The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday night. This was the first of three meetings between the clubs in 2025-26.
Vegas has the roster of a Stanley Cup contender, but with a few injuries and inconsistencies, they have been slightly above average so far this season. That trend continued for them against the Blackhawks on Wednesday.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVegas opened the scoring just 0:27 into the game. The puck was thrown into the net by Ivan Barbashev off a skate of Wyatt Kaiser. Not even a minute later, 1:23 to be exact, Oliver Moore scored to tie it right back up.
Although it seemed like each team had 10 goals on their minds, the pace slowed dramatically. The next goal didn't come until Tyler Bertuzzi put one home at 11:22 of the second period. Bertuzzi took advantage of a lucky bounce and made a skilled (and high effort) play to take advantage.
It was then on Vegas to respond, and Ben Hutton did that for them at 17:19 of the second period. Just like the first Golden Knights goal, this one went in off a Blackhawks defenseman (Matt Grzelcyk). The two teams traded goals in each of the first two periods, entering the third with a 2-2 tie.
At 4:45, Connor Bedard scored one of the more incredible goals that you'll ever see him score. Ryan Greene made a brilliant defensive play, which landed on the stick of Andre Burakovsky, who stretched Connor Bedard.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDefending him on the play was Shea Theodore, a likely 2026 Olympian on Team Canada and Stanley Cup champion. Bedard dangled right around him and roofed a shot to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 lead. Speed, skill, and creativity made this happen for Bedard.
Rookie Braeden Bowman tied the game for the Golden Knights later in the period to complete the trifecta of both teams getting one goal per period.
Overtime was filled with incredible chances, but both goalies stood their ground. In the shootout, Connor Bedard scored another incredibly skilled goal, but Vegas took it in extra frames. The final score was 4-3 in favor of the Golden Knights.
Spencer Knight was a shining star in this game, which has become normal for him as an NHL goalie. Knight allowed 3 goals on 28 shots (25 saves), which doesn't seem to be the best set of numbers, but he made some grade-A saves in timely moments throughout.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAlthough this game was a loss on the scoreboard, and in the shootout no less, the Blackhawks can feel good about how they played. It's about getting points, and one was left on the table, but they had a great game against a truly formidable team.
In addition to Connor Bedard and Spencer Knight, who were the two best Blackhawks, Oliver Moore and Frank Nazar were flying in this one. If they can bring that level of speed and intensity every game, the Blackhawks will be as hard to beat as they were earlier in the year.
Watch Every Blackhawks Goal
What's Next For Chicago?
Next up for the Chicago Blackhawks is a trip to Souther California and a date with the Los Angeles Kings. This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams, LA won the first at United Center 3-1.
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