CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks had a tough trip out West. They went 1-2-1 against the Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings twice.
In the final two games of the trip, Saturday and Sunday’s games at Southern California, the Blackhawks were kicked out of the building.
4 takeaways from the Blackhawks’ latest road trip out West
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Today, back at the United Center, was Chicago’s next chance to end its slump and get back to winning ways. They may not be a playoff caliber team yet, but they are better than the team that went West last week.
No goals were scored in the first period, but the Blackhawks controlled the game. Thanks to some miraculous saves from Igor Shesterkin, the match continued until the second intermission with a goalless draw.
In the second period, the Blackhawks began to see their efforts rewarded. It all started at 7:08 of the middle period, when Louis Crevier scored a shorthanded goal. He ended up with a mini breakaway and beat Shesterkin to make it 1-0, Blackhawks.
Shortly after, Ryan Donato put the puck in the net to make it 2-0, but the Rangers challenged it for a missed stoppage time. Upon review, it was determined that before the goal was scored, Colton Dach used his hands to make a pass, failing to do so.
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The Blackhawks didn’t stop improving after that, however, as they still found a way to make it 2-0 before the end of the period. At 14:27, Connor Bedard went over a top shelf to extend the lead to two. A superb play by André Burakovsky using speed and skill allowed Bédard to score.
In the final period of regulation time, the Blackhawks did not stop. Tyler Bertuzzi took advantage of a nifty play made by Connor Bedard and Ryan Greene to make it 3-0. There was high-end effort and tenacity from all three players.
Spencer Knight earned his second shutout of the season with a 3-0 score in the final. Knight made 21 saves in that effort. After the way the team gave up goals in Southern California this weekend, it was important for them to come out this week and be solid defensively. Getting a goaltender like that from Knight made rebounding even easier in that regard.
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What’s next for the Blackhawks?
Next up for the Chicago Blackhawks is a one-game stop in Missouri to take on the St. Louis Blues. This will be a Friday night ESPN+/Hulu exclusive.
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