The Chicago Blackhawks were hit with the illness bug as Jeff Blashill skipped the morning skate and goaltenders Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom were not dressed for the game in Chicago. Drew Commesso ended up getting the start in net and stopped 19 of the 25 shots in the loss.

First period

Decked out in their black sweaters, Chicago looked slow, lost and chasing the puck for most of the period as Washington scored three goals in the early frame to take the 3-0 lead into the first intermission. Anthony Beauvillier received a great pass from Martin Fehervary and tipped in the pass into a wide-open corner as Commesso was anticipating a shot from the point as forward Nick Lardis was slow getting off his check along the boards.

Chicago would fall behind 2-0 at the 15:07 mark when forward Connor McMichael beat defensemen Matt Grelzyck and Kevin Korchinski to a loose puck, skated between the two without being touched and slid a backhand through the five hole of Commesso. The goal, McMichael’s sixth of the season, was a great effort between two undecided defensemen.

Washington scored a minute before intermission when Ethan Frank scored his fifth goal after a Blackhawks turnover at the blue line and scored their third goal in six shots on Commesso.

Second period

Chicago would score its only goal of the game at the 8:48 mark of the second period when forward Oliver Moore snapped home his fifth goal of the season beating Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson.

OLIVER MOORE WITH AN ABSOLUTE SNIPE! pic.twitter.com/dAvHWNFMKX

— NHL (@NHL) January 10, 2026

Washington would not wait long to regain the three-goal advantage when winger Justin Sourdif scored his ninth goal of the season.

Third period

Many fans came out to see the all-time NHL goal scoring leader Ovechkin for perhaps one final time on Chicago ice and the legend did not disappoint fans with his goal at the 13:33 mark of the last frame. Ovechkin found a loose puck in the neutral zone and fired a snap shot through the five hole of Commesso to finish off the Blackhawks 5-1.

Analysis

The Blackhawks had a five-game point streak snapped with the loss to the Capitals, which coincided with the return of forward Connor Bedard after a 12-game absence. Bedard played just over 17 minutes and did look a bit rusty. However, it is great to have the heart and soul back on the ice.

Commesso’s start to his NHL career has been slow, having been called up a few times as a “emergency” start but the 23-year-old goaltender has been solid in Rockford for a season and a half now for the rebuilding Blackhawks.

Korchinski was also called up last night as the “bug” ripped through the locker room and looked a bit out of place chasing the puck a bunch and did not make many positive plays in his 13:53 minutes of action.

The 5-1 loss will be a good learning experience for the young Blackhawks as this is a “throw away” game in the memories and move onto the next game after their run of five-point streak. The locker room needs to get healthy and back to full strength.

The Hawks return to action tonight, traveling to face the Nashville Predators for a 7 p.m. CST start.

The post RECAP: Ovechkin scores in Capitals’ 5-1 victory in Chicago appeared first on The Rink.

The lineup would remain the same as the game versus Dallas, with Spencer Knight getting another start between the pipes.

First period

The Blackhawks started off strong in this game, with their first goal coming just over a minute into the period. Ilya Mikheyev put a wrister in the direction of the net, with Ryan Donato getting his stick on it. He tipped it through the five-hole of Logan Thompson, putting the Blackhawks up 1-0 early.

wasting no time getting down to business pic.twitter.com/CIexbjRTnE

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 4, 2026

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

Three and a half minutes later, though, the Capitals would get that one back. Old friend Dylan Strome would pick up the rebound off of a Knight pad save and put it to the back of the net, knotting things up 1-1. The period would end the same way that it started, all tied up.

Second period

The Blackhawks got the first power play of the game in the second period. Jakob Chychrun got called for roughing on Colton Dach, putting the Blackhawks on the mad advantage. It took them just over a minute to score, but they retook the lead. Tyler Bertuzzi fed Teuvo Teravainen in the left circle, and he beat Thompson just under the crossbar, 2-1 Chicago.

turbo on the power play pic.twitter.com/saHNm3tqn4

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 4, 2026

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

The Capitals got one good chance later in the period from Connor McMichael, but Knight proved up to the task and keep his pad down to keep the puck out. The Blackhawks carried the 2-1 lead into the third period.

Third period

The Capitals got their first power play of the game on a Wyatt Kaiser trip of Alex Ovechkin. They didn’t generate too many opportunities, with the Blackhawks managing to kill it off without a lot of trouble. A few minutes after the penalty expired, the Capitals managed to tie it up. The puck found its way back to Matt Roy at the point. He put a wrister on net with Ryan Leonard in front. He got his stick on the puck just enough to tip it over the arm of Knight, knotting it up at 2-2. The third would end up all tied, sending this one to overtime.

Overtime and shootout

Overtime went by without much happening, with the Blackhawks managing two shots and the Capitals not getting a single one on net. The Blackhawks got a late power play with under a minute to go, but couldn’t convert, sending it to the shootout.

In the first round, the Blackhawks scored, with Nick Lardis putting on some moves to get the puck past Thompson.

a twirl of the stick for the rookie pic.twitter.com/7GWCW0voev

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 4, 2026

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

Then, Strome came through again for the Capitals to knot it back up again. The next three shooters were stopped by both goalies. Then, in the fifth round, Sonny Milano and Andre Burakovsky both scored, keeping things knotted up. In the sixth, the Blackhawks got the game-winner from the captain, as Nick Foligno put the puck past Thompson to win it 3-2 in the shootout.

Analysis

Starting off rough after losing Connor Bedard to injury in December, it looked like the Blackhawks might just be as bad as they were two years ago. That has changed as of late, with the team playing well despite the loss of several players to injury, and getting the job done despite some rough underlying statistics. The one area that needs improvement desperately is the faceoff dot, where the Blackhawks consistently get beat game after game.

Beating quality teams in Dallas and now Washington back to back, the Blackhawks look to take down the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night at the United Center. That game will be at 6 p.m. CST on CHSN.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks slip past Capitals, win 3-2 in shootout appeared first on The Rink.

With Gretzky, Ovi’s family, and all Caps nation to witness

Alex Ovechkin is now tied for the most career goals in NHL history with 894 goals! pic.twitter.com/MGTg7itw2q

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 5, 2025

First period

All eyes were on Ovechkin as he chased history and the Russian wasted no time scoring his 40th goal of the season at the 3:52 mark of the opening frame. Ovechkin beat Knight after firing home a shot from former Blackhawks center Dylan Strome. The goal left Ovechkin one goal short of tying Gretzky.

Tyler Bertuzzi tied the game at 1–1 beating Washington netminder Charlie Lindgren for his 21st goal of the season. The goal, assisted by forwards Landon Slaggert and Frank Nazar, would be all the scoring in the period.

Washington goal!

Scored by Alex Ovechkin with 16:08 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Dylan Strome and John Carlson.

Washington: 1
Chicago: 0#CHIvsWSH #ALLCAPS #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/7B4jXN85dR

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 4, 2025

Second period

Less than a minute into the middle period, Nazar buried home his eighth goal of the season to give the visitors a 2–1 lead. The goal was assisted by forward Oliver Moore, his first career NHL point, and the soon-to-be-retired Pat Maroon.

Chicago goal!

Scored by Frank Nazar with 19:29 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Oliver Moore and Patrick Maroon.

Washington: 1
Chicago: 2#CHIvsWSH #ALLCAPS #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/vqbCUVM5Dv

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

Martin Fehervary fired a wrist shot past Knight to tie the game at 2–2, but it would be a short-lived tie game after forward Phillipp Kurashev scored his seventh goal of the season to take back the lead for the Hawks at 3–2.

Chicago goal!

Scored by Philipp Kurashev with 12:41 remaining in the 2nd period.

Assisted by Landon Slaggert and Oliver Moore.

Washington: 2
Chicago: 3#CHIvsWSH #ALLCAPS #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/wkzznGjS8k

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

Third period

Chicago would knock the puck into its own goal and Strome would be credited with the easiest goal of his career to knot things back up at 3–3 at 3:46 mark of the period.

The goal everyone was waiting for, No. 894 of his career, to tie the record found the back of the net at the 6:13 mark to give the Capitals lead at 4–3. Ovechkin found himself at his usual left dot and fired home a wrist shot past Knight.

Power play goal for Washington!

Scored by Alex Ovechkin with 13:47 remaining in the 3rd period.

Assisted by John Carlson and Andrew Mangiapane.

Washington: 4
Chicago: 3#CHIvsWSH #ALLCAPS #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/2mq84YQATs

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

The @NHLBlackhawks remained on the ice after the game to show their respect for Alex Ovechkin. #Gr8Chase pic.twitter.com/90buP67wd3

— NHL (@NHL) April 5, 2025

Capitals forward Ryan Leonard scored his first career goal into an empty net to finish off the Blackhawks 5–3. Ovechkin was given the choice and did not want the record-breaking goal to come by an empty net.

Chicago is back on home ice on Sunday for a 5 p.m. CDT puck drop against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Analysis

Ovechkin has been a polarizing figure since joining the NHL and is one goal away from breaking a record many thought was untouchable. The forward gets his next chance in New York against the Islanders. That game would be the same exact amount of games it took Gretzky to score 894 at 1,487 games played.

Nazar scored tonight and has been doing a nice job playing a simple game and always seems to have a nose for the puck or the open ice to make plays. The 21-year-old forward has also been doing a great job of finding himself in front of the opposing team’s goaltender, a talent a lot of forwards on this team do not possess.

Moore finished the game with two assists and a +2 rating. The youngster has shown the ability to use his speed and slick stick handling to be a factor every time he steps on the ice in his young career.

The post RECAP: Ovechkin ties Gretzky with a pair of goals in 5–3 win over Chicago appeared first on The Rink.

First period

The Caps struck first on Pierre-Luc Dubois’ fifth goal of the season. While on the forecheck, Dubois picked the pocket of Louis Crevier and skated in alone and the puck trickled in past Soderblom at 4:16 of the first to give Washington a 1–0 advantage.

Washington took a 2–0 lead when Andrew Mangiapane scored his seventh of the season. Mangiapane skated in 1-on-1 against TJ Brodie through the left circle and then completely undressed his former teammate, skated in alone, crossed the goal mouth and beat a fallen Soderblom at 13:18. For only the 12th time in 32 games this season, the Hawks trailed after the first frame.

Second period

A scoreless middle period featured the Hawks controlling the play. They spent the majority of the frame in the Washington zone thanks to three power plays. All three power-play opportunities looked impressive, yet the Hawks came up empty and still trailed 2–0 after 40 minutes. The Hawks outshot the Caps 10–6 in the period for a 19–11 advantage through two.

Third period

The Caps carried over some power play time, but it was the Blackhawks who lit the lamp to cut the deficit to 2–1. Ilya Mikheyev forced a turnover, which sprung Teuvo Teravainen up the left side. Teravainen fed Mikheyev, who skated around Jakob Chychrun and flipped a backhand past Thompson for his fourth of the season at the 51-second mark.

the correct way to celebrate 300 games pic.twitter.com/BbbcxL9Lna

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 18, 2024

With 5:53 left in regulation, Brodie made up for his defensive undoing in the first period by scoring the equalizer. Alex Vlasic led a rush up the ice, passed to Teravainen, who fed Mikheyev, who dished to Brodie at the point and he fired the puck past Thompson for his second of the season to tie the game at 2–2.

and we’re all tied up at 2-2 pic.twitter.com/tJI5x3Fqdl

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 18, 2024

The Hawks took a 3–2 lead with 2:18 left on Ryan Donato’s team-leading 11th of the season. A strong shift by Donato saw him win a board battle in the corner against John Carlson and then made a strong move skating in front of the net where he went around Thompson and tucked it in the right pad. The Hawks held on for a 3–2 win.

WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WAY pic.twitter.com/SgHcb3AnA1

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 18, 2024

Analysis

This was arguably the Blackhawks’ best win of the season. The Hawks outplayed one of the best teams in the NHL for the first two periods but had nothing to show for it. The shorthanded goal early in the third by Mikheyev gave the Hawks the some life. The Hawks also received a strong third-period performance from Soderblom, who faced 11 shots through 40 minutes then stopped all 10 he faced in the final frame. It was also a game of retribution for two Hawks defensemen in Brodie and Crevier. After both were beat 1-on-1 in the first period leading to both Washington goals, both stepped up in the third as Brodie scored the tying goal and Crevier absolutely pasted Tom Wilson with a check to the boards in the corner of the Hawks’ defensive zone in the final minute while the Hawks were looking to close it out.

The Hawks return to home ice on Thursday night when they host the Seattle Kraken on a night where they will honor new Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Jeremy Roenick. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. CST on CHSN+ with the radio call on 720 AM WGN.

The post RECAP: Hawks rally with three in the third to defeat Caps appeared first on The Rink.

First period

This one got ugly early. After a few minutes of trading shots, the Capitals got one past Mrazek. Just over seven minutes into the game, John Carlson put a shot on net from the point. Hendrix Lapierre gained positioning on Seth Jones to get his stick on it and redirect it past Mrazek, 1–0 Capitals. Just 1:45 later, Washington struck again. With a loose puck in front of the net, Michael Sgarbossa got his stick on a backhander and put it right past Mrazek, 2–0. Later on in the period, the Capitals got a power play opportunity, after Jarred Tinordi got called for boarding against Sgarbossa.

On that ensuing power play, Dylan Strome got the puck from behind the net to Tom Wilson in front, who buried the shot to make it 3–0 Capitals. The Capitals then seemed to make it 4–0, but the goal was called back due to being offside. The successful challenge by the Hawks marks a 13-for-14 record on offside challenges during the Luke Richardson administration. The first period would end with the Capitals up big.

Second period 

Both teams traded shots early, and the Capitals got a power play opportunity early. They did not make anything of it, as the Blackhawks managed to kill it off, but the Capitals clearly had all the momentum. With 2:36 left, Washington added to their score. Sonny Milano, who is on an absolute tear, potted his 10th of the season for Washington, making the score 4–0 officially heading into the intermission.

Third period

The Blackhawks finally got a goal in this game. Halfway through the third, Tyler Johnson got a redirection past Charlie Lindgren, making it 4–1 Capitals. It was too little, too late, though, as Washington cruised to victory in this contest.

Tyler Johnson scores on a redirection for his 13th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/L7DKzG3siZ

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 10, 2024

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

Analysis

Right after the Blackhawks show some signs of life, we as fans are brought right back to reality every time. This team is so far away from contention, but when they play well against a team better than themselves, it gives more hope than it should that you will not have to watch a team that has a long way to go for the rest of the season. Hopefully we can see some more glimmers of hope along the way, but now that we have officially been eliminated from the playoffs, player development is what is left to play for.

I interrupt your timeline to show you some nasty stick handling from Connor Bedard pic.twitter.com/yPNgfQl27y

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 10, 2024

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

The Blackhawks are next up against the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday. That game will be at 5 p.m. CDT on NHL Network and NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks beaten in the nation’s capital, lose 4–1 appeared first on The Rink.

First period

After the first few minutes of the game, both sides traded penalties, with Nick Foligno and John Carlson getting called for tripping. Those penalties overlapped, giving an extended 4-on-4 period. Once the Capitals’ power play had expired, the Blackhawks went on the man advantage. It seemed like they had scored, with Philipp Kurashev celebrating in front of the net, but it was called back due to a kicked puck. The Blackhawks’ fourth line showed up once again, getting the best chances of the period. Lukas Reichel got a huge rip right on that was saved by Darcy Kuemper. The rebound came right out to MacKenzie Entwistle, who put the puck hard off the boards, but that was covered up by Kuemper. The period would end as it had started, with neither team putting a puck in the net.

Second period

It took a while into the second period for some serious action to happen, but then it started to come fast and furious. After maintaining possession in the offensive zone, the Blackhawks switched players out for fresh bodies. Connor Bedard got the puck down to the right circle to Seth Jones, who put the puck in front to Kurashev, who put the first of the game home, 1–0 Blackhawks.

Philipp Kurashev gets on one knee and scores his sixth goal of the season. And this time it counts. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Pyg7ABPDJG

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 11, 2023

Just a couple of minutes later, the Capitals would answer with a goal of their own. After a couple more Blackhawks opportunities, the Capitals took the puck back up ice. Connor McMichael dished the puck across to Anthony Mantha in the neutral zone. He took the puck in on net, beat two Blackhawks defenders and slid the puck backhand past Soderblom, tying things up 1–1. Five minutes later, the Capitals would gain the lead. T.J. Oshie freed the puck up with a huge hit on Alex Vlasic behind the net. The puck found its way to Joel Edmundson between the circles, who got the puck to old friend Dylan Strome. He tapped home the goal to put the Capitals up 2–1.

Physical forecheck by TJ Oshie made this possible. Stromer finished it. Osh plays so hard it changes the way the whole team operates. #Caps pic.twitter.com/5lcwaLe7cB

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) December 11, 2023

Unfortunately, the Capitals were not done yet in this period. A few minutes later, after a goalmouth scramble, Nic Dowd tapped home another goal for the Capitals. He got the puck on net in the first place, and never gave up on the play, putting the Capitals up 3–1.

Third period

It took a while for more goals to be scored, but there was a lot of action in the third. Nic Dowd of the Capitals was all over the place, single-handedly giving the Capitals their best chances by himself. With four minutes left in the game, he was left in front of the Blackhawks net and wristed his second of the game past Soderblom, 4–1 Capitals. All the Blackhawks’ players on the ice were right around him, and still were not able to stop him from scoring. The Blackhawks would pick up another goal a few minutes later. Bedard saucered a filthy backhand pass across the ice to Connor Murphy, who tucked home his first of the season, 4–2 Washington.

Saucy backhand pass by Connor Bedard. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/7Owi0bTw2q

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 11, 2023

That is unfortunately how the game would end, as despite a late-game power play, the Blackhawks were not able to claw their way back in this one. Final score, 4–2 Capitals.

Analysis

The Blackhawks looked like they were exhausted in this game. There were so many defensive lapses that they did not make in the previous two games that were made constantly in this one. Vlasic looked especially bad, as he was out of position constantly, and looked lethargic when he was on the ice. Bedard, true to form, looks like he will be such a great player in the future. He has such good hockey sense, and he makes his teammates better just by being on the ice.

Soderblom has been a struggle bus so far this season. Some games he has been the only reason the team is still in the game, but that has not been the case lately. He does get left out to dry some games, but he also needs to make more saves, as an .852 save percentage is horrid. The second Dowd goal really got me mad. I cannot for the life of me understand how you end up looking like a peewee team because you all bunched up defensively to cover one player with five people. They left everyone on the ice wide open besides the one guy who had the puck.

The Blackhawks’ next game is on Tuesday night versus the Edmonton Oilers. That game will be at 9 p.m. CST on NBC Sports Chicago.

The post RECAP: Blackhawks’ streak comes to a halt, lose to Capitals appeared first on The Rink.

  Call it rust or call it diminished skills, but Anton Khudobin was pretty bad. I am not complaining, because the Blackhawks need to lose every game they can in these final weeks, but it needs to be pointed out. The first goal was historically bad and it did not get much better.

  Blackhawks forward Philipp Kurashev was injured in the first period after taking a hit from Capital forward Tom Wilson and did not return. No timetable was given for his recovery.

Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi put a big hit on Wilson later in the first period that rattled the Capitals agitator (and former Tinordi teammate). If Tinordi wants to come back, there is no reason why they should not bring him back next season. He has been a really nice veteran presence on the back end, especially with his physicality.

Jarred Tinordi lays a massive hit on Tom Wilson. Oh baby. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/OTJRuX0w8c

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 23, 2023

  Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper had himself a nice game, making 27 saves on 28 shots. Nikita Zaitsev’s goal was a bit of a softy, but otherwise he was impenetrable.

  Capital defenseman John Carlsson returned from a scary injury earlier in the season to post up a goal and assist in 20:01 of time on ice.

  Again, this is by no means a complaint, but Washington looked like they were men playing against boys. That being said, they are a team that probably will not being in the playoffs this year. Chicago had five power play chances and were not able to generate much of anything while Washington converted on two of their four power plays.

For those watching the “tank index,” Chicago is currently ranked 30th overall with a .380 points percentage ahead of the San Jose Sharks (.368 and lost in regulation) and Columbus Blue Jackets (.364, off night). The Blackhawks are off Friday, but travel to Minnesota for face the Minnesota Wild on Saturday. Puck drop is a rare 4 p.m. CDT start.

The post Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — March 23 vs. Washington Capitals appeared first on The Rink.

The evening began on a positive note, as the Blackhawks celebrated goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury after having earned the 500th win of his career last Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens. During pregame warmups, every Blackhawks player donned a Fleury jersey with No. 500 on the back. Then, prior to puck drop, Fleury was honored with a video tribute highlighting the various milestones and memories from his illustrious NHL career and received video messages from the other two members of the 500 win club, Martin Brodeur and Patrick Roy.

The road to 5⃣0⃣0⃣ for pic.twitter.com/fHC3wLMFxA

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 16, 2021

Finally, Fleury was presented with a custom mask signifying his 500 victories, which was unveiled by fellow Chicago netminder Kevin Lankinen.

First period

Once the game got underway, the excitement died down, as not much happened in the opening frame. The Blackhawks did have two power play opportunities, but were unable to convert. Shots favored Washington 13–6 in the first period.

Second period

Things opened up in the second, as longtime great sniper Alex Ovechkin started the scoring with a power play tally 3:36 into the period, clanking a quick wrister off the post and in past Fleury, giving the Capitals a 1–0 lead. The strike was Ovechkin’s 274th career power play goal, tying him for the most in NHL history with Dave Andreychuk.

Washington kept pushing, but Fleury kept the game close, including robbing Ovechkin of a second goal moments later.

Chicago gained another opportunity on the man advantage, as Martin Fehervary and Nic Dowd took penalties in close proximity, giving the Hawks a brief 5-on-3 chance. The Blackhawks wasted no time capitalizing, as quick puck movement off the ensuing face-off resulted in Patrick Kane finding Alex DeBrincat with a slick cross-crease pass for a backdoor slam dunk, knotting up the score at 1–1 with 6:05 remaining in the stanza.

With DeBrincat’s marker coming on the two-man advantage, the Hawks maintained a one-man power play in the aftermath, and again made lightning-quick work of the opportunity, as Kirby Dach steamed into the Washington zone off the face-off. Dach’s bid was stopped, but Philipp Kurashev was able to chip home the rebound for his first goal of the season and a 2–1 Chicago lead just 18 seconds after DeBrincat’s tally.

The Blackhawks’ scoring frenzy continued, as just 16 ticks later, as MacKenzie Entwistle tapped in a Brandon Hagel rebound for his third of the season. Before you could have blinked, Chicago had stormed to a 3–1 lead.

However, the Caps were able to stop the bleeding and answered with a strike of their own in the final minute of the frame, as Daniel Sprong snapped a perfectly placed shot over Fleury’s shoulder to cut the gap to 3–2 with 41.3 seconds left.

Third period

Washington carried the momentum into the third, where Lars Eller would level the score at 3–3 with 8:03 remaining on a goal Fleury would have liked to have back.

But, the Blackhawks fought back, earning another man advantage two minutes later. The Hawks’ power play would stay red hot on the evening, cashing in for the third time on DeBrincat’s second of the night off a nifty cross-slot feed from Brandon Hagel, putting the home team back on top at 4–3 with 5:00 left on the clock.

Time ticked down to the final seconds of regulation with Washington pushing for an equalizer. It appeared as though the Hawks might escape the onslaught, but the Capitals finally did tally their tying marker, as Conor Sheary fired home a pass from Ovechkin to send the game to overtime at 4–4.

Overtime

Washington largely controlled the first minute of the extra frame before Kane bodied Sheary off the puck to cause a 2-on-1 break for Dach and Caleb Jones. Dach ultimately elected to shoot, but was stopped by Ilya Samsonov. However, the puck sat free in the crease and Jones was able to get his stick on it and send it to the back of the net. Needless to say, Jones picked the right time to pick up his first goal as a Blackhawk, giving his squad a 5–4 overtime victory.

Analysis

There were good things and bad things during the game, but perhaps the brightest spot for the Hawks was their power play, converting on three of their opportunities. After missing on a golden chance in the first period, DeBrincat was able to put away two of those man-advantage strikes to push his season goal total to 16. Jones had a quality return to the lineup, with a power play assist to go along with the game-winning tally. Dach, Hagel and Kane each registered a pair of helpers to round out the multi-point efforts for the victors.

Of course, allowing the Caps to tie the game on two occasions in the third period was a lowlight for the evening, but the Blackhawks did still manage to find a way to pick up two points against a quality opponent.

Chicago returns to action on Friday, hosting the Nashville Predators in a Central Division clash. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CST.

The post Blackhawks survive Caps’ comeback, win 5–4 in overtime appeared first on The Rink.

In net, the Hawks sent out Marc-Andre Fleury against Vitek Vanecek. For Chicago, the game marked the NHL debut of Josiah Slavin, a 2018 seventh-round pick of the Hawks who has four goals and eight points in 15 games with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. If his surname sounds familiar, that is because Josiah is the younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin.

First period

Late in the first, Blackhawks Interim Head Coach Derek King made an adjustment to get more offense late by moving Patrick Kane to a line with Alex DeDrincat and Kirby Dach, and it paid off. With 59.3 seconds left, Kane fed “the Cat” on a 2-on-1 and he deked Vanacek for his 13th of the season to give Chicago a 1–0 lead, which was how the period ended. In an evenly played first, each team had its share of quality chances with the Hawks outshooting the Caps 9–8.

Second period

The middle period began with a boom, as Alexander Ovechkin leveled Connor Murphy with a clean hit into the boards. A woozy Murphy was helped to the bench and sent to the locker room and would not return to the game. Seconds later, the Caps forced a Brandon Hagel turnover and went 3-on-2 the other way, which ended with Nic Dowd deflecting a Carl Hagelin pass from the right circle for his third of the season to tie the game at 1–1.

At 12:57 of the second, the Blackhawks finally broke through on the power play. After a lazy clear to the neutral zone instead of down the ice by Evgeny Kuznetsov, DeBrincat skated in and found a wide-open Dominik Kubalik skating alone up the middle, and after a beautiful pass from DeBrincat, Kubalik scored his fourth of the season to give the Hawks a 2–1 lead and end a 15-game goal-scoring drought.

With 2:29 left in the period, Kuznetsov redeemed himself when an Ovechkin laser from the left circle hit the far post before tapping in the rebound during a goal-mouth scramble for his eighth of the season to tie the game at 2–2. In the second, it was the Caps outshooting the Hawks 9–8 for a two-period total of 17 apiece.

Third period

The Hawks opened the third with some carryover power play time, but were unable to convert. As the penalty expired, Dowd picked Seth Jones’ pocket and found a wide-open Garnet Hathaway, who just left the penalty box and scored his sixth of the season on a breakaway to give the Caps a 3–2 advantage just 57 seconds into the frame.

The Hawks tied it at 3–3 when Slavin notched his first NHL point when he sliced through a few Washington defenders before looping to the boards to find a trailing Jones, who wristed one past Vanecek with Ryan Carpenter providing the screen. For Jones, it was his third of the season at 11:56 of the period. For the final frame, both teams registered nine shots on goal for a total of 26 shots each in regulation.

Overtime

Despite the end-to-end action, both teams registered just two shots apiece with the Caps also hitting the post for what may have been the third or fourth time in the game. Both teams finished with 28 shots heading into the shootout, which was the first of the season for the Caps and second for the Hawks.

Shootout

Kuznetsov beat Fleury to the stick side, but, fittingly, hit the post.

Jonathan Toews tried to go five hole, but was denied by Vanecek.

Daniel Sprong beat Fleury to the glove side, but again, the iron came up big for the visitors.

Kane did his signature slow down and stick handle move before wristing the puck through Vanecek’s five hole to give the Hawks a 1–0 lead in the shootout.

Fleury clinched the win when he stopped Ovechkin, who tried to go five hole. Fleury’s save gave the Hawks their first win in the nation’s capital since January of 2006 and improved their record to 7–3 under King.

The good, the bad, the ugly

The good

Slavin: It was a really strong debut for the 22-year-old. He immediately looked like he belonged in a bottom-six role, as he was noticeable all 200 feet. Slavin was given some time on the penalty kill by King and would later register an assist on Jones’ goal for his first NHL point. And it was not a cheap assist either; the goal would not have happened without Slavin’s nifty playmaking on the tally.

The Hawks’ “fab five” defensemen: When Murphy went down early in the second, the other five blueliners—Jones, Erik Gustafsson, Caleb Jones, Wyatt Kalynuk and Jake McCabe—took on more minutes and held their own against the highest-scoring team in the league. Knowing the troubles the Blackhawks’ defensemen have had playing defense this season, that was certainly no easy feat. You can thank the iron behind Fleury for bailing them out as well.

The bad

Toews’ goal-scoring drought: He is getting chances, but has zero luck on his side. What more can you say other then you hope he gets one and gets on a roll soon.

The ugly

Murphy: The hit he took from Ovechkin was clean, but Ovechkin’s momentum caused Murphy’s head to hit the glass. Hopefully Murphy can return in time to help the team in New York this weekend, though that remains to be seen.

Analysis

It was a heck of a win for the Hawks in a building that has been a house of horrors for them for more than a decade. The team received strong contributions up and down the lineup, which should give them confidence as they head to Madison Square Garden for a matchup against their Original Six brethren, the New York Rangers, on Saturday. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CST on NBCSCH+ with the radio broadcast on 720 WGN.

The post Like old times, Fleury shuts down Ovechkin, Hawks edge Caps in shootout appeared first on The Rink.