The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Los Angeles Kings in Game 9 of their 2025-26 season.
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks came into Sunday night's contest with a 4-2-2 record and winners of four of their last five games. Everybody on the team has been contributing, and the vibes are high.
The matchup featured the Chicago Blackhawks taking on the Los Angeles Kings in what is Anze Kopitar's last appearance at the United Center, as he is retiring at the end of the 2025-26 season. After a lot of intense battles in this building, there are memories between the two clubs that will last a lifetime.
The Blackhawks got out to a really nice start. They were creating chances, dominating possession, and looked like a team poised for a strong game. Los Angeles, having played the night before, looked slow compared to the Blackhawks, who had been idle since Thursday.
After a few shifts in a row in which the Blackhawks had good looks, Connor Bedard slipped one past the Kings' goalie Anton Forsberg to make it 1-0. The goal was a combination of Bedard's skill and a little bit of puck luck. Ilya Mikheyev's hard work to find Bedard at the beginning of the play was incredibly important as well.
The 1-0 lead was taken into the first intermission with Chicago leading in shots 11-6. All season long, however, slow second periods have been an issue.
Los Angeles, which played one night prior against the Nashville Predators, had a significant edge in the middle frame. They outshot the Blackhawks 8-4, and two of them went into the net. Alex Laferriere and Kevin Fiala scored goals just over a minute apart to take a 2-1 lead. That held into the third period.
In the final frame, each team had its chances. The shots were 8-8 in the third, but the only goal was an empty-netter by Joel Armia. The Kings took advantage of that lousy second period by Chicago and skated out of town with a 3-1 victory.
Once the Kings get a lead, they are hard to play against because they clog the neutral zone and make it hard to get chances.
“They play really boring. It's not like a dig or anything, they sit back a lot and they make it hard to get zone entries," Connor Bedard said about playing the Kings. "A lot of teams are going to play like that, especially when they have a lead. So we have to figure out how to crack that.”
Watch The Blackhawks Goals
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Ilya Mikheyev Injury
In the third period, Ilya Mikheyev skated off the ice holding his shoulder. He went to the locker room and did not return.
"We'll know more tomorrow morning. I don't think it's anything long-term." Head coach Jeff Blashill said on Mikheyev's injury. "Whether he's ready for Tuesday or not, I'll have more knowledge on that tomorrow.
It sounds like good news in regards to the extent of the injury. Mikheyev has played a big role in the team playing well this year, so losing him would be tough on the overall makeup of the team.
"We're already going 11 and 7, so forwards are going every other [shift] at that point," Jason Dickinson said about missing Mikheyev in the third period. "I think Frank [Nazar] and [Connor Bedard] ended up playing 10 minutes of the third period each. It puts a lot of stress on other guys, not only missing a guy like [Mikheyev] that can forecheck, he can get in on pucks by himself, he can create something on a forecheck alone. That is definitely a factor that's missed."
The impact that Mikheyev has on winning hockey games has been felt all season long, and his absence was felt in the third period.
"Obviously, he couldn't finish the game so that puts him day to day." Blashill continued.
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Ilya Mikheyev went to Chicago's dressing room holding his right shoulder after being tripped into the boards. #Blackhawks
Next Up For Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks will be back at the United Center on Tuesday night to take on the Ottawa Senators. This will be a part of the NHL's Frozen Frenzy, which will feature all 32 teams playing with start times seperated in 15-minute increments. Chicago and Ottawa will get underway at 7:45 PM CT. From 5 PM CT to after midnight, there will be NHL hockey going on at all times.
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