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Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
3 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks' 5-3 loss, including Alex Ovechkin's ‘unbelievable accomplishment'
Sometimes you just have to give it up to greatness. Even the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, stood in salute to 'Great 8,' Alex Ovechkin, after the Washington Capitals star scored two goals to tie Gretzky's NHL record 894 career goals Friday night at Capital One Arena. Advertisement The Chicago Blackhawks could do no less, standing in line after a 5-3 loss as each congratulated Ovechkin on a historic milestone. During a postgame rinkside interview, Ovechkin thanked family, fans, teammates and, of course, Gretzky. 'It's a huge honor,' Ovechkin said. 'It's a historical moment. … It means a lot, to be honest with you, I don't know what to say, but I got so emotional.' Going into the game, it felt like the Hawks – the league's second-worst team facing the league's second-best — would be mere supporting cast members in The Ovechkin Show. OK, more like extras. Advertisement But the Hawks fought tooth and nail against Ovechkin's bid to make history, particularly goalie Spencer Knight, who refused to yield a record-breaking goal (and hat trick) to Ovechkin despite some nail-biting chances late in the third period. And for the most part, a young defense wasn't overwhelmed by the moment. With one exception — 32-year-old Connor Murphy — Hawks defensemen ranged in age from 19 to 23. Still, the 39-year-old Ovechkin, his beard turned salt and pepper, showed his wily ways. Alex Ovechkin ties Wayne Gretzky's NHL record with his 894th goal: 'It's history. It's great for the game.' Advertisement When Hawks defenseman Alex Vlasic drifted below the goal line to challenge ex-Hawk Dylan Strome, Ovechkin shifted back deeper into the right circle to give himself plenty of space for a one-timer off Strome's low-to-high pass. Knight couldn't do much to stop Ovechkin's banger off the far post and Knight's back for the game's opening goal 3 minutes, 52 seconds into the first period. Ovechkin notched the record-tying goal on a third-period power play after Connor Bedard was called for holding Ryan Leonard. John Carlson took a centering pass from Andrew Mangiapane, but there was no way Carlson was taking that shot. Somehow, the Hawks had let Ovechkin leak out behind Frank Nazar to the left circle, where he's done so much damage over the past two decades. Advertisement One-timer. Off the dot. Classic Ovechkin. 'It happened fast,' Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen said. 'Carlson made a heck of a play. He was coming down the pipe and elected to pass. Pretty good guy to pass to.' It wasn't just Ovechkin who spoiled any hopes of an upset — the Hawks did just enough damage to themselves. During a third-period penalty kill, Murphy swept a goal into his net while trying to locate Strome's shot after it bounced off his skate. (If there's a silver lining, Murphy at least robbed Ovechkin's waiting stick.) The Hawks ruined an empty-net opportunity, winning the offensive-zone faceoff but lacking urgency to grab the puck. Advertisement Nazar backed off of it, and Artyom Levshunov failed to get to it before Leonard seized and took off for an empty-net goal, his first in the NHL (he received a handshake and congratulations from Gretzky later in the locker room). 'We pull the goalie, we win the faceoff and they got right by us,' Sorensen said. Ovechkin stayed off the ice during the empty net because he didn't want a cheap record-breaker. 'Congrats to Ovi, it was an unbelievable accomplishment,' Sorensen said. 'But we were here to win the game, and we didn't do that.' Here are three takeaways from the Hawks' fifth straight loss and 12th in 13 games. 1. Ovechkin's hunt, billed as 'The Gr8 Chase,' moves to New York. His next chance to score No. 895 and take over as history's top goal scorer will come on the road Sunday against the New York Islanders. Advertisement At least the Hawks can say it didn't happen on their watch, but not for a lack of trying. Ovechkin was credited with just three shots on goal, but he had six others that missed wide. And that's not to mention the other times his teammates went looking for him but couldn't connect. On one of those chances, credit Kevin Korchinski, who rode Ovechkin's hip on what looked like a surefire backdoor opportunity for the record-breaker. 2. It was Oliver Moore's turn to shine. Sam Rinzel hogged the spotlight when he and Moore made their NHL debuts together Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club (remember the spin move he put on Kevin Stenlund?). Advertisement Meanwhile, Moore had a more subdued game against Utah and didn't have a single shot attempt against the Colorado Avalanche. But on Friday night, Moore earned his first two NHL points. Related Articles He assisted on Nazar's goal — working a give-and-go with him in the second period — as well as Philipp Kurashev's goal later in the period. Moore also looked like the Hawks' best forechecker in the second. 3. Kurashev is up while Lukas Reichel is down — again. The two have had their days on the coaching staff's bad side this season, but Kurashev had a shining moment in the second period. Shortly before his goal, he stripped Mangiapane in the neutral zone and slid baseball-style in front of ex-Hawk Taylor Raddysh to score off Landon Slaggert's rebound (one of his two assists) to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead. Advertisement Meanwhile, Reichel had played 16 straight games but found himself scratched for the first time since Feb. 27. 'It was disciplinary,' Sorensen said. 'Missed a meeting this morning. … Learning lesson. Got to be a pro.'
Chicago Tribune
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
3 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks' 5-3 loss, including Alex Ovechkin's ‘unbelievable accomplishment'
Sometimes you just have to give it up to greatness. Even the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, stood in salute to 'Great 8,' Alex Ovechkin, after the Washington Capitals star scored two goals to tie Gretzky's NHL record 894 career goals Friday night at Capital One Arena. The Chicago Blackhawks could do no less, standing in line after a 5-3 loss as each congratulated Ovechkin on a historic milestone. During a postgame rinkside interview, Ovechkin thanked family, fans, teammates and, of course, Gretzky. 'It's a huge honor,' Ovechkin said. 'It's a historical moment. … It means a lot, to be honest with you, I don't know what to say, but I got so emotional.' Going into the game, it felt like the Hawks – the league's second-worst team facing the league's second-best — would be mere supporting cast members in The Ovechkin Show. OK, more like extras. But the Hawks fought tooth and nail against Ovechkin's bid to make history, particularly goalie Spencer Knight, who refused to yield a record-breaking goal (and hat trick) to Ovechkin despite some nail-biting chances late in the third period. And for the most part, a young defense wasn't overwhelmed by the moment. With one exception — 32-year-old Connor Murphy — Hawks defensemen ranged in age from 19 to 23. Still, the 39-year-old Ovechkin, his beard turned salt and pepper, showed his wily ways. Alex Ovechkin ties Wayne Gretzky's NHL record with his 894th goal: 'It's history. It's great for the game.' When Hawks defenseman Alex Vlasic drifted below the goal line to challenge ex-Hawk Dylan Strome, Ovechkin shifted back deeper into the right circle to give himself plenty of space for a one-timer off Strome's low-to-high pass. Knight couldn't do much to stop Ovechkin's banger off the far post and Knight's back for the game's opening goal 3 minutes, 52 seconds into the first period. Ovechkin notched the record-tying goal on a third-period power play after Connor Bedard was called for holding Ryan Leonard. John Carlson took a centering pass from Andrew Mangiapane, but there was no way Carlson was taking that shot. Somehow, the Hawks had let Ovechkin leak out behind Frank Nazar to the left circle, where he's done so much damage over the past two decades. One-timer. Off the dot. Classic Ovechkin. 'It happened fast,' Hawks interim coach Anders Sorensen said. 'Carlson made a heck of a play. He was coming down the pipe and elected to pass. Pretty good guy to pass to.' It wasn't just Ovechkin who spoiled any hopes of an upset — the Hawks did just enough damage to themselves. During a third-period penalty kill, Murphy swept a goal into his net while trying to locate Strome's shot after it bounced off his skate. (If there's a silver lining, Murphy at least robbed Ovechkin's waiting stick.) The Hawks ruined an empty-net opportunity, winning the offensive-zone faceoff but lacking urgency to grab the puck. Nazar backed off of it, and Artyom Levshunov failed to get to it before Leonard seized and took off for an empty-net goal, his first in the NHL (he received a handshake and congratulations from Gretzky later in the locker room). 'We pull the goalie, we win the faceoff and they got right by us,' Sorensen said. Ovechkin stayed off the ice during the empty net because he didn't want a cheap record-breaker. 'Congrats to Ovi, it was an unbelievable accomplishment,' Sorensen said. 'But we were here to win the game, and we didn't do that.' Here are three takeaways from the Hawks' fifth straight loss and 12th in 13 games. 1. Ovechkin's hunt, billed as 'The Gr8 Chase,' moves to New York. His next chance to score No. 895 and take over as history's top goal scorer will come on the road Sunday against the New York Islanders. At least the Hawks can say it didn't happen on their watch, but not for a lack of trying. Ovechkin was credited with just three shots on goal, but he had six others that missed wide. And that's not to mention the other times his teammates went looking for him but couldn't connect. On one of those chances, credit Kevin Korchinski, who rode Ovechkin's hip on what looked like a surefire backdoor opportunity for the record-breaker. 2. It was Oliver Moore's turn to shine. Sam Rinzel hogged the spotlight when he and Moore made their NHL debuts together Sunday against the Utah Hockey Club (remember the spin move he put on Kevin Stenlund?). Meanwhile, Moore had a more subdued game against Utah and didn't have a single shot attempt against the Colorado Avalanche. But on Friday night, Moore earned his first two NHL points. He assisted on Nazar's goal — working a give-and-go with him in the second period — as well as Philipp Kurashev's goal later in the period. Moore also looked like the Hawks' best forechecker in the second. 3. Kurashev is up while Lukas Reichel is down — again. The two have had their days on the coaching staff's bad side this season, but Kurashev had a shining moment in the second period. Shortly before his goal, he stripped Mangiapane in the neutral zone and slid baseball-style in front of ex-Hawk Taylor Raddysh to score off Landon Slaggert's rebound (one of his two assists) to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead. Meanwhile, Reichel had played 16 straight games but found himself scratched for the first time since Feb. 27. 'It was disciplinary,' Sorensen said. 'Missed a meeting this morning. … Learning lesson. Got to be a pro.'
Chicago Tribune
16-03-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
4 takeaways from Chicago Blackhawks' record-setting 6-2 loss, including Arvid Söderblom's nightmare of a night
It wasn't the first time in the rebuild era that the Chicago Blackhawks lost every game on a four-game trip — heck, they were swept on four- and five-game trips last season — but they outdid themselves in Saturday's 6-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. The Hawks set a team record for most goals allowed on 15 shots on goal. That's right, just 15 shots. The previous high on 15 or fewer shots was five goals allowed, which the Hawks did twice — a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 7, 1995, and a 5-4 overtime loss to the Canucks on March 21, 2017 — according to NHL Stats and Information. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Canucks had just 16 scoring chances — at all strengths. 'We felt like we could've had more pushback or more survival in some of the chances coming back on our end,' Hawks defenseman Connor Murphy said. Goalie Arvid Söderblom matched his worst outing since giving up six goals to the New York Rangers on Jan. 5. It didn't seem like the Hawks would close the trip this way. They deserved a better outcome in the first period than to be down 2-0. They were good on breakouts, made clean, smart passes and were unusually impressive with their puck pressure. The Canucks didn't get a second shot on goal until 8 minutes, 33 seconds into the game. But it was stunning how quickly things went awry. The Hawks held the Canucks at bay, even dominating possession at times, but with less than three minutes until the first intermission, Quinn Hughes and Tyler Myers scored 35 seconds apart. Conor Garland made it 3-0 in the second period, but Alex Vlasic finally gave the Hawks life with a 51-foot snipe to Arturs Silovs' glove side, assisted by Ryan Donato. Vancouver's Elias Pettersson scored 4:01 into the third, which required a review to confirm. During a four-on-four, Hawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser bagged his third goal this month, with Artyom Levshunov getting his first NHL point with the assist. But the Hawks defense completely unraveled as Nils Aman and ex-Hawk Pius Suter scored eight seconds apart. Eight seconds. Interim coach Anders Sorensen blamed defensive breakdowns. 'They were magnified,' he said. 'Didn't read the rush well. Didn't read the coverage well.' Added Murphy: 'We just can't seem to put it together long enough. Maybe it's recognizing how important each shift is as the game gets going, or knowing you're on the road and teams know how to score when you give them looks. It's just tightening up.' Here are four takeaways. 1. Connor Bedard had another bad night. After referee Chris Rooney sent him to the penalty box for 'abuse of officials' for the last 10 minutes of Thursday's game in San Jose, Bedard received another 10-minute misconduct with 2:39 left in Vancouver. He seemed to deserve the penalty for mouthing off in the Sharks game. The situation in Vancouver, however? On its face, it looked ridiculous. Bedard appeared to be coming to the aid of Lukas Reichel, who was grabbed from behind by Derek Forbort and started mixing it up, with more Canucks coming. Bedard hadn't even done anything yet — and had his back to Filip Hronek — when Hronek attacked him. And Suter jumped in and threw some punches. And somehow Bedard got a misconduct? Explain that one to me. And, no, Bedard didn't appear to be saying anything to the refs as he skated off. That's how the North Vancouver native's second NHL homecoming ended. Offensively, he took two shots and was once again a nonfactor. Defensively, his line gave up two goals and he committed two hooking penalties. Bedard had only one assist to show for the four-game trip — and the two misconducts. 2. Let's pause this 'goalies of the future' talk. Spencer Knight gave up some softies to the Sharks, but Söderblom looked much worse Saturday. He looked like the old Söderblom who had some nightmarish visits to the Pacific Northwest (remember those games in Seattle?). It appeared he was back to oversliding against shooting threats and leaving the opposite side of the net exposed, and the Canucks took advantage. Sorensen didn't blame Söderblom and harped on his defenders. 'It's tough because we didn't help him there,' he said. 'They were magnified. It was too easy. Couple of lateral plays that were basically empty-netters. Not much he can do about those.' Once Petr Mrázek was traded to Detroit, Knight and Söderblom were declared the Hawks' future goaltenders. But you have to wonder if Söderblom's pending restricted free agency — high stakes in what otherwise has been a career year for him — is starting to weigh heavily. 3. Alex Vlasic has picked up the offensive slack for Seth Jones. In the eight games since Jones was traded to Florida, Vlasic has produced two goals and two assists. Both helpers came on the power play, which was Jones' bread and butter. And half of Vlasic's four goals this season have come within an eight-day stretch. 4. Artyom Levshunov achieved an important milestone. The rookie defenseman didn't hesitate with his shots and puck decisions and looked comfortable with the NHL level. He made a very heady play to connect with Kaiser for a goal as the Canucks were making a line change. Kevin Dean said of Levshunov during the CHSN+ broadcast, 'He's not overthinking, he's just on his toes trying to make the next play.' Of course there were some hiccups too. He was on the ice for Myers' and Pettersson's goals. Just before Pettersson's goal, Nils Hoglander picked Levshunov's pocket in the Hawks end. On Myers' goal, Kiefer Sherwood ran interference on Levshunov — a pick play, if you will — to give Myers an open look. Sorensen said Levshunov did 'OK.' 'It's a young man that's trying to learn to play in the NHL,' he said. Levshunov also broke up several passes and blocked four shots, so give him credit there. He was happy to get his first point. 'I'm so excited,' Levshunov said. 'But I want to score — and win. Got to win too.'
