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Flavor of the Weak: Blackhawks 5, Bruins 2

Beating Boston will never get old.

Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Blackhawks erupted for four goals in the third period on Thursday night, leading to a 5-2 win over the Bruins on Boston.

Boston scored first, though, with David Pastrnak lighting the lamp after a Chicago turnover:

That lead persisted until the 7:55 mark of the second, when Nick Foligno scored on a breakaway to tie the game at one:

Chicago went ahead for good early in the third period, when Ryan Donato scored after an excellent entry into the offensive zone by Sam Rinzel got everything started:

A second goal nicely arrived 69 seconds later, with Tyler Bertuzzi scoring after his initial shot was blocked and came right back to him:

Just 24 seconds after Bertuzzi’s goal, Kevin Korchinski scored his first of the season to cap a span of three Chicago goals in 93 seconds:

Boston wasn’t completely done, though, as Morgan Geekie scored to make it a 4-2 game:

But the Bruins would get no closer on the scoreboard and Foligno added an empty-netter for his second of the night to put the game away:

Notes

Nice to see the team bounce back from whatever the hell that was on Tuesday night.

And speaking of bouncing back, an excellent time for Korch to get on the board for the first time this season. There will likely always be some defensive gaffes associated with his play, because that’s never been his strongest suit. But the reason he was picked No. 7 overall in 2022 is because of what he was doing in the offensive zone when he was playing with Seattle in the WHL, and that was all on display for that goal: stepping into the offensive space to take in an excellent pass from Bedard and then absolutely ripping one past Swayman for the goal. More of that, please.

We’ll only get to do it three more times this season, so let’s watch Sam Rinzel do some more cool stuff on the ice, shall we?

He also made Donato’s goal happen with that solo effort to get the puck into the zone. There was a small gaffe with a turnover near his own blue line that led to a breakaway for Boston which Soderblom stopped. The bit continues: six games in, still no reason for Rinzel to be anywhere other than Chicago at the start of next season.

Fun with numbers: the Blackhawks had four shots on goal in the third period. They scored on all four. Well … fun for us, at least.

Did it seem like the Bruins were going after Soderblom’s 5-hole whenever they had time to take a look and pick a spot? Not sure if that’s on the scouting report or not, just something to note. Also something to note: this impressive save:

An overall solid outing for Soderblom, who should at least be in consideration for the NHL job alongside at the start of next season, even if Spencer Knight is deemed the starter.

The Blackhawks’ best line this evening, in terms of possession, was the Moore-Bedard-Mikheyev line, with a whopping 73.88 percent expected goal share in its 9:36 together on the ice. Makes that sense that a pair of guys who can fly like Moore and Mikheyev can drive possession by using their speed to win loose pucks or win them back on the forecheck, but it’s fair to wonder if there’s enough offensive touch there to compliment Bedard. Still, a quality outing from this trio.

Fun to watch a blue line with the oldest player being Alex Vlasic, who’s all of 23 years old. If those six are back on the ice for Saturday’s game, it’ll could be a much tougher test against a Winnipeg team that’s still chasing a No. 1 seed for the postseason (although the Jets are up 2-0 over Dallas in the third period as of this writing, a result that would all but seal the Jets as the top team in the West).

One somewhat Blackhawks-related note from the hockey world this evening: Western Michigan bounced Denver from the Frozen Four on Thursday night with this goal in double overtime. That means Aiden Thompson (2022 third-round pick, 90th overall) could be signing his entry-level contract in time to make his NHL debut just before the season ends. It also means that Denver coach David Carle, who’s been one of the hottest names on the coaching market, could have more time for an interview with Chicago, should one be desired.

Only three of these nights left, so hopefully there’s another win or two along the way left for us.

Game Charts

Three Stars

  1. Arvid Soderblom (CHI) — 32 saves on 34 shots
  2. Nick Foligno (CHI) — 2 goals
  3. Kevin Korchinski (CHI) — 1 goal

What’s Next

The Blackhawks play their final home game of the season on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets at 6 p.m.

Talking Points