The Chicago Blackhawks (17–35–7) looked awful in the first period and fell behind the Vegas Golden Knights (35–18–6) by a score of 5–1 after one period of action. The Blackhawks came storming back and were able to cut the lead to one in the the third period, but the Golden Knights’ early lead was too much for the lackluster Blackhawks.
Petr Mrazek started in net and had a fairly good history versus Vegas in his career (5–3–2, 2.74 goals against average, .911 save percentage), but would not replicate that history this evening.
First period
Chicago would fall behind at the 1:06 mark of the game when Keegan Kolesar took a cross-ice feed from forward Brett Howden and fired a slick wrister past Mrazek.
Nick Foligno tied the game at the 6:58 mark of the opening frame, firing a wrist shot past Vegas goaltender Ilya Samsonov for his 12th goal of the season. Foligno found his own rebound and snuck the puck past Samsonov as the netminder sprawled to his right but could not stop Foligno’s second effort.
#17 is right on the money🤑 pic.twitter.com/cSqmDQfgiU
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2025
The rest of the period was a complete disaster for the Blackhawks. Vegas would score four straight goals to take a 5–1 lead into the first intermission. Vegas scored two power-play goals when forwards Ivan Barbashev and Tomas Hertl each beat Mrazek. Nicolas Hague and Pavel Dorofeyev each scored at even strength.
The Blackhawks took three penalties in the opening frame as the Golden Knights stayed out of the box and this was the obvious momentum that spurred the four-goal explosion by the home team. Chicago spent much of the first period chasing the puck, even at even strength.
Second period
The Blackhawks regrouped after the first intermission and scored at the 1:01 mark of the middle frame when forward Colton Dach scored his second goal of the season. Dach was rewarded after finishing his check, something the Blackhawks did none of in the first period, and went to the net and tipped home a Frank Nazar shot from the point.
we stand corrected: this goal is Colton Dach’s!🚨 https://t.co/K6NpPnhJNb pic.twitter.com/nEKtSdkNfl
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2025
This is prime example of how successful teams win games doing the “little things,” as Dach stepped up to make a play and then was rewarded for going to the front of the net.
Ethan Del Mastro scored at the 5:30 mark of the period for his first career goal as Ryan Donato took the puck to the net and found a pinching Del Mastro, who found himself wide open 30 feet from the net and fired a wrist shot past Samsanov. Del Mastro did an excellent job of reading the play and finding open ice to generate a scoring chance and was rewarded for his efforts.
and what a goal it was😮💨 pic.twitter.com/6LWadi1cwt
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 28, 2025
Kolesar scored at the 13:38 mark to extend the Vegas lead back to four goals at 6–2.
Third period
Chicago jumped out of the intermission again and scored two straight goals to cut the Vegas lead to one goal at 6–5 as forwards Ilya Mikheyev and Philipp Kurashev scored three minutes apart. Mikheyev fired a wrist shot behind Samsanov and Kurashev a snap shot.
Barbashev scored his second of the night at the 15:45 mark of the final period and the Golden Knights would hang on for a 7–5 victory on home ice.
The Blackhawks skate into Anaheim for a 9 p.m. CST puck drop at the Honda Center on Saturday.
Analysis
Chicago does not have the talent to spend half the first period in the penalty box and think they are going to compete with Vegas, and that was evident early on. This Blackhawks would have to play a near-perfect game just to stay in the contest against a far superior Knights team.
Watching Dach make a play on the forecheck and then find himself in front of the net for a screen and tip-in shot is something fans should cherish. This team is not built right now to take the body (even when they do, they are usually late or do not finish the check), so in order for Dach to make that play gives fans something to hold on to as we watch this team struggle to the season’s finish line.
Chicago looks like they are always playing on pins and needles. The offense has been opened up a little bit in the past few weeks to make plays and show their skills but the team as a whole always look like they are one step behind in making plays. That will come with time and confidence, fans hope.