Blackhawks: 3 Takeaways from Game 2 against Golden Knights

After getting majorly outplayed in Game 1 of the series, the Blackhawks looked to bounce back and claim a victory on Thursday evening. While they did look a little bit better, they still were unable to record the win against the high-flying Golden Knights squad.

The Chicago Blackhawks always seem to struggle when they play against the Vegas Golden Knights. Before Game 2 on Thursday night the Hawks record against the Knights already was pitiful, as they were 1-7 against Vegas since they came into the league in 2017-18.

As many of you have probably seen, this trend continued in Game 2. Chicago quickly fell into a 2-0 hole in the opening frame of the game. This was a dreadful start for the #8 seed, who were already down 1-0 in the series.

Chicago was able to mount a comeback, as Kirby Dach banged home a rebound on the backhand for his first career playoff goal. The tally narrowed the deficit to only a one-goal margin only three minutes into the second period. Dominik Kubalik continued his excellent rookie campaign by ripping a wrist shot off the post and into the net, tying the game at two only nine minutes later.

After Mark Stone was able to clean up a rebound to put Vegas back in front 3-2, it looked like Vegas would have the lead heading into the third. However, the Blackhawks yet again were able to find a way to draw even.

With only 20 some seconds left in the period, Alex DeBrincat, Patrick Kane, and Dylan Strome teamed up to execute a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play that Strome was able to burry into an open net. This knotted the game back up at 3 goals apiece heading into the third.

After a back and forth affair in the third, each team went scoreless in the period. This meant that the matchup was heading to overtime, which is somewhat of a common theme for the Blackhawks in the playoffs.

With only 7 minutes gone into overtime, Vegas’s Reilly Smith was able to fire home his third goal of the series to deliver Vegas the win. It was a relatively easy finish for Smith, as the Blackhawks left him wide open in the slot.

Now already down 2-0 in the series, the Blackhawks will have to battle back throughout the remaining games if they want a chance at advancing to the second round. Here are three takeaways following the Game 2 overtime loss to Vegas: