The 8-14-2 Chicago Blackhawks met the 14-7-2 Toronto Maple Leafs for a Monday night time matchup at Scotiabank Enviornment on Dec. 2. The Blackhawks have been coming off a disappointing 6-3 loss the night time earlier than to the Columbus Blue Jackets on the United Heart, whereas the Maple Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3 final Saturday night time (Nov. 30).
The stronger workforce prevailed, because the Leafs received the sport 4-1, extending their win streak to 2 video games in a row and 6 of their final seven. The Blackhawks have now misplaced their final three contests. Listed below are the highlights from this one.
Matthews Breaks By within the First Interval
The Blackhawks made a little bit of a tweak to their top-six forwards for this sport. Head coach Luke Richardson moved Tyler Bertuzzi (who previously performed for the Maple Leafs) to the highest line alongside Taylor Corridor and Connor Bedard. Philipp Kurashev was then moved to the second line, centering Ryan Donato and Teuvo Teravainen.
The sport received off to an honest tempo proper off the bat, with each groups exchanging possibilities. Late within the body, Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews lastly broke via. The Blackhawks have been in the course of a change, and a well-timed cross by William Nylander put Matthews behind the protection for a straightforward breakaway objective. It was his sixth of the season. This contest was the second sport again after being out of the lineup for 9 video games to with an higher physique harm.
PRIME PAPI!! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/3SIgpqDxxW
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 3, 2024
The Maple Leafs took benefit of the Blackhawks change, however the Hawks need to be extra conscious of among the best gamers on the ice. Matthews shouldn’t have been that broad open.
Each groups ended up with 9 photographs on objective within the first, together with a shot on objective from the Blackhawks goaltender, Arvid Soderblom!
Credit score to John Wiedeman for noticing that goaltender Arvid Söderblom was credited with a shot on objective within the first interval vs. Toronto.
Here is the 186-foot “shot” from behind Chicago’s internet. Alrighty then! #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/hHFqKJMqyT
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) December 3, 2024
You actually don’t see that fairly often!
The road modifications the Blackhawks made appeared to repay. Bertuzzi, particularly, was digging for pucks & attending to the entrance of the web, the place he does his finest work. As a matter of reality, he took a Bedard shot to the midsection and had some bother getting again to the bench. However he was again out the following shift, and the Blackhawks had nothing to indicate for his or her efforts on the finish of the primary.
Second Body Sees the Maple Leafs Double Their Lead
The Blackhawks have been pushing exhausting on this body to tie issues up, nevertheless it was a flukey play that did them in and put the Maple Leafs up 2-0. John Tavares scored his eleventh objective about mid-way via the body. He took a shot that regarded prefer it deflected off Blackhawks’ defenseman Alex Vlasic’s stick. It may need even hit defenseman Connor Murphy earlier than bouncing in previous an unsuspecting Soderblom. On the very least, Murphy unwittingly screened his personal goaltender. The Leafs’ admin referred to as it a double-doink.
Was {that a} double doink? 👀 pic.twitter.com/Jl9u5KV3OX
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) December 3, 2024
The Hawks had the benefit in just about all areas within the second body, besides within the objective division. Toronto netminder Anthony Stolarz stood on his head to stifle the Blackhawks, who simply couldn’t purchase a objective.
2nd intermission: Maple Leafs 2, Blackhawks 0
Hawks are literally enjoying very well! However getting goalie’d tonight.
Shot makes an attempt: 45-26 CHI
Pictures on objective: 20-16 CHI
Scoring possibilities: 25-19 CHI (20-5 within the 2nd)— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) December 3, 2024
In the meantime, the Maple Leafs caught to their sport, enjoying affected person and ready for his or her possibilities within the third.
Blackhawks Struggle Again within the Third Interval; Fall Quick
The fourth line got here via as soon as once more for Chicago within the third interval. Lukas Reichel tallied his third objective of the season, assisted by Pat Maroon and T.J. Brodie (one other former Maple Leaf) to chop the lead in half. This line of Reichel, Maroon and Craig Smith has contributed lots this season regardless of their extra restricted enjoying time.
Web battle 💪 pic.twitter.com/0G73znGPSb
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) December 3, 2024
Alas, Fraser Minten scored his second of the season simply 20 seconds later to make it 3-1, identical to that. The Blackhawks are responsible this season of letting in objectives shortly after they rating, and this was one other case of them taking their foot off the fuel.

Whereas the Hawks fought till the top, they couldn’t surpass a superior opponent and a red-hot goaltender. Matthew Knies notched the empty internet objective (his tenth objective of the season) on the 18:15 mark of the third interval to place the sport away, 4-1.
Remaining Ideas on the Blackhawks & the Maple Leafs
-The Maple Leafs performed a really well-rounded effort, with Philippe Myers registering 4 photographs on objective, whereas Matthews, Nylander, Nicholas Robertson and Tavares all contributed three photographs on objective. Toronto was additionally credited with 35 hits and 16 blocked photographs (to the Blackhawks’ 22 hits and 6 blocked photographs), and so they received 63% of their faceoffs.
–Ilya Mikheyev and Smith led the Blackhawks in photographs, every with 4. Bedard didn’t register even a shot on objective on this sport. The Blackhawks ended the night time with 28 photographs to the Maple Leafs’ 22 photographs.
-Neither workforce was capable of capitalize on the facility play on this sport. The Blackhawks had 4 energy play possibilities and the Maple Leafs had two. Only one energy play objective by the Blackhawks might have made this a special sport.
Associated – Blackhawks Lukas Reichel Lastly Discovering His Means
The Maple Leafs (now 15-7-2) welcome the Nashville Predators to their barn this Wednesday (Dec. 4), whereas the Blackhawks (now 8-15-2) will head dwelling to additionally host the Boston Bruins that very same night time. It is a case of two groups headed in very totally different instructions proper now.