NEW YORK – Great goaltending: the Blackhawks are reminding themselves on an almost nightly basis that, when you have it, you really appreciate it.
Yeah, the trend continues but the Blackhawks aren’t complaining. There were other positives in the Blackhawks’ 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers. So before we pack up and head to… wait, we’re here a few more days. Never mind. Here are the Five Things to take away from this Blackhawks victory.
1. Scott Darling wins this duel. Round 1 between Darling and Antti Raanta was stellar, with Raanta taking the decision. In Round 2 on Tuesday Darling bested his former teammate, stopping 33 of 34 for the victory. Darling once again faced a good amount of quality shots, most coming in the second period – the Rangers outshot the Blackhawks 16-7 in those 20 minutes. That work, including a sprawling stop on Mats Zuccarello, gave the Blackhawks an opportunity to take the lead in the second. And they did.
2. Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook return. Seabrook played his usual minutes – nearly 24 of them – while Toews was just over 18 minutes. Coach Joel Quenneville figured Toews playing under 20 minutes was good for the captain, who was back after missing nine consecutive games. The Blackhawks will continue to monitor Toews as this road trip continues. Toews was also strong at the faceoff circle, winning eight of 13.
3. Artem Anisimov with his 13th of the season. Heading into Friday’s game against the Rangers in Chicago, Anisimov talked on how his time in New York will always mean something – “my first team in the NHL, and it’s a special moment when we play against them.” It means that much more after Tuesday, when Anisimov scored what would be his sixth game-winning goal of the season. Anisimov has been a great presence at the net for the Blackhawks, and he capitalized on that placement again on Tuesday.
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4. Trevor van Riemsdyk scores his first of the season. OK, obviously scoring goals isn’t the main focus of van Riemsdyk’s game. But Raanta was on a serious roll entering this one – he had two consecutive shutouts, including one against the Blackhawks on Friday. The Blackhawks needed someone to break through, and van Riemsdyk did. He was stumbling as he scored it – “that wasn’t too graceful, not the nicest shot, but I’ll take them any way I can get them,” he said. But out there with Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin, van Riemsdyk knew how to play. “When you’re out there with Kaner and Bread Man, you just skate around with your stick on the ice and if you’re open they’ll find you.”
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5. Jimmy Vesey is a talent. The young forward had his share of interested teams this summer – the Blackhawks were among them – and it’s easy to see why. Vesey was great on Tuesday night, throwing a whopping seven shots at Darling. No, Vesey couldn’t get one through but it wasn’t for lack of trying.