Special teams, big saves lead the Blackhawks to a well earned victory over Kings

The Chicago Blackhawks played well for three periods against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, but came away with only one point in a shootout loss. Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings, they put together another solid effort and got rewarded with two points. Special teams play and goaltending put them over the top, as they have followed their season-long five-game losing streak with five points in their last three games.

The Blackhawks got both their goals in the second period, with Connor Bedard scoring on the power play and Wyatt Kaiser scoring with 5.1 seconds left in the frame. The game-winning tally was Kaiser’s first goal in his last 49 games.

The Kings pushed in the third period and got to within a goal midway through the stanza. However, the Blackhawks didn’t cough up this lead, as they held on for the big regulation victory.

"To me, it's more than just a good start,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “We're a good team."

He’s not wrong. The Blackhawks have 30 points and are in the first Wild Card spot. The Blackhawks didn’t get 30 points last season until January 8. While it’s still early in the season, we won’t be able to say that for very much longer. The goal of playing meaningful games after the Olympic break is becoming more obtainable with each day we cross off the calendar. If you can make that happen, who knows how the season shakes out? Anything could happen.  

Sam Rinzel Doesn’t Dazzle After Benching

As I wrote about before the game, Sam Rinzel played a season-low 9:30 against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, and only had one shift in the third period. Blashill kept him in the lineup against the Kings and sang his praises after morning skate.

“He’s actually done some good stuff,” he said. “In the last game, he did a few defensive things that we want to make sure he gets corrected. Sometimes, that results in not playing. Overall, I think he’s played more good hockey than not. It’s just part of the process. When he’s at his best, he’s controlling the puck. It’s about learning how much time and space you have at this level. He’s still kind of figuring some of that out. I expect him to have a good game here tonight.”

Rinzel didn’t have a horrible game, but he wasn’t great by any stretch of the imagination either. His ice time was bumped up to 13:13, but he had no shorthanded shifts. He had the lowest Corsi for percentage (CF%) on the team at 23.53. The next lowest player was Matt Grzelcyk at 43.18%. He was on the ice for nine shots on goal against, 12 scoring chances, and four high-danger scoring chances.

I don’t think it’s time to send him down to the AHL. Sure, you could play a 12th forward and give him a night off, but it’s not like there is an impactful forward sitting out in his place. You’re better off letting Rinzel play through his struggles with seven defensemen than having Sam Lafferty or Landon Slaggert play seven minutes. When Nick Foligno returns from his injury, you can revisit playing 12 forwards.

We’re Going Streaking

The Blackhawks extended their team point streak to three games with the help of three personal streaks getting extended. Connor Bedard scored a goal for the third straight game by getting the Blackhawks on the board. Usually, it’s Bedard who sets up Tyler Bertuzzi at the front of the net, but they flipped the script on this play.

The assist extended Bertuzzi’s point streak against the Kings to five games. He also has two goals and two assists in his last three games. He has scored nine goals and 12 points during his current six-game road point streak.

Frank Nazar recorded assists on both Blackhawks goals to give him helpers in four straight games. Despite not scoring a goal for the last 15 games, he still has nine assists in that span. He’s second on the team with 15 assists and third with 20 points. He’s been creating more scoring chances of late, and it's only a matter of time before he breaks his goal drought.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• The penalty kill was the story of the night as they killed off all five penalties, including one over the final 1:26 of the game. In 7:56 of shorthanded time, they only allowed five shots on goal and one high-danger scoring chance. That is impressive, even against the 30th-ranked power play in the NHL. The Blackhawks boast the fourth-best penalty kill in the NHL at 85.3%. Having a top-five penalty kill and a top-10 power play will help cover up a lot of the 5-on-5 blemishes.

• Knight had another great night with 26 saves. While he was great in the blue paint, he had another adventurous night outside of it. The Kings nearly scored late in the second period off an ill-advised pass, but Connor Murphy was in the right place to bail out his netminder. Knight is very good at playing the puck, but not every puck that goes behind his net needs to be played.

• Just seconds after Murphy’s play, Kaiser doubled the Blackhawks' lead. This play is an example of what the Blackhawks’ fast and tenacious forecheck can create.

• Teuvo Teravainen took a puck to the face in the final minute of the game and left the ice with a bloody face. Blashill said he was in a lot of pain after the game, but should be ok. He joked that he was already angling to have the day off from practice on Friday!