The Chicago Blackhawks gave a big “go tank yourself” to fans hoping they were going to lie down and let the Pittsburgh Penguins skate into the playoffs last night with a 5–2 victory in the Steel City. Goaltender Petr Mrazek was definitely the star of the show, stopping 38 of the 40 shots. Chicago also found goals from five different players, all most likely gone from the organization the next time the Blackhawks are relevant.
- The goaltending for Chicago was outstanding. Mrazek stuffed Sidney Crosby a few times, one on a short breakaway, and stood on his head, earning Chicago two points. Mrazek now owns a 10–22–3 record for the season while having a -12.7 goals saved above average. Mrazek did his best to tank this season, but came up huge when Chicago needed him to fail most.
- Pittsburgh looked like the better team most of the night, but a few bounces really took the wind out of their sails. Evgeni Malkin fired his 27th goal of the season to tie the game 1–1 early in the third period, but Chicago would go on to score the next three goals and put the game away.
- Buddy Robinson netted his first goal of the season, beating Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry, who was not very good when Pittsburgh needed him the most. Andreas Athanasiou scored the game-winning goal midway through the third period for his 19th of the season. Robinson and Athanasiou both played great, and depending on which side of the “tank coin” you sit, is either a fun or horrible performance.
- Seth Jones was great. His ability to move the puck and play as an extra forward is second-to-none from the back end, and on occasion, he can really show he can be a force defensively. However, saying “he was great” needs to happen more than once a month when he is taking up 11.66% of the cap hit this season (that number will slightly change if the cap ceiling rises) and the next seven seasons moving forward.
Chicago will be back on home ice to finish the season as the Philadelphia Flyers come to the United Center for a 7:30 p.m. CDT puck drop on Thursday. The contest could be the last time fans get to see captain Jonathan Toews on home ice, as his future in the league is a big question mark.
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