NEWSLETTER
Before the game I noted the Leafs were the largest moneyline favorite in NHL history (-610) coming into this game. So of course they scored nine seconds after the opening puck drop. This game immediately felt like “Oh crap, they looked awful last night against a bad team… how many are they going to give up tonight?” Well, Chicago got on the board less than one minute after the opening goal. The effort was much better than it was in Montreal, but these Blackhawks just don’t have the firepower to keep up with a team like the Leafs.
Star 1: Kyle Davidson
There were reportedly 12 teams represented in the press box to watch this game, so of course the Blackhawks’ front office was hoping their players who might be available performed well. Sam Lafferty scored a goal 62 seconds into the game. Philipp Kurashev scored 46 seconds into the second period — with assists from Max Domi and Jake McCabe. Yeah, McCabe got burned on the first goal of the game but he was solid the rest of the night. Looking for a good showcase night? Against a much better team, Davidson’s players worked hard.
Star 2: PK
Ironically, on a night so many eyeballs were on Patrick Kane, it was the Blackhawks’ penalty kill units that were the only on-ice strength tonight. Against a Leafs group that’s a lot more talented and skilled than they are, the Blackhawks were perfect against three Toronto power plays. And, to my point above about strong showings by players involved in trade conversations, McCabe led all Chicago defenseman in short-handed ice time.
Star 3: Petr Mrazek
If the point is to get the best odds of winning the draft lottery, Mrazek did a heroic job on Wednesday night of helping their case. After Kurashev got the Hawks within one early in the second period, Mrazek should have picked up the second assist on John Tavares’ goal.
