Connor Bedard brings "A" game in Blackhawks' win over Flames

The Chicago Blackhawks extended their point streak to six games by beating the Calgary Flames 5-2. It was far from the prettiest game of the season, but they used another big third period to pull away. Connor Bedard scored his second hat trick of the season, with Ryan Donato and Oliver Moore also finding the back of the net.

This team keeps finding ways to win, even on nights when they aren’t playing at their highest level. They have points in 13 of their 16 games and continue to keep pace with the top teams in the Western Conference.

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Sam Rinzel Back After Reset

Head coach Jeff Blashill sat Sam Rinzel for Saturday’s win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, calling the move a “reset.” He cited that Rinzel had been giving up too many chances against and needed to get back to playing the way he was at the beginning of the season.

“Just getting back to playing the way that he’s fully capable of, and I know he can be because he’s done it this year,” he said. “This year, he’s been an elite player at times, and I can think of games when I walked away thinking he was the best player on the ice. 

“Sam’s a really good player. Sam’s going to be a really good player in this league. It’s a really hard ask for all of our guys to be as young as they are on the back end and play as many minutes as they have, but it’s something that I think can accelerate their growth if they handle it right.”

With Foligno, Jason Dickinson, and Tyler Betruzzi all out of tonight’s game, Blashill went back to using seven defensemen and 11 forwards, so Rinzel was back in the lineup. He likely would have returned without the trio of injuries, but they just made the decision even easier as the Blackhawks have only 11 healthy forwards right now.

Rinzel had a nice bounce-back game, picking up the primary assist on Bedard’s first goal. He had a shot on goal, three shot attempts, and picked up a 10-minute misconduct during the scrum at the end of the game. In 11:39 of 5-on-5 ice time, the Blackhawks had a 58.33 Corsi for percentage, outshot the Flames 8-3, outchanced them 9-3, and outscored them 2-0.

Connor Bedard Has an “A” Night

With Nick Foligno out, Bedard was made an assistant captain, and with the way he played, that letter will stay on his jersey for some time. The Blackhawks’ young superstar responded to having his nine-game point streak snapped on Saturday by netting his second hat trick in 10 games.  

“What I like the most about it is the consistency in his approach,” Blashill said about Bedard. “Points do come and go. Now, for a guy like him, they come more than they go. He’s competed and stopped on pucks and played pretty good defensively. He really tries to do the right things on a consistent basis, and then he gets rewarded for that with offense.”

Bedard’s hat trick was achieved with three different types of goals. The first was a product of his speed, as he beat Yan Kuznetsov to the puck. Dustin Wolf faltered under the pressure and miss the puck, allowing Bedard to tap it past him.

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Bedard’s second goal was just nasty, as he showed off that deadly release that made him the number one overall pick in the first place.

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Even his empty net goal was impressive, as he quickly turned around and put the puck right in the middle of the net from the opposite faceoff circles.

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Bedard finished with six shots on goal, eight shot attempts, four scoring chances, and won nine of his 12 faceoffs. He has now won 48.3% of his faceoffs, which is an enormous improvement.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• It was good to see Donato have a nice rebound game. His outing against Toronto was one of his worst games in a Blackhawks uniform, but he recovered nicely tonight.

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• Louis Crevier picked up his fourth assist in the last three games. He also blasted one of the hardest slap shots in the NHL this season. He’s becoming quite the solid defenseman, playing consistent hockey every night.

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• The Blackhawks had 50 shot attempts, but only 23 shots on goal. Missing the net was a big problem tonight, as was a lack of aggressiveness with the puck. Too many players were passing up shots to make an extra pass. There wasn’t much of a sense of urgency through the first two periods. Blashill should start fining guys who enter the offensive zone with speed only to stop on the perimeter. Go to the net. Be aggressive. When you have the speed the Blackhawks have, don’t neutralize it by stopping. Stay on the attack.

• The Blackhawks entered tonight with six goals in their last 12 power-play opportunities. They went 0-for-4 against the Flames. Part of the lack of success was going 2-for-7 on faceoffs. Another significant factor was the absence of Bertuzzi and Foligno, the net-front guys for each unit. They do a seemingly simple job, but they are very effective at it.

• I’ve really enjoyed watching Frank Nazar and Moore play on the same line. Their speed is a weapon, and once they learn to harness it fully, they will be extremely dangerous. At 5-on-5, their line with Teuvo Teravainen led the team with a 64.71 CF%, seven shots on goal, and five scoring chances.