The Chicago Blackhawks turned a disastrous performance into a stunning 4-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Chicago trailed 3-0 entering the third period, then went on a dominant four-goal run powered by none other than rookie forward Vincent Hinostroza.
The Blackhawks looked to be on their way to a dud of an effort in the third game of the Circus Trip. There just wasn’t a ton of life in the legs, and Vancouver earned its three-goal lead without too much resistance. Other than a Jonathan Toews breakaway where he caught iron, the Canucks were the ones making things happen.
Until the third period, that is. Chicago has had some great finishes this season to overcome slow starts, but none can top what the team did in Vancouver. With three unanswered goals in the third period, the Blackhawks forced OT, then Marian Hossa came through with the winner.
The comeback began in natural fashion with Patrick Kane pitching a perfect cross-ice pass to Artemi Panarin, who rifled it past Jacob Markstrom to cut the deficit to 3-1. The Blackhawks were aggressively pushing at that point with score effects on their side, but still needed two more scores just to salvage a point.
That’s when Hinostroza, who entered this game with ZERO points in his NHL career, came to life. It’s been a topsy-turvy start to the rookie’s time in Chicago, as he’s bounced from the press box to the top line to his current role in a matter of weeks. We had seen flashes before, though, and you were just waiting to see Hinostroza’s speed and skill translate into tangible results.
Hinostroza’s first NHL goal was a beauty. He made a great individual effort to get into the slot, then fought his way to the net to follow through with a second attempt that put it home.
Bartlett native Vinnie Hinostroza gets the first goal of his NHL career! 3-2 Vancouver. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/29RSQKycAB
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) November 20, 2016
Just minutes later, he showed fantastic patience while setting up Ryan Hartman for the game-tying goal. His pinpoint pass found Hartman right in the slot, and the fellow rookie pounded it home for his fourth goal of the season.
And then in overtime, Toews appeared to score the game-winning goal, but it got brought back when the referees reviewed the play for offsides (all OT goals are reviewed in Toronto). It was determined that Niklas Hjalmarsson was offside on Kane’s zone entry prior to the score, so it was waved off.
Minutes later, Hossa scored his 11th goal of the season to put the game away for good. It’s been an incredible start to the season for Hossa, who had just 13 goals in the entire 2015-16 season. Hinostroza got an assist on that play, too, to give him three points in the game.
Marian Hossa completes the comeback for the #Blackhawks. Back-to-back game-winners for #81. pic.twitter.com/kPxO2zfgZv
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) November 20, 2016
The Blackhawks now get a day off before they face the Oilers in Edmonton on Monday night. After a win like this one, I think everyone deserves a little breather.