INSTANT ANALYSIS: Blackhawks Comeback to Win with Simplified Game Late

The Blackhawks of October might've let Friday's game snowball, down 2-0 after 20 minutes of play at the United Center after a four-game road trip. But over the final 40 minutes of play, Chicago found a pair of gritty goals to pull even and then take the game in overtime, 3-2.
"To be a good team you've got to win those games," said Alex DeBrincat, who netted the game-winner in OT. "Even if you're down, you've got to come back and find a way to win. I think that's what we did tonight and hopefully we can build on that. Earlier in the season we were down 2-0, it's probably over, but I think we had a good reset there in the intermission there and came out and played strong."

POSTGAME LINKS
GAMECENTER: CHI vs. STL
RECAP: Blackhawks Complete Comeback Over Blues in OT
RELEASE:: Blackhawks to Host Hockey Fights Cancer Night Sunday
HIGHLIGHTS: Blackhawks vs. Blues
GALLERY: Blackhawks vs. Blues
INSIDER Flower-Powered Episode with Fleury

COMEBACK COMPLETE

Call it a post-Thanksgiving start, but a slow first period found the Blackhawks in a 2-0 hole at the first intermission, needing to claw their way back into the game en route to Friday's win.
The second and third periods were vastly stronger performances, allowing St. Louis a combine eight shots over the final 40 minutes -- a contrast to the 16 they had in the first period -- including a dominating third with the Blues getting just two shots on goal to Chicago's 10.
"That's a huge win for our club tonight," defenseman Jake McCabe said. "Thought we obviously started a little slow. Second period we got better and third period we stuck with it... Just grinded out, forechecked and won battles."
"I think we were managing the puck better," DeBrincat said. "I think we had a lot of turnovers, especially in the first period, but a little bit in the second. We were eliminating turnovers, we got pucks in and that changes the game, for sure."
Brandon Hagel netted the equalizer with a shade over five minutes to play in the third to force overtime -- his third straight game with a goal, a career best -- and then less than 90 seconds into overtime, it was the Patrick Kane and DeBrincat show to net the winner in a 2-on-1 for the second standings point.
"It's huge," interim head coach Derek King said of the comeback. "The confidence these guys are building every game -- to be down two, we didn't get rattled by it. Thought we'd maybe sit back and go into a shell again, but we just kept playing our game. The second and third for us was the best we've played, simple hockey and we just stuck with the program and it paid off."

DEPTH SCORING

Jujhar Khaira netted his second goal of the season on Friday, a full-group effort from Chicago's fourth line as Reese Johnson and Mike Hardman picked up the assists on Khaira's bat-in goal from the crease.
"He's a solid individual. He's a solid player," King said. "To me, he plays well every night. Some nights he doesn't get as much ice time. Tonight, he was feeling it. It was a huge goal on just pure hard work and grinding it out and that's what we need from those guys. They came through."
"That first goal, Jujhar and that line, that stuff's contagious when you're winning puck battles and hitting guys," McCabe said. "As a defenseman, it wears you down over the course of a game."
After not finding the scoresheet in his first 15 NHL games over the last two seasons, Reese Johnson has a point on three Blackhawks goals (1G, 2A) in the last two games.

QUARTER DOWN

Friday's tilt was game No. 20 of the season for the Blackhawks, nearly a quarter of the way through the 2021-22 slate. After a 1-9-2 (.111) start to the year that led to King taking over as interim head coach, the team has rebounded to a 6-11-2 (.400) mark overall with a 6-2-0 (.750) record under King.
Entering the day, Chicago was seven points out of the second Wild Card spot in the playoff hunt, but was tied for sixth in the league in points percentage (through all Nov. 25 games) since King took over on Nov. 7.

LOW POWER

The Blackhawks power play that was operating at a 25% success rate in the month of October dropped to 2-for-29 (6.89%) through the first 11 games of November on the afternoon, going 0-for-3 against the Blues. It was the fifth straight game without a man-advantage marker, the longest stretch of the year.
"Sometimes you go in lulls, sometimes all the sudden you get hot. Just trying to get them to get good looks," King said. "It's hard not to get frustrated, but I don't want them to get frustrated, that's my message to them. I know as a player, you get on that power play and you don't get some good looks, you don't feel good about your game the rest of the night. Really just need them to get good looks, and if they do that, the rest of the game will be fine. We'll be fine. They'll go in."
On the opposite end of the special teams game, St. Louis converted their lone power-play attempt, the fourth man-advantage goal Chicago has allowed in the last six games -- a 69.2% penalty kill rate in that span that is 17 points down from their overall success rate on the year (86%).