8 Thoughts From Blackhawks 2-1 OT Win Over Predators
Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat connected in overtime to lead the Blackhawks to victory in Derek King's debut.
The Chicago Blackhawks bested the Nashville Predators 2-1 in overtime on Sunday night, moving interim coach Derek King’s NHL head-coaching record to 1-0-0. All hail the King.
Here are 8 thoughts on the Blackhawks 2-1 win:
1. Defense Shuts The Door
Despite rolling with essentially the same system that now-former head coach Jeremy Colliton utilized, the Blackhawks put together their best defensive performance of the season vs. Nashville with King debuting behind the bench. Prior to Sunday’s game, King did not make any structural changes but told the Hawks’ players to play “free and on instinct”. Whether or not that specific message made the difference is unknown, but the Blackhawks went on to hold the Predators to just 21 shots on goal. The lowest amount they have allowed since Feb. 12, 2020, against the Vancouver Canucks.
2. DeBrincat Comes Up Clutch
Just 37 seconds into overtime, Kane found DeBrincat on a 2-on-1 to boost the Blackhawks record to 2-9-2 on the year. DeBrincat now has seven goals on the season and five in the last seven games.
DeBrincat retrieved the puck out of Nashville’s net to give to King following his first NHL victory as a head coach.
3. Kane Hits ANOTHER Milestone
With the primary assist on DeBrincat’s game-winning goal, Kane tallied career point No. 1,100 on his historic career. Kane became just the third player to record 1,100 career regular-season points in Blackhawks history, joining Hall-of-Famers Stan Mikita (1,467) and Bobby Hull (1,153) in the process.
Kane recently passed Steve Larmer for third all-time in goals (409), Bobby Hull for fourth all-time in games played (1038), AND Denis Savard for third all-time in points (1,100). Not a bad last couple of weeks for Kaner.
4. Brandon Hagel Stays Hot…But Suffers Injury
After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, Hagel put the Blackhawks ahead 1-0 at 7:15 of the second period by corralling a shot off the boards and beating Predators’ goaltender Juuse Saros.
Hagel went without a goal in the Blackhawks’ first seven games of the season, but the former sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Sabres now has four in the last six contests.
However, Hagel was forced to exit Sunday’s game early after falling awkwardly on his shoulder in the third period. King did not provide an update on Hagel during his post-game interview.
5. Seth Jones Keeps Dishin’
Jones recorded the primary assist on Hagel’s goal, giving him now 11 on the year and extending his point streak to four games. Jones now leads all NHL defensemen in assists by jumping 2021 Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox on Sunday.
Jones also led the Blackhawks with 27:03 time on ice against Nashville and currently sits seventh in the NHL with 25:48 time on ice per game.
6. Kevin Lankinen Stands Tall
In his first start in nine days, Lankinen stopped 20 of 21 shots faced to earn his first win of the season. The 26-year-old Finnish netminder wasn’t challenged often on Sunday but came up with all the necessary stops in crunch time.
Lankinen now sits at 1-2-2 with a 3.11 goals-against average and .891 save percentage through six appearances.
7. Dominik Kubalik Gets Going
Kubalik opened up the year with three goals in the first six games but has not been able to muster up much in the last few weeks. With Colliton as head coach, Kubalik frequently skated on a line with Kane and Kirby Dach, which didn’t lead to any success or consistent offense from the trio.
Although, as many Blackhawks’ fans have been suggesting for quite a while, King FINALLY reunited Kubalik with captain Jonathan Toews on Sunday, leading to a dominant performance from the top line. Kubalik finished with a team-high six shots on goal and had several quality scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, he just wasn’t able to solve Saros.
According to Sportlogiq, the line of Hagel, Toews, and Kubalik also led in shot attempts (15-5), shots on goal (8-3), scoring chances (11-2), and high-danger chances (4-2) when on the ice together at even strength.
VERDICT: Keep Kubalik with Toews.
8. Erik Gustafsson Has Got To Go
With Isaak Phillips (COVID-19 Protocol), Caleb Jones (wrist), and Wyatt Kalynuk (ankle) all still unavailable, the Blackhawks have been forced to keep giving Gustafsson opportunities in the lineup.
But in Sunday’s game vs. Nashville, Gustafsson logged a season-low 6:21 time on ice and received just 12 shifts. While the Hawks coaching staff has not been left with many options, it seems pointless for ‘Gus’ to be playing over prospects like Nicolas Beaudin, Ian Mitchell, or Jakub Galvas at this point. With King now calling the shots, plus, Kalynuk expected to return soon, Gustafsson could be on his way to Rockford any day now.
Through 12 games this season, Gustafsson has recorded four assists and 11 shots on goal while averaging 14:40 time on ice per game.