Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner have been splitting time in goal for the Chicago Blackhawks, but neither has emerged as the clear starter. On Wednesday night, the strategy finally paid off.
Crawford made 39 saves as the Blackhawks earned their first-ever victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, winning 5-3.
“We’ve got two great goaltenders, and that’s been a big advantage for us,” Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. “Both guys are giving us a chance to win, and it’s paying off.”
Crawford, who had been 0-3-0 against Vegas with a 5.38 goals-against average, improved his record to 2-0-2 in his last four games. Colliton’s decision to rotate his goaltenders has helped Chicago to a 5-2-2 stretch since October 27.
“Both goalies would love to be the No. 1, but keeping them fresh and playing at a high level benefits the team,” Colliton added.
Calvin de Haan and Erik Gustafsson each scored their first goals of the season, while Patrick Kane, Kirby Dach, and Dylan Strome also found the back of the net for Chicago.
Kane extended his point streak to seven games, and the Blackhawks have tied with Florida for the second-most goals (30) in the NHL since their recent nine-game run.
“It’s been a long time coming, finally beating these guys,” de Haan said. “It was a back-and-forth game, but we capitalized on our chances. It was fun out there.”
The Golden Knights, hoping to ignite a stagnant offense, made several line changes that paid off early. William Carrier and William Karlsson scored within the first seven minutes to give Vegas a 2-0 lead.
However, Kane quickly responded 16 seconds after Karlsson’s goal to shift the momentum. Then came a wild sequence in the second period when Vegas thought Alex Tuch had scored, only for the puck to have hit the crossbar. Just 20 seconds later, de Haan tied the game with a wrist shot, and 45 seconds after that, Gustafsson gave Chicago a 3-2 lead following a Vegas turnover.
“Hockey is a game of momentum,” de Haan said. “We took the wind out of their sails with those quick goals.”
Dach extended the Blackhawks’ lead early in the third with a rebound goal, and Strome added another late in the period. Nate Schmidt scored a consolation goal for Vegas with 1:01 left, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the team’s third straight home loss after holding a lead.
“We’re struggling to assemble a full game,” Schmidt said. “We have stretches where we dominate, but when things go wrong, we’re not responding well.”
Game Notes:
- Vegas is now 3-5-3 in its last 11 games after starting the season 6-3-0.
- Former Golden Knight Ryan Carpenter made his first appearance at T-Mobile Arena since joining Chicago and assisted on Dach’s goal.
- Mark Stone of the Golden Knights has been held without a point in five straight games after recording points in 13 of the first 15.
- Jonathan Toews played his 891st game, moving him into a tie for 10th in Blackhawks franchise history.
Up Next:
- Blackhawks: Face the Nashville Predators on Saturday.
- Golden Knights: Visit the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.