Tyler Johnson and MacKenzie Entwistle scored in the second period, leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.
Jason Dickinson and Boris Katchouk also found the net for Chicago, while Petr Mrazek made 33 saves. Joey Anderson contributed with two assists.
The Blackhawks, who had lost six of their last seven games, managed to fend off a late surge by the Kraken, ending a challenging day on a positive note.
“I was really proud of the guys,” said Nick Foligno, one of Chicago’s alternate captains. “Even when we wavered, even when we had a dip, and it looked like we were kind of giving them some goals, we just found our way back again.”
Earlier in the day, Chicago announced they were parting ways with Corey Perry due to what the organization described as unacceptable conduct, violating his NHL Standard Player Contract and club policies. Pat Morris, Perry’s agent, did not respond to requests for comment.
General manager Kyle Davidson informed the team of Perry’s departure after the morning skate, affecting the players emotionally. However, the Blackhawks secured their third home win out of nine games.
“It’s definitely a challenging day for the guys,” coach Luke Richardson said. “I thought they were totally professional tonight, did their jobs, and stayed mentally strong.”
Richardson refrained from addressing the team after Davidson’s announcement. “I was just part of the group that he addressed,” Richardson said. “There really was nothing else for me to say.”
Matty Beniers had a goal and an assist for Seattle, which suffered its second straight loss. Rookie Tye Kartye and Alex Wennberg also scored, with Adam Larsson assisting for his 200th career point.
“We made a good push at the end,” Beniers said. “I didn’t think we had our best today, but we battled hard and didn’t get what we wanted.”
Seattle goaltender Philipp Grubauer, returning from an injury sustained against Calgary, blocked 19 shots.
Katchouk and Dickinson scored 1:29 apart midway through the first period, giving Chicago a 2-0 lead. It was Dickinson’s fifth goal in four games, following his first career hat trick in a 4-3 overtime win against Toronto on Friday.
“Our puck play was pretty sloppy through the first two periods,” Kraken coach Dave Hakstol said. “That causes us many problems against that team, especially the way they’re going to push as soon as they have possession.”
Beniers and Wennberg responded late in the first period to tie the game at 2-2. Beniers scored with 5:17 left, and Wennberg added a short-handed goal with 37 seconds remaining, completing a 2-on-1 after Chicago’s defensive mix-up.
Johnson restored Chicago’s lead 4:22 into the second period, beating Grubauer from the right circle. Entwistle extended the lead to 4-2 at 10:43, firing in a rebound from Anderson’s wraparound attempt.
Set up by Beniers’ cross-ice feed, Kartye scored at 6:51 of the third period. Despite a late 5-on-3 power play opportunity, the Kraken couldn’t capitalize.
During the game, Chicago announced the acquisition of forward Anthony Beauvillier from Vancouver in exchange for a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft. Beauvillier has two goals and six assists in 22 games this season.
Upcoming Games
- Kraken: At Toronto on Thursday.
- Blackhawks: At Detroit on Thursday.
