The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t played in close to two months, but a handful of former players are participating in the Stanley Cup Final. It’s always interesting to see guys move on and have success elsewhere for the sake of their careers.
Ahead of the trade deadline this season, Chicago sent Seth Jones to the Florida Panthers in a massive deal for both franchises. Jones has been great for them in the playoffs, including game two, where he played a huge role.
In addition to his role as a shutdown player - it’s impossible to completely contain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl - Jones contributed on offense in a big way. In what turned out to be a 5-4 overtime win, Jones had one goal and one assist. Plus-minus isn't always a wonderful indicator of how a player performed, but Jones was +3 against this lethal Edmonton offense.
For the game to reach overtime, former Blackhawk forward Corey Perry scored with just over 17 seconds left in regulation to force the fourth period. At 40 years old, Perry has 8 goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Another former Hawk worth noting is Gustav Forsling, who put on a masterclass defensively. His name doesn’t appear on the scoresheet, but Florida doesn’t win without his contributions.
“If you skate that well as a young man, you're put into offensive situations, you become a power play guy," Florida head coach Paul Maurice said. "But he has taken that skill and applied it to the defensive side of the game."
As mentioned before, Edmonton’s superstars rarely get completely shut down. However, Forsling was key in keeping them in check just enough to win the game. Getting his stick in the way on multiple opportunities set up by Edmonton was huge in the win. After a tough Game One, Forsling needed to bounce back in Game 2. Based on the difficulty level of the opponent, he can say he did that.
All of these former Blackhawks made Game 2 one of the best games you’ll see in the NHL ever. To say that players who once donned the Blackhawks sweater were influential in the outcome would be an understatement.
Each of the first two games has gone to overtime, and each ended with a legend scoring the winner. Leon Draisaitl and Brad Marchand have the series knotted up at one win apiece.
Game 3 will take place on Monday evening as the series will shift to Sunrise, Florida.
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