Game Recap: Oilers 3 - Blackhawks 2 (OT)
Observations and thoughts regarding the Blackhawks 3-2 OT loss in Edmonton.
Saturday night’s Blackhawks game was the backdrop of a bigger event: the L.A. Dodgers won back-to-back World Series. Good for them and good for my father-in-law. But what I really want to point out is that the Hawks looked good in their loss last night. Even with the caveat that the Edmonton Oilers historically start slow, the Blackhawks looked solid at 5-on-5.
Chicago only owned 41.46% of shot attempts in the first, but puck possession metrics favored them in the second and third periods (53.33% and 63.33% respectively). And it wasn’t like the Oilers were trying to protect a lead; the Hawks tied the game early in the third. The Hawks also had better scoring chances in the first and third periods (56.36 xG% and 74.18 xG%, respectively). It was the second period where the Blackhawks’ scoring chances weren’t their best (39.27% expected goals share).
Landon Slaggert
Of the Blackhawks’ young players, Landon Slaggert may not be anyone worth dedicating an entire paragraph to. He wasn’t noticeable and only played 9:10 minutes last night (team low). When Slaggert was on the ice, the Blackhawks had a 21.43% Corsi and a 39.85 xG%, according to Evolving Hockey. Even though it’s been five games since his return from his injury, Slaggert has been largely invisible. I may have thought his ceiling could have been a middle-six forward, but right now, he looks like just a guy.
Frank Nazar’s Line
Frank Nazar pink misting Connor McDavid was fun. And so was watching his line. The Bertuzzi-Nazar-Teravainen line had positive metrics (52.17% Corsi and a 53.39 xG%) and had the advantage in scoring chances (6-5). Perhaps most encouraging was that Nazar was matched up against Connor McDavid’s line and had the better metrics. With McDavid on the ice, Frank Nazar had a 73.68% Corsi. That’s wild.
Nazar, at an individual level, made strong plays in the neutral zone and in the offensive zone that kept pressure high. While Bertuzzi is a better fit on the second line than with Connor Bedard, the chemistry on this line primarily comes from Teuvo Teravainen and Nazar. Together, they had a 62.07% Corsi; Frank and Bertuzzi had a 50% Corsi.
Extra Observations
The defensemen were a lot better in the neutral zone. In particular, their lateral gaps were much tighter. Artyom Levshunov made an excellent play at the blueline to skate east-west and applied pressure to the puck carrier. It was very risky, but this is what Jeff Blashill is coaching his players to do.
Sam Rinzel had an excellent game last night with a 55.64 xG%. He was very active in the offensive zone. The mistakes he makes don’t kill his confidence, which is why the NHL is the perfect place for him to learn.
Connor Bedard had four shots on goal and seven shot attempts. This is what I want to see. Bedard is deferring less and shooting more. Below is the Blackhawks' on-ice shot chart when Bedard was on the ice.
