4 Thoughts From Blackhawks 2-1 Overtime Win Against Wild

The Chicago Blackhawks had another two-game losing streak on their hands, and their luck wasn’t thought to get any easier as they hosted the Minnesota Wild, one of the hottest teams in the NHL (third-best in the NHL). But the Blackhawks are no stranger to playing spoiler, and they did just that. Here are 4 thoughts from the Blackhawks 2-1 overtime win against the Wild.

1. A Decent Blackhawks Start

The Blackhawks have been in a bad pattern with slow starts that end up getting remedied in the third period, but this game was a reverse for them. They actually had a decent start against the Wild. The Blackhawks were on the power play twice (to no avail). Then, Jason Dickinson put the Blackhawks on top 1-0 in the first period. It seems rare to even write about a sequence like that, but it was what they needed against a surging team.

Chicago needs more of that.

2. Blackhawks Take Advantage of Wild’s Off Night

The Wild have the seventh-best offense in the NHL, with Kirill Kaprizov being the second-best scorer in the NHL (27 points), but it didn’t show tonight.

The Wild started sluggish and didn’t really regain form until the third period. Back on Oct. 15, when the Blackhawks lost to the Calgary Flames on Oct. 15, Nick Foligno said afterward they felt they left that game on the table, considering the Flames didn’t have their strongest performance.

This was the game where they took advantage of a team having an off night.

Speaking of Foligno, Michael Russo of The Athletic reported before the game that Foligno had his brother Marcus over for dinner, as he is a forward on the Wild. Nick joked that he tried to overfeed Marcus with ribeye steaks. It looks like that plan worked!

3. Petr Mrazek Stood Strong

Petr Mrazek has played this season like a goalie who deserved more, and tonight was no different. He was fantastic all night. The Wild made a strong push in the third, with Matt Boldy hitting the crossbar, and eventually, he evened the score 1-1, but Mrazek stepped up, per usual, and did all he could when Minnesota outshot the Blackhawks 19-4 in the third period.

He’s the reason the Hawks could even get to overtime and allow Philipp Kurashev (who endured five games without a goal) to have that absolutely beautiful shot that won the game 2-1.

4. Corey Crawford Brought The Blackhawks Luck

Blackhawks legend Corey Crawford was at the game with his sons Cooper and Camden to sound the horn. No one loved to beat the Wild more than Crow. His seventh-most career wins came against Minnesota with 13, so the win tonight was extra fitting.

Crow in the house tonight to sound the horn 🚨 pic.twitter.com/wsferERFVj

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 11, 2024

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