The Blackhawks shut out the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 on Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena.
Here are 10 observations from the win:
1. Head coach Jeremy Colliton went back to 11 forwards and seven defensemen, which he’s done several times this season. Adam Boqvist and Ryan Carpenter drew back into lineup after missing the last few weeks while in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and Reese Johnson and Lucas Wallmark came out.
2. Kevin Lankinen started in goal for the Blackhawks and picked up where he left off on Saturday, stopping all 29 shots he faced for his first career NHL shutout. And he did so on national television. How fitting.
3. Lankinen also contributed on the scoresheet, recording a secondary assist on Philipp Kurashev’s goal in the first period. That’s his second assist of the season, with his first coming on Pius Suter’s overtime goal on Feb. 9 in Dallas. Anton Khudobin is the only other goaltender this season with more than one point.
4. The Red Wings generated 13 shot attempts, 10 shots on goal and six scoring chances on three power-play opportunities but Lankinen stood tall and was the best penalty killer on the ice for the Blackhawks. The Red Wings are now 0-for-29 on the power play over their last 10 games.
5. Kurashev scored one of the best goals of the 2020-21 season after maneuvering his way past three Red Wings and then sliding it past the goaltender. It was his fifth goal of the season, which ranks second among all NHL rookies.
6. Alex DeBrincat had himself a heck of a first period. He had five shot attempts, three shots on goal, two slot shots on net, two takeaways, two controlled exits, one scoring chance off the rush and 0:21 of offensive zone possession time, according to Sportlogiq. DeBrincat was rewarded with an empty-net goal at the end for his team-leading ninth tally of the season.
7. In 4:18 of even-strength time in the first period, Boqvist was on the ice for nine shot attempts for and zero against and six scoring chances for and zero against, according to Natural Stat Trick. He finished with four shot attempts (two on goal) in 12:50 of ice time, and was really solid in his return.
8. The Blackhawks got crushed at the faceoff circle, losing 15 of 47 draws for a success rate of only 31.9 percent. Dylan Strome and Suter were a combined 2-for-13 (15.4 percent). Luke Glendening, who’s the league’s best faceoff specialist, won 10 of his 11 faceoffs for the Red Wings.
9. The Blackhawks did not record a single high-danger chance at 5-on-5 in the first two periods. They had two at even strength and one on the power play, but not 5-on-5. They finished with two total, matching their season-low which came in the season opener against Tampa Bay.
10. Patrick Kane had another strong game for the Blackhawks. He registered four shot attempts, three shots on goal (all from the slot), a primary assist, and a game-high 10 controlled exits and 1:09 of offensive zone possession time.
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