The Blackhawks knocked off the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime at the United Center on Sunday.
Here are 10 observations from the win:
1. Patrick Kane did not play for the second straight game because of a lower-body injury. The Blackhawks don't play again until Thursday, so they wanted to give him a few extra days of proper rest and treatment before returning.
2. The Blackhawks scored the first goal for the fifth straight game after doing so only five times in their first 34 games. They also held a 3-1 lead in the second period. Things were looking good. The momentum quickly turned after Jacob Markstrom was pulled for Dan Vladar, who stopped the only three shots he faced in the period. The Flames struck within 27 seconds of Chicago making it 3-1 and they later tied it with their second power-play goal of the game.
3. Lukas Reichel had his best NHL showing on Friday against Arizona. He followed that up with an even stronger game against a better opponent. He scored his first career NHL goal on just his second shift with a between-the-legs shot, added a beautiful assist for his first career multi-point game and then another on Max Domi's overtime winner. He could've had at least one or two more points as well. He created again all night. A massive boost to his confidence.
4. I think Reichel deserves to stay with the Blackhawks for the time being, and it sounds like that's what they're going to do even when Kane returns. He's earned an extended look. I asked Reichel after the game if he thinks he's made it difficult for the management group to send him back to Rockford. He laughed, then replied: "I don't want to get in trouble, but yeah, I felt good and I'm always happy to play here and I hope I stay here."
5. Alex Stalock made his third consecutive start between the pipes. He went into the game with the sixth-best save percentage among qualified goaltenders at .921. He was sharp again in this one, facing 47 shots and stopping 44 of them for a save percentage of .936. I imagine he's going to draw trade interest if he keeps playing like this.
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6. Chicago's second line of Tyler Johnson, Taylor Raddysh and Jonathan Toews had a rough game. When the three of them were on the ice together at even strength, the Blackhawks were outshot 8-2.
7. Colin Blackwell scored his first goal of the season to make it 2-1 in the first period, but it was a great play all around. The stretch pass by Jack Johnson, the zone entry by Reese Johnson, the shot-pass by Sam Lafferty and the tap-in by Blackwell. The Blackhawks have desperately needed secondary scoring this season, and the fourth line delivered in this one.
8. The Flames had a wildly inconsistent start to the season after going 13-12-6 in their first 31 games. Since then, they're 6-2-2 and have been a significantly better 5-on-5 team. They're finding their game, but goaltending still feels like the biggest question mark. Markstrom just hasn't been great.
9. Isaak Phillips was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. I asked head coach Luke Richardson before the game what Phillips could learn from watching games up top: "Combined with how he’s played on the ice, which is pretty good, just watching the game situations and still showing him some clips every day, even if he’s not playing, on situational plays on how he would handle. He’s an eager kid and he wants to learn. The time he’s had on the ice and now the time spent with us still in practice, but also watching the game from above, it’s always a big learning curve for a young defenseman and it’s always helpful."
10. Jarred Tinordi was on the ice with the Blackhawks at morning skate. He's been out since Dec. 18 because of a facial fracture after taking a puck from a slap shot square in the mouth. He's still a few weeks away from returning (he was originally put on a 4-6-week timetable, so he's on track).
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