Over their last 10 games, the Chicago Blackhawks own a 2-7-1 record — and both wins have come against the same opponent. Once again, Chicago edged the Dallas Stars by an identical 4–3 score, this time in regulation at the United Center. Special teams made the difference, as the Blackhawks went 2-for-4 on the power play, scoring twice with the man advantage. Ilya Mikheyev led the offense with two goals, Spencer Knight stopped 22 shots, and the loss extended Dallas’ losing streak to four straight games.
Game Summary
1st Period
The Blackhawks struck first on the power play at 11:48 when Artyom Levshunov scored his second NHL goal. Just moments earlier, Andre Burakovsky missed an open net, but the puck stayed alive in the zone. After a scramble with seven players collapsed around the crease, the puck popped back to Burakovsky, who quickly fed Levshunov at the point. The rookie defenseman stepped into a wrist shot that found the back of the net to make it 1–0 Chicago.
Dallas responded quickly to regain momentum. Less than three minutes later, Mikko Rantanen tied the game with his 16th goal of the season. Rantanen lifted Jason Dickinson’s stick from behind, collected the puck on a 2-on-1 rush, and finished with a smooth backhand upstairs, beating Spencer Knight to even the score at 1–1.
Those were the only goals of the period. Both teams generated limited shots, finishing the first tied 6–6 in shots on goal. Chicago carried the play for stretches and posted strong underlying numbers, though Dallas hit the post twice. The Blackhawks will start the second period on the power play.
2nd Period
The second period has been a problem area for the Blackhawks this season, entering the night with a minus-11 goal differential, but this time Chicago flipped the script.
Just 13 seconds into the period, Teuvo Teravainen restored the Blackhawks’ lead with a power-play goal, his eighth of the season. It marked Chicago’s third straight power-play goal and gave the Hawks the lead for the second time in the game. Teravainen has now scored in back-to-back games for the first time this season after recording just one assist in his previous 13 games. Andre Burakovsky and Tyler Bertuzzi picked up the assists on the play. The Blackhawks are now 3-for-6 on the power play over their last two games after going 1-for-18 following Connor Bedard’s injury.
Chicago doubled its lead at 9:14 when Ilya Mikheyev scored his first of two goals on the night. After Matt Grzelcyk kept the puck alive at the blue line, Mikheyev took the return pass, cut hard toward the net, protected the puck with his body, and finished with a smooth move from backhand to forehand to make it 3–1. Mikheyev had not scored between Nov. 5 and Dec. 20, a 20-game drought, but since then he has scored twice on Dec. 20 and twice again in this game.
An unusual moment followed later in the period when Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen was assessed a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after slamming his stick into the glass near the Stars’ bench and shattering it. Through 40 minutes, the Blackha
3rd Period
The Blackhawks knew the Stars would push hard in the third period, but Ilya Mikheyev had other plans. At 3:58, Mikheyev scored his second goal of the night and eighth of the season, extending Chicago’s lead to 4–1. The goal came in fortunate fashion as the puck bounced off Jake Oettinger’s chest logo, dropped between his pads, and slowly slid across the goal line.
Before Mikheyev’s goal, Alex Vlasic made a strong defensive play to deny a prime scoring chance by Colin Blackwell. For all the talk about Vlasic needing to be more physical, his stick positioning and defensive awareness stood out in key moments.
Dallas made a late push during a 6-on-5 situation with 3:57 remaining. A miscommunication between Jason Dickinson and Louis Crevier led to a turnover, allowing Matt Duchene to recover the puck and set up a quick tic-tac-toe play with Mikko Rantanen, finishing with Jason Robertson’s 24th goal of the season to make it 4–2.
The Stars pulled the goaltender again, and Mikheyev nearly completed the hat trick when he hit the post with the Dallas net empty. Moments later, Duchene scored his third of the season with just 18 seconds remaining, cutting the deficit to one.
Despite being outshot 9–4 in the period, Spencer Knight stood tall under pressure and closed the door on Dallas’ final push, earning his 11th win of the season as the Blackhawks held
Inside the Locker Room
Ilya Mikheyev:
“Yeah, I think we played a full 60 minutes today,” said Mikheyev, who missed games on Dec. 27 and 28 after becoming a father. “It’s more exciting, you know? Life is changing, and I’m really happy with it.”
Andre Burakovsky:
“We were really good from the start,” Burakovsky said. “There was a stretch where we sat back a little too much instead of keeping the pressure on, but we came out in the third and did what we were supposed to do. Overall, it was a good game.”
Head Coach Jeff Blashill:
“Yeah, I was pumped for him,” Blashill said. “He’s enjoying his early experience as a new dad, and it was great to see. He’s such a good person, so whenever he has success, it’s fun to watch.”
Ryan Donato:
“I was saying a little prayer for him when he got out there for the third one,” Donato said. “Having the baby and getting a hat trick would’ve been pretty cool. He was saying he’d save it for next time and get another one. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a puck hit the post that hard, especially on an empty net. We were all hoping he’d get it, but he had an amazing game tonight. We’re happy to have him, especially with everything he does — and when he scores like that, it’s great.”
Game Stats
| Stat | Dallas Stars | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Shots on Goal | 25 | 21 |
| Faceoff % | 51.2% | 48.8% |
| Power Play | 0/1 | 2/4 |
| Penalty Minutes | 8 | 2 |
| Hits | 29 | 20 |
| Blocked Shots | 16 | 17 |
| Giveaways | 17 | 15 |
| Takeaways | 4 | 7 |
Blackhawks Players Highlights
Ilya Mikheyev 2G 2PTS TOI 17:39 3SOG GWG
Andrei Burakovsky 2A 2PTS TOI 14:32
Ryan Donato 2A 2PTS TOI 16:31 2SOG
Teuvo Teravainen 1G 1PTS TOI 14:34 1SOG
Ayrtom Levshunov 1G 1PTS TOI 18:27 2SOG 2HITS
Tyler Bertuzzi 1A 1PTS TOI 18:57 4SOG
Three Stars of the Game
- ⭐Ilya Mikheyev, CHI — 2G 2PTS
⭐⭐ Ryan Donato, CHI — 2A 2PTS
⭐⭐⭐ Andre Burakovsky, CHI — 2A 2PTS
My Takeaway
The first game of 2026 was a solid overall performance by the Blackhawks. The veterans stepped up in a big way, combining for six points, with two points each from the game’s three stars: Ilya Mikheyev, Ryan Donato, and Andre Burakovsky. With key players like Connor Bedard and Lukas Reichel absent, Chicago needed production from its experienced players — and they delivered.
The final score doesn’t fully reflect how well the Blackhawks played for most of the night. Chicago controlled the game from the opening faceoff until the final five minutes. Head coach Jeff Blashill has emphasized details such as gap control, winning puck battles, driving the net, and applying pressure with a strong forecheck — and those elements were clearly present in this game.
Nick Lardis and Oliver Moore continue to show strong chemistry together, while Greene once again played a solid game in the top six, finishing with a 62.5% faceoff percentage while skating between Burakovsky and Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi led the Blackhawks after 40 minutes with seven individual shot attempts and seven individual scoring chances.
In goal, Spencer Knight made key saves at the right moments to preserve the lead. On the back end, Artyom Levshunov continues to impress. He came into the game with assists in four of his last five outings and showed poise on the power play, taking his time before scoring the opening goal of the night.
Next Game
The Blackhawks continue their schedule with a back-to-back set this weekend, an area where they have struggled this season with a 0-4-0 record.
Chicago travels to Washington on Saturday, Jan. 3, to face the Capitals at 6:00 p.m. CDT, before returning home on Sunday, Jan. 4, to host the Vegas Golden Knights at 6:00 p.m. CDT.
KEEP READING:
Blackhawks Weekly Recap: (Week 1)
Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 2)
Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 3)
Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 4)
Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 5)
Blackhawks Weekly Recap (Week 6)
Blackhawks Week in Review:Week 7
Blackhawks Week in Recap (Week 8)
Blackhawks Week In Review: (Week 9)
Blackhawks Week In Review: (Week 10)
Blackhawks Week In Review: (Week 11)
Blackhawks October Report Card
Blackhawks: November Report Card
If this is how they play when they practice, keep the practices coming.
Can we defend the slot when they pull their goalie? I can see why they continue to practice.
I’m not a fan of Dickinson but i read he’s extremely hard on himself when he screws up, so i can appreciate that and it’s unfortunate he can’t process the game at the NHL level.