And just like that, there are no undefeated teams in the NHL.
The Chicago Blackhawks handed the Vegas Golden Knights their first defeat of the season, winning 4-3 in overtime on Friday night in Vegas.
It started off in a much different manner, though. Pavel Dorofeyev opened the scoring for Vegas just 1:35 into the game:
A few minutes later, William Karlsson tipped this Brayden McNabb point shot to make it a 2-0 Vegas lead just 3:52 into the first period:
Chicago found its footing soon after, though, and tied the game by the end of the opening 20 minutes. First, Ryan Donato scored off of this neat pass from Corey Perry:
Then a one-handed pass from Nick Foligno set Connor Bedard up with a glorious scoring chance, and he did not miss:
The second period was scoreless but not eventless, as Brett Howden knocked Alex Vlasic out of the game with this hit:
More on that hit later, but coach Luke Richardson was not a fan:
Early in the third period, though, Vegas d-man Shea Theodore fanned on a pass, gifting a scoring chance for Taylor Raddysh. And Raddysh made the most of it to put the Blackhawks ahead 3-2 just 1:11 into the third:
Theodore made amends for that miscue by making it a 3-3 game roughly 10 minutes later after this long sequence which started with a Bedard turnover:
In the extra session, Bedard drew a penalty that sent the Blackhawks to the power play and Philipp Kurashev sent the Hawks to the casinos with a smile on their face by potting this wrister behind Hill, assisted by a textbook net-front presence from Perry:
First win in almost two weeks, so you’re damn right we’re gonna talk about it!
Notes
- There was no immediate update on Vlasic after the game, so hopefully the news that comes out on Saturday is of nothing serious. That seems like the exact kind of hit that the NHL is trying to legislate out of the game, doesn’t it? Just a wholly unnecessary hit on a player in a vulnerable position. The puck was already gone and, as Richardson was telling the refs, it’s a hit completely from Vlasic’s blind side. Probably won’t warrant any sort of suspension but for that hit to go without any sort of penalty feels like an inconsistent application of the NHL’s alleged concern for dangerous hits.
- With Vlasic missing a bunch of game time, Wyatt Kaiser skated 18:04 at 5-on-5 and Kevin Korchinski skated 20:18. Their expected goal shares were 71.89 and 64.49, respectively. That’ll do.
- Chicago’s power play remains … not great, but the penalty kill entered this game tied for ninth in the league at 86.4 percent and pitched another shutout in this one. Strong goaltending is almost certainly the primary reason for its success but there will need to be some deeper dives to explain what’s working early on. Stay tuned on that.
- Welcome back, Philipp Kurashev. With Taylor Hall back on the shelf, Chicago desperately needs someone other than Bedard to contribute in the top six and No. 23 is one of the few players who could fit that bill. The top line with he and Bedard and Foligno could suffice for a few weeks if Kurashev builds off of that game-winner he scored.
- Credit where it’s due: Nick Foligno was very good in this game. He’s likely not a long-term option on the top line but if he’s consistently aggressive on the forecheck, he could be just enough of a pain in the ass to create space for Bedard and Kurashev on the ice. That one-handed pass for the Bedard goal was a thing of beauty and Foligno also showed off his own hands with that little spin move in the offensive zone in the third period. Denis Savard he is not, but the Hawks cannot be picky about who contributes outside of the usual suspects (Bedard, etc.).
- More moments like that from Raddysh would be excellent. Yes, Theodore handed him a golden ticket of a scoring chance there. But credit must be given to Raddysh for taking advantage of it, because it feels like there have been other instances where he has not.
- Corey Perry’s speed (or lack thereof) will likely be exposed at other times this season similar to the way it was against Boston on Tuesday. But the ol’ vet still has the hands that won him a Hart Trophy earlier in his career and his ability to work the puck to Donato in that tight of a space was impressive. He also perfectly planted his ass in front of Adin Hill on that Kurashev winner. He can’t do a ton anymore but it’s easy to see why he’s still considered worthy of an NHL contract.
- That game-tying goal Vegas scored all started with a Bedard turnover at the near the blue line in the O-zone and Bedard will learn that he cannot be too cute at such a dangerous spot on the ice in this league. It also seemed like Bedard over-collapsed in the D zone when he got back there, leaving Theodore enough room at the point to get the shot through. Nothing to be alarmed about, of course, but proof that even a player of Bedard’s talent is going to have some growing pains.
- Was going to type something similar but here’s a tweet echoing a similar sentiment:
- It would’ve been easy for the Blackhawks to crumble after that early 2-0 deficit was established following a trio of consecutive defeats. Battling back to tie the game, killing off multiple penalties in the third period and generally outplaying Vegas for several stretches of the game all add up to a team that responded well to a challenge from its coach during Thursday’s practice. Miles to go before they can sleep and all that, but chalk this up as a W on multiple fronts for a young Blackhawks team that’s still in the extremely early stages of this whole process.
Game Charts
Three Stars
- Philipp Kurashev (CHI) — GWG
- William Karlsson (VGK) — 1 goal, 1 assist
- Nick Foligno (CHI) — 1 assist
What’s Next
The Blackhawks stay out west to face the Arizona Coyotes on Monday night at 9 p.m.