Late Gaffe Costs Hawks A Point In Vegas

The Chicago Blackhawks opened their four-game road trip — and their first game of December — with a strong, structured effort in Vegas, but once again a late mistake came back to haunt them. Chicago played well enough to win this game on the road, battled through momentum swings, and got another highlight-reel goal from Connor Bedard. But a bad line change by Oliver Moore late in the third period opened the door for Vegas, and the Golden Knights tied the game with just over two minutes left. From there, one of the most electric overtimes of the NHL season followed, before Vegas finally closed it out in the shootout.

GAME SUMMARY — Golden Knights 4, Blackhawks 3 (SO)

December 2, 2025 – Vegas opens Chicago’s 4-game road trip with a shootout win

First Period — A Wild Start, Then Chicago Takes Control

Unfortunately for the Blackhawks, the game started with the same script as Sunday afternoon. Vegas scored just 27 seconds in when Ivan Barbashev’s pass attempt redirected off Wyatt Kaiser’s skate and slipped behind Spencer Knight.

This time, though, Chicago answered fast.

Just 56 seconds later, Oliver Moore ripped home his 3rd of the season from the right circle. Frank Nazar picked up the secondary assist — his 7th assist in his last 9 games — and suddenly the Hawks were right back in it.

After the first two shots of the game went in, both teams settled down. Chicago completely closed the door defensively. Vegas went the final 7:43 of the period without a shot, and the Hawks controlled play at 5-on-5:

Shot attempts: 15–11 CHI
Scoring chances: 6–3 CHI

The Hawks played fast, structured, and confident through 20 minutes.

early equalizer✅ pic.twitter.com/2U5MKr3LRg
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

Second Period — Hawks Take the Lead… Then Another Deflection Ties It

For the second time in the game, Chicago grabbed the lead. At 11:22, Tyler Bertuzzi jumped on a brutal mistake from Carter Hart, who fired a clearing attempt right at him. Bertuzzi knocked it down and chipped it over Hart for his 14th of the season, unassisted.

But just like the first period, Vegas tied it late — again on an unlucky bounce.
Ben Hutton’s shot hit Matthew Grzelcyk’s leg in front and redirected in to make it 2–2.

Both Vegas goals at this point came off Blackhawks defensemen. After 40 minutes, Chicago had outplayed Vegas, but the scoreboard didn’t show it.

Third Period — Bedard Magic, Then Another Painful Lesson

Early in the third, Connor Bedard delivered another brilliant moment.
At 4:45, he walked across the slot on a 1-on-1, pulled the puck into space, and fired a top-shelf rocket over Hart’s shoulder. An elite major-league shot. His 17th of the season.

Chicago carried the lead late into the period, defending well and getting timely saves from Knight.

But with 2:28 remaining, disaster struck.

Oliver Moore made a tough line change at the wrong moment, giving Vegas a 5-on-4 rush. After Knight made two big stops, Braeden Bowman finally lifted the rebound over his pad for his 5th goal in 11 NHL games.

Just like that, the game was tied 3-3.

ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh my goodness🫨 pic.twitter.com/jwIzJUJtF1
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2025

Overtime — Hart vs Knight Show

The extra frame was pure chaos — some of the best 3-on-3 action of the year.

Chicago had six shots in OT.
Carter Hart robbed three Grade A chances.
Spencer Knight made the save of the night, flashing the leg pad on a 2-on-1 with Eichel feeding Hanifin.
Both teams traded rush after rush, but neither goalie cracked.

This one deserved a shootout.

Shootout — Vegas Scores Twice, Chicago Scores Once

Shootout order:

Chicago:
• Teravainen – saved
• Bedard – scored
• Donato – saved
• Nazar – saved

Vegas:
• Dorofeyev – scored
• Eichel – saved
• Marner – saved
• Theodore – scored (winner)

Vegas escapes with the extra point, winning 4–3.

Power Play Struggles & Lost Points

The Blackhawks’ power play went 0-for-5, generating very little momentum. In a one-goal game (again), that hurt.

Chicago has now lost four straight games with the exact same score: 4–3 (0-1-2 in those games).

Postgame Comments

Oliver Moore

“I felt confident from the jump. Our line with Nazar and Bertuzzi was really clicking tonight.”

“But that was an awful change on the tying goal. That’s the difference between a winning game and a losing game.”

Jeff Blashill

“You’re disappointed you didn’t get two points, but we did a lot of good stuff.”

“On the road, against a Stanley Cup contender, we out-chanced them and put ourselves in position to win.”

“We’ve got some young, young guys in big moments. That’s good. That’s what this is about: continuing to grow.”

GAME STATS

Category	Chicago	Vegas
Final Score	3	4 (SO)
Shots on Goal	30	28
Faceoff %	59.6%	40.4%
Power Play	0/5	0/2
Penalty Minutes	4	10
Hits	9	20
Blocked Shots	16	18
Giveaways	15	13
Takeaways	4	5

BlackHawks Players Highlights

Tyler Bertuzzi 1G 1A 1PTS

Oliver Moore 1G 1PTS 2SOG

Connor Bedard 1G 1PTS 6SOG

Alex Vlasic TOI 21:44 4SOG 2BLK

Wyatt Kaiser TOI 17:59 4BLK

Spencer Knight 3 goals on 28 shots

5 forwards with 20 minutes + (TOI)

GAME SNAPSHOTS

• Connor Bedard scored another highlight-reel goal, ripping a perfect top-shelf shot to give Chicago a 3–2 lead in the third period.
• Ryan Greene started the play with an excellent first pass, extending his point streak to three straight games.
• The power play struggled again: 0-for-5 with only 5 shots on goal on 8 attempts — simply not good enough in a one-goal game.
• Spencer Knight deserved a better result. He delivered big saves in key moments, especially late in the third and in overtime, but didn’t get the game-winning support from his teammates.
• Jason Dickinson briefly left the game in the third period after being clipped accidentally by Levshunov’s stick, but he returned a few minutes later and finished the night.

Three Stars of the Game

1st Star — Shea Theodore (VGK)
2 assists, shootout winner

2nd Star — Braeden Bowman (VGK)
1 goal, 1 assist

3rd Star — Carter Hart (VGK)
27 saves, first NHL win since Jan. 20, 2024

My 3 Takeaways

1. Spencer Knight Deserves Better

Spencer Knight didn’t have the best opening minute — just like the rest of the team — but after that he locked in and gave the Blackhawks every chance to win this hockey game. His final save percentage (.898) doesn’t come close to reflecting his performance. The first two goals both hit Chicago defensemen on deflections, and the tying goal came only after he made two huge stops before Bowman finally lifted the puck over him.

In overtime, Knight delivered the save of the night — and maybe the save of the week — flashing his left pad to rob Hanifin on a 2-on-1 one-timer. Once again, he did his job. Chicago just couldn’t finish the job for him. The Hawks have now lost three straight games by a 4–3 score, and Knight deserved more in all of them.

2. Bertuzzi & Bedard Continue to Shine

Tyler Bertuzzi and Connor Bedard once again led the offensive push. Both scored, both created chances, and both played important minutes in every situation. Bedard didn’t just score another elite top-shelf goal — he also made several strong defensive reads, including one battle win against Mark Stone in the third period.

Bertuzzi added another multi-point game — his eighth of the season — and now has four points in his last four games. He’s been consistent, competitive, and productive. The only negative: on the tying goal, he lost track of Bowman for a split second, and Vegas made Chicago pay. But overall, both Bertuzzi and Bedard were again among Chicago’s best.

3. The Blackhawks Keep Learning — and Competing

This is becoming a theme, but it matters. The Blackhawks continue to be right there in every game. Tonight was their ninth one-goal loss of the season, and they’ve lost their last three games by the exact same score: 4–3. The results aren’t there yet, but the structure, compete, and development are.

Jeff Blashill said it well: they deserved two points, they out-chanced a Stanley Cup contender on the road, and young players were playing big minutes in big moments. That’s exactly what this rebuild needs.

Levshunov, Nazar, Greene, and Moore all had solid games and continue to grow. The last five games included matchups against Colorado, Minnesota, and Vegas — all top teams — and Chicago lost all of them by just one goal.

This is meaningful hockey for a young team, and in the long run, this is how a rebuild moves forward.

Final Thoughts

The Blackhawks played a strong road game against one of the top teams in the NHL, out-chancing Vegas and putting themselves in position to take two points. But once again, a couple of bad bounces, one costly line change, and a powerless power play made the difference. Spencer Knight showed elite moments, Bedard and Bertuzzi carried the offense, and the young core continued to take important steps.

The record may not show it, but the progress is there. This team is competing every night, playing meaningful hockey, and learning the details that separate winning from losing in the NHL. The margin is small — and right now, Chicago is on the wrong side of it — but the foundation is real. These games will pay off later.