I sincerely hope you all enjoyed your New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. I hope, if you didn’t pay to watch or weren’t being paid to watch yesterday’s Blackhawks game against the Predators, that you spent it doing something else. Maybe you were with friends and/or family, maybe you went out in the snow, maybe you just sat in a chair and stared at the wall. All would have been better options than spending your afternoon seeing the Blackhawks get trounced 6-1 in Nashville.
• Oddly enough, outside of defensive breakdowns and shaky goaltending, it was a game the Blackhawks probably could have won.
Seth Jones: “We did a lot of good things. We had almost 40 shots on net, power play was clicking pretty good. It just didn’t want to go in tonight. We can clean up some of our defensive mistakes. Some of the grade-A chances they got, they scored, and we didn’t.”
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 1, 2022
• Seriously, it was a well-played game offensively, even without any of their chances finding the back of the net. Juuse Saros was again in net for the Predators, and he continues to own the Blackhawks in his career. In 12 starts against Chicago, Sarros holds a 7-2-2 record with a .932 save-percentage and a 2.07 GAA.
FINAL: Predators 6, #Blackhawks 1
Shot attempts: 71-52 CHI
Shots on goal: 38-25 CHI
5-on-5 scoring chances: 19-16 CHI
5-on-5 high danger chances: 7-6 NSH pic.twitter.com/nb5LuTie4K— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 1, 2022
• On the flip-side, the Blackhawks had to rely on Collin Delia and Arvid Söderblom in net with both Marc-André Fleury and Kevin Lankinen in COVID protocol. Delia, making his first start of the season, stopping four of seven shots in the opening period before being replaced for Söderblom, making his NHL debut. It was not good.
Derek King on goalie switch: "We didn't really have to. I just thought it'd be a good shakeup."
On Delia: "I'll never throw a goalie under the bus. A lot of times is what we were doing in front of him… Probably wishes he had the [3rd goal] back, but I can't fault those guys."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) January 1, 2022
• King was a bit subdued in his postgame media avialbailty for the coach of a team that had 13 days of rest between games and came out flat in each of the three periods. Chicago allowed a goal 62 seconds into the first period, 28 seconds into the second period, and 53 seconds into the third period.
"We talked this morning and I kind of – not called them out – but I gave them what I felt was the right thing to say to them."
— John Dietz (@johndietzdh) January 2, 2022
• They’ll have a short memory and turn around and face the Calgary Flames, at home, tonight at 6:00 p.m. CT. The Flames, after having eight games postponed in the month of December due to COVID issues, have played just one game since December 11.
• Good news for the Blackhawks in net as they activated Marc-André Fleury from COVID protocols today, but will start Söderblom against the Flames, since Fleury has not played since before the Christmas Holiday break.
Roster Moves: Blackhawks Active Marc-André Fleury, Reassign Collin Delia and More https://t.co/L0xorCm5uk
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 2, 2022
• Tonight will be Söderblom’s first NHL start of his young career.
• Yesterday was the NHL Winter Classic in freezing Minnesota. But you wouldn’t have known it by what the St. Louis Blues decided to wear to the game…
This weather's a beach. #stlblues #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/FDTJ56iesP
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) January 1, 2022
• Insanity.
• What was also insane, in a better way, was the setup of Target Field for the game. Check out this drone tour and stay to the end!
Absolute 🔥 this drone tour is❕
Watch the 2022 NHL #WinterClassic TODAY at 7p ET on @NHL_On_TNT and @Sportsnet!
NHL x @Discover pic.twitter.com/rtcRANlPop
— NHL (@NHL) January 1, 2022
• My jaw was down the whole time.
• Also jaw-dropping, was how friggin’ cold the game was.
It’s not outdoor hockey in Minnesota if you can’t see your breath. 🥶🥶🥶 #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/YpOy3sqaRY
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 2, 2022
• Coldest outdoor NHL game ever and the third-coldest sporting event in North American history.
Number 3 on the charts but number 1 in your hearts…
The 2022 #WinterClassic is the third coldest professional sporting event in North America 🥶 #NHLonTNT pic.twitter.com/gfNbsCd8re
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) January 2, 2022
• So cold, that the $20 beers were freezing. Literally.
The beer is frozen in Minneapolis 🥶#WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/ySOaildK7k
— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) January 2, 2022
• Braving the elements, the Blues topped the Wild 6-4, using a five-goal second period to propel them to the win.
• Also happening at the Winter Classic last night was the announcement of the 2022 Winter Olympic U.S. Women’s Hockey team!
Special night at the @NHL's #WinterClassic! 🤩🇺🇸
Coverage → https://t.co/VMnYUCEEEU#WinterClassic | @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/WnLiha5I44
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 2, 2022
• You can see the full roster here, highlighted by Kendall Coyne-Schofield, Hilary Knight, and 13 other returning Gold Medalists from the 2018 Olympic squad.
🇺🇸 IT'S OFFICIAL! 🇺🇸
15 returnees and 7 new faces make up the women's @usahockey Olympic roster for #Bejing2022! pic.twitter.com/ZA2fMWc1bI— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) January 2, 2022
• If the U.S. Men can’t win Gold, look for the U.S. Women to do it!
For this team. For this country. 🇺🇸#WinterOlympics | @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/ISH7MHWuXX
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 2, 2022
• Hey, if it weren’t for the Bulls right now, Chicago sports would be utterly depressing. Mainly, if it weren’t;t for DeMar DeRozan…
So this angle is incredible 😱
(🎥 @chicagobulls)
pic.twitter.com/TtK9C0ZAXJ— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 2, 2022
• Back-to-back games hitting the game-winner at the buzzer? Come on, that’s only made up in Hollywood.
They say the sequel is never as good as the original.
They are wrong. pic.twitter.com/JI1ByBQjZG
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) January 2, 2022
• I’m not all that well-versed in the NBA, but DeRozan feels like he’s having an MVP season. Bulls are back.
• Someone who probably won’t be back: Matt Nagy.
Report: The Chicago Bears Will Begin Their Search For a New Head Coach After Week 18https://t.co/0doatp6P20 pic.twitter.com/P4Vadw9Xjx
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) January 2, 2022
• As of this writing, the Bears are about to make it a two-score game against the Giants out at Soldier Field. 🐻⬇️
• Ending today with an amazing story from the Canucks and Kraken. Yesterday, the Canucks posted a message from one of their equipment managers. They were looking to find someone who had randomly pointed out to them that a mole on their neck needed to be checked out. Turns out, that random act may have saved his life.
#HockeyTwitter, we need your help!
Please RT to spread the word and help us connect Red with the woman he considers his hero. pic.twitter.com/HlZybgOnjf
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 1, 2022
• They found her. Nadia Popovici is a season-ticker holder for the Seattle Kraken and has seats behind the opposing team’s bench. She is going to medical school and pointed out the mole to Hamilton that day.
Nadia Popovici hadn’t woken up yet when what she had done to save a life was going viral on hockey Twitter | @SeaTimesSportshttps://t.co/ATqE2rZNC7
— Marisa Ingemi (@Marisa_Ingemi) January 1, 2022
• At last night’s Canucks-Kraken game in Seattle, Hamilton and Popovici reunited.
"The reason for the letter (today) was that I really wanted her to know her persistence and everything she did to get my attention, she saved my life." -Brian (Red) Hamilton pic.twitter.com/XQO2ZsEAtA
— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) January 2, 2022
• And in partnership with each other, the Kraken and Canucks put up some major cash to help her with medical school.
Together with the @SeattleKraken, we awarded Nadia Popovici a $10,000 scholarship for medical school as a show of our appreciation 👏 pic.twitter.com/VgK8aMgJTA
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) January 2, 2022
• It doesn’t get any better than that.
• That will do it for today. Hope you all enjoy your Sunday!
• We will see you tonight for Blackhawks-Flames in Chicago at 6:00 p.m. CT.