In the final game of the West Coast road trip on Sunday, the Chicago Blackhawks suffered a humiliating loss to the Anaheim Ducks, surrendering seven goals and grotesquely allowing 53 shots on net. It was one of the most one-sided contests in the NHL this year and occurred just one night after Chicago was on the wrong end of a 6-1 blowout in Los Angeles.
Well, that same Blackhawks squad returned home to the United Center on Wednesday and responded with a commanding 3-0 win over the New York Rangers in one of the team’s top performances this season.
“It all starts with a mindset switch,” defenseman Matt Grzelcyk said after the game. Being committed to playing defense [allows] the skill and speed to take over the other way. I thought guys came ready to play, right from the drop of the puck tonight. And obviously, when we needed him, Knight was great.”
Chicago held the Rangers to only 21 shots in the victory, 32 fewer than the Ducks recorded just three days prior. That made life relatively simple for Spencer Knight, who needed to make only four saves in the final 20 minutes to earn his second shutout of the 2025-26 campaign.
“I think it’s more a testament to the team than a goalie,” Knight said when asked about his second shutout of the season. “I honestly think that’s something people should start looking at; that’s a team win. The team gets the shutout. It’s not me, it’s everyone. For me to take credit for that wouldn’t be right. It’s definitely a team thing.”
After giving up 13 goals in two games over the weekend, head coach Jeff Blashill put his group through several defensive drills during practice on Tuesday in hopes of cleaning up the recent issues. Blashill got precisely what he wanted on Wednesday, as the Blackhawks were much sturdier defensively compared to recent outings. The 21 shots the Rangers tallied were tied for the fewest the Blackhawks have conceded through 30 games.
“I’ll give this team a lot of credit, that when we kind of either practice stuff or go through stuff on video, they have done an excellent job of applying it,” Blashill said after the game. “I thought our gaps were the best of the year, to be honest with you… [That’s] something we talked about, and I thought we defended pretty well. We stopped on pucks, we angled, we did those things better, for sure.”
Here are the highlights and recap from a much-needed 3-0 win over the Rangers, which moves the Blackhawks to 13-11-6 on the season.
FIRST PERIOD
The Blackhawks’ top line of Ryan Greene, Connor Bedard, and Andre Burakovsky was active right from the jump on Wednesday. Burakovsky nearly put his team ahead in the opening minutes on a rebound from Artyom Levshunov’s point shot. But Igor Shesterkin made a remarkable blocker save while Burakovsky had half the net to work with, keeping the game scoreless.
Just a few moments later, Greene skated into the offensive zone and set up Bedard at the far post for a scoring chance. Once again, though, Shesterkin sprawled across the crease to make another dandy of a save.
Following a disastrous defensive performance in Anaheim, the Blackhawks’ defense was much improved in the opening 20 minutes against New York. One of the only high-danger chances generated by the Rangers came on a breakaway for Mika Zibanejad, but his shot went wide of the cage after going through Knight’s five-hole.
Neither side found the back of the net in the opening 20 minutes, but the Blackhawks created the more threatening opportunities. Chicago led 23-15 in shot attempts, 10-6 in shots on goal, 10-7 in scoring chances, and 0.83-0.54 in expected goals. Shesterkin was on his A-game early, preventing the home squad from grabbing the lead.
With another scoreless first frame, the Blackhawks have now surrendered only 17 first-period goals through the opening 30 games of the season. They have also allowed only four goals in the first period in 15 home games. Getting off to strong starts remains no issue for this young group.
SECOND PERIOD
The two teams traded penalties during the first five minutes of the middle frame, but neither converted on its power-play chance. However, the Blackhawks managed to score while shorthanded for just the second time this season, and it came from an unlikely source. Louis Crevier, of all people, found himself on a 1-on-1 with Shesterkin late in the Rangers’ man advantage. The 6-foot-8 defenseman made a nifty move to pull the puck to his backhand and put home his third goal of the season. 1-0, Chicago.
Jason Dickinson➡️Matt Grzelcyk➡️Louis Crevier🚨
Crevier beats Shesterkin on the backhand for his 3rd goal of the season to put the #Blackhawks ahead 1-0! Shorthanded breakaway goal for Big Lou!!! 2nd shorthanded tally of the season for Chicago.pic.twitter.com/ybOVp1qCVN
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) December 11, 2025
Crevier demonstrated astute hockey IQ on the play, waiting near the Rangers’ blue line while his team was about to gain possession of the puck. The former seventh-round pick gambled on the play, but it certainly paid off.
Only a couple of minutes after Crevier’s tally, the Blackhawks appeared to double their lead with a goal from Ryan Donato out in front of New York’s net. Sadly, the Rangers challenged the play, and the officials overturned the goal due to a hand pass. Colton Dach didn’t intend to pass the puck to Ilya Mikheyev with his glove, but that’s the rule’s definition. It was an unfortunate break for the home squad.
But the top line kept their foot on the pedal in the following shifts to get the goal back, and it was none other than Bedard who lit the lamp. Burakovsky raced into the offensive zone and found Bedard near the crease, and the 2023 No. 1 overall pick quickly launched the puck into the top corner for his 19th goal of the season. 2-0, Chicago.
Andre Burakovsky➡️Connor Bedard🚨
Burakovsky wheels into the offensive zone & feeds Bedard in front for his 19th goal of the season to extend the #Blackhawks lead to 2-0! Bedard now has points in 5 of the last 6 games.pic.twitter.com/F9MlcuFuD3
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) December 11, 2025
Coming into Wednesday, the Rangers had allowed a league-low 17 goals in the second period. On the flip side, the Blackhawks have been nightmarish in the second stanza for most of the year. But that wasn’t the case on Wednesday, as the Hawks built off their early momentum and beat Shesterkin twice to grab control of the contest. It was one of the better second periods of the season, as the Blackhawks led 37-34 in shot attempts and 18-13 in scoring chances through 40 minutes. More of that in the future, please.
THIRD PERIOD
Another impressive part of Wednesday’s win was the Blackhawks keeping their foot on the pedal until the final horn sounded. They’ve allowed a few third-period leads to slip away in the past month, but the team was determined not to let that happen again versus the Rangers.
Less than four minutes into the period, the Blackhawks added a key insurance goal to extend the lead to 3-0. After Bedard made a few dazzling dekes while entering the offensive zone, Greene made a lofty effort to keep the play alive as the puck was up for grabs. Eventually, Tyler Bertuzzi gained possession at the near post, and he banked a shot off Shesterkin for his 16th goal of the season. Bertuzzi now has points in five of the last six games.
Connor Bedard➡️Ryan Greene➡️Tyler Bertuzzi🚨
Greene with some great work to keep the play alive, which allows Bertuzzi to knock home his 16th goal of the season! 3-0 #Blackhawks. Bedard with his 2nd point of the game on the secondary assist.pic.twitter.com/e60RtLMRZw
— Talkin’ Hawkey (@TalkinHawkey) December 11, 2025
With the secondary assist, Bedard picked up his second point of the night. Like Bertuzzi, he also has points in five of the last six games. Bedard is now tied with Mikko Rantanen for fourth in the NHL with 42 points this season.
As mentioned earlier, Knight wasn’t leaned on too heavily down the stretch, which is a testament to the Blackhawks’ team defense. One of the few occasions where he was tested came near the midway point of the period, as Noah Laba had a few whacks from right out in front. But as he was all game, Knight was up to the task.
Frank Nazar received compliments from Blashill after the game for his effectiveness against the Rangers. While he didn’t end up on the stat sheet, Nazar used his wheels to generate a handful of scoring chances for himself and his teammates on Wednesday.
“Honestly, I thought Frank Nazar was as good as he’s played probably all season,” Blashill said. “I thought he was excellent tonight. I look at process, I look at things like being over the puck and being strong on the puck and having those opportunities to make plays and using his speed.”
Late in the contest, Nazar forced a turnover to create a clear-cut breakaway chance, but he fumbled the puck and didn’t get a shot off on Shesterkin. The 21-year-old is still without a goal since Oct. 28, with his goalless drought now at 18 games. At this point, Nazar might be in his own head and overthinking with the puck on his stick. But Blashill believes the goals and points will come sooner rather than later if he keeps playing at this level.
“He was excellent tonight. Is it frustrating when you’re not scoring? Yes. Our job as a coaching staff is to keep him focused on the process because points come and go. I’ve seen it all the time. He’ll get his points if he plays like that on a consistent basis.”
The Blackhawks were in control from start to finish on Wednesday and picked up a spectacular team win. The fans in attendance at the United Center gave the squad a standing ovation as the final horn rang out.
Next up is a matchup with the division-rival St. Louis Blues on Friday. It’s the front end of a back-to-back, which has given the Blackhawks fits — they’re 0-4-0 in two sets of back-to-backs this year. However, Blashill’s bunch has some strong mojo at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, as they dusted the Blues 8-3 in the first meeting there on Oct. 15.
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