The Blackhawks and Stars played a fairly even match at both ends yet the home team prevailed putting some distance between them in the standings. The Predators also won so no ground gained on 4th place.
After the Hawks put up a field goal to take a 3-0 lead, the Stars clawed back with a deuce to pull within one. Patrick Kane put the final nail in the coffin in the end with an empty-net tally.
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Starting Lineup
The starting lineup included Vincent Hinostroza making his return to the Windy City in a Blackhawks uniform as he swapped in for Matthew Highmore:
#Blackhawks in warmups tonight against Dallas:
— Carter Baum (@CarterBaum) April 6, 2021
DeBrincat - Dach - Kane
Janmark - Suter - Strome
Kubalik - Kurashev - Hinostroza
Hagel - Kampf - Carpenter
Zadorov - Murphy
Keith - Boqvist
de Haan - Kalynuk
Lankinen
Tag a friend to tell them the game is on!@budlight | #CHIvsDAL pic.twitter.com/BLeue7qvhV
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 7, 2021
Scoring Recap
1st Goal: Dach (1-0)
Kirby Dach is BACK!
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 7, 2021
No. 77 tallies goal No. 1 of the season. @NBCSChicago | #CHIvsDAL pic.twitter.com/Vu7oFXR6jf
2nd Goal: Kubalik (2-0)
Vinnie's already serving up the sauce! Kubalik finishes up the 2-on-1 to make it 2-0 in Chicago. @NBCSChicago | #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/MYFOSJlSMx
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 7, 2021
3rd Goal: DeBrincat (3-0)
Absolutely lethal@NBCSChicago | #CHIvsDAL pic.twitter.com/3n2yANt5rV
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 7, 2021
4th Goal: Cogliano (3-1) SH
A classic from Cogliano 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Hl3pGRuYsZ
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 7, 2021
5th Goal: Faksa (3-2)
No angle, no problem for @RadekFaksa 🚨 pic.twitter.com/4mlk8fz7Me
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) April 7, 2021
6th Goal: Kane (4-2) EN
Cue Chelsea Dagger!#Blackhawks #HAWKSWIN pic.twitter.com/9S22Hd7PsG
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 7, 2021
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Game Notes
FINAL: #Blackhawks 4, Stars 2
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) April 7, 2021
Shot attempts: 58-48 CHI
Shots on goal: 28-27 CHI
5-on-5 scoring chances: 20-18 DAL
5-on-5 high danger chances: 11-6 DAL pic.twitter.com/0NPqz82oG4
Dach served Kane up with a dish to spring him loose against Jake Oettinger. Kane deked out Oettinger with a backhand-to-forehand move and slipped the puck into an empty cage. Alas, Dach was offsides.
Answer the Bell
In the 2nd, Jamie Benn took a run at Kane while Cogliano roughed up Boqvist after the buzzer sounded to end the period yet the Hawks displayed little push back to stand up for their teammates.
Bad 2-on-1's
One D pair in particular has a bad habit of covering the same opponent: Nikita Zadorov and Murphy. They need to do a better job of surveying the ice to provide proper coverage or else teams will exploit them.
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Player Notes
Wyatt Kalynuk
The best defenseman on the ice for Chicago was Wyatt Kalynuk. He was a constant at protecting the crease, mirroring the puck carrier closely, and closing gaps quickly. His passing still needs work but was better.
Vincent Hinostroza
Hinostroza employed his speed all over the ice to get back in a hurry on defense after offensive rushes, disrupt plays in the neutral zone, and generate offense with his linemates who had many scoring chances.
Dylan Strome
Confidence is ratcheting up for Dylan Strome as he shows more patience and strength on offense. For instance, he waits a few more seconds to hold onto the puck and wait for shooting and passing lanes to open.
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Roster Updates
ROSTER MOVES: Forward Vinnie Hinostroza has been removed from the non-roster list and added to the active roster.
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) April 6, 2021
Forward Lucas Wallmark was re-assigned to the taxi squad. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/GydYrqg4La
Rockford Updates
The IceHogs host the Wolves at 6:00pm PST today then head up to Grand Rapids for a Saturday tilt against the Griffins.
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See you on the boards!