The Chicago Blackhawks came into Tuesday night’s matchup feeling good after a great win over the New York Islanders on Sunday. Their run of games against teams in the Metropolitan Division continued with a tilt against the Washington Capitals.
The Capitals came into the night as the top team in their division and those are the types of matchups where the Hawks usually thrive. Their recipe was a bit different in this one though.
The Blackhawks were good defensively in this one. They only allowed 11 combined shots in the first two periods. The only problem was that two of those shots went in because of two bad breakdowns. Both goals were in the first period. No scoring took place in the middle frame.
Being down 2-0 at the second intermission against a first-place team didn’t feel like a mountain that the Blackhawks could overcome but they believed in themselves.
Why did they believe in themselves? They were playing well all game, and it was because of two bad breaks that led to goals against them. They knew that if they kept pushing the pace, they’d be able to have a chance at getting it tied up.
Early in the third period, Ilya Mikheyev scored to give the Hawks life. This shorthanded tally was a top-shelf goal on a beautiful play made by both Teuvo Teravainen and Mikheyev.
With the clock getting thinner, Ilya Mikheyev and Teuvo Teravainen combined for another good play as they found TJ Brodie who had a clear lane to the net. He scored his second goal of the season to get it tied.
For the second game in a row, the Hawks scored a clutch goal in the final few minutes of regulation time to avoid going to overtime. This time it was Ryan Donato who added to his team lead in goals with his 11th.
On the goal, Teravainen made it two straight matches with two points. Now, the Hawks have a lot of players feeling good about their games and a winning streak to bank on.
Speaking of playing well, Arvid Soderblom had another good game. He made 20 saves on 22 shots. There were 11 Capitals shots in the third period which, as mentioned before, matched the total of the first two periods. Soderblom did very well in this high-pressure situation and it allowed his team to come back. They may have a long-term option with him in net.
The Hawks continue to play well against top teams in the league. Chicago can add the Washington Capitals to the list of first or second-place teams that they have beaten so far this season.
Next up, the Blackhawks will look to make it three straight with a game against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night at United Center.
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