The Chicago Blackhawks battled hard once again, but the same story showed up on Wednesday night at the United Center. Chicago built a 2–0 lead and later a 3–2 lead, outshot Minnesota 37–24, and played one of their better games in weeks. But they couldn’t finish it. The Wild pushed back late, tied the game in the third, and won 4–3 in overtime when Kirill Kaprizov scored on a power play just 1:38 into the extra frame.
Jason Dickinson, Connor Bedard, and Artyom Levshunov handled the scoring for the Blackhawks, who also had a Tyler Bertuzzi goal wiped out by an offside review — a turning point that shifted momentum. Chicago has now dropped four straight games, despite stretches of strong play and improved structure.
Game Summary
1st Period — Pure Domination, But Nothing to Show for It
Chicago delivered one of their most dominant opening periods of the entire season. From the first shift to the last whistle, the Blackhawks controlled everything: pace, zone time, forecheck pressure, and scoring chances.
The numbers alone tell the story. Chicago outshot Minnesota 20–5, generated 28–9 shot attempts at 5-on-5, and held a 16–5 lead in scoring chances. High-danger chances were 10–3, and Chicago won 11 of 16 faceoffs, dictating possession from every line.
The Hawks also earned back-to-back power plays early in the frame but failed to capitalize, despite heavy zone time and multiple looks around the crease. Those missed opportunities would come back to matter later.
Defensively, Chicago was air-tight. They blocked four shots, limited Minnesota to one-and-done rushes, and completely shut down the Wild’s ability to establish any offensive rhythm. Spencer Knight barely had to move during long stretches of play.
Wyatt Kaiser was the standout of the period. He finished with four shots, led the team with 1.55 expected goals at 5-on-5, and was on the ice for 13 of Chicago’s 18 shots at even strength. His skating, gaps, and confidence with the puck were at an elite level — easily his best period of the year.
By the time the horn sounded, every Blackhawks skater except Sam Rinzel (50%) finished above 60% Corsi For, showcasing just how lopsided the period was.
The only issue?
They didn’t score. Just like the Colorado game on Sunday, the Blackhawks dominated the entire period but came away with nothing on the scoreboard — a missed chance to put early pressure on one of the hottest teams in the league.
2nd Period — Hawks Finally Break Through… But Momentum Flips Late
The second period started the same way the first ended: with Chicago pushing the pace and controlling the game. And this time, the Hawks finally cashed in.
At 5:41, Jason Dickinson opened the scoring. After Yakov Trenin mishandled the puck along the left boards, Dickinson jumped on it, walked into the slot, and ripped it home for a 1–0 lead. It was a deserved reward after nearly 30 minutes of dominance.
Just a few minutes later, the Blackhawks doubled their lead. At 12:08, Tyler Bertuzzi powered the puck through the neutral zone, fed Sam Rinzel on the far side, and Rinzel immediately sent a perfect pass to Connor Bedard driving the middle. Bedard finished in tight for 2–0 Chicago, a clean, confident scoring play.
The period also saw some physical pushback. At 8:24, Colton Dach and Jake Middleton dropped the gloves in a spirited fight. It didn’t really change the momentum — Chicago stayed in control — and just four minutes later, the Hawks responded with another goal.
But the turning point came late.
At 16:07, Bertuzzi appeared to make it 3–0 after tapping in a rebound off a Bedard shot. The United Center thought the Hawks had blown the game open — but Minnesota challenged the play for offside, and the goal was overturned. A huge momentum swing.
Things unraveled quickly after that.
At 13:00, Ilya Mikheyev took a holding penalty. Four minutes later, with 4 seconds left, Louis Crevier accidentally flipped the puck over the glass for delay of game. Those two penalties — back-to-back — gave the Wild life.
Minnesota finally broke through with 14 seconds left in the period. Brock Faber’s point shot deflected off Bertuzzi, floated over Knight’s shoulder, hit the post, and barely crossed the line. Instead of a 3–0 stranglehold, the Hawks suddenly led 2–1, and the Wild carried a power play into the third period.
Still, even after the chaos, Chicago dominated the stats through 40 minutes:
- 53–29 shot attempts
- 29–11 scoring chances
- 16–6 high-danger chances
- 66% on faceoffs (23/35)
And with 5:44 left, Spencer Knight made a huge goal-line save to temporarily preserve the two-goal lead.
Chicago went into the third period ahead on the scoreboard and in control of the game — and they had lost only once all season when leading after 40 minutes. They were in a good position.
But the momentum had clearly shifted.
3rd Period — Blackhawks Leads Lost Again
The third period started with pressure on Chicago right away. After killing off the power play that carried over from Crevier’s late-second-period penalty, the Hawks barely had time to reset before Minnesota struck. At 2:17, Nico Sturm got inside position and redirected a Jonas Brodin point shot to tie the game 2–2. Just like that, all the hard work from the first 40 minutes was erased.
But the Blackhawks didn’t fold.
At 5:31, Artyom Levshunov jumped into the rush and finally got the moment he’d been building toward for weeks. Connor Bedard fed him a perfect cross-ice pass, and the 20-year-old defenseman walked in and scored his first NHL goal on a smooth backhand to restore the lead 3–2. An awesome moment — and even better with his mother and sister in the building to see it live.
Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last long.
At 10:35, a loose puck in front caused chaos for Spencer Knight. Knight lunged for it, lost his crease for a second, and Matt Boldy pounced, burying the rebound into an open net to tie the game 3–3.
The period also brought the second — and best — fight of the night. With just under eight minutes left, Yakov Trenin dropped the gloves with Connor Murphy after taking exception to Murphy finishing his hit on Eriksson Ek along the boards. It was a spirited, heavy exchange that fired up the United Center crowd.
Chicago had a chance to steal the game late. At 16:46, Oliver Moore was tripped by Middleton, giving the Hawks a huge power-play opportunity. During that man advantage, Bedard came within inches of the game-winner — he hit the post twice on clean shots. In total, Chicago hit three posts in the third period alone.
For the third time in the last five games, the Blackhawks saw a 2–0 lead disappear. And for the second straight game, they couldn’t protect a third-period lead. They played well enough to win, but the same small mistakes cost them again.
Overtime — Penalty, Puck in the Net, Game Over
Only 53 seconds into overtime, Ilya Mikheyev was called for interference. Minnesota went to a 4-on-3 power play.
At 1:38, Kirill Kaprizov walked into the left circle and ripped a bar-down wrist shot to seal a 4–3 Wild win, their sixth straight.
Chicago outshot Minnesota 37–24 and controlled most of the night — but they couldn’t close it out.
POSTGAME COMMENT
Blashill was clearly frustrated but focused on growth:
“We played too good to lose it. That’s what we’re trying to figure out here — just grinding and getting better.” Only two NHL teams have spent fewer than 300 minutes trailing this season: the Blackhawks and the Avalanche.
The difference? Colorado closes games. Chicago doesn’t — and that’s why the Hawks sit at a mediocre 10-8-5.
“We’ve given up a couple of leads these last few games. We’re in that spot, but the next step is learning how to make sure there’s no way to lose that game.”
Bedard spoke after the game about the effort and the frustration:
“I thought we played a pretty good game, but just little mistakes that we’ll clean up,” Bedard said. “Overall, I thought there were a lot of positives to take away. But in the end, obviously you’ve got to come out with the two points.”
Connor Bedard wasn’t upset about the call on Mikheyev in overtime, although he admitted “I got flattened so I didn’t get to see it.” (“It was a great hit. Super clean.”) “We’re not going to blame the refs. They’ve got a job to do and it’s not always easy for them.”
NOTES
- Artyom Levshunov (20 years, 29 days) became the third-youngest defenseman in the last decade to score his first NHL goal with the Blackhawks. Only Adam Boqvist (19 years, 80 days in 2019) and Kevin Korchinski (19 years, 141 days in 2023) were younger.
GAME STATS
| Stat | Blackhawks | Wild |
| Shots on Goal | 37 | 24 |
| Faceoffs | 56.1% (32/57) | 43.9% (25/57) |
| Power Play | 0/4 | 1/4 |
| Penalty Minutes | 20 | 18 |
| Hits | 11 | 26 |
| Blocked Shots | 11 | 5 |
| Giveaways | 19 | 18 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 4 |
Blackhawks Players Highlights
Connor Bedard 1G 1A 2PTS TOI 22:49 3SOG FO% 50.0
jason Dickinson 1G 1PTS TOI: 19:35 4SOG FO%: 61.9
Ayrtom Levshunov 1G 1PTS TOI 18:16 3SOG 2BLK
Ilya Mikheyev TOI 20:51 4SOG 1BLK
Spencer Knight 4 goals on 24 shots .SV%833
THREE STARS
- Kirill Kaprizov (MIN) — 1G 1PTS GWG
- Matt Boldy (MIN) — 1G, 2A 3PTS
- Connor Bedard (CHI) — 1G, 1A 3PTS
My 3 Takeaways
1. A Tough One to Swallow — But a Learning Opportunity
This one hurts, no question. The Blackhawks played well enough to win and controlled most of the night. In hockey, sometimes you win games you don’t deserve… and sometimes you lose games you should absolutely win. This was the second kind.
Chicago held leads of 2–1 and 3–2, dominated the first 40 minutes, and still found a way to let Minnesota back in. Then a penalty in overtime ended it. For a rebuilding team, closing out games is one of the hardest steps.
The positive?
They’re playing meaningful games, going toe-to-toe with one of the hottest teams in the NHL, and their young players are learning exactly what it takes to win tight games in the NHL. These losses are part of the long-term climb — painful, but necessary.
2. Jason Dickinson’s Strong Return for the Blackhawks
Jason Dickinson missed time, came back, and was thrown straight into the fire: shut down the Wild’s top line — Kaprizov, Boldy, Eriksson Ek — one of the toughest assignments in the league right now. He not only handled it, he scored the opening goal, his second of the season.
The numbers show how good he was:
- 0.99 xGF vs 0.07 xGA when facing Boldy/Eriksson Ek through two periods
- Won 12 of 19 faceoffs
- Five shot attempts through two periods
- Huge minutes in key situations
After getting shut out by Colorado and failing to score in a dominant first period tonight, Chicago needed someone to break the ice. Dickinson delivered — even if the pass came off Trenin’s stick.
For a player in his contract year, healthy again, he proved how valuable he is to this lineup.
3. Levshunov’s First NHL Goal
Artyom Levshunov finally broke through with his first NHL goal, and what a moment it was. A smooth backhand finish off a perfect Bedard pass, and his family was in the building to see it.
He wished it stood as the game-winner, but even in the loss, this goal capped an impressive November for the young defenseman.
He’s adapting fast, learning the league, and showing more confidence each game.
Eight points in 12 games this month — that’s real progress.
It’s not perfect every night, but the talent is obvious, and he’s taking steps that matter for the future core.
Bedard on Arty Levshunov: “His heart rate has to be 25 or 30 during the game… Seeing some of the plays he makes where he’s under pressure and he’s never rushing and never panicked, that’s not something you can teach someone to do. Either you have it or you don’t. He has it.”
Final Thoughts: Blackhawks are Competitive
This one is tough to swallow for the Blackhawks. They played well enough to win, controlled long stretches of the game, and handled a red-hot Minnesota team for most of the night. But in the NHL, closing games is part of the learning curve, and this young group is still going through those moments. Chicago had the lead twice, generated 37 shots, and got key contributions from Dickinson, Bedard, and Levshunov, but a late push by the Wild and an overtime penalty were enough to flip the result.
Even with the loss, the Hawks continue to play meaningful hockey and look more competitive every week. These are the types of games that build experience, and they’re part of the growth process for a young roster learning how to manage momentum and finish tight games. The effort was there — now they just need to keep building and find a way to turn performances like this into two points.
Next Game for the Blackhawks
Friday, Nov. 28 vs Nashville (7:00 PM CDT, United Center)
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