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Recap: Blackhawks earn 2-1 win in Minnesota

Originally posted on The Rink | By Andrew Bard | Last updated Mar 20, 2026 1:29 PM ET

The Chicago Blackhawks visited Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday night for the final matchup of the season against the Minnesota Wild. The Hawks are coming off a 4-3 loss in overtime at home to the Wild on Tuesday night at the United Center in a game the Hawks tied with under two minutes to play to earn a point. For the back end of this home-and-home series, the Hawks started Spencer Knight in goal against the Wild’s Jesper Wallstedt.

First period

Ilya Mikheyev opened the scoring with his 13th of the season to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. Andrew Mangiapane stickhandled to the right faceoff circle and fired a pass to Mikheyev on the doorstep for the tap-in goal at 16:22. The Hawks took a one-goal lead after 20 minutes.

“here come the Hawks” pic.twitter.com/cLe0b8iXWG

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 20, 2026

Second period

Chicago took a 2-0 lead on Connor Bedard’s 28th goal of the season. Bedard stole the puck from Marcus Johansson in the defensive zone, skated the other way and with Johansson a half step behind, Bedard lifted a backhand past Wallstedt at 11:47.

a Bedsy beautyyyyyy pic.twitter.com/SbTb8nf4Zc

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) March 20, 2026

The Wild cut it to 2-1 on Nico Sturm’s fifth of the season. The Wild rushed up the ice and Hunter Haight found Sturm, who fired a shot from the right-wing boards past Knight at 15:47. The Hawks would take a one-goal lead into the room after two periods.

Third period

There was no scoring in the final frame, as the Blackhawks hung on for a 2-1 win over their Central Division rivals.

Analysis

It was a solid, scrappy and gutsy road win for the Blackhawks, who beat the Wild in regulation for the first time since 2019 and their first win in Minnesota since 2017. The Wild clearly tried to be the more physical team but the young Hawks stood toe to toe and pushed back, especially during a few scrums after the whistle. It will be a quick turnaround for the Hawks, who return home to face the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night at United Center, which may feature the debut of newly signed former first-round draft choice Sacha Boisvert. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. CDT on CHSN with the radio call on 720 AM WGN.