Blackhawks: Special teams helps them win in Columbus
The Chicago Blackhawks needed a win against the Columbus Blue Jackets and they did it in comeback fashion even though their chances looked bleak.
The Chicago Blackhawks needed to win against a team like the Columbus Blue Jackets. They have had luck recently against teams that are considered elite but then struggled against teams that are below the playoff line. The Jackets are one of those teams that are below the playoff line but barely. Everybody knew this would be a big win for the Blackhawks if they could somehow pull it off. They did with an overtime victory in Columbus but it didn’t come easy.
Columbus put themselves in front with a 2-0 lead after the first period. That would be it for goal scoring for a while. The Blackhawks would finally get on the board when Dylan Strome scored halfway through the third period. It was still looking bleak as they were down one late. They were given a power play in the final minutes and they scored with the man advantage. Erik Gustafsson scored a big goal with just over two minutes left in regulation.
The Hawks and Jackets would both go scoreless in the overtime period and get it to a shootout. This comes despite the Blackhawks also earning a power play in overtime. Robin Lehner is known for not being very good in the shootout so it was clear this would be an interesting one. He finally pulled through and the Blackhawks got the huge extra point in the shootout. It was a great team win that overcame a couple of tough situations.
Neither Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews had a point in the game and they still earned a win. That is nice to see sometimes. Although you want to see your best players to be the best players, it is good to have some depth step up every now and then. That happened in this game at both even strength and on the power play. Both teams carried the momentum at different points of the game and it ended up proving to be an even game. The shootout doesn’t necessarily decide who is the better team but it was good to see Chicago grab that extra standings point.
Related Story. The Blackhawks should not fire their coach. light
The Blackhawks play their last game of this amazing decade on New Year’s Eve when they visit the Calgary Flames. The Flames are one of those teams that got off to a rough start but have rallied to get back to their position of a Western Conference power. It is another tough challenge for the Hawks and will be interesting to see if they can end the decade in a similar way to how they started it.