CHICAGO – The Chicago Blackhawks came into Wednesday’s matchup with the New Jersey Devils having lost six consecutive matchups. With both of these teams on the rise, it was expected to be a tight game throughout.
For the most part, however, the Devils outplayed the Blackhawks, but Spencer Knight’s goaltending and some timely goal scoring kept Chicago in it.
In the first period, the Blackhawks outshot the Devils 12-10 and had a 1-0 lead. In the second and third, New Jersey outshot Chicago 23-8 and outscored them 3-2 to force overtime. The Blackhawks relinquished three leads in the process.
In overtime, New Jersey almost exclusively controlled play. On their fourth shot of the extra period (the Blackhawks had 0), the Devils won it on a hat-trick goal scored by Simon Nemec.
The Blackhawks collected a standings point, which they can thank Spencer Knight for. Knight made 33 saves on 37 shots in the loss.
Connor Bedard’s Point Streak
One of Chicago’s goals was scored by Connor Bedard. This pretty 5-on-3 goal was the first goal that put them up 1-0. Bedard’s point streak is now up to nine games. His 26th point also ties him with Leo Carlsson and Macklin Celebrini for second in the league.
Landon Slaggert Makes Quick Impact Upon Return
In addition to Frank Nazar and Jason Dickinson, who were already expected to be out, Andre Burakovsky’s game-time decision turned out to be an absence against the Devils. After the game, head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed that Burakovsky had an illness.
“I think he’ll be back Saturday, knock on wood,” Blashill said of Burakovsky.
In his place, they had Landon Slaggert called up, ready to go. He made an impression upon his return, as he tipped in a Louis Crevier shot for their second goal of the game. His time in Rockford seems to have served him well, as he was noticeable on many occasions.
Sam Lafferty also scored a beautiful goal. With three very important forwards out of the lineup, a guy like Lafferty needs to take advantage of his opportunity to draw back in.
Watch Every Blackhawks Goal
Next Up For Chicago
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be in town to play the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. The Blackhawks will be seeing an 8-8-1 Maple Leafs team that is not playing up to their standard that they’ve created during the Auston Matthews era. That game will come at 6 PM CT on CHSN in Chicago and as a part of Hockey Night in Canada.
The Detroit Red Wings surprised fans and analysts by signing veteran defenseman Travis Hamonic this past offseason. The deal was hardly an eye-opener. Hamonic signed a one-year, $1 million contract. That deal was in line with GM Steve Yzerman’s current philosophy of low-risk, low-reward deals for veteran players.
The hope was that Hamonic could provide insurance for the Red Wings’ mostly young blueliners. Players like Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Axel Sandin-Pellikka, and another offseason signing, Jacob Bernard-Docker, aren’t exactly sure bets on the blue line.
Hamonic potentially delivered veteran depth that Erik Gustafsson and Justin Holl just didn’t provide.
But now, Yzerman’s gamble has not paid off. Sure, it was a low-risk wager. But it stings nonetheless. Hamonic has played nine games this season, getting one assist and 14 penalty minutes. While Hamonic wasn’t signed to light up the scoreboard, the 14 penalty minutes are something tough to swallow.
That’s a crucial point because he’s getting most of his special teams exposure on the penalty kill. And that’s where things compound further. Hamonic’s expected goals for are a paltry 42.0, with his relative expected goals for -8.8.
In other words, Hamonic is costing the Red Wings goals instead of helping the team produce them. If these numbers seem like an aberration, it’s worth pointing out they’re part of a trend that the Red Wings chose to ignore.
Two seasons ago, Hamonic had his worst relative goals for at -11.2 while playing with the Ottawa Senators. Furthermore, last season, Hamonic landed at -4.9 relative goals for.
Those numbers paint a picture of a veteran blueliner who’s never really lived up to his potential. He never really rebounded to the same production level since his best season in 2014-15 with the New York Islanders. That season, Hamonic notched five goals and 33 points. Since then, his highest point total has been 21 points, matched twice.
Fortunately for the Red Wings, Hamonic is on a one-year deal. Unfortunately for the 35-year-old, this could be his final NHL contract. Perhaps he might land a PTO next season. But it’s doubtful he’ll gain any serious consideration beyond that.
With the way things are going for Hamonic, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see the club send him to the defenseman graveyard that has become Grand Rapids.