The Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators faced off Tuesday night as part of the NHL’s Frozen Frenzy, where all 32 teams played, and they brought the “frenzy” with goals.
Ottawa came into the matchup having won three straight games, including a big 7-2 win against the Boston Bruins the night before. The Blackhawks were eager to try to get back in the win column after falling 3-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 26.
It was the Blackhawks who took the eventful night in a 7-3 win.
Game Recap
Although the shots on goal were almost even, with an 8-7 shot advantage in favor of the Blackhawks, it was all Chicago to start the game. Colton Dach opened the scoring for the Blackhawks with his first goal of the season, 1-0, off a rebound from goaltender Linus Ullmark. Defenseman Sam Rinzel took a cross-checking penalty in response to a Ridly Greig hit. The Senators have the best power play in the NHL (35.1% success rate), and it was a big opportunity for them to even the score, but the Hawks killed it off.
Then, Louis Crevier made the score 2-0, and Connor Bedard added another, to make it 3-0 Blackhawks with a power play goal stemming from a David Perron slashing penalty on him.
The second period started with the Senators getting a power play off a Sam Rinzel tripping penalty. The delayed penalty almost resulted in a goal for the Blackhawks. But they eventually added to the score to make it 4-0 with Bedard’s second goal of the night. However, the Sens got on the board with a Jake Sanderson goal to make the score 4-1, and they weren’t done as Michael Amadio made the score 4-2.
Tim Stützle made it 4-3, giving the Sens three goals in a close to four-minute span. The Blackhawks challenged Stützle’s goal for offsides and lost the challenge, putting the Sens back on the power play. Chicago killed it off. Some more chances for both sides occured afterwards, but the Senators put themselves in a good position going into the third period.
Yet, Connor Bedard netted his first career hat trick to give the Blackhawks a 5-3 lead in the third period, and Ryan Donato scored to make it 6-3. The Senators got a power play opportunity with a on a 6-on-4, but Frank Nazar made the score 7-3 on an empty-net goal, which sealed the game.
Related: Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard Scores 50th NHL Goal
The shots were 26-24, Chicago. Ullmark struggled a bit, and the Hawks penalty kill going 4/4, and Bedard’s four-point night helped lead to the Blackhawks win.
What’s Next?
The Blackhawks are embarking on a six-game road trip and don’t have another home game until Nov. 12 against the New Jersey Devils. Meanwhile, the Senators are heading back home to face the Calgary Flames on Oct. 30.
