Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks Fall to Capitals in Preseason Opener

Adam Boqvist and Alex Nylander both scored goals for the Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks opened up their preseason on Monday against the Washington Capitals, but they couldn’t come home with the victory as Tom Wilson scored in overtime to give the home side a 4-3 win.

Adam Boqvist scored a goal for the Blackhawks in the loss, and new acquisitions Aleksi Saarela and Alex Nylander both added goals of their own. Collin Delia made 25 saves in the losing effort.

Thanks to some deft puck movement in the first period, the Blackhawks were able to get on the board first. David Kampf skated the puck into the zone on the rush, and circled around to wait for his teammates to arrive. Nylander fed a pass to the point to Erik Gustafsson, who launched a slapshot that Saarela deflected into the back of the net to put the Blackhawks in front 1-0.

In the second period the scoring opened up, as the two teams combined for five total goals. After Damien Riat scored to tie the game at 1-1, Nylander gave the Blackhawks back the lead just two minutes later, potting a gorgeous goal to make it a 2-1 game.

The Capitals then scored two goals in 90 seconds, with Travis Boyd adding a power play marker and Aliaksei Protas scoring with 11 minutes to go in the frame to put the Capitals in front 3-2.

With about seven minutes to go in the period, Boqvist showed off his remarkable offensive skill on a drive through the zone. After reaching the goal line, Boqvist circled around the cage and rifled off a quick shot that found the back of the net, tying things up at 3-3.

That remained the score until the overtime period when the Capitals were able to secure the winner. Wilson skated past the Blackhawks’ defense and tucked the puck underneath Delia’s leg pad, giving the Capitals the victory.

The Blackhawks will be back in action on Tuesday night, taking on the Detroit Red Wings at the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit.  

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