There were heavy hearts inside the United Center on Monday. The Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Utah Mammoth in their first home game since the death of legendary Hawks player and broadcaster Troy Murray.
The team played video montages of Murray’s career throughout the night and had a moment of silence before puck drop. It was a thoughtful thank-you to the two-way center.
No. 19 represented the epitome of what it was to be a Hawk. Flip that number around, and it may be the future of the franchise.
Frank Nazar continued his hot streak by scoring the game-winning goal in overtime, lifting the Hawks past the Mammoth 3-2. The teams will play for the third time in 12 days Thursday in Salt Lake City, where the Hawks will look for the season sweep.
“The meaning of today’s game with Troy Murray, he’s definitely up there watching and guiding us and he made a big impact on a lot of our lives and our organization,” said Nazar, who wears No. 91. “To be able to get that one on a day like today is (special).”
Nazar has six points in his last four games. After a quiet stretch, he may be getting his mojo back.
“I think even games before (that) I haven’t scored or not getting the play to finish, it’s all been there,” Nazar said. “Just a matter of that puck crossing the line, (keeping) my head high and staying humble and just continue to work and get better each day is the key.”
Monday’s game started with a whole lot of nothing from the Hawks — 12 minutes without a shot on goal.
The Mammoth did better than their last game versus the Hawks, when they were shut out 4-0 on March 1 in Salt Lake City, as Barrett Hayton’s goal gave the road team the lead. The Hawks’ first shot on goal came with 8:01 left in the period, drawing sarcastic cheers from the home faithful.
The remaining 48 minutes of regulation belonged to the Hawks. Utah struggled to create anything while Connor Bedard peppered goaltender Vitek Vanecek with a flurry of shots.
Left wing Andrew Mangiapane, the newest Hawk acquired in the Jason Dickinson/Colton Dach trade, has fit like a glove in his first two games. He scored his inaugural goal with the team at 13:46 in the first, making good use of Ryan Donato’s on-target pass in front of the net.
At the end of the first, Mangiapane exchanged a few words with Mammoth skaters as the clock trickled down to zero.
“What Andrew’s done is he’s brought us into the fight a little bit. He’s a very competitive guy,” Hawks coach Jeff Blashill said. “He competes hard, he plays north, he plays straight-ahead hockey, which sometimes we can get a little too east-west with some of our young skill.”
André Burakovsky (15:35) saw a shot go into the net in the second period for the first time since Jan. 7 — 61 days ago — as he made use of the aftermath of a Bedard snipe. He jumped for joy after the horn sounded, a sure sigh of relief.
“I was going to slap my own head when I missed that first one from (Nazar),” an exasperated Burakovsky said.Blashill hasn’t experimented with Bedard’s right wing the way he has with the left, which speaks to his belief in Burakovsky. After a slew of games, it paid off.
“Guys have to produce, I get it, but there’s a lot more that goes into it,” Blashill said. “If he wasn’t working as hard as he’s worked, if he wasn’t caring as much as he’s cared, maybe we don’t keep him up there. But I just felt like he was working so hard, he was competing hard, he cares a ton and eventually it felt like it was going to happen for him and glad that it did.”
The score remained 2-2 for the rest of the third period, but there were close calls on both sides.
Ilya Mikheyev saw great back-to-back chances early in the second period but was unable to convert. He collected a rebound that Vanecek (23 saves) stopped, and he saw a close-range tap-in ding the left post.
Bedard (five shots on goal, two assists) had one of his best games despite not scoring a goal. He tapped a beautiful pass from Ryan Greene, only to have Vanecek deny it.
It was a goalie duel that Drew Commesso won. The 23-year-old saved 22 of 24 shots, one start after recording his first NHL shutout. He has been the emergency goalie in the absence of Spencer Knight (illness), and the smile on his face made it seem like fun.
“I don’t think my approach really changes where I’m playing,” Commesso said. “Just preparing the best I can with the circumstances I’m given and going to give my team a shot. That’s really all I can control at the end of the day.
“We have the best fans in the league, and that national anthem just gives me chills every time. I take that moment just to be really grateful for where I am. As a kid, if I saw older me stand there in front of the United Center crowd during that anthem, I don’t know if I’d believe you.”
Oliver Moore didn’t play against the Mammoth after leaving Sunday’s game in Dallas with a lower-body injury. Blashill said Moore will miss “significant time,” putting the forward’s status for the rest of the season in question.
