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Game 25: Hawks 4, Bolts 3

March 6, 2021, 3:23 AM ET [113 Comments]
Theo Fox
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT

As much as the game was an important one for the Blackhawks, the bigger news from yesterday was Brent Seabrook's retirement announcement as he hangs up the skates due to a debilitating hip injury.

Seabrook may not have a storybook ending to his NHL tenure but he has a storied hockey career with numerous accolades including 3 Stanley Cup rings and a few gold medals (Winter Olympics and 2 WJCs).

With this chapter closed, there are two questions that arise. One question is whether #7 should be retired not just for him but for other Blackhawks greats Chris Chelios and Pit Martin.

The other question is whether Seabrook should have a role with player development or even coaching within the organization, not necessarily right away but at some point whenever he's ready.

Either way, that's another legendary Blackhawk retiring within a few months: first Corey Crawford and now Seabrook. While not retired, the futures of Jonathan Toews and Andrew Shaw remain uncertain.


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On to the game, Malcolm Subban got inconsistent help defensively as he stood on his head with 39 saves to keep his team in it by stoning the Lightning on high-danger scoring chances time after time.

Alex DeBrincat collected his 100th goal of his career and 200th point on the first of a pair on the night to continue his hot streak as he's now 7th in the league in points and 2nd in goals.

The Bolts brought it last night from start to finish playing a blend of speed, relentlessness, finesse, and power to attack the Hawks in waves. But like Thursday, the Hawks kept pace until the end.

This time, though, the outcome was different. No OT loss with a fraction of a second left but a shootout winner by Philipp Kurashev who painted the top right corner to beat Curtis McElhinney.



Subban: "That was for the fans." Given what he endured in regulation and overtime, Subban deserved that shootout shutout to cement the victory for Chicago against the reigning Cup champions.

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Starting Lineup

The starting lineup remained the same as the previous game except for Subban patrolling the crease:

And the starters for the opening shift:

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Scoring Recap

1st Goal: Cirelli (0-1)

Anthony Cirelli got the Lightning on the board first after a flurry of activity around Subban who saw no support as 4 Chicago players couldn't contain 2 Lightning players in his vicinity.

2nd Goal: Killorn (0-2) PP

Alex Killorn put the Bolts up 2-0 on a similar deflection play as Thursday night's OT game winner with Victor Hedman shooting the puck from dead center at the top of the offensive zone.

3rd Goal: DeBrincat (1-2) PP

DeBrincat took a high-to-low pass from Adam Boqvist and drove through the left circle to wrist a shot past McElhinney as Carl Soderberg created a wall to take away the netminder's eyes.

4th Goal: DeBrincat (2-2)

Patrick Kane mesmerized the Tampa Bay defense dancing in the offensive zone to draw all attention to him then fed DeBrincat on a backdoor play where he buried a one timer from a sharp angle.

5th Goal: McDonagh (2-3)

Killorn fired an initial shot from between the circles just as Ryan McDonagh jumped into the play to get past the Chicago defense for a rebound at Subban's doorstep to deposit the puck into the net.

6th Goal: Kubalik (3-3)

Duncan Keith played catch with Boqvist up high before taking a point shot that got blocked by a Lightning defender but landed on Dominik Kubalik's blade that he was able to stuff home.

Shootout: Kurashev (4-3)

Blackhawks

* DeBrincat (miss)
* Kane (miss)
* Kurashev (goal)

Lightning

* Hedman (miss)
* Point (miss)
* Stamkos (miss)

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Game Notes

Sloppy Entries

The power play units desperately need to practice new ways to not only enter the zone but also set up. Way too many easily stymied rushes and one-and-dones even if they can breach the zone.

Post Mates

The post is a goalie's friend. Subban had quite a few shots get past him but the post and crossbar saved his bacon. The Hawks also blocked 25 shots so the defense wasn't entirely porous the whole game.

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Player Notes

Adam Boqvist

Boqvist took a page out of Ian Mitchell's book by having his head on a swivel to scan the ice for attackers and barking out directions to teammates. Another solid defensive effort plus a pair of apples.

Philipp Kurashev

Kurashev's strength is underrated as he's tough to knock off the puck. Even when the other team is successful, he's resilient to not only get back into the play but also doggedly win the puck back.

Mattias Janmark

Someone who has a giddyup to make rushes on offense and then retreat with speed if the puck turns over quickly is Mattias Janmark. That combination makes him a great choice as a starter in overtime.

Matthew Highmore

What he lacks in skill at the NHL level he makes up in sandpaper and hustle, Matthew Highmore is gradually rising from the ashes after a spell of poorly played games earlier in the season.

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Roster Updates

With Seabrook, Shaw, and Zack Smith officially on LTIR along with Toews, Kirby Dach, and Alex Nylander, the Blackhawks are presently sitting with $23M in cap space.

The question now is what does general manager Stan Bowman do with those savings. Does he use it to upgrade the team to enhance a playoff push? Or does he use it to gain more futures?



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Rockford Updates

Ivan Nalimov returns to Rockford after a brief stint a year ago before the pandemic shut everything down. He didn't have the opportunity to get a start before heading back home to Russia.

The IceHogs now have 3 goalies on AHL deals: Nalimov, Cale Morris, and Tom Aubrun. Nalimov's presence will help push all goalies -- including Collin Delia and Matt Tomkins -- so one can ideally emerge.

Bringing on a mediocre job hopper in Nalimov does raise eyebrows, though, about why he is getting a shot yet former Blackhawks draft pick Alexis Gravel went unsigned back in the spring.

While Gravel's numbers last season and so far this season with the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL are far from stellar, having another lottery ticket between the pipes is never a bad idea.

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See you on the boards!

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