So what do we want to see from the Blackhawks tonight? A good start, maybe score the first goal? Let’s get greedy and ask for a power play goal while we’re at it… and sure, let’s go ahead and go full PowerBall ticket mode and ask for goals from a couple guys who are trying to get on the board. Maybe we’ve been drinking this evening, but how about the Hawks out-shoot the Avs and, if Colorado scores, the Blackhawks answer with a goal instead of letting in multiple goals quickly. Can we do all of those things tonight? Please?
The Blackhawks first period included:
- Score first ✅
- Power play goal ✅
- Philipp Kurashev goal ✅
- Lukas Reichel goal ✅
- Out-shoot the Avs 12-7 ✅
- Score a go-ahead goal less than 60 seconds after the Avs score ✅
- How about a 10-1 high danger chances advantage (at 5-on-5) thru 20 minutes? ✅
The Blackhawks played their best period of the season in the first. Colorado out-shot the Blackhawks 10-5 in the second period but the Hawks were more committed to clearing pucks and keeping bodies away from Petr Mrázek, who had a really good middle 20 minutes. Thankfully the Blackhawks were able to kill both of Colorado’s power plays in the second period.
As the third period slowly progressed, the Avs started to get more sustained time in the offensive zone. The Blackhawks needed a few desperation icing calls just to catch their breath, but they didn’t break. When Miles Wood plowed into Mrázek with 4:08 left in regulation and took a penalty, the Blackhawks had a chance to add to their lead. Chicago didn’t get a power play goal, but they did get one into the yawning cage inside the final 60 seconds. And then Ilya Mikheyev scored into the empty net to give the Hawks a three-goal lead.
Star 1: Jason Dickinson
Dickinson isn’t getting my No. 1 star tonight because he had an assist on Ryan Donato‘s first goal or the second helper on Mikheyev’s empty netter. He’s getting my No. 1 star because he went toe-to-toe with Nathan MacKinnon’s line and was absolutely fabulous. Thru two periods (according to Natural Stat Trick), Dickinson was on the ice at 5-on-5 against MacKinnon for 4:48 — during which the Blackhawks had 5 shot attempts to 1 for Colorado, and the shot differential was 3-0 in favor of the Blackhawks. He won 8 of 18 faceoffs in the first two periods; there were 42 total faceoffs in the first two periods.
Dickinson finished the night with two assists. He won 10 of 22 faceoffs and put three shots on net. Here’s Dickinson’s final 5-on-5 Corsi For numbers against the Avalanche skaters against whom he skated the most time (from Natural Stat Trick):
Star 2: Ryan Donato
In my bullets on Monday morning I shared a Ben Pope story in which he said the Blackhawks getting a few more greasy goals could shift the outcomes in some of the close games they’ve been playing recently. Donato’s goal in the first period was precisely what the doctor ordered. He and Dickinson did a great job of killing time until Donato scored his second of the night into an empty net inside the final minute. He added an assist on the Mikheyev goal for a three-point night.
#Blackhawks extend the lead
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 29, 2024
🚨 Ryan Donato
🍎 Jason Dickinson, Connor Murphy
pic.twitter.com/Wb4NfvbF2v
Star 3: Alex Vlasic
On Kurashev’s goal in the first period, Vlasic made a strong play with the puck to set up the scoring opportunity. Vlasic skated 80 seconds more than any other Blackhawks defenseman in the first period (8:50). He and Connor Murphy were on the ice for a 4-0 shot on goal difference at 5-on-5 (per Natural Stat Trick). Both of them had a helper and they were on the ice for both of the Blackhawks’ even strength goals in the first. Thru two periods, Vlasic had skated 17:38 with a team-leading three blocked shots and one takeaway. He was playing very well.
#Blackhawks lead 1-0
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 29, 2024
🚨 Philipp Kurashev
🍎 Alex Vlasic
pic.twitter.com/iuyXdkWfPz
Key Takeaways
- Here’s Reichel’s goal, his first of the season:
#Blackhawks take the lead back
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) October 29, 2024
🚨 Lukas Reichel
🍎 Craig Smith
pic.twitter.com/AMLRl6HAbS
- Reichel had a very good game. He played fast and physical. He played the role asked of him. And his chemistry with Craig Smith continues to impress. He was credited with one hit, one blocked shot, one shot on net and his first goal of the campaign.
- Dickinson, Donato, Mikheyev and Vlasic were all plus-three in the game.
- Second-line center Nick Foligno won 9 of 13 facoffs.
- Wyatt Kaiser had a couple tough penalties called on him, one in each of the first two periods.
- Murphy lowered the BOOM on Logan O’Connor early in the third period. Good, clean, hard hit in open ice and I appreciate that nobody on the Avs felt like they needed to fight after this one.
Connor Murphy SITS DOWN Logan O'Connor 😳💪 pic.twitter.com/hod37n1Q1S
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 29, 2024