A full team effort was required from the Chicago Blackhawks to take down the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.
Yes, the usual suspects of Connor Bedard and Spencer Knight once again helped pave the way to victory. But so many other players on the roster impacted the outcome, including several future cornerstones of the franchise.
From Frank Nazar and the return of his wheels to Wyatt Kaiser scoring his first goal of the season for the game-winner, there were plenty of bright spots from the Blackhawks’ youngsters in Los Angeles. Alex Vlasic and Oliver Moore also had standout performances, while grizzled veterans like Tyler Bertuzzi and Connor Murphy chipped in with strong showings to secure the two points.
Lofty special-teams play also benefited the Blackhawks, as the power play went 1-for-3, while the penalty kill was 4-for-4, including a crucial kill when the Kings had a 6-on-4 advantage in the final moments. Chicago is now ranked ninth in the NHL on the man-advantage, and the PK is ranked fourth.
With the win, the Blackhawks moved to 12-9-6 on the season and currently sit in the second wildcard playoff spot in the Western Conference. Not too shabby for the third-youngest roster in the league, eh?
10 Observations From 2-1 Win Over Kings
1. Frank The Tank is BACK — Nazar still doesn’t have a goal since Oct. 28, but he’s getting closer and closer to snapping the drought with each passing game. The 2022 13th overall pick had his most noticeable outing in over a month, using his incredible skating ability in various ways to help his team. He generated a partial breakaway opportunity in the second period and drew a penalty in the dwindling moments of the third. Nazar also extended his point streak to four games with two assists and chipped in with two hits and two blocked shots. He was doing a little bit of everything on Thursday.
With a pair of helpers, Nazar became the third player age 21 or younger to reach 15 assists in 25 or fewer games in Blackhawks history, joining Bedard and Patrick Kane. Some elite company there for Frankie. He’s back on track after a lackluster November.
2. SHOOOOOT — Head coach Jeff Blashill has been outspoken about his team playing with a more aggressive mentality with the puck in the offensive zone. The young Blackhawks have responded nicely in recent weeks, with 30 or more shots on goal in three of the last five games. Their 36 shots on Thursday were the second-most of the season. Chicago had only registered 30 shots four times in the opening 23 contests. It’s been a welcome change of pace.
3. Bedard Lethal, But Undisciplined — Bedard showcased his special skillset and the uptick in his speed on several occasions. He also found the back of the net to kick off the scoring for the Blackhawks on the power play, giving him 18 goals on the season. However, Bedard had some undisciplined moments throughout the contest, taking two penalties and being overly aggressive in the third period. Now, to be fair, one of those penalty calls was horrible, but his hooking infraction with under two minutes to play was a result of poor decision-making. Bedard also turned the puck over in the neutral zone a little earlier in the final frame, leading to the Kings’ only tally of the night.
Perhaps I’m being too nitpicky, but Bedard must be smarter in certain situations moving forward. An ill-advised penalty and a lack of getting the puck deep nearly allowed Los Angeles to tie the game late.
4. Vlasic’s Best Game? — While he didn’t record a point and wasn’t on the ice for either of Chicago’s two goals, I thought Alex Vlasic had one of his best games of the season in LA. He made an excellent play on an early penalty kill and cycled the puck effectively multiple times in the offensive zone. Despite largely playing in defensive situations, the Blackhawks led 24-9 in shot attempts, 10-5 in shots on goal, 15-4 (!) in scoring chances, and 6-1 in high-danger chances with Vlasic on the ice at even strength.
5. Penalty Kill Prowess — Boy, are the Blackhawks lucky to have Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev. Not to mention Teuvo Teravainen, Nazar, and Moore, who are each effective penalty killers. What incredible defensive depth. After going 4-for-4 while shorthanded on Thursday, the penalty kill is now 18-for-19 in the past six games. The Kings couldn’t get anything going on the man advantage at home, and the Hawks actually spent a decent amount of time playing offense while down one player.
6. Knight Does It Again — Surprise, surprise. Spencer was spectacular to help the Blackhawks earn just their second win since Nov. 20. Knight stopped 26 of 27 shots faced and went 6-for-6 on high danger shots against. Not to mention another 2.29 goals-saved above expected. He’s now 9-5-5 with a 2.44 goals-against average and .919 save percentage though 19 starts.
However, Knight had a few near-disastrous moments while playing the puck on Thursday. While he’s exquisite more times than not when stepping out of his crease to make a pace, that wasn’t the case in Los Angeles. Knight was fortunate the Kings didn’t cash in on either opportunity, and it’s something that must be cleaned up. That’s happened a few times too many in recent weeks.
7. BIG MURPH — In a defensive-minded role on the third pairing, Murphy doesn’t get a lot of credit for his work too often. So I wanted to give him a shoutout here today, as the 32-year-old blue-liner led the team with five blocked shots and was plus-one in 15:18 of ice time. The Blackhawks also led 19-10 in shot attempts, 9-3 in shots on goal, 14-5 in scoring chances, 6-3 in high-danger chances, and 1-0 in goals for in Murphy’s 9:46 at 5-on-5.
8. Rinzel Reset Coming? — After receiving only one shift in the third period in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Sam Rinzel spent most of Thursday’s game stuck in the defensive zone. He did record three shots on goal in 13:13, but he was also on the ice for a team-high 26 shot attempts against. The Kings led 12-3 in scoring chances with Rinzel on the ice at 5-on-5 play.
Rinzel made significant strides after being a healthy scratch for the first time this season a few weeks ago, but it feels like he’s trending in the wrong direction again to begin the road trip. Can’t help but wonder if he’s due for another reset on either Saturday or Sunday, plus, head coach Jeff Blashill surely wants to get Landon Slaggert back in the lineup at some point. There’s a chance the Blackhawks roll out 12 forwards and only six defensemen in one of their next two contests.
9. Out King’d The Kings — Los Angeles is known for playing a low-event, defensive style of hockey. It’s not the most exciting brand to watch, but it’s worked well for them — in the regular season, at least. Well, the Blackhawks kind of beat them at their own game on Thursday, holding the Kings to only 27 shots on goal and 13 high-danger chances in all situations. Chicago did a stern job of holding onto its lead in the third period, which has been an issue lately. The home squad only had seven shots on goal in the final frame at 5-on-5.
10. Turbo Update — In the final moments of the game, Teravainen sprawled out to try and poke the puck out of the defensive zone, but he unfortunately took a shot right to the face. Blashill confirmed after the contest that “Turbo” was in some pain, but he should be alright. The Blackhawks head coach kept the mood light regarding the situation, saying with a chuckle that Teravainen was lobbying for a maintenance day for Friday’s practice. He likely won’t participate in the session, but the hope is that he’ll be good to go for Saturday’s rematch.
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