We'll talk about the Blackhawks 2-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets today. I was able to catch the replay. Woke up to some loud waves and wasn't able to go back to sleep (still on vacation... sorry to those freezing in Chicago).
Jonathan Toews returned to the United Center and received his standing ovation. Below is his tribute video and his reaction. There's a lot I want to say about Toews, but we have a recap to get to.
one of the best to wear a Blackhawks sweater... welcome back Jonathan Toews‼️ pic.twitter.com/L2VvLyEOuY
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) January 20, 2026
That was my highlight of the game because the Blackhawks' offense lacked a lot of punch in this one. A very winnable game against a bad Jets team. At 5v5, the Hawks' expected goals share was 34.9%. The lone even-strength goal of the game came from Jason Dickinson. Connor Bedard scored the empty-netter at the end of the game.
The Jets owned over 60% of 5v5 scoring chances and were above 50% in 5v5 Corsi in each period. Winnipeg's top line with Alex Iafallo, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor was limited to only a 51.56% Corsi. Thanks to being matched up against Jason Dickinson's line who played a decent shutdown game. Jonathan Toews line with Cole Perfetti and Gabriel Vilardi recorded a 73.91% Corsi. They were matched up against Bedard's line.
What I didn't like about this one is how the Hawks played with a 1-0 lead in the third period. The Hawks conceded the blueline without any aggressive defensive zone entry defense. Sam Fels articulates this better than I can, so I'll direct you there.
The Hawks didn't totally shell up and shrink to the slot, they still played with a pretty open man-on-man defense. But once the halfway mark hit in the third period, there was a very noticeable shift in zone entry defense. On one hand, they almost need to play like this to secure a victory. They lack offensive talent where they can't dominate in the OZ—although I'd argue this is a game where they were able to do that, but didn't.
When the Hawks bring in more offensive talent, I'm sure Blashill will have them play a bit more aggressively. The young kids who are on the roster are still developing and aren't going to be top-six offensive players anyway. Right now, it's just Bedard. Frank Nazar will have a lot to prove again once he's back (that 21-game goal drought is still a concern). The other prospects in the pipeline being touted as possible wingmates for Bedard (Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov) are still unknowns.
For now, I guess all we can do is wait.