The Chicago Blackhawks and the San Jose Sharks squared off for the first of three contests this season on Monday, Feb. 2. It was a much anticipated matchup between dynamic young superstars Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini. But beyond that, both of these squads have a lot of talent and a ton of potential. These are two teams that could be battling each other for years to come.
The Blackhawks got the upper hand in this one, running away with a commanding 6-3 victory. After losing the last five consecutive games, it must have felt good to give the United Center fans something to cheer about. Especially since this was the last game in Chicago until Mar. 6, due to the upcoming Olympic break.
Let’s get to some thoughts and takeaways from this big Blackhawks’ win.
Blackhawks Lines & Pairings vs. Sharks
Frank Nazar – Connor Bedard – Tyler Bertuzzi
Teuvo Teravainen – Ryan Greene – Andre Burakovsky
Ryan Donato – Jason Dickinson – Ilya Mikheyev
Colton Dach – Oliver Moore – Sam Lafferty
Alex Vlasic – Louis Crevier
Wyatt Kaiser – Sam Rinzel
Matt Grzelcyk – Connor Murphy
Spencer Knight/Arvid Soderblom
Scratches: Sam Lafferty, Artyom Levshunov, Nick Foligno (undisclosed injury)
Related – 3 Takeaways From the Blackhawks’ 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets
This was the same lineup the Blackhawks deployed in their previous contest versus the Columbus Blue Jackets (Jan. 30), with the exception of Colton Dach drawing in on the fourth line instead of Sam Lafferty.
Bedard Snaps Power Play Slump
The Blackhawks were 0-for-26 on the power play over the last 10 games headed into this contest. But they finally snapped out of their slump with a power play goal in the first period against the Sharks.
make that 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞-𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 with a goal for Bedsy 🚨 pic.twitter.com/SUnfMjldl0
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 3, 2026
Appropriately, it was Bedard who scored, assisted by Teuvo Teravainen and Tyler Bertuzzi. This was Bedard’s third goal in as many games, and his 23rd tally of the season. He only needs one more goal to surpass his career high of 23 goals.
Blackhawks 2nd Period Scoring Frenzy
Bedard’s power play goal seemingly opened up the floodgates, because the Blackhawks scored four more goals throughout the second period. Defenseman Connor Murphy potted his fourth goal of the season right before Ryan Donato made a beautiful diving play for a goal.
GOAL: Ryan Donato, oh my. What a move to get a quick shot off for his 12th goal of the season pic.twitter.com/zRhaHvmoVn
— BHF (@BlackhawksFocus) February 3, 2026
Then defenseman Sam Rinzel scored his second goal of the season to make it 4-0 for the Blackhawks. This was just Rinzel’s second game back since being recalled from the Rockford IceHogs on Jan. 30.
Related – Blackhawks’ Rinzel Showing Confidence & Growth After Recall
Alas, the Sharks Will Smith and then Celebrini also scored in the second frame, but in between their goals the Blackhawks’ Ilya Mikheyev found the back of the net after a great feed from Jason Dickinson.
The Sharks’ Shakir Mudhamadullin scored in the third period, but then Donato netted his second goal of the night to seal the deal for the Blackhawks.
The Donato-Dickinson-Mikheyev Line Led the Way
The “third” line of Donato, Dickinson and Mikheyev led the charge in this game. First and foremost a shutdown line, they were tasked much of the night with containing the Shark’s top line of Will Smith, Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli. Of which they did a great job; it wasn’t their line that was out for any of the goals against.
But all three of these players have an offensive upside making them a cumulative threat to score, and it showed in this contest. Donato registered two goals and two assists and Mikheyev a goal and three assists, both earning a four-point night. Dickinson was credited with two assists.
All in all, in 8:37 minutes of ice time together this trio had five shots for to the opponents’ three shots against. They were even in shot attempts (9-9) and scored four goals to the opponent’s zero. *according to Natural Stat Trick
Head coach Jeff Blashill was extremely complementary of this line after the game, but especially Mikheyev.
Mickey just continues to be a really good player for us. He night in and night out. He just competes so hard. He wins puck battles. There’s a there’s a simple, a simple kind of greatness to him. It’s not, you know, necessarily flashy. He skates really well, but, man, he just really works and wins puck battles and defends hard and gets the puck on a stick because of it. And it’s kind of a good lesson for everybody in our room.
“A simple kind of greatness.” That’s high praise for the Russian forward. Donato added that Dickinson is a great centerman and Mikheyev a workhorse, making them both so easy to play with.
Other Notes From Blackhawks vs. Sharks
- The penalty kill continues to be an area of strength for the Blackhawks. They were 4-for-4 on the PK against the Sharks, and rank first in the NHL with an 85.6% success rate. Said Dickinson on the PK, “Everybody knows in these situations who’s got to go, and who’s got to support, and who needs to be the middle coverage, who’s got to attack the wall. So we’re on a good stretch here where guys just know, it’s instinctual and it’s not like guys are overthinking it & running out of position.”
- The Andre Burakovsky-Ryan Greene-Teuvo Teravainen didn’t have the best night; they were on the ice for two goals against. But credit to Greene for winning 9-of-14 faceoffs (64%) on a night when most everyone else struggled at the dot.
- Confidence is key, and the Blackhawks certainly gained some confidence in this game with six goals. Said Blashill, “As a coach you’d love to win 3-1, but to score 6 (goals) matters. I think guys feel better about themselves when that happens. And I know how important confidence is, so it was a good thing for us.”
Related – Blackhawks’ Special Teams Are a Tale of Opposites Headed Into the Olympic Break
The Blackhawks have just one more game before the Olympic break, which is a rematch against the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Hopefully they can carry over some momentum from this game.
In the meantime, the Hawks and the Sharks don’t meet again until Apr. 6 (in San Jose) and Apr. 15 (in Chicago). That will be the last game of the season for the Hawks and the second-to-last game for the Sharks. I wonder if these matchups will have playoff implications for either team? Regardless, they should be exciting contests between two young franchises on the rise.
