20 campaign, but at least in these trying times, players and organizations are coming through for their communities.

Stay home, stay smart, stay well.

The post Jonathan Toews donates to Chicago COVID-19 Response Fund appeared first on The Rink.

First period:

This game already started off rough, with Connor Murphy taking a tripping penalty with just eleven seconds gone in the game. The Blues made quick work of that, putting one past Corey Crawford thirty three seconds into the game to make the score 1–0 Blues. Then, the Blackhawks took another penalty to give the Blues another chance with a man advantage. Chicago killed that one off thanks to some great saves by Crawford and some help from a friendly post.

The Blackhawks got a power play of their own when Marco Scandella got the stick up high on Brandon Saad, putting the Chicago up a man. They also made very quick work of their advantage, with Jonathan Toews winning the faceoff cleanly right back to Duncan Keith, who put his one-hundredth goal in his career past Jordan Binnington to knot the score up at 1–1.

Then, with just under six minutes to play in the period, Toews won another faceoff back to a defenseman, getting it back to Connor Murphy who put a wrister past Binnington to make it 2–1 Blackhawks. After some more stops from Crawford, the Blackhawks got another powerplay that would carry over into the second period when Murphy took a high stick after giving up a powerplay earlier in the period. Things would end at a score of 2–1 Blackhawks after one.

Second period:

The Blackhawks started the period with the powerplay that was carried over from period one, and they made use of the opportunity after passing the puck around and getting some shots on net, the puck found its way to Patrick Kane who wristed a beautiful shot off of the post and in to make it 3–1 Blackhawks.

After getting a lot of pressure on the Blues’ net, the Blackhawks allowed the Blues to put the same amount of pressure on their goal with the puck eventually finding Robert Thomas, who was able to put the puck over the shoulder of Crawford to make it 3–2 Blackhawks.

The next few minutes involved a lot of back and forth chances, with Ryan O’Reilly getting a great chance that he put through the blue paint and the Blackhawks having a flurry of chances down on the other end as well. They killed off a Slater Koekkoek delay of game penalty in the last couple of minutes of the period to keep the score 3–2 Blackhawks at the end of the period.

Third period:

The period started off with a scare, as a Colton Parayko slapshot was stopped by Crawford, with O’Reilly appearing to put the rebound in. Fortunately, he batted it in with his hand, and the goal didn’t count. Then, Brayden Schenn found a streaking O’Reilly, who put the puck past Crawford to make it 3–3. Very shortly thereafter, Zach Sanford put the puck past Crawford again to make it 4–3 Blues and put the Blackhawks down for the first time since the first minutes of the game.

A couple of minutes later, Keith put the puck on net, which then bounced around to Matthew Highmore who put the puck into the back of the net and tie the game up again at 4–4. In what continued to be a back and forth period, the Blackhawks re-took the lead on the powerplay on a quick released shot from Saad out in front to make it 5–4 Blackhawks. Then, the Blues came back down to the other end, and Justin Faulk put a shot from the point into the back of the Blackhawks’ net to tie this crazy game at 5 all. Kirby Dach got called for hooking, which gave the Blues another powerplay in the game.

After a crazy sequence in front of the Chicago net, Sanford potted his second goal of the night to make it 6–5 Blues. Adam Boqvist got taken down driving to the net, setting up yet another Blackhawks powerplay, and giving them a chance to tie the game. They didn’t get a lot of good chances on goal, though, and weren’t able to convert for the first time all night. The game would end with a 6–5 Blues victory, putting to rest any last hopes that may have been remaining for the Blackhawks going on a tear and getting into the playoffs.

Now let’s go along the boards to see what was being talked about during this game:

Jonathan Toews wins the faceoff. Goes straight to the net. Takes away the eyes of Jordan Binnington. And Connor Murphy’s blast goes in.

Play started and ended with No. 19. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/xkuXQTUIAF

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 26, 2020

The first two Blackhawks goals went this exact same way: Jonathan Toews won a faceoff back to the point and the defenseman put a shot on net that went through because of a screen out in front.

Robin Lehner was only with the Blackhawks for a short time, but he made a huge impact.

He motivated Jonathan Toews. He mentored Alex Nylander. He filled the locker room with a booming voice and honest thoughts.

Without him, the bee has lost its buzz. https://t.co/TO54GtEKgW

— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 25, 2020

I couldn’t agree more with this. Robin Lehner had such an impact on us as fans as well, and we greatly respect his courage to share his story and to be willing to share what he’s gone through with mental health struggles. He’s an inspiration and such a great guy who will be sorely missed in this organization.

The Blackhawks are back in action on Thursday night versus Tampa Bay. That game starts at 6:00 PM central on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Along the boards: Blackhawks drop a roller coaster, lose to Blues 6–5 appeared first on The Rink.

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

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

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

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 17, 2020

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

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

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

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 17, 2020

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 17, 2020

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 17, 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Did someone order a good start?

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

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

O CAPTAIN!

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

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

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

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

— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) February 10, 2020

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

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

Welcome to the @NHLBlackhawks, Nick Seeler!

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

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

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

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

Along the boards

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

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

Some #Blackhawks numbers coming at you……

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Ron Luce (@LuceOnTap) February 10, 2020

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) February 10, 2020

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

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

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

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

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 19, 2020

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

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

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

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

— NHL (@NHL) January 19, 2020

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finders keepers#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/bTzxEOuQfU

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 13, 2019

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

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

Dylly Dylly!

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

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 13, 2019

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

Three points

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

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

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

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

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

Corey Perry celebrated his 1,000th NHL game on Saturday in Dallas. The forward spent the majority of those 1,000 games in Anaheim with the Ducks but has rebounded this year with a change of scenery. 

Congratulations, Corey! #GoStars pic.twitter.com/HvrucYkL8z

— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 24, 2019

The Blackhawks rolled out their lines and the lineup looked very similar to many of their last five games. The lines were as follows:

Saad – Toews – Nylander
DeBrincat – Strome – Kane
Kubalik – Kampf – Shaw
Smith – Dach – Carpenter

Keith – Gustafsson
de Haan – Seabrook
Maatta – Murphy

Lehner

First period

The early portion of the period was a lot of back and forth between the two teams, but not a lot of quality chances were generated. The best chance of the first ten minutes came from Corey Perry. On the night of his 1,000th game, he could have put the Stars ahead early. Instead, he just flat out missed on his attempt to bury a puck with Lehner out of position.

Although Perry could not bury his chance, the Stars still struck first. Around the 14-minute mark, the Stars won a key faceoff in the Blackhawks’ zone. John Klingberg, in his first game back from injury, wired a shot through traffic that was tipped in front by Roope Hintz and ultimately found its way behind Robin Lehner. 

Roope and Klinger were skating together a lot coming back from injury.

They combine for the first goal in their first game back. #CHIvsDAL | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/EYpp3x86BG

— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 24, 2019

Although the Stars dominated the period, the Blackhawks found a way to capitalize on an A+ opportunity. On a play that started with Connor Murphy getting the puck up the boards, Patrick Kane tipped the pass further to Alex DeBrincat. “The Cat” led the charge up ice with Olli Maatta and had a two-on-one. DeBrincat and Maatta played catch, but the final move came from Maatta, getting his shot to squeak past Anton Khudobin to tie the game. The goal was the first as Blackhawk for Maatta.

Olli Määttä scores first goal of the night for the #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/fpJYpAECO1

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 24, 2019

Patrick Kane picked up the secondary assist, extending his point streak to 12 games. Kane has been sensational all season thus far. 

Despite how bad they played, the Blackhawks went into the first intermission tied at one. An excellent position to be in given how much the Stars dominated the first period. 

Second period

The period began with the Stars having a quality chance against Robin Lehner in the first minute. The Stars had a bit of a two-on-one. Jamie Benn, who coming into this game was riding a four-game point streak, failed to convert on the chance after the puck went off the toe of his stick.

The Blackhawks first excellent chance came via a power play in which DeBrincat was tripped by Blake Comeau to initiate the man advantage. The Blackhawks didn’t score on the power play, however, they dominated possession on the power play. They won every draw in the offensive zone, and only had to regroup once or twice before moving the puck around and getting shots on net. 

It’s safe to say if every Blackhawks power play looked that good all the time, they’d be much better statistically. 

On the other end of special teams, the Blackhawks killed off the first power play for the Stars in beautiful fashion. The Hawks killers swarmed the Stars and constantly applied pressure, leaving the Stars searching for answers as they were unable to generate any meaningful chances on their first man advantage of the evening. 

After the Hawks kill, the remaining five minutes of the period featured another Dallas Stars power play. However, seven seconds into the man advantage, Joe Pavelski was sent off for hitting David Kampf in the face. The roughing penalty resulted in four-on-four hockey for the remainder of the period. 

With ten seconds remaining, Jonathan Toews drew a penalty on Miro Heiskanen for holding. Toews had the puck for a good 20 seconds, skating circles around the Stars defenders without losing the puck. The penalty set up a four-on-three for 50 seconds. 

The teams entered the second intermission with about 48 seconds of four-on-three time remaining. The Blackhawks looked much better in the middle frame than they did in the opening frame, registering 13 shots during the period. 

Third period

The final frame began with an unsuccessful power play for the Blackhawks. Despite starting with the man advantage, they could not generate any meaningful offense. Instead, Dallas gets out of a sticky situation unharmed. 

About two and a half minutes into the period, Khudobin made the save of the game, completely doing the splits to make a save on Dominik Kubalik, who had a wide open cage. The Hawks had a few follow-up chances, but Khudobin was able to shut the door. 

Absolute ROBBERY by Dobby. #CHIvsDAL | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/UzLGBLC3rR

— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 24, 2019

The best chance for the Stars in the period came on a power play after a David Kampf delay of game penalty. The Stars had a great sequence and nearly capitalized, but the Blackhawks penalty kill stood tall and Lehner made two excellent saves to keep the home team from taking the lead. 

With three minutes remaining, it appeared the Hawks had taken the lead in Dallas after a Dylan Strome deflection on a Maatta shot. However, the play was waved off immediately for a high stick and after review it was confirmed.

Dylan Strome's goal is disqualified due to having a high stick. #Blackhawks still tied 1-1 pic.twitter.com/SerEEw3sO2

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 24, 2019

The game indeed required overtime, and the Stars and Blackhawks entered overtime tied on the scoreboard and in almost every team statistic.

Overtime

The Blackhawks took possession first as Toews, Kane, and Keith took the ice first for the visitors. A Hawks turnover led to a Heiskanen breakaway, but Toews was able to break up the chance and force a turnover. 

An excellent individual effort from Patrick Kane nearly ended the game. Kane stole the puck from a Dallas defender and took off, creating a breakaway for himself. Unfortunately, Kane couldn’t capitalize. It hurt even worse because the Hawks were called for too many men on the ice after that chance. The Stars took their timeout before heading to the powerplay.

The Blackhawks killed the penalty, despite great chances by Dallas. Andrew Shaw had a semi breakaway just before time expired and looked to be tripped, instead, nothing was called and Shaw was furious. It appeared to be a penalty, but the game entered the shootout. 

Shootout

One shooter for Dallas, one goal. Joe Pavelski scored on the first shot of the overtime. Toews matched that by missing on his move to tuck the puck past Khudobin. 

The second Dallas shooter, Tyler Seguin, also scored. Both goals were five-hole on Lehner. Patrick Kane also missed on his chance and the Stars took the game in the shootout, 2–1. 

Quick hits

• Lehner looked good: Although he is not a shootout goalie, Lehner looked incredible during actual hockey play. He has continued to keep the Hawks in games and there is no denying that he may have been the best free-agent signing this past summer for any team in the league. The Stars had 15 high-danger chances in this game, 10 of them came in the first period. He only let one in. Yes ladies and gents, that’s really good. 
• Good penalty kill: The Blackhawks penalty kill looked sensational all night. The final powerplay in overtime allowed a lot of chances, but Lehner stood tall. If the kill can look like they did tonight all season, they will be in good shape going forward. 
• First one feels good: Olli Maatta scored his first goal as a Blackhawk tonight on a nice two-on-one with Alex DeBrincat. Maatta has improved every game with the Hawks and is proving to be a nice addition to this defensive group. Maatta also nearly had an assist on Strome’s high stick redirect goal. 

The Blackhawks will host this same Dallas Stars team on Tuesday, November 26 at the United Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks fall 2–1 to Stars in shootout appeared first on The Rink.

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

Saad — Toews — Nylander

DeBrincat — Strome — Kane

Kubalik — Kampf — Shaw

Smith — Dach — Carpenter

Keith — Gustafsson

de Haan — Seabrook

Maatta — Murphy

Crawford

First period

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

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

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

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

Second period

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

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

Gloves. Off. pic.twitter.com/JVOVWpcTy5

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

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

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

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

Third period

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

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

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

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

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 18, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) November 18, 2019

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

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

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

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

Quick hits

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

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

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

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

Chicago Blackhawks lines and pairings

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

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

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

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

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 14, 2019

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

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

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

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

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 14, 2019

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

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

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

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

We're TIED. @NHLBlackhawks #CHIvsVGK

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

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

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

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

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 14, 2019

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

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

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 14, 2019

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

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

Lucky Dach!

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

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 14, 2019

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

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

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

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 14, 2019

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please comment below.

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

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

Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Alexander Nylander

Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Patrick Kane

Drake Caggiula — Kirby Dach — Andrew Shaw

Zack Smith — David Kampf — Ryan Carpenter

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson

Calvin de Haan — Brent Seabrook

Olli Maatta — Adam Boqvist

1st Period

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

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

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

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

.@shawz15er makes it 2-0 @NHLBlackhawks!

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

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

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

2nd Period

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

pic.twitter.com/0DMNCaXBoS

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

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

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

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

3rd Period

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

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

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

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

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

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) November 8, 2019

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

Plus

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

Minus

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 8, 2019

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

FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS

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

The DeBrincat-Strome-Kane line finally made its season debut against the Ducks. The rest of the lines were as follows: 

Saad — Toews — Nylander

DeBrincat — Strome — Kane

Kubalik — Kampf — Dach

Caggiula — Carpenter — Shaw

Keith — Boqvist

de Haan — Seabrook

Maatta — Gustafsson

Lehner

First period

The first period started in a very calm fashion. The first 10 minutes of play yielded a lot of back and forth, but did not yield any goals for either team in Anaheim. 

However, a spark of the future came into view at about the halfway point of the period. After a puck was worked deep, Jonathan Toews found the puck but could not handle it as the puck dribbled behind the Ducks’ net. Alex Nylander picked the puck up and skated out to Ryan Miller’s right side. He found Adam Boqvist at the top of the face off circle to Miller’s right and sniped a shot over the Anaheim goaltender’s shoulder for his first career NHL goal. 

.@kdach77 running to grab the puck for his buddy @BoqvistAdam is our second favorite thing about this goal. #Teammates pic.twitter.com/odXA2gouov

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 4, 2019

Boqvist’s new buddy, and possibly his future franchise pillar, Kirby Dach picked up the defenseman’s first goal puck after the tally.

In exciting fashion, the Blackhawks offense would not end there. After working their way into a five-on-three power play, the Hawks found a way to take advantage of Anaheim’s mistakes. After a puck worked its way back to Dominik Kubalik on the point, Kubalik found Patrick Kane on his right wing side of the power play. Kane took a second to set up and scan his options, but ultimately found Alex DeBrincat back door for a tap-in goal from the left winger. The goal gave the Blackhawks the 2–0 lead.

This Kaner pass >>>

My word. @NHLBlackhawks lead 2-0 on @NBCSChicago and streaming here: https://t.co/l15UbPEy2R pic.twitter.com/SbihA4pNqf

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 4, 2019

The Blackhawks took that lead into the first intermission with also leading in shots on goal. It was arguably one of the best periods for the Blackhawks all season.

Second period

The second period opened it much better than most middle frames have this season for Chicago. Although the Blackhawks looked better than they have in most second periods this season, they were on the other end of the scoring luck for the period. 

After more than 12 minutes of back and forth, the Ducks found a way to finally crack Robin Lehner, who had been spectacular all night long. 

After a puck was shot behind the Blackhawks’ net, Ryan Getzlaf found the puck before it could find its way around the wall and out of the zone. He passed the puck to Erik Gudbranson, who wasted no time sending a shot on net. The shot was screened in front of Lehner by Sam Steel and the Ducks cut the Hawks’ lead in half at 2–1 on the Gudbranson blast. 

https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1191187308612993024

The Ducks’ goal was the only scoring action in the period. Anaheim found a way to outshoot the Blackhawks and make the game closer than it felt after the first period.

Third period

The early portion of the third period did not feel great for the Blackhawks. It would only get worse, especially after back-to-back Toews penalties.

After Chicago killed the first power play on the Toews penalties, they found themselves in trouble after a second penalty moments after the first one ended. 

After setting up, Cam Fowler found Steel deep on Lehner’s left side. Steel was able to hit Ritchie with a perfect pass, with Lehner diving in hopes of stopping it, and Ritchie made no mistake, finding the back of the net on his shot to even the score at 2–2. The tying goal was excellent execution from the Ducks.

https://twitter.com/AnaheimDucks/status/1191191550694264832

Later in the period, the best chance the Hawks had came on a cross ice Kane to Shaw pass. Shaw’s attempt was stopped by Miller on an excellent chance. The Blackhawks also had a great chance after a Boqvist power play shot was deflected by Kubalik, but could not beat the goal post as a power play expired. Two excellent chances for the Blackhawks ultimately went wasted.

Despite good chances from both sides, the contest would require overtime to determine a winner.

Overtime

An opening Toews face off led to immediate Chicago possession to start the opening frame. After regrouping in their own zone, Kane found Toews at the blue line with a long stretch pass. 

Toews lowered his shoulder and took the puck toward the net. Despite the good defense, Toews let up and spun around looking for an open player. Toews found Kane crashing to the net on the other side of the ice and he buried the pass to give the Blackhawks the 3–2 win in overtime against the Ducks.

Give me the puck
I'll hit the game winner #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/J6HTx8WBgw

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 4, 2019

Quick hits

• The first of many: Adam Boqvist scored his first career NHL goal in the win against the Ducks. Boqvist showed off the offensive prowess that led to him being selected in the top 10 back in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. His first goal was not at all cheap, and, after scoring, his buddy Kirby Dach grabbed the puck for him.
• Lehner to the rescue: Not only did Robin Lehner carry the team on his back, but he also picked up his 100th career victory in the NHL. Lehner will without a doubt continue to increase that career total given how he has played. If he is extended by the Blackhawks, fans could see Lehner pick up his 200th win in a Blackhawks uniform.
• The stars come through: Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews came through in the clutch in overtime, ending the game on the first possession of extra time. Not only did they combine for the game-winning goal, but they also each picked up an additional point during the game. Hawks fans should be encouraged if Kane and Toews are having multi-point outings on a regular basis because, more often than not, that will translate to victories.

The Blackhawks continue their California swing in San Jose on Tuesday night against the struggling Sharks. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks clip Ducks’ wings, win in overtime 3–2 appeared first on The Rink.

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

These were the Blackhawks’ starting lines:

Brandon Saad – Jonathan Toews – Alexander Nylander

Dominik Kubalik – David Kampf – Patrick Kane

Zack Smith – Kirby Dach – Andrew Shaw

Alex DeBrincat – Ryan Carpenter – Dylan Strome

Duncan Keith – Adam Boqvist

Calvin de Haan – Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek – Olli Maata

First period

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

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

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

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) November 3, 2019

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

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

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

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

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) November 3, 2019

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

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

Second period

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

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

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

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

— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 3, 2019

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

Third period

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

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

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

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

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

— Juliana Nikac (@juliananikac) November 3, 2019

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

Overtime

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

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

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

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

— LA Kings (@LAKings) November 3, 2019

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

Pluses

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

Minuses

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

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

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

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

DeBrincat — Toews — Caggiula

Shaw — Strome — Kane

Saad — Kampf — Kubalik

Smith — Carpenter — Nylander

Keith — de Haan

Maatta — Seabrook

Koekkoek — Gustafsson

Lehner

First period

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

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

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

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

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 25, 2019

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

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

Second period

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

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

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 25, 2019

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

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

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

Third period

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

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

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

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) October 25, 2019

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

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

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 25, 2019

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

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

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

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) October 25, 2019

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

Quick hits

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

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

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

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.

The lineup featured some extra players, as both squads agreed to it beforehand. The lines looked mostly like this, with Anton Wedin coming in as the 13th forward and Dennis Gilbert slating in as the seventh defenseman in the lineup:

Alexander Nylander — Jonathan Toews — Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat — Dylan Strome — Andrew Shaw
Drake Caggiula — Ryan Carpenter — Brendan Perlini
Brandon Saad — David Kampf — Dominik Kubalik
Anton Wedin

Duncan Keith — Erik Gustafsson
Olli Maatta — Brent Seabrook
Slater Koekkoek — Carl Dahlstrom
Dennis Gilbert

Corey Crawford — Robin Lehner

Kirby Dach, Calvin de Haan, Connor Murphy and Zack Smith were all scratches from today’s action.

The post Blackhawks take to bigger ice, get better results appeared first on The Rink.

A look at new #Blackhawks scoreboard with live in-game stats: pic.twitter.com/I0tdIPNEFP

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) September 19, 2019

In typical preseason fashion, more of the stars play in the home games than in the road games. Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat both played last night in Detroit, so they were off tonight. The lines were as follows:

Nylander – Toews – Kane

Saad – Kampf – Kubalik

D. Sikura – Highmore – Saarela

Hakkarainen – T. Sikura – Hagel

Keith – Boqvist

Maatta – Seabrook

Gilbert – Holm

Crawford

First period:

As fans settled into their seats and continually gazed at the brand new scoreboard, the Blackhawks trotted out the top line to start the game. Alexander Nylander won the lottery for the game, starting on the left wing with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. 

Roughly five minutes into the contest, Toews had the best opportunity of the early minutes with a partial breakaway. Unfortunately, after a spectacular forehand backhand move, Toews could not finish and the game remained deadlocked at 0–0.

Later in the period, with about five minutes remaining, the Red Wings earned a power play after a Dennis Gilbert hooking penalty. However, the Blackhawks were able to escape without any damage from the Red Wings’ man advantage. 

But, another power play chance for the Red Wings spelled trouble for the Blackhawks. With just under two minutes remaining in the period, Detroit forward Filip Zadina placed a shot toward the net from the right slot. The shot never made it to the net. Instead, after a Seabrook block, the shot bounced perfectly onto the stick of Taro Hirose at the left face off dot. Hirose finished the play and scored the opening goal of the game for the visitors. 

The Red Wings took their 1–0 lead, as well as a 10–6 shots on goal advantage, into the first intermission at 1901 W. Madison St. 

Second period:

Right out the gate, the Red Wings generated the first good opportunity of the period. Joe Veleno found himself wide open on Crawford’s right side. Valeno placed a shot up near Crawford’s shoulder, but the Chicago netminder was able to make a solid save and keep the young forward off the scoresheet.

Roughly two minutes after the Veleno chance, the Blackhawks finally took advantage of a Red Wings mistake. After Tyler Sikura dumped the puck in deep, Detroit goalie Jonathan Bernier mishandled the puck behind the net. Brandon Hagel was able to steal the puck below the goal line after an aggressive forecheck and jam the puck toward the net. The puck squeaked through Bernier, who was not completely set in his net, and tied the game at 1–1.

Cleanup crew cleans up!#CHIvsDET pic.twitter.com/56Cf5QWnhk

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 19, 2019

Just after the halfway point of the period, the Blackhawks struck again. A Toews outlet pass from the defensive zone found Nylander at the near blue line. Nylander gave the puck to Kane at the red line and Kane found some space in the offensive zone. The Red Wings were concentrating on the three Chicago forwards and completely forgot about Duncan Keith, who jumped into the play. Kane found Keith and the two time Norris Trophy winner found the back of the net with his shot to give the Blackhawks the 2–1 lead.

88 and 2… feels like these two are developing some chemistry.#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/UDSrcPM3hj

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 19, 2019

The Blackhawks entered intermission with the one goal lead over their Original Six foe.

Third period:

The best chance of the third period came at around the seven minute mark. Adam Boqvist danced around a defender in beautiful fashion—dragging the puck between his legs in the process—and placed a light shot toward Bernier’s glove side, but was unable to capitalize on the attempt.

Adam Boqvist is a defenseman: Part 2 pic.twitter.com/Tkv9sxTzlg

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) September 19, 2019

The Blackhawks continued to pepper Bernier with shots all night long. Detroit had a few quality chances, but each time Crawford stood tall and made the big save. 

The Red Wings tried to tie the game late in the third with the extra attacker but could not find a way past Crawford. The Blackhawks sealed the 2–1 lead and captured their first preseason win at the United Center.

Quick hits:

• The Crow’s nest: Corey Crawford looked really strong in his first preseason action. He is certainly still a question mark, given his recent injury history, but if he can sustain his top level of play for roughly 40 games, then he and Lehner will be the best goaltending duo in the league. After allowing only one goal on 24 shots, it is safe to say Crawford made an impact in his first preseason outing. 
• The lottery spot: Alexander Nylander hit the jackpot on Wednesday, flanking Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on Chicago’s top line. The young Swede picked up this third point of the preseason on Duncan Keith’s goal and is continuing to make the front office’s decision very hard in about 10 days or so. He has played very well and will likely get a chance to prove himself on the opening day roster for the Blackhawks. Maybe a change of scenery is just what the doctor ordered for the younger Nylander brother.

The Blackhawks remain in Chicago and await the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST and can be seen on NBCSCH+.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks defeat Red Wings 2–1 in preseason home opener appeared first on The Rink.

Patrick Kane ready to yet again join elite Blackhawks company

Following his career best season last year, Kane is just 62 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career. Barring any injuries or a drastic decrease in production, he should hit that mark sometime this season. If he does, Kane will become the fourth player in Blackhawks history to reach 1,000 points with the organization, joining Denis Savard (1,061), Bobby Hull (1,153) and Stan Mikita (1,467).

With another season of 100 points or more, Kane could also join Savard and Jeremy Roenick as the only three Blackhawks players to post three or more seasons reaching the century mark in points. If he is able to reach 100 points or more in 2019–20 as a follow up to his 110 point campaign last season, he can join Savard and Roenick again as the only three players to post back-to-back 100 point seasons.

Feb 20, 2019; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) and defenseman Duncan Keith (2) wait for the face off during the second period against the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena. (Photograph courtesy of Raj Mehta / USA TODAY Sports)

Finally, at the risk of this becoming even more of a Kane gushfest, Kane and his Blackhawks partner in crime, Jonathan Toews, could become the 11th and 12th players to record 20 or more goals in each of their first 13 NHL seasons. Kane and Toews are currently two of three active players to reach 20 or more goals in each of their first 12 seasons, joining Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, who has reached 20 or more goals in each of his 14 NHL seasons.

After leading the Blackhawks in scoring for the fifth time in the last seven years, Kane will once again be relied upon as the offensive catalyst for the Blackhawks in 2019–20. If he can reach the 100 point plateau, etching himself deeper among the all time franchise greats, Kane could also be leading the Blackhawks back to the postseason after a two year absence.

The post Patrick Kane on verge of historic 2019–20 season, again appeared first on The Rink.

Kane rated as best Blackhawks player in NHL20

Kane, the NHL10 cover athlete (also NHL16 but, not really…) continues his reign as one of the top 10 players in the EA NHL franchise realm, coming in as the sixth highest rated player in NHL20. His 97 rating for deking is the highest in the game.

Showtime! @88pkane is #6 on the #NHL20Top50! Patty Kane has the silkiest mitts in #NHL20 with a 97 rating in Deking and should carry the puck on a string in any lineup. @NHLBlackhawks pic.twitter.com/cj6U6uAVAo

— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) September 2, 2019

Following a career high year in assists (66), points (110) and time on ice (22:29) during 2018–19, Kane looks to continue to be the focal point for the Blackhawks’ offense as he enters his 13th season in Chicago.

For an interesting look as to how EA Sports comes up with their NHL ratings, here is a video from Sportsnet giving some insight

NHL20 is set for release on Sept. 13 on PS4 and Xbox One platforms.

The post Patrick Kane highest rated Chicago Blackhawks player in NHL20 appeared first on The Rink.

Jonathan Toews remains one of the top pivots in NHL20

Chicago Blackhawks captain and NHL11 and NHL16 cover athlete Jonathan Toews continues his dominance as one of the top centers in the NHL for another year in NHL20. Checking in as the 42nd-highest-rated player in the game, Toews garners an 88 overall rating heading into the 2019–20 season.

Captain of the @NHLBlackhawks @JonathanToews is coming off the highest point total of his career and earns the #42 spot! #NHL20 #NHL20Top50 pic.twitter.com/QZ2Y0bEtUJ

— EA SPORTS NHL (@EASPORTSNHL) August 27, 2019

Toews is coming off of his career-best statistical season after posting highs in goals (35), assists (46), points (81) and time on ice (21:00) during his first complete 82-game season since the 2008–09 campaign.

Jonathan Toews NHL20 attributes breakdown (Via EA Sports)

For an interesting look as to how EA Sports comes up with their NHL ratings, here’s a video from Sportsnet giving some insight

NHL20 is set for release on Sept. 13 for PS4 and Xbox One platforms.

The post Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews’ NHL20 rating revealed appeared first on The Rink.

And now is when decisions that look good on paper transition toward being put to test on ice.

To my eye, it is not just a matter of additions and subtractions, however. It is also Jeremy Colliton’s first full season as Blackhawk head coach—with his imprimateur on an unusually eventful offseason—and his first training camp and preseason slate.

Broadly speaking, the Blackhawks expended a lot of energy (and resources) this summer trying to accomplish two things.

First, they clearly wanted to become better defensively, especially in their own end, with the additions of Olli Maatta and Calvin deHaan. Both players are young, yet experienced; both are definitely defense-minded blueliners. Both battled injury last year. Both, to varying degrees, should probably be considered reasonable bets to improve the Hawks’ defensive play to some degree.

How much is an important question, because storied veterans Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith are both, also to varying degrees, on the downsides of their careers and abilities: Seabrook clearly more so than Keith. Erstwhile “fourth forward” Erik Gustafsson showed some marginal improvement defensively late last season after being put on a leash somewhat by Colliton—which also corresponded, not surprisingly, with a brief dip in his offensive output. Which Gustafsson will we see in 2019–20? Hard to say, but it is probably a safe bet his defensive reliability will continue to be an “adventure” (putting it charitably) this season.

Connor Murphy, for all that he is and is not, sort of falls in line with Maatta and deHaan, and may be more part of the solution than the problem this year.

Add in Carl “Don’t call me Calle” Dahlstrom and Slater Koekkoek—and possibly even 2018 first round selections Adam Boqvist or Nicolas Beaudin in their professional rookie seasons—and it is fair to say Colliton has more pieces around which to fashion pairings that will, at minimum, block more shots, win more 50–50 pucks in the defensive zone and provide more responsible coverage. While still generating that transition and push up the ice that drove a very good offensive year for Chicago last year.

The other thing the Hawk brass seemed to want to achieve this summer was to get a lot tougher to play against.

Now, let’s not kid ourselves: seemingly every summer, there has been a Lance Bouma or two brought in to add some more “jam,” with typically crappy results. So, how is this summer any different?

Hard to say, but looking more closely at Ryan Carpenter (UFA acquisition), Andrew Shaw and Zack Smith (trades), a pattern emerges. All can play center or wing, a couple of them (at least) are pretty good faceoff options (an underappreciated part of being a good defensive team), all can kill penalties, all have a bit of nasty to their games.

All of which, on paper, adds some elements the Hawks sorely needed last year. But again, as with deHaan and Maatta, the question is “how much.”

Shaw and Smith have battled injuries. Reports out of Ottawa are that Smith has lost a step the last couple of years. Regardless, when the option for bottom-six and penalty-killing forward roles have been either proven has-beens or developing players better suited to top-six roles in Rockford, Bowman’s summer additions should provide some improvement in subtle, yet important, ways.

So all that provides at least some reason for encouragement.

The other thing that the Hawks apparently set out to do was meaningfully reinforce the goalie position—in a way that few expected (but we predicted might happen here at The-Rink).

The addition of Robin Lehner matters this year to the extent that Corey Crawford cannot play due to injury, or if Lehner simply outplays him (also a possibility). In our opinion here at The-Rink, all things considered and in spite of the “smooth it over” rhetoric of the Hawk front office, Lehner will probably have to prove he is not ready to take over the Hawk No. 1 goalie job long-term.

Sure, the “best one-two punch in the league” narrative sounds great, and may publicly placate Crawford and his camp and those fans who thought “Crow” was going to keep “bouncing back” from concussions and play until he is 45, but this season, especially if the Hawks are still giving up 40–45 shots most nights, it may not matter.

The other thing to consider is that you cannot assume anything going into this season, based on last season.

For example, you cannot assume that Dylan Sikura will not start scoring some goals and end up as an actual offensive weapon this year. Or, you cannot assume that Kirby Dach will not play more than nine games in Chicago and provide some kind of additional contribution, which would be great.

But, you also cannot assume either of the above will happen, or that Jonathan Toews might not regress from a statistical upward deviation in production last season or that Dylan Strome will not either.

You cannot assume relative team health or, on the other hand, a season wracked by injuries.

The truth is, while the Hawks continued a now three-to-four-season-long nosedive defensively, they excelled last year offensively.

But, because the defensive trend is longer term, it is safe to assume that is more the norm (setting aside the offseason changes), while the offensive uptick was likely more of an exception.

Time and, at minimum, 82 games will tell.

But where does that leave this team in April 2020?

Hard to say because, unfortunately, the Hawks also play in what is, top to bottom, arguably the best division in hockey. That said, the first three teams in the division will likely be some combination of St. Louis, Dallas, Winnipeg, Nashville or Colorado. It is hard to envision this (albeit somewhat improved) Hawk team edging in to that conversation and finishing as one of the top three teams in the Central Division. The other Central teams are just too good, younger and either bigger, faster or both.

So then the target becomes one of two wild card spots. And this is where the Hawks’ improvement over the offseason puts them—in the playoff conversation, potentially in contention for a spot. And even if the Hawks finished say, ninth in the conference and a point or two out of playoff contention, it would be measurable improvement over last year, when they were never realistically in playoff contention, in spite of a lot of breathless hype for about six weeks or so.

But, let’s say the Hawks make the playoffs. They are still going to win a lot of overtime three-on-three games and will probably have a good power play in the regular season. But, if they have to rely too heavily on those factors for points to get them into the playoffs, they likely will not last long once there, as those factors matter less or not at all in the postseason. And remember, the wildcards have to face the division winners in the first round.

Safe to say then, with some margin for error, the Hawks end up this season somewhere between a strong, improved ninth or 10th in the conference and losing in the first round of the playoffs in five or six games.

Likely improved, but, again, how much?

What must happen:

Team defense and penalty kill must improve, a lot. If not, it would not matter if your “one-two punch” was Ken Dryden and Dominik Hasek, the team will struggle to improve over the last two seasons’ miserable performances.

What cannot happen:

Regressions by and/or significant injuries to Toews, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat or (less so) Strome.

What should happen:

If Gustafsson wants to appear in the playoffs in a Hawk sweater, and if the Hawks want to extend his contract after this season, he needs to show he can become a consistently better player defensively—even if his numbers suffer somewhat offensively as a result.

What does not have to happen:

Although the annual pressure to elevate rookies or prospects to the Hawk lineup is as strong as ever, there is no rush to insert Adam Boqvist or Kirby Dach this year.

If Dach or Boqvist are measurably better in all phases of the game than the players the Hawks have, then this is truly a rebuilding season. And where either or both players play this year should not be dictated by what fans or team pr would like to see, but purely by what is best for the development of two 18- and 19-year-old kids.

All we have for now. Comment below.

The post Examining the goods: What to expect from the 2019–20 Blackhawks appeared first on The Rink.

7 p.m. CST
Bridgestone Arena
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (16–11–4, save percentage: .896, goals against average: 3.68)
Nashville – Pekka Rinne (29–19–4, save percentage: .917, goals against average: 2.43)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.3 percent, 15th)
Nashville (12.7 percent, 31st)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (72.8 percent, 31st)
Nashville (81.9 percent, Seventh)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.5, 11th; 34.6, 30th)
Nashville (32.4, 12th; 30.0, 9th)

Shooting Percentage
Chicago (10.1 percent, Seventh)
Nashville (8.8 percent, 21st)

Faceoff Percentage
Chicago (49.4 percent, T-20th)
Nashville (51.6 percent, Fifth)

Average height and weight
Chicago 6-foot-1, 197 pounds
Nashville 6-foot-1, 199 pounds

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

Nashville Predators

Filip Forsberg–Ryan Johansen–Viktor Arvidsson

Mikael Granlund–Kyle Turris–Craig Smith

Colton Sissons–Nick Bonino–Austin Watson

Brian Boyle–Calle Jarnkrok–Wayne Simmonds

Roman Josi–Ryan Ellis

Mattias Ekholm–P.K. Subban

Dan Hamhuis–Dante Fabbro

Analysis

The Blackhawks put a damper on the Stars’ chances of maintaining the first wild card position Friday night. If the Stars fail to capture at least one point and the Avalanche win, the Avalanche will move into the first wild card position and face the winner of the Central Division. The other will face the Calgary Flames in the opening round of the playoffs.

Tonight presents another big game for a Blackhawks opponent. The Blues’ matchup against the Blackhawks could have tied them for first place. Last night’s game could have captured the top wild card spot for Dallas, and now tonight, a Predators’ win would capture the Central Division. A title would mean the raising of another banner to the rafters of Bridgestone Arena to join their existing “Regular Season Champions” banner.

The Blackhawks will have Ward starting in net this evening with Kevin Lankinen backing him up in Nashville. Corey Crawford did not travel with the team after leaving last night’s game with a groin injury. It’s unlikely that we see Lankinen make his NHL debut tonight, but with his call up, it allows Collin Delia and Anton Forsberg to help Rockford push toward the playoffs in these final, very meaningful, games.

A Predators win tonight clinches the Central Division title. A Predators loss, and this division can be captured by any one of the Predators, Blues or Jets depending on Saturday’s outcomes.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

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

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

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (14–18–5, save percentage: .907, goals against average: 2.96)
Dallas – Anton Khudobin (16–16–5, save percentage: .926, goals against average: 2.47)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.5 percent, 12th)
Dallas (20.5 percent, 14th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.1 percent, 31st)
Dallas (82.4 percent, Fifth)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.6, 11th; 34.6, 30th)
Dallas (30.5, 21st; 31.7, 18th)

Shooting Percentage
Chicago (9.9 percent, Ninth)
Dallas (8.4 percent, 28th)

Faceoff Percentage
Chicago (49.4 percent, T-20th)
Dallas (51.9 percent, Fourth)

Average height and weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197 lbs.
Dallas 6’2”, 207 lbs.

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–Marcus Kruger–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Dallas Stars

Jason Dickinson–Tyler Seguin–Alexander Radulov

Jamie Benn–Roope Hintz–Mats Zuccarello

Andrew Cogliano–Radek Faksa–Blake Comeau

Mattias Janmark–Jason Spezza–Tyler Pitlick

Esa Lindell–John Klingberg

Miro Heiskanen–Roman Polak

Taylor Fedun–Ben Lovejoy

Analysis

Coming off their 4—3 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night, the Blackhawks look to continue playing the role of spoiler as they welcome the Dallas Stars to the United Center.

The Stars enter play on Friday firmly cemented in one of the two wild card positions in the West. The Stars can’t move up, but they can certainly fall to the second wild card spot if the Colorado Avalanche continue to collect points.

The Blackhawks can play spoiler and aid in setting the Stars up to play the top seed in the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames. A tough matchup such as this one could spell a quick end to the Stars’ playoff run.

At this point, this game is essentially meaningless for the Blackhawks. They are too high in the standings to get a lottery pick (unless they luck out), so they will probably pick somewhere between 10 and 15.

That said, a team with nothing to lose is a dangerous team. The Stars need to be cautious on Friday night, otherwise, they could fall into the second wild card spot and be set for a date with the talented Calgary Flames, who may be the most complete team in the Western Conference.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

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

Prior to the game, the Esposito brothers were honored together for “One More Shift” in a Blackhawks sweater. There is no doubt the moment had to be special for the brothers, players and fans alike, as these two greats, and Top 100 players of all time, were honored before Wednesday’s clash.

Dylan Sikura was sent down to the Rockford on Tuesday. In return, the Blackhawks recalled defenseman Dennis Gilbert for his NHL debut. The lines returned to similar form, with a few exceptions. They were as follows:

Drake Caggiula – Jonathan Toews – Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat – Dylan Strome – Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad – Artem Anisimov – Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz – Marcus Kruger – John Hayden

Duncan Keith – Erik Gustafsson

Carl Dahlstrom – Brent Seabrook

Dennis Gilbert – Connor Murphy

Cam Ward

David Kampf is injured with a facial injury and both Gustav Forsling and Slater Koekkoek were healthy scratches on Wednesday night.

First period:

The first period began in pretty quiet fashion for both teams. The early portion of the frame was highlighted by sloppy plays and poor shot attempts. Neither team was able to generate much through the first 10 minutes.

After a slow first half of the period, the Blues found themselves with a golden opportunity to take the lead. With eight minutes left in the stanza, youngster Robert Thomas was sprung on a breakaway. Ward denied the bid and kept the visitors off the board.

With under four minutes remaining in the period, the Blackhawks’ top line created a quality opportunity. Toews carried the puck up the ice and found Kane at the offensive face-off dots in the Blues’ zone. Kane fired what looked like a shot on net that was tipped intentionally by the captain, giving the Blackhawks a 1–0 lead late in the first period.

Captain Jonathan Toews tallied his 35th goal of the season tonight to establish a new career-high!

He tops the 34 he scored in 2008-09. #OCAPTAIN pic.twitter.com/MOabJSamQW

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

Not much else happened early, and the Blackhawks took their 1–0 lead into the first intermission against the red-hot Blues.

Second period:

The second period did not begin well for the home team. Gustafsson let a puck get by him on a pinch attempt and sprung Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O’Reilly on a two-on-one against Keith. Tarasenko elected to shoot from the left wing side and buried a beautiful wrist shot to tie the game at 1–1.

26 seconds through the 2nd period and Vladimir Tarasenko makes it a 1-1 game. pic.twitter.com/JXrZu19HSS

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

A few minutes later, the Blues nearly struck again. This time, the Blues were short handed when Oskar Sundqvist found himself on a breakaway against Ward. Ward made a beautiful save on the play, just getting enough of the puck for it to hit the crossbar and harmlessly float to the corner.

With just under seven minutes remaining in the middle frame, Saad made a great play in his own zone to poke the puck away from David Perron. Saad started the two-on-two up ice with Kahun and Saad quickly passed the puck to his fellow winger.

Saad crashed the net, along with Anisimov, while Kahun pulled up just over the blue line. Kahun skated to the middle of the ice and fired a wrist shot at the net. Anisimov, on a fly by in front of Jake Allen, tipped the puck past Allen and gave the Blackhawks the 2–1 lead.

Anisimov! #Blackhawks take a 2-1 lead in the 2nd period! pic.twitter.com/x3tdRTO4ln

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

A late power play for the Blackhawks would not amount to anything and teams entered the second intermission with the score still 2–1.

Third period:

The early portion of the third period was similar to that of the first, neither team could generate any meaningful offense. With about eight and a half minutes remaining, the Blackhawks started up ice as the forwards went to change.

Strome was all alone on the left wing side of the ice in his own zone. Strome was able to find Kane, who bolted ahead after coming off the bench, for a breakaway from the blue line in. Kane used his dynamic speed and roofed a perfect backhand shot to give the Blackhawks a 3–1 lead. Initially, the referees were unsure if the puck entered the net due to how fast it came out of the net. However, after review, the goal was good and Kane recorded his 42nd goal and career-high 107th point.

Patrick Kane snaps a 10 game goal drought AND sets a new career high in points with 107 pic.twitter.com/9UyoiviTbq

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

The celebration would not last. On the next shift, primary assist getter Dylan Strome was sent to the penalty box, giving the visitors life on the power play. Less than a minute after Kane’s goal, Perron beat Ward blocker side to cut the deficit to just one at 3–2.

A power play goal for the Blues!

Don't go to sleep yet folks, we've got a lot of game left to play! Watch: https://t.co/w77aqOnokG pic.twitter.com/Rknk3kJNqu

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) April 4, 2019

The Blackhawks were able to fend off the Blues for the bulk of the third period. As time dwindled down, Allen was pulled for the extra attacker. Kane missed wide on an open-net chance, sending St. Louis back into the Chicago zone.

The Blues’ third line gave the team new life. Patrick Maroon carried the puck in on the left wing boards with just over 40 seconds remaining. He fired a pass backdoor to a crashing and wide open Tyler Bozak to even the game at 3–3. Bozak was all alone in the blue paint and stuffed the puck past Ward to send the game to overtime.

TYLER BOZAK IN THE LAST SECONDS OF THE GAME! CLUTCH!#STLBlues pic.twitter.com/0SjcO1EhI4

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 4, 2019

Overtime:

The overtime period would not amount to much for either team. Both teams had notable chances, but neither side could capitalize in the five-minute, three-on-three frame.

The best chance of overtime came from Saad. As his linemates changed, Saad carried the puck in, one-on-one, against St. Louis forward Brayden Schenn. Saad made a move to freeze Schenn and created an open chance from the face-off dot in. The power forward brought the puck nicely to his backhand, but was denied by Allen to ultimately send the game to a shootout.

Shootout:

Toews and the Blackhawks elected to go first in the shootout and the captain did not disappoint. Toews skated off to Allen’s left, back to the middle and gave a quick backhand-forehand combination before burying a shot high past Allen’s blocker. Chicago took a quick 1–0 lead in the shootout.

Let's take another look at Jonny's sensational shootout winner, shall we?!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/PRtJsbGPPz

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 4, 2019

Toews’ goal was ultimately the only tally in the “fifth period”. Kane struck iron and DeBrincat beat Allen but could not elevate the backhand shot. Fortunately, Ward stopped all three St. Louis shooters to preserve the 4–3 Blackhawks victory in the shootout.

Quick hits:

• Hey kid, welcome to the show: Gilbert made his NHL debut on Wednesday night against the Blues. The former Notre Dame defenseman has played well for the IceHogs all season, being paired with Henri Jokiharju often as Rockford’s top pairing. With the Blackhawks officially out of the playoff race, it makes sense to give some of their young defenseman a look. The Hawks have a logjam of players on the back end, so sorting out the good from the bad is necessary to clear roster spots if they want young players to come up and contribute.
• Kane’s career high: After scoring his 42nd goal on Wednesday, Kane set a new career high in points for a season with 107. The 30-year-old winger has been sensational all season. Had the Blackhawks made the playoffs, a strong case could have been made for Kane as league MVP. In deciding which player was truly most important to their team, there is no doubt Kane has a better case than Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and possibly Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the award. Nonetheless, Kane looks ageless at this point, and a strong offseason by General Manager Stan Bowman and the rest of the front office could position this team for one more run with Kane and Toews in their primes.
• Saad is worth $6 million: Saad receives a lot of hate from the Blackhawks fan base, claiming he is not worth his contract. However, the 26-year-old has 46 points (23 goals, 23 assists) and plays an excellent two-way game. Wednesday night’s game is a prime example of that. Saad was all over the ice making plays at both ends for the Blackhawks. He may not be a 70-point player, but Saad is worth every penny of his contract. If the forward group does not have to babysit the defensemen next year on defense, as they have done so heavily this season, we could easily see Saad erupt for a 30-goal, 30-assist season while still playing that relentless two-way game.

The Blackhawks remain in Chicago after Wednesday’s game, waiting to welcome the Dallas Stars to town on Friday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks defeat the Blues 4–3 in the shootout appeared first on The Rink.

7:30 p.m. CST

STAPLES Center

TV/Radio: WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (14–18–4, save percentage: .908, goals against average: 2.94)

Winnipeg – Connor Hellebuyck (32–23–2, save percentage: .913, goals against average: 2.92)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power play

Chicago (20.5 percent, 12th)

Winnipeg (25.5 percent, Fourth)

Penalty kill

Chicago (72.7 percent, 31st)

Winnipeg (79.0 percent, 23rd)

Shots for/against

Chicago (32.5, 11th; 34.5, 30th)

Winnipeg (31.0, 19th; 33.7, 29th)

Shooting percentage

Chicago (10.0 percent, Ninth)

Winnipeg (10.7 percent, Fourth)

Faceoff percentage

Chicago (49.4 percent, T-20th)

Winnipeg (50.7 percent, 11th)

Average height and weight

Chicago 6’1”, 195 lbs.

Winnipeg 6’2”, 201 lbs.

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–Dylan Sikura

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Drake Caggiula–Artem Anisimov–Patrick Kane

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

Winnipeg Jets

Nikolaj Ehlers–Mark Scheifele–Blake Wheeler

Kyle Connor–Kevin Hayes–Patrik Laine

Brandon Tanev–Adam Lowry–Bryan Little

Matt Hendricks–Andrew Copp–Mathieu Perreault

Nathan Beaulieu–Jacob Trouba

Dmitry Kulikov–Tyler Myers

Ben Chiarot–Sami Niku

Analysis

The Blackhawks’ playoff hopes have all but come to an end. The last few games now continue the tryout for spots on next year’s roster. Notables that will continue auditioning for positions include Brendan Perlini, Slater Koekkoek and John Hayden (assuming Hayden ever gets into a game).

The concerns for this team were put on display in Saturday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings. Defensemen being out of position was the highlight of the loss. It is clear what the primary need for this team in the offseason is.

The remaining schedule for the Blackhawks consists of four division rivals. Three home games against the Winnipeg Jets, St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars, followed by the season finale at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. If these remaining games are good for anything, it will be to measure where they stand against the playoff-qualifying Central Division teams.

The Jets are in a tie with the Nashville Predators at the top of the Central Division, with the Blues only two points back of both teams. The next week of play for the Jets will determine whether or not they earn a Central Division title or if they fall into a spot against either the Blues or Predators.

Although still a good team, the Jets have cooled off since their early season tear. This is a chance for the Blackhawks to play spoiler against the Jets. Winnipeg is arguably the most complete team in the division, however, the Blackhawks have a golden opportunity to take the Jets down a notch in the standings with a win on Monday evening.

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 Jets appeared first on The Rink.

9:30 p.m. CST
STAPLES Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (14–18–3, SV%: .908, GAA: 2.94)
Los Angeles – Jonathan Quick (15–22–7, SV%: .890, GAA: 3.31)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.8 percent, T-11th)
Los Angeles (16.0 percent, 27th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (72.8 percent, 31st)
Los Angeles (75.1 percent, 29th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.5, 12th; 34.6, 30th)
Los Angeles (28.6, 30th; 31.2, 14th)

Shooting Percentage
Chicago (10.0 percent, Eighth)
Los Angeles (8.4 percent, 28th)

Faceoff Percentage
Chicago (49.5 percent, T-20th)
Los Angeles (50.5 percent, 12th)

Average height and weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195 lbs.
Los Angeles 6’1”, 206 lbs.

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

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

Los Angeles Kings
Alex Iafallo–Anze Kopitar–Dustin Brown
Carl Grundstrom–Adrian Kempe–Tyler Toffoli
Kyle Clifford–Jeff Carter–Trevor Lewis
Austin Wagner–Mike Amadio–Jonny Brodzinski
Derek Forbort–Drew Doughty
Alec Martinez–Matt Roy
Sean Walker–Dion Phaneuf

Analysis

The Blackhawks playoff hopes are ever-dwindling as the season enters it’s twilight. The Blackhawks sit seven points out of a playoff position. Although not mathematically eliminated, the Blackhawks would need to win every game from here on out, and hope that the Avalanche, Wild and Coyotes all hit a late season skid. It’s not impossible, but it’s very unlikely that the Blackhawks will be playing in the postseason.

However, the Blackhawks will continue to play with that mindset, and try to win every game down the stretch. The final week of the season begins tonight as the Blackhawks visit the lowly Kings.

The Kings, who sit last in the Western Conference, may be without notable winger Ilya Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk is not hurt, he has been a healthy scratch in many recent games for the Kings. The former-star winger has had a tough first season of his three-year, $18.75 million contract.

The Kings focus as an organization is more likely focused on the NHL Entry Draft in June than the 78th game of a disastrous season for the team. Jack Hughes or Kappo Kakko would be welcomed additions to the Kings lineup. Odds are, the Kings will get a top two pick with their second-to-last record in the entire NHL.

Just because the Kings front office may have switched their focus, the players surely have not. This is the perfect opportunity for a lowly Kings team to more-or-less officially end the Blackhawks playoff dreams. Saturday night’s matchup sets up well for a trap game.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

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

9:30 p.m. CST

SAP Center at San Jose

TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (13–18–3, SV%: .909, GAA: 2.91)

San Jose – Martin Jones (34–17–5, SV%: .898, GAA: 2.91)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play

Chicago (20.5 percent, T-11th)

San Jose (23.8 percent, Sixth)

Penalty Kill

Chicago (73.1 percent, 31st)

San Jose (79.7 percent, 19th)

Shorts for/against

Chicago (32.6, T-11th; 34.7, 30th)

San Jose (33.4, Fourth; 28.4, Second)

Shooting Percentage

Chicago (9.9 percent, Ninth)

San Jose (10.6 percent, Sixth)

Faceoff Percentage

Chicago (49.4 percent, 21st)

San Jose (50.4 percent, 13th)

Average height and weight

Chicago 6’1”, 195 lbs.

San Jose 6’1”, 200 lbs.

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Alex DeBrincat–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Brendan Perlini–David Kampf–Dylan Strome

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dylan Sikura

Chris Kunitz–Marcus Kruger–Dominik Kahun

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

San Jose Sharks

Timo Meier–Logan Couture–Joe Pavelski

Evander Kane–Tomas Hertl–Gustav Nyquist

Marcus Sorensen–Joe Thornton–Kevin Labanc

Melker Karlsson–Barclay Goodrow–Joonas Donskoi

Marc-Edouard Vlasic–Brent Burns

Brenden Dillon–Justin Braun

Joakim Ryan–Tim Heed

Analysis

The Blackhawks began writing their eulogy on Tuesday night in Arizona as the Blackhawks dropped the contest 1–0. An offense that has been very good all season decided not to show up in a game that could ultimately seal their fate for the season. The Coyotes kept themselves very much in the hunt after Tuesday’s win.

Chicago now may focus on young players getting better looks and the impending draft lottery coming up. Perhaps the Blackhawks can luck out and sneak into the top five and draft a player who may be able to help the roster now, if not sooner than later.

The Sharks are on the complete opposite end from the Blackhawks in the playoff picture. The Sharks have already clinched their trip to the postseason and currently sit second to the Calgary Flames in the Pacific Division standings. Despite losing six straight games, the Sharks are still a much better team than the Blackhawks and should likely be able to use this game to get back to their winning ways.

The Sharks weak point this season has been goaltending. Although he has 34 wins, Martin Jones has struggled this year, posting a .898 save percentage and a 2.91 goals against average (GAA), which is identical to Corey Crawford’s GAA. This is one area the Blackhawks may be able to exploit and aid in continuing the Sharks bad losing streak.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

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

9:00pm CST
Gila River Arena
TV/Radio: WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (13–17–3, SV%: .908, GAA: 2.97)
Arizona – Darcy Kuemper (24–19–7, SV%: .921, GAA: 2.45)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.6%, 11th)
Arizona (16.7%, 23rd)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.3%, 31st)
Arizona (85.5%, 1st)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.6, 11th; 34.7, 30th)
Arizona (30.4, 22nd; 30.7, 12th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.1%, 8th)
Arizona (8.4%, 26th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.5%, T19th)
Arizona (47.4%, T29th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Arizona 6’1” 194lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Alex DeBrincat–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Brendan Perlini–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dylan Sikura

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

Arizona Coyotes

Richard Panik–Christian Dvorak–Clayton Keller

Lawson Crouse–Derek Stepan–Josh Archibald

Michael Grabner–Brad Richardson–Vinnie Hinostroza

Alex Galchenyuk–Nick Cousins–Conor Garland

Oliver Ekman-Larsson–Niklas Hjalmarsson

Alex Goligoski–Jason Demers

Jakob Chychrun–Jordan Oesterle

Analysis

The Blackhawks will pay a visit to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night, giving rise to yet another playoff-like match-up for the Blackhawks. After taking two valuable points on Sunday against the Avalanche, the Blackhawks are setting up for a chance, although very slim, at the playoffs.

The Blackhawks perfect scenario over the weekend would have been to take all four points from the Avalanche. Instead, the Blackhawks only took two points, while the Avalanche took three of a possible four and maintained a nice gap between themselves and the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks have dug themselves a pretty deep hole.

A wing and two points are critical against the Coyotes on Tuesday night. Otherwise, this team is as good as dead in the playoff race and can start focusing on a hopeful draft lottery surprise.

The Coyotes value this game just as much as the Blackhawks do. Sitting two points back of Colorado, the Coyotes need a win to keep pace with the Avalanche. Minnesota is nipping at the Coyotes’ heels, as are the Blackhawks, so the Coyotes need all the cushion they can get while trying to catch Colorado.

Darcy Kuemper, although very good this season, was lit up the last time the Coyotes played the Blackhawks. It will be intriguing to see which version of Kuemper shows up. If it’s the version who showed up in Chicago two weeks ago, the Blackhawks could be looking at another victory to keep their playoff dreams alive.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

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

7:00pm CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (14–11–4, SV%: .893, GAA: 3.72)
Colorado – Semyon Varlamov (19–18–9, SV%: .910, GAA: 2.86)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.4%, 14th)
Colorado (21.7%, 8th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.4%, 31st)
Colorado (77.9%, 27th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.5, 11th; 34.9, 30th)
Colorado (33.0, 5th; 31.7, T18th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.2%, 8th)
Colorado (9.6%, 13th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.4%, 21st)
Colorado (48.4%, 26th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Colorado 6’1” 201lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Dylan Sikura–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Colorado Avalanche

Derick Brassard–Nathan MacKinnon–J.T. Compher

Colin Wilson–Carl Soderberg–Mikko Rantanen

Alexander Kerfoot–Tyson Jost–Matt Calvert

Sven Andrighetto–Gabriel Bourque–Ryan Graves

Samuel Girard–Erik Johnson

Ian Cole–Tyson Barrie

Patrik Nemeth–Nikita Zadorov

Analysis

After yesterday’s disappointing loss, the Blackhawks now sit six points out of the final wild card spot after Colorado gained two points, now sitting at 80. Not only did Colorado better their position in the race, but Arizona and Minnesota both improved over the last two days and currently sit at 79 points in the standings. The gap that the Blackhawks need to make up has now grown larger.

Today’s game will show a lot about this Blackhawks team. If they are a playoff team, they will respond today and go into Arizona looking to take two points as well. Every game now down the stretch is truly the most important game of the season.

The Avalanche were able to capture two points yesterday despite missing both Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. It’s uncertain if Rantanen will play today, but whether he does or not, the Avalanche certainly have the edge going into this evening’s contest.

The Blackhawks will show who they truly are in this playoff race. Are they a contender or a pretender?

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 Avalanche appeared first on The Rink.

2:00pm CST
Pepsi Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (12–16–3, SV%: .908, GAA: 3.03)
Colorado – Semyon Varlamov (19–18–9, SV%: .910, GAA: 2.86)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.6%, 13th)
Colorado (21.8%, 8th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.3%, 31st)
Colorado (77.6%, 27th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.4, 12th; 35.0, 30th)
Colorado (33.1, 5th; 31.7, 19th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.2%, 7th)
Colorado (9.5%, 14th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.3%, 21st)
Colorado (48.4%, 26th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Colorado 6’1” 201lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Dylan Sikura–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Colorado Avalanche

Derick Brassard–Nathan MacKinnon–J.T. Compher

Colin Wilson–Carl Soderberg–Mikko Rantanen

Alexander Kerfoot–Tyson Jost–Matt Calvert

Sven Andrighetto–Gabriel Bourque–Ryan Graves

Samuel Girard–Erik Johnson

Ian Cole–Tyson Barrie

Patrik Nemeth–Nikita Zadorov

Analysis

The Blackhawks remain five points out of the second wild card position after the Minnesota Wild beat the Washington Capitals on Friday night. The two teams between the Blackhawks and that second wild card spot both have 78 points entering play today. The Coyotes have hit a small slide after being red-hot and the Avalanche have continued consistent play to remain in the hunt. The Blackhawks have an opportunity to pass the Avalanche with four points this weekend in the home-and-home that begins today.

It is no secret that the Blackhawks’ two most important games occur this weekend. At this point, every game is the most important. However, a possible four point swing in either direction can either enhance the Blackhawks’ playoff chances, or completely wipe them out of the playoff picture.

Key players will need to step up for the Blackhawks. With Drake Caggiula still injured, the lines that were once clicking during the Blackhawks long win streak have been split. The chemistry has been off, and the Blackhawks could use that consistency once again to remain in the hunt. Therefore, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat and Brandon Saad will need to provide a lot of offense if the rest of the team cannot provide the necessary depth.

The Colorado Avalanche sit one point back of the Minnesota Wild entering play on Saturday. The Avalanche have won 5 of their last 7 games, allowing them to cement themselves in the playoff picture. It currently looks like a three team race for the second wild card spot with Minnesota, Arizona and Colorado all within one point of each other. The Blackhawks can quickly change that this weekend, however, if they can steal four points from the Avalanche.

The Avalanche are short-handed without captain Gabriel Landeskog. Landeskog was injured a few weeks ago with an upper body injury. His loss was a major loss to the Avalanche, not only because of his off-ice presence, but because Landeskog set a career high in points (69) despite only playing in 68 games.

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 Avalanche appeared first on The Rink.

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

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Corey Crawford (12–15–3, SV%: .907, GAA: 3.06)
Philadelphia – Carter Hart (14–10–1, SV%: .919, GAA: 2.73)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (20.8%, 12th)
Philadelphia (16.7%, 23rd)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.1%, 31st)
Philadelphia (78.6%, 25th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (32.4, 12th; 35.1, 30th)
Philadelphia (31.5, 18th; 32.4, T21st)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.3%, 7th)
Philadelphia (9.6%, 12th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.3%, T21st)
Philadelphia (54.9%, 1st)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Philadelphia 6’1” 197lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Dylan Sikura–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Brendan Perlini

Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Dominik Kahun

Chris Kunitz–David Kampf–Marcus Kruger

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Gustav Forsling–Brent Seabrook

Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy

Philadelphia Flyers

Oskar Lindblom–Sean Couturier–Jakub Voracek

James Van Riemsdyk–Nolan Patrick–Claude Giroux

Michael Raffl–Scott Laughton–Travis Konecny

Phil Varone–Corban Knight–Ryan Hartman

Ivan Provorov–Travis Sanheim

Andrew MacDonald–Shayne Gostisbehere

Robert Hagg–Radko Gudas

Analysis

After dropping a heart-breaker against the Canucks on Monday, the Blackhawks return to game action on home ice against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. The Blackhawks left a big point on the table against the Canucks and there’s little doubt the players are feeling the regret of not capturing that second point.

The Canucks presented the perfect “trap game” scenario for the Blackhawks who, on paper, are clearly the better team. However, despite playing the night before, the Canucks came out as the better team for most of the game.

The Blackhawks currently sit four points back of the Coyotes for the final wild card spot. There is no doubt that Thursday’s game is important, especially with the two games this weekend on the horizon against the Colorado Avalanche.

The Philadelphia Flyers are in a similar position to the Blackhawks. The Flyers are six points out of the final wild card spot in the East and, despite being sellers at the deadline, have continued to play well enough to remain in the hunt.

A pleasant surprise for the Flyers has been young goaltender Carter Hart. The 20-year old goalie has given stability to the Flyers’ goaltending situation, after the team set the record for most goalies used in a season with eight.

The Flyers have just as much to play for as the Blackhawks do. There is no doubt the Flyers and former Blackhawks forward Ryan Hartman will come out “guns-a-blazing” on Thursday. It’s up to the Blackhawks to play the way they did in the final ten minutes of regulation against Vancouver in order to win these meaningful games down the stretch in hopes of making the playoffs.

Comment below in our live game thread tonight!

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

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

The Blackhawks are still trying out numerous players who’s futures are uncertain with the club going into next year. Notable players in the lineup that fit that bill include Brendan Perlini, Dylan Sikura, Dominik Kahun and Gustav Forsling. The lineup for the game was as follows:

Saad – Toews – Sikura

DeBrincat – Strome – Perlini

Kahun – Anisimov – Kane

Kunitz – Kampf – Kruger

Keith – Gustafsson

Forsling – Seabrook

Dahlstrom – Murphy

Crawford

First Period:

The first period began with the home team falling behind quickly to the boys from the desert. Under five minutes into the game, a ring-around attempt from Carl Dahlstrom hit the referee and was picked up by the Coyotes. Richard Panik found the puck in front, held on just long enough to get Corey Crawford out of position, and buried his 12th goal of the season to make it 1-0 early.

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/1105269217870393344

Under three minutes later, Alex DeBrincat outletted a pass to Brent Seabrook on the right wing boards near the red line. Seabrook quickly found Brendan Perlini at the blue line going in with a solid pass. The pass was slightly tipped, but Perlini still found himself on a breakaway and he beat Darcy Kuemper to tie the game.

Brendan Perlini scores against his former team … pic.twitter.com/9Jbm77vWb0

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) March 12, 2019

Less than two minutes after Perlini’s tally, the Blackhawks struck again. Jonathan Toews made a sweet move on the right wing side of the ice to shake his defender. Upon creating space for himself, he put a perfect pass on the tape of Brandon Saad standing right outside the blue paint. Saad tipped the puck past Kuemper to give the Blackhawks the 2-1 lead.

Brandon Saad gives the #Blackhawks a 2-1 lead … great play by Toews to set him up. pic.twitter.com/sAhYGin7aI

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) March 12, 2019

Despite the Blackhawks controlling play for the rest of the period, the Blackhawks could not generate anymore offense and took their 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Second Period:

The Blackhawks would not stop the scoring in the middle frame. Just over three minutes into the second, Brendan Perlini added his second tally of the game. Dominik Kahun dug a puck out of the corner and found Dylan Strome on the right side of the slot. Strome quickly found an oncoming Perlini who snapped the puck glove side on Kuemper to put the Blackhawks up 3-1.

Strome and Perlini team up to give the #Blackhawks a 2-Goal lead https://t.co/ZMMV2kzZdC

— Four Feathers Podcast (@FourFeathersPod) March 12, 2019

With the “second line” clicking, it was time for other lines to step up and continue the scoring. About three minutes after taking a 3-1 lead, the Blackhawks fourth line got involved on offense. After a scrum out in front of Darcy Kuemper, David Kampf picked up the loose puck and sent a backhand pass from the right wing side of the crease to the low slot. The puck ended up perfectly on Chris Kunitz’s stick and he had an easy tap-in for the 4-1 lead.

Chris Kunitz has a wide-open net thanks to Kampf's pass … 4-1 #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/KoxvHv7C6u

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) March 12, 2019

The goal would be the last puck Kuemper saw for the night, as he was pulled in favor of Calvin Pickard.

The Blackhawks were able to take advantage of turnovers by the Coyotes. After almost nine minutes passed in the period, Dominik Kahun forced a turnover in front of the Coyotes’ net and dropped the puck back to Patrick Kane. Kane quickly found Artem Anisimov on the other side of the slot, and without hesitation, Anisimov sent the puck back to Kane for an easy goal giving Patrick Kane 41 goals on the year and the Blackhawks a 5-1 lead.

That. Was. Dirty.

Showtime makes it 5-1 #Blackhawks on #AuthenticFan Night!

STREAM: https://t.co/gkAxyp6eDc pic.twitter.com/OdoEHFGgEu

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 12, 2019

The play was perfectly set up by the “third line”. It is certainly encouraging when all lines are clicking the way they were tonight.

Before the period ended, the Blackhawks added yet another tally on the board. This time, Jonathan Toews was hooked by young defenseman Jakob Chychrun when going in on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. On the attempt, Toews went five hole on Pickard and scored his 30th of the season to make it 6-1 heading into the second intermission.

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/1105288393561395200

Third Period:

The third period was quiet in comparison to the first two frames. Fans thought they’d be able to see a hat trick as Brendan Perlini had yet another breakaway in the third, only for the puck to squeak through Pickard and sit on the goal line. The goal would have been Perlini’s 11th of the year and 3rd of the night. However, fans would have to wait.

Brendan Perlini's hat trick bid sits still on the goal line … wow. pic.twitter.com/5OAlxO1zVz

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) March 12, 2019

As time was winding down, the Blackhawks took one last rush up the ice. Alex DeBrincat gained possession of a high toss into the zone from Connor Murphy. Despite DeBrincat easily being able to shoot, DeBrincat found Perlini for his third goal of the night with only three seconds remaining to give Perlini his first career hat trick against his old team.

#AuthenticFan hats on the ice!

Brendan Perlini scores his 3rd of the night with 3.6 seconds left. pic.twitter.com/qIi7hOdvAa

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 12, 2019

The Blackhawks take the 7-1 victory against a good team full of familiar faces. The Coyotes still sit one point out of the playoffs and the Blackhawks sit five points out of a playoff spot.

Quick Hits:

• Former Coyotes: Brendan Perlini and Dylan Strome certainly had something to prove Monday night against their former team. Perlini registered his first career hat trick, nearly tallying four goals, and Strome tallied one assist in the Blackhawks’ win. Strome found his game quickly after the trade to Chicago, but it is nice seeing Perlini get hot down the stretch as he is playing for a new contract after this season. It’s safe to say the Blackhawks will be interested in returning the big winger after his late season performance.
• The Return of Kampf: David Kampf has been excellent since he returned from injury. The fourth line has been noticeable both on the score-sheet and all over the ice. It is clear that Kampf, Kruger and Kunitz have good chemistry and they delivered with a big goal from Kunitz tonight.
• Playoffs?: The Blackhawks are mathematically still in the playoff race. They would need a lot of help, but these last three games have shown the Blackhawks can be a good team. They have only given up a combined three goals over those three games and Corey Crawford looks like a starting goaltender once again. It will be intriguing to see what happens with the Blackhawks down the stretch.  

The Blackhawks travel to Canada on Wednesday, March 13th, to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena. Puck drop is at 6:00pm CST.  

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Crush Coyotes 7-1 appeared first on The Rink.

I am here to tell you something that you might find surprising coming from the “noted Stan Bowman basher.” The Blackhawks standing pat yesterday is good for the long term future of this team. Certainly, better than most of the alternatives, that is.

Welcome back…

This is exactly the scenario John Jaeckel, Tyler Cameron and I spoke about on last week’s Rinkcast. Outside of a few big names, at the all wrong positions, there was not much of a market for what the Blackhawks need. Defense comes at a premium price and an even higher price at the deadline. Rather than pillaging what little depth they have in the system; Stan Bowman chose to survive to fight another day.

I can respect that.

Another thing that this told me is that maybe (just maybe) the front office was smart enough to not buy into this recent playoff nonsense and were able to look at this team from 30,000 feet. The Blackhawks are a team using several improbable hot streaks to make their team look better than any of the supporting statistics. To put it bluntly, the defense is far too bad to fix with a panicked over payment at the deadline.

The Blackhawks need to be smarter than everyone else. Like I have been saying for weeks, they need to be shrewd with their moves. Sometimes shrewd means packing up your briefcase and calling it a day.

Still, the internet (and casual fan) outrage is almost embarrassing. There is simply too much irrational outrage over this year’s lack of deadline moves. Either people are not properly informed, or they just want the team to make moves for the sake of making moves. Regardless of need or common sense.

Let me debunk some myths and meatball outrage that’s floating around this wonderful thing called the internet.

The Hawks could have and should have made and offer for Mark Stone.

Sure. They might have been able to put together a comparable deal to what Vegas did in acquiring the former Ottawa wing. He is a great player. I cannot deny that. Mark Stone is definitely an upgrade over Dominik Kahun, Dylan Sikura, or John Hayden. The question is: Does Mark Stone, alone, make this team a legit Stanley Cup contender?

No, he does not.

Mark Stone can put a very good team in the conversation as a contender. Much like another meatball pipe dream, Artemi Panarin, Mark Stone does nothing to help keep the puck out of the back of the Blackhawks net. This is not the only conundrum, though. If the Blackhawks were to “beat” the Vegas offer, it would have started with a deal resembling Adam Boqvist, David Kampf (who is injured), and a second-round draft pick. This also takes absolutely nothing else into account.

One would have to assume that if the Senators were going to deal Stone, it was going to be to a legit cup contender. Not some house of smoke and mirrors that will most likely end up in the lottery before the playoffs. Then the only thing you’re really acquiring is the right to sign Stone to an extra eight year on a long-term deal. Is giving up your top prospect worth still getting swept in the first round or not making the playoffs at all?

No, it is absolutely NOT worth it.

Another thing that the casual observers are discounting is that Mark Stone is a top line right wing that will make roughly $9.5M (we’ll talk about this later) and expects to play 20 plus minutes a night. Guess who else is a top line right wing that makes $10.5M and expects to play 22 plus minutes a night?

Patrick Kane.

There is simply not enough time in a game to accommodate these players. One of these players would have to cut their time significantly and when you’re paying $20M for two players, that is a tough pill to swallow. I promise you Patrick Kane is not getting pulled off the ice for anyone.

The Blackhawks top six of Caggiula, Toews, Kane, DeBrincat, Strome and Kahun is pretty solid. Keep in mind, this scenario still has Brandon Saad playing on the third line. If you swap Saad for Caggiula, that’s an even more solid top six. Mark Stone is a very nice player, if you don’t have Patrick Kane. Would he ever earn his keep? Probably not.

The last point that needs to be brought up is the tax-vs-salary implications. Now, I am certainly no accountant but this might add a wrinkle into the “supposed” UFA deal Stan Bowman could have offered Stone.

Quick note on Stone’s new 8-year, $9.5M AAV deal… Vegas has no state tax. That’s equivalent to almost $13M in Ottawa

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) February 25, 2019

In Illinois, this would equate to approximately $350,000. Little things make a difference.

This brings me back to my original point. Who is helping to keep the Blackhawks from facing 35 shots a night and the most high-danger chances against in the league? Not a right wing, that’s for sure. Can he help? Certainly “some“, but not enough to drop a second mortgage on the United Center.

Why didn’t the Hawks trade for the defenseman/defensemen they need? Buncha failures!

My gripe with the casual outrage on this subject is that the market for defenseman was either nonexistent or grossly overpriced. The defensemen that were moved Monday were Nick Jensen, Ben Lovejoy, Connor Carrick, Brandon Montour, Adam McQuaid, Oscar Fantenberg, Erik Gudbranson, Bogdan Kiselevich, and Chris Wideman. Do any of these guys keep the puck out of the Blackhawks net?

Maybe; but probably not. They are certainly not worth over paying to acquire and none of them make this current Blackhawks team a legit cup contender.

Bowman would be better off dealing at the draft, or during the summer, to acquire defensemen. He will get better market value and will have more roster flexibility. I said this on twitter yesterday, but it looks to me that the front office took a “lose-without-losing-on-purpose” mentality. We should all be OK with this.

Where I would have liked to see some movement is players that don’t have a place with the team going forward, like Gustav Forsling, but not worth making an issue over. Let’s see what Bowman does at the draft in June before we freak out, eh?

The post Analysis: How Did Stan Bowman do at the Trade Deadline? appeared first on The Rink.

In goal, Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton went back to Collin Delia, after a tough night against the Senators earlier in the week, while Jared Bednar had Semyon Varlamov backstopping his Avalanche.

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

Duncan Keith – Henri Jokiharju
Gustav Forsling – Connor Murphy
Slater Koekkoek – Erik Gustafsson

Due to defenseman Brent Seabrook’s abdominal injury and Carl Dahlstrom coming down with a flu-like illness, Henri Jokiharju was recalled from Rockford on and emergency basis to fill the roster.

Period One
Neither team showed the other much until the game was over five minutes old. The line of Caggiula/Toews/Kane got the first serious scoring chances of the game, but the Colorado goaltender kept the game scoreless. This opened up the ice a bit, and both teams traded odd man rushes. Again, the goalies stayed tough and held the game scoreless.

The scoreless tie stayed that way as the Blackhawks took the first penalty of the night, in their own end, and trotted out their last ranked penalty kill. Blackhawks center Dylan Strome had a prime opportunity following the Avs power play, but missed the gaping net and was denied by the goal post.

With roughly four minutes left in the first period, Patrick Kane had time and space to size up Semyon Varlamov, but wasn’t able to beat the veteran goaltender. As a result, the Colorado offense turned the play around and created an odd man break back the Blackhawks way. Carl Soderberg took a pass and blew right past Blackhawks defenseman Erik Gustafsson, beating goalie Collin Delia for a 1-0 Avalanche lead.

Carl Soderberg just scored his 20th goal of the season!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/f6QojzhUMC

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 23, 2019

Veteran wing Chris Kunitz took a late tripping penalty that put the Avalanche on the power play once again, with under two minutes remaining in the first period. Thankfully, the Hawks penalty kill was able to ward off the Colorado man advantage.

Despite going into the intermission down 1-0, the Blackhawks led in shots on net, 16-11.

Period Two
After killing off two power plays in the first period, the Blackhawks came out and gave Colorado yet another powerplay, shortly into the second period. Once again, the Blackhawks killed the advantage off, even getting a good shorthanded chance off a broken play that Varlamov made an excellent save on.

W W#VarlyVarly #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/xRlVKdPtG5

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) February 23, 2019

Halfway through the middle period, it was time for the Blackhawks to try their luck with a man advantage and were much more successful.

After a few failed entries, they were able to set up in the Colorado zone. Erik Gustafsson’s long, off-balance shot ended up hitting the end boards and landed right on Dylan Strome’s stick. Strome pounded the puck past the goaltender and the game was tied 1-1. This was Strome’s 37th point (and 10th power play point) in his 38th Blackhawks game.

The Blackhawks’ Slater Koekoek took a penalty after getting beat one-on-one in his own end, which put them back on the penalty kill for the fourth time. Artem Anisimov found himself on a shorthanded break-a-way, but Varlamov beat him. Shortly thereafter, with two minutes left in the period, JT Compher took a nice feed in the slot, and snapped a top shelf shot over the blocker of Collin Delia.

Not to be out done, the dynamic duo of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane dominated the Avalanche defense for a good 30 seconds, and it resulted in Kane facing a wide open net with 28.9 seconds remaining in the period. Kane extended his point streak with his 39th goal of the season.

Shots favored the Blackhawks once again in the second period, 13-11.

.@JonathanToews making it happen with the pass. pic.twitter.com/MaEV120Q5B

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) February 23, 2019

Period Three
Three and a half minutes into the third period Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog wheeled through the Blackhawks zone and was able to get around both Jonathan Toews and Henri Jokiharju to snap a shot over Delia’s shoulder. This gave the visitors a 3-2 lead with plenty of time left to play.

Three minutes later, Patrick Kane drew a terrible penalty by Tyson Jost to put the Blackhawks back on the man advantage. This time, though, the Blackhawks were not as resourceful and the Avs killed off the power play.

The Avalanche took another penalty moments later and this time in the Blackhawks zone. Chicago went right back to work and tied the game up at the ten-minute mark. Erik Gustafsson’s long shot made it on-net, this time, and the save was made but Alex DeBrincat scooped up the rebound and beat Varlamov for his 34th goal of the season.

#Purr pic.twitter.com/0oGwZuWqaJ

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 23, 2019

Moments later, the Avs’ defense intercepted a bad Slater Koekkoek pass and sent J.T. Compher in on a break-a-way. Compher faced in and beat Delia but hit the goal post. The puck went off the post, off Delia’s backside and into the net.

Tough break for the pairing of Gustafsson and Koekkoek.

The Blackhawks ended up back on the power play with less than two minutes remaining in regulation and their goaltender pulled. They had plenty of pressure but Semyon Varlamov made some excellent saves and Carl Soderberg scored a short-handed empty net goal to give the Avalanche a big division win.

Pluses

• Patrick Kane has just been playing at an insane level.  He had 13 shots on net and a goal in 24:46.
• Dylan Strome has just been outstanding for the Blackhawks.  He is exactly what the top six needed to get this team rolling.
• I cannot figure out how this team has been so bad for so long on the power play, YET, it seems like Jeremy Colliton and his staff has found the magical solution to their problem.
• For the first time in a long time, the Blackhawks gave up fewer than 35 shots on net (31).

Minuses

• Marcus Kruger was hurt blocking a shot on the penalty kill and did not return.
• The were bound to level out and this was one of those “leveled” games.
• The aforementioned Slater Koekkoek and Erik Gustafsson were each -2 on the night.
• Dylan Sikura, anyone?  This kid’s major upside is, allegedly, his offence and he’s providing none of it.  Anisimov and Saad had moments but their linemate was almost invisible.
• This wasn’t Collin Delia’s best game, and he might want one of those goals back, but he was not the reason the Blackhawks dropped this one.  Semyon Varlamov stole this game at the other end of the ice.

The post RECAP: Avalanche Beat the Blackhawks 5-3 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.

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

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (11–8–4, SV%: .895, GAA: 3.67)
New Jersey – Cory Schneider (0–6–2, SV%: .868, GAA: 4.12)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (21.1%, 12th)
New Jersey (18.8%, 17th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.5%, 31st)
New Jersey (84.0%, 4th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.4, 19th; 35.3, 30th)
New Jersey (31.4, 20th; 31.5, 19th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.3%, 10th)
New Jersey (9.2%, 19th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.6%, 17th)
New Jersey (48.5%, 25th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
New Jersey 6’1” 195lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Brandon Saad–Marcus Kruger–Dylan Sikura

Chris Kunitz–Artem Anisimov–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Gustav Forsling–Erik Gustafsson

New Jersey Devils

Joey Anderson–Nico Hischier–Jesper Bratt

Marcus Johansson–Travis Zajac–Kyle Palmieri

Kenny Agostino–Pavel Zacha–Nick Lappin

Brett Seney–Kevin Rooney–Kurtis Gabriel

Andy Greene–Damon Severson

Will Butcher–Ben Lovejoy

Mirco Mueller–Eric Gryba

Analysis

After seven wins, the Blackhawks win-streak was snapped in Boston on Tuesday night. The Blackhawks welcome the lowly Devils to the United Center on Thursday night for a Valentine’s Day showdown.

Chris Kunitz will likely take Brendan Perlini’s place in the lineup, as tonight’s game will mark the 1,000th of Kunitz’s career. The Blackhawks have had the ability to host two of these ceremonies in the last calendar year, as both Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith reached their 1,000th games with the team.

The Blackhawks will look to start a new win-streak on Thursday evening. Cory Schneider (unless there is a last minute change) will be starting in net. His poor stat line may be deceiving, but the Devils have struggled as a team this year, so Thursday presents a great opportunity for the Blackhawks to get back on track.

The Devils are licking their wounds as they enter Thursday’s matchup. Their 8-3 loss to the Blues was not nearly as close as suggested. The Devils were completely manhandled by the red-hot Blues, and look to avoid such an outcome against the Blackhawks, fresh off their seven-game win-streak. In the Devils’ last seven games, they are 2-4-1, helping them slip to within three points of the Ottawa Senators and the best odds to win the draft lottery.

The Devils will still be without their MVP and perennial superstar, Taylor Hall, for Thursday’s game. Although expected back sooner than later, the Devils lack a huge presence in their lineup.

A small bright spot for the Devils’ organization is the homecoming for forward Kenny Agostino. Agostino spent time this year with the Canadiens, after time last season with the Bruins organization and the Blues organization before that, before being claimed off waivers by his hometown team. The former AHL leading scorer will look to help his hometown club rebound after his first game with the club did not go so well on Tuesday.

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 Devils appeared first on The Rink.

6:00pm CST
TD Garden
TV/Radio: NBCSN/NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Collin Delia (6–2–3, SV%: .923, GAA: 2.98)
Boston – Tuukka Rask (17–8–4, SV%: .922, GAA: 2.36)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (21.5%, 10th)
Boston (26.4%, 3rd)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.9%, 31st)
Boston (80.0%, T16th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.5, 17th; 35.3, 30th)
Boston (33.1, 6th; 30.7, 12th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.2%, 10th)
Boston (8.7%, 26th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.7%, 17th)
Boston (51.3%, 8th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 195lbs
Boston 6’1” 197lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun

Brandon Saad–Marcus Kruger–Brendan Perlini

Chris Kunitz–Artem Anisimov–John Hayden

Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson

Boston Bruins

Brad Machand–Patrice Bergeron–Danton Heinen

Peter Cehlarik–David Krejci–David Pastrnak

Jake DeBrusk–Sean Kuraly–David Backes

Joakim Nordstrom–Noel Acciari–Chris Wagner

Zdeno Chara–Charlie McAvoy

Torey Krug–Kevan Miller

John Moore–Brandon Carlo

Analysis

This Winter Classic re-match features a red-hot Chicago Blackhawks team taking on one of the top Eastern Conference teams, the Boston Bruins. The Blackhawks are riding a seven-game win streak heading into Boston on Tuesday evening. The key so far to the Blackhawks success has been the play of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome, who all rank in the top four in league scoring since January 20th.

On the heels of a brand-new three-year contract extension, Collin Delia is likely to man the crease when the Blackhawks travel to beantown. Delia was rewarded for his strong play so far this season with a three-year/$3 million extension, paying him an AAV of $1 million a season. This contract may prove to be a gamechanger for Stan Bowman, as he has now locked up a possible future number one goalie for this team at an insanely good price.

Another move that grabbed the attention of Blackhawks’ fans was the promotion of forward Dylan Sikura from Rockford. Sikura is currently the leading scorer in Rockford and will serve as the Blackhawks’ 13th forward, after playing numerous games with only 12 forwards on the roster. Sikura may draw into Tuesday’s contest against Boston, likely taking the place of either Brendan Perlini or Chris Kunitz.

The Bruins are not an easy win for this red-hot Blackhawks team. The Bruins currently sit in third place in the Atlantic Division, only one point back of the second-place Maple Leafs. They have won four of their last five games, taking points in all five of those games (their only loss was a shootout loss to the first-place New York Islanders). Expect the Bruins to come out flying, especially with the chance to leapfrog the Maple Leafs in the standings.

Much like the Blackhawks, the Bruins’ scoring has come from a select number of players. David Pastrnak leads the team with 66 points followed by Brad Marchand who has 65. They are followed by Patrice Bergeron (51), David Krejci (43) and Torey Krug (39). After those five players, the next highest scorer is Jake DeBrusk with 19 points. The key to a Blackhawks win on Tuesday night will be shutting down the big guns in the Bruins’ top six.  

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 Bruins appeared first on The Rink.

2:00pm CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Collin Delia (6–2–3, SV%: .923, GAA: 2.98)
Detroit – Jonathan Bernier (6–12–2, SV%: .898, GAA: 3.34)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (21.8%, 10th)
Detroit (16.6%, 23rd)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.6%, 31st)
Detroit (77.3%, 25th)

Shots for/against
Chicago (31.5, 16th; 35.1, 30th)
Detroit (29.3, 25th; 32.8, 26th)

Shooting %
Chicago (10.2%, 11th)
Detroit (9.4%, 17th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.7%, 17th)
Detroit (51.2%, T8th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197lbs
Detroit 6’2” 203lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Drake Caggiula–Jonathan Toews–Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat–Dylan Strome–Dominik Kahun
Brandon Saad–Artem Anisimov–Brendan Perlini
Chris Kunitz–Marcus Kruger–John Hayden
Duncan Keith–Brent Seabrook
Slater Koekkoek–Connor Murphy
Gustav Forsling–Erik Gustafsson

Detroit Red Wings

Justin Abdelkader–Dylan Larkin–Gustav Nyquist
Thomas Vanek–Frans Nielsen–Anthony Mantha
Darren Helm–Luke Glendening–Andreas Athanasiou
Michael Rasmussen–Jacob de la Rose–Christoffer Ehn
Niklas Kronwall–Mike Green
Dan Dekeyser–Nick Jensen
Jonathan Ericsson–Dennis Cholowski

Analysis

The Blackhawks have now won six-straight games thanks to their victory over the Vancouver Canucks in overtime on Thursday night. After two days off, the refreshed Blackhawks will welcome their old Western Conference foe, the Detroit Red Wings, to the United Center for Sunday matinée hockey.

The key thus far to the Blackhawks streak has been good goaltending mixed with quality offense. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are both outpacing their scoring totals from last season and huge seasons from former Erie teammates Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat have propelled the Blackhawks thus far. If the Blackhawks truly want to compete for a playoff spot, they will need better scoring from the bottom six. Currently, Brandon Saad is the only player playing in the bottom six who has more than 25 points.

The Red Wings enter Sunday’s contest on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Red Wings lost in Buffalo on Saturday 3-1 to the Sabres. The Red Wings have now lost two-straight games after winning three-straight games dating back to January 22nd.

The Blackhawks need to take advantage of a tired Red Wings team. Detroit’s top-two scorers should pose some concern for the Blackhawks defense. Dylan Larkin leads the team with 52 points and is one of the fastest players in the NHL. He will certainly make the Blackhawks defense look foolish if he is given too much space. Gustav Nyquist can also prove to be dangerous if he is given space. In order for the Blackhawks to improve to seven-straight victories, they will need to nullify Detroit’s top-two forwards.

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 Red Wings 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.

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

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (7–8–4, SV%: .884, GAA: 3.99)
New York – Robin Lehner (15–7–3, SV%: .930, GAA: 2.02)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (19.2%, 19th)
New York (16.9%, 24th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.8%, 31st)
New York (79.7%, 18th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.2, 18th; 35.0, 30th)
New York (28.1, 29th; 30.3, 9th)

Shooting %
Chicago (9.8%, 15th)
New York (10.6%, 8th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.9%, T-16th)
New York (48.3%, T-23rd)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197lbs
New York 6’2” 209lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

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

Henri Jokiharju–Connor Murphy

Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson

New York Islanders

Anders Lee–Brock Nelson–Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier–Mathew Barzal–Josh Bailey

Michael Dal Colle–Valtteri Filppula–Leo Komarov

Matt Martin–Casey Cizikas–Cal Clutterbuck

Nick Leddy–Johnny Boychuk

Adam Pelech–Ryan Pulock

Devon Toews–Scott Mayfield

Analysis

The Blackhawks enter Tuesday’s game after a huge win over the Washington Capitals, 8-5, at the United Center. The top players for the Blackhawks came to play, as their top 5 goal scorers (Kane, Toews, DeBrincat, Saad, Strome) all scored in the impressive win over the defending champs. There’s no doubt that the game was tough. Collin Delia, although sensational, faced 39 shots. This has been right in line with the average number of shots that the young goaltender has seen since being recalled. It’s difficult to stop every puck when you face 40 shots per game. Impressively, Delia still has a save percentage north of .920 (albeit a 3.00 GAA) which sheds light on how good he has been given how bad the defense has been (30th in the league in shots on goal against).

Patrick Kane looks to continue his hot streak after taking home the NHL Third Star of the Week honors. Kane has 20 points in the month of January and 10 points in his last three games. The Blackhawks will enter the All Star break (and their mandatory week-long break) after Tuesday’s game, returning to action on Friday, February 1st in Buffalo, New York to take on the Sabres.

Since their last meeting with the Blackhawks on January 3rd, the Islanders have been the hottest team in hockey. The Islanders are 8-2 in the month of January, thanks to great depth scoring and quality goal-tending. The tandem of Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss have been sensational behind Barry Trotz’s defensive scheme and eight (yes, you read that right) players with ten goals or more.

The Islanders look to maintain their lead on the Metropolitan division with their ninth win in the first month of 2019. It’s a tight race at the top of the “Metro” with the Islanders, Capitals, Blue Jackets and Penguins all within four points of each other in the Eastern Conference standings. The Islanders will also enter their mandatory break after Tuesday’s game, returning on Friday, February 1st to take on the NHL’s best, the Tampa Bay Lightning, in the Big Apple.

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. Islanders appeared first on The Rink.

Jeremy Colliton really changed up the lines during Saturday’s practice, keeping those same lines for Sunday’s game. Noticeable changes include Chris Kunitz entering the lineup, as well as Slater Koekkoek playing over Henri Jokiharju. The lines were as follows:

Caggiula – Toews – Kane

DeBrincat – Strome – Kahun

Saad – Kampf – Kruger

Kunitz – Anisimov – Hayden

Keith – Seabrook

Dahlstrom – Murphy

Koekkoek – Gustafsson

Delia

Brendan Perlini entered concussion protocol over the weekend, so his status remains uncertain.

First Period:

The first period began with the Capitals pacing play. An early Capitals power play could have given the visitors an early lead. Instead, the Capitals played on the outside and didn’t get any quality opportunities on Collin Delia, and the game remained deadlocked with no score.

Six minutes into the first, the Blackhawks’ new third line broke out on a rush up the ice, with Brandon Saad leading the charge. Saad danced around one defender, crossed the blue line and walked the young defenseman Madison Bowey, before putting the puck past Braden Holtby’s blocker for a 1-0 Chicago lead.

Brandon Saad took the puck ALL THE WAY HOME! pic.twitter.com/VKExZbqn2l

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 20, 2019

The Blackhawks’ fun wouldn’t stop there. Just over a minute later, the Capitals had a major defensive breakdown. Patrick Kane found himself wide open in the high slot. Kane held the puck, picked his spot and fired home his 28th goal of the season to make it 2-0 Blackhawks. Credit has to go to Drake Caggiula on the play, as he had a perfect screen on Holtby. The Capitals’ goaltender stood no chance with Kane wide open and not having a clean look at the puck.

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/1087045064801640448

As the period neared its last five minutes, the Capitals were able to get one back. Defenseman Brooks Orpik threw a shot on Collin Delia that glanced off of his body and into the net. The goal was Orpik’s second of the year and the Capitals halved the Blackhawks lead 2-1.

Around 30 seconds later, (yes, seconds) the Blackhawks added their third goal of the first period, with some help from Dmitri Orlov. The Blackhawks top line generated some chances before a puck found its way up into the air in front of Braden Holtby. Orlov attempted to swat the puck over the net, but after whiffing on that chance, the puck floated into the net behind Holtby for the Blackhawks’ third goal of the period. Despite Orlov putting the puck in, Toews was the last Blackhawks player to touch the puck so he was credited with his 19th of the season.

That is a #Blackhawks goal by Dmitry Orlov pic.twitter.com/8Ub3CvhHQc

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 20, 2019

The Blackhawks took the 3-1 lead into the first intermission. Only 9 first period shots led to the three goals for the Blackhawks.

Second Period:

The Blackhawks didn’t stop the goal scoring to open the second period. After a Capitals turnover, Dylan Strome skated up ice with the puck. Once he entered the Capitals’ zone, Strome drew four defenders’ attention and found a wide-open Alex DeBrincat, who fired home his 25th goal of the season. DeBrincat’s goal was the last shot Braden Holtby would see as he was pulled for Phoenix Copley.

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/1087056673330655237

The middle portion of the period was defined by chippiness and extra-curricular activities between both teams. Notably, Alex Ovechkin took a run at Patrick Kane and Connor Murphy retaliated. Tom Wilson and Duncan Keith also exchanged shoves and a nice hip check from Keith drew more attention from Wilson. Brent Seabrook was involved as well, all leading up to one big “party in the sin bin” for both teams.

PARTY IN THE SIN BIN https://t.co/4GnfziJtaS

— Ron Luce (@LuceOnTap) January 20, 2019

With under five minutes remaining, another weak goal helped the Capitals crawl back into the game. As the Capitals tried establishing position in the offensive zone, Dmitri Orlov fired a shot from a bad angle, almost fully in the corner to Delia’s right. The puck had eyes and found a small opening on Delia to make the game 4-2.

Third Period:

The early portion of the third period made it seem as if the Capitals were going to rally. Only three minutes in to the third, John Carlson capitalized for his 7th goal of the season. A big face-off win for the Capitals led to Carlson’s monster one timer that found the corner over Delia’s shoulder.

Following Washington’s third goal, Nicklas Backstrom went to the penalty box and sent the red-hot Blackhawks power play onto the ice. This would prove to not be a good idea for the Capitals. Just over 10 seconds into the power play, Jonathan Toews found Patrick Kane at the right-wing face off dot, after Kane settled the puck, he fired the puck through Copley’s underarm to make the game 5-3.

The #Blackhawks power play stays
Patrick Kane stays
The Blackhawks lead 5-3 pic.twitter.com/DrOhI1Ijad

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 20, 2019

Four minutes later, Patrick Kane made a great play in the defensive zone to get the puck out to a flying Jonathan Toews. Toews and Drake Caggiula had a 2-on-1 from the red line in. The Captain kept the puck and fired a laser to Copley’s stick side to further the Blackhawks lead, 6-3. The goal was Toews’ 20th of the season, his 12th straight year of accomplishing that feat.

Jonathan Toews makes it 6-3. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Zg9RnJ7wjj

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) January 20, 2019

However, the momentum began to shift in favor of the visitors. Two goals at the ten and thirteen-minute marks gave the Capitals some life and cut the Blackhawks’ lead to 6-5. To that point, all five goals for the Capitals came from defensemen as Carlson scored his second and Niskanen scored his first of the game.

Today’s game was a game of superstars, as Jonathan Toews put the team on his back and gave the Blackhawks a cushion. The Captain, after a great move to shake free, fired a puck five-hole on Phoenix Copley, giving him his 21st goal, the Blackhawks’ 7th of the day, and the hat trick for #19.

Jonathan Toews undresses Orlov and picks up the hat trick.

Sensational goal. 7-5 #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/yVzlz9Xj7m

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) January 20, 2019

After the Capitals pulled Copley, Dylan Strome fought through a hooking penalty to hit the empty net and increase the Blackhawks lead to three. The Blackhawks beat the defending Stanley Cup champions, 8-5.

Quick Hits:

• What a day for the big guns. Both Toews and Kane had five points each. Toews’ hat trick helped the Captain reach the 20-goal plateau for the 12th straight season. Patrick Kane is also now only nine points away from the Art Ross (most points) lead. These two have been spectacular this year and they’re two of the oldest players on the roster.
• Despite giving up five goals, Collin Delia was excellent for the Blackhawks today. He continues to make numerous big saves due to Blackhawks’ defensive breakdowns. His best save of the day was the sprawling save made below (check out the highlight).

Delia with a sprawling save on Wilson! #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/LQ7qdLsqXG

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) January 20, 2019

• The Blackhawks snap a two game losing streak. They are still in the basement of the league, but it’s performances like this today that gives hope for this team moving forward. They’re learning how to play under Colliton and with an infusion of talent through the prospect pool and free agency, there is a chance this team returns to being competitive sooner than later.

The Blackhawks host the red-hot New York Islanders on Tuesday, January 22nd at the United Center. Puck drop is at 7:30pm CST.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks Down the Champs, 8-5 appeared first on The Rink.

11:30am CST
United Center
TV/Radio: NBC/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Collin Delia (3–2–3, SV%: .929, GAA: 2.75)
Washington – Braden Holtby (17–11–2, SV%: .912, GAA: 2.82)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (18,8%, 17th)
Washington (21.3%, 12th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.4%, 31st)
Washington (78.4%, 23rd)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.2, 19th; 34.9, 30th)
Washington (29.3, 23rd; 32.0, 21st)

Shooting %
Chicago (9.5%, 17th)
Washington (11.2%, 4th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.8%, 17th)
Washington (46.4%, 31st)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197lbs
Washington 6’2” 205lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

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

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

Slater Koekkoek–Erik Gustafsson

Washington Capitals

Alex Ovechkin–Nicklas Backstrom–T.J. Oshie

Jakub Vrana–Lars Eller–Tom Wilson

Andre Burakovsky–Evgeny Kuznetsov–Brett Connolly

Chandler Stephenson–Nic Dowd–Devante Smith-Pelly

Dmitri Orlov–John Carlson

Michal Kempny–Matt Niskanen

Brooks Orpik–Madison Bowey

Analysis

Another 4-3 loss for the Blackhawks ended the New York area trip for the Blackhawks without recording a point in the standings. The Blackhawks have a chance to redeem themselves as the Washington Capitals pay a visit to town.

After the back-to-back losses for the Blackhawks, Jeremy Colliton set the line blender to “high” for Saturday’s practice. Drake Caggiula was skating with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, DeBrincat and Strome were reunited and Chris Kunitz re-enters the lineup after Brendan Perlini entered concussion protocol.

The Capitals enter Sunday’s game on a four-game losing streak, most recently losing to the now-first-place New York Islanders 2-0. The Capitals will need to rebound in order to keep pace with the division, as the Islanders, Capitals, Blue Jackets and Penguins all have between 58 and 60 points.

This will mark the first and only time this season that defenseman Michal Kempny returns to the United Center. After never being able to find regular ice-time in Chicago, the former Blackhawks defenseman has put together an excellent campaign in the first year of his lucrative four-year deal. Most notably, Kempny is a plus-23 this season, which is currently tied for 7th-best in the NHL to this point.

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. Capitals appeared first on The Rink.

6:00pm CST
Madison Square Garden
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WGN

PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Collin Delia (3–1–3, SV%: .932, GAA: 2.71)
New York – Henrik Lundqvist (13–12–7, SV%: .908, GAA: 3.04)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (17,8%, 20th)
New York (20.6%, 14th)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (73.2%, 31st)
New York (77.1%, 26th)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.3, 18th; 34.9, 30th)
New York (28.1, 30th; 33.6, 28th)

Shooting %
Chicago (9.4%, 17th)
New York (9.8%, 13th)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.8%, 17th)
New York (47.7%, 29th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 197lbs
New York 6’2” 199lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–Dominik Kahun

Artem Anisimov–Dylan Strome–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–David Kampf–Drake Caggiula

John Hayden–Marcus Kruger–Brendan Perlini

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Henri Jokiharju–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

New York Rangers

Chris Kreider–Mika Zibanejad–Mats Zuccarello

Filip Chytil–Ryan Strome–Jesper Fast

Jimmy Vesey–Boo Nieves–Vladislav Namestnikov

Cody McLeod–Brett Howden–Pavel Buchnevich

Brady Skjei–Adam McQuaid

Marc Staal–Anthony DeAngelo

Brendan Smith–Kevin Shattenkirk

Analysis

The Blackhawks’ loss to the Devils on Monday night was not good for the Blackhawks’ playoff hopes, rather it further added to their run for a possible top 5 pick in June. Despite the huge deficit in the second period, the Blackhawks did rally a bit, showing that this team has some heart. To change things up, Jeremy Colliton made yesterday’s practice about having fun, and that “happy hockey players are good hockey players”.

With the two days to mentally and physically recharge, the Blackhawks look to capture two points at MSG before returning home for a Sunday matinee against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. Don’t be surprised if the Blackhawks begin to use a lot of Slater Koekkoek to get a feel for what they have in the newly acquired defenseman.

The Rangers come into Thursday’s contest after a big 6-2 home victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. All six goals were scored by three players (Buchnevich, Zibanejad and DeAngelo all had two goals each) shedding light on the Rangers’ depth.

Although the Rangers have been scoring a lot of goals lately, they are still without one of their biggest difference-makers. Kevin Hayes has missed the last seven games with a mid-body issue, which is a huge blow to the Rangers’ lineup. The pending free agent is having a stellar season (10 goals, 23 assists) and wants to play himself into a new contract for next year, whether that is in New York or somewhere else. The former Blackhawks first round pick may sit longer than ten games, after he was ruled out for New York’s next two contests.

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 Rangers 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.