Kirby Dach had a plan in mind for his first NHL shootout attempt, and it paid off perfectly.
The 18-year-old, who was the third overall pick in this year’s draft, roofed a shot in the fifth round of the shootout to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 2-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night.
“I had three moves in my head,” Dach said. “I was ready to go with whichever one the goalie reacted to. I’ve used this approach in junior hockey, and it worked there, so I just went with it again. Seeing it go in was a great feeling.”
Dach didn’t know he’d be in the shootout until the coaching staff sent him out to face Mackenzie Blackwood, who had already stopped Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome in the third and fourth rounds.
“You get a sense of the goalie’s tendencies by watching the earlier attempts,” Dach said. “But once you’re out there, it’s all about executing and focusing on scoring.”
Coming off an overtime win against Boston the previous night, Chicago secured its second victory in as many nights and won its first shootout in four attempts this season.
“Traditionally, this group has been outstanding in shootouts,” Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said. “Being 0-3 was unfamiliar territory for us.”
Colliton was also impressed with Dach’s confidence.
“He’s a player who wants the puck in those situations,” Colliton said. “He’s confident, and that’s what you need to succeed in shootouts. He delivered for us, and it was huge.”
Corey Crawford sealed the win by stopping Jack Hughes on the final shootout attempt, marking his 250th career victory. Crawford finished the game with 29 saves.
DeBrincat scored in regulation for Chicago, while Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane added shootout goals. Taylor Hall scored the lone goal for the Devils, who are now 0-2 under interim coach Alain Nasreddine. Blackwood made 28 saves but was beaten by Dach’s high shot in the shootout. Nikita Gusev and Jesper Boqvist converted their shootout attempts for New Jersey, while Kyle Palmieri, Hall, and Hughes were denied.
Nasreddine saw positives despite the loss.
“We’re looking for progress, and I thought we took a step in the right direction,” Nasreddine said. “The first period was strong, and while the second got away from us a bit, the third was more balanced. The effort was there, but getting the two points would have been nice.”
Hughes, the top pick in this year’s draft, returned to the lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury. However, Nico Hischier, the No. 1 overall pick in 2017, was sidelined with an illness.
The game was tied 1-1 after two periods, with both teams scoring on the power play.
Hall opened the scoring at 13:31 of the first period, capitalizing on New Jersey’s third power play with a shot from the top of the right circle, assisted by Sami Vatanen.
DeBrincat equalized at 9:35 of the second period during Chicago’s first power play, backhanding the rebound of a Kane shot into an open net for his seventh goal of the season.
Both goaltenders made key saves throughout the game. Blackwood stopped breakaway attempts by Brandon Saad in both the first and second periods, while Crawford denied Miles Wood on a breakaway late in the second.
Game Notes:
- DeBrincat has scored in two consecutive games after going 12 without a goal.
- Devils F Wayne Simmonds and Blackhawks D Dennis Gilbert engaged in a spirited fight in the first period.
- The teams will meet again on Dec. 23 in Chicago.
- The Blackhawks placed D Duncan Keith and F Andrew Shaw on injured reserve Friday. Their roster spots were not immediately filled.
- Chicago D Olli Maatta missed his second straight game due to illness.
Next Games:
- Blackhawks: Host Arizona on Sunday before embarking on a three-game road trip.
- Devils: Start a four-game road trip in Nashville on Saturday.
