Lukas Reichel shines in Blackhawks’ overtime win over Flames
10 observations: Reichel shines in Hawks’ OT win over Flames originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Blackhawks knocked off the Calgary Flames 4-3 in overtime at the United Center on Sunday.
Here are 10 observations from the win:
1. Patrick Kane did not play for the second straight game because of a lower-body injury. The Blackhawks don’t play again until Thursday, so they wanted to give him a few extra days of proper rest and treatment before returning.
2. The Blackhawks scored the first goal for the fifth straight game after doing so only five times in their first 34 games. They also held a 3-1 lead in the second period. Things were looking good. The momentum quickly turned after Jacob Markstrom was pulled for Dan Vladar, who stopped the only three shots he faced in the period. The Flames struck within 27 seconds of Chicago making it 3-1 and they later tied it with their second power-play goal of the game.
3. Lukas Reichel had his best NHL showing on Friday against Arizona. He followed that up with an even stronger game against a better opponent. He scored his first career NHL goal on just his second shift with a between-the-legs shot, added a beautiful assist for his first career multi-point game and then another on Max Domi’s overtime winner. He could’ve had at least one or two more points as well. He created again all night. A massive boost to his confidence.
4. I think Reichel deserves to stay with the Blackhawks for the time being, and it sounds like that’s what they’re going to do even when Kane returns. He’s earned an extended look. I asked Reichel after the game if he thinks he’s made it difficult for the management group to send him back to Rockford. He laughed, then replied: “I don’t want to get in trouble, but yeah, I felt good and I’m always happy to play here and I hope I stay here.”
5. Alex Stalock made his third consecutive start between the pipes. He went into the game with the sixth-best save percentage among qualified goaltenders at…
