Remember when the Blackhawks played the Blues outdoors almost six weeks ago and it didn’t go very well. That game has been sitting in the minds of the guys who played in it since then. Frank Nazar mentioned payback after the game on Friday night in Chicago. And the opening 20 minutes looked like the Blackhawks had something in store for the Blues. Two goals 38 seconds apart staked the Hawks to a two-goal lead that they carried to the room.
The Blackhawks then proceeded to give up two goals ten second apart inside the first two minutes of the second period and all of the good vibes were gone. St. Louis scored a third even strength goal inside the final three minutes of a disaster of a period that saw the Hawks play as poorly as they have since the game in Florida. A complete wreck of a 20 minute effort.
The third period did not start very well for the Blackhawks and the coaches threw the lines in a heavy blender early, but an Alec Martinez shot got thru to tie the game. The score stayed even for a whole… 42 seconds before Cam Fowler gave the Blues their lead back. Because of course.
Chicago scored the next goal less than two minutes later to tie the game again… and then started to shift the ice a little bit at a time. The Blackhawks were able to take a 5-4 lead in the middle of the period. But the Blues found a loose puck and tied the game again. And, of course, this one required overtime.
Overtime was sloppy as hell and Seth Jones was particularly bad. He had a few turnovers and moved away from where passes were going a couple times as well… and then received a great pass from Nazar in the closing seconds and could have ended it but didn’t. And we got a shootout.
Star 1: Ilya Mikheyev
Mikheyev had two points in his previous 12 games coming into tonight. He was minus-two entering the third period. Then he had two assists on game-tying goals and the go-ahead goal after getting shot out of a cannon for a three-point period!
#Blackhawks lead 5-4!!
🚨 Ilya Mikheyev
🍎 Nick Foligno, Alex Vlasic3-point period for Mikheyev
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 9, 2025
Star 2: Ryan Donato
The Blackhawks were credited with eight shots on net in the first period. The only skater with more than one: Donato, who had three. He also scored his 19th goal of the season off a pretty pass from 98 to double the Hawks’ lead.
#Blackhawks double their lead 38 seconds later!
🚨 Ryan Donato 🔥
🍎 Connor Bedard— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 9, 2025
Star 3: Craig Smith
Smith opened the scoring with his seventh of the season (in his 33rd game). At the end of two periods, he was one of two Blackhawks with more than one shot on net; he had two in 7:51 on ice (and Donato had four). Smith also had a team-high two takeaways thru two periods.
#Blackhawks lead 1-0
🚨 Craig Smith
🍎 Pat Maroon, Alec Martinez— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 9, 2025
Key Takeaways
- Arvid Söderblom had never stopped a shootout attempt in his NHL career before tonight. He stopped 8 of 10 tonight.
- Teuvo Teräväinen was on the ice for all three Blues’ goals in the second. Obviously not good. But he’s been a big guy to help swing the momentum at times this season and he did that in the third. He had the primary assist on Martinez’s tying goal and then scored the next tying goal for two points in just 2:18 early in the third period.
#Blackhawks tie the game… again!
🚨 Teuvo Teravainen
🍎 Nick Foligno, Ilya MikheyevTwo helpers for Mikheyev in the period
Two points for Teuvo in the period— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 9, 2025
- Martinez had an assist on the first goal of the night in addition to his goal in the third period. Here’s his goal:
#Blackhawks third goal of the evening
🚨 Alec Martinez
🍎 Teuvo Teravainen— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 9, 2025
- The Blackhawks won 8 of 16 faceoffs in the first period, led by 3 of 4 from Nazar.
- Ethan Del Mastro skated 7:17 in the first period, just four seconds off the team-high. He had one hit and one blocked shot in the opening frame and looked very good with the physical play after the Blackhawks took their two-goal lead. Despite that first period, he finished the night skating only 13:05.
- The Blackhawks were out-shot 17-3 in the second period. High danger chances were 8-0 in favor of the Blues. Scoring chances were 13-3 in favor of the home team. Just an absolutely brutal period.
- When the lines went in the blender in the third period, it appeared Nazar was a guy who was losing ice time. Nick Foligno slotted between Mikheyev and Teräväinen.
- Foligno had two assists in the third period. He also won 12 of 23 faceoffs as the Blackhawks continue figuring out who’s going to handle the draws without Jason Dickinson.
