Blackhawks vs CBJ: Reaction, Three Stars, and Highlights from 2-0 win

The Chicago Blackhawks got a shutout win last night against the Columbus Blue Jackets and now travel home to Chicago for two games against Detroit.

The Blackhawks began their road trip last week with two games in Detroit, followed by a game in Carolina and then two in Columbus. Luckily for the team, their record was 4-1-0 during the road trip, and they picked up some points in the standings.

Last night’s game was a break from the high-intensity matchup that was the 6-5 shutout win on Tuesday. However, at the end of the day, a win is a win. So let’s break down some of the numbers from last night’s win.

Stats:

Shots on goal:

Chicago – 27
Columbus – 27

Hits:

Chicago – 14
Columbus – 26

Faceoffs:

Chicago – 15
Columbus – 30

Highlights:

Subban’s big stop in the first period:

Great second-period scoring chance for the Blue Jackets:

Last second push by the Blackhawks to end the second period:

Patrick Kane’s third-period goal to take the lead one to zero:

There are not many videos to highlight from the game. This was a very low-scoring battle of the defenses last night, and Chicago came out on top.

Key Takeaways:

The first period was anything but electric for Chicago. Blackhawks only registered three shots on goal in the first period after putting 17 on net last game. After the electric play of last game, I was expecting a little more during the first period.

The second period was a lot better for the Blackhawks. Columbus could not get anything going and failed to connect on a lot of passes. The only issue is with the tough games Chicago has coming up during March; they can not let their scoring chances end without a puck going in the net.

The Blackhawks were changing their lines a lot last night during the game. Nothing seemed to work for the team, and Colliton changed the lineup up a lot because of it. We could very well see completely different line combinations when Detroit comes to town on Saturday.

Three Stars:

3. Joonas Korpisalo

Joonas Korpisalo played great for the Blue Jackets last night. If it were not for Patrick Kane breaking through in the third period, this game would still probably be tied the next morning. Neither goalie was giving an inch last night.

2. Patrick Kane

Who other than Patrick Kane was going to win the game for the Blackhawks? I am shocked I just did not turn my TV off after the first period realizing this game would end with Kane making a good play to win it in the third.

1. Malcolm Subban

Subban registering his first shutout with the Blackhawks and first in over a year was great to see. While he did not face that many shots last night, some of them were high danger chances. Subban lost his net a few times last night, but Columbus did not capitalize on his mistakes. He is a solid option behind Lankinen when the team needs a good start out of him.

Next Up: This coming weekend, the Blackhawks will play Detroit twice at home. With games on Saturday and Sunday, the ‘Hawks need to pick up those four points against the Red Wings to pick up some slack in the standings.