Blackhawks get "gutty" win and steal two points from Hurricanes

The Chicago Blackhawks had no business winning on Thursday night, but they stole two points in a 4-3 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes. A shorthanded goal from Ilya Mikheyev started the scoring, while tallies from Nick Lardis and Connor Murphy got the game to overtime. Oliver Moore capped off an eventful 21st birthday by winning the game in the sixth round of the shootout.

The Blackhawks had to endure yet another game with a late scratch due to illness. This time, it was center Jason Dickinson who wasn’t well enough to play. His absence caused head coach Jeff Blashill to shift his lines around from what he used at today’s morning skate.

It didn’t matter what the line combinations were because the Blackhawks were overwhelmed by the Hurricanes' forecheck in the first period. They had a hard time getting anything going against Carolina’s aggressive style of play, managing only nine shot attempts in the period. Things weren’t much better in the middle frame, with only 11 shot attempts.

Despite being badly outplayed, the game was tied after 40 minutes, and the Blackhawks saved their best hockey for the third period. They produced five high-danger scoring chances in the final stanza when they had only one in the first two periods combined.

“It’s a tough building, and they are always really, really good in the first,” Blashill said. "I thought Spence was really good in the first. We turned too many pucks over and went backwards too much. That made it harder on ourselves. The third was obviously our best period. It was a gutty win by the guys.”

Welcome Back, Frank Nazar

Nazar spent the last 14 games watching from the sidelines while rehabbing a broken jaw. He was itching to get back on the ice, and he finally made his return to the lineup against the Hurricanes. He was reunited with his running mate, Tyler Bertuzzi. Ryan Donato was on the second line this morning, but he was swapped out with Ilya Mikheyev once Dickinson was scratched.

There was zero timidness out of Nazar in his first game in over a month. He was noticeable early and got better as the game went on. Midway through the third period, he got his first real challenge in the form of a high, hard hit from Andrei Svechnikov. If he had any fear of being reinjured on a hit, he got over it after this one.

Nazar showed no ill-effects from the big hit as he had a one-on-one scoring chance against Frederik Andersson on his next shift, but was denied. Blashill started overtime with Nazar on the ice with Connor Bedard and Alex Vlasic.

Although he missed his shootout attempt, he finished the night with four shots on goal, seven shot attempts, three scoring chances, two of which were high-danger, and won six of his nine faceoffs.

“I felt good,” Nazar said after the game. “It was a good game to get back into. It was a lot of fun. That’s my first time beating those guys since I’ve been here, so that felt good.”

Have an Ollie Jolly Birthday

Moore will remember his 21st birthday for a long time. If you count his shootout goal, the young forward had a Gordie Howe hat trick. He made a nice play to get the puck towards the net on the Blackhawks' second goal. Credit goes to Nick Lardis for his awareness to get into a shooting position the moment Donato got the puck. That’s a goal scorer’s instinct.

Later in the period, he took exception to a big hit on Lardis and stood up to the much later and tougher Alexander Nikishin. He’ll celebrate the rest of his birthday with a new battle wound, but he didn’t mind that one bit.

"Just proud of him,” Blashill said of the sequence. “That’s his teammate, that’s his buddy, and he’s going to stick up for him. You’ve got to do some things like that.”

After missing a chance to win the game on an overtime breakaway, he earned the Blackhawks a second point in the sixth round of the shootout.

“It was a good way to ring it in,” Moore said about his birthday. “I got beat up and we won a hockey game! That’s all that matters.”

Nuggets & Tidbits

• There is something about Colton Dach being a healthy scratch that makes his teammates ill. He was slated to take a seat against the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 12, but Connor Bedard got sick before the game. He was the odd man out during the last two morning skates, but Andre Burakovsky’s illness got him back in against the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, and he played tonight because of Dickinson’s absence. He dished out six hits, but had no shot attempts in 10:11 of ice time.

• After killing off all five Hurricanes’ power plays, the Blackhawks now have the top penalty kill in the NHL at 85.1%. Mikheyev set the tone early with a shorthanded goal on the first kill. The Blackhawks had sticks in the passing lanes and were aggressive. When the Hurricanes got their chances, Spencer Knight was there to make the save. Of the 11 high-danger shots he faced, only one came shorthanded. Allowing just one high-danger shot in 10 minutes is impressive.

• Tonight was an example of why I don’t want the Blackhawks to trade Mikheyev. In addition to the shortie, he added an assist, had two shots on goal, and a pair of takeaways. He is the best defensive forward on the team and fits Blashill’s playing style perfectly. If he wants to come back for another year or two, the Blackhawks would be lucky to have him.  

• Artyom Levshunov had his playing time cut down as the game went on. An ill-advised pinch led to the Hurricanes’ second goal, as his aggressive play left Bedard as the only defender back on a 2-on-1 rush. He was demoted to the third period in the final frame and was limited to just four shifts.

"I didn’t think Arty had his best night, especially early. Ice time has to be earned. And there’s been nights where Arty’s played really good, and he’s played a lot, and tonight wasn’t his night."

Blashill on Levshunov

• The Blackhawks' power play is now 0-for-12 in the last five games. They only had one chance tonight and spent most of it just trying to get the puck in the zone.

• In another example of how lopsided the game was for much of the game, the Hurricanes had just as many missed shots, 22, as the Blackhawks had on goal. Take the points and run, boys!