TAKEAWAYS: Blackhawks Come Out Strong in Third Period to Beat Penguins

The Blackhawks came out victorious on Tuesday night as they faced off against a playoff hungry Penguins group. With Connor Murphy kicking off the scoring frenzy in the second period, Chicago started the third period looking for more as they defeated Pittsburgh, 5-2.
For head coach Luke Richardson, he felt the team learned from their mistakes in previous games with the way they managed the puck tonight. With Jason Dickinson's block on Penguins' forward Evgeny Malkin and Petr Mrazek standing strong in net, the team was determined to come out with a win.
"The guys were just determined," Richardson said. "I think we played really good hockey as of late and we just couldn't get over the hump in that third period and tonight, they're determined to get over the hump. I thought we managed the puck for a complete 60 minutes tonight, and that was frustrating for them."

With tonight's win, Mrazek earned his 150th win of his career after he made 38 saves off of 40 shots faced. Richardson noted the goaltender sturdy performance especially during the Pittsburgh's man advantage in the second period.
"He saw the puck well tonight," Richardson said. "He was in the crease with a really solid positioning, made multiple saves like one shot and rebounds saves. So, those are big, especially in the second period on that one power play they had."
Despite playing with 11 forward and seven defensemen, Richardson didn't notice any challenges throughout the night with their different lineup situations. He added that players remained sharp throughout their shifts and responded well with the changes.
"You got to really watch and see the players' shifts before to see who you could use again, like a double up it over the rotation," Richardson said. "I think playing the right way helped us do that, so the player has helped me do that."
Heading into the final game of the season on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, the team looks to end the season on a high note before they start preparing for next season. Even with the standings not in their favor, the players still have something to play for.
"We really want to just have a good end of the season," Richardson said. "I think we put a lot of work in this year and made some strides in a lot of areas, other than the standings. Next year, obviously, we want to move up but to do that, we have to still make steps and I think we're going to finish off the right way, which is great to see."