Game Recap: Blackhawks 3 - Capitals 2
Blackhawks win 3-2 to the NHL's biggest surprise in the Capitals.
Last night's game had small moments that were windows into the future. Moments that gave you a taste of what this team might be one day. It was Arvid Soderblom's big saves, Kevin Korchinski's skating ability on the breakout, and that spark between Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar on the powerplay.
Sure, they didn't score, our ogres did. But it's there, subtle hints of the future.
I think that's enough optimism from me and now I feel gross. Let's break down some goals.
Scoring
Alex Vlasic joins the rush in the NZ and attempts a pass to Taylor Hall once inside the OZ. The Capitals break the play and begin the counterattack. Tyler Bertuzzi, as the high forward, applies pressure on the puck carrier who gives away the puck to Louis Crevier. Crevier has the opportunity to regroup and QB an attack, and, well... this happens.
https://twitter.com/Capitals/status/1869198625693213149
The second goal: Crevier pinches in the OZ to collect a rebound and Connor Bedard provides support as the high forward. The Caps win possession, Ryan Donato goes for a line change, and Bedard provides distant support to TJ Brodie.
Traffic ConeBrodie poorly defends Andrew Mangiapane who takes advantage of the space that Bedard sees but doesn't cover.
Below are some screenshots. On the left, you have Crevier jumping in the play and Bedard recovering. On the right you can see how Bedard could have been a bit more defensive.
It only gets better from here, folks. Ilya Mikheyev scores a shorthanded goal to make the Hawks' PK even better. The Hawks killing spree is up to 27 now and we need to get the Halo announcer to start saying that after a successful kill.
I thought this game was over. But Teuvo Teravainen passes through two seams to find Mikheyev. Ilya passes to Brodie who shoots from the top of the circle for a goal.
With under 3 minutes to go, the game is tied 2-2 and I'm accepting that we will lose in OT. Donato thinks otherwise and makes a great play below the goal line to score the game-winner in regulation.
https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1869231058933415984
Thoughts
The Blackhawks played solid 5v5 hockey during the first two periods. The Hawks had a 63.64 Corsi in the first and a 68.42 Corsi in the second. Great possession, they just couldn't score. The Hawks pressed on in the third while the Caps decided to wake up. The Hawks' forechecking and big saves from Arvid Soderblom kept them in the game and they scored 3 goals. No answers from the Capitals.
Thought I'd mention that the Caps were sleepy-eyed from some plane issues, or whatever their excuse is.
It's annoying that the Hawks had 3 back-to-back powerplays. The first powerplay had a nugget of hope, one of those glimpses into the future I alluded to. Vlasic passes to Bedard and makes a cross-ice pass to Frank Nazar who whiffs on the shot. It seemed like the Hawks struggled to get set up, and when they did they were looking for the right time to score (something that's been ingrained in this team's DNA since 1926).
Lukas Reichel is fast. He also had good possession numbers with a 61.11 Corsi at 5v5 and an 81.32 xG%. Reichel is making me eat my words because I believed that he didn't have a spot as a bottom-six player. If this is where he thrives, I'll eat those words all day.
Kevin Korchinski's skating is beautiful to watch. The contrast between him and Brodie's skating ability is jarring. While Korch made great plays and looked nice, his numbers back that up. A 69.87 xG% at 5v5 is a number you love to see.
Mikheyev looked good on offense tonight (1 goal, 1 assist), but he also played a complete game. His effort on the backcheck was noticeable enough that I wanted to at least mention it.
Bonus points for Crevier turning Tom Wilson into a meat crayon.
https://twitter.com/BlackhawksFocus/status/1869231087987339392
Bedard had 1 shot on goal at 5v5 and 3 shot attempts. The Foligno-Bedard-Donato line didn't put up quality shots. They had a 69.23 Corsi but a 45.24 xG%. I get putting a puck-chaser like Nick Foligno with Bedard. I get putting the team's leader in goals with Bedard. I really get not switching lines every time Bedard sneezes. But can we put Teravainen up there with Bedard again? Please? For Christmas?
Back-to-back wins are great. The Hawks take on the Kraken on Thursday. Seattle is on a 2 game losing streak and is prime for the Hawks to make a 3 game winning streak, something that this city as a whole doesn't know about.
Let's Go Hawks.