Blackhawks Postgame Chatter: ‘It’s Just How It’s Gone’

CHICAGO – Don’t worry Blackhawks fans–Seth Jones and the rest of the Blackhawks knew they had no shots on net, too. It’s what influenced Jones to fire one on net.

“Oh, we were aware,” Jones told the media after the Blackhawks 4-2 loss to Vancouver. “We’re definitely aware. The fans were aware. It’s embarrassing–it’s embarrassing you can’t get one puck to the net.”

Jones admitted he just threw one at the netminder Thatcher Demko to record the team’s first shot, but the team didn’t start out fast enough, skating on its heels and watching more than participating.

And just when they thought they were about tie it up in the second period, Vancouver goes and buries one seconds later.

More frustrating than embarrassing? But maybe all the same?

“It’s just how it’s gone,” Jones admitted, which could be a statement for the season. “It could be two to two, and five seconds later, three-one. It’s momentum swings we’ve been having to deal with.”

All season long, in fact.

Blackhawks Suffer a Familiar Fate

Seven straight losses don’t happen by chance. It’s usually a tale of woe that spirals out of control. The Blackhawks story has been almost the same all season long–play a team tight, make a few mistakes, and take another loss. The lack of scoring depth has been evident all season long but never more than when Connor Bedard was injured against New Jersey over a month ago.

Tuesday’s effort was flat from the onset, and didn’t seen an injection of life until Tyler Johnson buried his 10th of the year on the power play. But as has been a common chapter of the Hawks’ story, the sustained effort falls short of three full periods.

“Yeah, the start of the game was just not acceptable,” Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski said. “We can’t start games like that. Obviously we have to play a full sixty, and we can’t just tell ourselves that–let our actions speak louder than our words.”

Korchinski’s words sound like a youngster growing into his NHL role, molded and sculpted by the likes of Nick Foligno, Jason Dickinson and Jones. But the lack of a full sixty minutes–well that’s been one chapter written after another in this season’s story for the Blackhawks.

Head coach Luke Richardson didn’t like how his team fared on the scoreboard or when it came to their effort.

“I think we’ve been proud on how the guys have worked in the last month but not tonight,” Richardson said. “It wasn’t the same effort, kinda the same result in pulling the goalie and putting the pressure on in the end. But not the way we want to do things around here.”

It’s another chapter written in what’s been a long season of losing close but contested games. For the Blackhawks and their fans, they’ll be more than happy to turn the page, and close another chapter of the story that featured the same, frustrating ending.

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