Veterans overshadow marquee matchup as Blackhawks roll past Sharks

The Chicago Blackhawks used a four-goal explosion in the second period to beat the San Jose Sharks 6-3 and snap their five-game losing streak. It wasn’t the prettiest hockey game ever played, but the Blackhawks took advantage of the Sharks' defensive inefficiencies and lack of structure to find the back of the net six times. This was the fourth time the Blackhawks have scored at least six goals in a game, and the first time since Jan. 7 against the St. Louis Blues.

While all the pregame attention was on the head-to-head match-up between Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini. While those two young stars showed why they are special, it was the Blackhawks veterans who did the heavy lifting.

If tonight proved anything, it's that we can pump the brakes on the narrative that the Sharks’ rebuild is so much further along than the Blackhawks’ is. For all the fun and excitement the Sharks have generated, they are still a flawed team, still learning how to win in the NHL, much like the Blackhawks.

“It’s nice to be able to score,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. "When guys score, they feel better about themselves. It gives guys confidence, and confidence matters a ton in this league. Hopefully, we can carry that forward.”

Bedard vs Celebrini Delivers

Tonight marked the second time that Bedard and Celebrini went head-to-head in the NHL. Celebrini had an assist in the previous meeting in San Jose last March. While the media and fans get excited for a matchup like this, the two young stars downplayed it.

“It’s Blackhawks versus Sharks,” Bedard said. “I don’t think either of us looks at that, if you ask him the same thing. Obviously, I’m looking forward to seeing him off the ice and saying hi, but it’s just another game. We’re both our own players. I work on my game and try not to compare myself to other guys. I’m rooting for him to be great, and I’m trying to be the best version of myself.”

What makes this rivalry even more intriguing is the fact that these guys are good friends. They grew up together playing together, and spent all summer working out with each other.

“He’s a good friend,” Celebrini said. “We grew up in the same area and played on the same team for years. It’s for the league and for you guys (the media) to debate and have conversations, but we like competing against each other. That’s all it is. We like battling.”

That’s the thing. There is no way either of these guys wants to lose to his buddy. They can downplay it and try to take the spotlight off themselves all they want, but they want to beat each other. You never want to lose at anything to your good friend because you’ll never hear the end of it.

Bedard started the night off by scoring the Blackhawks’ first power-play goal since Jan. 10 against the Nashville Predators. He went right back to the spot of the net he missed against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday for his 23rd goal of the season.  

Celebrini evened things up on the scoresheet with his own goal late in the second period. The Sharks' young star won the head-to-head battle with two points, but Bedard got the last laugh with his team earning two points in the standings.

This was the first time I got to see Celebrini in person, and he’s as good as advertised. He is such a smooth skater and has the uncanny ability to get lost on the ice and find open space while everyone is focused on slowing him down. He and Bedard will have a lot more head-to-head battles, with some of them being in big-time postseason games. The NHL is in good hands with these two leading the next generation of superstars.

Depth Scoring Drives the Scoring

Any night you can get four points for Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev, and a goal and an assist from Connor Murphy, you'd better win. The Blackhawks' third line and veteran defenseman showed that the gray beards still have something to add to this budding rivalry with the Sharks.

Murphy scored his fourth goal of the season early in the second period. This was at least the third shot from the point that goaltender Yaroslav Askarov never saw and the first that got by him. In all likelihood, this was the final game Murphy played with the Blackhawks at the United Center, since their next home game is after the trade deadline passes. That only made this goal even sweeter.

Donato has drawn the ire of Blackhawks fans at times, as his offensive numbers have taken a big dip from the career numbers he put up last season. His four-point effort should quiet that chatter for a while. His first of two goals was a thing of beauty.

Donato’s second goal gave the Blackhawks a 6-3 lead late. The Sharks were pushing hard for much of the third period and hit the post a couple of times. It felt like they had pulled to within a goal; they would have completed the comeback. Instead, Donato put the game out of reach, thanks to Mikheyev’s third assist on the night. That play was started by Murphy intercepting a Celebrini pass and getting the puck up the ice.

“It’s about getting those bounces every now and then,” Donato said. "You get plenty of chances that should go in and don’t, and sometimes they don’t deserve to go in, and they go in. Hopefully that’s a good sign for the future.’’

Donato now has a six-game point streak against the Sharks with five goals and 11 points. He can’t to see them again twice in April.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• In addition to Murphy, there were a handful of other guys who may have played their last game at the United Center. Jason Dickinson, Mikheyev, and even Nick Foligno, who is out with an injury, have all been mentioned in trade rumors. We will see how it all shakes out after the Olympic break.

• Blashill made some changes to the blueline during the third period. He put Murphy on the top pairing with Alex Vlasic and moved Louis Crevier down to the third pairing. He said he made the move because he didn't like how some of the pairings were performing and wanted to reward Murphy for playing so well. This is the first time Crevier has been taken off the top pairing for quite some time.

• The Blackhawks' penalty kill went a perfect 3-for-3. Since Jan. 1, they have allowed only three goals on 41 opportunities for a league-leading 92.7% success rate.

"Our pressure has been good lately. We’ve been able to anticipate and jump to keep them from getting sustained zone time. I think that’s big. I’ve said before, just having confidence in partners and pairs, to build some camaraderie and consistency with how we go out there and defend. "

Murphy on PK success

• Sam Rinzel had another decent outing, including his career NHL goal. He finished with three shots on goal, six shot attempts, and two takeaways in 20:03 of ice time. The Blackhawks had a 56.25 Corsi for percentage (CF%) when he was on the ice.

• Rinzel’s goal chased Askarov from the game, marking the fifth time this season he didn’t finish a game he started. That’s not great.

• With the secondary assist on Bedard’s goal, Tyler Bertuzzi has six goals and 15 points in his last 14 games against the Sharks.