After the Winnipeg Jets blew a 3-0 lead Thursday against the Dallas Stars, Mark Scheifele restored a one-goal advantage in the third period before Joel Armia scored a beautiful goal to help put the game away.
The Finnish forward skated the puck through the neutral zone before completely undressing defenseman Johnny Oduya on his way to the Stars net where he beat Kari Lehtonen for his second of the night and fourth of the season.
His first didn't require near as much effort, as he threw a soft wrister at Lehtonen, beating him five-hole.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Chicago ain't seen nothing yet.
Well, aside from three championships in six seasons.
Former Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd, re-acquired by the Blackhawks on Thursday in his sixth season with the Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets franchise, believes he'll take some in Chicago by surprise in his return.
"I think my game has really evolved since (2010)," he said. "I'm excited to come and show what my game's all about now."
Ladd detailed the past few weeks, and the realization he would be moved after Dustin Byfuglien signed a lucrative long-term extension to stay with the Jets. And though re-upping with Winnipeg might have been what he envisioned, reuniting with the Blackhawks was the next best thing.
"Knowing that I was probably going to end up being traded, I think Chicago was on the top of my list for places I wanted to be."
Ladd was one of the pioneering cap casualties in Chicago's run of success. He and Byfuglien were dealt weeks after Chicago ended its 49-year Stanley Cup drought in 2010.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrej Nestrasil will remain in Toronto for evaluation after being knocked out of Thursday's loss to the Maple Leafs by a devastating hit from Nazem Kadri.
Nestrasil was ruled out for the remainder of the game following the hit and wheeled into the Carolina locker room on a stretcher, according to Ken Campbell of The Hockey News.
No penalty was called on the play.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
It's almost impossible to believe the Chicago Blackhawks made the playoffs only once between 1998 and 2008. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane arrived in 2007 as teenagers, Joel Quenneville in 2008, and nothing has been the same since.
In five of the last seven springs, since 2009, the Blackhawks have been one of four teams left standing. They've been to the Stanley Cup Final three times, winning each. It's been a remarkable run. The fruits of a lost decade, you could say. And there are zero signs it's ending, thanks to a man who's never seen the ice or the bench: general manager Stan Bowman.
Bowman traded for Winnipeg Jets captain Andrew Ladd on Thursday evening, adding to an already formidable Chicago roster. It's a fantastic fit, Ladd a strong possession player and two-time Cup winner, one of which came with the Blackhawks. It made too much sense to not happen.
The cost, for a Blackhawks team with a .653 winning percentage, third-highest in Quenneville's tenure, was Marko Dano, who has four goals and 19 assists in 34 AHL games, and a first-round pick in 2016. A price any reasonable Blackhawks supporter will tell you is more than fair.
Dano may turn out to be a fine player - there's something there, if the Jets can tap into it. And a conditional third-round pick is worth another Cup. But by adding Ladd without touching his roster, Bowman is proving it may indeed be possible to put together a dynasty in the salary cap era. The point is: He's trying. And that's damn exciting. While Michal Handzus and Antoine Vermette contributed to two previous Cups, Ladd is a far more dynamic player, and there's no reason to think he won't thrive in his new old home. He's got a contract to play for.
The Blackhawks have the Western Conference's best goal differential, allowing 24 fewer goals than the Dallas Stars, the West's "best" team. Quenneville and Corey Crawford - for some reason - don't get enough credit outside of Chicago. Whatever they're doing, it works. It's still working. Chicago doesn't need Ladd. But perhaps this move is about more than simply fit, because the Blackhawks have played a lot of hockey over the years. That's the price winners pay. We can't see it, but there's mileage on the legs of Kane, Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Marian Hossa, and Niklas Hjalmarsson. This is the beauty of Bowman, and his ability to remake his team while somehow keeping his core intact. Ladd's played four playoff games in five years. Artemi Panarin hasn't played one.
As for the first-round pick, that's another price to pay for winning. No matter. Bowman inherited the only three he truly needed.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.
The Edmonton Oilers have scratched forward Teddy Purcell and defenseman Justin Schultz ahead of Thursday's game against the Los Angeles Kings.
Both players are among a number of Oilers who may be dealt ahead of the Feb. 29 deadline. TSN's Bob McKenzie added that though a Purcell deal isn't imminent, they want to ensure the forward stays healthy.
EDM has not traded Purcell, not yet anyway. Asset protection at this point. Several teams with serious interest. Deal likely at some point.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 26, 2016
Later, TSN's Ryan Rishaug tweeted that Schultz would also be scratched for "protection reasons." He was a minus-3 in the Oilers' last game - a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.