NEWSLETTER
So the Chicago Blackhawks get, like, seven first round draft picks now from the Vegas Golden Knights, right? That’s how this works? Just trying to get fair value for a trade that ends up getting you a hat-trick performance in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Unfortunately, in reality, that’s not how it works. Hopefully the 2021 second-round pick and 2022 third-round pick the Blackhawks acquired for him turn into Hall of Famers. Only seems fair.
• In all seriousness, congratulations to the Golden Knights and to Janmark on the incredible performance he had in last night’s Game Seven win for Vegas over the Minnesota Wild.
• I said it last night on Twitter, but Janmark has had one of the best seasons a player who had “rental” status written all over him could have hoped for. He signed a one-year deal with a team he was going to get more opportunities with to showcase his skills, then was traded at the trade deadline to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, then makes a huge impact in the biggest game to date for his new team. If he keeps the momentum from last night’s hat-trick, Janmark is going to get a FAT paycheck from some team. Good for him.
https://twitter.com/NHLonNBCSports/status/1398448901800271876?s=20
• His first of three goals on the night was a showcase of the skating and physical presence he has on the ice at a sturdy 6’1″, 200-pound frame. He goes inside-out on the defender, shields the puck and puts a slick Forsbergian move on Cam Talbot. Beauty.
• With the clock winding down in the third period, holding a 4-2 lead, Janmark was in the right place and ready to shoot to put the game away with just over seven minutes to play. The nail in the coffin of the Wild, a team that cannot escape the Blackhawks being involved in their exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in some way, shape, and form.
The Golden Knights want a meeting with the Avalanche!#VegasBorn | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/D6iZ1kuEc3
— NHL on NBC Sports (@NHLonNBCSports) May 29, 2021
• This shouldn’t come as a surprise to many who have watched Janmark not only this season with the Blackhawks, but in the past few seasons with him in Dallas. Janmark is a workman forward who can be used in all situations on the ice, which he was able to showcase to other teams in the league this season while with Chicago. That’s the opportunity he wanted to have and play the long game of getting a bigger pay day and it’s worked wonderfully in his favor.
• Speaking of being a good, sturdy skater, Janmark again used his feet and body position to put in a 110% effort to secure the hatty.
GAME SEVEN HAT TRICK FOR MATTIAS JANMARK! 🎩
@Enterprise NHL Hat Trick Challenge pic.twitter.com/6v7ZnbRtnv
— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) May 29, 2021
• Let ’em fly, Panda!
Former #Blackhawks love: Robin Lehner tosses his hat on the ice after Mattias Janmark scores his Game 7 hat-trick goal #StanleyCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/2fdEvRJs4y
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) May 29, 2021
• I miss Lehner. You won’t talk me down from the ledge that he should have been the solution to the Blackhawks goaltender problems. That will always be a ball fumbled at the goal-line for Stan Bowman.
The freakin Jan Man 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/j9PsVrKxjr
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 29, 2021
• Jan-Man? How about Hattias? C’mon Vegas, do better.
• Janamrk wasn’t the only storyline coming out of Game Seven last night, as the Golden Knights wouldn’t have been in the position they were without a quality start from Marc-Andre Fleury.
Marc-Andre Fleury (4-4) made 18 saves to become the 10th goaltender in NHL history (third active) with four or more career #Game7 wins. #StanleyCup#NHLStats: https://t.co/cuEisKQi16 pic.twitter.com/muhO9L58ij
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 29, 2021
• So the Golden Knights have the goalie you want in a Game Seven, and also the coach you really want in a Game Seven, too.
Need a coach for #Game7? Peter DeBoer is your guy. #StanleyCup#NHLStats: https://t.co/WrhYROyS5d pic.twitter.com/y100seuhSK
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 29, 2021
• After the Carolina Hurricanes dispatched of the Nashville Predators, we were treated to some Grade-A trolling from the Hurricanes social media account. Last night, the Golden Knights didn’t troll the Wild (because really, what do you gain from that? At least Nashville deserved it.), but they did close the night with a *chef kiss* perfect tweet.
the house always wins ♥️♣️
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 29, 2021
• Moving into the world of the Chicago Blackhawks, directly, today is a special day in the hearts and memories for Chicago fans. It’s the day that Brent Seabrook scored the most important Game Seven goal in a non-Stanley Cup Final game in team history.
8 years ago today, Brent Seabrook buried the Red Wings in Game Seven #Blackhawks #StanleyCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/zWpAELBFDK
— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) May 29, 2021
• He’s never scored a bigger goal.
• I remember watching this game at my parents house with my family and a couple friends. What some forget is that Chicago won this game twice, after a Niklas Hjalmarsson goal in the final two minutes of the game was disallowed on a bogus coincidental penalty call on Brandon Saad and Kyle Quincey…
• I was fuming for the entire time between that disallowed goal and the start of overtime, thinking “these MF-er might lose to the MF-ing Red Wings because of a MF-ing terrible call.” Well, luckily for everyone outside of Michigan, that wasn’t the case.
• At the IIHF World Championships today, there are three games with Blackhawks players and prospects in action. While you and I were sleeping, the Czechs took care of Great Britain in a 6-1 win to move into fourth-place in the standings for Group A. Later today, Russians Max Shalunov and Nikita Zadorov take on Philipp Kurashev and the Swiss. Then the afternoon closes with Finland taking on Germany, with Lukas Reichel still being questionable after taking a high hit in his last game.
https://twitter.com/BN_Blackhawks/status/1398612518763962369?s=20
• With just a few more games to be played in the group stage, as it sits now, six of the nine Blackhawks players and prospects at the World Championships would be moving on to the elimination round. The only three players not moving on would be Brandon Hagel, Nicolas Beaudin, and Brandon Pirri with Team Canada.
• Seven with a win yesterday over Kazakhstan, the Canadians are still on the outside looking in at the top four teams in Group B. Canada has two games left against Finland and Italy, and need regulation wins in both to keep their hopes alive of getting out of the group stage.
For everyone playing along at home…
🍁 Gord Sherven (1983)
🍁 Paul Kariya (1993)
🍁 Jonathan Toews (2007)
🍁 Jordan Eberle (2010)#IIHFWorlds— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) May 28, 2021
• Cole Perfetti joined some impressive company with a goal in yesterday’s win for Canada, including Blackhawks Captain Jonathan Toews as a player who has scored in both the World Junior Championships and World Championships in the same year for Canada.
• In IceHogs news, looks like Matt Tomkins will be taking his talents to Sweden.
Matt Tomkins has signed to play in the SHL next season. https://t.co/Vb7UBgiAc6
— Jon Fromi (@JonFromi) May 28, 2021
• Tomkins was the IceHogs’ starting goalie for the majority of this past season, holding a 5-9-1 record with a .907 save percentage and a 3.21 GAA.
• Tomkins’ future with the Blackhawks organization was not looking rosy as Kevin Lankinen, Malcolm Subban, and Collin Delia were already ahead of him on the goalie depth chart and then the Blackhawks added Swedish goaltender Arvid Söderblom shortly after the season ended. Add in the fact that rookie goaltender Cale Morris had better underlying numbers than Tomkins did and the writing was on the wall that the former seventh-round pick by the Blackhawks didn’t have a path to the NHL with the club any longer. Good luck to Matt as he heads overseas to play with Frölunda.
• That will do it for today, enjoy your Saturdays!
• Oh, one final note. We will be starting a “Monday Mailbag” segment this offseason, so be sure to send your Blackhawks/IceHogs/Playoffs/Draft/Free Agency/etc. questions to me on social media at @BN_Blackhawks on Twitter or email them to [email protected] this weekend so we can talk all about them on Monday for your Memorial Day reading pleasure!
