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Big Takeover: Blackhawks 4, Capitals 3 (SO)

Posted on by Mil Savich

After an uninspiring loss to the Sharks on Sunday, the Blackhawks sailed on to a three-game road trip which began on Thursday night against the Capitals at the Capital One Arena in Washington. The matchup was a get-right contest for Chicago, as it won 4-3 in a shootout.

After a largely uneventful first period, some fancy passing by Seth Jones and Patrick Kane set up Alex DeBrincat, who found the back of the net with less than a minute remaining in the period.

Washington answered only 1:10 into the second period, taking advantage of a 3-on-2 rush that was finished off by a Nic Dowd tap-in goal.

The Blackhawks responded with a late-period, power-play goal by Dominik Kubalik.

However, the Chicago lead did not last long as Evgeny Kuznetsov was able to find a loose puck in the crease and tie the game at two.

Fresh out of the penalty box, Garnet Hathaway broke the tie 57 seconds into the third period, giving the Capitals a 3-2 lead.

With eight minutes remaining in the game, the Hawks tied the game once again with a goal from Jones. Josiah Slavin assisted on the goal, which was his first point in his first NHL game. Jones’ game-tying goal would ultimately send the game to overtime.

Despite good chances by both teams, no one was able to score in overtime.

Patrick Kane’s sole shootout goal would seal two points and another victory for the Blackhawks. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all three Washington shootout attempts, as the Blackhawks won their first game at Capital One Arena since January 2006.

Notes

  • The Blackhawks were able to find the back of the net three times tonight. What’s actually impressive about that is the way they responded to the Capitals tying the game and taking the lead.
  • Seth Jones not only showed up on the scoresheet but stepped up in the absence of the injured Connor Murphy. We may not love the trade or the contract but the bottom line is that Jones is a top-end talent.
  • Jonathan Toews can’t buy a goal right now.
  • Josiah Slavin had a nice debut. Not only did he earn his first point but he showed that he can skate and has some semblance of a hockey IQ. It would be nice if the Hawks would feature more of the same on their bottom six.
  • Another arena playing AEW (and old WWE) songs. Get with the program, United Center!
  • The last time the Hawks won in Washington, the White Sox were defending World Series champs, the Bears were in the most recent Super Bowl and I wasn’t old enough to drive.
  • All things considered, this is a good Washington team. They may have a few injuries and may have played with their food a bit. But the fact remains that the Hawks hung with them and were able to score when needed (even on the power play!), answer the call when down and ended up splitting the point. A tie would’ve been appropriate, if the NHL allowed still that, but no complaints here by earning the second point in tic-tac-toe.
  • This is the way you start a road trip. /

Game Charts

Three stars

  1. Seth Jones (CHI) — 1 goal, 1 assist
  2. Alex DeBrincat (CHI) — 1 goal, 1 assist
  3. Josiah Slavin (CHI) — 1 assist, 3 SOG in NHL debut

What’s next

The Blackhawks travel to the Big Apple to face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Talking Points