Two guys return from injuries, two guys arrive from trades… the beat goes on. In a game with significant NHL Draft Lottery stakes, the Blackhawks and Ducks did their best to beg each other to win the game. Penalties were plentiful and power plays were productive. And that, friends, is our late-night alliteration moment.
Star 1: Max Domi
I feel for the guy, I really do. He’s having a marvelous season in every way and was on a terrific heater with Patrick Kane before the Blackhawks opted to send Kaner home from the road trip to wait for his trade to the Rangers. He’s gone from centering a line with a future Hall of Famer to… whatever. I knew he was going to be one of my stars for the night when he took the first intermission interview with what’s left of his front teeth. He still went out and picked up two power play assists in the game.
Star 2: Kyle Davidson
You make a couple trades to bring in more picks and young players, two of the players you acquire in the 24 hours prior to puck drop show up for the game AND your team loses to a team that’s between them and the best odds in the draft lottery? That’s a full GMKD bingo card right there, kids! Now we just need to make it through Thursday night’s game healthy… charge your phone, Kyle. More work to do.
Star 3: Andreas Englund
Englund finished the first period tied with Tyler Johnson for the team lead with two shots on net and, by the end of the second, he had set a new career high with four shots on net. Go figure. I didn’t want to do this because I think it’s bad form that he’s wearing a certain number that should have been retired two decades ago, but he had a nice debut with the Blackhawks tonight.
Takeaways
- The Blackhawks activated Jarred Tinordi off IR before the game. He was paired with Connor Murphy for most of the night with Ian Mitchell drawing the assignment of skating with the new guy, Englund. I thought Mitchell and Englund had a nice night together.
- Jujhar Khaira also returned from injury tonight. He started the game on the fourth line with newly-acquired wing Joey Anderson; the Blackhawks got Anderson in the McCabe/Lafferty trade with Toronto only a matter of hours before the game but his flight got him to Anaheim in time to dress.
- Jason Dickinson had a great night in the faceoff circle (won 10 of 12). With Sam Lafferty now gone, the coaches won’t have the same luxury of putting those two together on the same line and allowing them to take faceoffs on their stronger side as co-centers. Seeing Dickinson have a strong night was good.
- Colin Blackwell took a nasty hit in the second period and was ruled out for the third period.
- The Blackhawks scored multiple power play goals for the first time since Jan. 14. So we’ve got that going for us… which is nice.