The Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins faced off in an Original Six matchup Wednesday night (Dec. 4) at the United Center. The Bruins are currently looking to turn their season around with their newest bench boss, Joe Sacco. Headed into this contest, the club was 5-2-0 with Sacco at the helm, good for third place in the Atlantic division (13-11-3). Boston was riding two consecutive wins, and going for a third. The Blackhawks, last in the league at 8-15-2, were attempting to redeem three losses in a row. Their last contest against the Toronto Maple Leafs (Dec. 2) was one of their more well-rounded and offensively aggressive games, despite a 4-1 loss.
Related – Blackhawks Fall to Maple Leafs; Lose 4-1
To add to the intrigue, a plethora of now-Blackhawks were formerly Bruins, including Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, Pat Maroon and Craig Smith and Blackhawks’ captain Nick Foligno. Heck, even Ryan Donato was originally drafted by the Bruins. On the other side of the ice, Bruins’ defenseman Nikita Zadorov played for the Blackhawks in the 2020-21 season, as did D-man Jordan Oesterle way back in the 2017-18 season.
In net, Jeremy Swayman got the nod for the Bruins and Petr Mrazek suited up for the Blackhawks.
Here’s how the game went down.
Blackhawks & Bruins Exchange Goals in First Period
Just a minute and 23 seconds into the game, Blackhawks’ defenseman Alex Vlasic got the scoring started, putting away a nice feed from Foligno from behind the net. It was the Vlasic’s first goal of the season, to go along with 10 assists. It was also the 15th time this season where the Blackhawks scored first.
pickles pair perfectly with goals 🥒 pic.twitter.com/4itbyi3twF
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 5, 2024
Bruins’ forward Morgan Geekie tied things up shortly thereafter with his third goal of the season. He followed up his own shot, which had trickled through behind Mrazek.
The Blackhawks had a scare when defenseman Alec Martinez left the game after blocking a shot. He returned for just one shift before heading back to the locker room again. Losing another veteran D-man would be a huge blow with Seth Jones already out with a foot injury. Fortunately, Martinez returned for the second period and finished the game.
Towards the end of the first Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand took a shot that went off the post. As the Hawks were trying to keep it out of the net, defenseman Wyatt Kaiser knocked the net off it’s moorings with his foot. He was called for delay of game, putting the Bruins on their second power play.
Second Frame Features the Marchand & Pastrnak Show
The Blackhawks killed off the Bruins’ power play to start the second period, but Marchand wasted no more time, scoring two quick goals to give his team a 3-1 lead. Both goals were assisted by Marchand’s partner in crime, David Pastrnak.
Brad is bringing it 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4Uo8h1zrFP
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 5, 2024
Things were looking grim for the Blackhawks, but they stuck with it, and were rewarded at the end of the period with a timely goal by Jason Dickinson, to cut the score to 3-2.
what a shot from Dickinson 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4gbGg14rAk
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 5, 2024
Great patience and determination by Dickinson for his fifth goal of the season, as well as smart play and a nifty pass by Ilya Micheyev, who provided the assist.
Third Period Woes for the Blackhawks
The third period featured a lot of back and forth and numerous chances for both sides. The Blackhawks were trying to take advantage of some tired legs for the Bruins, as their 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings required overtime the night before.
But Boston once again found a way to pull ahead. Chicago’s third line of Mikheyev, Dickinson and Foligno was having a really good shift, but a suspect line change led to a breakaway goal by Geekie, his second of the night and fourth of the season to make it 4-2 for the Bruins.
Geeks is geekin 🤫 pic.twitter.com/knyfxDZfTi
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 5, 2024
At the end of the game, the Blackhawks were called for too many men on the ice, as their extra attacker jumped on before goaltender Mrazek was completely able to make it to the bench. The ensuing Bruins’ power play obviously ruined any last push for the Blackhawks. They ended up losing by a final score of 4-2.
The Bruins played a smart game and took advantage of their opportunities, while the Blackhawks played a sloppy game and paid the price.
Final Thoughts on the Blackhawks & the Bruins
-It was the tale of two’s on this night for the Bruins. Marchand and Geekie each had two goals, while Pasternak, Oesterle, Mason Lohrei and Justin Brazeau all tallied two assists.
-The Bruins are now 6-2-0 since Joe Sacco replaced Jim Montgomery as head coach. They’re acclimating well to the change.
-Blackhawks’ defenseman Martinez had a rough night. Not only did he leave the game for a short period after blocking a shot, but he was on the ice for all four of the Bruins’ goals.
-On a positive note, Hawks D-man Connor Murphy registered two assists (10 on the season), two shots on goal, one hit and three blocked shots in 21:03 minutes of ice time (second only to Vlasic’s 24:26 minutes).
-Blackhawk’ young star Connor Bedard seemed especially out of sync after showing improvement over the last few contests. He never seemed to be in the right place on the ice, and just didn’t make any impact on the game. His sophomore slump continues.
Related – Tommy’s Takes: Bruins Edge Out 3-2 Victory Over Red Wings
The Bruins have improved to 14-11-3 and will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, Dec. 7. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have fallen to 8-16-2. They will face the red-hot Winnipeg Jets, also on Saturday, at the United Center.
