Soderblom, special teams lead the Blackhawks over Red Wings

Let’s face it: the Chicago Blackhawks had no business winning today. They were dominated at 5-on-5 in all three periods, but rode their special teams and goaltender to a 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. They looked tired at times, which is understandable, considering this was their last game of their six-game road trip. Once again, this team found a way to win, the opposite of what we’ve been used to seeing. They return home on a three-game winning streak, bringing back seven points for a road trip that started with three straight losses.

There has been considerable discussion over the past few days about the Blackhawks’ lack of production on the power play. They got a power-play goal in each period from Connor Bedard, Teuvo Teravainen, and Tyler Bertuzzi. Andre Burakovsky added a late empty-net goal to seal the victory. Oliver Moore scored his first NHL goal in the final minute of the game for the Blackhawks’ only 5-on-5 goal of the day.

"We make mistakes a lot of times,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “We make up for it with work ethic. And when we don't, we've gotten really good goaltending."

That was the case today, as the Blackhawks played one of their worst defensive games of the season and won by four goals. This group has a belief that they are going to win every time they take the ice. Do they have what it takes to make the postseason? Only time will tell, but they are going to make things difficult for the entire National Hockey League all season. They are not the free two points they have been for the last few seasons.

Soderblom vs Soderblom, No Contest

A lot of attention was given to the Soderblom brothers on the broadcast today. This was the first time the two brothers, Arvid and Elmer, played against each other in a regular-season NHL game. Late in the first period, Arvid got the best of his younger brother, who made a nice move to get a scoring chance but was denied by the pad. This was Elmer’s only shot on goal in his 11:24 of ice time.

Spencer Knight has garnered much of the spotlight this season, and rightfully so. But, Soderblom has played well in his limited action and today was one of the best performances of his career. He made a career-high 45 saves, but none was bigger than this one on Dylan Larkin, robbing him of his second goal of the game.

If Soderblom doesn’t make that stop, the game is tied at 2-2, and who knows how it turns out. It’s not just about making big saves, but it’s also about when you make them. His goals-against average dropped to 2.63, and his save percentage rose to .913 after today’s performance.

Bert Alert

Bertuzzi may not want to come home with the way he’s played on this six-game road trip. He had another effective game where he was one of the best players on the ice. He had another goal to bring his total up to six in the last three games. He added an assist and did a ton of little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet, but the Blackhawks don’t win without them.

Bertuzzi picked up his assist on Teravainen’s power-play goal. The play never happens without him winning a board battle to keep the puck in the zone. Moments later, he dug the puck out from behind the net, surrounded by red sweaters, and it quickly ended up in the back of the net for the eventual game-winning goal.

The entire game was affected by Bertuzzi’s play. He added his team-high fifth power-play goal of the season to give the Blackhawks a two-goal lead in the third period. His goal sucked all the air out of Little Caesars Arena.

Bertuzzi did so many things to influence the game. We highlighted his work along the boards. He also drew two of the three penalties that led to power-play goals.

Oliver Moore Steps Up

Frank Nazar took pregame warmups but was ultimately held out of the lineup. This early in the season, that was the right call. No reason to risk further injury in early November, especially with two days off before the next game. He was in the middle of every scrum, sticking up for his teammates. And those teammates returned the favor when he was called for a soft double-minor at the end of the second period by killing off the four-minute power play.

With Frank Nazar out, someone needed to step up. That someone was Oliver Moore. He was noticeable from his first shift until the final horn. He had two prime chances to score his first NHL goal with a breakaway early in the opening frame, but John Gibson denied him with two excellent saves.

Moore played 4:31 in the first period and produced four shots on goal and three individual scoring chances. He wasn’t as noticeable over the remaining 40 minutes, only producing one more shot on goal. But it was one heck of a shot as it netted him his first NHL goal. He did a great job of finding the soft spot in the defense and didn’t miss when Ryan Donato got him the puck. Here’s to many more!

Nuggets & Tidbits

• While we spent a lot of time giving the power play its due, we also have to give some credit to the penalty kill. They killed off all 10 minutes of penalty time on the afternoon, with the biggest kill coming on that Bertuzzi double minor that carried into the third period. Soderblom was the best penalty killer, with 11 of his 45 saves coming shorthanded. The Blackhawks have now killed off 15 straight penalties.

• What can be said of Bedard’s eight-game point streak at this point? He had a goal and two more assists today to sit all alone at the top of the NHL with 25 points. He has seven goals and 15 points during this run. The most impressive statistic is that his last 12 assists have all been primary assists. It’s been a rough start to the year for the Bedard haters out there.

Congratulations to Burakovsky, who picked up his 400th career point with his assist on Teravainen’s goal. He had another effective game, making numerous big back checks to prevent scoring chances. He also came to the defense of Bedard when Moritz Seider bumped him after the whistle. This team will not let you get away with anything. You love to see it.

• Artyom Levshunov had two more assists on the power play today. He’s got four helpers since being put up on the top unit. His nine assists have him tied with Ivan Demidov for the most by a rookie in the NHL. Boy, is that something! He’s earning the trust of Blashill, as he even got some time on the penalty kill in the third period while Louis Crevier was in the box.