DETROIT – He’s been waiting a couple of weeks to get back in the net, and Malcolm Subban made the most of the opportunity on Saturday night.

In fact, he delivered one of the best performances of any goalie during this Blackhawks’ season in a moment when the team really needed it.

In his first game since March 28th, Subban stopped all 29 shots he saw from the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit Saturday evening. Four different players backed up the performance with goals to beat Detroit 4-0, bouncing back after a difficult loss on Thursday to the Red Wings.

It’s the sixth win of the season for the Blackhawks in eight games against Detroit in 2021, and it came at a great time. Thanks to the Predators’ loss to the Hurricanes, the team is now just two points out of the last playoff spot in the Central Division.

The Blackhawks go to Nashville Monday looking to tie things up, and they owe a lot to that goalie for creating that chance.

Subban stopped a number of quality opportunities from the Red Wings in the first period, but he held the hosts out of the net. The Blackhawks got on the board late in the period when Vinnie Hinostroza slid a backhand pass to Patrick Kane, who buried a shot to make it 1-0.

As Subban kept up his play in net, the Blackhawks offense slowly built the lead, with Alex DeBrincat adding to his team-leading 22 goals with a score in the second period. Wyatt Kalynuk and Pius Suter got on the board in the third to put the game away, and Subban’s play shut the door.

It’s the second shutout for the goalie this season to go along with the one he got against the Blue Jackets on February 25th, raising his record to 5-5-1 with a 2.86 goals against average.

Subban had to wait for his next chance in net, but he made the most of it, and his teammates made sure to give him plenty of support in a game the Blackhawks needed to win.

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