NHL 20 sim: Blackhawks fall in Game 6 as Jordan Binnington dominates

Share

Game 6: Blues at Blackhawks (April 19th)

Result: Blues win 3-2 (F/OT) (series tied 3-3)

Three Stars:

1st Star: Jordan Binnington (38 Saves)

2nd Star: Jaden Schwartz (1 G, 1 A, 4 SOG, +1)

3rd Star: Brandon Saad (2 A, 6 SOG, +1)

Brandon Saad was all over the ice for the Hawks after a couple of down-games. He looked much like the power forward that got the Hawks to the playoffs with a pair of helpers and six shots on goal. But Jordan Binnington put in his best effort of the series by far and was the best player on the ice. Binnington’s hot streak could end up being the final nail in the Hawks’ coffin.

Scoring Summary:

First Period

-          No Scoring

 Second Period

-           1:51 PP Jaden Schwartz (A. Pietrangelo, R. O’Reilly) 1-0

-           7:56 Dylan Strome (D. Keith, B. Saad) 1-1

Third Period 

            -           10:30 MacKenzie MacEachern (I. Barbashev, S. Blais) 2-1

            -           19:47 Jonathan Toews (B. Saad, A. DeBrincat) 2-2

Overtime

            -           1:04 Brayden Schenn (J. Schwartz, R. O’Reilly) 3-2

Box Score:

Shots on Goal:

-          St. Louis: 25

-          Chicago: 40

Just a gut-punch of a loss for Chicago. In front of the fans at the Madhouse, the Hawks dominated play. They carried the play for all 60+ minutes and outshot their rivals by 15, but in the end, just couldn’t finish when they needed to. While he didn’t register a goal, Ryan O’Reilly again was a thorn in Chicago’s side, assisting on the opening goal and the overtime winner. For the second time at home this series, the Hawks found a late equalizer to force overtime, but this time St. Louis was able to weather the storm and find the eventual winner.

Goalies:

-          Jordan Binnington 38/40 (.950)

-          Corey Crawford 22/25 (.880)

If the Blues go on to complete the comeback and take Game 7 at home, look no further than Jordan Binnington’s Game 6 effort as the X-factor. Since his brutal .750 SV% effort in Game 2, Binnington has steadily gotten better every game and, along with O’Reilly, been a vital part in the Blues comeback.

Power Play:

-          Chicago: 0-1

-          St. Louis: 1-2

The Blackhawks continued to struggle on the power play, failing to convert on their only chance while St. Louis cashed in on one of their two. We said earlier in the series, for the Hawks to pull off the upset, special teams had to be clicking. They have gotten themselves to Game 7 against the West’s best with a meager penalty kill and an 0-for-8 power play. It’s reasonable to ask whether the Hawks would have already advanced past St. Louis had they had even just minimal success with a man-advantage. 

Notable performances:

-          Dylan Strome (Goal)

-          Jonathan Toews (Goal)

-           Ryan O’Reilly (2 Assists)

-           Brayden Schenn (OT GWG) 

Reminiscent of Chicago’s Game 7 loss vs Vancouver in 2011, Toews tied things up on a scramble in front of the net with just seconds to play, only this time the Hawks had the home crowd behind them and going wild. Unfortunately, much like the heartbreaking loss in 2011, the Hawks were unable to build on to their momentum. The Captain is pacing the Hawks with four goals in the series, but needs Patrick Kane to show up in Game 7 and finally get on the board if the Hawks want to prevent the Blues comeback. Look for Jeremy Colliton to shake up the lines to try and reignite Kane and the scoring.

Attention Dish and Sling customers! You have lost your Blackhawks games on NBC Sports Chicago. To switch providers, visit mysportschicago.com.

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Blackhawks easily on your device.

Contact Us