You’re my Mariah Carey: Blackhawks 4, Flames 3
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Lukas Reichel was the star of the show. Lukas Reichel had a three-point night to help the Chicago Blackhawks defeat the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime Sunday night.
Reichel opened the scoring 2:39 into the first period with his first NHL goal. Reichel first tipped Seth Jones long shot, then knocked in his own rebound by placing his stick between his legs to get the shot on target.
LADIES AND GENTS LUKAS REICHEL'S FIRST NHL GOAL pic.twitter.com/BlMnNAfCwG— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 9, 2023
The Flames tied it up at 8:49 in the first when Elias Lindholm picked up the rebound from a Tyler Toffoli shot and swatted the puck in.
Lindy lighting the lamp as usual. pic.twitter.com/VlZDSWjkBK— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 9, 2023
The Blackhawks regained their one goal lead just over a minute later as Colin Blackwell knocked in Sam Lafferty’s rebound to make it 2-1 — Blackwell’s first goal for the Blackhawks.
Colin Blackwell scores against the Calgary Flames to make it 2-1 #CHIvsCGY #Blackhawks #Flames pic.twitter.com/vI6gKFyoqK— nopClips (@nopClips) January 9, 2023
The Blackhawks extended their lead to 3-1 just 35 seconds into the second period. Reichel teed up Philipp Kurashev on a 2-on-1 rush, and Kurashev one-timed the puck into the net:
Domi ➡️ Reichel ➡️ Kurashev ➡️ pic.twitter.com/XevAukWclc— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 9, 2023
The Flames get one back 27 seconds later to make it 3-2. Milan Lucic knocked the puck to Jonathan Huberdeau after a faceoff, and Huberdeau one-timed it past Alex Stalock.
Blink and you'll miss it pic.twitter.com/ZUedsIS1Jj— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 9, 2023
The Flames then tied the game at three midway through the second period. On the power play, Nazem Kadri picked up a loose puck from a Lindholm rebound and knocked it into the net.
Extremely common Naz W. pic.twitter.com/ohOD4UU2xe— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) January 9, 2023
After a scoreless third period, a falling Max Domi scored off a slick Reichel pass 1:04 into overtime to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win.
LUKAS REICHEL TO MAX DOMI FOR THE OT WINNER pic.twitter.com/l8hnpEXdXQ— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 9, 2023
Notes
Despite the score, the Blackhawks didn’t have much control over this game. They were out-attempted 68-46, out shot 37-24, and out-chanced 29-19 at 5-on-5. And it’s even worse if you include special teams, where the Blackhawks were bleeding shots against. However, credit the Blackhawks for making the most of their chances as they had 11 high-danger chances compared to the Flames’ 12.
Stalock was really the biggest difference maker in this game as he stopped 44 of 47 shots and was especially important as the Flames turned it up near the end of the third period. He’s been a delightful surprise this season.
Jack Johnson has gotten a lot of deserved criticism as the season has progressed, but that stretch pass to R. Johnson was very nice. He was still team-worst in practically every shot metric against, though.
Scary moment for Kurashev when he was boarded by Dube, but he luckily didn’t miss any time. And in this instance, Domi defending his teammate was commendable.
Dillon Dube is penalized for boarding Philipp Kurashev, and Max Domi comes to the defense of his teammate. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/34XzH37QFp— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 9, 2023
The Reichel, Domi, Kurashev line was easily the most dangerous line tonight with nine of the Blackhawks 19 scoring chances at 5-on-5. They also had a 56.99 percent expected goal share when on the ice together for 14:22. Not bad at all.
And now onto the star of the show tonight: Lukas Reichel. He had quite the weekend between tonight and the Arizona game. Like, what was the most impressive part of Reichel’s first NHL goal: the backhand pass under pressure to Seth Jones, his hand-eye coordination on the tip, or the between-the-legs finish on his own rebound? It’s hard to find a favorite part. Not to mention how great both his passes on Kurashev and Domi’s goals were. Here are a few other times Reichel could have racked up points as well:
Lukas Reichel hops right off the bench and is robbed of what would've been his second goal of the night. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/mFV96eR6TP— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 9, 2023
Lukas Reichel is robbed of another point after Dan Vladar makes a terrific save on Max Domi. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/uVYUuobJpj— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 9, 2023
I don’t want to hype Reichel up too much, because the sample is so small, but the performance this weekend is exactly how Reichel plays in Rockford, so hopefully it means he’ll be able to continue translating his skill to the NHL. He’s still just 20 years old, so he’s bound to have inconsistencies and growing pains, but it’s so great to finally have something to be excited about as a Blackhawks fan this season — however long it might last.
Speaking of how long the Reichel stint with the Blackhawks might be, Luke Richardson didn’t give a specific length of time but he did say Reichel would be staying with the team even when Patrick Kane returns. It’ll be interesting to see where Reichel slots considering the Blackhawks have a limited supply of top-quality players, but he’s definitely more than earned staying in the NHL longer.
Luke Richardson said Lukas Reichel will likely stay in Chicago even when Patrick Kane returns.It's not permanent, but they want to give him a more extended look. #Blackhawks— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 9, 2023
Luke Richardson on Lukas Reichel: "I think the idea of bringing him up now is probably he earned a spot. It’s not just a flash, coming up for a game or two. It’s just to give him an extended time to see if he can sustain what he’s doing right now." #Blackhawks— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) January 9, 2023
Game Charts
Three stars
Alex Stalock (CHI) — .936 save-percentage on 47 shots
Lukas Reichel (CHI) — 1 goal (first NHL goal), 2 assists
Max Domi (CHI) — GWG, 1 assist
What’s next
The Blackhawks have three days off before taking on the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday at the United Center for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop.
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