After ushering in a new era on Tuesday with the introduction of Kyle Davidson as the 10th general manager in franchise history, the Chicago Blackhawks celebrated their past once again by welcoming a pair of three-time Stanley Cup champion defensemen back to the United Center on Thursday night. Prior to their game against the Edmonton Oilers, the Blackhawks celebrated the return of Niklas Hjalmarsson to the UC with a video tribute and dropping the ceremonial first puck between former teammates Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. The game also marked the first time the two-time Norris Trophy winner and future Hall of Famer returned to Chicago after being traded to Edmonton last summer to be closer to his home in Western Canada. The Hawks entered the game as healthy as they’ve been in a long time with the return to the lineup of Toews, Tyler Johnson, Calvin de Haan, and Riley Stillman. In net, the Hawks started Marc-Andre Fleury against Edmonton’s Mikko Koskinen.
Blocking shots, scoring goals and winning championships — thanks for everything, Hammer ❤️🔨 pic.twitter.com/TesF3U3fsf
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 4, 2022
First period
The Blackhawks jumped out to an early 1–0 after the fourth line generated an aggressive forecheck. Sam Lafferty forced a turnover in the corner and the puck squirted to Ryan Carpenter on the half boards. Carpenter fed Philipp Kurashev in the right circle who found Lafferty alone in front of the net and he skated across the crease and fired one through the pads of Koskinen for his second of the season at the 2:34 mark.
Following a Duncan Keith video tribute, the Oilers went on their second power play of the period after the Hawks committed their second penalty for too many men. This time, the Oilers cashed in and tied the game at 1–1 at 14:35. Connor McDavid skated around the net and through the left circle then backhanded a pass to Leon Draisaitl who fired a one-timer from a bad angle past Fleury for his 38th of the season and his league-leading 17th power play tally.
At the 16:55 mark, the Hawks took a 2–1 lead. Caleb Jones pinched in and tapped it to Dylan Strome who had a 2-on-1 down low and he fed a wide-open Patrick Kane who fired a one-timer from the left circle for his 17th of the season.
The Oilers tied it at 2–2 with 33.8 left in the opening frame. With both teams skating four-on-four, Draisitl skated down the right side one-on-one with Connor Murphy who appeared to have him well covered but a pass attempt deflected through to Evander Kane who skated in alone down the middle and wristed one past Fleury for his sixth of the season.
After a wild first period, the Oilers had an 11–8 advantage in shots on goal.
Second period
The Hawks generated several quality scoring chances including a near shorthanded tally by Brandon Hagel, however, neither team lit the lamp in the middle frame. The Hawks erased two Edmonton power play chances while the home team failed to score on their only man-advantage of the period. The Hawks outshot the Oilers 12–5 for the period and held a 20–16 advantage through 40 minutes.
Third period
The Hawks broke the 2–2 tie at the 2:49 mark when Koskinen went behind the net to play the puck then wrapped it around the boards right to Dominik Kubalik who shot it into an open net from the half boards for his 11th of the season.
Late in the third, with the net empty, the Hawks won the draw but Ryan Carpenter failed to clear the zone. A Seth Jones turnover led to Evander Kane, from the side of the goal, passing the puck in front which went off Calvin de Haan’s stick and into the net to tie the game at 3–3 with 49.3 left. For Evander Kane, it was his second of the game and seventh of the season.
Edmonton outshot Chicago 16–10 in the third which gave the Oilers a 32-30 advantage after regulation.
Overtime
Less than a minute into the extra frame, Draisatl was penalized for tripping Caleb Jones in the neutral zone to set up a 4-on-3 power play for the home team. The Hawks would cash in when Patrick Kane fed Alex Debrincat in the right circle but Cody Ceci blocked the one-timer, however, the puck went right back to number 88 who made the exact same cross-ice pass to “The Cat” who buried it for his 30th of the season at 2:23 of overtime to secure a Blackhawks win. The Hawks outshot the Oilers 2–0 in overtime and the two teams finished knotted at 32 in shots on goal for the contest.
Like we said: don’t doubt Cat and Kane in OT #CloroxClutch pic.twitter.com/5x5w5xJ1TI
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 4, 2022
Analysis
The Hawks rebounded nicely from not only giving up a late goal to force OT but a dreadful loss to the St. Louis Blues last weekend. Defensively, the Hawks limited the number of high danger chances by the high-powered Oilers with a ton of blocked shots and an aggressive forecheck. Additionally, the power play came through in a big spot after spending some practice time recently working on their execution with the man advantage.
The Hawks return to the ice on Saturday in Philadelphia for a matinee against the Flyers. Puck drop is at 2 PM CST on ESPN+ and ABC with the radio call on 720 WGN.