After totalling just six goals in the first three games of their road trip, the Chicago Blackhawks exploded for five goals in the third period to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 at Rogers Arena on Wednesday. The win marked the first time the Blackhawks have bested the Canucks since Nov. 21, 2021, effectively ending an 11-game losing skid.
The Blackhawks also put to rest their current three-game losing streak, and it was mostly thanks to Tyler Bertuzzi and Spencer Knight. Bertuzzi recorded his fourth career hat trick, and first as a member of the Blackhawks, while Knight stopped a whopping 43 of 45 shots faced to earn his fifth win of the season.
Knight was responsible for keeping the game scoreless through 40 minutes, as the Canucks threw a barrage of shots in his direction early and often. The 24-year-old netminder piled up 35 saves through two periods, and he kept his team alive despite another disastrous middle frame. Vancouver led 19-8 in shots on goal, 19-6 in scoring chances, and 12-2 in high-danger chances in the second period alone, but Knight remained poised and kept the score level heading into the intermission.
After a putrid second period, the Blackhawks found a way to flip the script in the third for their goaltender and give him the run support he deserved. Bertuzzi was the catalyst of the late offensive frenzy, as all three of his goals on the evening were scored in the final frame. As he always does, the feisty forward parked himself in front of the opposing net, and he was rewarded for his efforts on three separate occasions.
“He’s really learned over the years how to build a wall on that back post,” Coach Jeff Blashill said about Bertuzzi. “People shoot for it, and they go in. It’s a great way to score.”
All six of Bertuzzi’s goals on the year, including his three on Wednesday, have come from right around the net-front area. That’s where he’s always made his living offensively, and his willingness to go to the dirty areas paid off in a pivotal way for the Blackhawks in Vancouver.
With the victory, the Blackhawks move to 6-5-3 on the season and get a key two points after winning just one of their previous five contests. They still have a chance to salvage their long road trip, which continues in Calgary on Friday.
Here are the highlights and a few key takeaways from Wednesday’s win.
WATCH: Bert’s Hat Trick
Bertuzzi was the No. 1 star of the game, as he climbed the Blackhawks out of the jaws of defeat when the Canucks had all the momentum going into the third period.
His first of three goals kicked off the scoring, but it wasn’t kicked in. Matt Grzelcyk’s centering feed banked in off Bertuzzi’s skate to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage just over three minutes into the period.
Connor Murphy➡️Matt Grzelcyk➡️Tyler Bertuzzi🚨
Bertuzzi has Grzelcyk’s centering pass bank in off his skate for his 4th goal of the season to put the #Blackhawks ahead 1-0 early in the 3rd period! Good things happen when ya go to the dirty areas.pic.twitter.com/yLkBkQwYW7
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) November 6, 2025
Bertuzzi’s second goal of the night also marked his third power-play goal of the season. Connor Bedard made a sensational dish to find Bertuzzi, aka “The Human Backboard,” at the far post to extend the Blackhawks’ lead to 2-0. This one did get deflected off Bertuzzi’s stick, to be fair.
Artyom Levshunov➡️Connor Bedard➡️Tyler Bertuzzi🚨
Bedard makes a perfect pass to find Bertuzzi in his office for his 2nd goal of the game & 5th goal of the season! Bedard extends his point streak to 6 games. #Blackhawks lead 2-0.pic.twitter.com/iqty82Atsf
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) November 6, 2025
For good measure, Bertuzzi added another tally in the third period to pick up the hat trick, as he pounced on Louis Crevier’s rebound to make it four unanswered goals for the road squad.
TYLER BERTUZZI HAT TRICK🎩🎩🎩
Bertuzzi scores his 3rd goal of the period to put the #Blackhawks ahead 4-0! After getting ROBBED in the first meeting against Vancouver, Bertuzzi gets his revenge tonight! He has doubled his season total in goals.pic.twitter.com/dchjVXqwlp
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) November 6, 2025
Bertuzzi doubled his season goal total on Wednesday, as he now has six through 13 games, which is tied for second on the Blackhawks. Four of those goals have come in two games against the Canucks. It was sweet to see him get the last laugh after being robbed of a potential game-winning goal in the first meeting.
Bedard Beats Hometown Team
While Bertuzzi led the way for the Blackhawks, Bedard sure played with a chip on his shoulder as he returned to his hometown of Vancouver for the third time in his NHL career. Bedard failed to record a point in his first two trips back home and was winless in five games against the team he grew up rooting for. He was on a mission to change that on Wednesday.
Bedard was buzzing from start to finish, as he was driving play to create scoring chances all night long. He led the Blackhawks with 13 shot attempts, five shots on goal, and eight individual scoring chances in his 20:32 of ice time. Once again, he was the Blackhawks’ most dangerous offensive weapon, as has been the case for most of the 2025-26 campaign thus far.
Connor Bedard’s stat line tonight:
– Goal
– Assist
– 5 SOG (tied team lead)
– 13 shot attempts (team high)
– 8 individual scoring chances (team high)
– 4 individual HD chances (team high)
– 1.42 ixG (team high)
– 20:32 TOI#Blackhawks
— Jack Bushman (@JackBushman2) November 6, 2025
The finished product eluded Bedard until the final moments of the third period, as he knocked home an empty-netter for his first career goal against the Canucks. A fitting way to seal his first victory against his hometown club.
With two points on the night, Bedard extended his point streak to six games and now has a team-leading 18 points (7G, 11A) through 14 games. That’s currently tied for ninth in the NHL.
2nd Period Problems…
Lost in the remarkable effort in the final frame was how horrendous the second period was once again for the Blackhawks. This is turning into a serious issue that’s happening far too frequently.
Dating back to Oct. 15, the Blackhawks have been outscored 15-3 in the second period during a nine-game stretch. They were lucky the differential didn’t grow even more in the wrong direction on Wednesday, as Knight kept the Canucks off the scoreboard with a handful of clutch saves. That was only the second time during the last nine games that the Blackhawks didn’t get outscored by their opponent in the middle stanza.
Mikheyev’s Revenge
Remember when GM Kyle Davidson acquired Ilya Mikheyev AND a second-round pick from the Canucks in exchange for… a fourth-round pick? That’s turned out to be a marvelous deal for the Blackhawks, and Mikheyev got some revenge against his former team in Wednesday’s win.
What ended up being the game-winning goal, Mikheyev capped off a hard-working sequence from the third line, as he found a loose puck to put home his fourth tally of the season.
Oliver Moore➡️Ryan Donato➡️Ilya Mikheyev🚨
Mikheyev nets his 4th goal of the season & strikes against his old team to put the #Blackhawks ahead 1-0! Good work by Moore down low to pick up his 1st NHL point of the season with an assist.pic.twitter.com/2t6FRg9YsP
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) November 6, 2025
The Moore-Donato-Mikheyev trio quietly had a strong showing, as they led 12-7 in shot attempts, 6-2 in scoring chances, 5-1 in high-danger chances, and 1-0 in goals for at even strength on Wednesday.
Moore picked up his first NHL point of the season with the secondary assist on Mikheyev’s goal. Like he did in Seattle, Moore battled hard along the boards and behind the opposing net, and it led to his fifth career assist with Chicago.
Blashill Wins First Challenge
In the midst of the Canucks second-period surge, Drew O’Connor skated into the Blackhawks’ crease and whacked a rebound through Knight to seemingly make it 1-0. However, O’Connor clearly initiated contact with Knight and knocked him to the ice before putting the puck into the net.
Blashill challenged the play, and the officials determined there was goaltender interference after a review. After going 0-for-2 on his previous attempts, Blashill won his first challenge as the Blackhawks’ head coach in a crucial moment. The call kept the Canucks off the board and allowed his group to rebound before a big third period.
Reichel’s Quiet Night
Just 12 days after getting traded, Lukas Reichel faced off with the Blackhawks for the first time as a member of the Canucks. Reichel hasn’t gotten off to the fast start he was looking for with his new team, as he didn’t have a point through his first six games entering Wednesday.
Unfortunately for the former first-round pick, he exited Rogers Arena against the Blackhawks still without a point with Vancouver. Reichel registered two shots on goal, won only two of nine faceoffs, and was minus-two in 15:53 of ice time. He’s now gone seven straight games without a point and has a shoddy minus-seven rating.
Reichel had a prime-time chance on a partial breakaway to get on the board for the first time with the Canucks, but Knight came up with the stop for the Blackhawks.
Like Blackhawks fans saw many, many times, Reichel flashed his dazzling speed, but the finish wasn’t there. Sadly, that’s been the story of his NHL career.
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