The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Washington Capitals at the United Center on Friday night.
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Washington Capitals on Friday night at the United Center. Looking for their fifth straight win, the Blackhawks were dealt a tough hand.
Connor Bedard returned to the lineup, which is always going to be a boost, but the team around him was hit hard by a flu bug. That caused Ilya Mikheyev, Louis Crevier, Spencer Knight, and Arvid Soderblom to miss the game. Even head coach Jeff Blashill, who missed the morning skate himself, battled through it behind the bench.
Ahead of the game, the Blackhawks called up Drew Commesso and Kevin Korchinski from the Rockford IceHogs so they could play. Both of them woke up this morning thinking they were going to take on the Chicago Wolves, but instead played for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Before the first period was complete, however, the Capitals had a three-goal lead thanks to goals scored by Anthony Beauvillier, Connor McMichael, and Ethan Frank.
In the second period, the Blackhawks got themselves on the board with a goal scored by Oliver Moore. This was close to being a power-play goal, but the penalty had just expired. Moore sniped it past Washington/Team Canada goalie Logan Thompson for his fifth of the year.
This was as beautiful a long-distance shot as Moore is going to score. His speed is his most important skill, but his ability to shoot and make plays has been evident since moving to the center of the ice.
After Moore scored, however, the Capitals regained their three-goal advantage when Justin Sourdif put one past Commesso. That 4-1 score would hold through the second intermission.
In the third period, the NHL's all-time leading goal scorer, Alex Ovechkin, made it 5-1 with his 916th career goal. He slipped it through the five-hole of Drew Commesso, who is the 187th goalie that Ovechkin has ever scored against. That 5-1 score stood as the final in favor of the Capitals.
This loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Blackhawks. It also puts an end to their undefeated 2026. The future will dictate if it is the end of their run of solid play following the holiday break, now 5-2-1.
After the game, there was a lot of emphasis on the illness that is going through the Blackhawks' locker room right now. Jeff Blashill called it a "stomach bug". He made it clear that a lot of the lineup is battling right now, even those who played.
Mikheyev is expected to travel for their next game. According to Blashill, he was close to playing, but they decided to keep him out. He is also unsure what the situation will be for the starting goalie, as it is unclear who will be available.
Now and again, NHL teams or pro sports teams in general deal with these types of things. This is a game played by humans. It is also not the only reason that they lost. Those who played didn't have the same jump that the team is used to having when they are playing well. A quick turnaround on Saturday night may help them get back on track.
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What’s Next For The Blackhawks?
The Blackhawks are back in action on Saturday night. The second half of a back-to-back situation will take place on the road against the Nashville Predators.
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