On Friday night, the Chicago Blackhawks were a part of history when they faced the Washington Capitals at home. In that game, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin tied the all-time goals record set by Wayne Gretzky.
Chicago had to follow that up with travel home to play a Sunday match against another legend in Sidney Crosby. The Pittsburgh Penguins are not an elite team anymore, but any squad with Crosby is dangerous on a given night.
It looked like the Blackhawks and Penguins were going to make it to the second intermission scoreless but Frank Nazar had other ideas.
With under two minutes left in the middle frame, Nazar scored the first shorthanded goal of his NHL career. It was a great play by Teuvo Teravainen, finished off by Nazar for his 9th of the season.
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on XFrank's first shorthanded goal, nbd馃しSince coming up from the AHL, Nazar has been great. His speed and hard-working motor are noticeable on just about every shift. He needs to work on his finishing a bit more over the summer and in the future but you wouldn't be able to tell on this goal.
In the third period, Connor Bedard made a great play to spring Ilya Mikheyev, who scored his 19th goal of the season. On the goal that made it 2-0 Chicago, Sam Rinzel earned his first career NHL point with an assist.
Blackhawks on CHSN (@CHSN_Blackhawks) on XRINZEL 1ST NHL POINT. BEDSY POINT. MICKEY GOAL. 馃檶Rinzel has been playing well for Chicago in all three zones. He was finally rewarded with a point, which will be the first of many.
With the assist on Nazar's goal, Bedard became the 11th player in NHL history to have multiple 60+ point seasons as a teenager. Sidney Crosby and Patrik Laine are the only other two active players on the list.
The Penguins ruined Spencer Knight's shutout bid when Rickard Rakell scored a power play goal at 14:36 of the third.
In the final moments of regulation time, Mikheyev deposited his 20th of the season into an empty net. The Blackhawks took the 3-1 final to the bank.
Knight deserves some individual praise for the way he played in this one. He was the second star of the game as he allowed one goal on 29 shots. There were some good chances for the Penguins denied by Knight in key moments. He played a key role in them grabbing two points.
After some struggles to hang onto leads in recent weeks, it was good for the Hawks to get this one in the win column. They aren't going to the playoffs and they are in the mix for the draft lottery but it doesn't hurt for the young guys to hold a victory.
Next up for Chicago is two games on the road. It starts with these Pittsburgh Penguins again back in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.
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