Blackhawks Post Game Musings: Knight leads resilient squad in OT win over Ducks

The Chicago Blackhawks of years past would have folded like a cheap suit multiple times on Sunday night. But Jeff Blashill’s Blackhawks stayed the course, kept their composure, and beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 in overtime to push their point streak to four games.

Frank Nazar gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead midway through the third period before the Ducks tied the game while on a power play in the final minute of regulation. The home team regrouped and won the game in overtime thanks to a Ryan Donato goal set up by a great individual effort by Connor Bedard.

“We’ve had tough moments where we’ve gotten knocked down,” Blashill said after the win. “But we continue to get back up, and that’s a huge part of this life. It’s going to happen. We went out to win the game. We did some smart things.”

Tyler Bertuzzi & Top Line Have Big Night

Blashill could be called the “Bertuzzi whisperer” for the way Tyler has played under him. While he was the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings in 2021-22, Bertuzzi had a career-high 30 goals and 62 points. Through the first six games this season, he’s been engaged with and without the puck and was rewarded with a promotion to the top line.

The trio started right off the bat by creating two scoring chances on the opening shift of the game. In 13:07 of 5-on-5 ice time, they led in shot attempts (18-11), shots on goal (10-4), scoring chances (9-5), and high-danger scoring chances (4-3).

Individually, Bertuzzi had another night of playing well with and without the puck. He had just one shot on goal on five attempts, but he was impactful all night long. He was eager to engage in board battles, get to the front of the net, forecheck, and get into the passing and shooting lanes defensively.

Ilya Mikheyev & Second Line Struggle

Ilya Mikheyev has been one of the most impactful players on the Blackhawks to start the season. Entering tonight’s game, he was tied for the team lead in goals with three and has been their best defensive forward. The Blackhawks have outscored their opponents 4-1 at 5-on-5 with Mikheyev on the ice. His added offense has been a pleasant surprise and a welcome addition.

Miheyev was another player Blashill rewarded, as he moved up to take Bertuzzi’s spot on the second line with Frank Nazar and Teuvo Teravainen. The new trio struggled with a 19.05 Corsi for percentage (CF%) at 5-on-5. They were the line that was hemmed in the defensive zone for the first 2:36 of the second period and only had four shot attempts, while surrendering 17.

While the line didn’t have a great night overall, Mikheyev was effective in his 4:58 of shorthanded time. He had a shorthanded breakaway early in the first period, but couldn’t convert. Spending so much time killing penalties affected his 5-on-5 ice time and play. That’s one of hundreds of reasons why the Blackhawks need to spend less time in the penalty box.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• Spencer Knight’s 100th career NHL game was a memorable one. He made 38 saves and was 36 seconds away from his sixth career shutout. His big night shouldn’t have been a surprise. In four career starts against the Ducks, he’s 4-0-0 with two shutouts. He’s allowed only four goals on 125 shots for a .968 save percentage (SV%). His .957 even-strength SV% is the sixth-best in the NHL.

• Bedard was a shot-generating machine. He had nine shots on goal and 11 shot attempts. At 5-on-5, he produced four individual scoring chances. However, it was his assist in overtime that was the highlight of the night. He followed up his own shot and dug out the rebound. He then had the awareness to go behind the net and get the puck to Donato for the game-winner. His nine shots didn’t produce any goals, but if he keeps this shoot-first mentality going, they will start to pile up.

• There were many reasons to be happy that the Blackhawks won, but it had to feel especially good for Wyatt Kaiser. He played such a great game, and it would have been a shame had they lost after his delay of game penalty set up the game-tying power-play goal at the end of regulation. Earlier in the third period, he saved a goal with a diving shot block during one of the rare moments when Knight lost the net. He continues to play solidly and gain confidence with each game. He’s a smart and steady presence on the back end, who is so good at reading plays.

• Nazar struggled through the first 40 minutes of the game. Something just seemed off with a couple of whiffed passes and some defensive miscues. However, he showed up in the third period with the game’s opening goal. He led the charge at the faceoff dot, winning 10 of his 17 draws to help the Blackhawks to a 55.6% success rate.

• There were multiple times tonight where this team would have collapsed in years past. The Ducks dominated the start of the second period and, at one point, had 11 consecutive shots on goal. However, the Blackhawks stayed with it and came out with an excellent third period. Giving up the game-tying goal with 36 seconds left in regulation did not derail them. Heck, Nazar nearly scored in the final seconds as they didn’t let the goal deflate them.