Tyler Bertuzzi scored a hat trick as Chicago stunned Vancouver 5-2 with a wild third-period surge, despite the Canucks firing 45 shots on Spencer Knight.
Blackhawks Shock Canucks With Huge Third Period
Fans came for a quiet game, but they left with a wild story. The Vancouver Canucks pushed hard, and they fired shot after shot, yet the Chicago Blackhawks walked away with a 5-2 win on Wednesday at Rogers Arena.
Knight Shines While Canucks Cannot Score
Vancouver controlled the pace early. The Canucks skated fast, created chances, and sent pucks toward Spencer Knight again and again. After the first period, they led 14-11 in shots, and the home crowd expected goals soon.
However, Knight stayed calm, and he kept turning everything away. The second period felt the same. The Canucks looked ready to score, and they even pushed a loose puck behind Knight, but Chicago challenged. The goal came off the board because of goalie interference. So the Canucks kept shooting, and the crowd kept hoping, and the score still stayed 0-0 after forty minutes.
Then Everything Changed
The third period hit like a storm. At 3:06, Tyler Bertuzzi stood near the crease, and the puck bounced off his skate and into the net. One goal came fast, and then another came even faster. At 6:46, Bertuzzi struck again on a power play after a clean pass from Connor Bedard. The shot slid in from the left side, and the Blackhawks jumped ahead 2-0.
Chicago Keeps Scoring
Soon after, Ilya Mikheyev chased a loose puck, and he beat Kevin Lankinen on the blocker side at 7:39. This made it 3-0, and the building grew silent. Then Bertuzzi called game. At 11:37, he tucked in another shot for his fourth career hat trick, and the scoreboard showed 4-0.
Canucks Push Back Late
Still, Vancouver did not quit. Aatu Räty scored his first goal of the season at 16:49 on a 2-on-1. The Canucks finally broke Knight’s wall, and the crowd woke up again. With two minutes left, Evander Kane scored his third goal in two games, and the score moved to 4-2. Hope started filling the arena once more.
Bedard Seals the Win
But Chicago finished strong. Bedard, a B.C. native, got the puck with the Canucks net empty. He scored with 59 seconds left, and the night ended 5-2 for the visitors. Knight finished with 43 stops, and the Blackhawks walked off smiling with a 6-5-3 record.
What Comes Next
Vancouver will stay home for game two of a four-game stretch. The Columbus Blue Jackets come to Rogers Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m., and the Canucks will try to bounce back with a win.
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