NEWSLETTER
It felt like tonight’s contest was going to very eerily similar to Monday night’s game between Chicago and Colorado where the Avalanche just flat-out were the better team. But the third period tonight turned into what we saw Wednesday night between the Red Wings and Blackhawks, with Chicago and Colorado trading eight goals in the final 20 minutes of action. If ever a game was “drunk,” tonight was that time.
With tonight’s win, Colorado completes the season sweep of Chicago, winning all four games this season. Thankfully, Chicago will not have to deal with the Avalanche for the rest of the year. That is, unless they meet in the Stanley Cu- never mind. Colorado is also now 14-0-1 in their last 15 games. They’re just a WAGON of a team.
Marc-André Fleury was making his tenth start for the Blackhawks in the last 11 games, making 21 saves on 25 shots faced tonight to go with his 27-of-29 save performance on Monday night against the same Avalanche team. With the loss, his record this season falls to 14-14-3.
Colorado got on the board early in the second period with a powerplay goal from Gabriel Landeskog, which is nearly unavoidable when you give the Avalanche powerplay any opportunities. After a 2-0 goal was called-back due to an offside challenge by the Blackhawks, the real 2-0 goal came from Northbrook’s own J.T. Compher to give Colorado the lead into the second intermission.
https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1487262084001779717?s=20&t=LQRq8RS5JSQRBXqnjEqmlg
Colorado opened the third period with their second powerplay goal of the game, but the shutout effort ended shortly after that. After J.T. Compher and Brandon Hagel dropped the gloves earlier in the game, both found themselves on Gordie Howe Hat-Trick watch after Hagel got Chicago on the board in the third period.
Solid redirect by Brandon Hagel, who scores in his second straight game. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/Mhs08qij5Q
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 29, 2022
Barely one minute later, it was a 3-2 game and the United Center had life once again!
https://twitter.com/NBCSBlackhawks/status/1487271940696031239?s=20&t=nsO9qK4s8dt2NIBsaHQs3w
Patrick Kane finally reaching the double-digit mark with his tenth goal of the season to bring the Blackhawks within one against the Avalanche.
Then it was gone. Alex Newhook made it a 4-2 game moments later, completing a four-goal stretch in just under 100 seconds of hockey. An Avalanche of goals if you will…
And it wasn’t over just yet in the third period. After netting his tenth goal of the season earlier in the period, Patrick Kane got his 11th of the year to make it a 4-3 game with just six minutes left in regulation. On the play, major props go out to Brandon Hagel and Dylan Strome on the forecheck to win not one, but two puck battles to keep the play alive in the offensive zone.
TOO DANG GOOD pic.twitter.com/2gHNKBi1fk
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) January 29, 2022
Seven of Kane’s 11 goals this season have come in the third period of games this season. Not bad.
The Avalanche would add an empty-net goal to make it 5-3 and then game was out of reach.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! Chicago would make it a 5-4 game with a mad scramble goal very late in the period from Hagel, his 13th of the season and second of the night, to keep everyone in their seats for the final moments of the game. Cale Makar eventually scored from downtown on another empty-net chance and that was the dagger in this wild game. Chicago out-shot Colorado 23-8 in the final period, 43-27 in the game.
I’m just glad this was the last time the Blackhawks will have to deal with this Colorado team this season.
Chicago is off for the weekend, so you can focus on the NFL Championship games, and they’ll get back at it on Monday night when they host the Vancouver Canucks.
Find the full box score here.
