Blackhawks Daily: Nichuskin’s Hat Trick; Panarin Lifts Rangers

Sunday was a magnificent day for Stanley Cup Playoff action in the NHL. There was one game on from 1:30 PM until 12:30 AM. All of that hockey was intoxicating on the day of relaxation. While the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, CHN sifts between fact and fiction about how the Blackhawks should attack their offseason so they will be participating in the playoffs sooner rather than later. 

It started with one of the matchups that has been the most exciting. That would be the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche. The Jets won game one and haven’t had a victory since. 

That trend continued in this game as Colorado took game four 5-1. It was a 1-1 tie at the first intermission but the Avalanche scored four unanswered. The whole team played great but a few players deserve recognition.  For one, Valeri Nichuskin had a hat trick in the game. It was the first time that he had ever had one in the NHL (regular season or playoffs). To get an effort like that shows that the depth is there for this team to go deep.  After that, the NHL found its way south where the Nashville Predators hosted the Vancouver Canucks. The Predators dominated them on home ice but lost in OT. 

Shots ended up being 30-20 in favor of Nashville but they could not find a way to get it done. Nashville even blew a late-game 3-1 lead, which forced OT in the first place. In the extra frame, Elias Lindholm came up big with the game-winner, which included Brock Boeser’s hat trick as well as his tying goal with less than ten seconds remaining.

After that game ended, the New York Rangers completed the sweep of the Washington Capitals. Artemi Panarin, who takes a lot of heat for New York’s lack of playoff production, scored the go-ahead goal that led to the win. New York will face the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders (Carolina has a 3-1 series lead). 

The nightcap was played between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings. The game went unlike any other between these teams. Stuart Skinner won a goalie duel 1-0. It was the best game of his playoff career. 

Skinner takes some heat for being subpar in the playoffs but he has been great lately. The Oil were heavily outplayed but won thanks to him. The one Edmonton goal came from Evan Bouchard on the power play (assisted by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl). 

We are down to 15 teams and that number will continue to drop as the days move here. This has been great television. 

Blackhawks In Case You Missed It

• Nick Foligno was the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023-24 without having the C on his sweater. It was incredible to watch.
• Kyle Davidson has a huge summer ahead of him. We’ll see if he can handle the heat that comes with a big year like this.
• The Chicago Blackhawks are lucky to have Jason Dickinson. He has been very good for them over his tenure with the team and 2023-24 saw him reach new heights.

Hockey Now Playoff Focus

• Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins are being led to victory by their captain Brad Marchand. He has been incredible for them once again.
• Vegas Hockey Now: The Vegas Golden Knights know that they have to be better in game four if they want to keep control of the Dallas Stars.
• Florida Hockey Now: The Florida Panthers finally lost a playoff game this year. The Tampa Bay Lighting are on the board with a win. Florida has three more chances to close Tampa out.