Blackhawks take down Capitals in another shootout

Don’t look now, but the Chicago Blackhawks are on a winning streak. They played a solid road game, knocking off the Washington Capitals 3-2 in a shootout. They have wins in back-to-back games and are 3-1-1 since the Christmas break, with three of the five games going to the shootout.

Jumped to an early lead thanks to Ryan Donato before Teuvo Teravainen scored for the third straight game. His second-period power-play goal was their third in the last two games. The game went to overtime after the Capitals tied the game midway through the third period. The Blackhawks scored on three of their six shootout attempts, with Nick Lardis and Andre Burakovsky converting before Nick Foligno won it.

“We’ve started to balance ourselves again, realize how we need to play and get to that identity,” Foligno said. “These are hard-fought wins. We knew that we’re not going to outscore teams by seven without those two guys in the lineup. But we have enough skill.”

Mikheyev & Co. Stay Hot

Ilya Mikheyev is best known for his defensive play. He’s been the Blackhawks’ best defensive forward since he arrived last season. However, he’s starting to heat up offensively when the team needs it the most. After scoring two goals against the Dallas Stars on Thursday, he helped get the Blackhawks on the board on his very first shift.

He started the scoring play by beating Trevor van Riemsdyk to a puck behind the net, then used a screen by Louis Crevier to get some space above the circle. Donato found himself all alone in front of the net to redirect Mikheyev’s shot into the net for his 10th goal of the season.

Later in the period, Mikheyev set up Donato for another high-danger scoring chance by winning a board battle behind the net and getting the puck out front. Unfortunately, Donato couldn’t finish off the prime chance. Mikheyev also had a 2-on-1 chance early in the second period but was denied by Olympian Logan Thompson.

Mikheyev, Donato, and Jason Dickson’s line had the second-most 5-on-5 ice time with 13:42. They had a 51.85 Corsi for percentage (CF%) and outscored the Caps 1-0. Head coach Jeff Blashill has been wanting his team to play a simple north-south game, and this line exemplifies that.

Top Line Makes an Impact

Tyler Bertuzzi has been excellent for the Blackhawk all season long, but has done most of his best work on the road. Tonight’s was no different. He was all over the ice in the first period, getting in on the forecheck and in front of the net. He picked up yet another road power-play point by setting up Teravainen’s goal. Very few people could have gotten this pass through all those sticks and right on his teammate’s tape.

The Bertuzzi, Ryan Greene, and Andre Burakovsky line was terrific. They had a team-high 59.39 CF%, 11 shots on goal, 19 shot attempts, eight scoring chances, and four high-danger scoring chances. Half of the scoring chances were produced by Greene, who keeps finding ways to get open around the net. He’s not burying the chances now, but if he keeps creating them, he’ll start racking up the points.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• This morning, Blashill discussed how the Blackhawks have developed a new offensive identity without Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar. The last two games, especially tonight, showed what that is. They had a lot more sustained offensive shifts thanks to better zone entries. They average just over 52 shot attempts per game.  They had 55 against the Dallas Stars on Thursday and 61 tonight.

• Spencer Knight had another terrific game. He made 32 saves, including 13 in the third period, for his 12th win of the season. He was particularly great during the Capitals’ lone power play late in the third period. With the game tied 2-2, he made four challenging stops to keep the game even. Washington was credited with six scoring chances during those two minutes. Knight was especially strong with his pads, making multiple saves with his legs going to both his left and right.

• It was a rough night for Capitals forward Tom Wilson. In the first period, he took a stick from Louis Crevier in a sensitive area. As Dale Tallon once described it, the wee-knee.

• Not long after the errant stick to the bread basket, he fell victim to a reserve hit by Connor Murphy. Wilson’s right leg folded underneath him, and he needed help back to the locker room. He never returned to the game. It will be interesting to monitor his status now that he has been named to Canada’s Olympic roster. However, if the injury is severe enough to keep him out of the tournament, Sam Bennett would be the likely replacement, as they play a similar style.

• Crevier had a much better game tonight after struggling against Dallas last time out. He had two shots on goal, six shot attempts, two hits, a takeaway, and a blocked shot. He even got his number called during the shootout. He’s done well in practice, and Blashill finally gave him a chance. The big blueliner nearly scored, flipping his shot over Thompson’s glove hand but just over the crossbar.

• On Thursday, the Blackhawks had a shootout competition with a pair of Make-A-Wish kids, and both Crevier and Foligno scored their attempts. Blashill joked that he should use them in a game, and did the very first chance he got. Foligno said he was as giddy as a kid when his number was called and just went out to see what happened.

• The Blackhawks are now 15-6-3 when scoring first this season.