Depth scoring leads the way in Blackhawks' blowout of Blues

The Chicago Blackhawks used their depth scoring to win their fourth game in a row in a 7-3 blowout of the rival St. Louis Blues. This is their second whitewash of the Blues on TNT after beating them 8-3 back in October. Getting seven goals from seven different players is quite the feat. Nick Lardis, Oliver Moore, Connor Murphy, Landon Slaggert, Jason Dickinson, Andre Burakovsy, and Louis Crevier all beat Canada’s top goalie for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

The first period did not go as planned. The Blackhawks gave up a goal just 27 seconds after the opening faceoff. They committed three penalties in the opening frame after committing three in the last three games combined. They allowed 13 shots on goal before the first intermission after giving up 15 in the entire game against the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday. Despite all that, the game was tied 1-1 after 20 minutes, and they took control in the second period to improve to 4-2-1, with Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar.

“If we can get everybody involved and everybody pulling their weight, it just makes it a little bit easier on everybody instead of always turning to the same few guys to put the puck in the net,” said Jason Dickinson.

The win jumped the Blackhawks ahead of the Blues and Nashville Predators in the Central Division standings. They are back to .500 at 18-18-7 and just three points out of a playoff spot. Nobody thought this was possible heading into the holiday break, but here we are.

No Receipts Cashed

While some of the fanbase were hoping to see some retribution for Blues captain Brayden Schenn after Connor Bedard’s injury on Dec. 12, it just wasn’t going to happen.

Blashill and Bedard have both been adamant that it was not a dirty play that led to the injury, but rather a freak accident. Schenn spoke to the media after today’s morning skate, and he understands Blackhawks fans’ frustration, but again said there was no intent to injure.

“I’m just trying to tie him up and win the faceoff to win the game,” he told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I’m not trying to hurt Connor Bedard on the last play of the game when you’re up by one goal. That wasn’t my mentality at all. It’s unfortunate that he went down and missed some time, because he’s having such a great year and is such a great player.”

In my book, beating the team Schenn captains 7-3 on national television is far better than a few punches to the face.

Oliver Moore Continues to Impress

Ever since head coach Jeff Blashill moved Moore to the middle, his play has improved. Not that he was bad playing on the wing, but he’s been far more dynamic since shifting to center.

“Oliie, without question, knows how to utilize his speed down the middle more than as a winger,” Blashill said. “He’s more natural as a center that way. It doesn't mean he can’t learn how to utilize it as a winger, but he just hits holes better as a center. I’ve liked him at center. He’s highly competitive and strong down low. He’s fast and quick enough to play against any other center.”

After the game, Blashill mentioned that he and Moore talked about him learning from mistakes, and he’s seeing the young forward’s confidence grow. He picked up both of his points on the power play, including this ridiculous pass to set up Lardis’ third goal of the season.

At 5-on-5, Moore’s line with Lardis and Teuvo Teravainen had a 53.33 Corsi for percentage (CF%) and limited the Blues to just one high-danger scoring chance. Perhaps his best play of the game came on the defensive side. Schenn had a clear path to a loose puck in the crease with an empty cage to shoot into, but Moore recovered and lifted his stick to prevent an easy goal. The TNT crew noticed his game and spoke to him after the big win.

It will be interesting to see how things shake out when both Bedard and Nazar come back. Moore and Ryan Greene have played well at center, and you still have Dickinson and Nick Foligno. Having too many effective centers is a “problem” every NHL head coach wishes they had.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• When Spencer Knight gave up a goal on the first shot of the game, it gave us all flashbacks to the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he recovered nicely and stopped 27 of the next 29 shots he faced. The Blues’ second goal came off a turnover in the defensive end, and the third was a nice play by Nathan Walker to back the puck out of midair. Knight’s best save came on this one-on-one chance by Jordan Kyrou, who was robbed on a one-timer minutes earlier.

• The Blackhawks' power play has been red-hot of late. They went 3-for-4, improving to ninth in the NHL at 23.0%. They went 1-for-18 immediately following Bedard’s injury, but have gone 7-for-14 since. On the flip side, the PK unit killed off all four penalties, including a lengthy 5-on-3 in the first period. They are currently third in the NHL at 84.4%

• It was obvious that the Blues gameplan was to pressure Artyom Levshunov early in this game. It worked early on, as they forced him to make a few turnovers and take a pair of penalties. However, the rookie defenseman recovered to have a nice game in the offensive zone. He was still active and created some chances for the Blackhawks. His early mistakes didn’t cost his team the game, and in the end, there were more positive plays than negative ones.

• Burakovsky scored his 11th career goal against the Blues moments after Tyler Bertuzzi had a goal erased by an egregious early whistle. He extended his personal point streak to four games with a goal and six points in that span.

• Beating the Blues is always fun, but lighting Jordan Binnington up for a touchdown and an extra point is even better. He now leads the NHL with seven games in which he’s allowed five or more goals. Maybe Team Canada should call Bedard to see if he wants to play goalie! As an American, I hope Binnington starts all of Canada’s Olympic games. Just keep shooting at the glove hand! After he allowed his seventh goal, Jim Montgomery wanted to pull Binnington, but backup Joel Hofer was nowhere to be found. The TNT cameras caught him peeking around the corner, giving us a new hockey meme to use for years to come!