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

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

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

O/U: 6 -122

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

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

O/U: 6.5 -122

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

BONUS PARLAY

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

Happy gambling and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

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

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

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

First period

It did not take long for Dougie Hamilton, the Devils’ big ticket free agent addition this past offseason, to win over his teammates and the hometown crowd, as he scored just 17 seconds into the game. A turnover by Jake McCabe just inside his own blue line, forced by Pavel Zacha, eventually would get to Hamilton in the slot, who knuckled one past Kevin Lankinen to give the Devils a quick 1–0 lead. At the end of one, the Blackhawks and Devils were even in the shots on goal column at six apiece.

Second period

With 1:55 of Blackhawks power play time carried over from the opening frame, Patrick Kane made a pinpoint goal-line feed to a wide open Alex DeBrincat, who buried his first of the young season past Devils goaltender Jonathan Bernier to tie the game at the 51-second mark. On the goal, Tyler Johnson picked up his first point in a Blackhawks uniform.

The Devils regained the lead at 2–1 late in the second period on a spin-o-rama backhand shot by budding superstar Jack Hughes from the left circle that beat a screened Lankinen with just over two minutes left in the frame. The Devils outshot the Blackhawks 13–11 in the second and had a two period advantage of 19–17.

Third period

At 6:34 into the third period, seconds after MacKenzie Entwistle nearly tied it but drew iron, Andreas Johnsson gave the Devils a 3–1 lead. Tomas Tatar fed rookie Dawson Mercer in the right circle, who shot the puck which trickled behind Lankinen, who lost track of it and Johnsson won a foot race to the net with Connor Murphy and tapped it in to give the home team a two-goal cushion. Save that puck for Mercer, as he notched his first career NHL point on the play.

The Hawks cut the deficit to 3–2 on a power play goal by Kirby Dach at 16:07 on a rebound from in front while Mercer was serving a double minor for high sticking and the Hawks’ cage was empty for an extra attacker. 

Late in the third, with the desperate Blackhawks trying to get the equalizer, Seth Jones did a nice job keeping the puck in the Devils’ zone and found Brandon Hagel in the slot, who made a nice feed to Dominik Kubalik, who one-timed it past Bernier to tie the game at 3–3 with 25.5 seconds left in regulation.

Overtime

The Hawks controlled the puck off the face-off, but could not get a shot off thanks to some solid defensive coverage by the Devils. A Kirby Dach pass from behind the net went awry and sent the Devils the other way on a 2-on-1 with Erik Gustafsson in between. Hughes skated around a sprawling Gustafsson and stick-handled Lankinen out of position to give himself a wide open net for the game-winner and his second of the game.

Analysis: The good, the bad and the ugly

The good: Seth Jones bounced back from a poor performance in the opener with a strong game. He played over 26 minutes and it felt like he never left the ice in the third period. His presence was felt all 200 feet and the hope is he can continue to build on his performance.

The bad: The so-called shutdown pair of Jake McCabe and Connor Murphy was anything but that. They were a combined -5 with the tone being set for their rough night just 17 seconds into the game with the McCabe turnover that led to the Devils’ first goal of the season.

The ugly: Everyone’s favorite whipping boy, Erik Gustafsson, was completely fooled by Hughes on the game-winner.

Credit the Blackhawks for a strong comeback in the third from a two-goal deficit to tie the game and grab a point on the road, however, there are still major defensive issues to clean up.

The Hawks head to Pittsburgh for a game on Saturday against the Penguins at PPG Arena. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CDT and will be broadcast on NHL Network, NBCSCH and on WGN 720.

The post Blackhawks erase two-goal third-period deficit but lose in overtime at New Jersey appeared first on The Rink.

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

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

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

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

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

News broke on Friday that both Duncan Keith and Andrew Shaw were sent to the IR, retroactively. What does that mean? It means that Keith could technically return any day now, and Shaw can return after Friday’s game. It ultimately frees a roster spot if they can make the cap situation work.

With the aforementioned injuries, the Blackhawks trotted out the following lines against the Devils.

Saad – Toews – Nylander

DeBrincat – Strome – Kane

Kubalik – Kampf – Wedin

Smith – Dach – Carpenter

Koekkoek – Murphy

de Haan – Seabrook

Gilbert – Gustafsson

Crawford

First period

The opening frame as a whole was a quiet one. Neither team was truly able to get too much working in their favor early on. 

The first action occurred with about 13 minutes remaining in the period. Dennis Gilbert, playing his second game in a row due to Olli Maatta’s illness, laid a big hit on prized rookie and first overall pick Jack Hughes. The hit sparked Wayne Simmonds to respond, as he and Gilbert squared off. 

Dennis Gilbert lays a big hit on Jack Hughes then scraps with Wayne Simmonds. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/yDRdsvDZ9g

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 7, 2019

The biggest mistake of the first period for the Hawks was a lack of discipline. With just over seven minutes remaining, Zack Smith was called for an elbowing penalty against Nikita Gusev. 

On the powerplay, the Devils cycled the puck around the point and circles in the offensive zone. After Sami Vatanen passed the puck to Gusev on the left circle, he returned the puck to Vatanen at the point. Vatanen delivered the exact same pass, this time to Taylor Hall on the opposite circle and the former MVP fired a wicked shot past Crawford to give the Devils the lead. 

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1203111446151872512

The most notable chance of the period for the visitors was a Kirby Dach grade-A chance that he simply missed on. It’s safe to say he knew it too, given his reaction on the play, as he looked to the sky in disbelief. 

The Devils took their 1-0 lead into the first intermission at home. The Devils outshot the Blackhawks 10-7 in the opening frame.

Second period

The second period began in a similar fashion to the first. There were not a ton of scoring opportunities for either side, but a few decent missed chances were exchanged. 

However, fortunes changed for the visitors. A Sami Vatanen hooking penalty on Patrick Kane sent the Blackhawks to a much needed powerplay. 

On the powerplay, the Blackhawks generated a grade-A chance after Dylan Strome found Patrick Kane. Kane’s bid was initially stopped, but the puck was still free. The rebound bounced to the left wing side of the ice and Alex DeBrincat, for the second game in a row, buried the rebound to tie the game.

We'll take it!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/RxZXBVDdrC

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 7, 2019

The last great chance of the period came on a Devils breakaway. However, Crawford made a huge save and kept the game tied as the game entered the second intermission. 

Third period

The third period was fast, but quiet. Both teams had some chances, as the Hawks had a power play, but could not capitalize on the chance. The Devils had some chances as well, but neither team could crack the other’s goaltender. 

Neither team could convert on their chances and the third period ended the way it began, with both teams tied at one after 60 minutes of play. 

Overtime

Talk about chances. The Hawks had numerous chances, as did the Devils. Both goalies stood tall as their teams needed and kept the other team from capitalizing in the 3-on-3 overtime period. 

However, the game would require a shootout as neither team could convert.

Shootout

In the shootout, the first four shooters scored. Kane and Toews both scored for the Blackhawks and Nikita Gusev and Jesper Boqvist scores for the Devils.

After that, the goalies stood tall and sent the shootout to sudden death.

In the fifth round, the Blackhawks sent Kirby Dach to shoot. Dach converted on his first ever NHL shootout attempt and put the Hawks up 3-2.

This Kirby Dach (@kdach77) fellow is good at hockey. pic.twitter.com/5DC2fQLez6

— NHL (@NHL) December 7, 2019

On the other side, number one pick Jack Hughes took the 5th attempt for the Devils, but was denied by Corey Crawford, sealing the win for the Blackhawks. The Hawks won in the shootout 2-1.

Quick hits

• 250 for Crow: Friday’s game marked the 250th career victory for Corey Crawford in the NHL. Given the number of goaltenders to accomplish that in NHL history, dare I say it could be a topic of discussion for Corey Crawford to be a hall of famer. 
• The youngster: Kirby Dach converted on his first ever NHL shootout attempt. It makes a lot of sense that Dach would be successful given his skillset. He has great hands, works well in tight on goaltenders, and normally scores out in front of the net. He did an excellent job to help the Blackhawks get a much needed victory in New Jersey. Also, how about the reaction from the youngster’s mom?

This is the purest gif we have ever shared on twitter dot com

Mama Dach watching her rookie win it in the shootout! #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/yjs4zNYnSH

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 7, 2019

The Blackhawks will play host to the pacific leading Arizona Coyotes on Sunday night at the United Center. Puck drop is scheduled for “one of those great six o’clock starts” as the great Eddie Olcyzk would say.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks edge Devils in the shootout, 2–1 appeared first on The Rink.

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

Projected starting goaltenders

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

Team statistics

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

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

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

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

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

Projected lines and pairings

Chicago Blackhawks

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

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

New Jersey Devils

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

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

Analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Winger Dylan Sikura and recently acquired center John Quenneville both signed identical two-year $1.5 million contract extensions. The deals are both two-way deals this coming season ($700,000 NHL/$250,000 AHL) and transition into one-way deals ($800,000) for the 2020–21 season, which simply means that if they are sent to Rockford this coming season their salaries will drop to $250,000.

Sikura was a bit of a disappointment for Chicago this past season, and has yet to score a single NHL goal despite his eight assists. He was a crucial part of the Rockford Icehogs ,as their second leading scorer, with 35 points (17G, 18A) in 46 games.

The 6-fott-1, 194-pound Quenneville was acquired from the New Jersey Devils on draft weekend for John Hayden to help fill out the center depth in the Blackhawks organization. He is a former first round draft pick in 2014 and was also a crucial part of his AHL team, the Binghamton Devils, tallying 39 points (18G, 21A) in just 37 games last season.

Both players are expected to compete for NHL spots this season in training camp.

Dylan Sikura

John Quenneville

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks re-sign Sikura and Quenneville appeared first on The Rink.

The Colorado Avalanche, via the Ottawa Senators, came into the event with the best chance to take the first overall prize of U.S. National Development Program center Jack Hughes or big Finnish wing Kaapo Kakko thanks to last season’s trade of Matt Duchene. Duchene has been since traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both Columbus and Colorado qualified for the playoffs, while Ottawa decided to keep last year’s first round pick and took big power forward Brady Tkachuk, who had himself a solid 45-point (22 goals, 23 assists) rookie season.

Once the ping-pong balls dropped and the final lineup was announced, the Blackhawks moved all the way up to third overall. This will prove to be a very important draft year for the future of this team. The New Jersey Devils will pick first overall and the New York Rangers will pick second overall.

pic.twitter.com/0xiRKWOVu6

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 10, 2019

Last season, the Blackhawks came into the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery as the seventh overall pick and left the building with the eighth overall selection. The story played out very well and they were able to select Swedish phenom Adam Boqvist with their pick.

When you already know that the NHL rigged the draft lottery for you #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/dKYp8Liyrm

— Aaron Goldschmidt (@lateinthegoldie) April 10, 2019

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks to pick third overall in the NHL Entry Draft appeared first on The Rink.

The game started with a nice ceremony for forward Chris Kunitz who played in his 1,000th game.  The Blackhawks gave him a silver stick and honored he and his family just before the national anthem.  Kunitz also started the game on a line with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

First Period

Less than five minutes into the game, the Devils’ Nico Hischier went off for a holding penalty putting Chicago on the powerplay.  The Hawks had some good movement and put on some good shots, but the Devils killed the penalty.  A few minutes after, Erik Gustafsson turned the puck over trying to get it up the boards and out of the zone.  Brett Seney stole the puck and found Damon Severson right in the slot who wristed home the first goal of the game.

The pressure continued on Cam Ward as the Devils peppered him with shots.  He had to make several saves from different angles, and he had some difficulty with his rebound control.

With four minutes left in the period, Brent Seabrook went off for a minor penalty for cross-checking.  The Devils took care of business right away.  The cycled the puck behind the net and found Travis Zajac right in front who beat Ward for the second goal of the game.

It wasn’t long before the Blackhawks responded.  There was a penalty on the Devils when Patrick Kane jumped over the boards to be the sixth skater on the ice.  Dylan Sikura protected the puck from his defender and passed the puck off to a streaking Kane who fired the puck past Cory Schneider making the score 2-1.

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/CoqBA2Gk2Y

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 15, 2019

Second Period

The Hawks started the second with all the momentum.  Drake Caggiula took the puck wide of Devil’s goaltender Corey Schneider and fired a rocket top shelf tying the game at two.  The Hawks seemed to pick up their pace a little more after the Devils did a great job of winning puck battles in the first period.

Later in the second, the Blackhawks were on a rush when Patrick Kane put on the breaks as he entered the Devil’s zone.  He dropped a pass back to Slater Koekkoek who was skating towards the net.  He passed the puck over to a wide-open Jonathan Toews who one-timed home the go ahead goal giving the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead.

The Devils couldn’t do much in the second period as the Hawks kept them on their heels.  The threat of Blackhawks mobile defenseman like Erik Gustafsson is very high risk but also high reward.  Even Carl Dahlstrom jumps into plays to put pressure on opposing defensemen to back them up.  The Hawks just have to keep an eye on the rush going back the other way.

You're just too good to be true
I can't take my eyes off you #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/1ePGIkMN0H

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 15, 2019

The post Blackhawks Beat Devils 5-2 in Chris Kunitz’s 1000th NHL Game 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.

Coach Jeremy Colliton called upon goaltender Cam Ward tonight, as the New Jersey Devils ran out Mackenzie Blackwood in net. Ward has played well in four of his last five starts. Blackwood has been excellent in his nine games this season, registering a .947 save percentage and 1.85 goals against average.

Colliton also dressed seven defensemen tonight, giving defenseman Slater Koekkoek his first action in a Blackhawks’ sweater.

This was your Blackhawks starting lineup:

Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–Dominik Kahun
Artem Anisimov–Dylan Strome–Patrick Kane
Alex DeBrincat–David Kampf–Brendan Perlini
Marcus Kruger–Drake Caggiula
Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson
Henri Jokiharju–Brent Seabrook
Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy
Slater Koekkoek

Period One

This game started out uneventful through the first ten minutes. Midway through the period, Chicago had only registered one shot on goal.

The Blackhawks went to the power play at the 11:43 mark, their second power play of the period, but could not score. Devils’ forward Blake Coleman jumped out of the penalty box, as time expired on his hooking penalty, and found the puck on his stick for an unattested breakaway, and beat Cam Ward to give the Devils a 1 – 0 lead.

New Jersey controlled all of the first period, even though the Blackhawks received the only two power plays. The Devils outshot the sluggish Blackhawks 11 – 5 in the frame.

Period Two

The first period only saw one goal combined, whereas, the second period would end with both teams combining for eight goals.

Patrick Kane would keep his fantastic play rolling this season with a power play goal, assisted by Jonathan Toews and Dylan Strome. Kane’s goal would extend the Blackhawks’ games streak with a power play goal to five.

#SHOWTIME pic.twitter.com/NWnhiH71zu

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 15, 2019

The game would not be tied for long, however. New Jersey responded less than two minutes later when forward Kyle Palmieri scored, putting the Devils up 2 – 1. Palmieri beat Ward top-shelf, giving Palmieri his first of two consecutive goals.

https://twitter.com/NJDevils/status/1084983159773691904

His second goal came at the 8:17 mark, with the man advantage, as a shot snuck through a few Blackhawk defenders and beat Ward five-hole, giving the Devils a 3 – 1 lead. Ward appeared to be screened on the play.

The Devils would strike again, at the 10:07 mark, when forward Travis Zajac found a loose puck on the doorstep after forward Miles Wood drove hard on Ward. Ward slid to his right, leaving his crease open, thinking he had covered the puck, as the puck trickled toward the goal. Zajac’s goal extended the lead to 4 – 1.

Defenseman Sami Vatanen would give the Devils’ their fourth consecutive goal less than five minutes later. Vatanen fired a one-timer past Ward from the top of the circle, for another Devils’ power play goal.

Another goal by the Devils, which would be the game-winner, gave the home team a five-goal lead. Forward Kevin Rooney found a loose puck in front after forward Drew Stafford took the puck hard to the net and was stopped by Ward. Rooney’s follow up attempt gave the Devil his first career NHL goal.

https://twitter.com/CMS_74_/status/1084987464006225920

To the Blackhawks credit, the team responded to the Devils’ onslaught of goals with back-back-back goals to finish off the period.

Patrick Kane scored his second of the night after defenseman Henri Jokiharju fed a perfect pass to Kane, who fired a one-timer passed Blackwood.

PATRICK KANE WITH HIS SECOND OF THE NIGHT!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/wCKrCo0ycg

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 15, 2019

Only forty-two second later, Brent Seabrook took a feed from Kane and beat Blackwood with a quick shot. The goal gave Seabrook his fifth of the season and 100^th goal of his career.

A look at the milestone tally. pic.twitter.com/SQfjOrlUYP

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 15, 2019

Period Three

With the score 6 – 3 in favor of the Devils, Colliton decided to switch goaltenders and start the third period, placing Collin Delia between the pipes. Delia would stop 14 of the 15 shots he would face.

Forward Brett Seney extended the Devils lead back to four with his fourth goal of the season. Seney received a pass from forward Jesper Bratt and one-timed a shot past Delia.

Chicago answered thirty-eight seconds later when Dominik Kahun netted his seventh goal of the season. Carl Dahlstrom slid a pass across ice to Kahun at the right dot and fired a wrist-shot blocker side beating Blackwood. The goal would cut the lead to 7 – 4 but Chicago would not be done with their comeback attempt.

With under ninety seconds to play, forward Brandon Saad scored his thirteenth of the season when Kane found Saad, near left dot, and fired a shot passed Blackwood. The assist gave Kane four points on the night.

Brandon Saad scores. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/WHJYtz3T30

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) January 15, 2019

Chicago did not go down without a “fight.” Drake Caggiula would drop the gloves with defenseman Ben Lovejoy as the rest of the players tussled to the ice.

Drake Caggiula scraps with Lovejoy. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/IOxCBpBS9T

— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) January 15, 2019

Delia was pulled for an extra-attacker when Coleman found the empty net at the 19:26 mark, giving the Devils the 8 – 5 victory. The goal gave Coleman his second of the night.

Chicago would be outshot by New Jersey 41 – 32. Tonight’s game is the ninth straight game the Blackhawks have given up at least 32 shots on net.

Pluses

• Patrick Kane registered four points tonight (2 goals, 2 assists) and played 28:50 in the game. Kane was all over the ice and finished a +2 in an 8 – 5 loss. He’s playing at an MVP level.
• Collin Delia stopped 14-of-15 shots he faced. After the showing by Cam Ward, it was a breath of fresh air to see a calm rookie play a sound period. Tonight’s game should have been a night off but he was prepared to keep his team in the game.
• Chicago was scored on the man advantage tonight (1 for 4). That’s five straight games with a power play goal.
• Chicago won 58% of the draws tonight, as every player was over 50% at the dot.

Minuses

• Erik Gustafsson was benched for his poor defensive play. The defenseman registered only 14:17 of ice time.
• Cam Ward stopped 19 of the 25 shots he faced tonight. This should have been a rest day for Delia. Ward just needs to be “serviceable” to give the youngster a breather.
• In 21:36 minutes of ice time, Duncan Keith managed to be -5. That’s impressive.
• The penalty kill was 0-for-2 tonight.

The post RECAP: Devils Beat Blackhawks 8-5 appeared first on The Rink.

6:00pm CST
Prudential Center
TV/Radio: NBCSCH/WGN
PROJECTED STARTERS

Chicago – Cam Ward (7–7–4, SV%: .889, GAA: 3.80)
New Jersey – MacKenzie Blackwood (4–2–0, SV%: .947, GAA: 1.85)

TEAM STATISTICS

Power Play
Chicago (17,6%, 20th)
New Jersey (17.5%, 21st)

Penalty Kill
Chicago (74.3%, 30th)
New Jersey (85.7%, 2nd)

Shorts for/against
Chicago (31.3, 18th; 34.8, 30th)
New Jersey (32.6, 10th; 31.7, 20th)

Shooting %
Chicago (9.3%, 17th)
New Jersey (8.8%, 22nd)

Faceoff %
Chicago (49.6%, 18th)
New Jersey (47.7%, 29th)

Avg. height/weight
Chicago 6’1”, 196lbs
New Jersey 6’1” 198lbs

PROJECTED LINES/PAIRINGS

Chicago Blackhawks

Brandon Saad–Jonathan Toews–Dominik Kahun

Artem Anisimov–Dylan Strome–Patrick Kane

Alex DeBrincat–David Kampf–Brendan Perlini

John Hayden–Marcus Kruger–Drake Caggiula

Duncan Keith–Erik Gustafsson

Henri Jokiharju–Brent Seabrook

Carl Dahlstrom–Connor Murphy

New Jersey Devils

Marcus Johansson–Nico Hischier–Kyle Palmieri

Miles Wood–Travis Zajac–Blake Coleman

Brett Seney–Pavel Zacha–Jesper Bratt

Brian Boyle–Kevin Rooney–Drew Stafford

Andy Greene–Damon Severson

Will Butcher–Sami Vatanen

Mirco Mueller–Ben Lovejoy

Analysis

After three consecutive 4-3 losses, the Blackhawks head east to visit the New Jersey Devils on Monday night before heading to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers on Thursday. The Blackhawks will look for their first win in a week as they take on a depleted Devils club.

One bright spot for the Blackhawks over the past week has been the play of Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. On the power play, the two have been lethal, scoring on nearly the exact play every time. Look for these two to continue to connect as the Blackhawks are one of the league’s hottest power plays over the last three weeks (yes, you read that correctly).

The Devils have struggled since the turn of the new year. Since January 1st, the Devils are only 2-4, with a three-game losing streak baked in there. The Devils snapped that losing streak on Saturday against the Flyers as Mackenzie Blackwood, the Devils’ sensational young goaltender, earned the victory 3-2. The Devils will look to make their winning streak two after Monday night’s contest.

Despite the prior win, the Devils have lacked one element that has made them so dangerous, and that is Taylor Hall. The reigning MVP is currently on the IR with a lower-body injury and hasn’t skated since December 23rd. There’s an outside chance he can return to their lineup this week, but don’t expect to see him against the Blackhawks.

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 Devils appeared first on The Rink.