Blackhawks maintain structure, end skid by rallying past Sabres

Michael Reaves/Getty Images SHARE COPY LINK Share CLOSE Twitter Facebook Bluesky Email Reddit Flipboard The Blackhawks ’ 3-2 overtime win Thursday against the Sabres isn’t going to win any Emmy Awards. It was an objectively boring game for long stretches. That’s exactly what the Hawks hoped to accomplish, though, after a grueling week of reviewing and practicing how to tighten their defensive structure. After entering the week having allowed the most two-on-one rushes in the NHL, per coach Jeff Blashill, they didn’t give the speedy Sabres any odd-man rushes of any sort. Their reads on the forecheck and in the neutral zone were clean and predictable, and they defended hard. They didn’t generate much offensively, either, and their offensive decision-making was considerably more suspect. But their defensive structure allowed them to hang around until they scraped out something: a game-tying deflection goal by Frank Nazar with less than 12 minutes left, and a game-winning snipe by Ryan Donato three minutes into overtime. “If you watch...a playoff game, for instance, there’s periods [or] half of games where nothing really happens,” Ian Cole said. “It’s a boxing match. Of course, you want to land your punches, but you also don’t want to open yourself up to get tagged with a haymaker. There’s a give and take there, right? “Being able to be patient while still waiting for chances, checking for your chances, that’s what a lot of good teams do. ... That’s good for us to see. That is a pattern that can work for us.” The victory snapped a six-game losing streak and improved the Hawks’ home record to a respectable 5-5-0 with three more home games up next. Their dire road woes (0-8-1) are a problem for next weekend. “The guys dialed in on their defensive details,” Blashill said. “It was a real strong suit of the game.” Donato’s OT winner after the non-call on Frondell: pic.twitter.com/XTagISqKkk — Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) November 13, 2026 Caught a break Donato said he “felt terrible” as an illness came on, but his long-awaited goal — snapping a 10-game drought in which goalies had made a number of miraculous saves against him — put a smile on his face. The Sabres were irate Anton Frondell wasn’t whistled for interference for setting a pick on Owen Power, which gave Donato a ton of time and space. They had a strong argument. The Hawks probably caught a break, but they won’t complain. “We definitely needed something positive,” Blashill said. “Confidence matters. Usually to come out of slumps like that, you have to grind your way. It’s never easy. “We’ve obviously faced a lot of adversity through this last little stretch. Our guys, one thing I give them tons of credit on is they come to get better every day.” Blashill raved about Nazar, who not only scored both goals during regulation but also consistently drove play. The Hawks outshot the Sabres 9-1 during his five-on-five ice time. Got Kane back Patrick Kane returned to the Hawks’ lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury and looked rejuvenated. He remains goal-less since the season opener, but he had seven shot attempts Thursday and skated hard in both directions. Kane didn’t specify his exact injury but said he doesn’t think it’ll be a long-term concern. Hawks general manager Kyle Davidson said Wednesday the team doesn’t think Bowen Byram’s upper-body injury will be a long-term concern, either. Byram has participated in practice — albeit while wearing a non-contact jersey — for the last two days. When he returns, it’ll be interesting to see if he improves the defensive corps as much as the Hawks expect. More Blashill support Kane on Thursday joined the list of players who have spoken glowingly about Blashill recently. It shouldn’t be surprising that the players aren’t throwing their coach under the bus, but their quotes are still somewhat interesting. “We have a lot of confidence in ‘Blash.’ He’s a great coach, great communicator,” Kane said. “I know he’s a guy that can get the most out of his players. Right now, it’s not working, so it’s easy to look at the coach and blame the coach...but that’s not the way we’re looking at it. We have all the faith and confidence in management, ownership, Blash, the other assistant coaches. “I always say some of the best parts of hockey, at least personally, is when you’re struggling and you’re going through tough times and you find yourself out of it, and then all of a sudden you start catching some momentum and start flowing after that.” Another forecheck key There’s a lot that goes into successful forechecks that fans (and reporters) often don’t notice. Arriving at the right time and in sync with teammates, as Andrew Mangiapane recently discussed , is one key. Another key: Putting the puck in the right spot when dumping it in. “It’s definitely not as easy as I think people would think,” Jordan Greenway said Wednesday. “You’ve got pressure on you, probably, when you’re dumping it. You’ve got to either put it short of the goalie or it’s got to go by him. You see a lot of pucks go to the goalie, right? It’s not that easy. But you’ve got to do it.” The Hawks got burned Saturday, for instance, when Hurricanes goalie Pyotr Kochetkov was able to jumpstart a breakout against a poor forecheck. Avoiding the goalie is important. So is identifying which teammate has speed racing into the zone. "[You look for] whoever can get to the puck quickest,” Greenway added. "[You’re] trying to get it to speed, right? Where someone can pressure it, where it’s going to be tough for them to make a play.” No Kevin again Embattled young defenseman Kevin Korchinski was a healthy scratch for the 14th time in 19 games. Blashill clearly doesn’t trust him, and Davidson seems OK with that. “I don’t believe in putting my thumb on the scale to get a certain player in a role or a certain player in the lineup,” Davidson said. “That’s up to the coaches to decide what is best for those players, both individually and then the team as a collective. I stay out of those [decisions].” SHARE COPY LINK Share CLOSE Twitter Facebook Bluesky Email Reddit Flipboard Ben Pope Chicago Sun-Times Chicago Blackhawks reporter Next Up In Chicago Blackhawks Blackhawks could use more of the elements Andrew Mangiapane brings Kyle Davidson addresses Blackhawks' disastrous start: Mark Eaton changing roles, trades being explored Why Spencer Knight is perturbed by Blackhawks demoting Arvid Soderblom: 'Just isn't right' Blackhawks' problems start with GM Kyle Davidson How the Blackhawks plan to improve their defense without changing their systems Blackhawks' first change is at backup goalie: Drew Commesso replaces Arvid Soderblom