Blackhawks Beat Utah on Nazar's OT Power-Play Goal, Win Back-to-Back Finale 3-2

Game Summary

Less than 24 hours after losing in overtime in Dallas, the Blackhawks came home, trailed 2-1 after the first period, and found a way to win anyway. Frank Nazar scored on a power play 2:36 into overtime — a wrist shot set up by Teuvo Teravainen and Connor Bedard — after Nick Schmaltz took a tripping penalty against Andre Burakovsky 1:56 into the extra period. Final score: Chicago 3, Utah 2. The Blackhawks improve to 24-29-11 and win the season series against the Mammoth 3-1, with one game remaining in Salt Lake City on Thursday.

Utah came out of the gate quickly. Barrett Hayton tipped one past Drew Commesso at 9:43 of the first to make it 1-0. Mangiapane answered at 13:46 — assisted by Ryan Donato and Ilya Mikheyev — to tie it, before Dylan Guenther put Utah back in front at 16:26 off a Keller-Schmaltz setup. Chicago went to the second period trailing 2-1. Burakovsky tied it at 2-2 at 15:35 of the second on a setup from Bedard and Ryan Greene. No goals in the third sent it to overtime, where Nazar closed it out on the power play.

Commesso was solid in his third NHL start of the season — 22 saves on 24 shots (.917) — doing his part on the back end of a back-to-back with Spencer Knight sidelined for a third straight game with illness. Chicago outshot Utah 26-24, won 52.9% of faceoffs, and went 1-for-4 on the power play with Nazar's winner being the difference. It was a composed performance from a team that had every reason to come out flat.

Three Stars

The New-Look Roster

All three stars of the game were Blackhawks, and two of them — Nazar and Mangiapane — are at the center of what this team is trying to build in the back half of the season. Mangiapane's first goal as a Blackhawk was a long time coming. He was acquired in the Dickinson/Dach deal with Edmonton, debuted without a practice, played 8:52 in the Vancouver loss, played 12 scoreless minutes in Dallas, and finally found the back of the net in his third game. It came off a Donato-Mikheyev setup and it kept Chicago in a game they could have let slip away early. He now has line chemistry to build on.

Bedard had his best night since the deadline, finishing with two assists and a +1 in 21:06 of ice time. He also won 50% of his faceoffs — 7 of 14 — a significant bounce-back from the 1-for-9 night in Dallas that highlighted how much the Dickinson departure has affected the team's center depth. The power play came through when it mattered most, converting Nazar's OT winner off a Schmaltz penalty — Bedard and Teravainen both picking up assists on the sequence. Commesso deserves credit too. Making his third NHL start, on a back-to-back, he was clean and composed when Utah had their best chances in the first period and didn't allow the Mammoth to build on their early 2-0 lead.

Looking Ahead

Chicago wraps up their season series with Utah on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. CT at the Delta Center. The Blackhawks have won three straight against the Mammoth and have now outscored them 10-3 across those games. Utah will be on a back-to-back of their own, playing at Minnesota on Tuesday before traveling to Salt Lake City. Chicago moves to 59 points — tied with St. Louis — and the stretch run continues with a team that has now shown it can win in ugly circumstances on short rest. Knight's status for Thursday remains unclear, which means Commesso or Soderblom will likely be between the pipes again. Either way, the blueprint from Monday night is a good one to carry into the road trip.