After losing in overtime on Friday night, the Blackhawks prospe♉cts had to come back and face a fresh Minnesota team on Saturday evening with an earliꩵer start.
If you’ve watched much of the IceHogs and Wild over the past couple years it should come as no surprise that there was plenty of hitting and, ultimately, bodies in penalty boxes as this game progressed. Skating , the Blackhawks were frequently mixing their lines all night as well.
Blackhawks Prospect Highlights
The Blackhawks were empty on two power play opportunities, including a brief 5-on-3 during the first period. Colton Dach brought the physical play again, though he was the nail instead of the hammer on one occasion. Ben Gaudreau did his job in the net for 17 minutes but took a 1-0 lead wit💝h 2:54 left in the opening period.💯
Landon Slaggert drew a penalty less than 90 seconds into the second period. Late in the advantage, Martin Misiak threw a beautiful sauce pass to Frank Nazar in front of the net for a tap-in game-tyin✤g goal.
Oh my, what a sauce pass by Martin Misiak on Frank Nazar's goal.
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis)
Nazar was okay in the first period but really seemed to t༺urn it on in the second. He almost set up a second goal for the Blackhawks just a few minutes after he tied🔯 the game.
The Blackhawks seemingly had more power play time than even strength action in the second period and finally cashed one in. Paul Ludwinski made a nice pass that set up a mess in front of the net, the puck got kicked out and Ethan Del Mastro set up Gavin Hayes for the go-ahead goal.
Gavis Hayes scores on the power play after his initial shot was stopped. Really nice pass by Ethan Del Mastro. — Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis)
But the Wild tied the game at two with a power play goal of their own just moments later. With the game still tied inside the final minute of the second period, Dach crashed the net hard enough that Minnesota’s netminder went sprawling to the ice and the net slid away from the crease. For the second time in as many nights he found himself wrestling on the ice with an opponent.
Colton Dach drives hard to the net, a🍰nd Minnesota takes exception to him running into its goaltender.
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis)
The game was tied at two after two periods. While skating 4-෴on-4 early in the third period, Hayes made a terrific play 🍌on the backcheck to break up a potential scoring opportunity.
About five minutes into the third period, Nazar got hammered in the neutral zone… but got the puck to a streaking Ryder Rolston, who scored a g🍎o-ahead goal for the Blackhawks to finish🅷 the play. Nazar apparently shared a few words with the Wild bench after the score.
Frank Nazar gets leveled in the neutral zone but Ryder Rolston scores seconds later.
After the goal, Nazar got off the Chicago bench and raised both hands to the Wild bench wondering why they went quiet 😂 — Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis)
Misiak scored into the empty net on a breakaway with 17.9 seco☂nds left in regulation to put the final nail in the Wild coffin.
Oh, and Broꦅck Faber was still the runner-up for the Calder Trophy.