The Chicago Blackhawks got out to a 2-0 lead thanks to Ryan Donato scoring his team-leading ninth and 10th goals of the season, but a second-period comeback from the Minnesota Wild put a damper on a Nov. 29 afternoon matinee, with the Blackhawks falling 3-2.
The Blackhawks are now 8-13-2 with 18 points, dead last in the NHL standings. Their next game is Dec. 1 at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Puck drop is at 3 p.m. ET.
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Here are five takeaways from the Blackhawks’ 3-2 loss to the Wild.
1. Donato Continues Scoring Ways
As mentioned, Donato got on the board twice, opening the scoring when Tyler Bertuzzi pushed the puck toward the slot in the offensive zone and Donato grabbed it, turned around, and fired a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury just a little over two minutes into the game.
The 28-year-old scored again in the second period with a power-play goal to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead. Donato now has 10 goals and four assists for 14 points on the season, nearly halfway to the 31-point career high he reached in 2021-22 with the Seattle Kraken, and just six goals shy of the career-high 16 he posted that same season.
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With a Blackhawks lineup that’s struggled to generate offense beyond the lines of captain Nick Foligno and old-but-new offseason signing Teuvo Teravainen, having someone like Donato – who was a healthy scratch at the start of the season – take it upon himself to contribute offensively has been impressive.
2. Bedard Improves But Still Needs Work
After snapping a 12-game scoreless drought with a goal during Chicago’s 6-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Nov. 27, Connor Bedard continued looking more like himself against the Wild, assisting on Donato’s second of the game and generating four shots on net.
There are still moments where you can see inexperience in his own end. On Minnesota’s second goal, Bedard half-attempts to poke at the puck carrier in Wild defender Jared Spurgeon, then takes his time to skate around and get back into the zone, allowing Minnesota to pass low.
The PERFECT birthday gift 🎁#EasyToCelebrate x @budlight pic.twitter.com/2Lxm903rmG
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) November 29, 2024
When Bedard gets back to the slot, instead of skating through Matt Boldy, he attempts a weak stick-lift, which allows Boldy to spin and get the puck toward the net, creating the opportunity that lead to Spurgeon’s second goal of the game.
It’s minor details like this that separate the best centermen in the game from those who can generate offense but leave much to be desired in their own end. If Bedard wants to be the former, he’ll need to sharpen his game.
3. Martinez Brings Calmness
When defenseman Alec Martinez was out of the lineup through the early part of the season, Foligno said the team missed him.
“There’s just a calmness that comes with him,” Foligno said. “He’s so good with the guys in the room. But also (because of) the way he plays, he just seems to settle everyone down back there.”
You can see that calmness in Martinez’s game, especially with Seth Jones’ absence and everyone on the blue line having to step up. During their loss to the Wild, Martinez was plus-1 with a second under 21 minutes of ice time. In fact, Martinez has only had three games this season with a negative plus/minus rating, one being a minus-2 in the season opener against the Utah Hockey Club. Not bad for a 37-year-old.
You’re not expecting the world from someone who happily signed a one-year deal with a healthy cap hit of $4 million to lead you to a Stanley Cup, but you are expecting a three-time Stanley Cup champion to provide a level of competent defensive play and veteran leadership that can help develop the habits that create a championship pedigree.
4. Maroon, Murphy Hit Milestones
A pair of Blackhawks hit a pair of milestones during Friday’s matinee matchup, with defenseman Connor Murphy playing in his 700th career regular-season game and forward Patrick Maroon in his 800th career regular-season matchup.
The 31-year-old Murphy, taken No. 20 overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the now-defunct Phoenix Coyotes, has spent eight of his 12 NHL seasons with the Blackhawks. In those eight seasons, Murphy has 28 goals and 72 assists for 100 points in 442 career games, averaging 19:27 of ice time. In 700 career regular-season contests, he has 41 goals and 108 assists for 149 points.
Meanwhile, Maroon, 36, has gone everywhere and back in his 14-year NHL career. In 800 career games, Maroon has 122 goals and 189 assists for 311 points and 1,018 penalty minutes with the Blackhawks, Wild, Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils and Anaheim Ducks.
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Maroon has also won three Stanley Cup championships, winning twice with the Lightning and once with the Blues. In 163 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, Maroon has 23 goals and 30 assists for 53 points and 215 penalty minutes.
5. The Blackhawks Look … Better?
I mean, at least it was close? Look, the last thing you want to do when you’re a rebuilding team like Chicago – who has been rebuilding for at least the last three seasons – is try to parse any moral victories from games you continue to drop. Fans don’t want to hear it, and neither do the coaching staff and management who start to feel the pressure.
But in the last six games, including a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 16, there’s a case to be made that the Blackhawks played a solid game, and arguably should have won. They had a lead going into the third period in a 3-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 19, they beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Nov. 21, they lost a heartbreaker in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 23 and handily beat the Dallas Stars 6-2 on Nov. 27.
Now at the proverbial “check-up point” of the NHL calendar with the passing of U.S. Thanksgiving, teams have a pretty good idea of who they are and where they might wind up going into the new year. While we can likely assume this Blackhawks squad won’t be making the playoffs, I can sit here and comfortably say they’re better than their record.
Then again, your record is your record, and no amount of “yeah, buts” and “what ifs” can change that.
