The Blackhawks came out of the gate quick. Quicker than they have all season in fact. Dylan Strome netted his 20th of the season just 1:15 into the game. Pretty nice move as he split the defense at the blue line and fired a quick wrist shot past Vejmelka to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead. That would remain the score for the rest of the first period.
The Coyotes were first on the board after the intermission after a tip-in shot from Michael Carcone. A few short minutes later, the Coyotes would take the lead on a wrist shot from Travis Boyd. Boyd made a move by Dylan Strome and then fired it past Lankinen for a 2-1 Coyotes lead. That is how the scoreboard would stay until the end of the 2nd period.
Patrick Kane would score the lone goal in the 3rd period to tie the game for the Blackhawks. That goal came on the powerplay and was his 22nd on the year. Neither team found the back of the net in the remainder of regulation, so this one would require overtime.
Overtime was full of chances for both teams. The Coyotes had a couple of open net misses. Vejmelka made some really good saves. Lankinen made some really good saves as well. Alex DeBrincat even saved the game at one point, sweeping the puck off the line after it had just slipped passed Lankinen. Ultimately though, the Blackhawks would lose with just 15 seconds left in OT. A wrist shot off the stick of Shayne Gostisbehere would ricochet off the skate of Jonathan Toews and into the back of the net. Extending the Blackhawks losing streak now to 8.
It's the been the same story far too often this season with the Blackhawks when it comes to playing teams that they are better than on paper. This Blackhawks team found the back of the net twice tonight, and you could still make a legit argument that they played better against the Panthers on Friday. And they were shutout in that game. Just seems as if they "play down" to their opponents too often and that just isn't a good habit to have. If the Blackhawks play the way they did against the Panthers tonight, they probably win by two or three goals. The Blackhawks are now 2-1 against the Coyotes on the year. They will be back in action at the United Center on Thursday against the Seattle Kraken.
POLL | ||
Who deserved to win this game? | ||
Blackhawks | 83 | 70.9 % |
Coyotes | 34 | 29.1 % |
List of polls |