CHICAGO — These aren't the same Blackhawks that were still a handful in the afterglow of the dynasty years that yielded three Stanley Cups between 2010 and 2015.
But the Wild is a different team, too.
In their first matchup in almost two years, both franchises' new directions were on display as the Wild routed its rebuilding rival 5-1 on Friday in front of 17,921 at United Center for the team's fourth win in the past five games.
The rematch is Saturday in St. Paul.
"We played a good hockey game," Wild coach Dean Evason said. "Tomorrow we have to play a better one."
Despite dealing with a stomach bug, Ryan Hartman scored twice and set a new career high in points while goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen made 35 saves in another impressive start in place of injured No. 1 Cam Talbot.
Rookie Calen Addison also had a standout performance, registering the first multi-point game of his career and making a case to stay in the lineup with captain Jared Spurgeon on the brink of returning from injury.
"He's looked good," Evason said of Addison. "He's looked confident. It's going to be a hard decision, but I guess it's a positive one to have."