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Game 6: Hawks 6, Wings 2

January 25, 2021, 2:38 AM ET [131 Comments]
Theo Fox
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Blackhawks downed the Red Wings 6-2 for consecutive wins after starting the season 0-3-1. The victory was, of course, headlined by a hat trick by Swiss rookie Pius Suter.

In addition to Suter's feat, the win was also highlighted by outstanding two-way play by both Philipp Kurashev and Connor Murphy plus Kevin Lankinen's stellar netminding.

Sweeping the Wings in convincing fashion is a good first step in the rebuild but can the Hawks maintain this offensive pace and defensive effort against the rest of the division?

So if the Hawks were low versus the Stanley Cup champion Lightning and high versus last season's worst team in the Wings, logic has it they will land somewhere in between.

The question is where in the middle will the Hawks land. Second to last place ahead of Detroit or middle of the pack? If the latter, will Chicago have enough to earn a playoff berth?




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Starting Lineup

The starting lineup for Sunday's game featured Carl Soderberg making his NHL debut as he slotted in for Lucas Wallmark:

The starters for the opening shift were the same as Friday night's game:

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Game Recap

1st Goal: Suter (1-0)

Suter snuck in from the right lane and drove to the net to pot the rebound off of Jonathan Bernier. The Wings defense overloaded to the left side and Dylan Larkin never picked up Suter.

What also helped on this play was Alex DeBrincat driving hard to the net as well to give Bernier two threats to worry about. DeBrincat may have taken Bernier's eyes away, too.

2nd Goal: Suter (2-0) PP

Although he didn't get an assist, credit is due to Kurashev whose hustle kept the play alive in the zone and momentum going en route to Suter scoring his second goal of the period.

Suter also hovered around the crease before parking himself in the slot with his blade on the ice to accept a perfectly placed pass by Mattias Janmark who showed poise with the puck.

3rd Goal: Bertuzzi (2-1) PP

Not much the Hawks could have done on this 5-on-3. If you want to nitpick, then Duncan Keith could have lifted or clamped down on Tyler Bertuzzi's stick as Dylan Larkin made the pass.

4th Goal: Murphy (3-1)

After getting a takeaway from Dylan Strome, Anthony Mantha's errant pass went straight to Murphy who made his way from the point to between the circles for the wrister.

Although subtle, there was some help on the play by way of a nice pick by Kurashev on Luke Glendening who couldn't get over into position to block Murphy's shot.

5th Goal: Janmark (4-1)

What's to love about Janmark's goal was how he popped out from behind the net to perch himself in the slot just in time to take Kane's precise pass from below the left faceoff dot.

An individual breakdown in the Detroit defense also helped as Mantha gave zero effort to defend against Janmark. Mantha rode the pine for quite a while after that laziness.

6th Goal: Bertuzzi (4-2) PP

Nikita Zadorov had inside positioning on Bertuzzi, but while the attempt to block Filip Hronek's shot was understandable, he may have screened his own goalie in the process.

7th Goal: Suter (5-2)

DeBrincat made a touch pass from a Keith feed to fool Troy Stecher, then Suter deked out Valtteri Filppula to rush in on an odd-man break and paint the far right post beating Bernier.

Something worth noting is Kane and DeBrincat darting toward the net as well giving the Hawks additional outlets for a passing play or shooters in place in case there was a rebound.

8th Goal: Kurashev (6-2)

Just as Kurashev's hard work carved the path to Suter's second goal, so did Dominik Kubalik's hard work on this goal as he won a board battle against Danny Dekeyser to free up the puck.

Kurashev did the rest by stripping the puck swiftly from Michael Rasmussen, driving hard to the net, beating three Wings players, getting his own rebound, and stuffing a shot on the far side.

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Game Notes

Pius Suter

Beyond the hat trick, what makes Suter so valuable to the Hawks is his patience when gaining the zone to wait for numbers and options to open up. He also crashes the net with aplomb.

Philipp Kurashev

Not to be outdone, fellow freshman forward Kurashev is phenomenal at battling along the boards, sustaining momentum, and cutting to the inside. Who says he doesn't push the pace or get dirty?

Mattias Janmark

Even though it could be argued he should have sat over Wallmark, Janmark had his best game on Sunday making plays in all situations (ES, PP, PK) and staying strong on the puck.

Connor Murphy

After a defensive gem turned in on Friday, Murphy outdid himself with another rock solid game on the back end in addition to being involved offensively. He is on a 4-game point streak.

Ian Mitchell

Ian Mitchell is demonstrating his impeccable positioning more and more each game. He has his head constantly on a swivel to check his surroundings and stays between his man and the net.

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See you on the boards!

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