The Chicago Blackhawks dropped their third straight game Sunday night, falling 1–0 to the Colorado Avalanche at the United Center. It was a much stronger response after Friday’s 9–3 blowout loss to Buffalo, but the Hawks still came up empty despite a committed, structured effort.
Colorado, the top team in the NHL with only one regulation loss this season, needed one mistake to take the game — and that’s exactly how it unfolded.
Game Summary
FIRST PERIOD — BLACKHAWKS CONTROL BUT CAN’T SCORE
The Blackhawks came out with the perfect response after the Buffalo nightmare. They dictated pace, controlled possession, and pushed Colorado back on their heels for most of the opening frame.
Chicago led:
- Shot attempts: 22–11
- Shots on goal: 12–2
- Scoring chances: 12–4
- High-danger chances (5-on-5): 4–0
It was one of the Hawks’ most complete first periods of the season: quick puck movement, strong retrievals, clean exits, and aggressive forechecking. Colorado looked flat, heavy, and out of sync until the final two minutes.
The Hawks had one power play after Manson’s trip on Mikheyev, but despite extended zone time, they didn’t generate a high-danger threat. The Avalanche penalty kill didn’t flip the momentum — but it prevented Chicago from turning their strong period into a lead.
Chicago dominated the first, but came away with nothing to show for it.
SECOND PERIOD — COLORADO UNLEASHES A MASSIVE STORM
The second period was the total opposite of the first. Colorado came out flying and completely overwhelmed Chicago with wave after wave of attack.
The Hawks struggled with puck management, slow breakouts, and were stuck defending for long stretches.
Colorado out-shot Chicago 19–1, one of the most lopsided periods the Hawks have played all season.
The Avalanche tightened their forecheck, took away Chicago’s middle-lane exits, and repeatedly forced turnovers at the blue lines. Long shifts piled up.
Fatigue kicked in. Chicago defended with desperation, collapsing deep to protect Knight.
And for 18 minutes, they survived the storm.
But with 1:39 left in the period, the break finally came. Spencer Knight tried to play a puck he should have frozen — a rare mistake on an otherwise strong night. The turnover landed on Tristen Nielsen’s stick, Knight stopped the first shot, but the rebound slid to Cale Makar, who buried it from the left circle.
Considering the Avalanche’s pressure, Chicago was fortunate to escape the period down only 1–0.
THIRD PERIOD — HAWKS PUSH, BUT WEDGEWOOD SLAMS THE DOOR
Chicago regrouped and pushed hard in the third. Their pace returned, and they generated quality looks off the rush and from extended zone time.
Midway through the period, with 3:45 remaining, Spencer Knight made a game-saving stop of his own — robbing Ross Colton with a right-leg pad to keep the score at 1–0 and give his team a chance.
Moments later, Tyler Bertuzzi appeared to be called for a penalty, but the referees reversed the decision after discussion, keeping the Hawks at five-on-five.
Chicago created one last golden chance in the final minute: Frank Nazar broke free in front, only to be denied by Scott Wedgewood, who made a spectacular save with 43 seconds remaining to preserve the shutout.
Despite a strong push, the Hawks couldn’t solve the Avalanche goaltender.
Coach Jeff Blashill’s Reaction
“Even with the second, I think if we repeat that performance, we’re winning lots of games. We did an excellent job in our structure, an excellent job of fixing some of the things we talked about this morning that we didn’t do in Buffalo.”
Jason Dickinson Reaction
“I felt better, for sure,” he said. “My legs took a little while to get back to where they should be. Reads were feeling pretty good, had a couple misses I’d like back, but that’s to be expected.
“We can be both happy with the process, not satisfied with the result. Would love for us to get the win, even scrape out a point. Divisional matchup like that, everything matters. It [stinks], but for the most part, that’s a lot of good clips that we can go back and watch and be proud of what we did because it didn’t feel like we gave up a whole lot, especially in the first and third.”
NOTES
- First time Chicago has been shut out at home since April 7, 2024 vs Minnesota.
- Andre Burakovsky missed the game (day-to-day).
- This game marked Ilya Mikheyev’s 100th game as a Chicago Blackhawk.
- Blackhawks defenseman Alex Vlasic played in his 200th NHL game.
- Chicago forward Jason Dickinson returned to the lineup after missing 10 games with an upper-body injury
- Colorado has only one regulation loss this season.
- Scott Wedgewood earned his first shutout of the season and the ninth of his career.
- Wedgewood extended his personal eight-game winning streak, allowing only 14 goals on 193 shots (.927 SV%)in that span.
- Wedgewood is now 13–1–2, 2.09 GAA, .918 SV% on the season.
Game Stats
| Category | Colorado | Chicago |
|---|---|---|
| Shots on Goal | 26 | 22 |
| Faceoff % | 43.1% | 56.9% |
| Power Play | 0/3 | 0/2 |
| Penalty Minutes | 4 | 6 |
| Hits | 29 | 21 |
| Blocked Shots | 14 | 12 |
| Giveaways | 14 | 18 |
| Takeaways | 3 | 5 |
THREE STARS OF THE GAME
- Cale Makar (COL) 1G 1PTS GWG
- Scott Wedgwood (COL) shutout 0 goal in 22 shots
- Tristen Nielsen (COL)
FINAL THOUGHTS
This was the response the Blackhawks needed after the Buffalo collapse. The effort, structure, and compete level were back. They played with character, defended hard, and stayed in the fight against the best team in the NHL.
If Chicago plays this way consistently — especially the first and third periods — they will win a lot of games.
Sometimes you lose to a powerhouse that needs only one mistake. But the identity they showed tonight is a step in the right direction.
NEXT GAME
The Chicago Blackhawks host the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday at 7:30 PM CDT. Minnesota enters as the hottest team in the NHL, riding a 5-game winning streak and an 8-1-1 record in their last 10.
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