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Game 23: Hawks 7, Wings 2

March 1, 2021, 3:28 AM ET [143 Comments]
Theo Fox
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Patrick Kane collected his 400th career goal as the Blackhawks scored a touchdown and limited the Red Wings to a safety in a 7-2 victory. Alex DeBrincat also bagged 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists).

The Wings dumped a barrage of shots on net -- including 21 after one period -- but Kevin Lankinen stopped 44 of 46. The Hawks also had 14 shot blocks and drastically improved on faceoffs by winning half.


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Starting Lineup

The starting lineup saw the forward lines blended and a goalie change but the D pairs stayed intact:

And the starters for the opening shift:

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Scoring Recap

1st Goal: Zadorov (1-0)

David Kampf rushed the puck up ice from his end then spotted Nikita Zadorov with a pass as he crossed the offensive blueline. Zadorov fired a wrister from between the circles to paint the left corner.

2nd Goal: Carpenter (2-0)

After a giveaway by Frans Nielsen, Matthew Highmore cycled the puck with Ryan Carpenter who got it up to Ian Mitchell. The point shot was blocked but Carpenter scored off of a double deflection.

3rd Goal: Gagner (2-1)

Sam Gagner was uncovered in the high slot as he tipped Jon Merrill's shot from the point past Lankinen. Carl Soderberg couldn't slide over in time to hinder Gagner from getting his stick on the puck.

4th Goal: Suter (3-1)

The line of DeBrincat, Kane, and Pius Suter executed a fluid sequence of weaving and passing that led to Suter firing a shot from the left faceoff dot that banked off of the far post and in.

5th Goal: Carpenter (4-1) PP

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Carpenter cycled the puck up to Adam Boqvist at the point and eventually got it back from DeBrincat to score his second goal of the night. Soderberg perfectly executed a screen on Thomas Greiss.

6th Goal: Kane (5-1)

DeBrincat intercepted a pass in the Hawks end and moved the puck over to Kane who glided up the left side then curled and dragged to cut over to the center lane to deposit #400 of his career.

7th Goal: Svechnikov (5-2) PP

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Filip Hronek skated the puck to the right to divert the Hawks attention to his side of the ice then found Evgeny Svechnikov on the left who wired a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle.

8th Goal: Kubalik (6-2)

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Brandon Hagel won a board battle then beat 3 defenders as he cut to the middle toward the net then gifted a feed to Dominik Kubalik who was alone in the left side of the crease to bang the puck home.

9th Goal: DeBrincat (7-2)

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Normally Calvin de Haan is making the stretch passes but this time Kane made one to him in the neutral zone. de Haan then connected with DeBrincat who rifled a shot short side, off the post and in.

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Game Notes

Faceoff Violation

In the 1st, the Hawks were called for a double faceoff violation that immediately negated their power play. It's surprising that this doesn't happen more often given how often centers cheat at the dot.

Spread Out, Please

There were too many instances in the game where a teammate would be skating too close to the puck carrier which reduced passing options. The bunching up made coverage easier for the Wings defense.

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Player Notes

Adam Boqvist

One area for improvement for Boqvist is getting back on defense quicker after pinching at both ends of the ice. A positive, though, is he's arguably the best passing D-man with his pinpoint feeds.

Dominik Kubalik

As a display of how dangerous he is, Kubalik continues to show he can shoot from anywhere as he's able to get behind defenders, find open seams, and contort himself if the puck isn't in his wheelhouse.


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Rockford Updates

The IceHogs matinee yesterday in Cleveland was postponed due to COVID protocol stemming from possible cases with the Monsters personnel. No makeup game has been scheduled yet.

On the docket this week for the Hogs are hosting the Grand Rapids Griffins on Wednesday then back-to-back games against the Iowa Wild on Saturday and Sunday.

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See you on the boards!

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