The Chicago Blackhawks showed grit and flashes of potential Tuesday night at the United Center, but it wasn’t quite enough to topple their longtime nemesis, the Minnesota Wild. In a familiar script, the Blackhawks fell 4-3 in overtime—remarkably, the third time that exact score has cropped up in this season’s series between the two clubs. Still, there’s reason for optimism in Chicago: with 15 games left in the 2025-26 campaign, the Blackhawks have already surpassed last year’s points total, notching their 62nd point of the season.
That’s no small feat for a rebuilding team, especially considering the Wild’s status as a Central Division powerhouse. But oh, how the Blackhawks would have preferred to celebrate this milestone with a win rather than another heartbreaker. The home crowd watched as Mats Zuccarello netted the overtime winner at 3:09, capping a night that saw the Blackhawks claw their way back from a rough start only to fall just short—again.
“We were talking about it and thinking about it after [the game] — how high up in the rankings that team is and how well we played that second half of the game,” said forward Frank Nazar, who had a clutch moment of his own. “We can be right up there, too. It’s just a matter of how we play the whole game.”
Nazar’s late-game heroics gave the Blackhawks a fighting chance. Down 3-2 with less than two minutes remaining, a slick transition play from defenseman Artyom Levshunov to center Connor Bedard set up Nazar, who buried the game-tying goal with just 1:40 left in regulation. It was the latest in a series of late-game dramatics for Chicago in recent weeks, and it sent the United Center into a frenzy—if only briefly.
The Wild, though, have made a habit of dashing Chicago’s hopes. Tuesday’s contest marked the third meeting this season between the two teams, with Minnesota taking each one by a single goal. The Wild edged the Blackhawks 4-3 in overtime on November 26 and then 4-3 in a shootout on January 27. In both previous games, Chicago squandered third-period leads, and the sting of those missed opportunities still lingers. Since 2020, the Blackhawks have managed just one win in their last 18 meetings with Minnesota—a lopsided stretch that underscores the challenge of climbing the Central Division ladder.
Early on, it looked like history would repeat itself in the worst way. Chicago stumbled out of the gate, getting outscored 3-1 in a first period where Minnesota held a jaw-dropping 13-1 advantage in high-danger scoring chances. The Wild’s relentless forecheck and clinical finishing put the Blackhawks on their heels from the opening puck drop. But credit to Chicago: they didn’t fold. The rest of the way, the Blackhawks outchanced the Wild 10-6 in high-danger opportunities, showing a resilience that’s become a hallmark of Jeff Blashill’s young squad.
“Once we got going, we were real good,” Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said after the game. “We just have to find a way to try to get that stretched out more to 60 minutes. The lows can’t be as low as [they were] in the first.”
There were individual milestones worth celebrating, too. Defenseman Louis Crevier unleashed a rocket from just inside the blue line in the first period—a shot clocked at 102.54 mph, making it the hardest goal-scoring shot in the NHL this season. Crevier now leads all NHL players with five shots measured above 100 mph, an impressive feat for the young blueliner. Meanwhile, Artyom Levshunov logged a career-high 26:29 of ice time, continuing his steady development as a top-pairing defenseman. “He still has to do a better job at times with the puck, but overall, lots of good stuff. Obviously a great play on the game-tying goal to get it up to Bedsy. He’s making progress in things like deception with the puck,” Blashill noted.
Not all the news was positive, however. Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, while forward Sacha Boisvert, just 20 years old, watched the game in street clothes as he waits for his U.S. work visa to be approved. Blashill indicated that once Boisvert is cleared, he’ll be eased into the lineup. “If he can have a physical impact on the game on a night-to-night basis, he becomes a real commodity. . . . He can add something to our team I don’t know we have enough of, and that’s that kind of hard skill,” Blashill said.
One model of consistency for Chicago has been Ryan Donato, the only Blackhawk to suit up for all 67 games so far this season. Donato, along with teammates like Connor Bedard and Tyler Bertuzzi, has been a steadying presence amid the lineup changes and growing pains that come with a youthful roster. Bedard continues to lead the team in assists (35) and points (62), while Bertuzzi paces the club with 28 goals.
The goaltending matchup saw Spencer Knight between the pipes for Chicago, entering the game with a 17-19-8 record, 2.64 goals-against average, and .908 save percentage. Across the ice, Filip Gustavsson started for Minnesota, boasting a 24-11-6 record, 2.50 goals-against average, and .912 save percentage. Gustavsson has been especially tough against the Blackhawks, holding a 6-0-1 record and a sparkling .929 save percentage in seven career games versus Chicago.
The game also carried extra emotional weight with the return of former Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno, who was traded to the Wild just 11 days earlier. Foligno, who wore the ‘C’ for Chicago and played 189 games with the club, received a warm welcome from the United Center faithful. In his first five games with Minnesota, the 38-year-old has notched one assist and 13 hits, averaging just over 11 minutes of ice time per game.
Looking ahead, the Blackhawks and Wild will square off again in just two days, this time in Minnesota, to close out their regular-season series. For Chicago, the challenge remains clear: turn competitive outings into victories and close the gap with playoff-caliber teams like the Wild. With young talents stepping up and records being broken, there’s a sense that the Blackhawks’ best days are still ahead—even if there’s more work to be done to get there.
As the final horn sounded on another overtime defeat, the Blackhawks left the ice knowing they can hang with the league’s best—if only they can put it all together for 60 minutes. With 15 games left and a playoff spot likely out of reach, the focus now shifts to building momentum, integrating new faces, and continuing to lay the foundation for a brighter future in Chicago hockey.