Spencer Knight Makes Incredible First Impression By Stealing Win From Kings

For the first time in a long time, Chicago Blackhawks fans have a reason to be excited, and that’s because of goaltender Spencer Knight. The 23-year-old netminder was spectacular in a 41-save effort, leading the Blackhawks to a 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Knight made his Blackhawks debut after being acquired for Seth Jones on Saturday. He was tested immediately as the Kings had the game’s first nine shots, but he stopped them all. Former King Alec Martinez gave the Blackhawks an early 1-0 lead as his shot from the point found its way through heavy traffic and into the back of the net.

In typical fashion, the lead only lasted 42 seconds. The ageless wonder, Anze Kopitar, was allowed to skate right up the middle of the ice, where he deposited the puck into the Blackhawks’ net. Knight was busy, having to face 17 shots in the opening frame.

The second period got off to a much better start as the Blackhawks took a 2-1 lead on the first shift. After Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper gave up two juicy rebounds to the middle of the ice, Ilya Mikheyev slammed home his 12^th goal of the season.

Ethan Del Mastro doubled the lead later in the frame by having his pass to Craig Smith hit off the skate of Kings defenseman Jacob Moverare. It’s amazing what can happen when you have the mindset to put the puck towards the net.

The Blackhawks were outplayed again in the third period but found a way to add two more goals to their lead. Colton Dach made a great centering feed to find Andreas Athanasiou in the slot, where he became the second former King to light the lamp. Ryan Donato, who had a shot hit off both posts earlier in the period, iced the game with an empty-net goal.

Knight was the story of the night, making 41 saves in his team debut and quickly becoming one of the most popular players on the team.

Spencer Knight Steals the Show & the Game

Seeing three goaltenders on the ice for morning skate was strange, but that will be the norm for the rest of the season unless the Blackhawks can trade Petr Mrazek or Arvid Soderblom before Friday’s trade deadline. Knight took the ice and headed right to the starter’s crease, something we should get used to seeing.

Knight met the media afterward and revealed it was his decision to play tonight. He was excited to be here and wanted to get to work.

“I’m going to bring what I’ve always brought,” he said. “A positive attitude, a good work ethic, and work towards winning hockey. That’s what I’ve been a part of, and I want to bring it here. I want to bring lots of wins to this organization for however long I’m here.”

Having Knight on the roster goes to show how fast things can change in the NHL. At the beginning of the season, Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit would be the bridges to Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan. Now, the Blackhawks feel they have their goaltender of the future in Knight.

“You see his background, watching him come up here, lots of potential, a first-rounder for a reason,” interim head coach Anders Sorensen said. “He has his career on track here, and we’re super excited for him to be a bona fide number one here.”

My first impressions of Knight were of a confident and well-spoken netminder. He knows he’s a starting goaltender in this league and wants to be one of the best.

“I’m a goalie that relies on things like skating and technical ability, but I do have the athleticism to make plays and lean on the reads and reactions. It’s about getting to that flow state and just not thinking. When you get into that, you’re really just playing the game. You’re not overly focused on your technique or your athletic ability. You just revert back to your habits.”

Knight was in that “flow state” from the opening faceoff until the final horn. He is so smooth and athletic in the crease, with never any wasted motion. He quickly gets across the blue paint and always seems square to the puck. Yes, it’s one game, but having some life ejected into this team is so nice. The fan base is dying for a reason to be excited, and Knight is giving them a reason to be.

Knight became the fourth goaltender to make at least 40 saves in his Blackhawks debut, joining Ed Belfour (45 on Oct. 18, 1988), Jeff Glass (42 on Dec. 29, 2017), and Gilles Meloche (42 on March 16, 1971). Fun fact: all four of those netminders wore No. 30.

Connor Bedard’s Pointless Streak Continues

Another night, another new line combination for Connor Bedard. Tonight, he centered Landon Slaggert and Frank Nazar, two guys he’s played with before but never simultaneously. Sorensen felt the pace the trio plays at would make them a good fit together.

“I think they complement each other in different areas,” he said. “Slaggert does a lot of the work along the walls, finding pucks and Frankie and Connor, IQ and pace of play. Excited to see them together. We’ll give them a shot here together and hopefully stick with it here.”

Yes, hopefully, you stick with a line for more than a game or two. Bedard was excited to play with “two guys who play with a lot of pace and skill,” but the revolving door on his wings needs to stop. It likely won’t happen this season, but the young star cannot go through another year of nearly 40 different line combinations.

The new linemates energized Bedard, who has been quiet, dare I say ineffective, of late. He had two shots on goal and three attempts in the first period. That was a good start considering he had only four shots on goal in the last four games combined. However, he would not have another shot attempt for the rest of the net. The line finished with a team-low 27.2 Corsi for percentage (CF%), but the scoring chance differential wasn’t bad. They produced five scoring chances while allowing seven, and the high-danger scoring change was just 2-1 in favor of the Kings.

Bedard has gone six straight games without a point. The encouraging thing is the Blackhawks have scored 16 goals in the last three games without him being a factor. The young players are starting to play with swagger and take over this team. It’s only a matter of time before Bedard joins them. Playing on a consistent line will help. Anders, for the love of pizza, keep this trio together.