CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks are last in the NHL but they have some quality wins against good teams this year. They were hoping to bring some of that magic when hosting the Vegas Golden Knights at United Center on Saturday night.
The Knights came in as the co-leaders of the Pacific Division (Edmonton Oilers) which has a case to be the best division in the league. Vegas is a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup.
Right out of the gate, the Golden Knights didn’t look like the team that played the night prior. At 9:29 of the first period, Victor Olofsson made it 1-0 Knights. A pretty passing play between Tomas Hertl and Alex Pietrangelo led to Olofsson getting a great shot on the net and he didn’t miss.
After that, the Hawks took over in the period. Before the first intermission, Lukas Reichel, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Taylor Hall all scored to make it 3-1. All hockey goals are special but Reichel’s was a little extra impressive. He channeled Patrick Kane with the move he pulled.
When you have a 3-1 lead at the first intermission, you should feel good about your chances to win the game. Things got a little dicey for the Hawks in the second period, however, as Tomas Hertl scored two goals to get the game tied up at 3.
It looked like that score would go into the second intermission but Seth Jones put the team on his back with a goal. Connor Bedard made a nice pass to send Jones in with a lane to the net and he buried it. Leading 4-3 at the second intermission is much better than being tied after blowing a two-goal lead.
At 4:08 of the final frame, Tyler Bertuzzi scored his second of the game. Parked in front of the net on the power play, he tapped in a beautiful (and smart) Teuvo Teravainen pass. That insurance goal gave the team the confidence they needed to play the right way for the rest of the period.
That 5-3 score stood as the final for Chicago. They once again beat a top team in the league and it was a mostly complete 60-minute effort. All around, that is the type of game that you build on if you’re the Blackhawks.
For captain Nick Foligno specifically, this game was extra special. It was the 1200th in his NHL career. With his dad in attendance (it was the dads/mentors weekend for the Hawks), he was able to have this special moment.
Topping off that big milestone with a win over an elite team had to feel good for Foligno. On the scoresheet, he found himself with an assist on the first goal of the game (the beautiful tally by Lukas Reichel).
Another high-end team is invading the United Center on Monday when the Carolina Hurricanes come to town. This is another chance for the Blackhawks to put together a 60-minute effort against a top team.
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