While the atmosphere and scenery may have been picturesque at puck drop, the excitement from Chicago Blackhawks fans quickly drained, as the St. Louis Blues scored early and often to defeat the Blackhawks 6-2 at Wrigley Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs, in the 2025 NHL Winter Classic.
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Blackhawks’ defenseman Louis Crevier took a delay of game penalty just 48 seconds into the game, and on the power play, Blues’ defenseman Cam Fowler, playing in his 1,000th career NHL game, scored his second of the season to make it 1-0 less than two minutes into the outdoor game.
CAM FOWLER OPENS THE #WINTERCLASSIC SCORING IN HIS 1,000TH GAME 🤩
That's just storybook stuff right there 📖
🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT & @SportsonMax ➡️ https://t.co/4TuyIATi3T
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ ➡️ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/6Kic4iBBsR— NHL (@NHL) December 31, 2024
Just over six minutes later, the Blues took advantage of another power play, with forward Jordan Kyrou scoring his 16th of the season to make it 2-0.
The Blackhawks would respond before the end of the first period, as forward Taylor Hall, who came into Wednesday’s game with two goals and eight assists for 10 points in the month of December, buried a rebound on a power play to cut the deficit to one.
In the second frame, the Blues produced three unanswered goals, starting with defenseman Justin Faulk scoring his second of the season, then Dylan Holloway scoring his 14th of 2024-25, then Fowler scoring his second of the game to make it 5-1 St. Louis.
At the very next faceoff, Blackhawks’ captain Nick Foligno challenged Blues’ captain Brayden Schenn to a fight, and the two squared off at center ice, with both landing rights but the decision going to Foligno.
In the third, Tyler Bertuzzi scored his 12th of the season to make it 5-2, giving him four goals in his last five games.
But Blues’ forward Alexandre Texier potted his third of the season, making it 6-2, which would end up being the final score.
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Jordan Binnington made 28 saves on 30 shots for the Blues, while the Blackhawks’ Petr Mrazek allowed six goals on 28 shots.
The announced attendance was 40,933, slightly above the 40,818 fans who saw the Blackhawks lose to the Detroit Red Wings at the 2009 NHL Winter Classic, the last outdoor NHL game to be held at Wrigley Field.
The Blackhawks have now played in six outdoor games, posting a 1-5-0 record. Meanwhile, the Blues are now 3-0-0 in their three outdoor contests.
The Blackhawks have lost five straight and are now 12-24-2 with 26 points, last in the Central Division, the Western Conference and the entire NHL. Their next three games are at home, as they host the Montreal Canadiens on Jan. 3, the New York Rangers on Jan. 5 and the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 8.
Meanwhile, the Blues improve to 18-17-4 with 40 points, fifth in the Central Division but just two points outside of a wild card spot. They open 2025 at home against the Ottawa Senators on Jan. 3, then embark on a two-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 4 and Jan. 7, respectively.
