Winning on home ice hasn’t been an easy task for the Chicago Blackhawks in recent weeks. Ahead of Monday’s matchup with Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks, the Blackhawks were 1-6-1 in their last eight games at the United Center, with just 11 goals combined. They hadn’t scored more than two goals in a single home game since Jan. 7.
But in their final appearance at the United Center before the Olympic break, the Blackhawks received a much-needed offensive outburst to take down the Sharks 6-3 in the first of three meetings this season. It’s only the fourth time since Christmas that they’ve recorded more than three goals in a game.
In his first NHL contest in Chicago, Macklin Celebrini looked the part and did his best to lead a late Sharks’ comeback push that fell short. The 2024 top overall draft choice scored his 28th goal of the season and added a primary assist on Will Smith’s tally. He recorded a team-high five shots on goal in 23:07 of ice time.
On the other end of the generational-talent battle, Connor Bedard kick-started the scoring for the Blackhawks seven minutes in, recording the team’s first power-play goal in nearly a month. He extended both his goal streak (three games) and point streak (four games); however, that was the only shot he registered in over 20 minutes of action. His linemates, Frank Nazar and Tyler Bertuzzi, also combined for just one shot on net. It wasn’t the most noticeable night from that trio.
While it would have been tremendous to watch Bedard and the top line waltz all over Celebrini and the Sharks en route to victory, it was perhaps even sweeter to see the depth scoring lead the way to a multi-goal win. Five different players found the back of the net for the Blackhawks on Monday, with most, aside from Bedard, being known more so for their defensive abilities. They were rewarded for all their selfless effort this season.
Let’s break down how the Blackhawks woke up their offense in their final home game until Mar. 6.
Hawks Hits
1. Third Line Comes Alive — For the second straight game, Ryan Donato joined Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev on the “checking” line for head coach Jeff Blashill. Those three players split the responsibility against Celebrini and the Sharks’ top grouping on Monday, which isn’t surprising. Dickinson and Mikheyev, two of the team’s top penalty killers, are often on the ice against the opposing club’s best offensive players.
Dickinson and Mikheyev were caught out there for Celebrini’s goal late in the second period, but that was the only time they were bested on Monday. On the other end of the ice, they more than made up for it. Along with Donato, the three forwards combined for 10 points, with each having a multi-point night. Donato, a former Shark, scored twice and had two assists, Mikheyev had one goal and three helpers, and Dickinson added two assists.
While Donato netted a goal that’s sure to end up on his career highlight reel, the rest of the third line’s production came from pure hustle and determination. On Mikheyev’s tally, Donato outworked a Sharks defender to win a board battle down low, and Dickinson eventually moved the puck into a dangerous area. Then, on Donato’s key insurance goal in the third period, Mikheyev, in the midst of a long shift, grinded his way to the net front and caused a rebound for his linemate.
Blashill’s postgame comments on Mikheyev’s impact reflect how that line made the difference against San Jose. For all the young Blackhawks on the roster, there’s something to learn from his honest, hard-working style of play.
“There’s a simple kind of greatness to him. It’s not necessarily flashy-ish. He skates really well, but man, he really works, wins puck battles, defends hard, and gets the puck on his stick because of it. It’s a good lesson for everybody in our room.”
2. Power Play Drought Ends — It’s fitting that the Blackhawks also snapped the seemingly endless power-play skid in their most productive offensive showing in weeks. Coming into Monday, the man advantage hadn’t scored since Jan. 10, with no goals in their last 26 attempts.
Bedard finally snapped the dry spell by burying a one-timer from the left circle on the Blackhawks opening power-play attempt of the game. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick was mic’d up for the goal, and you could hear the sense of relief in his voice when he scored.
The biggest issues for the power play lately have been maintaining possession after crossing the blue line and getting established in the offensive zone. But once they do get set up, which hasn’t been as often as they would like, the puck movement hasn’t been a problem.
Four of the five players on the ice touched the puck in the sequence leading to Bedard’s drought buster, with crisp passes from high to low and side to side. That was a pleasant reminder of how well the top unit can work together. It’s easy to forget this was once a top-10 power play in the league before Bedard got injured. Hopefully, this opens the floodgates for them after the Olympic break.
3. Murphy Keeps Scoring — No. 98 wasn’t the only Connor to find the back of the net on Monday. After going 42 games in a row without a goal to begin the season, Connor Murphy now has four in his last 14 outings. He snapped a shot from the right point past traffic and through Sharks’ netminder Yaroslav Askarov’s wickets early in the second period.
In less than a month, Murphy has now matched his goal-scoring total from 114 combined games during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 campaigns. He admittedly hasn’t changed anything in his game or started to cheat more offensively, or anything of that sort, really. As he put it, that’s just the life of a defensive defenseman.
“I think it’s kind of the ebbs and flows like that as a defensive defenseman. You just happen to get shots that go through, or you happen to get looks that give you a chance more than others. I don’t want to say lucky, but there is a little luck.”
To his credit, Murphy, who doesn’t receive much ice time in offensive situations, hasn’t passed up any chances to fire the puck on net during his recent hot stretch. His goal on Monday was an example of the good that can come from a seemingly harmless play.
4. Rinzel Rips One Home — The Blackhawks received two goals of support from the blue line against San Jose, as Sam Rinzel, in just his second game since getting recalled from Rockford, rifled home his second NHL goal in the second period.
After a strong showing in his first game back on Friday, Rinzel built off that performance and looked comfortable once again. He avoided making any costly mistakes in the defensive zone and chipped in offensively. Rinzel finished with three shots on goal in 20:38 of ice time.
It’s a small sample size, but Rinzel has seemingly cleaned up the issues that led to his demotion back in early December. He appears much more comfortable skating the puck out of trouble, and he’s made the simple plays in his own end. If he can keep this up, he’ll remain with the Blackhawks for the finishing stretch of 2025-26.
5. More History For Bedard — Just a few days after passing the great Eddie Olczyk for most goals by a player age 20 or younger in Blackhawks franchise history, Bedard leapfrogged the U.S. Hockey Hall of Famer in another statistic.
On his power-play goal early in the game, Bedard also passed Edzo for the most points all-time among U21 Blackhawks skaters, with 181.
The goal was also Bedard’s 23rd of the season, which ties a previous career-high. That’s the number of goals Bedard recorded in 82 games during his sophomore campaign in 2024-25. Monday was his 43rd game of 2025-26.
For more Blackhawks news, visit Chicago Hockey Now and like our Facebook Page.
Follow us on X: