The Chicago Blackhawks found themselves on the wrong side of officiating controversy once again, this time in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday night at the United Center. Despite building an early 2–0 lead and battling hard throughout the game, the Blackhawks were undone by a highly questionable interference penalty in overtime, a call that directly led to the game-winning goal. While Connor Bedard maintained a calm, respectful stance toward the referees, head coach Jeff Blashill voiced a far more frustrated response.
Chicago has now lost points in two games within a week because of debatable calls, adding pressure to a team trying to stay competitive in the Central Division.
Controversial penalty in overtime leads to Kaprizov’s winner
Apr 15, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) controls the puck in the second period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Just 40 seconds into overtime, Connor Bedard carried the puck out of the neutral zone when Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek delivered a heavy hit on him. Before Bedard could gather himself, Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev stepped in and leveled Eriksson Ek.
The crowd expected play to continue, after all, Ek had played the puck seconds earlier, but was stunned when officials called Mikheyev for interference.
One minute later, Kirill Kaprizov scored the winner on the power play, sealing a frustrating 4–3 loss for Chicago.
After the game, Bedard remained composed despite the controversial moment:
“I got flattened so I didn’t get to see it,” Bedard said. “We’re not going to blame the refs. They’ve got a job to do and it’s not always easy for them.”
Blashill: “If I was to climb into Furman’s mind, he thought Mikky just went over and hit him because he hit Connor. But the reality is, right before Eriksson Ek got hit, he had the puck. It’s not interference.” https://t.co/q7nqeLwTsR
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 27, 2025
His coach didn’t hold back. Jeff Blashill openly criticized referee Furman South’s decision:
“If I was to climb into Furman’s mind, he thought Mikky just went over and hit him because he hit Connor. But the reality is, right before Eriksson Ek got hit, he had the puck. It’s not interference.”
This marks the second time in a week officiating has cost Chicago points. In a previous matchup against the Kraken, Bedard received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the final minutes after protesting a missed slashing call. Seattle scored the game-winner on the power play.
The trend is building frustration, not only within the locker room, but among the fanbase, as the Blackhawks continue to battle through tightly contested games.
Connor Bedard: “Little Mistakes” cost us, but we’re still on the right track
Mar 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard (98) and Vegas Golden Knights left wing Brandon Saad (20) battle for control of the puck during the second period at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images
Before the overtime drama, the Blackhawks actually controlled much of the game. Jason Dickinson opened the scoring, followed by a goal from Connor Bedard, who continues to be the team’s most dangerous offensive weapon.
Despite the hot start, Chicago allowed Minnesota back into the game with goals on both sides of the second intermission. Artyom Levshunov briefly restored the Blackhawks’ lead with a smooth finish from the point, but Matt Boldy responded quickly to tie the game at 3–3.
From there, Chicago pushed, created chances, and hung in with the red-hot Wild, but couldn’t secure the extra point.
Bedard admitted the team let one slip away:
“It stinks,” he said. “I thought we played a pretty good game, but just little mistakes that we’ll clean up. There were a lot of positives, but in the end, you’ve got to come out with the two points.”
The loss extended Chicago’s skid to four straight defeats, dropping them to 10-8-5 on the season, fifth in the Central Division with 25 points.
But despite the frustration, there is still optimism. The Blackhawks played with structure, pace, and resilience, traits that Bedard continues to emphasize on and off the ice.
Now the team heads into its next stretch of games, one thing is clear: if they maintain this level of effort while cleaning up the late-game mistakes, Chicago has the potential to climb back into playoff position.
But to do it, they’ll need both discipline… and some better luck with the whistles.
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