Game Recap: Blackhawks 3 - Kraken 1
A 3 game-win streak? The Hawks are here with a Christmas present in the form of a 3-1 over the Kraken.
A three-game winning streak? Is something horrible about to happen?
We haven't seen the Hawks string together three victories since Patrick Kane was a Blackhawk in 2023. Don't let people ruin your parade either (yes, they are out there). We can look back on these fond memories when the inevitable slump happens.
Cherish these moments.
Scoring
The first goal was scored about midway in the second period thanks to some solid forechecking.
Ilya Mikheyev poke checks the puck carrier in the DZ forcing Seattle to retreat and break out from their zone. Mikheyev and Jason Dickinson apply heavy forechecking on the 2-1-2 which leads to an intercepted pass thanks to Teuvo Teravainen as the high forward.
The Hawks' second goal was another love letter between Tuevo and Mikheyev. The play begins in the Hawks DZ (again) after a Seattle turnover. The Hawks counter and Kevin Korchinski drives down the middle while Tyler Bertuzzi passes to Teuvo in the NZ.
Watch Korchinski below. He uses his stick to break up a pass and then quickly joins the rush. This was after a long shift as well. He was ready for a pass or a rebound in the OZ.
https://twitter.com/NHLBlackhawks/status/1869952030154076388
Things looked familiar with that first goal from the Kraken. Under one minute is spent puck-watching as the Kraken manipulates the Hawks' DZ. A screenshot below shows how the Kraken uses space to find the seem and score off the pass.
TJ Brodie forces a turnover and connects Connor Bedard with a quick pass to initiate the breakout. The Hawks sustain pressure in the OZ and Nolan Allan buries one for his first NHL goal.
https://twitter.com/nhl_goal_bot/status/1869957332098060464
Thoughts
The Blackhawks played an excellent 1st period. It was fast-paced and high-tempo hockey. The Hawks owned 61.11% of 5v5 shot attempts and had an 81.83 xG%. They also had a whopping 17 scoring chances at 5v5 while only facing 4.
Allan had a great scoring chance in the first period. Here's a screenshot:
The Hawks' tempo slowed down in the 2nd period. They had a 26.92 Corsi and a 34.03 xG%.
I loved this play by Frank Nazar. He pins the puck carrier to the wall allowing the Hawks to break out. Nazar finished with 1 shot attempt, a 50 Corsi, and a 62.96 xG%.
Connor had 1 shot attempt at 5v5 and his lone shot on goal was on the powerplay. Let's get the kid going. The Foligno-Bedard-Donato line had a meager 45.45 Corsi and a humble 57.16 xG%. I've been calling for Teuvo to play with Bedard and wasn't a fan of Mikheyev's look on the 1st line, but maybe play Bedard with those two?
I was a big Luke Richardson defender. But it looks like Anders Sorensen is fitting a system to the players whereas Luke forced the players to a system.
The Hawks play in Calgary tomorrow at 3PM CT. That's it for me, time to inject more caffeine into my system.
Let's Go Hawks.