Instant Analysis: Blackhawks Hang on Against Seattle 4-3

CHICAGO – The Blackhawks are usually chasing leads, not getting them early. So when they squandered a fast 2-0 lead, it looked like maybe the Hawks would lose out on a chance.

Tyler Johnson and MacKenzie Entwistle weren’t having it. Johnson buried the Blackhawks’ third goal and Entwistle followed later after Joey Anderson fed him in front of the net with a pass as the Blackhawks held off the Seattle Kraken 4-3 Tuesday night

It was an eventful first period that saw four goals. Boris Katchouk got his second goal in as many games after he cleaned up a rebound following a deflection from Ryan Donato. The Hawks would get a goal from Jason Dickinson, his fourth in three games after he ripped one from the point that beat Philipp Grubauer for a 2-0 Blackhawks league with just over nine minutes to play in the first frame.

Matty Beniers would answer for the Kraken with 5:17 left in the first after his shot was blocked and he wristed the rebound past Petr Mrazek. Alex Wennberg would even it up with a shorthanded goal with 36 seconds left in the period.

Johnson notched his sixth of the season, beating Grubauer glove side to give Chicago the lead back just over four minutes into the second period. It would be Entwistle who would get his second of the season off a pretty pass from Anderson, reclaiming Chicago’s earlier two-goal lead at 4-2.

Seattle would close it to 4-3 after a shot by Tye Kartye snuck through Mrazek with 13:09 left in the third. The Blackhawks then had to kill off a five-on-three power play late, and not only survived, but skated away with the win.

Reichel Back on the Scoresheet

Lukas Reichel picked up his fourth assist on the goal, his first point in four games. Reichel’s line with Johnson and Raddysh helped him get his third point (1-2) in seven games. Could it be something that gets him going?

It’s also the second time in three games the Blackhawks had four or more goals in a game, injecting some life into what had been a Blackhawks offense struggling to score goals.