If the Blackhawks were hoping to ride some positive momentum into this game from their big win on Friday that… did not happen. At all. A flat start from the skaters and shaky early going from Arvid Söderblom saw St. Louis grab an early 2-0 lead. The Blackhawks got the third goal of the period, but the Blues answered quickly with a power play goal. After 20 minutes, Chicago was chasing two. And Söderblom had allowed three goals𒈔 in eight shots.
Maybe it was the weather, maybe a little tryptophan is to blame, but the second period came and went and I barely noticed it happened. The Blackhawks hung around only because the Blues didn’t do much of anything themselves for about 30 minutes. When St. Louis scored their fourth goal in the third period there were seats becoming available all over the United Center. Boris Katchouk scored on a nice move with one minute remaining in the ga🌄me to cut the lead back to two🎀.
Star 1: Ryan Donato
Donato scored his fourth goal of the season and his first since the game against the Devils on Nov. 5. Isaak Phillips made a really nice play to keep the puck in and rip the shot on net that was redirected by Donato. Donato was the only Chicago skater to be credited with more than one shot on net in the first period (two). At even strength, Donato was on the ice for 10 Blackhawks’ shots on goal to only five for St. Louis as the fourth line had some decent juice.
Star 2: Nick Foligno
Foligno appeared in h🔥is 1,100th game this afternoon. He was the only forward with more than two shots on net through two periods (he had three). Foligno and Phillips were the only Blackhawks skaters with more than one hit in the first 40 minutes as well (two each).
Star 3: Isaak Phillips
I’ve been ready to hand him minutes since September and I think he’s done enough to force the organization to have a tough conversation about how they find a spot for him on the NHL roster when Jarred Tinordi gets healthy. It’s hard for me to believe he isn’t one of the six (five?) best defensemen in the organization right now. Through two periods, Phillips was on the ice for 12 Blackhawks’ even strength shot attempts to only three for the Blues. Chicago defensemen were credited with only three hits through two periods and he had two of them.
