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Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Oct. 27 vs. Vegas Golden Knights

  
Blackhawks Post-game One-timers — Oct. 27 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Chicago Blackhawks right wing Taylor Raddysh celebrates after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period on Oct. 27, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Photo courtesy of John Locher / Associated Press)

After being shut out at home, the Chicago Blackhawks went on the road to play the Vegas Golden Knights for the second time this season on Friday.

The Hawks rolled out the following lines:

The notable change to the lineup was the absence of Andreas Athanasiou. He was healthy scratch for the first time this season.

Head coach Luke Richardson was not happy with the team’s compete level in their last game, so the Blackhawks had their most intense practice of the season on Thursday. Sadly, the practice energy did not translate to a good start for the Blackhawks.

The Golden Knights got on the Hawks early and often. Pavel Dorofeyev got the scoring started for Vegas with the first goal of the game. He got a nice feed from teammate Michal Amadio and put the home side up 1–0. Less than three minutes later, Shea Theodore bombed a shot from the point that was deflected in by William Karlsson for the Knights’ second goal and a quick 2–0 lead.

After chasing the game for more than half of the period, the Hawks got some momentum going with a goal from Ryan Donato. Wyatt Kaiser fired a puck from the point, and Corey Perry was able to get the puck to Donato for the goal.

After the Donato goal, Alex Vlasic made a solid play in his own zone to get the puck to Nick Foligno, who was able to poke the puck ahead to a streaking Connor Bedard, who made no mistake in sniping one past Adin Hill for the second time already this season.

Despite the poor start on the road, the Blackhawks’ response with two goals sent the game to intermission tied at 2–2.

At the start of the second period, Philipp Kurashev was called for hooking. On the penalty kill, Jason Dickinson took a shot off his leg that hobbled him before Petr Mrazek had to make several A-plus saves, including a doozy on Paul Cotter on the doorstep.

With 12:35 left in the period, Vlasic took a high hit and had to be taken back to the locker room. Dickinson did return later in the period while Vlasic remained in the locker room for the rest of the night.

Despite both team trading chances, the score remained tied at 2–2 after 40 minutes.

To start the third period, Theodore whiffed on a puck in his own end, which led to Taylor Raddysh 1-on-1 with Hill. Raddysh was able to beat Hill glove side for the go-ahead goal. It was Raddysh’s second goal of the season.

After the Hawks were carrying the play, the Knights responded with a goal of their own. Theodore redeemed himself with a laser from the high slot that tied the game at 3–3.

The Blackhawks survived two costly penalties late to get the game to overtime.

In overtime, Bedard drew a penalty to put the visitors on the power play. The Blackhawks’ power play has been abysmal this season, but it capitalized when it mattered most tonight. With Corey Perry camped out in front of the net, Karashev wired a shot past Hill for the Blackhawks’ game-winning goal.

Analysis

The Hawks were punched in the mouth early in this game by the reigning Stanley Cup champions, who had yet to lose this season entering the contest. After chasing the game for more than half of the first period, the Hawks responded with goals from Donato and Bedard. The Hawks are showing their resiliency especially after being called out by Richardson earlier in the week.

Kaiser recorded his first point of his young NHL career with a secondary assist on the Donato tally. While struggling to adjust to the NHL, Kaiser will make a good play and then make several egregious plays to put the Hawks in bad spots. He would benefit from being sent down to Rockford for some more seasoning.

Vlasic left the game after a blind-side hit during the second period. This is a big blow to the Blackhawks because Vlasic was playing the best of their young defensemen. He was having another solid game before the hit. Vlasic most likely will be replaced by Isaak Phillips from Rockford on the roster.

The fourth line was a positive tonight with MacKenzie Entwistle, Reese Johnson and Boris Katchouk. They were driving play and generating scoring chances. Kurashev scored the game winner and has been good since his return from an injury.

The Hawks showed some resiliency after playing their worst 10 minutes of the season, and in the end, they turned in one of their best performances of the season. This was a big win for this team.

The Blackhawks’ next game is against the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. Puck drop is scheduled for 9 p.m. CDT.

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