Söderblom was the primary reason the Blackhawks were up at all. He made 34 saves — stopping all 26 shots he saw in the last two periods, including 15 in the third — to take the victory. Per Evolving Hockey, Söderblom saved 2.74 goals above expected in the game.
Slaggert put the Blackhawks ahead 2-1 at 18:14 with a snap shot from the top of the left circle off a drop pass from Lukas Reichel. Slaggert was playing his first NHL game of the season, having been recalled from Rockford of the American Hockey League on Sunday.
But Blackhawks star Connor Bedard scored the tying goal with five seconds left on Chicago’s one-man-advantage with a remarkable tight-angle shot that found a tiny opening between goaltender Jonas Johansson’s left shoulder and the crossbar.
If Reichel can emerge as a useful player for Chicago, it would be a huge development for a team that has all but written him off already.
Connor Bedard reflected on scoring from a tough angle in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.
What happens with Lukas Reichel will be interesting to watch, plus why Chris O'Hearn was hired as vice president of hockey operations.
After a awful 4-2 loss against the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks interim head coach Anders Sorensen dropped a strong reminder to Connor Bedard and the young players on the roster.
Nazar is only a rookie, but Bedard is in his second season. Both should be on this Blackhawks team for a long time and to gain chemistry in a season like this where the stakes are much lower and they're both young is ideal. This means they'll be good to go together with a fresh start in 2025-26 and beyond.