The Chicago Blackhawks finally found offense — and plenty of resolve — on Thursday night in Carolina. Chicago scored four goals in a game for the first time since Jan. 7, and while it wasn’t pretty, it was a gritty, survival-style win built on effort and perseverance. After trading mistakes and momentum swings all night, the Blackhawks outlasted the Hurricanes in a marathon six-round shootout, where Oliver Moore capped his 21st birthday by ripping the game-winner past Frederik Andersen.
Moore’s night was anything but smooth. He took heat after a questionable decision that led to a fight with Alexis Nikishin, then endured a chaotic overtime sequence that saw him turn the puck over on a Hurricanes two-on-one before generating a breakaway of his own seconds later. Both goalies — Spencer Knight and Andersen — stood tall in overtime, setting the stage for yet another long shootout.
In the sixth round, Moore finally delivered. “It was fitting,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “To me, that’s karma. You stick up for your teammate, and you get a chance to finish it and win the game.” Moore admitted he wanted another chance after his missed breakaway, and he made it count — just as Knight, the difference-maker all night, finished with 28 saves to secure Chicago’s first win against Carolina since 2021.
STOOD OUT — Penalty Kill & Ilya Mikheyev
The Blackhawks’ penalty kill was the defining factor in this win. Coming in, Carolina had one of the hottest power plays in the NHL in January, and Chicago knew discipline would be critical. Even so, the Blackhawks handed the Hurricanes five power-play opportunities — and shut down every single one. That was the difference in the game.
Ilya Mikheyev set the tone early, scoring his ninth goal of the season and his first shorthanded goal of the year. Chicago’s penalty kill has been elite all month, operating at 92.9 percent in January after allowing just two goals on 28 opportunities. On the season, the Blackhawks rank first in the NHL at 85.1 percent.
Mikheyev is a huge reason why. He averages 2:55 of shorthanded ice time per game, third-most among NHL forwards, and consistently disrupts entries, pressures puck carriers, and creates offense the other way. With unrestricted free agency looming this summer, Mikheyev continues to prove his value as one of the league’s most reliable penalty-killing forwards.
OBSCURE — Spencer Knight
Spencer Knight quietly put together another outstanding performance. Two nights after shutting out Winnipeg with 32 saves, Knight followed it up by stopping 28 of 31 shots against Carolina for a .903 save percentage, then turned aside five of six shooters in the shootout.
The underlying numbers show just how important he was. At even strength, scoring chances favored the Hurricanes 31–14, and through two periods they were 32–8. Despite the imbalance, only two pucks found their way past Knight in the first 40 minutes. Without him, this game is not tied heading into the third period.
Knight made timely, high-danger saves throughout regulation and overtime, then delivered again when it mattered most in the shootout. He was a major reason the Blackhawks escaped Carolina with two points.
AT THE OFFICE — Artyom Levshunov
Rookie defenseman Artyom Levshunov had a tough night, highlighted by an ill-advised pinch that directly led to Carolina’s second goal. As a result, Levshunov saw just five shifts combined in the third period and overtime.
“I didn’t think Arty had his best night, especially early, [and] ice time has to be earned,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “He struggled with some of his reads and his decision-making with the puck. His last game was really good, and this game wasn’t. It’s just part of the growing process.”
That growing process was on full display. Blashill spoke Thursday morning about how fascinating it is to show up each day and see “what type of growth or steps forward or steps back” his team takes. Levshunov’s instincts tell him to be aggressive and go get the puck — and at 20 years old, he’s learning in real time what works and what doesn’t at the NHL level. Nights like this are part of the education.
Notes
- Blackhawks forward Jason Dickinson was scratched due to illness and was replaced in the lineup by Landon Slaggert.
- Chicago has now won a season-high four straight road games.
- The Blackhawks went a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and are now 26-for-28 (92.8 percent) over their past 11 games.
- Carolina is still 11-0-2 in its past 13 games against Chicago, dating back to April 1, 2021.
- Landon Slaggert drew another penalty late in the second period, giving the Blackhawks their first power-play opportunity of the game. He was also strong once again on the penalty kill.
- In his first game action after returning to the lineup, Frank Nazar skated 5:32 in the first period and won all four of his faceoffs. He finished with 16:37 of ice time in regulation, winning five of eight faceoffs and recording six shot attempts (four on net).
- Defenseman Louis Crevier was credited with three of the Blackhawks’ seven individual shot attempts and one of Chicago’s two scoring chances in the first period. His lone shot on goal was clocked at 96 mph, and he also recorded two of the Blackhawks’ four blocked shots in the opening frame.
- Connor Murphy scored his second goal of the season and logged a season-high 22:17 of ice time.
- The Blackhawks are now 8-5-1 since Dec. 25 and 7-4-0 in January.
Next Game:
The Chicago Blackhawks return home tonight to host the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the hottest teams in the NHL with a 9-0-1 record over their last 10 games. Chicago is 2-3 on the second night of back-to-back games this season.
Puck drop is set for 6:00 PM CDT.
