After going winless in October, the Chicago Blackhawks looked to get November started on the right foot. The Hawks did just that, cruising to a convincing 5–1 rout of the visiting Ottawa Senators.
Chicago did get a bit of good news before the game, as Patrick Kane returned to the lineup for the first time in a week. Kane had been out in the COVID-19 protocol.
The Senators came into Chicago after defeating the Dallas Stars in a 4–1 victory on Friday. In a battle of former Pittsburgh goalies, it was new Blackhawks goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury that bested his old teammate, Matt Murray.
First period
In the first period, the Senators controlled the play early. At a point during the period, the Senators had generated 11 shots on net with four quality chances, while the Blackhawks had only three shots on net and no quality chances. Despite being outshot early, Fleury was able to hold Ottawa scoreless. Fleury not only was stopping shots, but he was directing rebounds to the corners, a great sign for the struggling netminder.
With less than a minute to go in the period, Brandon Hagel broke open the scoreless affair. Kane took a shot from the left circle that deflected off a Senators defenseman right into Hagel’s wheelhouse. Hagel buried the shot past Murray for the Blackhawks’ second lead of the season at 1–0, which would be the score at the end of the frame.
Second period
In the second period, Ottawa’s Drake Batherson was caught holding Connor Murphy for the Blackhawks’ first power play of the game. While the Blackhawks have struggled 5-on-5 this season, they have excelled on special teams. On the man advantage, Jonathan Toews fed Ryan Carpenter in the slot. Carpenter’s wrister was fought off by Murray, but the rebound found the stick of Kane. Kane flicked the backhanded shot into the net for his 406th career goal and the second Blackhawks goal of the game, doubling Chicago’s advantage to 2–0.
The tally tied Kane with Steve Larmer for third in goals scored with the Blackhawks.
After two periods, the Blackhawks were fully in control with a two-goal lead.
Third period
In the third period, the Blackhawks dropped the hammer on the Senators. Less than one minute into the third period, Hagel shot a puck from the point past Murray for this second goal the night and a 3–0 Chicago lead. The Hagel goal was aided by a screen from Carpenter.
Less than a minute later, Kane took sole possession of third place on the franchise goal scoring list with his second goal of the game. Kane got a pass from Erik Gustafsson, who flew up the wing and fed it across to Kane, who made no mistake firing the feed into the back of the net for a lopsided 4–0 lead. Next up on the franchise goal scoring list for Kane to catch is the late great Stan Mikita at 541 goals.
With the Blackhawks firmly in control, the only blemish on the evening was an Alex Formenton goal just 19 seconds after Kane’s strike. However, Kane and the Hawks would get the last laugh, as Kane capped his historic night with another goal for his seventh career regular season hat trick.
When the final horn sounded, the Blackhawks won big 5–1 and had finally earned their first win of the season.
Analysis
It was all good for the Blackhawks on Monday. After sustaining an early onslaught from the Senators in the first period, the team was able to settle in and score plenty of goals.
Patrick Kane
Kane recorded his seventh regular season hat trick and passed Steve Larmer on the Blackhawks all-time goals list to gain sole possession of third place. He also passed Denis Savard for third in points for the Blackhawks. Kane had four points on the night and now has 1,097 career points.
Brandon Hagel
Hagel recorded his first two-goal outing of the season. Hagel has been the Jeremy Colliton Swiss Army knife, playing on multiple lines this season and sometimes multiples lines within a period. Hagel continues to bring energy to any line he plays on.
Marc-Andre Fleury
Fluery had been struggling coming into St. Louis on Saturday night, but after allowing only one goal on 37 shots, his confidence seemed to be restored. In Monday’s victory, Fleury allowed one goal on 24 shots. Those two contests have been the only games the Blackhawks have allowed less than three goals in a game. Needless to say, it would appear as though the reigning Vezina Trophy winner is finally gaining his footing in Chicago.
The Blackhawks swing back into action on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the United Center, hosting the spotless 8–0–0 Carolina Hurricanes.