Blackhawks Overcome the Panthers; Win 3-1

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The league’s last-place Chicago Blackhawks (6-12-1) hosted the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers Thursday night at the United Center (Nov. 21). The Panthers entered the contest eighth-place in the league with a record of 12-6-1. The Blackhawks were trying to break a three-game losing skid, while the Panthers rolled into Chicago attempting to redeem themselves after dropping three of their last four games (albeit to the red hot New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets).

The Blackhawks were the ones that got their wish, beating the Panthers by a score of 3-1. This was only their third win of the season at the United Center, making for some happy humans in the stands. Let’s break it down.

Blackhawks Take an Early Lead in the First Period

The Blackhawks got off to a fast and furious start, with Teuvo Teravainen notching an early power play goal. Tyler Bertuzzi was in front of the net and got a shot off in close, and Teravainen cleaned up the juicy rebound. Alex Vlasic was credited with the secondary assist. It was a well executed power play with lots of movement.

The Panthers received a power play in the first as well, and boy were their passes crisp! But the Blackhawks’ penalty kill hung on, allowing only one shot on goal. Sam Bennett led the Panthers with three shots on goal in the first. He also won four-of-six faceoffs for a 67% success rate. The Panthers won 71% of their faceoffs overall.

It was a fast-paced period but also a low-event period. The Panthers ended up with nine shots on goal to the Blackhawks’ seven shots.

Second Frame Features 2 More Goals

The second period started with yet another goal by the Blackhawks. Nick Foligno did a great job of protecting the puck and then passing it to Pat Maroon, who sprung fourth liner Craig Smith for his fifth goal of the season. Who woulda thunk it?!

But Sam Reinhart answered back shortly thereafter, knocking in his 15th of the season and extending his point streak to 12 games (10 goals & 18 points in that span).

The Blackhawks had a bit of a scare when Jason Dickinson only took two shifts in the second frame. He blocked a shot with his right hand and went straight to the dressing room. Dickinson is currently serving as the No. 1 center for the team. He’s also one of the best on the team defensively, and at winning faceoffs. Losing Dickinson would’ve been a big blow for the Blackhawks, but thankfully he returned for the third period. In his absence, Foligno took his place between Connor Bedard and Joey Anderson on that top line.

Third Period Heroics for the Blackhawks

Things got a little feisty early in the third period with some skirmishes, as each team tried to assert themselves. It seemed like the Panthers were pulling away, and it would only be a matter of time before they got the equalizer. At one point, Florida had five shots on goal to the Panthers’ 5 shots. They ended with 15 shots to the Blackhawks six shots in the third period.

With just 7:38 left to go in the game, Blackhawks’ defenseman Wyatt Kaiser took a delay of game penalty, giving the Panthers a power play. Things got a little dicey on the penalty kill, but the Blackhawks killed it off. That was pretty much all she wrote for the Panthers, who have now lost their second consecutive game.

With 2:19 to go in the game, the Panthers pulled their goaltender, Spencer Knight, but they were unable to score on the ensuing 6-on-5. Instead, Foligno intercepted a pass and tallied the empty net goal to put the game away. It was his sixth goal of the season. As he said in his post-game interview, the Blackhawks “stayed with it, hung in there. Hopefully that gives us confidence going into the next game.”

Final Thoughts on the Blackhawks & Panthers Contest

-Blackhawks’ netminder Petr Mrazek came through with another solid night. He made 32 saves on 33 shots for a .970 save percentage. Knight, for his part, did well in his backup role to Sergei Bobrovsky, saving 17-of-19 shots for a .895 SV%.

-After recording two primary assists in their last game against the Anaheim Ducks, the Blackhawks’ Bedard didn’t even have a shot attempt in this game. He now has zero goals in the last 11 games. But he’s also currently playing against the opponent’s top lines as the shutdown line that also includes Dickinson and Anderson. That seems to negate the idea of opening him up for more offensive play. Something needs to give to get Bedard back on track.

Connor Bedard Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks need to find a way to spring Connor Bedard and get him out of his scoring slump. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

–Craig Smith received the 1st Star of the game honors for his goal and strong play in this one. I always love me an underdog story, and Smith has certainly been a pleasant surprise this season.

Related – Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard Hits 50 Career Assists; Joins Elite Franchise Group

Both teams play again this Saturday, Nov. 23, with the Panthers hosting the Colorado Avalanche and the Blackhawks traveling to Philadelphia to face the Flyers.

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