Not much action through a period and a half of play when Bjornfot scored on a wrap-around goal beating Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight five hole after bouncing off his pads. The goal, 24-year-old Swede’s first goal of the season, was assisted by forward Cole Schwindt.

Chicago would tie the game at 1-1 after forward Tyler Bertuzzi fired home his team-leading 25th goal of the season at the 19:30 mark of the second period. Forward Ilya Mikheyev and defenseman Wyatt Kaiser assisted on the goal.

Tyler Bertuzzi – Chicago Blackhawks (25) pic.twitter.com/EfR0YDNdz0

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) January 26, 2026

The visiting Panthers would make the Blackhawks look like they were skating in mud for the third period as Florida scored four unanswered goals. Chicago Steel alum Mackie Samoskevich, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Bjornfot each scored to finish off the Blackhawks 5-1.

Chicago returns to action on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop versus the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul.

Analysis

The Stanley Cup-winning Panthers showed their class in the third period and put the sleeping Blackhawks to bed. This was a good game in January for a wake-up call for fans and players to show how much of a grind the season is for players. This is also a good reminder that when Connor Bedard is not rolling offensively and finding the scoresheet and the defense refuses to put any body on any player in front of the net and in the corners, this is an underwhelming team that has been winning games with Bedard leading the way.

The post RECAP: Bjornfot scores twice as Panthers down Blackhawks 5-1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Frank Nazar scored the first goal of the NHL season on a breakaway to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead at 10:03. Tyler Bertuzzi flipped a nice pass to Nazar, who got behind the Panthers’ defensemen and skated in alone and scored.

Just 63 seconds later, A.J. Greer tied it up for the Panthers. A shot by Jonah Gadjovich was stopped by Knight, but Greer was there to pounce on the rebound to make it a 1-1 game at 11:06.

With Artyom Levshunov serving his second minor penalty of the period, Carter Verhaeghe cashed in with his first of the season. Mackie Samoskevich won the puck in the corner and fed Verhaeghe on the door step, who beat Knight top shelf to give Florida a 2-1 advantage, which they would take into the dressing room after 20 minutes. Florida claimed a huge 17-3 advantage in the shots on goal department after one.

Second period

The Hawks tied it early in the second when they broke out cleanly out of the defensive zone. Nazar found Teuvo Teravainen as they skated in 2-on-2 and “Turbo” fired one past Bobrovsky to tie it at 2-2 at 1:09. The game would remain tied after 40 minutes, as the Hawks played much better than the opening frame, especially defensively. The guests had a 10-9 advantage in shots on goal but trailed 26-13 after two.

Third period

Halfway through the third, Jesper Boqvist broke the tie with his first of the season. The Panthers broke out of the defensive zone and Evan Rodrigues fired a puck into the corner that bounced into the slot and Samoskevich backhanded a pass to Boqvist, who deflected it in midair past Knight for the goal at 9:40 to give Florida a 3-2 lead and they held on for the win.

Analysis

Following a rough first period, the Hawks played much better, especially defensively. The Panthers had a 37-21 advantage in shots on goal, so credit to Spencer Knight for keeping the Hawks in the game. As they learn new head coach Jeff Blashill’s system, the hope is they can decrease the number of shots allowed while increasing their scoring chances. Nazar was far and away the best skater for the Hawks, as he and his linemates, Bertuzzi and Teravainen, were buzzing and generated several scoring chances. Connor Bedard generated a few scoring opportunities of his own but will certainly need more from his linemates.

The Hawks return to the ice on Thursday night in Boston for an Original Six matchup with the Bruins. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CST on CHSN with the radio call on 720 WGN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks drop season opener in Florida 3-2 appeared first on The Rink.

trade alert

︎ https://t.co/gjN0lotc2c pic.twitter.com/c2Bkza5FTG

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 2, 2025

Jones, a polarizing figure among Blackhawks fans, had been vocal over the last week about his desire to play for a contender. Davidson clearly took this to heart and made quick work of pulling together a deal. Given the situation and Jones’ contract, most were not expecting for the Blackhawks to acquire a package the magnitude of Knight and a first-round pick.

Knight, a former first-round pick of the Panthers, comes to Chicago in search of a fresh start. Slotted behind future Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida’s net, Knight will finally have the opportunity to establish himself as a No. 1 netminder in the NHL. The acquisition also takes significant pressure off of both Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan to become the long-term answer in net for the Blackhawks, something that cannot be overlooked in the trade.

The deal will likely create a chain reaction for the Blackhawks’ NHL goaltending situation, with Petr Mrazek and Arvid Soderblom currently on the roster, giving the team three options. Laurent Brossoit also remains a member of the organization and is under contract through next season. As such, it is likely at least one, if not two, of Mrazek, Soderblom or Brossoit will not be Blackhawks come next season.

The first-round pick further deepens Davidson’s draft capital cupboards and will allow the Blackhawks to either add another quality prospect to the system when the time comes or to use the pick as a trade chip to improve the roster in the meantime.

Jones gets his wish to head to a playoff team, and joining the defending Stanley Cup champions achieves that wish in spades. Given Florida’s depth on the back end, Jones should be allowed to properly slot in to an appropriate role, which should allow him to flourish. Given Chicago’s relatively weak blue line during Jones’ tenure as a Blackhawk, he was often over-relied upon, which exposed his deficiencies.

Jones played 259 games for the Blackhawks, tallying 32 goals and 114 assists for 146 total points with a -108 rating. Jones was initially acquired in the summer of 2021 from the Columbus Blue Jackets along with a 2021 first-round pick (Nolan Allan) and a 2022 sixth-round pick (Dominic James) in exchange for Adam Boqvist, a 2021 first-round pick (Cole Sillinger), a 2021 second-round pick (Aleksi Heimosalmi) and a 2022 first-round pick (David Jiricek).

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks trade Seth Jones to Florida, acquire Spencer Knight, first-round pick from Panthers appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Blackhawks needed just seven seconds to take the lead when Landon Slaggert scored his second of the season. Off the opening draw, Ryan Donato found Slaggert, who got behind the Panthers and faked to the backhand and tucked it underneath Bobrovsky for the goal and a 1–0 lead for the visitors. The goal would also set a franchise record for the fastest to start a game.

The early Hawks goal woke up the Panthers, who dominated most of the period, which led to the equalizer by Jonah Gadjovich at the 5:28 mark. A goal-mouth scramble led to Gadjovich poking in a loose puck for his second of the season. The Hawks challenged for goalie interference but replay upheld the goal.

The Panthers continued to roll when Sam Reinhart scored his 30th of the season to give Florida a 2–1 lead. Aleksander Barkov fed Reinhart in front and he created some space and scored on a wrist shot at 10:19. Florida would take the one-goal lead into the dressing room but they dominated the frame. The Panthers had a 22–3 edge in shots on goal and a season-high 47 shot attempts.

Second period

The Panthers scored the only goal of the period when Matthew Tkachuk deflected a shot past Mrazek at 16:29 to extend the Florida lead to 3–1 after two. The Panthers remained firmly in control despite outshooting the Hawks 14–13 in the period for a total of 36–17 after 40 minutes. Florida also has a commanding 70–28 lead in shot attempts.

Third period

Florida took a 4–1 lead just 10 seconds into the third when Evan Rodrigues scored his 12th of the season. Anton Lundell forced a turnover by Alex Vlasic behind the Hawks’ net and fed Rodrigues in front.

The Panthers continued to pour it on as they added a power-play goal by Carter Verhaeghe. Barkov entered the zone cleanly up the middle of the ice and fed it to Reinhart on his right wing, who went cross ice to Verhaeghe for his 12th of the season at 9:37 to make it 5–1 and that would be the final.

Analysis

Following the record-setting goal by Slaggert, the Hawks were dominated in Sunrise by the champions. Mrazek saw a ton of rubber and the Hawks did little offensively (or defensively except chase the Panthers). At this stage, one has to wonder if TJ Brodie’s days as a Blackhawk are numbered as he continues to be a liability on the blue line. If you are going to get beat up, you might as well do it with developing players while they learn on the job. The Hawks return home Wednesday night for a nationally televised game on TNT against the Edmonton Oilers. Puck drop is at 8:30 p.m. CST with the radio call on 720 WGN.

The post RECAP: Panthers crush Blackhawks 5–1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Hawks received an early power play and Teuvo Teravainen cashed in with his fifth of the season. At the point, Teravainen fed Tyler Bertuzzi, who was camped in front of Knight. Bertuzzi’s stuff attempt was denied but a rebound went right to Teravainen, who drove the net and scored at 2:46 to give Chicago a 1–0 lead.

TURBO TIME pic.twitter.com/N7G36Uza27

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2024

The Hawks held that lead through 20 minutes despite being outshot 8–7 and Florida spending most of the period in the offensive zone.

Second period

At the 10:07 mark, three of the Blackhawks’ veterans combined to give the home team a 2–0 lead. It was Nick Foligno to Patrick Maroon to Craig Smith, who skated in alone and went forehand to backhand and roofed one past Knight for his fifth of the season.

a smoooooooth move from Smitty pic.twitter.com/cRy3Q6gAzj

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 22, 2024

The Panthers cut the deficit to 2–1 just 34 seconds later. A faceoff win by Florida led to a Sam Reinhart wrist shot past Mrazek for his 15th of the season at 10:41. The Hawks would take the one-goal lead into the locker room after two frames.

Third period

With the Panthers’ net empty, Foligno capitalized on a Carter Verhaeghe turnover and scored his sixth of the season at the 19:00 mark. The Hawks took a 3–1 lead and secured the win by that same score.

Analysis

Just as everyone predicted: the Hawks would lose to the Ducks then defeat the reigning champs. Unlike Tuesday night, the Blackhawks played a strong third period by defending well and getting a few key saves by Mrazek. The Hawks won despite Florida having a decisive edge in zone time, faceoffs (33 of 58) and shots (32–20). The Blackhawks visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon. Puck drop is at 12 p.m. CST on CHSN and the NHL Network with the radio call on WGN AM 720.

The post RECAP: Hawks down reigning Cup champion Panthers 3–1 appeared first on The Rink.

Takeaways

— Nathan MacKinnon tripped over the Florida net with 12:29 left in the third period and immediately left the ice. He did not return to the game. There is a possibility that he did not return because Colorado was so far behind. It was also reported that he was getting his chin stitched back up, so it may have taken some time.

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A post shared by 1929 HOCKEY (@1929hockey_)

—They left the backdoor wide open for the Panthers to walk through. The first goal scored by Carter Verhaeghe on the power play was completely wide open. The pass came across the slot and was right to Verhaeghe, from Aleksander Barkov. It became a recurring issue throughout the entire game as Florida tried to take advantage of the rest of the game.

Carter did THAT pic.twitter.com/Hyfh83OK1b

— x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) February 10, 2024

— Once again, passes to the center of the ice cost the Avalanche a goal. Samuel Girard tried to pass the puck to Josh Manson in the slot and Manson missed the pass. Barkov picked up the loose puck and whipped it past Alexandar Georgiev for Florida’s fourth goal of the night.

A Barky goal is the automatic winner of our @Publix Grab & Go Play of the Game pic.twitter.com/OQTDlB0Q7o

— x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) February 11, 2024

Conclusion

The Avalanche clearly has something going on. This now becomes their longest losing streak of the season, as they have had several of three games. Good news is that they usually come out swinging, going on a long winning streak after. Colorado reportedly had a closed door team meeting after tonight’s loss, so let’s hope that helps them. The Avalanche will continue their road trip on Tuesday in Washington against the struggling Capitals.

The post MacKinnon sustains injury, losing streak continues appeared first on The Rink.

Takeaways

— The forwards need to rotate to the point when defensemen try to bring the puck in. Cale Makar tried to bring the puck into the offensive zone and lost control. There was no forward that rotated up to the point to cover in case there was a breakaway. Sam Reinhart successfully stole the puck and raced down the ice without any opposition.

THAT’S OUR #NHLALLSTAR pic.twitter.com/AxbdfhD5qF

— x – Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) January 6, 2024

— Drouin continued to stay hot with another goal in the third period. He now has six goals and six assists in eleven games. Most of his success has been since they have moved him to the first line with Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen.

Jonathan Drouin wins the race to the loose puck and tallies on the breakaway to even the score at 4!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/28gIY5an3q

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) January 6, 2024

— Many of the first three goals by the Panthers were not Ivan Prosvetov’s fault. However, in December he played in four games in seven days. Coach Jared Bednar then sat him for 21 days! I can understand not having faith in your backup, but this has become ridiculous in overplaying Alexandar Georgiev.

— The defense needs to be more aggressive with clearing the front of the net. The Panthers scored eight goals by the end of the night, but six of them were below the hash marks. Colorado’s defensive pairs need to clear the front of the net and the center. There have been some goals that were scored where the defenseman was on the wrong side of the ice. The center is hardly dropping to cover the backdoor and leaving it wide open.

— One positive was that the Avalanche exploded in the second period. Colorado has struggled all season in the second period as the opponents have outscored them 48–47 before tonight. The Avalanche scored three out of four of their goals in the middle frame. Two of the three were in less than one minute.

Conclusion

The Avalanche are coming on to one of the hardest parts of the schedule with the Boston Bruins and the Vegas Golden Knights as the next two opponents. If they play anything like they did tonight, they will not stand much of a chance against these tougher teams. Florida showed they went to the Stanley Cup Finals for a reason with their play tonight. Colorado’s next game will be on Monday against Boston in Denver.

The post Drouin stays hot as Avalanche are flattened appeared first on The Rink.

Things did not look like they would be going the Blackhawks’ way in this game when Arvid Soderblom got pulled to one side of the net, biting hard on a pass from Evan Rodrigues to Sam Reinhart, who then passed it out front to a wide-open Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who put the Panthers up 1–0 just 39 seconds into the game.

The Blackhawks would answer just over six minutes later. Jason Dickinson led the rush up the ice, getting the puck to Taylor Raddysh, who passed it to Connor Murphy. Murphy put a shot off the boards, with the rebound taken by Lukas Reichel, who put the puck in front to Dickinson. He beat three Panthers in front and tipped it past Sergei Bobrovsky to make it 1–1.

The Panthers gained a power play on a Bedard holding-the-stick penalty against Nick Cousins. On the ensuing power play, Matthew Tkachuk wristed a shot from the point that was deflected in by Sam Reinhart out in front of the net, 2–1 Panthers.

With just under a minute remaining in the period, Bedard picked the pocket of the Panthers’ Kevin Stenlund and put the puck up and over the shoulder of Bobrovsky from a terrible angle to tie things up again before the period ended, sending things to the intermission 2–2.

CONNOR BEDARD WHAT A GOAL @BR_OpenIcepic.twitter.com/B56xcPwLOz

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 12, 2023

It took longer for another goal to come in the second. The Panthers controlled play for a while, and maintained possession in the offensive zone for an extended period. Seven minutes into the period, Reinhart got the puck down below the goal line, picking up a rebound of a shot. He banked the puck off of the back of Soderblom’s pad and into the back of the net, 3–2 Florida.

But, just 1:18 later, the boy wonder did it again. The Panthers got caught in a change, with Seth Jones getting the puck up the side boards to Bedard, who beat the defense back into position, beating Bobrovsky on the glove side again, and knotting this one up at 3–3 heading into the third.

Connor Bedard is good at hockey pic.twitter.com/tn9DgI2s1N

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 12, 2023

Bedard would take a nasty hit along the boards that the Blackhawks took exception to, as Nick Foligno jumped in to make sure that Dmitry Kulikov knew that the hit was not acceptable to the Hawks.

Nick Foligno did NOT like that hit on Connor Bedard pic.twitter.com/rXxKbKmQ7N

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) November 12, 2023

The Blackhawks would give up another power play in the third, and once again the Panthers would make them pay. Dickinson got called for interference against Kulikov, putting the Panthers back on the man advantage. Tkachuk skated in with a shot on net with the rebound coming in front to Reinhart, who put it over to a wide-open Carter Verhaeghe, 4–3 Panthers.

The Blackhawks put together a solid third, getting 13 shots on net, including a flurry at the very end, but they were not able to put any more past Bobrovsky, dropping this close game 4–3.

Analysis

Bedard was electric, as he has been in many games this season, scoring six goals in his last six games, and four in his last two. He looks like he has adjusted quickly to the NHL game, despite being just 18 years old, and has shown the huge hockey IQ that we all knew he had coming into this league. With a few guys having to step back into the lineup in this game, it was good to see different lines coming together and looking like they have played together before. The Hawks took too many penalties in this game, though Foligno’s can be forgiven, even according to Luke Richardson. You cannot give up power plays against a great power play team and the runners-up in the NHL last season and not expect that to come back and haunt you.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning at home. That game will be at 7 p.m. CST on Hulu and ESPN+.

The post RECAP: Bedard banks two more goals, but Blackhawks fall in Sunrise appeared first on The Rink.

Your lineup for tonight’s #FlaPanthers @ #blackhawks tilt… pic.twitter.com/FVEOM9OFkp

— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) November 4, 2023

First period

The Blackhawks dominated the early portion of the game, getting the first six shots on net and going on the power play early on a Kevin Stenlund interference call. Seth Jones took a shot from the point that hit Gustav Forsling out in front. The puck bounced right to Nick Foligno, who potted his second of the season to make it 1–0 Blackhawks. Three minutes later, Philipp Kurashev picked up his own rebound and fed it in between the circles to a streaking Zaitsev, who wristed it past Anthony Stolarz, 2–0 Blackhawks. Then, with seven minutes left in the first, Jason Dickinson got a pass over to Hall, who skated in and snuck the puck past Stolarz to make it 3–0 Chicago early in this one.

Taylor Hall scores his first goal with the @NHLBlackhawks! pic.twitter.com/UQShpyYEdK

— NHL (@NHL) November 5, 2023

Second period

Compared to the first, it took the Blackhawks a while to put another into the net, but when they did, it was a beauty. Eetu Luostarinen had the puck bounce past him, and Connor Bedard made him pay. He burst up the ice, wristing the puck past Stolarz to make it 4–0 Blackhawks.

Connor Bedard with an 86.5 mph wrist shot, which finds the back of the net. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/0jgDl8kmy2

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 5, 2023

A little over a minute later, the Blackhawks got a 2-on-1 that looked like they might put another on the board. Hall and Tyler Johnson came up the ice, with Hall putting the puck over a sliding defender to Johnson, but Stolarz came up with a tremendous save to prevent the goal. By the end of the second, the Panthers had eventually out-shot the Blackhawks, but Mrazek stood tall and stopped every Florida chance to this point.

Third period

Seven minutes into the third, Florida would strike for the first time. They went on the power play on a Bedard high stick, and were able to convert, with Oliver Ekman-Larsson putting a slap shot past Mrazek, making it 4–1 Blackhawks. With about 11:20 to go in the third, Aleksander Barkov put a back-hander off of the crossbar on a rebound opportunity that could have easily made it just a two-goal game. With seven and a half to go, Matthew Tkachuk cleaned up a rebound to put another Florida goal on the board, and make it a two-goal game for real. That was his 500th NHL point, giving him 500 in 520 games played. That would be all that they would get though, as Mrazek stopped the rest of the shots faced, and Kurashev would pot an empty-netter to seal it off in a 5–2 Blackhawks win.

Analysis

The Blackhawks showed some resiliency in rebounding from such a bad game against Arizona to play lights out defensively in this game by comparison. They blocked 29 shots in the game, with even Bedard getting in on that action, and stood their ground overall. Zaitsev made the most of this 13 and a half minutes played, putting in his first of the year and totaling a +3 rating for the evening. When no one on your team was a negative in plus/minus, you are definitely doing something correct.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Sunday evening against the New Jersey Devils at 6 p.m. CST. The game will be on NHL Network and NBC Sports Chicago.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Nov. 4 vs. Florida Panthers appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago jumped out to a 2–0 lead in the first period, but gave up three goals in a five-minute span of the third period to head into the final seven minutes of play down 3–2. The temporary hero of the night was Cole Guttman, who scored the game-tying goal with under a minute left in regulation. Florida, however, took the extra point on a goal by defenseman Brandon Montour halfway through overtime.

The Blackhawks were out-shot 43–24 and 34–17 in the final two periods and overtime. No one can compete when they are getting crushed in their own end this way. That said, goaltender Petr Mrazek held the Blackhawks in the game. Posting 39 saves last night is respectable.

Recent Blackhawks acquisition Anders Bjork was injured in the first period and did not return.

Here’s a look at the Anders Bjork injury at the end of the first period. He has been ruled out for the rest of the game. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/GFc4r6rc1u

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 11, 2023

The Jones brothers played 28:09 (Seth) and 24:23 (Caleb), which is way too much for those two. Head coach Luke Richardson is (almost) getting his money’s worth.

The Panthers’ goals were from Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart and Eetu Luostarinen, with the “Sam” goals coming just 29 seconds apart.

The Panthers also took 22 minutes in penalties, giving the Blackhawks six power plays. Of course, the visitors failed to score on any of the aforementioned advantages.

Not only were the Blackhawks missing Stalock and eventually Bjork, but Connor Murphy was also unavailable as he tended to family back in Chicago. Murphy will again be out of the lineup on Saturday.

For those watching the “tank index,” Chicago is currently ranked 30th overall with a .385 points percentage ahead of the San Jose Sharks (.379) and Columbus Blue Jackets (.367). The Blackhawks travel across the state of Florida to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CST.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — March 10 vs. Florida Panthers appeared first on The Rink.

• The Blackhawks jumped out to a quick 1–0 lead on a Taylor Raddysh power play goal and closed out the period with a late Patrick Kane goal, his first of the season. Philipp Kurashev scored the game-winner by victimizing an injured Gustav Forsling late in the second period, and Jonathan Toews had the insurance goal late in the third.
• Goaltender Alex Stalock continues to battle and keep the Blackhawks in games. Stalock stopped 28 shots, including 13 in the third period, while his teammates scored four goal on only 22 shots.
• Chicago held the Panthers to 0–6 on the power play, while scoring on one of their two power plays.
• Seth Jones was a -2 for his second consecutive game.
• Good or not, Luke Richardson has this Blackhawks team playing more physical than fans have seen in quite a long time. They registered 29 hits against Florida’s 17, which seems to be working.

The Blackhawks host Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday evening. The puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CDT.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Oct. 26 vs. Florida Panthers appeared first on The Rink.

First period

It took 41 seconds for the Panthers to take an early lead…or at least they thought they did. Ex-Blackhawk defenseman Gustav Forsling fired a shot from the point, which was turned aside by Delia, who left a juicy rebound that Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov jumped on for the goal. The replay crew in Toronto called for the review and would eventually overturn it after the video review clearly showed Barkov kicked the puck into the open net, so the game remained scoreless.

With 96 seconds left in the period, Barkov would tally one that counted, as he drove the net and scored on the backhand for his 30th of the season to give Florida a 1–0 lead. For the period, the Panthers outshot the Blackhawks 17–11.

Second period

About six minutes into the period, the Blackhawks nearly tied it, but Alex DeBrincat was robbed on the doorstep by Bobrovsky. Nearly two minutes later, Ryan Lomberg skated through the neutral zone, past a flat-footed Calvin de Haan and in alone on Delia, where he beat the netminder on a breakaway for his ninth of the season and fourth in the last three games to give Florida a 2–0 lead.

The Panthers extended their lead to 3–0 when a Mason Marchment pass from behind the goal line did not connect with Sam Reinhart in the slot, but Forsling gathered it at the blue line and fired it past Delia for his third of the season. The Hawks challenged the goal for goaltender interference, but the call was upheld and the Blackhawks were assessed a minor penalty for delay of game. For the period, the Hawks outshot the Panthers 17–11 and through two, the teams were even at 28 in shots on goal.

Third period

With 6:13 left, Barkov scored his second of the game and 31st of the season on a two-man advantage to give Florida a 4–0 lead. After a face-off win by Barkov, Claude Giroux fed Reinhart, who found Jonathan Huberdeau in the slot, then passed to Barkov in the left circle, who fired a one-timer through the five hole of Delia. On the goal, Huberdeau notched his 71st assist of the season, which set a new single-season NHL record by a left winger. The score would hold up, as the Panthers completed the sweep of the two-game season series against the Hawks. In the third period, the Panthers outshot the Blackhawks 15–10. For the game, the Panthers outshot the Hawks 44–37.

The good, the bad, the ugly

The good

Delia: While he gave up four goals, none were his fault and the score could have been a lot worse had he not made some point-blank saves against the league’s top offense. Bobrovsky was that much better, as he played one of his best games as a Panther. Florida fans will certainly hope he can play this way in the postseason.

The bad

De Haan and Seth Jones: The duo was on the ice for two Florida goals at even strength and one that was disallowed less than a minute into the game. De Haan had a lot of trouble with the Panthers’ speed up front, as evidenced by the goal scored by Lomberg in the middle period.

The ugly

The Blackhawks’ offense: After scoring 21 goals in the previous five games, the Hawks came up empty, albeit against a team that is clearly a Stanley Cup contender. The Hawks were able to generate chances, but Bobrovsky stopped all 37 shots he faced.

Analysis

The result of the game certainly overshadowed a special night for the Hawks’ captain. On the ice, there were some positives beyond Delia. Taylor Raddysh continued his strong play since his arrival from the Tampa Bay Lightning, as he registered four shots on goal and set up a few quality scoring chances. Speaking of Tampa Bay, the Hawks’ road swing through Florida continues Friday night against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning, where they will greet their former teammate, Brandon Hagel. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. CDT on NBCSCH with the radio call on WGN 720.

The post Toews reaches 1,000-game milestone, Hawks fall in Florida appeared first on The Rink.

The two sides skated to a 1–1 first period. After the Panthers started the scoring with a goal from Aaron Ekblad with under five minutes to play, Chicago drew even with under a minute to go. Patrick Kane’s off-angle shot from behind the goal line eluded Sergei Bobrovsky to knot the score before the end of the frame.

Literally how?? pic.twitter.com/HPwuhMTvCq

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2022

In the second period, the Panthers regained the lead at the 7:26 mark when Brandon Montour’s long wrist shot beat Marc-Andre Fleury high to the blocker side.

When the third period began, Florida quickly extended their lead when MacKenzie Weegar scored just 50 seconds in. The Hawks tried to claw back into the game and narrowed the gap when Caleb Jones scored his second goal of the season with assists going to Alex DeBrincat and Kane.

CALEB JONES GOALLLLLLL

It’s a one goal game! pic.twitter.com/H0nTVNmu03

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 20, 2022

But, the Panthers pulled away with back-to-back empty-net goals from Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell to seal the 5–2 win. The Hawks battled but could not capitalize on their power play chances, going 0–4 on the day. Chicago does not play again until Friday when they host the New Jersey Devils.

Patrick Kane has seen better days in Chicago, and his frustration at the team’s demise is beginning to show.(Photograph courtesy of the NHL)

Analysis

With an assist on Jones’ goal, Kane notched his 720th career assist, moving him ahead of Blackhawks legend Denis Savard on the Hawks all-time assist list. Though Kane can and will continue to reach milestones on the stat sheet, his body language on the ice clearly shows his frustration, and rightly so. For a player who has given all of himself to this organization, to lose night in and night out has to be taking its toll on No. 88. It will be interesting to see if and when Kane elects to waive his no-movement clause to get another shot at a Cup run. By now, he must realize that he will not be winning another Cup in Chicago. He still has another season with a $10.5 million cap hit, which will limit trade possibilities this season and even this summer. Perhaps we will be seeing him in another uniform a year from now ahead of the 2023 trade deadline. That said, ultimately, it is entirely up to him if whether or not he wants to be traded ahead of his contract expiring in June of 2023. One should wonder how much more he can take playing for the red, white and black.

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Friday vs. St. Louis Blues

Unfortunately for the Kraken, they never got rolling against the visiting Blues. Goaltender Ville Husso stopped all 20 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season, and the Blues got all the scoring they needed in the first period from Tyler Bozak and Brayden Schenn.

St. Louis added three more goals in the third period from Pavel Buchnevich, Colton Parayko and Jordan Kyrou to solidify a 5–0 win.

Seattle goaltender Joey Daccord stopped 19 of 22 shots with Chris Driedger out and Philipp Grubauer taking the night off. Defenseman Vince Dunn had a rough night as well, playing only 17:50 and watching three goals against up close.

Sunday vs. Florida Panthers

Following Seattle’s whitewashing against the Blues, the Atlantic Division-leading Panthers came to town Sunday evening. Once again, the Kraken struggled out of the chute, but this time scored three goals in the second and two more in the third to surprise the Cats. Colin Blackwell and Yanni Gourde set a Seattle team record by scoring goals 17 seconds apart.

The game was not without its drama, though. After taking a 3–1 lead in the second, the Kraken surrendered two goals to close out the second period and head into the intermission tied at 3–3.

Mason Appleton and Calle Jarnkrok secured the win with their third period tallies. Grubauer was back in net and had a solid 23-save performance, including a clutch 12-save third period.

Last week’s hero, Carson Soucy, played only 4:41 before leaving with an injury.

The Kraken host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.

The post RECAP: Kraken split weekend with Blues and Panthers appeared first on The Rink.

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

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

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 27, 2021

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

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

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

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 28, 2021

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

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

Anchor points

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

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

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) November 28, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Odds courtesy of BetRivers)

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

O/U: 6 -122

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

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

O/U: 6.5 -122

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

BONUS PARLAY

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

Happy gambling and remember, always ride the Tommy Train.

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

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