Petr Mrazek, Fourth Line, shutdown Pittsburgh Penguins in season-opening win
Petr Mrazek put on a clinic against the Pittsburgh Penguins
Petr Mrazek put on a clinic against the Pittsburgh Penguins and helped the Chicago Blackhawks to a comeback 4–2 win in the season-opener.
Mrazek, saved 38 of 40 shots, stopped seven of eight high danger chances, recorded a +1.19 Goals Saved Above Expected, and got the win for the Blackhawks on Tuesday night.
On top of Mrazek’s performance, the Blackhawks new fourth-line was crucial in securing the win. All three players put up two points, and all of them contributed on the game-winner. Jason Dickinson scored the game-winning goal, Nick Foligno scored the empty net goal, and Corey Perry had two primary assists.
The fourth-line was also staunch defensively; allowing no goals, the least amount of shots, and the least amount of expected goals out of all the Blackhawks’ lines.
In addition, to Dickinson and Foligno scoring, Ryan Donato scored his first goal as a Blackhawk and got the team on the board. Connor Bedard picked up his first NHL assist on Donato’s goal. After that, Cole Guttman continued where he left off last season and tied up the game up at two apiece.
Work hard, play hard
Blackhawks Head Coach Luke Richardson has preached hard work ever since he’s gotten to Chicago. And while the team finished 30th in the NHL last year, and ultimately got Bedard, you could never question their work ethic.
“You know what? Our team works, and we’re comfortable with our style,” said Richardson. “We played for 60 minutes. I think we should be involved in every game.”
That effort has continued into this season, especially in the season-opener. Facing a 2–0 deficit midway through the second, they came back to win the game 4–2.
Impressive debuts
The 18-year-old Bedard and 19-year-old Kevin Korchinski made their NHL debuts on Tuesday night. Bedard registered a secondary assist, a 61.60% shot share, and a 62.81% expected goals share in 21:28 of ice time. Korchinski was held off the score sheet, but drew a penalty and had two takeaways in 19:19 of ice time.
“[Bedard] looked great. He fit right in. He didn’t look like a young kid trying to find the game,” Dickinson said. “He was controlling the puck really well. He was making plays.”
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