Want a quick start? How about a Blackhawks goal seven seconds into the game! But…. then the Panthers happened. After that initial goal, Florida put the next 13 shots on goal and tied the game at 5:38 into the period. The shots on goal were 19-2 when Florida scored their second goal. The Blackhawks’ third shot on net came with 3:43 left in the first period; Florida had 20 on net at that point.
The Blackhawks pushed back in the second period and actually generated more shots on goal. A tough double-minor was killed (thanks partially to the Panthers taking a penalty in the middle of it) but the Panthers were able to extend their lead soon after the second penalty ended. The Blackhawks put 13 shots on goal in the second; Florida was out-shooting them 36-17 after 40 minutes. Shot attempts: 70-28!
Florida scored ten seconds into the third period to make the lead three. They added a power play goal in the middle of the third. It was painfully obvious which team has chemistry and a championship pedigree and which one is scrapping, trying to put something together. The Blackhawks allowed 87 shot attempts in the game!
Star 1: Petr Mrázek
First period: Shot Attempts were 47-9 in favor of Florida, High Danger Chances were 15-1 in favor of Florida. Score was only 2-1 Panthers. He was the No. 1 star this afternoon before the second period even started. Get him a nice glass/bottle of wine on the flight home, boys. He had 33 saves against 36 shots thru two periods.
Star 2: Landon Slaggert
Slaggert made Blackhawks history, scoring faster to start a contest than any player in the history of the organ-I-zation. Sadly, Florida dominated the remaining 19:53 of the first period after his second NHL goal of the season. In the second period when things started to get chippy, he took exception to Matthew Tkachuk getting in an extra whack after the whistle (and got the Blackhawks a power play). Even with his play being noticeable on most shifts, his ice time was disappointingly limited.
#Blackhawks score 7 seconds into the game!
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 1, 2025
🚨 Landon Slaggert
🍎 Ryan Donato
pic.twitter.com/RcZSiysrMD
Star 3: Connor Bedard
He spent most of his day against Sacha Barkov, the best defensive center in the NHL. I know Mark Messier blasted him during the first intermission but ESPN also showed a couple montages of him working to get shots and taking the puck away during the game later. He led the Blackhawks with 9 shot attempts and did a nice job at the dot (won 7 of 11).
Key Takeaways
- Louis Crevier was boarded by Jonah Gadjovich 11 minutes into the first period. He did not take another shift after the hit, which was penalized. The Blackhawks ruled him out after the first.
Louis Crevier did not take a shift the rest of the first period after being boarded. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/bomdyF04Db
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 1, 2025
- Jason Dickinson blocked two shots in the first period; the Blackhawks had five as a team. At the end of two periods he added two hits and had won 7 of 15 faceoffs (and drawn a penalty while short-handed).
- Teuvo Teräväinen was tied with Slaggert for the team lead with three shots on goal thru two periods but had an awful turnover that almost cost the Blackhawks’ a third goal early in the second period.
- Alex Vlasic got pinched on a dump-in and turned the puck over, leading to the Panthers’ fourth goal early in the third. Without Crevier out and TJ Brodie‘s minutes being limited, the top four — including Connor Murphy in his first game back from IR — were big against a heavy, really good team.
- Somebody put out an APB on Colton Dach. He made a dent across the box score — three hits, a blocked shot and a shot on net — but could barely get on the ice. He did take a penalty with just under six minutes left in regulation when he got a rare shift in the second half of the game. If he isn’t hurt, there’s no excuse for him to not be out there more frequently than he was this afternoon. None.
- The Blackhawks challenged the Panthers’ goal in the first period but lost.