And with a 6-5 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night, the 2023-24 Blackhawks season is finally over.
Lukas Reichel got the Blackhawks on the board first with 4:21 left in the first period after a great individual effort. Reichel moved the puck ahead through the neutral zone and then beat two LA defenders to the loose puck before scoring off the rush that he created.
The Kings tied the game 1-1 about five minutes into the second period. Phillip Danault skated the puck around the zone — and the Blackhawks players — before setting up Viktor Arvidsson for a one-timer.
The Kings went up 2-1 on the power play at the 16:04 mark of the middle frame after another nice setup by Danault — this time for Quinton Byfield, who tipped Danault’s shot-pass.
Later, Trevor Moore finished off a nice passing play from Danault to Arvidsson, making it 3-1 with 2:26 left in the second.
The Blackhawks would not go quietly into the night, though: Tyler Johnson got them within one with a laser shot while on the power player less than two minutes into the third period.
The Blackhawks then re-tied the game at the 3:42 mark after a neat move from Joey Anderson in close beat to Cam Talbot. Credit to Landon Slaggert for out-muscling Anze Kopitar along the wall to get the puck over to Anderson before the goal.
Ryan Donato got in on the action too, tipping MacKenzie Entwistle’s shot in about three minutes later to make it 4-3. That was three goals in about five minutes for the Blackhawks, for those keeping track at home.
Unfortunately, the Kings got a last-minute power-play opportunity thanks to a delay of game penalty committed by Philipp Kurashev. With the goalie pulled, Arvidsson tipped Adrian Kempe’s shot pass in with 1:21 left to tie the game for the third time at 4-4.
Even more unfortunately, the Kings only need six seconds to end the game in OT thanks to Kempe’s quick shot after LA won the opening faceoff in overtime.
Notes
- I’m not going to take a deep dive into the stats for this recap simply because it really doesn’t matter, but this honestly was a nice game on which to end the season. Sure, the Blackhawks still lost, but that was expected. At least it they made it interesting.
- Reichel’s goal was a thing of beauty, but also such a tease: he’s got the speed, the stick handling, and the hands to be a legit NHL player — he just has to put it all together consistently. Here’s hoping that’s the type of play we see from him more often next season.
- The smart way Slaggert used his body and stick to out manuever Kopitar was also impressive. He was able to produce decently while in the NCAA, but he’s most likely going to make it in the NHL on his defensive play, forechecking skills, and above average smarts.
- Kevin Korchinski had a quietly nice little game too with some nice moves through the neutral zone and smart stick plays. It’ll be interesting to see what the Blackhawks do with him next season because he’ll be AHL-eligible since he’s turning 20 this summer. Will he start in Chicago or be sent to Rockford to get a little AHL seasoning?
- Jarred Tinordi falling down behind the net on the Kings’ third goal felt like a metaphor for the Blackhawks season, right? Like we knew he/the team would be bad, but there was no reason he/it should have flopped so hard, and it was painful to watch most of the time.
- Nick Foligno summed it up well postgame about how the Blackhawks have to change dramatically over the summer, including major personnel changes — even though that process will be painful. But he’s right: this team was not constructed to be good, and that’s fine for a season or two. However, it’s time now to start building something, Even if they’re not really good, the Blackhawks have to be better.
- Honestly, when the Blackhawks scored those three goals in pretty quick succession, I was like, “Is my curse over?” But no, it was just delayed because the curse knows I’m on on the east coast and it wanted to delay my sleep. Hopefully the curse will be shed like some trash players from the Blackhawks roster this offseason.
- Either way, while this season was disastrous in a lot of ways, we just have to keep faith that this pain and suffering will have been worth it in the long run. Even if the Blackhawks don’t win the lottery, there are going to be some really great players available in the top four of this upcoming draft, and several more current prospects will be impacting both the NHL and AHL next year. There’s a lot to look forward to, as long as we continue to be patient and believe in the process.
- But omg I’m so glad this season is over.
Game Charts
Three Stars
- Viktor Arvidsson (LAK) — 2 goal, 1 assist
- Phillip Danault (LAK) — 3 assists
- Lukas Reichel (CHI) — 1 goal, the prettiest move in the game