The Chicago Blackhawks came into Saturday night’s tilt versus the Washington Capitals having broken their losing streak. They beat the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night, 5–2, in a game that showed that they still can put together victories that make you think they are a better team than they actually are. Anthony Beauvillier was traded to Nashville ahead of the trade deadline, making room in the lineup for Reese Johnson to draw back in. On defense, Nikita Zaitsev swapped with Isaak Phillips, and Petr Mrazek stepped into the crease.
First period
This one got ugly early. After a few minutes of trading shots, the Capitals got one past Mrazek. Just over seven minutes into the game, John Carlson put a shot on net from the point. Hendrix Lapierre gained positioning on Seth Jones to get his stick on it and redirect it past Mrazek, 1–0 Capitals. Just 1:45 later, Washington struck again. With a loose puck in front of the net, Michael Sgarbossa got his stick on a backhander and put it right past Mrazek, 2–0. Later on in the period, the Capitals got a power play opportunity, after Jarred Tinordi got called for boarding against Sgarbossa.
On that ensuing power play, Dylan Strome got the puck from behind the net to Tom Wilson in front, who buried the shot to make it 3–0 Capitals. The Capitals then seemed to make it 4–0, but the goal was called back due to being offside. The successful challenge by the Hawks marks a 13-for-14 record on offside challenges during the Luke Richardson administration. The first period would end with the Capitals up big.
Second period
Both teams traded shots early, and the Capitals got a power play opportunity early. They did not make anything of it, as the Blackhawks managed to kill it off, but the Capitals clearly had all the momentum. With 2:36 left, Washington added to their score. Sonny Milano, who is on an absolute tear, potted his 10th of the season for Washington, making the score 4–0 officially heading into the intermission.
Third period
The Blackhawks finally got a goal in this game. Halfway through the third, Tyler Johnson got a redirection past Charlie Lindgren, making it 4–1 Capitals. It was too little, too late, though, as Washington cruised to victory in this contest.
Tyler Johnson scores on a redirection for his 13th goal of the season. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/L7DKzG3siZ
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) March 10, 2024
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Analysis
Right after the Blackhawks show some signs of life, we as fans are brought right back to reality every time. This team is so far away from contention, but when they play well against a team better than themselves, it gives more hope than it should that you will not have to watch a team that has a long way to go for the rest of the season. Hopefully we can see some more glimmers of hope along the way, but now that we have officially been eliminated from the playoffs, player development is what is left to play for.
I interrupt your timeline to show you some nasty stick handling from Connor Bedard 🤝 pic.twitter.com/yPNgfQl27y
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 10, 2024
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The Blackhawks are next up against the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday. That game will be at 5 p.m. CDT on NHL Network and NBC Sports Chicago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWqrU5PwMpc