It has been quite the season for Chicago Blackhawks rookie left winger Dominik Kubalik of Pilsen, Czech Republic. On Saturday, Kubalik made hockey history. In Chicago’s 6-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers in the first game of the 2020 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoff qualifier, Kubalik registered two goals and three assists. Kubalik’s five points are the most points by a player in his very first postseason game in NHL history according to Scott King of NBC Sports.
Kubalik registered three first period assists on two first period goals by Jonathan Toews, and another from Brandon Saad. He then scored two second period goals on the power play. His first goal from Duncan Keith and Kirby Dach turned out to be the game-winning goal.
In 68 games this season, Kubalik had 30 goals and 16 assists for 46 points. He was a +2 with 16 penalty minutes, eight power play points, three game winning goals, 157 shots on goal, six faceoff wins, 17 blocked shots, 79 hits, 23 takeaways, and 25 giveaways. Kubalik’s most notable regular season game came on February 27, when he had a hat trick in a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Kubalik also led the NHL among rookies with 30 goals this season. He has been nominated for the Calder Trophy where he is up against Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.
Saturday’s game for Chicago was a complete dominant performance. The franchise put the puck past Edmonton Oilers goaltender Mike Smith with complete ease. The Edmonton defense looked exceptionally weak as a whole, as Chicago generated 42 shots on net. If the Oilers have any chance of getting back in the series, they will need Mikko Koskinen to carry the load.
The Blackhawks were one of two 12th seeds to win on Saturday. The other was the Montreal Canadiens, who beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 on an overtime winner by Jeff Petry of Ann Arbor, MI.
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