The Chicago Blackhawks came into Tuesday’s game looking to end the season on a high note. No matter the outcome of their two remaining games, Chicago would remain at the second-best lottery odds for the upcoming draft. With nowhere to go, the Blackhawks can play their best lines and not have to consider losing valuable lottery position.
The Blackhawks took on the Vegas Golden Knights. Vegas came into this game with a playoff berth clinched. The Knights sat at 96 points coming into this game. That put them one point behind the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific and three points behind the Nashville Predators for the top wild card spot.
The Hawks entered this game with similar lines that they put out in their previous game against the Carolina Hurricanes. On the other side, the Golden Knights were playing without Alex Pietrangelo, William Carrier, Chandler Stephenson and Anthony Mantha.
First period
The first period of this game was a lot of cardio for both teams. Neither team tallied a goal in the opening frame. Both teams had their chances. The Golden Knights had a few rushes that required an impressive stop by Petr Mrazek. The Blackhawks had a few chances, including a power play, but could not convert.
The shots on goal for the first ended in a 11–9 advantage for Vegas. The Knights also won 75% of face-offs in the first, had 10 hits compared to Chicago’s five, and had six blocked shots to Chicago’s five.
Second period
The second period went along in a similar way to the first. Chicago and Vegas had chances throughout the period, but not many of quality.
There was scoring late in this period. After 16 minutes of play, following a shot from the point, Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb found the puck when no one else could and snuck the puck into the net. McNabb was assisted on the goal by Pavel Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl. The goal was McNabb’s fourth of the season.
The late-period goal was the only scoring of the period. The Knights held a 1–0 lead over the Hawks following two periods. In the second, the Knights outshot the Hawks 10–5.
Third period
Both teams saved their best for last. The third period finally saw the ice open up, which allowed both teams to score.
The third period scoring was started by the Knights. After a puck battle with Frank Nazar, Michael Amadio created his own fast break. With a laser above Mrazek’s left shoulder, Amadio was able to extend the Knights’ lead to 2–0. The goal was Amadio’s 14th of the season. He was unassisted on his goal.
With only a few minutes left in the game, the Hawks were able avoid the shutout. After a solid pass by Connor Bedard and a tie-up in front of the Vegas net, Jason Dickinson was able to cut the deficit in half. The goal was Dickinson’s 22nd of the season. He was assisted by Bedard and Philipp Kurashev.
With the score at 2–1 with two minutes left in the game, Mrazek was lifted to add another skater for Chicago. The extra skater attempt failed for Chicago, as Nicolas Roy was able to score his 13th of the season to seal the game at 3–1. He was assisted by Jack Eichel and Brett Howden.
Analysis
It was one of those games that reminds everyone what a rebuilding team looks like against a playoff team. Chicago did put up a solid effort for a team locked into second-worst in the league, but Vegas outclassed the Blackhawks throughout. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the game was the fact that the Hawks were able to score at all.
The Blackhawks’ season finishes in California on Thursday, playing the Los Angeles Kings at 9:30 p.m. CDT.