Chicago Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild: did Connor Bedard and Spencer Knight turn Grand Casino Arena into a wall?

The Chicago Blackhawks moved to 26-30-12 and 2 points after a 2-1 result over the the Minnesota Wild, who carried a 39-19-12 record and 1 point into Grand Casino Arena.

First period

The Chicago Blackhawks opened the scoring with 1 goal in the first period while the Wild recorded 0.

The Hawks finished the period with even-strength production that foreshadowed a night of 2 even-strength goals on 17 even-strength shots.

Second period

The Blackhawks and the Wild traded 1 goal each in the second period as the game shifted into special teams time, with each side drawing 9 minor penalties for 18 penalty minutes.

Chicago went 0-for-3 on the power play with 9 power-play shots, while Minnesota went 0-for-3 with 5 power-play shots and logged 1 chance with a 5-on-3 advantage.

Spencer Knight held the line on the penalty kill with 5 shorthanded saves as Chicago finished with 1 goal against on 29 shots against.

Third period

The Blackhawks closed out the third period with 0 goals while protecting a 1-goal edge, and the Wild also finished the period with 0.

Chicago totaled 26 shots and Minnesota produced 29, and the Wild’s 23 hits met the Hawks’ 10 as play tightened.

Connor Bedard led Chicago’s individual attacking line with 1 goal on 6 shots, and Knight’s 28 saves secured the win that made Chicago’s 8 percent shooting stand up.

The Wild finished with 15 giveaways to Chicago’s 12, and the Blackhawks supported Knight with 10 blocked shots while the Wild recorded 13.

Chicago Blackhawks post-match stats showed a 46 percent faceoff rate on 63 draws, while Minnesota posted 54 percent, and the Hawks still exited with the winning goal.

Postgame notes

Chicago Blackhawks coach post-game reaction centered on a game where Chicago finished plus-5 and Minnesota ended minus-5 at even strength, according to the team totals.

Chicago Blackhawks post-game interviews also had a clear anchor in the official stars list led by Bedard as the 1st star and Knight as the 2nd star, while Michael McCarron took the 3rd star for Minnesota.

This post-game report Chicago Blackhawks also reflected the broadcast stage, with the game carried on ESPN+ and Hulu as listed in the event feeds.

Next on the schedule

The Chicago Blackhawks host the Colorado Avalanche at United Center in Chicago on 3/20/2026 at 8:30 PM EDT, with viewing options listed as ESPN+, CHSN, ALT, and KTVD.

Catch the next one on the listed networks, and share this article with other Hawks fans.